Liberty Flames College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2023

Q. This is Coach [Jamey] Chadwell’s first year with the team. How did he build the bond and camaraderie of the team so quickly?

CJ DANIELS: I think the biggest thing when Coach Chadwell showed up in January, the biggest thing he said to us was embrace. I think embrace went a long way. We went through a lot this season and the word “embrace” really just kept us on our Ps and Qs. You know, we were just open to everything that was thrown at us. We didn’t know what was coming because he’s a new coach. We were just open to it and we trusted in him and he trusted in us. I think that’s why we are here today.

Q. You’re on a big stage. How do you focus on your game and what got you to this point?

CJ DANIELS: I think the biggest thing for us is being team-oriented. Just keeping our circle small, just keeping it within. That’s probably the biggest thing. Our coaches, they tell us we’re the underdog, and we love being the underdog. I think it’s going to be a better story at the end of the day.

But we don’t really focus goes on outside of this team. I think that’s why we’re here today. Week in and week out, we had a lot of doubters, and we overcame that. So the biggest thing is just staying team-oriented and keeping everything within this circle.

Q. Obviously from being out of state, what does it mean to you to come basically coast to coast to play this game?

CJ DANIELS: It’s definitely a blessing. As a kid, I think every kid dreams to be on this stage. For us just being here, as Liberty, I think it’s just our God factor that’s on our side as well. It’s just a blessing to be here. We’re just here trying to make the most of it. We’re here to win. So we’re trying to come and show the world.

Q. What does it mean to you to play in State Farm Stadium?

CJ DANIELS: Surreal, for real. An NFL stadium. That’s my goal. I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL, which is crazy that I get to play on this stage, but before, I get to take that advantage. It’s definitely surreal.

Q. In talking to some Liberty and some Oregon players, what we have noticed is there a little bit of a divide between the East Coast and the West Coast. You and most of the guys are not from the West Coast where a lot of Oregon people are. How do you think that will factor into the game? Are you confident that your fans will show up?

CJ DANIELS: Oh, yeah, I’m definitely confident that they will show up. It ain’t about the fans showing up. It’s us being ready to play. They put on the shoulder pads just like us. We play on the 100-yard field. I don’t think it will be any different. Just the state of where we are. We come with the same mindset.