Highlights from our latest round of interviews heading into Oregon ...
Su'a Cravens
--on Uchenna Nwosu's potential at inside linebacker:
"He actually did a better job than me when we played Cal at the inside backer. He’s natural at the position and now that he’s getting reps at it I think he’ll do fine."
--on the differences between inside and outside:
"When you get into the box it’s a whole different world. Everything is moving fast. Not only are things moving fast, you got big people that are coming at you. You got to be able to use your hands and use your technique and be able to track the ball. They got a shifty running back that’s kind of big. And they got a very good O-line. It’s going to be a challenge."
--on catching Oregon perhaps as it seems to be playing its best:
"We don’t shy away from competition. This is a game that you look forward to on your schedule."
--on Oregon QB Vernon Adams:
"He’s just versatile. He can move outside the pocket, he can make plays on the run. He single-handedly beat Arizona State in overtime. He’s not going to go down on first contact. ...
"I don’t think we’ve played a quarterback as versatile as him. He’s pretty good on his feet, especially when he breaks the pocket, he can make plays downfield. We’re going to have to be disciplined on all levels of the defense."
--on defending Oregon's offense:
"Oregon only ran about 40-50 plays and most of them were runs. They were averaging probably seven, eight yards on the ground. You just got to stay disciplined stay in your gaps. It’s a lot of the things we’ve been working throughout this year. ...
"They zone block and they get you to where it’s a lot of 1-on-1s and it's either that you make the play or it goes for 60 yards. We’re going to need everyone to run to the ball and just have that competition attitude and try to make every tackle on every play in order for us to be successful."
--on Oregon TB Royce Freeman
"He’s a big back but he can move. We’re going to have to get him down on first contact, we’re going to need all 11 hats on the ball. Kind of like how we played against Utah, against Devontae Booker. He’s a big back that can move and if you try to tackle him 1-on-1 it’s going to be a long day."
--on whether Oregon is faster than USC:
"They’re pretty fast. But I tell you we probably have one of the fastest, if not the fastest, defenses in the Pac-12. We’re all pretty athletic."
--on whether he will play some inside linebacker
"A little bit. They’re going to attack the perimeter. That’s what they like to do."
Uchenna Nwosu
--on the transition from strong-side linebacker to weakside linebacker:
"Reading my keys a lot more, a lot better. I got to see guard pulls, I got to see down lineman between pass and run, that’s pretty much the difference for me. It’s a little bit of a challenge getting used to what I got to read now."
--on Oregon's offense:
"They’re a little faster, a little more active, they got a lot of skill guys, a lot of guys that can move and they’re uptempo. They’re a challenge for us."
--on what these practice reps mean for him this week:
"Very important. I got to make sure I know what I’m doing and watch some extra film, make sure I get the ins and outs."
--on how important defending the run will be vs. Oregon:
"That’s what we emphasize the most, is stopping the run."
Bob Connelly
--on Chris Brown:
"I love him. He’s got a great, great, great, great set of skills. He’s very, very talented. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s athletic. His biggest challenge since I’ve been here is just the maturation, learning the system, and then applying it. But great, great, great ability. He’s going to be a great player for us. As you guys know, we’ve been sprinkling him in. He got a couple series this last game in critical situations. Just trying to progress him along. He’ll be fine."
--on why he moved Brown from OT to OG:
"Just need and skill set. He could play tackle for us. But I think he’s better suited, at the end of the day, to play inside. That’s a position, an area that I felt like he could help us more and we’d benefit more with him there."
--on what the issues were for the O-line vs. Colorado:
"A combination. We missed some opportunities. Communication is the big thing, making sure that we’re on the same page (vs.) three-down and four-down looks. (Colorado did that) Oregon does too. A lot of the teams that we’re playing now are in and out of three-man, four-man fronts. Our defense does it. It’s a situation (where) we’ve got to do a better job of communicating the front ID, and then obviously off of the front we’ve got to have a ‘Mike’ ID to set the targeting for the offensive line."
--on the key to executing better early in games:
"Execution. It’s the bottom line. Arizona, I thought for whatever reason, lack of focus, lack of attention to detail. Listening too much to the media reports. Thinking that we’re better than we are maybe or figuring that because somebody said we’re going to win by 17 points we’re just going to show up and win. The Pac-12 doesn’t work that way. We’ve got to show up and play our best game each and every week. Those guys on the other team are on scholarship. At the end of the day, we’ve got to do our assignment and we’ve got to play fundamentally sound football and we’ve got to do it with a great attitude and a great mindset."
--on whether he thinks USC overlooked Colorado:
"I don’t. I thought it was an effort thing more so at the beginning of Arizona. Colorado, I think it was a combination of things. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to execute. We’ve got to go out and do our job. It’s not like the plays are better in the second half than they were in the first half of either of those games. It’s having that mental fortitude of going out and doing your job. Don’t worry about other things. Don’t worry about things you cannot control. … Big guys tend to get frustrated sometimes when they don’t know because their back’s to the play most of the time, where the breakdown is or what’s happening. For us, five guys have got to do their job every play. Defensive guys, if they’ve got a four-down front, one guy wins, they win. One guy loses on the offensive line, we all lose. So it’s very important that we have great focus and we finish. And we have to win, every snap. That’s the moral of the story."
