Boise State Broncos College Football Pregame Quote, 12/26/2024

Q. When you made the bet, did you think you would be the one that had to pay up?

MASON RANDOLPH: Obviously. I mean, I didn’t want to make the bet and go into it thinking: Man, I hope this kid doesn’t get 2,000 yards rushing. I really hope he doesn’t do this. I want him with my whole heart to break however many yards he got and really help whatever I can to do to get him there.

Q. Is Ashton [Jeanty] covering the cost?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, I have a guy I was talking to. I know I’m not paying for it now. That’s pretty sweet.

Q. What would it mean for you to have that number be above or at 26, 28? I mean, that sets the all-time mark, obviously.

MASON RANDOLPH: It would be phenomenal. As offensive linemen, we don’t get stats. The only stats we get are negatives, how much sacks you let up, how many games you missed, how many tackles for loss this guy has against you.

His stats are our stats. So whatever he gets kind of reflects on us too. He’s a phenomenal player. He does his own thing. He gets the majority of his yards himself, but I’d like to think that we help a lot too.

Q. Why was it a tattoo for you? I know you got some already. Why was that the thing that you were like, okay, this is what I’ll do?

MASON RANDOLPH: Like you said, I love tattoos. I’ve got quite a few. Just trying to get more. I think being able to be a part of something that’s this historic -what’s the word? Just putting it on myself for the rest of my life, I think it’s something I’m- going to be proud of and tell my grandkids whenever I see them.

Q. It is going to be the numbers? Him hurdling over the number? Have you thought about the design?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, so I’m just going to get a number, however many yards he gets, and then his signature right below it.

Q. You’ve been back two games you played?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yes.

Q. Do you feel both rested and in sharpness? Where do you think you are right now?

MASON RANDOLPH: I feel solid. Missing football for that long, obviously, is going to take a little bit to get back into the swing of everything. But I felt like even while I was injured, I was doing my best to stay locked in, stay focused on meetings, and trying to learn as much as I can to help those guys learn. I feel like I’m feeling solid right now for sure.

Q. Not a lot of people are giving you guys a chance in this game. You’re double digit underdogs. Does that fire you guys up when no one is really giving you a chance?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, for sure. This place was built off underdogs. I’m sure everybody who has gone before me has said something similar, but I think everybody in this room has the same mentality of: This is the next game. Nothing different. We’ve got to win it.

Q. “Disrespectful” isn’t the right word, but do you guys feel pretty good about what you’ve done this year and who you’ve beaten and your record this year? Are you surprised more people aren’t giving you a chance?

MASON RANDOLPH: I mean, it doesn’t really cross my mind. I think those guys can have their opinions because opinions are just based off of emotions. But the facts are the facts. And when we played bigger games this year, we were just right there with them.

Oregon, that’s our kind of number one game right now that we go back to. It’s the number one team, undefeated. Nobody has beat them, and we were the closest ones to doing so.

Q. Spencer [Danielson] kind of said: Hey, bring it on. Count us out. Please. That’s what we want. Do you guys kind of embrace that role?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, for sure. Like I said, people are going to have their opinions. And whether it be that they’re going to think they’re going to dominate us, they’re going to see what we got on the 31st.

Q. When did the whole tattoo come up? The dreadlocks have been talked about since media day. How did the tattoo come into play?

MASON RANDOLPH: So we were talking about it earlier in the summer. That’s when we first came up with the bet. And he was kind of talking to me about it, and I was sitting there thinking, as I was explaining it to people, they were, like: That doesn’t really seem fair. If he gets to 2,000 yards, he has to cut his dreadlocks.

So then he came up to me, and he was, like, we’ve got to redo this. I was like, all right, let me think about it for a sec. So then I came back to him the next day, and I just let him know, if you don’t get to 2,000, you got to cut them. But if you do, I’ll get a tattoo of how many yards you got.

Yeah, it was a terrible bet. He came up to me, and then I came up with the idea of fixing it, that kind of thing.

Q. What stands out about Penn State’s front?

MASON RANDOLPH: They’re a phenomenal front. They’re big, fast, explosive. They’ve got great playmakers all over the ball, all over the field on defense. Their D-line brings a lot of different challenges, whether it be twists or one-on-one blocks. They all have their strengths. And whether it be, you know, they’re ‚Äì going ‚Äì I don’t want to get into the football detail stuff of it, but they’re all phenomenal players, for sure.

Q. What do you think of Kage Casey?

MASON RANDOLPH: Awesome kid. He’s quiet, really reserved, really still -rarely- comes out of his shell. Every once in a while; but when he does, it’s awesome. That kid has a crazy work ethic, one like I’ve never seen.

