Washington Huskies College Football Pregame Quote, 12/29/2023

COACH INGE: Hello, everyone. Wishing you all a very happy holidays during this time of the year. It’s a great time. We are excited to be here. Looking forward for a great game against the Texas Longhorns.

COACH MORRELL: Yeah, really excited for our kids. I think they have been through some tremendous things this year and very deserving of the opportunity that they have in front of them. And I know they’re excited and ready to showcase themselves here on Monday.

Q. For both of you guys, when you guys first took over at Washington, what was on the priority list of things you needed to do to start to try and fix this thing? And what was sort of the difference – for you at Fresno State, in trying to do that in 2022 versus two years earlier?

COACH INGE: Well, probably the biggest thing we did to start off on our end was to make sure we had great staff cohesiveness, obviously, between us and the staff that was coming. I think the biggest thing we had is a majority of the staff came in. So there was one element that we really didn’t have to worry about as much from a staffing standpoint.

The next thing that we really had to do was get to work and grind with the players. And we saw them really attach to everything that they were doing. Obviously, ourself with the front seven and Coach [Chuck] Morrell managing everything in the secondary. I think it was really good to see how the guys really opened up and took heed to the system.

COACH MORRELL: Yeah, the first thing is just establishing Coach DeBoer’s culture. That’s first and foremost. He’s got a unique culture that’s carried him through a lot of success. And really, just getting our guys to buy into that and being selfless and having a 1-0 mindset. And the rest of the stuff has taken care of itself, from my view.

Q. Chuck, obviously, y’all get to see talented receivers every day in practice. What stands about Xavier Worthy when you look at the film?

COACH MORRELL: Top-end speed. He might be one of the fastest guys, if not the fastest player that we’ve played against this season. Obviously, it’s round two. We have seen most of these guys a year ago ‚Äì almost exactly a year ago.

And I think he’s definitely improved his game. Really involved in their explosive plays. Doing a better job this year of running his route tree. And he’s a threat any time he touches the ball.

Q. We talked yesterday with the offensive side about Montlake Futures as the NIL collective and the role they played in getting some great players to stick around for another year and not go to the League last year. What was the impact on the defense?

COACH MORRELL: Yeah, obviously, those guys do a great job. And I think it’s an opportunity where our guys knew, had a feeling coming out of last year, going from 4-8 to 11-2. And having an opportunity to have almost everybody back again this year. And the success we’ve had this season.

So a lot of guys take a look at, hey, where’s my draft status at compared to an opportunity to come back and play another year. And we’re fortunate that we got a lot of our top-tier guys back on both sides of the ball.

Q. 13-0, undefeated, ranked second in the country, yet you’re underdogs ‚Äì again. How does that sit with both of you guys and the team?

COACH INGE: It’s okay. Because, as you know, it’s something that we’re used to. And that’s all right, because in the end, the only thing we can do is really keep our focus on us, what we have to do, our task at hand, making sure we go out and work. And at the end of the day, try to have a mission to go 1-0 for the week.

Q. Kyle Flood of Texas described your defense as an NFL-style defense. And he said the front seven is used in a unique manner they don’t typically see. Would you agree with that? What do you think of his assessment?

COACH MORRELL: Yeah, I would agree. Think about what we’ve had to defend this last season. Obviously, a lot of respect for the Pac-12 offenses. There’s some incredible offensive systems that we’ve faced throughout the course of the year. And I think there’s got to be a diversity in what you do schematically.

There are so many good quarterbacks that we faced. Look at all the Heisman guys that are out on the West Coast this year. And if you show them the same picture, the same look, you’re going to be in for a long day. So we’ve challenged our guys to be multiple in their approach, multiple in our looks, and multiple with every phase of what we do.

And I think that’s been a net benefit to us when some of the guys of the caliber ‚Äì opposing quarterbacks that we’ve faced throughout the course of the season.

COACH INGE: I definitely agree with what he said. And probably one of the bigger things is, when you have an opportunity to go against some of that in practice on a day-to-day basis, it’s going to allow you to be multiple and become a lot more multiple. So we’ve had an opportunity to evolve over the last two years and put our players in scenarios where they can be successful at the point of attack.

Q. Whoever handles the running game more, you can answer this question. In the bowl game last year, you had some success against Texas in their run game. What was the reason for that? And how do they look in the run game compared to last year?

