Partial transcript after the jump:
Were you surprised by the performance against Arizona?
I was pleased with it. I wouldn’t say that I was surprised by it though. These guys, since we got here, they’ve worked extreme hard. I felt like they were very focused and excited to go play. When you start to experience some success I think you’re anxious to go out and do it again. The effort was good, but the effort is expected to be good.
How concerned are you about Washington State as a potential trap game?
I don’t believe in trap games. I think that’s a term the media and the fans use. Coaches don’t use it. For us it’s just getting on to the next game. I’ve never used that term with a team and I’ve never heard a coach use it with a team.
On whether or not the uniforms gave the team any psychological boost:
I don’t wanna say no, but I don’t wanna say yes either. Maybe it gives you a little boost, but unless you come out and play well early, that boost doesn’t mean a thing. It’s not about the uniform, ti’s about the person in the uniform playing. … People look at the uniform and give it too much credit.
On the secondary’s success on Saturday:
(Arizona’s) got big physical receivers. Our corners have got some length to them. They can get up against guys that have some size and have some success. It can bring your focus to the inside of your defense, which is what Arizona likes to do, is throw it between the numbers.
On playing a team that averages over 50 passes per game:
I’m finally kind of getting used to the pace and tempo of the college game. This will be the third week in a row that we’re going against a team that really likes to spread the field and dish it to a bunch of different guys. Mike Leach does a great job conceptually in the pass game to make you defend a lot of the field, both vertically and horizontally. Even though the record doesn’t necessarily reflect it, you see that offense becoming what he wants it to become. For us, it boils down to us playing with discipline.
Does seeing a high-tempo offense in practice help the defense?
I think it helps. I really do. I think there’s only been one drive this year where I felt like we didn’t match the tempo of our opponent. That was the second drive against Arizona State. … From the first practice of spring all the way through the last practice we had Friday night, it’s been about tempo. Last week, our off scout team did a tremendous job of pushing the tempo.
Does playing so many spread offenses in consecutive weeks help the defense prepare?
Yea, because there’s some familiarity. As you go into a week, you familiarize yourself with the opponents scheme. When there is some familiarity, it allows you to take some mental space and devote it to yourself a little bit. … Even though they make look the same, the route concepts, they’ll bring their own variations.
On how Marquess Wilson’s suspension affects WSU:
They won’t change. They’re gonna do what they do. I never want to minimize the abilities of any individual players on opposing teams because we’ve played some great players. It’s important your primary goal is to prepare for a scheme. Schemes don’t change that much.
On playing a team that may be in turmoil:
That stuff doesn’t matter to us. Once you let temperature, environment and the psyche of another team bother you, you got issues. We don’t address it. It doesn’t matter to us. It’s not in our orbit. We don’t’ care. We’re worried about the UCLA Bruins.