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

COACH CHADWELL: It has been a tremendous few days since we’ve been out here. Obviously, our team has been practicing, getting ready for the game. But we have been able to enjoy the festivities that the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl has put on. It’s made us feel like we’re the best team in the country. It’s been first class. We’re thankful for that.

But our team is here to win a game. We’re here to play our best this coming Monday. Our guys are looking forward to that. We know we got a great opponent, but we’re excited about showcasing who we are on Monday.

Q. I know this is your first year as head coach of the program. But to go undefeated to this point in the season and to reach the first New Year’s Six bowl game in not just school history but Conference USA history, what does that mean for this program going forward?

COACH CHADWELL: Well, it is a great honor. You know, for the last few years, our university was fighting to get into a conference, and Conference USA believed in us and believed in what we were about and to be able to represent them in the first-ever New Year’s Six for them is something special ‚Äì obviously, for our university as well.

It’s something we don’t take lightly. It’s hard to get here and you have to have a tremendous season. You have to have things go your way and you have to have other things, other people not go their way, to have a special season like we had.

We don’t take that for granted. It’s hard. We have enjoyed every minute of this, because who knows when you get back? To be here in this moment, especially personally and our coaching staff, a lot of our coaches, we’ve been together for a long time and we started at a lower level.

To be at the highest stage, knowing where you came from and the things you had to overcome, that we’re going to enjoy the heck out of all this. We’re thankful to be here. I was sharing earlier, the last couple years I came out in May for a Spring Summit and I told our host that we were going to be here one day. Now lo and behold, I didn’t know it was going to be the very next year. If I did, I would probably be in Vegas gambling quite a bit. But to be here is pretty special. And the Lord’s just had His favor on our team this year.

Q. Could you describe the camaraderie among your teammates? How would you describe your relationships, and specifically your relationship with them?

COACH CHADWELL: I would classify our team, it’s a brotherhood. When we first came to Liberty, our goal was to create a purpose of why we play. Purpose is our fourth core value of our program. Everybody wants to win. But I think you have to have play for something bigger than winning. So our purpose was to create a brotherhood that was so strong and so bonded that you would be willing to give up your own self-interest for the people you care about and love.

So our team loves each other. They truly care for each. This is truly a brotherhood and I believe wholeheartedly that’s why we’ve had the success we’ve had this year is because of that comradery, that tightness, that bond, that covenant they chose to make.

Because of the circumstances that our team went through in August, when we lost one of our teammates, if we weren’t tight, if they weren’t connected, I think that would have really derailed what we were trying to accomplish.

So my relationship, depends on which one you and what time you ask, I would guess. But the thing I would share that I believe they believe about me is I’m consistent. They know I care. They know I love them. That I want what’s best for them. That we’re going to hold them to a high standard. That it’s about them. I’m just blessed to be up here, but it’s all about them. They’re the ones that have made this season successful.

Q. What are some things about this Oregon team that sticks out the most? Obviously, they’re explosive and can make some plays, but what have you pointed out to your guys the most?

COACH CHADWELL: Well, it doesn’t take a lot of time to watch the video to know how talented they are. We shared with them, and I think I’ve said it before, they’re six points away from playing for a national championship. That’s how good they are. Going into championship weekend, they were the favorites to win the national championship. They’re tremendous.

The thing that we don’t see, that we’ve not seen consistently throughout the year, is the size and the speed they have at all positions, not just one. We’ve played some people that are big. We’ve played some big guys that are fast, but not in all 11 positions. And you add in a quarterback (Bo Nix) that’s going to be a top first round draft pick and how good and special he is, the type of leader and the character he has. That’s the biggest challenge.

And our guys know that. We know that we’re the underdog coming into this. But that’s the beauty of college football. We have the opportunity on January 1st, 2024, to go up against one of the best teams in the country, one of the best programs in the country and we get to see if our best is good enough.

We started school January 15th, we had 50% roster turnover throughout all that. If you told us we would be here today, I would say no. But our guys believe in themselves. So you’re going to see us believe in ourselves on Monday.

Q. After speaking to your players the past couple days, it seems like for a lot of them, it was unique that they had been to Arizona before. And on top of that, the West Coast in general. How special is it to be able to play in the desert and give them a new experience, explore a new region, while also showcase your abilities at State Farm Stadium?

COACH CHADWELL: I think that’s part of the awesome experience of a bowl. You get to go somewhere maybe the majority of your team is not from. Most of our guys are from Texas, out towards the South and the East Coast. To give them the opportunity to experience the beauty of this state and all the different things that it has to offer, the sunshine, obviously, the beautiful sunshine, has been great. They’ve had a chance to experience that.

Went to a Phoenix Suns game last night. A lot had not been to an NBA game. Kevin Durant, we would love to have you. If you can’t come, Devin Booker, you can come, too. That’s a special piece of it, right? And to be out here and to see just Camelback Mountain, how beautiful it is, and the palm trees and those things. Especially when we left Lynchburg and it was foggy, so our guys have enjoyed that.