COACH INGE: The run game, they’re efficient and effective. I think the biggest thing that you know for them, their running backs, per se. No. 5, Bijan [Robinson] and those guys were not there. So they came with the next guys.

But the biggest thing our guys did is we really pride ourselves on being able to be fundamentally sound and making sure we’re executing our job at one time. We have 1 of 11 mission, every person doing your job exactly the way it’s supposed to be done, when you’re supposed to do it. So that’s something we really set ourselves out to do on a day-to-day basis, in practice and games. So that’s the core fabric of what we want to be able to do and continue to become.

Q. I was wondering about the haven of coaching in Sioux Falls – yourself, Kalen [DeBoer], Bob Young, Kurtiss Riggs, Jim Heinitz. What is it about that area and the coaches that have come through there and have so much success? What are your fondest memories of being in Sioux Falls?

COACH MORRELL: It’s my alma mater, obviously, so that’s the first thing. And I think just growing up as a young coach and some of the incredible experiences that the young men in our program had. I can remember them clear as day. An opportunity for those guys at the small college level to win multiple national championships, and the joy that they had in those moments is what really sticks with me.

And I think that coaching group goes back to the mentorship of Bob Young, as you mentioned. And just a very unique human being. There’s nobody else in the country I’ve ever come across that’s anything close to him. And he’s 98% about culture and probably 2% about football.

So when you look at our culture today, there’s so many similarities, and certainly Coach DeBoer has his own way of directing a program, but there’s a lot of carry-over from that. And why is Washington here? I think it’s a big part of going back to those roots at that time and those days.

Q. To both of you, there are nine sixth-year seniors on this UDub football team. Several on the defense. Several are starters. What have they meant to this team and all the success you guys have had?

COACH INGE: When you have a chance to have a mature team, it puts you in a position to be able to be successful, because they have what you call a lot of sweat equity. Sweat equity in a program from a developmental standpoint, from a scheme-understanding standpoint, and from a performance standpoint. And when they buy into the culture that Coach DeBoer has brought in and we all put that into place, you can see some of the great benefits that come into play now.

Whenever you have an element of maturity about yourself, there are some things you can do that will be a little bit different. And we put our players under a lot of tactful, stressful scenarios. And they’re able to thrive in a lot of those moments. So that’s some of the benefits you can see when you have a mature team.

COACH MORRELL: I would add that the stage is never too big for them. And that’s the great thing about having veteran leadership. I think about over the last two seasons and the volume of big games we’ve played in, the stage is never too big. And it’s due to guys that have been through six years of college football. Come Monday night, it’s another game. It’s an important game. But it will never be too big for them.

Q. What does this game mean to those veterans who have stuck with Washington and now are able to be in the College Football Playoff?

COACH MORRELL: Honestly, you’d have to ask them. I think I know what they would say. They came to Washington for a reason. And to see them have an opportunity, that’s a program that expects championships, expects to be successful. And have those guys have an opportunity to go out on top, I mean, what better story-ending could you write than that?

Obviously, the thing we talk about with them all the time is the respect that we have for them, for the years and years of training and what Coach Inge said, sweat equity and the blood and the tears, you want to see it pay off for them.

Q. Regarding Ede Ulofoshio, who is going into his final games at UDub, how do you evaluate an impact that transcends tackles and what he’s doing on the field? In terms of the example he sets and all the other things he brings to the program? How would you describe that?

COACH INGE: Well, there are so many things that he does that you can’t put a valuation on it, because he is so strong in every aspect. When you talk about one of the first guys in the building on a day-to-day basis, one of the individuals who is probably preparing just as much as a coach when it comes to him being able to be on his daily craft and see what he had to go through and overcome over the last two years coming back from an injury, it’s exactly what you want ‚Äì a young person to be able to endure when you have to attack adversity. He did just that. He stayed on course. He bought into everything that we were talking about from a cultural standpoint.

And you get to reap the benefits because there are a lot of players on a football team that will carry his personality moving forward when he is not in this program. Because he will leave his mark and have left his mark in this program. And that’s one of the primary reasons why we’re able to be successful.

When you have a leader like him ‚Äì I think Coach Morrell brought this up earlier ‚Äì when you’re about 98% culture, 2% football? He is one of those guys that definitely enhances and strengthens your culture.

