Dec. 10, 2004

Justin Tuck – senior – defensive end

On Oregon State …

They’re a good football team. They have a veteran quarterback, a big offensive line. Their scheme is going to create match-up problems for us. I think they do a good job at using their strengths.

I’m going to have a lot of opportunities to rush their quarterback so I’m looking forward to it.

On concentrating on the game with all of the distractions …

I don’t think it’s that difficult. I think our coaches have done a good job of keeping our focus. Plus our leadership is coming into play right now. We know we want to go down there and win a football game and we aren’t thinking about anything else right now. We don’t have control of anything else. The only thing we can control is how we go down there and play.

The attitude of the team …

We’re excited. We get to go to a great bowl site in Phoenix. The coaches have set up schedules as to where we’ll have a lot of fun. We’re going to try and go down there and get a win. I think this football team is very excited with the opportunity that we have at hand.

Anytime you get to a bowl game you are excited about it. In the back of your head you think the season didn’t go the way you wanted it to. You can’t live in the past and think like that. The fact that we get to go down there and show the country the type of football team that we can be it’s exciting. Anytime you get to strap it on with these 105 guys for me that’s exciting.

If the team will be playing with a bigger chip on their shoulders …

I think we will be. That’s hard to say. I don’t think it’s more of a challenge, I just think it’s another test that we have to go in there and be ready to face.

Greg Mattison – defensive line coach

On coaching Notre Dame in the bowl game after accepting a position at Florida …

Urban (Meyer) said it would be no problem and the administration here said it would be no problem. I’m really excited about that because these kids have been so special. When you’ve been here eight years and you’ve had the (Lance) Legree’s, the (Anthony) Weaver’s and the (Grant) Iron’s you don’t think you could ever have anyone to replace them but with this group here I could probably say they are my most favorite group. A lot of people going into this season doubted the defensive line and wondered if we could replace Cedric (Hilliard) and Darrell Campbell. These kids just kept coming out and played as hard as they could. They are a special group so I would love nothing more to come out with a win for them.

D.J. Fitzpatrick – senior – kicker/punter

On if the players are auditioning for the new coach …

Right now everyone is going out there to try their best. No one goes out there trying to do bad. So in a way we are auditioning every game. So it’s really no different, we’re just trying our best.

On trying to have a solid finish to the season …

At USC we didn’t finish on a good note. So this is just one more chance to get everything going in the right direction and just make this spring and summer that much more exciting.

On kicking down in Phoenix …

The only thing that I know is that it’ll be warmer down there that it is here. When it’s 30-degrees and your trying to kick a football it’s like kicking a rock and it’s tough to do. The weather will be great and I can’t wait for that.

On playing the bowl game without coach Willingham …

It’s another football game to win and get everyone on the same page. But at the same time we will miss coach Willingham. We all love him. He’s been a great coach and we’ve learned so much from him. That’s out of our control we’re just going to play.

Dan Stevenson – senior – guard

On the Notre Dame/Oregon State 2001 Fiesta Bowl …

As a recruit I definitely watched the game and it’s something that the team talks about from time to time. It’s something that was obviously disappointing and we won’t let that happen again.

On getting the emotions going for the bowl game …

I think this team is full of competitors and that is who we are and that is what we are going to do whether we are playing in the national championship game or the Insight Bowl. We are all going to go out there and play our best game because that’s what we do here.

On Oregon State’s defensive front …

They are definitely good up front. The have some big guys up the middle and they have a defensive end who’s supposed to be very good. I don’t know all of their stats but I know he has double-digits in sacks. It’s going to be a good challenge for the offensive line and that’s how we like it. We like to put it on our shoulders and go out there and show we are a great offensive line.

On what’s at stake versus Oregon State …

Right now I think you just have to play for pride. Obviously we’re not playing for the national championship and we understand that. There’s still a lot to do and a lot to show out there about this team. I think if we can go out there and win this game and play the way we can play it not only shows the nation that we are a great team but it sets up next year so you don’t have to dwell the whole off-season about a loss. It’s a huge game where you want to go out and show we still have a great team and great talent. I think everyone is kind of writing us off and we know better than that. We know what we have here and it’s time for us to stand up and show it.

Greg Pauly – senior – defensive tackle

On coach Greg Mattison accepting a position with Florida …

I think we are all very happy for him. I think it’s a great job for him and a great opportunity.

On the 2001 Fiesta Bowl versus Oregon State …

I remember going down there my freshman year. I didn’t participate but we basically got our butts kicked and that’s not the way you want to go out and I do remember that.

It was exciting and a big game to be down there for. I really wasn’t a part of it but I was down there with the team. It was exciting but at the same time, it’s not how you want to go out.

It’s two different teams now. There have been a lot of players who have come and gone through both of these teams.

