USC Trojans College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2022

COACH HENSON: Practices this week have been spirited. We understand the Cotton Bowl and what this means and the tradition of it and the prestigious award that it is to come and compete in this game.

So we’ve got a great opponent on the other side. Went to Cincinnati and they won. Went to Kansas State and won. They’re a very good football team. So our guys are excited to play in the game. We’re going to prepare well and, hopefully, try to go find victory.

Q. The opportunity to play one more time, to get back out, a lot of success this year for USC What would it mean to the ball club to come out with a win on January 2?

COACH SIMMONS: We talk about a lot how we want to be remembered. I think this would be ‚Äë‚Äë to be able to go out and finish the season the way we started off would be not just a great momentum for this team but it would be a great momentum moving forward as we progress at our time at USC.

Q. Josh, obviously, you’re not going to have Brett Neilon or Andrew Vorhees for this game. You’ll get a chance to see some of those younger guys. How do you feel just generally about the state of that group knowing that two guys who have been real staples of that line now will move on to the next level?

COACH HENSON: For sure, injuries happen in this game. And you can always say “next man up” and move on and act like it’s not a big deal, but it is a big deal. It always is, because there’s a hole that has to be filled.

Neilon and Vorhees did an absolutely tremendous job for us this year and they were solid as you can be. In fact, a lot of times more than solid. They were very effective and very productive.

And so with the next crew coming in, it’s an opportunity for those guys to come in and show what they got. Every day I feel a little better. Every day they get a little better. They’re working hard, they’re coming out and they’re executing their assignments better. Each day we go and we start practice, it gets a little bit closer to being what we need to get on the field and do our job the way we need to do it.

Q. I know you guys are used to rebuilding positions now over the course of an off‚Äëseason with the transfer portal. When you enter this off‚Äëseason, how do you feel just generally about depth and how much change will have to take place up front?

COACH HENSON: I’ve given it some thought, obviously. You’re always looking ahead to the future.

I think the biggest thing we can take out of this time at the Cotton Bowl is just improvement of the guys who wouldn’t have gotten these amount of reps, this amount of opportunity to improve. They get a chance to improve that way.

So obviously there will be new faces coming in the spring. We’ll see how they fit in. It’s a head start for the guys who are out there on the field practicing right now. And as we look to next year and to go to try to do what we want to do next year, these guys get an opportunity to improve and become possibly the starters of that position.

Q. Josh, building off that, you signed five freshmen. You are obviously active in the transfer portal. First, I want to ask you about those guys. Can you talk about the incoming class you have and what you feel you brought in there?

COACH HENSON: Number one, I think we brought in size. But I think with that size, we brought in athleticism. I think we brought in five guys that love to play football. They’re very intelligent. They’re all really good young men from very good families, from good programs.

When you turn their film on, you don’t ‚Äë‚Äë you not only see high‚Äëlow athleticism for their size, but you also see strain and finish and guys that love to play the game. That’s the main thing you’ve got to have.

But they’re true freshmen. We’ll see where they’re at. I think I was counting the other day, in 22 years, I think I’ve seen six start as true freshmen; and two or three of those were because we had injuries.

It’s always tough to do in the offensive line. You have got to make contact with somebody every play.

But we’ll see where they’re at. But I feel really good about this crew. I think in the long run, they’re going to end up being very productive and we’re growing to really look back and think that this was a heck of a class.

Q. Josh, first, Courtland Ford, we got to see him start the beginning of the season. Just haven’t seen much of him lately. Can you give an update on his status?

COACH HENSON: Yeah, I think you’ll see a lot of him in the Cotton Bowl. Courtland is doing well. He kind of went through a little spell. He was injured in the first of the year, lost his job.

Bobby [Haskins] was playing better. Then Mason Murphy really came on, was playing well through the middle of the season.

Went through a spell where he wasn’t playing as well but toward the end of the season started to play a lot better and becoming a lot more consistent. Looked like the old Courtland that went through spring ball and kind of the beginning of the season. I’m excited about where he’s at I’m excited about watching him play in this game. I think he’s excited to play And I think he’s been hungry to get back out on the field. And he fought through it. To his credit, he didn’t give up. He could have just cashed it in and said, oh, man and not continue to improve and got better He kept fighting and kept fighting. And really, we were at the latter part of the season, kind of through the UCLA, Notre Dame weeks when you really started seeing him come back on at practice and start to play well.

