Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets-Press and Media Outlet

Atlantic Coast Conference Media Day

Georgia Tech Press Conference

Paul Johnson:Hey everyone welcome to Georgia Tech Media Day here in lovely Greensboro, North Carolina. We're excited to be getting started here in our second season. We have a good nucleus of players back and I've been encouraged by the way that we have started out camp in terms of our work ethic. Everybody has good focus and attention to detail. It can certainly get better and has to get better, but it is way ahead of where we were a year ago at this time.

The schedule is awfully tough to start with, which can be good or bad. We'll know where we stand in the ACC by October, so it's a big challenge to get ready early on. I think the guys are just looking forward to having a chance to get better and start a new season. Expectations are high and I think the players expectations are high. OK now if you have some questions about the upcoming season I would be glad to answer them.

Reporter:You touched briefly on expectations for this team, but what exactly are your expectations?

Paul Johnson:They are high that's all I'm going to say I'm not going to put a number of wins on it or anything like that.

Reporter:Coach Johnson, with most guys back from this year what kind of development do you expect from individual players?

Paul Johnson:Now that it is year two you would hope that all the players that were on the team last year to understand the offense a lot better and improve in their knowledge.

Reporter:You lost your offensive coordinator to Pitt, how do you plan on replacing him?

Paul Johnson:It's always hard to replace a good coach, but we have plenty of people ready to fill his shoes, and I know whoever we promote will do a great job. We here at Georgia Tech wish him the best and hopefully see him down the road, and beat him of course.

Reporter:I know you said it will be hard to replace Coach Petersen, but what do you make of your week nine matchup?

Paul Johnson:It's an interesting twist for sure. We will be ready when that time comes, but we have several other games to worry about before that. I will say this I taught him everything he knows, but I didn't teach him everything I know, so when the time comes I will have some tricks up my sleeve.

Reporter:What do you make of Coach Petersen's comments?

Paul Johnson:I'm not sure what he said.

Reporter:In short he said you weren't a very good coach and that his team will walk all over you.

Paul Johnson:Well he certainly is never short on confidence, but I just hope he doesn't write a check he can't cash. As I said before we won't be playing Pittsburgh until Week Nine so I'm not going to entertain any more questions about that team or there coach until then.

Reporter:Do you think Jonathan Dwyer can repeat as ACC Player of the Year?

Paul Johnson:I'm confident he will play well enough, but we are going to really distribute the ball to different people so if he will win I don't know, but he is going to have a big year. Now I'm going to turn it over first to Jonathan and then Derrick. Thank You.

Reporter:Jonathan, how is the team looking so far in the offseason?

Jonathan Dwyer:We look really good, the offense is executing real well so far and the defense looks very stingy.

Reporter:What kind of year do you expect personally?

Jonathan Dwyer:I'm not really gonna look at stats or anything like that I'm just gonna run as hard as I can and hope we win 14 games. I'll hand it over to Derrick now Thanks Guys.

Reporter:What is different playing defense on a team that runs the flexbone?

Derrick Morgan:The main thing is we get to catch our breath for a while cause our O is on the field a long time so that helps a lot.

Reporter:Being a Junior and projecting as a high draft pick what are your thoughts on leaving school a year early?

Derrick Morgan:It's too early for that I mean a lot of things can happen between now and April, but I love school and am here to win the National Championship. Well I've got to go now Thank You.

Georgia Tech Preseason Press Conference

Paul Johnson:I don't have much to say here today, but once the games start I will have plenty for you folks. We have gotten almost all the way through with our preseason workouts, and soon it will be time to start preparing for an actual opponent. I have been very pleased with the effort we have put forth so far. We've been working hard and you can tell that these guys want a special season. As a coaching staff we have been preaching attention to detail, because it's the little things that make team champions. The guys have really started to buy into our philosophy by doing just the tiniest that most people would overlook. We are all really excited for the start of the season, because we know great things are in store for us. Ok I'll take some questions.

Reporter:What do you make of only having five seniors on the roster?

