COMMISSIONER MIKE ARESCO
Opening Statement
Alluding to (UCF quarterback) McKenzie Milton, we are obviously very glad that reports from his family were successful, and they’re monitoring his condition. I just want everyone to know that we are all thinking of him, as everyone is around the country. He is an outstanding young man, and this is not about football now — it’s about his long-term health and well-being. He will be thought of a lot at the game of course.
Congratulations to both teams. These are two worthy teams. UCF has had another incredible undefeated season, and Memphis has come on strong. They gave UCF its toughest game earlier in the year, and they showed a lot of grit and fortitude to come back and win their division after having some initial setbacks. We go back to UCF, which was a great destination last year. The ticket sales have been phenomenal. There should be a full house there and another great look on ABC. We expect another tense, competitive game. There is a lot at stake in this game, and I think both teams will give a good account of themselves.
We look forward to a great championship, and have two great head coaches with Mike Norvell at Memphis and Josh Heupel at UCF. Mike has been there for several years now and has done a phenomenal job. Josh Heupel took over with all the pressure and the winning streak and all, as he has also done an incredible job. We have two great head coaches, two terrific teams, and it should be quite a day on Saturday.
On what McKenzie Milton brings to the field
McKenzie is a unique player. He has special talents and is a great leader. There is no other way to describe it. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. UCF has had such great teams the past couple years, and he is so integral in what they do. His leadership, competitiveness and competitive fire has raised the profile of the American Athletic Conference.
On the strides The American has made
I think we have been making strides since the beginning, but this past year we took it to a new level. We won the Fiesta Bowl and won the men’s and women’s basketball national championships in our very first year. We have been outstanding since then. We have had tremendous success in the New Year’s bowl games. This year it was carried to another level because of the UCF winning streak, UCF’s being ranked as high as ninth in the CFP rankings and possibly even higher this week. That has brought tremendous attention to the league. We had our first (intra-conference) game ever on ABC in prime time. So this year, everything has been carried to a new level.
On nonconference scheduling and the CFP Committee
We have been extremely aggressive with nonconference scheduling. We have scheduled a lot of excellent nonconference games, but also, sometimes when you schedule nonconference games, they don’t pan out the way you think - such as (UCF’s) schedule with North Carolina. You can’t control how teams are going to be when you play them, but there’s also a difficulty in scheduling some of the games you want against the marquee teams, home and away. We would like to get home and away games. We don’t like to do buy games in this conference. That’s not who we are.
Look, I believe that if a team in our league is undefeated as UCF has been, they deserve a shot at the Playoff because they are a really good team, and they have shown it. When you can win 24 games in a row, that’s remarkable. I don’t care who you are, and our league is really good. If Ohio State is undefeated playing in our conference, I bet they would be in the Playoff. But we just want to be treated like everyone else.
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL
Thoughts on the season
I’m really pleased with our football team the way we have responded the last four weeks. It’s been a special journey. We know we had to continue to grow as a team and learn from experiences we had to face this year and our guys continued to respond to the challenges in front of them.
We got a big win against Houston. I thought we played extremely well and physically wore them down as we were able to run the ball in the second half. Being able to win the West for the second-straight year is a great thing for our program. It shows we are continuing to grow and progress even after losing some dynamic players from the prior season. Now we go down to Orland and play a great team that has answered the call every time they’ve stepped on the field the last couple years.
We know the experience of going on the road and the unique thing of playing an opponent four times in the last two seasons. We are excited for the opportunity. Our kids are going prepare at a high level and put ourselves in position to be successful.
On what impresses him about Darrell Henderson
Darrel is definitely a special player. I’ve got to know him since day one and recruited him to come be a part of what we are doing here at Memphis. I was extremely excited that was the decision he came to. Since the first game where I think he had two touchdowns, he has been an explosive player for us with back-to-back season with over 1,000 yards rushing and also what he has been able to do as a pass receiver as well.
He has really come into his own this year. He has spent a lot of time preparing his body as he gained about 15 pounds this last offseason. He is an absolute complete back. Everyone sees what he does as a rusher; but what he does a receiver and a blocker – one of my favorite plays of last week was him as a lead blocker. He is an unselfish player who will do whatever it takes for this team to be successful.
On what he expects from UCF QB Darriel Mack Jr.
