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The University of Alabama offense got its turn with the Sugar Bowl media on Monday morning. Here’s some of what was said:
OL ARIE KOUANDIJO
(on taking on a talented Ohio State defensive front) “I look forward to it. We haven’t played in a very long time. I haven’t played in a long time, personally. I just look forward to it.”
(on facing Ohio State DE Joey Bosa) “I see opportunity and I see a chance for our offensive line to see where we are. It’s a great experience being able to play against a guy like that. Like I said, I look forward to it.”
(on whether it is hard not to get caught up in the hype of a game of this prestige) “It’s not too hard not to get caught up in the hype. It happens a lot playing for Alabama. One of the reasons I came to Alabama is to play for one of the best coaches in the country. I’m used to it. I’m used to high-stake games and stuff like that. We’ve done it before.”
(on what it means to take on the elite team of the Big Ten) “I’m not really thinking about things like that right now. I’m thinking about how to get better and how to make sure I can do my part to help us accomplish our goal.”
(on what he sees in Ohio State’s defense) “Every team has their positives and their negatives. I try to focus on my game and how we are playing.”
RB T.J. YELDON
(on the condition of his injured ankle) “It feels good. I’ve been rehabbing it a bit. I just got back to practice last week and I’m still getting used to it, and seeing how it feels when I’m running full speed on it.”
(on Ohio State’s defense) “They’re a very good defense. They use their technique very well and just play really good defense.”
(on the biggest challenge for the team) “Our biggest challenge is not turning the ball over, just focusing on what we do and not change the game plan for what they do. We need to just keep doing what we’ve been doing all year.”
(on if Ohio State reminds him of anybody Alabama has played this year) “They have a good d-line, like Florida. Their d-line is as good as theirs. They also have good linebackers.”
(on if Alabama has an advantage being used to playing on the national stage) “We’re kind of used to being on the big stage. We aren’t really worried about the limelight or whatever. We’ve been here before. This is what we do. This is Alabama. We’re here for a business trip, not the party or whatever. We’re pretty focused and ready to play.”
(on the importance of getting off to a good start offensively against Ohio State) “It’s very important to get the o-line going and then us going. That would take a lot of pressure off of Blake [Sims] and the wide receivers. If we can get that going, that will open up the holes for Blake and the wide receivers to make big plays.”
(on if Alabama has worked on any new wrinkles for the playoffs) “A little bit. Like I said, we don’t want to get away from what we’ve been doing all year and what got us here. We’ve got a little … just not a lot.”
(on what he feels in his ankle right now) “It hasn’t really bothered me since I’ve been practicing. I took some time off from practicing, but it feels better now. I’m almost 100 percent with this ankle. I’ll be ready for the game.”
(on how Lane Kiffin has helped the offense) “He knows what he’s doing. He’s had players like us at USC and when he was at Oakland. He just knows the right plays to call and can put Blake in the right situation where he can pass it out to Coop [Amari Cooper] or audible to a run. It’s been good.”
(on if Kiffin has made it a more fun, laid back atmosphere) “Yes, he has. Coach Saban gets on him sometimes and gets on us to not be so laid back and focus. But he is a pretty laid back guy.”
(on Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa) “He’s a very good guy. He’s big and he’s still young. I really hadn’t heard of him until Amari [Cooper] told me about him. He was at the award [shows] and was telling me how big he was, and how he filled out his whole suit. I watched film on him. He’s good. He does the right technique all the time. We have to focus on him and the whole d-line to get us going.”
(on watching Blake Sims develop as Alabama’s quarterback) “It’s been fantastic watching Blake. Everybody criticized him and how he wasn’t going to be able to start or be a good quarterback. He took that as motivation to keep him going and he turned out to be one of the leaders on the team. He always gets us going and gets the offense going. He does a great job doing that.”
(on if he feels challenged facing an Ohio State defense with two All-American defensive linemen) “It is. We have to get the run game going to open up other parts of the offense. It’s very important to get that going…get the offensive line going and get both me and Derrick [Henry] going. It’ll be a challenge for us, but I think we can do it.”
(on if there is an emphasis to treat this as a regular game week) “It’s a regular week. It’s no difference to us being here than practicing in our indoor facility back in Tuscaloosa. We keep the same intensity, we have to remain focused and remember what we’re here for – which is to win the game and not to party or whatever.”
WR AMARI COOPER
(on if his performance can have an effect on Alabama’s future recruiting) “Hopefully. I hope to have guys who can play receiver want to come to Alabama based on the season I’ve had.”
(on if Julio Jones’ college career had an impact on his decision to attend Alabama) “Yes. Julio was a great player. I want to be a great player too. Since he was successful here, [I thought] I could be successful here, too.”
(on when he got a sense that this could be a special season for him) “Probably during the spring. It was just different when Coach Kiffin got here. He was moving everybody around and trying new things. I knew the offense would be more open.”
(on what point of the season he felt Blake Sims took control of the quarterback position) “I would say every week, it’s been more and more. He’s been gaining more confidence every week. If there was one point, I would say after the Florida game.”