Paul Johnson:It's an interesting situation for sure. It's hard to have Senior leadership without Seniors so we will have to have some Juniors and young guys step up and lead. Also it effects us in recruiting because we only have eight scholarships to offer this year. It is good in the sense that we will have everyone back if we don't have guys leave early.

Reporter:With so few scholarships how do you plan to attack your recruiting?

Paul Johnson:Everybody looks at the number of scholarships as a negative thing, but we try to see the positive. For one having few scholarships mean we have few guys leaving which means we are young and have a lot of room for improvement. Also when you have less scholarships we don't have to recruit as many players, meaning we can focus more on a smaller group.

Reporter:What do you make of the ACC outlook?

Paul Johnson:It's going to be very competitive as always. We have a tough schedule but that will only make us better.

Reporter:What is going to be your toughest challenge this season?

Paul Johnson:I think it will be getting everyone to play consistently. We all have to be on the same page and perform at our best week in and week out.

Reporter:What are the keys to a successful season on offense, defense, and special team?

Paul Johnson:On offense it all boils down to simple execution. We have to be a precise, well-oiled machine. On defense we need to do two things. First we can't give up the big play, with the amount of time our offense is on the field our defense should be well rested and needs to keep everything in front of them. Also we need to put pressure on the quarterback. We can't let guys get comfortable back there, we need to keep the offense on it's heels. Finally on special teams we just need to limit mistakes. Special teams is not complicated so we don't need t make it so, we just need to make our kicks and not get kicks blocked and things like that. That's all for now I'll be back before our first game against Michigan.

Georgia Tech Week One Press Conference

Paul Johnson:This week we travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on the Michigan Wolverines. The Big House is a tough place to play and they are a good team so this will be a great challenge. We have been preparing extremely hard so our mistakes certainly won't be due to a lack of preparation. They provide a lot of matchup challenges to us and run an interesting style of offense so they are going to be a great opening game. I'll take questions now.

Reporter:Who concerns you the most on Michigan's team?

Paul Johnson:That's the scary part, they don't have one guy you can pick out. They are very balanced on both offense and defense so we will have to take them on as a unit. Normally when you play a team they have one superstar and if you neutralize that guy you can win, but they don't have just one guy to take away they are even all around.

Reporter:What does your recruiting look like here in the early season.

Paul Johnson:We will have our recruiting page up soon so you can find most information you need there when it's up. Right now we have targeted about ten guys at several positions, but the process is just now underway so we have a lot of work to do.

Reporter:How important is it to win the first game of the season?

Paul Johnson:You always want to get off on the right foot, but it's not the most important game of the year. If we lose are season isn't over, but you always want to win especially against a good team with rich tradition and history such as Michigan. That's all for this week hopefully the next time I talk to you guys we will be 1-0. Thank you.

Georgia Tech Week Two Press Conference

Paul Johnson:To start with I'm very proud of how our kids played against a good Michigan team, not a great but good team. Trust me we are gonna face a lot better competition as the year goes on. No disrespect to them but they aren't as good as they have been. This week we have a huge conference and home opener against what has been a thorn in my side and this university's side. We will be working on a short week since the game is on Thursday but I don't think that will affect us too much. I'll take your questions now.

Reporter:70-6 is a big margin of victory, were you expecting that?

Paul Johnson:Not at all. I thought they would manage a few stops or slow us down a little but it didn't happen, and then they turned it over too many times and weren't good enough in the special teams.

Reporter:What do you change when preparing for a Thursday night game? Also what do you make of back-to-back Thursday night games.

Paul Johnson:You need to move everything up a day and fit more into your schedule. It's tough but that's just how the schedule works out this year, but it won't be a problem especially since we have a full week before the second game.

Reporter:How do you contain Spiller and Ford?

Paul Johnson:It's difficult because they can go the distance on any touch, but the main thing is make them one dimensional and get after the quarterback.

Reporter:How important is it to start 1-0 in the conference?