Q. Back to when you got here, you guys didn’t necessarily flip this roster. And I’m wondering when you’re going through that process and you’re making those assessments, when did you realize and how did you realize that: I think we have a good group here, we would like to keep it. As opposed to maybe trying to flip the roster?

COACH MORRELL: Yeah, I guess, every time you walk into a new environment, I think maybe what’s not recognized from people, from the outside is, man, every football coach in America works their tails off. Every one of them recruits like crazy. And obviously, the coaches that came before us there, they had a lot of skin into it, and they invested their time and their energy.

I think when we had a chance to sit down and meet one-on-one with the players, evaluate their film, but also get to know them as people. I know we’re hitting on this a lot, but it was really about us getting to know and grow a bond with those guys and show them that we cared, and that we were here to help them be successful, and that this is going to be a player-led operation.

And I think it was more about that in the beginning, about building that relationship with our players and finding out which guys fit into the way Coach [Kalen] DeBoer wants to operate his program as the main priority. And certainly, over time, find out the guys through spring practices and fall camps that the talent level was there for us to be successful and play great team football.

COACH INGE: I would definitely agree there. One of the main things we looked at coming in, when you look at the culture where everyone, all of us have come from, it’s being able to make a choice. And we chose them. And with us choosing them, we wanted to keep them around. And we’re all about the development of young people.

So if you can develop young people in the right way, you get to reap some of these benefits. So, that was one of our main premises that we also took upon coming into UDub as well.

Q. Chuck, you guys got Asa [Turner] back for the Pac-12 Championship Game. What’s it been like for him in trying to battle back through injury? Dealing with playing with a club or maybe not playing with a club now? And what’s his availability like for this game? And how does that change things for you on the backend?

COACH MORRELL: Yeah, he’s there. And just proud of him. He’s gone through a lot. And the mental challenges of being injured and trying to play through. And again, he’s an ultimate preparer.

Having both him and Kam Fab (Kamren Fabiculanan) back in the mix here late in the season was definitely a plus for us. And those guys do such a fantastic job of operating in the back-half and running the show. They prepare like pros every single day. And it leads us to being really sound in the back half. So it’s great having Asa back.

Q. Being in New Orleans, how tempting is it to just get off of your schedule and head down to Bourbon Street?

BRALEN TRICE: For me, it’s not really that tempting, but it’s definitely a nice area, and they’ve got a lot of stuff to do. Hopefully we can get back out here when it’s not business, you know?

Q. How would you describe, for someone who haven’t seen UDub football, what you and the EDGEs do for the defense? What’s y’all’s role?

BRALEN TRICE: Our role? Pressure and attack. That’s something we pride ourselves off of in our EDGE room. Getting pressure on the quarterback, making him move around, getting him uncomfortable. That’s mainly our job, really.

Q. For people that say, well, they don’t have that many sacks. How would you describe your effectiveness?

BRALEN TRICE: Regardless of stats and sacks, I think our room, myself, Zion [Tupuloa-Fetui], everybody puts a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks and affects the game. Regardless of stats, right? They’re still knowing we’re there. They’re scheming us. It’s changing up how they play. And it’s affecting them either way.

Q. What have you seen from Zach Durfee in these practices leading up to the bowl game? How do you think he’s going to help your room out?

BRALEN TRICE: Yeah, Zach is really locked in this week being that he’s getting chance to finally go out and play. I think it’s amazing that he’s getting the chance. He’s going to be a great player. You guys will see him this week, obviously.

Q. When new staff came in, what was your decision-making process like for deciding to stay or go to the portal? Can you walk me through that?

BRALEN TRICE: My process was really just like stick it out. Stay with my brothers, the guys I had been with, trust the process, and buy into what they’re offering us because they seem serious about it. And it didn’t seem like a bunch of lies or nothing. So that’s really what sold me on it.

Q. You mentioned that the culture was unique. What were the biggest changes you saw in the transition that they decided to do things differently that you noticed that had the biggest impact?

BRALEN TRICE: I think the things we did differently was the work we put in. And just the standard that we upheld. Because before then, I felt like the culture was going down. Culture is not static. It’s always up-and-down. And at that point, we were on a downhill slope. And they came in and just flipped it around, completely 180. Made us all want to work harder and get to where we’re at right now.

Q. What are some of the good markers of a good culture – or a culture going downhill?

BRALEN TRICE: Leaders. Because great teams are player-led, right? So a good sign of good culture is dudes stepping up and saying stuff when something needs to be fixed. Or guys begging for that extra rep, even though the coach is like, we’re done. And that’s really how you can tell, yeah, this team is different.