Chris Brown
--on potentially making his first career start:
"I feel prepared to start and come in and do well. Connelly’s done a great job preparing the ones and the twos, so I feel confident."
--on the important of communicating well at Autzen:
"We’ve been practicing being super clear with all the calls, being really loud, making sure we’re all on the same page."
--on who makes the protection calls
"It starts with Khaliel, he’ll identify the front and what’s going on with the defense. And then Cody can check out of that. We’ll ultimately go with Cody’s calls. But it starts with Khaliel."
--on his preference between tackle and guard:
"I’ll play wherever they put me but I feel comfortable at guard. I haven’t played tackle since then."
Cody Kessler
--on how USC is preparing this week:
"It’s set up perfectly for us. … We have a huge game this week, and nothing changes for us. We’re still going to look at it as, prepare the same, play the same. Don’t try to do anything extra this week or do anything that we haven’t been doing – just stick to what Coach Helton has been having us do the past few weeks. Keep to our game plan and execute."
--on the key to getting off to a better start:
"Just execution. Just making our plays. We always put up the first 15-20 plays of the game plan. Obviously focus on the first three or four just to start the drive. We’ve got to execute those. We’re going to run them all week and work on them all week. Be ready to go when it comes Saturday. And I think it all starts with me. Getting the ball where it needs to go and getting that momentum going that first drive. Hopefully starting fast, getting some points early and maybe taking the crowd out of it a little bit."
JuJu Smith-Schuster
--on playing at Oregon:
"It's going to be a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to play in this stadium for a while, as a Trojan. I took a visit there and I went as a defensive back. So I was playing safety. All those DBs that Is aw there, I’m going against them this Saturday. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play against them."
--on how close he came to signing with Oregon
"Very close. It was until the end. The coaches changed, I came here and I was happy with my situation."
--He said the receivers will have to rely more on signals than talking because of Oregon will be the loudest environment they've played in. It's something they've done on the road before.
--on whether playing Oregon has everyone's attention a bit more than Colorado:
"Probably ... You have to score. Oregon’s going to put up points. At the end of the day, the defense is going to do their job. And when we touch the ball, we have to put points on the board. We can’t kick field goals in the red zone."
--on being selected one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award:
"I just found about that just right now. I think it's awesome. I thank God for everything he's done for me and watching over me. To be in the top 10 is a blessing."
--on whether winning it was a goal of his:
"Definitely. It should be everybody’s goal as a receiver to win that award."
Su'a Cravens
--on Uchenna Nwosu's potential at inside linebacker:
"He actually did a better job than me when we played Cal at the inside backer. He’s natural at the position and now that he’s getting reps at it I think he’ll do fine."
--on the differences between inside and outside:
"When you get into the box it’s a whole different world. Everything is moving fast. Not only are things moving fast, you got big people that are coming at you. You got to be able to use your hands and use your technique and be able to track the ball. They got a shifty running back that’s kind of big. And they got a very good O-line. It’s going to be a challenge."
--on catching Oregon perhaps as it seems to be playing its best:
"We don’t shy away from competition. This is a game that you look forward to on your schedule."
--on Oregon QB Vernon Adams:
"He’s just versatile. He can move outside the pocket, he can make plays on the run. He single-handedly beat Arizona State in overtime. He’s not going to go down on first contact. ...
"I don’t think we’ve played a quarterback as versatile as him. He’s pretty good on his feet, especially when he breaks the pocket, he can make plays downfield. We’re going to have to be disciplined on all levels of the defense."
--on defending Oregon's offense:
"Oregon only ran about 40-50 plays and most of them were runs. They were averaging probably seven, eight yards on the ground. You just got to stay disciplined stay in your gaps. It’s a lot of the things we’ve been working throughout this year. ...
"They zone block and they get you to where it’s a lot of 1-on-1s and it's either that you make the play or it goes for 60 yards. We’re going to need everyone to run to the ball and just have that competition attitude and try to make every tackle on every play in order for us to be successful."
--on Oregon TB Royce Freeman
"He’s a big back but he can move. We’re going to have to get him down on first contact, we’re going to need all 11 hats on the ball. Kind of like how we played against Utah, against Devontae Booker. He’s a big back that can move and if you try to tackle him 1-on-1 it’s going to be a long day."
--on whether Oregon is faster than USC:
"They’re pretty fast. But I tell you we probably have one of the fastest, if not the fastest, defenses in the Pac-12. We’re all pretty athletic."
--on whether he will play some inside linebacker
"A little bit. They’re going to attack the perimeter. That’s what they like to do."
Uchenna Nwosu
--on the transition from strong-side linebacker to weakside linebacker:
"Reading my keys a lot more, a lot better. I got to see guard pulls, I got to see down lineman between pass and run, that’s pretty much the difference for me. It’s a little bit of a challenge getting used to what I got to read now."
--on Oregon's offense:
"They’re a little faster, a little more active, they got a lot of skill guys, a lot of guys that can move and they’re uptempo. They’re a challenge for us."