Paul Johnson:It's pretty important because you don't want to get behind and play catch-up all year long, but your season certainly isn't over by any means.

Reporter:Can we expect 200 yards from Dwyer every week?

Paul Johnson:I don't think so. They were giving us the fullback all day so that's why he had so many yards, but I think we will spread it around more in the coming weeks. I have to go now remember it's a short week. Thank You.

Georgia Tech Week Three Press Conference

Paul Johnson:This last week we played Clemson and came out with a victory. That is the only good thing I can say about our offense is that we won. After all you play to win the game..YOU PLAY...TO WIN...THE GAME...Hello. Offensively I was disappointed in how we operated, just too many mistakes and turnovers. Our defense on the other hand played spectacular for the second straight week. If they keep playing like that we will have a good chance to win a lot of games. I'll take a couple questions now.

Reporter:Coach, it kind of seems like you are knit-picking a little bit I mean like you said you play to win and you certainly won by a resounding margin.

Paul Johnson:Is there a question somewhere in that mess of words.

Reporter:I guess I'm just trying to ask why are you so upset after a big win against a rival that has stung us in the past? Shouldn't the win be enough?

Paul Johnson:No it's not enough. If we continue to make critical mistakes we will lose. People always say you learn more from a loss, well I'm trying to prevent us from learning the lessons of taking care of the ball after a win instead of learning that lesson in a loss.

Reporter:How big of an advantage is it for Miami to be coming off a week and a half rest?

Paul Johnson:It will be an advantage, but that's how the game of football works. Teams will always have advantages in particular areas, and it is the job of the opposing team to neutralize those advantages.

Reporter:How has Derrick Morgan's domination up front helped the defense this season?

Paul Johnson:His pressure has been huge for us. Any time a quarterback doesn't have time to breath in the pocket he isn't going to throw it as well. So his ability to get after the quarterback has changed other team's gameplans.

Reporter:With his early season play Jonathan Dwyer has shot into the Heisman picture. What do you think his chances are of becoming the first Yellow Jacket to win the award?

Paul Johnson:Honestly, not very good. I mean nobody is gong to vote for a fullback. Also he has had big games so far because that's is what teams have given us. As teams start to take away the fullback look for our perimeter players to gain more yards. That's all for this week. Thank You.

Georgia Tech Week Four Press Conference

Paul Johnson:Well we keep playing sloppily and getting away with it, and I'm sick of it. We will not beat North Carolina, I'm telling you WE...WILL...NOT...BEAT...NORTH...CAROLINA, or anybody for that matter if we keep playing like this on offense. The last two week we have slopped around and turned it over and made mistakes. One week our defense played great, and last week we played good but we have to clean it up on offense. We can't keep expecting our defense to bail us out because they almost didn't. Now I hope you see why I was so upset last week after the Clemson game because we have to get these mistakes corrected. We didn't correct them and it almost cost us the game. Uhh it's just frustrating for my staff and me because we try to tell our kids what they need to do, but I will guarantee you this they will learn their lesson and I hope it's not the hard way. The hard way being after a loss. Ok now that's all I'm gonna say about the Miami game, and I'll try to stay calm enough to answer some questions.

Reporter:How are planning on approaching this weeks practices?

Paul Johnson:Basically the same way we have been all year. We are gonna see if we can get through their thick skulls and cut out the mistakes.

Reporter:Does having an extra couple of days help you prepare?

Paul Johnson:I think it will. Hopefully it will allow us to drive home some of those important points and get some extra rest and work in.

Reporter:Jonathan Dwyer's production has gone down in each game, are you at all concerned?

Paul Johnson:No I'm more concerned with the offense as a whole, at least he didn't turn the ball over. I'll take 153 Yards and no turnovers from him every week.

Reporter:Can we get a recruiting update?

Paul Johnson:It's going good so far. I think we are going to get some special kids in this class. That's all the questions for this week, I'm tired and it has been a long difficult two weeks. Thank You.