He’s a big, talented young man that can do both. He’s been explosive as a runner and shows tremendous arm strength being able to push the ball down the field. The experience he has had then season on the road and in adverse atmospheres and have the success that he’s had, shows a lot about the young man. I think that he will present a great challenge for us. He’s surrounded by a lot of great playmakers.
On playing UCF for a fourth time in two years
We have a good sense of their personnel and how talented they are. Those guys have stepped up, especially defensively over the past few weeks to hold Cincinnati to 13 points, USF to 10 points – they’ve really put everything together on that side of the ball. Offensively, its one of the most explosive offenses in the country regardless of who is taking snaps. To see what happened to (McKenzie Milton) is sickening, not just as a player, but because he is such a great young man. The team rallied around Mack when he came in.
It’s going be a fun game; a fun atmosphere. The game last year was extraordinary. We need to prepare at a high level this week. We have to go out and make plays and hopefully at the end we will be in a position to have success. We know it’s going to be a heck of game.
On playing in last year’s championship and facing UCF for a second time this season
The last few games between these two teams has had a lot of attention on it. I believe people have a lot of respect for these two teams from a national scale. Both football teams compete extremely hard and both are explosive in every aspect. They are fun games to watch and get great ratings nationwide. I see this being a very similar type matchup. One that will be well-viewed being on ABC – there will be a lot of eyes on this game. We are excited to have the opportunity to be a part of it.
On getting his student-athletes up to the challenge of the game
They are excited for the opportunity. They understand the opponent that we are playing and the talent that they have. They want to go out there and play to the best of our ability. If we can do that it’s going to be a great matchup. We are competing to win one game; one game to win a conference championship. Everything is on the line here. We need to go out and have a great week of prep and when you got out there on the field you don’t let the moment be too big for you. You’ve got trust in your training and go out there and perform when your number is called.
On improved defensive play in November
We’ve been working hard at that throughout the season and this last half of the season I think our guys have been much improved. We were sparked by the (UCF) game when we were able to get pressure and it gave our guys some confidence that we could build on in how we need to prepare throughout the week. We are a young group up front and to see those guys grow in their confidence and put in the work is something we are trying to build off of. Being able to get pressure on the quarterback has been a big key for us in the second half of the season; forcing some quick decisions. That will be a big part of this game.
On going through adversity to win the West
I think it shows a lot of belief in what we are doing and the culture that has been established. Our guys never sway from what we know it takes to be successful. We continued to work and continued to believe in each other. Even when we had some setbacks I was absolutely confident in the young men that we have and the coaches who are leading them. We had to clean up some details and I’m grateful for the experiences we’ve had to get to this point. We’ve faced adversity in-game throughout the season. No matter what we see on Saturday, you know this team will respond.
On returning to Memphis after signing an extension in the offseason
I’ve got a great situation here and it has been a tremendous opportunity for me and my family. We’ve created a wonderful foundation and culture. We’ve had to work hard to get it to this point but our guys have complete trust in it. It’s a special group. To be able have the commitment from the University and community and everyone backing what we’re doing and how we’re doing it makes a joy to come to work every day.
We are in a great conference – one where you will be battle-tested each and every week with wonderful competition and athletes that you get to face. I really enjoy having the opportunity to represent the West in this championship game. It’s something we don’t take lightly. We celebrate it but there is a tremendous responsibility for how we need to play this week and I’m grateful for the opportunity.
On the UCF defensive play over the past few weeks
They’ve done a great job of attacking. Their kids play with relentless pursuit. Whether it’s a base call or a press package; it’s one of the best tackling teams. They have a couple of wonderful safeties that play from the top down. The thing that people forget with all the success that they’ve had; they are still in their first year with the coaching staff and the scheme that they are playing. Just like anything it experience and you can see that sense of confidence continuing to grow. Going back to our first game to know; this is a team that is much improved. It’s a talented unit but our guys are excited for the challenge.
On showing well against UCF
We’ve had a couple of extraordinary games in these last couple years. But at critical times we’ve made mistakes and they’ve made some plays that have been the difference. We’ve got to make sure that going into this game we understand that every play could one play that could be the difference; whether it’s in the first quarter or the last drive. We’ve got to make sure that keeping our focus on the details of the situation. We can’t do things that hurt ourselves. You understand that these guys are going to make plays; they are talented in every phase. If we continue to focus on ourselves I have a tremendous amount of confidence in our football team and what we can do on Saturday.