It’s not like we are looking for payback or anything like that. This is a big game for us and we are going down to play like that.

Kyle Budinscak – senior – defensive end

On the Oregon State offense …

They are going to throw the ball a lot, we know that, and they are going to be in a lot of one-back sets. We haven’t seen them do a lot of two-back stuff. Obviously they are going to spread it out and get it to a lot of different guys. They have great skilled position guys. It seems like they always do. We played them four years ago and saw it up front. They’re also solid up front so it’ll be a real challenge.

On playing Oregon State again after facing them four years ago in the Fiesta Bowl …

I don’t know if it’s about revenge. It’s hard to have revenge against guys that you haven’t seen in four years. I definitely don’t want to have the taste in my mouth at the end of my career that I had when I just got here. It’s funny how things work. We’re in the same city at the same time against the same team. I don’t know exactly what that means but I would hate to end my career the way it kind of began.

On ending the season on a good note …

Our goal is to try and take this to another level and try to let it all hang out and play the best game that we’ve played all year. There’s no pressure, we’ve got nothing to worry about. Lets try to take it to another level and play a great game.

Brady Quinn – sophomore – quarterback

On how he maintains his focus on Oregon State …

Just try and study and be prepared by watching a lot of film. We’ve got so much stuff going on that it’s kind of hard to pay that much attention to stuff going on outside.

On the Oregon State defense …

I think their secondary is pretty tough. They have some good speed outside on the corners and with the safeties. I think the linebackers and the front seven are pretty physical. They are a tough physical group so they are going to bring it.

On if coach Baer is doing anything different than coach Willingham …

I think he’s just really following in the footsteps of being a great leader and being a great coach and kind of giving us what we need right now and finding solutions to helping us get through this time right now.

Mike Goolsby – senior – linebacker

On what it takes to keep this team focused …

Just kind of trying to stay on the same schedule more than anything. These types of things can be hard if you make them hard or fun if you make them fun. Coach Baer is really focused on winning this game but at the same time he’s human enough to realize these guys want to have fun. You have two-and-a-half weeks to practice for just this one game. You have to go out with the right mindset and I think that trickles down from the top. From the coaching staff to the seniors and on down we’re just trying to keep guys on the same track and keep them focused but still have fun down there.

On having it be the last game with this coaching staff …

This staff gave me a new chance with my career. With coach (Bob) Simmons coming in and coach Baer seeing something in me and having enough faith and trust in me to let me go out and try and make some plays and get out onto the field finally. I do have a lot invested with them and they mean a whole lot to me. I’m really thankful for them. So this is the last time I get to play for these guys so it means a lot to me.

On the motivation for this game …

Of all the side stories you can pull out of this I think the team’s main goal is to show the type of character that we have as a team and as a unit. They take our coach and we are still going to go out there and play hard. We are going to try our best to stay focused and use the things that coach Willingham has showed us along the way in his three years here. That’s our main goal going down there.

Darius Walker – freshman – running back

On how the team is staying together …

It’s tough. These past few weeks have been kind of tough especially with the season going the way it has, a way we didn’t want it to go, and then to hear the news about the coach it was definitely shocking. I think it was harder probably for the younger guys, myself included, and some of the other freshman. Coming in our first year coach Willingham is really all we knew and we still have a few more years left here in this program. There’s a lot of uncertainties in everything so you just kind of feel a little scared about the situation. But then again this type of thing happens everywhere. So you basically just have to deal with it and move forward.

On what’s at stake in the bowl game …

Coach Baer said that we needed to win this one for coach Willingham and the University. The University has been through some tough times this year so we really want to go out and win this one for the University. We also want to win it for ourselves. We want to try and go out there and whoop up on these guys and do it for coach and try and do it for ourselves.

On getting ready for his first bowl game …

It’s exciting. Seeing all of the bowl games on TV last year I knew it was something that I wanted to do because you see all of the media hype. You hear about all of the gifts and stuff and you get a chance to take a trip to places that you’ve never seen. I’m excited, I’m thrilled and I’m pumped up to go and just ready to get to Arizona where it’s warm.

Ryan Grant – senior – running back

On if this game is hard to get up for …

I don’t look at it as being hard because I play football. I like playing the game itself. I could play in front of nobody and I’d still get up for the game. I don’t care if we didn’t have a coach. I love playing this game so for me to get up for it takes nothing. There’s always going to be some guys with everything going on that they may have mixed feelings. I think as a whole and for the most part guys are focused and understand what we are going down there to accomplish.

On his motivation for the game …

I have a lot of motivation. I think mine stems from the guys, from my teammates and everything like that. For the guys and how close we are and who I’ve fought with for four years and for the younger guys to get things right for them going into next year.