Georgia Tech Week Five Press Conference

Paul Johnson:Obviously we are all really disappointed right now. Everybody is in a lot of pain, it hurts to lose a game like that. It's going to take some time for these wounds to heal, but I think we will really bounce back this week and play our best game of the year. As I said after the game congratulations to North Carolina on the win, but we will be back for them next year. Ok I will take questions now.

Reporter:What do you think you could have done differently to have won the last game?

Paul Johnson:Anytime you look back on a close game you can pick out moments or plays that could have made a difference, but you have to try not dwell on the past. We had our chances to win and just made too many mistakes in the clutch to get it done. I won't go into specific plays or anything because that just makes me feel worse about it, we are moving on.

Reporter:Jonathan Dwyer had a season low 14 carries, half his per game average, why was he less involved in the gameplan?

Paul Johnson:It was more of what they did. They had it in their gameplan to take him away so other guys stepped up.

Reporter:Is North Carolina the best team you will play all year?

Paul Johnson:They will certainly be one of the best, but we play a lot of good teams so I can't definitively say they are the best.

Reporter:How will Mississippi State compare to the rest of the team you have played?

Paul Johnson:They will certainly be good, but they are in more of a rebuilding mode than the rest of our opponents. I think they will compare most to Michigan.

Reporter:You got your first commitment in recruiting this past week, how important is that to your recruiting campaign?

Paul Johnson:Well it's extremely important because in recruiting when it rains it pours so to speak. The young man we got is a good player, but I think he will help attract more players to the program. Tight End is not the most utilized position on our offense but he will help out a lot especially since we don't have any on the current roster.

Reporter:How do you plan on improving the rest of the season?

Paul Johnson:Well defensively we just need to keep doing what we are doing. We are playing excellent right now especially against the run, but we just can't take any steps backward and keep on plugging. Then on offense we have to get Josh (Nesbitt) to be more confident in his arm. Right now he isn't throwing the ball great and it's causing people to really key in on the run. If he can start throwing the ball better it will really open up some running lanes. I've got to go start planning for the Bulldogs now. Thank You.

Breaking News

Atlanta, Georgia-We are just now getting word that Paul Johnson has decided to suspend four players for Georgia Tech's home game this week against Mississippi State. The four players in question are all starter, HB Roddy Jones, LE Derrick Morgan (leads nation with 11 sacks), CB Mario Butler, and SS Morgan Burnett. Apparently these four players missed the bus to the team hotel last night and then were all up past curfew. One has to wonder where Georgia Tech's focus is coming off a devastating loss last week to North Carolina. It will be interesting to see how the team responds now with all the turmoil. Paul Johnson has said that the four players will at least be suspended for the game and the players playing futures will be reevaluated on Sunday. Will Georgia Tech still be able to prevail or has Paul Johnson lost his mind?

Georgia Tech Week Six Press Conference

Paul Johnson:About the suspension of Morgan, Burnett, Butler, and Jones. As has been reported they were late for some different team things then were caught up after curfew. We are trying to establish order and discipline around here so we won't have any of that. This week the are all back eligible, but that doesn't mean they will all play. If one or two don't play it isn't because of this at all. Now to this past weeks game, we played spectacular on offense. That is the kind of balanced, explosive attack I have been looking for. We were able to spread the ball around to different guys and everyone did their job. On defense we played pretty well except for those two huge plays. If you take those plays away we did a good job. Now I'll answer questions.

Reporter:Do you think that the suspension will fire up some of the guys?

Paul Johnson:I hope so, that would be a great bonus, but I don't think that will happen. They all were very apologetic and contrite, they made a mistake and they knew they had to pay the price for it.

Reporter:Was the defense hurt by not having it's three top players.

Paul Johnson:I don't think so. Our defense has a lot of good players, the lack of experience showed on the two big plays, but other than that we were fine.

Reporter:Back into conference play this week. What do you expect against the Seminoles?

Paul Johnson:I expect us to play well, hopefully well enough to win.

Reporter:What does the newest Yellow Jacket bring to the table?