So this is going to be a great opportunity for him to get out there and show what he can do.

Q. Dennis, the wide receiver room, you lost your best couple of receivers at times this season. But other guys have stepped up. We haven’t got to talk to you since the end of camp. How have you assessed how the wide receivers have done this year?

COACH SIMMONS: They’ve gone out and competed. And I think it’s a room that these guys enjoy, not just playing the game but enjoy playing with each other and for one another.

Like you mentioned, when one guy wasn’t available to play, all those guys have worked hard every day to be able to step up and maximize their opportunities. And I feel like when they’ve been given to them, they’ve done just that. So like Coach [Josh] Henson said, we’re a football team that still feels like we’ve got a lot to prove. And come game day, we’ll have our chance to go out and do so.

Q. Josh, as someone who hadn’t been on staff with Lincoln (Lincoln Riley) before, what stood out to you this year about the way he prepares and game plans for an opponent?

COACH HENSON: Man, attention to detail. Just his ability to intake information and remember it. Kind of photographic memory is outstanding. It’s elite.

But man, he goes through every single play. He watches every play We watch more of the opponent that anyplace I’ve ever been And man, he sifts through that information. And he’s just attention to detail.

That’s why he’s so good at what he does. He is looking for and going to find where our best match‚Äëups are to put our guys in position to make plays. And that’s what’s been impressive about him to me this season. He grinds through it, and it’s been really impressive to watch.

Q. Coach [Lincoln] Riley mentioned the other day how, with the past month off not having to face an opponent each weekend, you guys have been able to focus more so on yourself and practice and what you think you need to practice on. What does that include for the wide receivers and the offense as a whole?

COACH SIMMONS: You want to start or you want me to start?

COACH HENSON: She said wide receivers (laughter).

There’s a lot of technical things that we could still have ‚Äë‚Äë if we had more time, we could work on to get better at Vertical routes, holding our squeeze, making more space availability for the quarterback, hand placement, and understanding when to get open at the right times, alignments. A lot of the small, little intricate parts that don’t necessarily show up on the stats sheet but definitely is vitally important for you to execute your assignment on any individual play.

COACH HENSON: I think offensively something that Coach [Lincoln] Riley talked about during the middle of season, game six, seven, somewhere in that space of time, was he really wanted to implore the staff to be developing every guy in the room, not just your starters. Not just trying to get the starters ready to play, and to keep working on the details with every single player on our team.

And so here we are in the offensive line. We’ll see if we did that very well, but we’re going to get that opportunity to see if that worked through the middle of the season, if it’s going to translate here in the bowl game.

Q. Speaking of development, what have you seen just in general out of Mason Murphy from the start of the season to maybe now?

COACH HENSON: Mason is very talented. He’s very gifted, number one. There was a time when I thought that maybe he was the best pass‚Äëprotection tackle on our roster at times, different points in the season.

The biggest thing with Mason is just when he is focused and he is on, he’s elite He’s really, really good, but just being consistent in that focus, consistent in his approach, and how he does things is where he needs to continue to improve. And he will tell you that. He knows that.

But just development. There’s always a big jump in knowledge and kind of anticipating what you’re going to get from the defense.

And then with him, just technique‚Äëwise, a lot of things. His pass sets and run game. He’s continuing to get better at.

But he goes out and works hard every day. And I think in this off‚Äëseason, for him to really reach a level where he can be super consistent this off‚Äëseason a big part of his game is going to be development in the weight room, too — strength and conditioning.

Q. Dennis, I feel like calling defenses drop‚Äëeight defenses is almost a little cliche these days. But Tulane is obviously pretty sound on pass defense. What have you seen from their pass defense and their ability to tackle?

COACH SIMMONS: They’re very good in open‚Äëfield tackling and one‚Äëon‚Äëone tackling in the open field. They’re pretty savvy at that. Their DBs are pretty aggressive at using their hands at the top of your routes to help prevent you from getting separation.

So those have been some things that we’ve had to fine‚Äëtune and work on to be able to be successful in this game.

But their safeties are very aggressive and come down and hit. And their corners understand ‚Äë‚Äë they’ve played a lot of ball. You can see that on film. They understand what their deficiencies are and understand their defense. So you’re not going to get a whole bunch of blown and busted coverages on the back‚Äëend. They’re pretty smart and savvy in that aspect.

Q. Josh, just following up on that, what have you seen from the front seven from Tulane, how you guys match up with them?