--on what these practice reps mean for him this week:
"Very important. I got to make sure I know what I’m doing and watch some extra film, make sure I get the ins and outs."
--on how important defending the run will be vs. Oregon:
"That’s what we emphasize the most, is stopping the run."
Bob Connelly
--on Chris Brown:
"I love him. He’s got a great, great, great, great set of skills. He’s very, very talented. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s athletic. His biggest challenge since I’ve been here is just the maturation, learning the system, and then applying it. But great, great, great ability. He’s going to be a great player for us. As you guys know, we’ve been sprinkling him in. He got a couple series this last game in critical situations. Just trying to progress him along. He’ll be fine."
--on why he moved Brown from OT to OG:
"Just need and skill set. He could play tackle for us. But I think he’s better suited, at the end of the day, to play inside. That’s a position, an area that I felt like he could help us more and we’d benefit more with him there."
--on what the issues were for the O-line vs. Colorado:
"A combination. We missed some opportunities. Communication is the big thing, making sure that we’re on the same page (vs.) three-down and four-down looks. (Colorado did that) Oregon does too. A lot of the teams that we’re playing now are in and out of three-man, four-man fronts. Our defense does it. It’s a situation (where) we’ve got to do a better job of communicating the front ID, and then obviously off of the front we’ve got to have a ‘Mike’ ID to set the targeting for the offensive line."
--on the key to executing better early in games:
"Execution. It’s the bottom line. Arizona, I thought for whatever reason, lack of focus, lack of attention to detail. Listening too much to the media reports. Thinking that we’re better than we are maybe or figuring that because somebody said we’re going to win by 17 points we’re just going to show up and win. The Pac-12 doesn’t work that way. We’ve got to show up and play our best game each and every week. Those guys on the other team are on scholarship. At the end of the day, we’ve got to do our assignment and we’ve got to play fundamentally sound football and we’ve got to do it with a great attitude and a great mindset."
--on whether he thinks USC overlooked Colorado:
"I don’t. I thought it was an effort thing more so at the beginning of Arizona. Colorado, I think it was a combination of things. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to execute. We’ve got to go out and do our job. It’s not like the plays are better in the second half than they were in the first half of either of those games. It’s having that mental fortitude of going out and doing your job. Don’t worry about other things. Don’t worry about things you cannot control. … Big guys tend to get frustrated sometimes when they don’t know because their back’s to the play most of the time, where the breakdown is or what’s happening. For us, five guys have got to do their job every play. Defensive guys, if they’ve got a four-down front, one guy wins, they win. One guy loses on the offensive line, we all lose. So it’s very important that we have great focus and we finish. And we have to win, every snap. That’s the moral of the story."
Chris Brown
--on potentially making his first career start:
"I feel prepared to start and come in and do well. Connelly’s done a great job preparing the ones and the twos, so I feel confident."
--on the important of communicating well at Autzen:
"We’ve been practicing being super clear with all the calls, being really loud, making sure we’re all on the same page."
--on who makes the protection calls
"It starts with Khaliel, he’ll identify the front and what’s going on with the defense. And then Cody can check out of that. We’ll ultimately go with Cody’s calls. But it starts with Khaliel."
--on his preference between tackle and guard:
"I’ll play wherever they put me but I feel comfortable at guard. I haven’t played tackle since then."
Cody Kessler
--on how USC is preparing this week:
"It’s set up perfectly for us. … We have a huge game this week, and nothing changes for us. We’re still going to look at it as, prepare the same, play the same. Don’t try to do anything extra this week or do anything that we haven’t been doing – just stick to what Coach Helton has been having us do the past few weeks. Keep to our game plan and execute."
--on the key to getting off to a better start:
"Just execution. Just making our plays. We always put up the first 15-20 plays of the game plan. Obviously focus on the first three or four just to start the drive. We’ve got to execute those. We’re going to run them all week and work on them all week. Be ready to go when it comes Saturday. And I think it all starts with me. Getting the ball where it needs to go and getting that momentum going that first drive. Hopefully starting fast, getting some points early and maybe taking the crowd out of it a little bit."
JuJu Smith-Schuster
--on playing at Oregon:
"It's going to be a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to play in this stadium for a while, as a Trojan. I took a visit there and I went as a defensive back. So I was playing safety. All those DBs that Is aw there, I’m going against them this Saturday. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play against them."
--on how close he came to signing with Oregon
"Very close. It was until the end. The coaches changed, I came here and I was happy with my situation."
--He said the receivers will have to rely more on signals than talking because of Oregon will be the loudest environment they've played in. It's something they've done on the road before.
--on whether playing Oregon has everyone's attention a bit more than Colorado:
"Probably ... You have to score. Oregon’s going to put up points. At the end of the day, the defense is going to do their job. And when we touch the ball, we have to put points on the board. We can’t kick field goals in the red zone."
--on being selected one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award:
"I just found about that just right now. I think it's awesome. I thank God for everything he's done for me and watching over me. To be in the top 10 is a blessing."
--on whether winning it was a goal of his:
"Definitely. It should be everybody’s goal as a receiver to win that award."