Paul Johnson:Landon Abrams is going to be a terrific player. We are going to try and sort of groom him into the type of player and leader we want here. That's all for now guys. Thank You.

chAdyP0408 wrote:

Breaking News

Atlanta, Georgia-We are just now getting word that Paul Johnson has decided to suspend four players for Georgia Tech's home game this week against Mississippi State. The four players in question are all starter, HB Roddy Jones, LE Derrick Morgan (leads nation with 11 sacks), CB Mario Butler, and SS Morgan Burnett. Apparently these four players missed the bus to the team hotel last night and then were all up past curfew. One has to wonder where Georgia Tech's focus is coming off a devastating loss last week to North Carolina. It will be interesting to see how the team responds now with all the turmoil. Paul Johnson has said that the four players will at least be suspended for the game and the players playing futures will be reevaluated on Sunday. Will Georgia Tech still be able to prevail or has Paul Johnson lost his mind?

Balzy move, I like your style!

Haha thanks I really did it in hopes they don't leave early for the draft but i'm not sure if it works that way.

Let me assure you - it doesn't. lol

Darn, ya I figured but I didn't know for sure so I thought I would try it against one of my lesser opponents to see if it worked

Yup, never hurts getting your back ups some touches/PT... progression is heavily dependant on how they played WHEN they did play.

Ya thats true too, but its probably a one time thing if i know for sure it wont affect anything as far as players leaving early

Also would there be any way to tell if a coach talked people out of leaving early

No, but Big Brother is ALWAYS watching.

Oh I was wondering where I put that post I couldn't find it lol but ok

Georgia Tech Week Seven Press Conference

Paul Johnson:We got a big road victory which is huge and our defense played great so I'm pretty pleased with our performance against Florida State. I am however disappointed in how our offense played. They were coming of the great game against Mississippi State then we had a little bit of a let down. We will need to play better this week on offense to give ourselves a chance. Ok time for some questions.

Reporter:Coach did Florida State do anything on defense that you weren't expecting?

Paul Johnson:No they did the exact same thing they did last year and we told are guys what they we going to do. They are who we thought they were! THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE...AND WE LET THEM OFF THE HOOK!

Reporter:Ok Coach calm down now, you guys won.

Paul Johnson:Maybe but our players will never listen and just go back to doing whatever they feel like. It has to stop!

Reporter:What do you make of the performances of Butler, Morgan, and Burnett coming off the suspension?

Paul Johnson:It looked to me like they were trying to make up for lost time. They played really well and now that they have their heads on straight I expect big things teh rest of the way. Maybe I should suspend some more guys.

Reporter:Two weeks away from the big Pitt showdown, what are your thoughts?

Paul Johnson:Key words there; two weeks. I'll talk about that game in about two weeks. How about some questions about who we are playing this week.

Reporter:What do you make of the Hokies?

Paul Johnson:They are really very good. The only losses came to a very good Alabama team and a tough game against Miami. So they will be a great challenge and we know we have to play good to win.

Reporter:Currently you have a top ten recruiting class, do you think you could move up?

Paul Johnson:Ya I think we will. I'm fairly certain we are going to get another recruit to commit next week and I think that will propel us to the top 5. That's all for today. Thank You.

Georgia Tech Week Eight Press Conference

Paul Johnson:OK guys before we start I want to make you all a deal. If we keep this week short I will answer extra questions the next couple of weeks. Ok so I'm really proud of how we played against Virginia Tech. We were really balanced on offense and defense. We didn't turn the ball over. I will take that type of performance every week. Ok questions?

Reporter:Well that pretty much sums up last week then, so how does Virginia look?

Paul Johnson:Honestly, they are beatable. I mean no disrespect to them but they are down right now. If we don't win I'll be upset.

Reporter:You vaulted up to #4 in recruiting, how high can you climb?

Paul Johnson:Well I think we will continue climbing for a few weeks. I think we will get another commitment this week and rise some more.

Reporter:I want to touch on the Virginia Tech game again. Why were you guys so successfull?