COACH HENSON: Linebackers are very instinctive. They do a great job of hat in hands, fitting up linemen, coming out to block them, and shedding off blocks and making tackles in the hole. They’re really good at playing close to offensive linemen.

Defensive line‚Äëwise, they play hard and they play violent. And they’re going to play through the middle of you. They’re a two‚Äëgap kind of read team. They’re going to put hands on you. And when they do, that’s our challenge, is to not let them play in both gaps. Whatever gap they’re in, we’ve got to fit, drive, control, and keep them where they’re playing at and not let them play out of one gap and play into another. And obviously junk up our run game.

From a pass‚Äëprotection standpoint, they do a nice job rushing the passer. They’re pretty physical pass rushers. They’ll take number 1 (Nick Anderson), their linebacker, and get him down on the edge on third downs and he’s a speed guy and has done a good job for them this year. So certainly a challenge.

You look at these guys and size‚Äëwise, too, they’re right there with all the teams that we’ve been playing this year. So there’s not a lot of deficiencies in these guys in the front seven, how they play. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.

QUESTIONS FOR QB CALEB WILLIAMS

Q. How are you feeling personally about your health?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: Yeah, I feel good. The guys are feeling good, healthy after a little break that we had after the game, the last game and now. And I’m feeling good.

Q. Have you been limited at all? Or do you feel like you’re fully back?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: When it first happened, I was limited. We’re obviously all being smart about it because it did just happen a couple weeks ago. But I’ve been feeling good.

Q. You could have sat out this game to make sure your hamstring was okay. What’s important to you about being out there for this game?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: Yeah. It goes back to last year when I was obviously in a different situation. I wasn’t injured. But I could have sat out last year. I could have gone to the transfer portal early. It’s the same thing for me. I want to play with my guys. We’ve been through the past 12 months together, and I want to finish it together. I want these guys that can’t come back, whether going pro or just out of eligibility, I want to make sure they go out on a bang. So that’s about it.

Q. And play the full game? Or any thought of taking it easy and balancing things out a little bit?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: No. No. Play the whole game. Focus to win the game. If it’s going to be like a normal game, I’ll be in the whole time. Get up, hopefully enough, and our next guy will come in.

Q. What’s so special about winning the Heisman Trophy?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: I did not bring the Heisman Trophy all the way to Dallas. It’s sitting at the same spot after I got back home. I mean, if you think about it, it’s special. Football’s been around for a while. To be part of a fraternity that’s that special, to think of all the college greats and NFL greats that have won that. There’s only 88 of them. Of us. I can say that now, which is pretty cool. 88 of us. So 88 out of how many players that have come through college.

Q. Robert Griffin III is going to be assigned to your game on Monday. Have you had a chance to speak to him since winning the award?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: Oh, since winning? I think he congratulated me again. He was there in New York with me. We were talking all throughout the time that we were there and enjoying our time there.

Q. Obviously, you had the game and then you had the Heisman week and all that. How long was it before you did any football activity? And how much of a break did you have on your leg after that?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: I don’t remember exactly when we flew back. We flew back a day and a half after or so. And I went to my car, packed all my stuff into my car, and didn’t even go home yet. I went straight to the football field because my guys were practicing. And I went there. And I was working out. Anything like that. So right after the Heisman thing, I went back home and started right away.

Q. Has it felt like normal prep this week? Or has it been much different?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: Yeah, it’s felt like normal prep. I’ve been doing extra things. Because, obviously, I did that a couple weeks ago. But practice has been normal for me. It’s been normal. Been around the guys practicing with the guys.

Q. Obviously, you played through it in that game. So does that give you the sense that once you get out there, you’ll just play and not worry about it?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: Yeah, I wouldn’t go out there if I didn’t think that I couldn’t play. If it was still the same as if I just injured it, I wouldn’t go out there because I don’t think I’ll be good help. Because during that game, I was in the game, I was in the flow of everything. But starting off with an injury like that, it will be a little different.

So going in there, normal game, normal prep. Play with the guys and try to get a big win here.

Q. The adrenaline obviously was in that game. At what point afterward did it hit you, Damn, this hurts?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: The whole time. As soon as it happened, I actually tried to wave off Coach [Lincoln] Riley for the next play. If you go back and watch. I felt it as soon as it happened and the whole rest of the time.

