Boise State Broncos College Football Pregame Quote, 12/29/2024

Q. So the “count us out,” that was a quote from Spencer [Danielson] at a press conference. Where did that come from?

KAGE CASEY: I don’t necessarily know where it showed up. It just started creeping in every now and then.

Q. So they just gave you shirts before you got on the plane or what was the –

KAGE CASEY: We had shirts for about, I think, a few days before. And some players just decided, I’m gonna wear it and show out.

Q. I want to ask you about Maddux [Madsen] a little bit. Obviously, competition going into the season, he wins the job and history from there. What has he shown as the leader and the growth in the course of a year?

KAGE CASEY: A lot of people out of the Blue State Program thought that he might not get a starting job. I think what we see that not a lot of other people do is how much work he has put in the offseason and just his insane work ethic to push day in and day out.

I will see him in the film room. He goes to the staff meetings. He knows the playbook inside and out, different defensive structures. His time in the film room is insane. His football IQ is off the charts.

Q. And what is he like as a teammate?

KAGE CASEY: You see him in the morning and he lights it up. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 6:00 a.m. run in the middle of winter. He will come in with a smile, and he will push you every single segment.

Q. I talked to some of the Penn State players and they said the offensive-line is not comparable to anybody in the Big Ten. Do you think you have some great guys that can compete with anyone?

KAGE CASEY: I take pride in that. We didn’t get into the playoffs because we have a big-five bid. We got into the playoff because we were one of the best teams in the nation. I think that just goes to every single team, including the offensive-line.

Q. The coach said it’s not just a bowl trip. You were saying to somebody else; Boise State has never been in a position like this before. How much excitement is that?

KAGE CASEY: I mean, it’s very exciting. It’s a little nerve wracking but also exciting. Those two are interchangeable.

I think the big thing right now is, like you were saying, it’s not just a normal bowl game. We are not leaving the hotel and practicing and doing media days. We are staying focused. We are monitoring. There re some other bowl games that we can go to and maybe your practice is a little bit off. You are not really trying as hard as you might.

Here we know it’s the next game. It’s the most important game in the season because it’s the next one.

Q. You have a great defensive line and the Big Ten defensive player of the year [Abdul Carter]. What do you see from his game?

KAGE CASEY: He’s insanely athletic, extremely twitchy. He has a lot of hesitation moves that he gets offensive tackles to get a little off balance and reposition their weight.

I think that’s the big thing we’ve got to work on, both left and right side, is just being confident in our spot and setting and just reading his shoulders and where he’s pointing. And just the whole defensive line in total. They are very twitchy.