Paul Johnson:We executed. Plain and simple, we didn't make many mistakes and played really solid. Ok everyone I'm out. Thank You.

Georgia Tech Week Ten Press Conference

Paul Johnson:Guys I'm real sorry that I missed our press conference time last week. We had a lot of work to do obviously getting ready for the game, and then I had an urgent personal matter, so I apologize. Anyways enough of that I'm just real proud of how we played against Pittsburgh. Now we are to nine wins on the season which is an incredible achievement already, but we have a lot of work left to do. It's going to be hard to win an ACC Championship now, but a BCS Bowl is an obtainable goal for sure. I'll now take your questions. I will take quite a few extra to make up for last week.

Reporter:First of all congratulations, what were your thoughts on Pitt?

Paul Johnson:They are a great team, that's easy to see. They have some kids that are going to be great players down the road. Lewis is without a doubt a tremendous player and will only continue to get better. Gray is also going to be a star, he has tremendous heart and leadership. I have to say Coach Petersen has done a great job and has that team going in the right direction.

Reporter:What did you think of your pupil, Coach Petersen?

Paul Johnson:Well it's like I mentioned, he's done a great job and learned a lot over the years. That program is moving in the right direction and I'm really proud of what he is doing. That team will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Reporter:You touched on Lewis, what did you make of his talent?

Paul Johnson:Well he's a great player and has all the tools to be the best back in the nation. I wish we had recruited him, I don't know how he slipped through the cracks like he did.

Reporter:Is this type of win a signature win for this team?

Paul Johnson:It's a big win for sure, the last time Georgia Tech has beaten a top 5 team was 2005 when we beat Miami. So it's a big win but we will have bigger games.

Reporter:Are you worried about a let down against Wake Forest?

Paul Johnson:That's always possible, but we are really going to coach our guys to avoid that. Wake is a good team and we need to be ready.

Reporter:Jonathan Dwyer has been so consistent all year, the fewest yards he has had in a game is 95, why has he been so consistent?

Paul Johnson:He comes to play everyday and plays every game like it's his last. He is a tough kid and plays incredibly hard with an unbelievable passion and intensity. When you play like he does you are going to play consistent because he doesn't allow himself to have a let down.

Reporter:Your recruiting class is in the top three, were you expecting this?

Paul Johnson:Ya I thought we were going to have a good class, but let me tell you it's only temporary. We aren't going to get many more commitments so don't expect it to rise.

Reporter:What why the biggest challenge Pitt presented to you?

Paul Johnson:They have a lot of kids that can make plays. Everyone looks at Lewis but they have many more contributors than just him.

Reporter:Do you think that Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech could turn into a rivalry game?

Paul Johnson:Well if we start playing every year, which is possible, our Athletic Directors are working something out right now, it could happen. It has all the elements there; two great teams, a great will to beat your opponent, a history with that team. So we will see what happens.

Reporter:How is the teams health right now?

Paul Johnson:Pretty good. Everybody is banged up and fatigued at this point, but we don't have any major injuries.

Reporter:Do you believe your team deserves to be in a BCS Bowl?

Paul Johnson:If we win the rest of our games, absolutely. I think if we are 11-1 we will have deserved that honor. Ok guys I think I have made up for last week, I'm going to head out now. Thank You.

96th Rose Bowl

Georgia Tech Press Conference

Rose Bowl Director:First here today we will have Coach Paul Johnson of Georgia Tech and a few players from this year's Yellow Jacket Squad. Georgia Tech went 11-1 this season with their only loss coming to ACC Runner-Up North Carolina by 5 points. The last time, and only time, Georgia Tech played in the Rose Bowl was in 1929, the 15th Rose Bowl. The Yellow Jackets faced the Stanford Cardinal's arch rival the California Golden Bears. Georgia Tech won the game 8-7 making them 9-0 on the season and national champions. The game was known for Riegels famous fumble return in which he returned the ball 60 yards in the wrong direction for a safety proving enough points to give Georgia Tech the victory. The Rose Bowl is proud to have the 2009 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets here representing the ACC and hopes for a great game. Without further au du here is Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson.

