Spring football is over. Real football is still far, far away.
To help bridge the gap, weโre checking in on Arizonaโs competition in the Pac-12. Over the next few weeks, weโll run some of the best comments from the leagueโs coaches after their recent participation in a conference call to wrap up spring ball.
Todayโs Q&A is with Oregon State coach Gary Andersen, whoโs in the midst of a massive rebuilding project in Corvallis. Still to come this week: Stanford coach David Shaw.
Hereโs Andersen:
(on ramping up the competitiveness and work ethic within the program this offseason)
โIt definitely wasnโt a party like 1999. The offseason for us was a great opportunity to get a real clear look of where we are and to be honest with ourselves and understand exactly where we sit within the pecking order and where we deserve to be. It was a tough offseason from Day 1 until today. A high accountability level has been expected from every coach, trainer, manager, player in the program. We have to outwork people.
โWe want to change the culture. Itโs easy to talk about those things. Weโve tried to use a few terms with them. Hopefully theyโll hold true to those terms. We had a plan to identify and create โฆ a different culture than we were living in. We have to live in the hard. Itโs hard to get better. And itโs hard to chase people. We have to be able to do that. We have to wake up every morning and have high expectations for that day. And then we have to judge ourselves and have some checks and balances with our program โ coaches to players, players to coaches, student-athletes to the student body. Everybody thatโs involved.
โWe put that process in place. Itโs a long story. A lot of different things that weโve done. But weโre working hard. Thereโs been some days that are better than others. It all starts with players in this game, and we respect that as a group of coaches. Weโre going to give them what they need, but weโre also going to push them extremely hard. This has been a taxing offseason. It continues to be.โ
(on the status of the rebuilding project after a 2-10 season in Year 1 under Andersen)
โI donโt know how to really gauge that because when itโs changed (at Andersenโs previous stops), itโs changed at kind of strange places or maybe places where you wouldnโt predict. I donโt think thereโs a script to write out and say, โWhere are these kids and what are they doing?โ We have some days where we look at ourselves and weโre definitely moving forward. But I think the key is to understand when youโre (among) the elite of the elite and the best of the best, just doing whatโs good is not even close to good enough. On the field, off the field.
โI (will) walk through (the facility) today, and Iโm going to look at the playersโ lounge and see what it looks like. Does it look like a big-time Division I playersโ lounge? Are they respecting what they have and taking care of their business from A to Z? It may seem like a little thing and not meaningful for a lot of people, but all those little spots, those little, different areas that we have to excel in (are important).
โMaking strides? I believe so. But itโs like I tell these kids: Itโs all lip service until we get out there and show exactly what weโre doing. We are winning championships and competing for Pac-12 titles in the classroom. Thatโs great for us. Itโs not going to make ESPN. Itโs not going to be running across the bottom of the Pac-12 Network. But it does matter to us because I think thatโs a big step. If you take care of yourself academically and socially, I believe it will carry on to the field.
โSo where are we? Weโre going to work hard today. Live in the hard. And wake up and grind hard tomorrow, I promise you that.โ
(on the Beaversโ crowded backfield and whether Andersen wants a clear No. 1 runner)
โIt would be great to have a Melvin Gordon, a Robert Turbin, a James White, a Kerwynn Williams. It would be wonderful to have one of those guys. Then youโve got yourself a feature back. I think you earn your right to be a feature back. We donโt have a back that deserves that right.
โRight now our No. 1 back is Ryan Nall. But weโll see. He hasnโt played enough. Youโve got to put (together) a back-to-back-to-back to become that guy.
"I think you need three very good backs to be able to compete in this league throughout the season. Would it be nice to have a highlighted back thatโs your workhorse, thatโs your war-daddy back? Absolutely. I believe we have a couple young men that potentially can get there. But weโre not there today.โ
Part 1:ย Arizona State coach Todd Graham
Part 2:ย Cal coach Sonny Dykes
Part 3:ย Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre
Part 4: Oregon coach Mark Helfrich
