Pac-12 Media Days day two
I'll update this blog post with interesting notes that come out of Pac-12 Media Days.
3:50 I've been in transit or conducting interviews for the past few hours, so I missed Utah's podium session. But here is a transcription of Utes coach Kyle Whittingham's remarks. Our WSU content will be collected in a separate blog post.
12:07 Royce Freeman has not started his second year of college yet but is already enough of a leader that the defending Pac-12 champion Oregon Ducks brought him to Media Days representing the offense.
Or at least, coach Mark Helfrich hopes he turns into a leader.
"Leadership in general, you can't mandate it," Helfrich said. "But you can put those guys in positions of leadership and see what works."
Freeman acknowledged that he's not much of a talker, but is trying to step up and take charge of the running back room.
"Last year I kind of took a backseat," said Freeman of his freshman season in which he tallied more than 1,500 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns while helping to lead the Ducks to the BCS Championship Game.
"(Being vocal) is not my strong suit but I'm working on that," he added.
When asked about Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams, Freeman preferred to keep the focus on Jeff Lockie, the quarterback who led the Ducks during spring practice.
"It's better to have more. We're glad we have people wanting to come in," Freeman said. "But we're not going to focus on people who aren't here."
Helfrich said that Lockie had the opportunity to transfer in search of playing time but impressed his coach by staying in Eugene to learn from Marcus Mariota.
Mike Leach and the Cougars are up next.
11:33 p.m. Steve Sarkisian was quite honest during his podium session on Saturday. At least, he said he was. He said "quite honestly" or "honestly" at least six times while fielding questions from the media throng. We can only assume that every other time he spoke he was lying.
For example, he called Adoree Jackson possibly the best athlete he's ever coached, and don't forget this guy coached Reggie Bush.
When asked about the expectations that come with being picked to win the conference, Sarkisian said, "We all came to USC to win. We didn't come here to be mediocre, we didn't come here be OK. We came here to win championships. … If the expectations were going to be too big, this wasn't the place for you."
Sarkisian took responsibility for close losses last season that kept the Trojans out of the Pac-12 championship game, saying, "I wish I had us better prepared."
Quarterback Cody Kessler was fairly defensive considering he and his team are widely expected to do very well this season.
"People can say whatever they want, get negative about ups and downs but I could care less," Kessler said. "Whatever my team thinks, whatever I can improve to help us win a game, that's what I care about."
10:48 p.m. California is a trendy pick to have a good season in 2015, largely because of junior quarterback Jared Goff, who ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper considers the best QB prospect in college football.
Golden Bears coach Sonny Dykes seems to think Goff is up to the challenge, saying that as a big a jump Goff made between his freshman and sophomore years (he threw 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a freshman starter, but went 35 and seven last season), he improved to an even greater degree in the spring.
Goff seemed to agree with his coach, saying, "This past spring is when I really felt (the game) slow down and gained confidence." Specifically, Goff said he's much more comfortable changing plays prior to the snap.
Cal won one game when Goff was a freshman and five of them last season. The Golden Bears only may have one more chance to make a bowl game with Goff behind the center, however.
Like Kiper, many analysts expect Goff to be among the first QBs taken if he enters the NFL draft next spring and the junior sure didn't sound like someone who is thinking about his senior year.
"I want to leave a legacy of winning at Cal," said Goff. Then he said, "We have to win. I have to win and this is the year to do it." He then said an improved defense is the biggest reason he thinks the Golden Bears are ready to win now."
Dykes confirmed the departure of offensive lineman Matt Cochran, who was projected to start at center. While Dykes wouldn't say why Cochran is gone, he acknowledged that it wasn't the athlete's decision to leave.
10: 13 a.m.Rich Rodriguez brought his wry sense of humor to Media Days, asking the press if we were aware that it's the Pac-12's 100th anniversary (the commemorations are everywhere).
Rodriguez provided some insight about how difficult the Pac-12 South is with four teams ranked in the Amway Coaches Poll.
"I think it's always been good but what's change is the commitment to football in our league in general and the pac-12 south in particular is unprecedented," Rodriguez said. "Everybody is putting money into the programs … I think a lot of the talent that's been out west, left the western part of the country is staying out here because they see our commitment."
The Wildcats play 12 consecutive games with no open dates in 2015.
"That's going to be a unique challenge," Rodriguez said. "We didn't choose 12 in a row, but I'm not going to complain about it after today. Unless we're not winning."
The Arizona coach also had a quick remark when asked about the Pac-12's decisions to cover the full cost of attendance with athletic scholarships, saying, "I've heard some schools have been paying cost of attendance for years…"
9:20 a.m. Pac-12 president Lydia Murphy-Stephans just gave an address. Not much new information, except that every Pac-12 game will be condensed and air on the network's "Football in 60" program, even those that originally air on other networks.
We also heard from the vice president of officiating. You can read about what he said here.