Paul Johnson:Well Thank You. First of all I would like to say we are so grateful to be here and plan to take the most of our opportunity. We know Stanford is an incredible team and arguably deserved a chance in the National Championship Game. Obviously they are very disappointed to not be playing for it all and their Coach Jim Harbaugh lobbied hard for a bid in the game but it didn't work out. We expect Stanford to play their best game and hope for it. Just the same I know we will be ready for the challenge and are guys are going to come out swinging. We don't plan on backing down at all. We may be the underdogs in this one but we have been there before and won so I know we can do it again. I'll answer some questions you guys have now.

Reporter:Coach how big is this game for the program?

Paul Johnson:Well this will be our first appearance in a BCS Bowl game and we haven't been to one of the four major bowls since the 1966 Orange Bowl. So if you look at it from a standpoint of entering uncharted territories then it is big, but it's really just another football game.

Reporter:If you win you could possibly end the season #2, with you only losing five seniors how big would a win and strong finish be towards next season?

Paul Johnson:It would be a good start for our goals next year. Certainly we will need to keep a few juniors around but it will get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Reporter:How do you prepare for a game like this?

Paul Johnson:It's a big challenge but there are definitely some things you can do differently in preparing for a bowl game. There are many obstacles and distractions that could get in your way but I think we will have a good idea what Stanford is going to do when we line up against them.

Reporter:What are your thoughts on Toby Gearhart?

Paul Johnson:He's an outstanding back. He reminds me a lot of Jonathan Dwyer. He's probably not as athletic and fast, but he brings some extra toughness and physicality when he runs.

Reporter:What do you think about Dion Lewis winning the Heisman? Was he deserving?

Paul Johnson:Another great back, I think we held him to his season low when we played him. I think he had the best year out there, but there were a lot of good candidates. If I had a vote it would have been for him.

Reporter:Coach Harbaugh has made a lot out of the fact that his team isn't in the National Championship, are you buying what he is selling?

Paul Johnson:I think Stanford is a great team with out a doubt but when you have three undefeated teams someone is going to get left out. This year it was Stanford maybe next year it's TCU, I don't know but that's just the world we are living in. Arguing and complaining about how you should have been in does no good for anybody.

Reporter:If you have all our juniors and underclassmen back next year should your team be ranked preseason number 1?

Paul Johnson:I don't know about that. There are a lot of good teams out there but we will certainly be tough to beat. Ok that's it for me I'll hand it over to Jonathan Dwyer now.

Reporter:Jonathan, do you feel any disrespect by not even getting an invite to New York?

Jonathan Dwyer:No not at all. All the guys that got invited had outstanding years and I'm just happy our team is here in Pasadena, although I wish we were playing here in about a week.

Reporter:Obviously you guys wanted to be playing in a few days, but how disappointed are you?

Jonathan Dwyer:The National Championship was a goal we had so to come up short is disappointing, but we will have a good group coming back next year to make a run for it. Ok I'll hand it over to my buddy Derrick Morgan now.

Reporter:Derrick, what has made you so successful this season?

Derrick Morgan:Our whole defense is great which helps me out. I mean our secondary covers guys forever and people can't double team me because we have three other guys that are great up front, and linebacker pressure helps me out. The thing I would say that I am doing is just being relentless. I watched Jared Allen and his motor and I try to be like him just going 100 miles an hour.

Reporter:If you get everyone on this defense to stay, how good will your defense be?

Derrick Morgan:It will be one of the best defenses in the nation. We will have great experience and great talent at every position so we will be good and hungry to prove we are the best.

Reporter:What are your plans for next year?

Derrick Morgan:I haven't decided yet, but I'm going to sit down and talk with coach after the bowl game and we are gonna figure out what's best for for. Trust me when I make my decision you guy will be the first to know. Ok that's it for me. Thank You.