Q. How does this Texas offense look different this year compared to what you saw yesterday?

BRALEN TRICE: From my point of view, it just seems like they want it more; want it better than they did last season. Playing harder. Not really taking things for granted, I guess.

Q. You’ve been around Ede [Ulofoshio] for five years now. What makes him a unique leader and someone that people want to rally around?

BRALEN TRICE: What makes Ede special, this dude is like all about the game, all about being great. He’s probably there the earliest. He probably stays the latest. He’s locked in at every practice, every meeting. He keeps guys in line. He’s just been around so long that he knows right from wrong in terms of culture and standard. So I think that’s why he’s a great leader on our team.

Q. When you made your decision to come back this year, how much did you consider the fact that Michael Penix had decided to come back, too? Was that a catalyst for you or any of the other guys?

BRALEN TRICE: I think obviously that was a big part of why I came back and a lot of guys came back. But mainly, it’s like, regardless of if he came back or not, I was going to stay and play with my dudes and try to have a better season than we did before. Because I knew a lot of our guys were going to stay.

Q. You guys are undefeated, 13-0, ranked No. 2 in the country, yet you’re an underdog going into the game?

BRALEN TRICE: I think it’s crazy. The level of disrespect we get from outside noise ‚Äì I can’t really understand it. But it helps us, because it makes us have our backs against the walls as we go into these games ready to play even harder, because we are the underdogs.

We don’t take anything for granted out there. We’re grateful to even be in the position we’re at because of the hard work we put in. We can be the underdog, we can be on top, and we’ll come out with the win.

Q. Do you hear it?

BRALEN TRICE: We talk about it. We don’t like to blow our heads up too much. We try to stay humble as a team. And that’s probably one of the big reasons why our culture is so great. Dudes are just humble on our team and put in the work and that’s really it.

Q. You’ve been on this team for several years now, what would it mean for you to be part of the group to bring Washington to a national championship game?

BRALEN TRICE: I say this all the time: It’s huge. You just see the level of love that alumni and fans have for UDub and the legacy that’s already been left behind. Being where we’re at, 13-0, we won the Pac-12 championship. It’s a great feeling already where we’re at. But the chance we have now to go out there and do even more is huge. And it’s just a dream of mine to be able to come into this and leave a mark on the program and get that opportunity.

Q. When you mentioned the culture change, what did the coaching staff do to produce that?

BRALEN TRICE: I just think they came in with like a different level of mentality. I’ve seen coaches in the past ‚Äì I won’t name names or nothing ‚Äì seem like they’re out of it. And these coaches were ready to step it up. Whether you’re riding with us or you’re falling behind and leaving; there’s no in the middle. And that’s the kind of mentality the coaches had.

Q. Do you remember a moment for you during the transition where you felt like things were quite a bit different?

BRALEN TRICE: Yeah, the biggest moment for me was going into training, like winter conditioning. Coach Mac (Ron McKeefery) and also seeing the coaches come out and watch us work out, and just be out there: All right, guys, keep working, and hearing all the motivation and all that. Yeah, this is different. Because you can tell that they care and they want us to work harder. I think that was a big thing.

Q. Do you think that the underdog might have anything to do with y’all furthest north and west and arrived on an Alaska Airlines plane?

BRALEN TRICE: Definitely has a part to do with it. We’re the first Pac-12 team to be over here in the Sugar Bowl. That’s a great feeling because we’re going to come out here and leave our mark and take a win.

Q. A lot of guys share that feeling with you? The frustration?

BRALEN TRICE: I think everybody definitely does. Everybody is frustrated that we’re the underdogs in all these games we go into. As a leader on the team, it feels good knowing that my guys aren’t going to be big heads. We’re going to go out there and stay humble and knowing that our backs are against the wall.

Q. Did you read up on what Texas players were saying about their defensive line and your defensive line and your reaction to that?

BRALEN TRICE: I didn’t read up on it too much. I think they’re great. But I think we’re greater, so.

Q. Why is it you think the whole rest of the world is entering the transfer portal, and y’all got all these five- to six-year seniors? How come so many guys have stuck around, do you think?