(on Sims’ progression from the spring to the Florida game) “When Coach Kiffin got here in the spring, he made the offense a little more player friendly and a little more easy to understand from the quarterback position. Blake seemed a lot more comfortable in the spring with Coach Kiffin. I would say, up until the Florida game, it was just a little bit more every week.”
(on when his role as an all-over-the-field receiver progressed) “I was put in a lot of different spots in the spring, but as the games started going on, I started getting moved around a little more.”
(on Coach Kiffin’s personality as opposed to others on past and present staffs) “He’s definitely an outgoing guy. He likes to make jokes. He’s friendly. He’s just a cool guy to be around.”
(on if he was surprised Coach Kiffin got away with joking with Coach Saban during the pre-playoff meetings) “His joke was kind of funny. I’m not sure if he got away with it or not.”
(on what Arkansas was able to do to slow down Alabama’s passing game) “I’m really not sure. The weather was pretty bad. I don’t know if we came out to play like we should have and they played pretty good on defense.”
(on the opening play against Tennessee and the attention put on Coach Kiffin) “We knew we were going to run that play first. We always have a first 10 [scripted plays]. I didn’t know it was going to be such a big play. I thought I could get a first down or something like that, but it was just a perfect play call.”
OL AUSTIN SHEPARD
(on his thoughts on the Ohio State defensive line) “They are one of the best defensive lines we’ve played this season. They are well-rounded up front and every position is really good. It’s going to be a challenge, but we are excited for it.”
(on Ohio State’s defensive end Joey Bosa) “Great player. One of the best defensive linemen I’ve watched on film. He’s still young, so he definitely has room to grow. Sky’s the limit for him. I’m excited to play. It’s a huge challenge for me and I love challenges, so I am excited.”
(on what Ohio State should expect in the Superdome come game day) “It’s just really loud. The biggest part of dealing with the noise is you’ve got to be on the cadence. You just have to get used to it and work on it.”
(on playing in this year’s version of the Sugar Bowl compared to last year’s) “It’s pretty much win and go on, or lose and go home. It’s an important game and we want to get to where our ultimate goal is, so we have to win.”
(on this year’s offense under Lane Kiffin compared to the last few years) “It’s a little different. We run a little more outside zone and stuff like that. It’s pretty similar with a few changes. Coach Kiffin brings in a few new plays every week and we just have to adapt to it.”
(on the style of offense under Lane Kiffin and his attitude toward it) “I think it helps with the defense. The defense has to play more basic looks. They cannot get into all of those exotic pressures. If you run it right, you wear down the defense and they just get tired throughout the game. I really like it a lot.”
(on the job freshman Cam Robinson has done this year and some of the things Shepard has helped him with) “I think he’s done a great job. I’m really impressed for being a freshman and coming in here and handling people the way he has. In the beginning of the season, I just had to help the first couple of games as he was pretty nervous playing in front of all those people on national televised games. Kind of had to tell him to ‘do your thing and pretend no one was there.’ Just trying to help him study film and what to look for.”
QB BLAKE SIMS
(on Game 1 of the season and his comfort level) “The first game, I was just trying to get the feel of the first college game. I tried to make some plays to show that Coach Saban made the right decision. I wanted to let them know I could be a great leader for this team. Each game, I tried to get better each week and pick Coach Saban’s mind, and see what he sees.”
(on his reaction to Kiffin hiring) “I was very happy hearing the background from him and knowing what kind of a coach he is. I was recruited by him, so I knew some things about him that some people didn’t. I knew he was going to come to the University of Alabama and help us out.”
(on what he likes about Kiffin) “His personality. He interacts with his players very well and he is a hard worker. I know a lot of people doubt him at certain places he has been, but I knew he would come in here and do the right thing. He is the right coach to be chosen. Maybe if we had another coach, we probably would have done the same thing, but coach Kiffin was the right guy to be chosen. We are glad to have him and we have a good relationship with him.”
(on Kiffin’s style) “He gets on me hard when I ‘m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing. If I’m not being the better player I can be – he is on me every time.”
(on replacing AJ McCarron) “It wasn’t tough at all. I tried to come into the season with a new year…start with a new team. I just pretty much tried to learn from what AJ taught me and what AJ did, and what I saw from AJ. The way he studied the plays; the way he was humble; the way he kept his composure at all times; the way he was a game manager. He did a great job of that and I tried to bring that into this year.”
(on Amari Cooper) “Any quarterback in the nation would love to him. He’s at Bama. I’m glad to have him.”
(on what Nick Saban told him after being named MVP of the SEC Championship Game) “I would say that Coach Saban lets me know that I still have more work to do. The MVP was nice and I got kind of emotional after that, but I realize that I’m still trying to chase a dream and I want to help my team win a national championship.”
(on if he’s given much thought to potentially playing at the next level) “It’s a possibility, but I have to focus on my team. I have a lot of guys that have dreams to have a ring when it comes to February. I want to do that for them. What better way to go to the NFL than with a ring on your finger. You can brag about that.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