UCF HEAD COACH JOSH HEUPEL
Opening Statement
I’m proud of our kids and how they handled this past weekend and the rivalry game. Great atmosphere, they competed from start to finish. I’m proud of how they’ve handled adversity and whatever has struck them – they continue to bounce back and fight, play for one another and play in a great way. The injury to McKenzie (Milton) is unfortunate. Our players obviously love him and appreciate him and everything he’s done. I thought they handled it well during the course of the game. Obviously, we’ll try to go play well this weekend and in part for McKenzie as well.
On familiarity of Memphis
Every game is different. There’s weather, and a variety of things that force each team to play a little differently. Both teams have changed, personnel has changed, schemes have changed throughout the course of the season. There is some familiarity. I think the personnel on the field knows exactly what they’re going against because they’ve played for the fourth time in two years, but both sides of the ball will unfold differently. We’ve got to prepare in a great way and get ready to play a really good football team.
On Darriel Mack, Jr.’s performance against USF
I thought DJ held himself with great composure and did a great job as far as his decision-making process. He managed the pass game, run game and the clock at the end. He handled every situation he was in really, really well. That’s true of who and what he’s been throughout the course of the season. Ever since having the chance to play against ECU he’s had a heightened sense of urgency in his preparation and that had led him to play the way he did. We have complete confidence in him and we expect him to play in a great way Saturday.
On the New Year’s Six and playoff potential
Really, we still don’t focus on that. We’ve had 11 months of work that have led us to this opportunity: win a conference championship. We don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary, but we do have to have a heightened sense of urgency and have great attention to detail because we’re playing a great opponent. I expect a great ball game, one that will come down to the end and we have to compete for 60 minutes.
On playing for McKenzie Milton
Absolutely. Everybody in our program understands what KZ has meant as a player but also in the spirit of who he is and how he prepares every day. Our players love him and appreciate everything that he’s done. They’re going to play for themselves, and the guy next to them and they’re certainly going to play for KZ.
On Memphis’ Darrell Henderson
They’re really good up front. Their offensive line and tight ends do a great job in the run game and create seams for him. He’s got great vision and the ability to make you miss, and he’s got enough power to run through you as well. He’s electric when he gets into space and can turn a five-yard gain into a big one real quick. We’ve got to do a great job of eliminating those seams on the line of scrimmage.
On having advantage or disadvantage in playing Memphis so frequently
I wasn’t here for the first two, but our kids know the guys that they’re going against in all phases of the game. We certainly recognize that we have to prepare in a great way, and this is a game that will go for 60 minutes.
On the atmosphere in Orlando
It’s going to be a great atmosphere, and it has been every Saturday that we have run out of that tunnel. We have a great passion and energy surrounding us – it is one of the unique programs in college football because of how young the program is but also because of how much passion surrounds the program. The city of Orlando has embraced us, that’s why the stadium’s been packed every game of the season. The atmosphere is going to be electric and a home-field advantage. We need great crowd noise that can create problems for the opposing team.
On transition from Scott Frost and consistency
We have great players inside our program. One of the unique things is that they really, genuinely care about the guy next to them, probably more than they care about themselves. Their ability to handle change and buy in to what we do differently than what was done previously says a lot about who and what they are as people. We have great leadership and I appreciate all the time, energy and effort that they’ve poured into creating a real culture of team and family. It’s something that’s extremely important to me moving forward and I appreciate what our coaches have done in terms of getting to know out players outside of the game. I think that’s the biggest reason why we created such buy-in so quickly.
On McKenzie Milton’s presence off the field
When you have a great leader go down, the guys around him have to step their game up. It doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary, but they need to do their job at a really high level. Just because McKenzie is out with an injury doesn’t change his impact on our program, it doesn’t change what we are when the players walk in. He’s been a major part of creating this culture and this culture will go on because of him and the other great leaders inside our program.
On growth of the defense under Randy Shannon
Our defense has really been able to grasp and understand what we’re doing. They’ve been able to develop communication throughout all three levels of the defense. They’re playing with great effort and great team defense. If you do those things, you’re going to play at a really high level. I’m really proud of how they’ve been able to grow and mature through the season and proud of the leadership of Coach Shannon and our defensive staff. Obviously, we need them to play at a high level this weekend.
On the strength of teams in The American
The teams in this league can go into any conference in America and go play championship-caliber football every Saturday. I’ve said that throughout the course of the season, and I believe it. There are great players in this conference, great coaches and I believe in the quality of this conference.