BRALEN TRICE: I always go back to the brotherhood. I think the connection and relationships we built on this team are different. I think that’s also a catalyst for our success. Yeah, just a lot of guys want to stick around as long as they could and make a difference in this program.

Q. Does the fact that y’all have a good NIL collective that made an effort to keep you guys, did that change the calculus too for people coming back?

BRALEN TRICE: It’s great. NIL is great for us. It’s changed the way people live and it’s helped a lot of people, including myself. But regardless of NIL, like I was saying in the past, I’m happy just to be here, to be able to play, and do what we do with the guys I’m playing with.

Q. Did you ever wonder what it would have been like to go to – like, some guys are going on their third school?

BRALEN TRICE: Not me. I don’t ever think about that. They can have all the fun they want switching between schools, but I’m just happy to be here with my dudes.

Q. This coaching staff has had immense success on the team. But can you talk about how you’ve transformed under this coaching staff into a high draft pick?

BRALEN TRICE: Yeah, this coaching staff, the coaches and the strength staff, have really helped me take a step up in terms of physicality and the mentality in the game.

Before they were there, I was still a younger guy trying to figure out the game. Getting in the right mindset for it. But they really helped me step it up and understand the game, slow down, break it down while I’m out there. Helped me take the next step in my physicality also.

Q. Of all the head coaches you’ve been under, what’s different about Coach [Kalen] DeBoer just as a human being?

BRALEN TRICE: As a human being? I think DeBoer, what’s different about him is ‚Äì how do you say it?

He’s a more understanding coach, you know what I’m saying? He’s not like business is business is business. He’s out there, he cares about what we’re doing on the field and off the field. He cares about who we are, how we act. He prides us on being player-led as a team. I think that’s what’s different about him. He’s pushes us to be better. Off the field too.

Q. Any personal interactions that really stand out that you can recall with him (Kalen DeBoer)?

BRALEN TRICE: With DeBoer? Yeah, I think before ‚Äì or after last season, when I sat down in his office and just talked with him about how the season went and how I was feeling, it really stuck out to me, because he was like: Outside of football, how you doing? How you feeling? How’s your family? All that stuff.

Stuff that’s just small talk, but it’s important to me because I know that he cares more about than how I’m just doing on the field. So that’s a big part and why he’s such a great coach.

Q. You’ve used the word physicality a number of times here. At this level, this is usually what separates these teams. Like TCU lost 65-7 in the title game last year because they weren’t physical enough. The skill players were pretty good. What did [Kalen] DeBoer and the coaches do to increase the physicality? How did that change at Washington?

BRALEN TRICE: Obviously, the weight room and our training. But a big part of it is just the want to be physical and successful. Because everybody knows, obviously, you can’t play football without being physical. And we weren’t playing at that physicality that we needed to be successful in the past.

When they came in, they took us up a notch. You guys see it every time we play. You see Troy [Fautanu] out there blocking without a helmet on. That’s different, you know?

Q. So it is more of a mentality than, say, being stronger?

BRALEN TRICE: There’s the physical aspect in the weight room. We took a huge step up in the weight room. If you see the numbers the guys are lifting in terms of benching and squatting and everything, it’s a huge difference. But mentality also plays a big part in that, too.

Q. Can you talk about what NIL collectives have meant for you personally? Is there something you’ve been able to do? Buy? Some person you’ve been able to help because the money is there now in a way it wasn’t before?

BRALEN TRICE: Yeah, yeah. I actually went on a mission trip in the DR (Dominican Republic) recently with one of my buddies on the team. And I got the opportunity to offer to help build this dude’s house who was a refugee from Haiti. He came over when he was like 17 at that time. But he lost his wife. And he had two kids while he was living, growing up there.

But his house that he had been building since he was 17 ‚Äì I forgot how old he is now, he’s much older, in his 40s maybe ‚Äì it’s still like half built. It’s just a frame. And it really touched me being out there. Spreading the Word of God and being around the people that support me.

Having that opportunity with NIL, I’m going to go out there and offer to help finish building his house. For me, for us, it’s a lot cheaper than for them.

Q. What’s been the high and low for you at Washington?

BRALEN TRICE: High for me individually was probably Pac-12 championship this year. Low for me probably, coming in as a young guy, obviously, you want to be this amazing player that you set your hopes and dreams out for, but you have to develop. And it’s hard to see that process at that age until you go through it. And that’s probably a low point for me, was, like, having the patience to get to where I’m at.