He came in here and he’s got three shoulder surgeries already. Before he even got here, he had his knee. Being able to come back from all that stuff and playing at the level he is just shows how dedicated he is to bettering himself, bettering this program.

During the summer, I would see him watching film, while I was watching film with him, and he would pull out food. He has a whole strict diet plan and everything like that. He’s a crazy kid, for sure.

Q. I know you guys are all ready to deal with the pass rush, the left tackle [Kage Casey] dealing with the pass rush. I know he’s competitive. How much do you think he’ll be up for this challenge?

MASON RANDOLPH: Oh, he’s always up for it. He’s going to go out there, do his thing. I know Kage is going to be quiet when he does it, but he’s going to make his plays when he needs to make his plays.

Q. Dirk Koetter was talking earlier about how he didn’t quite like the rest. He kind of wanted to get into the game. But for you, dealing with this injury, how much has this time off helped you?

MASON RANDOLPH: I think it’s helped me more in my mental aspect. Not being able to physically better myself in football, not being able to physically get those reps, but more being able to watch and understand and see how the other guys in the room kind of see the game really broadened my understanding of the game and seeing how I can explain it to them, how I see it so I can maybe give them a little tidbit of a knowledge. I think it’s been super beneficial.

Q. How is the bicep feeling now? Is it 100%?

MASON RANDOLPH: Really close. We tested it the other day. It was really close to 100%.

Q. What did you do this last week?

MASON RANDOLPH: I just went back home. I got to go hang out with my family for a little bit, see my dog again. He went home after the Mountain West championship game.

Q. What kind of dog you got?

MASON RANDOLPH: English Bulldog.

Q. Why did he go home?

MASON RANDOLPH: Normally during season, he goes home because I’m so busy. I can’t really have anybody to take care of him for me because he’s my responsibility. But my parents love him to death, so they take care of him for me.

Q. It just seems like in past times, different coaches might have set different standards for big games, if you will. It seems like Spencer [Danielson] thought that he’s just stuck with the script of what’s worked and trusting you guys. How much do you think that does work for you guys?

MASON RANDOLPH: I think it’s great. He always tells us how much -every game is important because it’s the next. It’s so true. It’s so difficult to win in college football, and it’s a testament to him. It’s a testament to all the players seeing our record. I think it’s huge. Having someone that’s- that supportive of us, knowing that we can get the job done is awesome.

Q. Any interviews when you were back home, in terms of going to play in the College Football Playoffs? I assume everyone knows that.

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, for sure. I was sitting there, and we went to watch the new “Lion King” movie last night. I was wearing this hat, and someone came up to me and said: Do you play football for Boise State? I was: Like, yeah, I do. He said: You guys got Penn State on the clock. Yeah, we do. Everybody kind of knows about this, huh?

Q. Is there a different feel, too, like maybe a normal bowl game you’re excited, but it’s also just a bowl game. Maddux [Madsen] said he was enjoying his time home, but couldn’t wait to get back, too. Is there a different feeling when it’s a playoff game?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, for sure. There’s more on the line. Win or lose, you’re going to have to go face next year or whatever. But still, you’ve got to think about the next week kind of thing.

Q. Is there a different feel, too, just knowing if you do win you get another game, the tournament style of this and it’s not just one game?

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, for sure. It kind of clicked for me, too, when I was watching the games before ours. And it was like, whoa, those guys are playing right now and we’re just kind of getting a little bit of a break. But they’re going to be playing the same time we’re going to be playing next week.

Q. I know they asked about the time off and recovery and stuff. It probably seems like you have been sprinting to meet a deadline. Now that you had a couple of weeks where you didn’t have a game, were you able to approach a day a little bit differently, or were you able to breathe a little bit there where you weren’t just sprinting to meet that deadline of getting back to Oregon State?

MASON RANDOLPH: I never really thought of that ever, throughout my whole rehab process, because they kind of really told me I was done. They told me my season was over, and I was just going to go about my day, attack it every single day the same way like I can. Whether it be showing up for rehab, showing up for meetings, you can’t really take those days off, especially in the middle of the season when there is such a big game coming up, you can’t let your foot off the gas.

Q. What do the doctors say about you, to get back to 100%, what is their reaction? You might be like a new example of how this can actually be done, I would assume.

MASON RANDOLPH: Yeah, he was fired up for me. He stands on the sidelines during the games, it’s awesome seeing you back. I was like, yeah, thanks! Thank you, guys.