Q. How excited are you playing in this particular game even though USC (University of Southern California) came a step closer to getting to the playoffs? Of course, things just went downhill in the second half against Utah. But how excited are you for this particular game?

QB CALEB WILLIAMS: Really excited. I’m excited that I’m actually able to play. We’re working our tails off. And I’m able to do it with this group of guys. We’ve talked about it. It’s been probably one of my most fun, exciting years for me. And I’ve been playing football for 17 years now. So it’s been awesome. It’s been the best. To do it with these guys, especially out there, what some of these guys have been through in other programs and also the guys that were here that went 4‚Äë8 last year, to be able to ‚Äë‚Äë we’re so close. But to be able to help to get here, to the Cotton Bowl, it’s huge. You can’t not be proud of what we worked for and how hard we fought throughout the season.

QUESTIONS FOR RB AUSTIN JONES

Q. We’ve got movement in the offensive line, Caleb, coming off the hamstring injury. How important is it for you to establish a run game early?

RB AUSTIN JONES: You know, it’s going to be very big. The run game keeps the offense on pace, whether it’s any offense. Just having a consistent run game. Continue to do that throughout the game is going to be big for us.

Q. And Coach [Lincoln] Riley mentioned how in the past month you guys have been able to focus on yourself as a team and making improvements on your own game instead of focusing on the opponent. What have you specifically focused on?

RB AUSTIN JONES: For me, just working on my reads and stuff. I’ve been doing well on it. But being consistent with that and coming out of the tackles and being able to do it at a pretty good level. But you got to continue with that.

Q. It’s been a few weeks since you’ve played a game. How have the practices been going?

RB AUSTIN JONES: It’s been going good. I don’t feel any rust at all. Just getting back into the flow of things and getting into practice.

Q. What has it been like here in Dallas?

RB AUSTIN JONES: It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been here one time before but getting to see the stadium and everything like that ‚Äë‚Äë We got to go to the Maverick’s game yesterday.

Q. We got to talk to Josh Henson a little bit about the front seven for Tulane. What have you seen on film that stands out to you and can challenge the run game?

RB AUSTIN JONES: I’d say they’re strong up‚Äëfront. You know, they play really thick into their blocks. They try to just hold up, hold up for the linebackers, plug in and fill a lot. Just got to be prepared for that. Get our team going.

Q. What’s the importance for you getting that 12th game, the 12th win of the season to close out the season strong.

RB AUSTIN JONES: It’s very important. We talked about the running back room, being one of the USC teams to hit the 12‚Äëgame mark. Not a lot of USC teams do it. So being able to do that and excel at this level is just something that we all dream for and wish for.

That’s something we talked about as the offensive line. I think that’s something we’ve been working on this last month. I think we’re going to do a better job than we did in Utah.

QUESTIONS FOR OL JONAH MONHEIM

Q. Any rust or anything? Do you feel like you’re trying to get the rust off?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: No, I thought we did a great job doing on‚Äëthe‚Äëfield work over the last month as we transitioned back into the practices and everything. Coaches did a great job of letting us work over this past month to stay in the groove.

Q. A couple veterans aren’t going to be there. What does that mean for your group not having a couple leaders with you guys?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: Yeah, it means opportunities for some guys. Some guys get to step up. It presents great opportunities and good opportunity for us as a unit to come together, lean on each other, and keep having good practices to build on that.

Q. I talked to Josh Henson about Courtland Ford. Sounds like he’s playing better. Has he been doing better in practice?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: Yeah, he’s kept a great mindset throughout the year. And I really appreciate him for that. There’s opportunities for people in this game. And he’s doing a great job, being consistent and trying to get better.

Q. Anything from the Tulane defensive front that stands out to you?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: They play hard. They play low, inside hands, things like that, play hard. Really well‚Äëdisciplined defense. Well‚Äëcoached team. It’s a good challenge and we’re excited.

Q. You have a few weeks off. You’re practicing but not playing. When you get into a game, is there something that’s going to take a little while to get used to things? Getting hit by somebody? What’s going to take a little while to get back to the speed of the game?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: We’re still practicing really hard. Going against our scout team has done a great job of giving us the Tulane defensive looks. So I think just having good practices and stacking days like that, getting ready like any other game we get ready for.

Q. What has your preparation been like personally with so much movement across the offensive line in the past month?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: Yeah, I think it’s similar to any other week. Whatever Coach [Josh] Henson, Coach [Zach] Crabtree, pay attention to whatever it is, who they’re talking to. You never know when you might be in that position, even if it’s something you weren’t repping all week. You got to know how to play both sides, multiple positions. That’s typical. They do a good job cross‚Äëtraining us.

