Boise State Broncos College Football Pregame Quote, 12/27/2024

Q. Everyone wants to call this a physical challenge, whether it’s Penn State’s offensive or defensive line. What goes through a player’s mind when you know the task ahead?

BRAXTON FELY: There’s a lot. A lot of people outside that really think that size matters. But when it comes down to it, it’s helpful obviously, but size isn’t really the main factor on the physical side of things. It’s all mental, really, just making sure that you’re mentally prepared as to what works best for you.

Q. How excited are you for this matchup? When you look at that O-line, one of the best you’ve faced this year, I assume?

BRAXTON FELY: Yes, they’re up there for sure. I’m very excited. We get to play a big school. Their O-line is very athletic. They can move quick. I think it will be a testament to how well we can keep up and handle with the big dogs.

Q. We were asking [Erik] Chinander about a dude that lines up next to you, Herb Gums. Doesn’t have a lot of stats next to his name. You were named second team All-Conference, but if you look at a player’s value, Herb is probably on there, too. So, what has Herb meant to your defense this year?

BRAXTON FELY: Herb is really, like, the heart of our defense. You’ve got the linebackers, obviously, that are up there as well. But to me, Herb, I’ve watched him while I’ve been here. He’s been a role model to me. For him, I wouldn’t have the stats I had, or been on second team, if it wasn’t for him. He takes all the double teams I know and that I can think about. Without him, this team would be very different.

Q. How selfless is he [Herb Gums] in his approach? He seems like kind of a quiet dude that just worries about doing his job.

BRAXTON FELY: He’s very quiet, but he gets work done. Even when he’s injured or when things are bugging him, he gets back in the training room and tries to get back to help his brothers out. And I think that’s something amazing about him. He only cares about everybody else and not about himself.

Q. Has this time off, a lot of time to rest and recover, has it been nice? Or are you a little anxious to get back on the field and go to work a little bit?

BRAXTON FELY: It’s kind of both. For me, I think the time off has been great. It helps the people in our room to get back and healthy. It’s hard to play a season with four D tackles. But part of me also wants to get to Arizona, like, yesterday. I’m ready to play. It will be fun.

Q. How did you watch the game?

BRAXTON FELY: I watched it at home. It was an early game, so I had to wake up, obviously. We had a day off. But I just woke up, watched it. I wasn’t really watching one specific team. I was kind of watching both and the flow of the game.

Q. It’s a pretty unique situation. You don’t know who you’re going to play; you’re watching and waiting. You’re home kind of on your couch doing it. How unique was that situation?

BRAXTON FELY: It’s different, for sure. Usually we’re watching college games in the hotel, because we’re getting ready for our own game. It was kind of interesting to be able to sit down and watch the whole game and kind of digest every little thing about it. It was awesome.

Q. How quickly after the game was over did you snap into prep mode?

BRAXTON FELY: It was a quick turnaround. Obviously, Penn State is a very big name out there. For me, I kind of feel like we’ve got something to prove, especially being an underdog. But turnaround was quick. I mean, I feel like everyone here is ready to get after it and go play.

Q. How quick is that game film or the cutups available for you guys after a game like that? Who deserves the credit around the building for that?

BRAXTON FELY: That’s all the media team, for sure. All the coaches put a lot of time and effort into those things. Before the game even started, the film was out there for us to watch, so just kind of prepare.

Q. Do you get the whole game? Or do they select stuff to show you?

BRAXTON FELY: It all depends. Like for practice, if we’re game-planning certain situations, we’ll have those situations in that cutup, but it won’t be the whole game. We’ll also watch the whole game as well, just to get a flow of how they’re going to be and how things are going to go.

Q. Given Boise State’s history in the Fiesta Bowl, how exciting is it to be the fourth team to play in this bowl game? Obviously, being a playoff, it’s going to be much different than the other three.

BRAXTON FELY: It’s exciting. Like you said, being a playoff, it’s going to be very different from the years past. It’s been 10 years now since we played in the Fiesta Bowl. It will be exciting to see what we can do and how it will go.

Q. Along those lines, this is an opportunity Boise State has been asking for for decades now, just to get a chance to play in the playoffs, a chance to play for a title. Has it hit you that you guys are about to go play for something that previous teams could only dream about?

BRAXTON FELY: Yeah, it’s hit me a lot, but I try and stay kind of mellow. Coach [Spencer Danielson] talks about it’s our biggest game because it’s the next. But this is quite legitimately the biggest game because it’s the playoffs now. We’re playing for something that all college teams wish they could play for.

Q. The playoff was just getting formed when you were going through your recruitment process. Did that play a role at all, that this could be something that was a possibility when you came here?

BRAXTON FELY: No. In my recruitment process, it was just kind of finding the best fit for me and kind of what my dad told me to do. But yeah.