Q. I was thinking about guys like Tyren Dupree who have been six years in the program. Guys like Quinton Cooley, who have transferred in and comes from a different background. What does it mean to these guys to be in the game, given the fact that there’s such diversity, guys who have been here for a long time, guys who have just come in, guys who probably never thought they would be in this kind of situation?

COACH CHADWELL: The challenge of college football is you do get people from different backgrounds. You get people that have been through different things. Tyren Dupree has had five different coaches in six years. This is his sixth year. Five different position coaches.

To bring a group of guys and unite around a common vision and purpose, it’s hard to do. But when it comes together, special things happen. And no matter how long you played this game, when you play in college, your goal, your dream is to play on January 1st. Because when I grew up, that’s what you wanted. That was it. The January 1st game ‚Äì they’re all special ‚Äì but to be on January 1st when you know everybody’s watching.

And for our players who have been through the challenges that they’ve faced here, and the other players that came in and all the different adversity and challenges through their upbringing they’ve had to overcome, I think we’re a great example. They’re a great example that you can overcome those things if you keep believing, believe in yourself, don’t allow circumstances to dictate who you are.

And they had a choice to do that. They had a choice to say: You know, this is too tough. This is not going my way. I’m going to do something else. But those guys chose to keep believing in themselves. To have the opportunity to be rewarded on a special game like this, I’m thankful for them because they get to experience that.

It will be something, no matter what happens Monday, that they have the rest of their life to share with their children, grandchildren, and talk about when they watch games going forward on January 1, they have that experience very few get that. And for them to get that, it’s a special thing.

Q. Obviously, Oregon is an intimidating opponent. What have you seen from your players in terms of their confidence level, mindset this week leading up to the game?

COACH CHADWELL: I think any time you win 13 games, you believe in yourself and you have confidence. Confidence is actually our word for this week. I think any time you’re playing a team that’s ranked higher than you, that on paper is way better than you, in all facets, you start maybe comparing yourself. Are you good enough?

Our whole theme was because of what we’ve overcame, because of what we had to do to get to this point, we should have confidence. Confidence if we play our best game, we’ll have a great chance of going out there and doing well. I think our team believes in each other. They know we got to play well to beat a great Oregon team. They understand that.

I believe they’re confident that they can play their best game, and that’s all you can ask. We’ve had a good week of prep practice-wise. They’re been sharp and crisp. They’re ready to get out there and show the country what they believe in and themselves.

Q. What we found over the last few days talking to the players, they’re incredibly humble. They’re gracious for this opportunity. Being the underdogs, do you think that’s going to play into how they perform on Monday?

COACH CHADWELL: I think any time that people question you, question whether you’re good enough, question whether you should be here, whether you deserve the right to be here, I do think that could be an added form of motivation, right? There’s no secret. We’re not hiding that we know that we’re 17-point underdogs, 20-point underdogs? Who knows.

But also, you have your own inner motivation. It’s necessary to prove other people wrong. It’s about proving ourselves right. So I think our team has that chip on their shoulder to say: Hey, we know we’re a good football team and we’re going to prove ourselves right against the best in country on Monday.

And yes, the underdog and all that can be added motivation, but that can’t be the main reason why. The main reason why has to be within. Our team wants to prove ourselves right, that we can play with the best in this country and prove our season wasn’t a fluke.

We did play good teams. We did play good programs in our conference on the path to going and becoming the best conference in Group of Five and what we believe is happening in Conference USA. We get the opportunity to push that farther on January 1.

Q. Based on this incredible season ‚Äì you’ve had a perfect season, 13-0 ‚Äì here at the Fiesta Bowl, if there was one word you could use to describe your team, what would that be?

COACH CHADWELL: Great question. I would say love, actually. I think there’s a genuine love for each other. Love for what each of us have had to overcome to get here and love of the journey together. It’s never about the destination. It’s all about the journey you go through, and I think our guys have loved the journey as far as the ups and downs going through it. I believe wholeheartedly that love of brotherhood has propelled us to be here today.

Q. We’ve been talking about the underdog story. But talking with Oregon and their defense, they’re going up against your offense, which is something they’re not used to facing in the Pac-12. What are your thoughts on that? And knowing what you kind of do present, obviously, challenges, and just how your scheme is versus what they’re typically used to going against?

COACH CHADWELL: Our offense is unique. We obviously have some good players that can operate it and make it work, and because it is unique, most people don’t see it.

Now, does that give you advantage? Sometimes it does. They’ve obviously had three, four weeks to prepare for us, so they’re probably going to know it better than anybody. So maybe that advantage might be null and void because they’ve had time to practice for it. But it is unique and it gives us an opportunity to try to do some different things to maybe slow them down, try to make them play stuff they’re not used to doing. Hopefully, we can.

They’re really talented and good. Coach [Dan] Lanning is a defensive coach. He’s won a national championship as a defensive coordinator. So we know that’s a big challenge for that. But I hope that we can execute it well, because when we do execute well, it’s fun to be around.