Q. Is there one part of your game you feel like you’ve focused on in the past month not having to prepare for an opponent?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: There’s a lot of things. There’s so many little technical things about being an O‚Äëlineman. A lot of them are the same old details, same simple things, but you got to keep hammering home and keep building the muscle memory.

Q. On a personal locker room‚Äëchemistry level, what do you feel like this group loses most when you lose a guy like Brett Neilon?

OL JONAH MONHEIM: One thing about Brett that’s impressive is how calm he is on the field. A ton of game reps, a ton of starts, a ton of experience.

He has great poise on the field. And especially at center, you get some of the high, intense moments. The crowd’s loud, big third down, whatever it may be. He’s done a great job of staying calm, making the calls and allowing us to operate. But I believe in Justin [Dedich]. He’s done a great job doing that. He’s super smart as well.

QUESTIONS FOR OL JUSTIN DEDICH

Q. What’s it like blocking for Caleb Williams?

OL JUSTIN DEDICH: Yeah. We call him Houdini. You look back there, a guy somehow makes a miss and keeping the play extended. I think Travis [Dye] called him Houdini, and it’s stuck on the team. He is very elusive. And he’s a great talent.

Q. You touched upon it. But this past month, not having to focus on an opponent, what have you been working on to improve your game?

OL JUSTIN DEDICH: Yeah, I think it’s been a ‚Äë‚Äë the chemistry of the O‚Äëline. It’s a new group with two guys going round. So we’re building our chemistry this last month. And five move as one kind of on the O‚Äëline. It’s not an individual. So we move together in sync, and we’re able to do our job together.

Q. Is that chemistry even more important against a defensive line, a two‚Äëgap and kind of like control you guys together. get together, you know what I mean?

OL JUSTIN DEDICH: Yeah, they are a great defense. They’re big dudes. Play really well on their techniques. We’re on the same page, and we are able to communicate on the run and stuff. Because they are a great defensive front. It’s going to be a challenge for us.

QUESTIONS FOR WR TAHJ WASHINGTON

Q. So you came home?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: Yes, sir.

Q. You’re from here (Dallas, Texas)?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: Marshall, Texas.

Q. Do you have family coming to watch?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: Four‚Äëplus.

Q. How does it feel to play in front of your family?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: It feels good. Just in like here, you know, family is a big help, and fans too. It’s going to be an exciting experience.

Q. Is it fun to play in the Cowboy’s stadium (AT&T)?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: Definitely. As a Texas kid, it’s your dream of a place to play. Every day. Just got to soak up the whole opportunity.

Q. Can you talk about the difference in how you prep for a bowl game versus how you would prep for a regular season game?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: Your focus has to go into playing the bowl game. There’s so many distractions and activities, other than the normal week. So it’s just knowing how to prioritize and organize your time the right way.

Q. If you guys win on Monday, it will be the first time since 2008 that this program has reached 12 wins. How important is that to finish off the season? Obviously, you have higher hopes after the championship.

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: It’s very vital to cap off the strong season that we had with a victory. It’s going to mean a lot for us, you know, as a team, and as a program overall. Just getting it back to where it should be.

Q. What have you personally been focusing on in the past month or so, not having to practice each Saturday? Like, what have you focused on to improve your game?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: I would say just overall skill set, throughout the year, I felt like I’ve grown. Just knowledgeable of the defense and the schemes and the concepts that we run. So just trying to develop my skill set even more to be the better version of myself.

Q. With Jordan Addison out, obviously you guys missed him earlier. But earlier in the season too. Does that give you more confidence or reassurance that your group can get it done?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: It’s just, you know, we love that guy for sure. That’s one of our brothers. So it’s just, we know what we have to do. We have to go out there and compete. Just got to do it. Got to do it either way.

Q. Caleb [Williams] was talking about he didn’t want to miss this game. Just because he felt like he would be letting the team down. Knowing the hamstring injury he fought through, what does it mean to have ‚Äë‚Äë because he could have sat out to be safe. But how much does that galvanize the group?

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON: Of course. That’s our leader, of course. So just seeing that. He leads the right way. He leads by example. When you got a person like that, you know the kind of person he is. It makes you play harder. It’s not just talk, to see the way he plays and the way he shows up every day.