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ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 28, 2015

Todd Graham

Tempe, Arizona

Q. Salamo Fiso, how would you evaluate his performance over the first four games?
COACH GRAHAM: It's funny that you ask that. I just got out of a team meeting earlier where I talked about just how exceptional he's playing. You know, he's really matured, and I would tell you, too, I think he's a leader amongst that group of guys.

He really is just -- he's got a wealth of experience and knowledge and playing extremely well. I would tell you that he's playing at a very, very high level and really proud of him.

I think his maturity has been impressive. I'm really proud of him and he continues to get better every week. And he played -- every week, he's played better and better and better, and he's had by far his best games this year. So he's playing at a high level.

Q. Two years ago, you led the conference, plus 15 turnover margin, plus 14 last year, this year minus three. You touched on it after the game. Is there something that you can put your finger on there?
COACH GRAHAM: Yeah, from getting turnovers, it's obviously difficult, some of the teams we've played, the triple option teams, it tends to be a little more difficult because they don't throw the ball. So the teams that don't throw the ball it makes it more difficult.

But I feel good about how we've gotten take aways defensively. I don't think we've fallen off any there. I think it had more to do with the opponent and that's the biggest thing. There's not much to talk about. I went and looked at the film and we are self-destructing turning the football over. You can go down all the stats and look at all the stats.

They are going to v, we had a critical error on defense that we left the tailback uncovered. Jordan, we got ran by the first play, but we got him down and we got an interception and they got no points.

Obviously lots of positive things, but the biggest thing that is happening -- as a matter of fact I thought we did a lot of really good things. But just turning the football over was the one that just sticks out to you. I mean, they had a punt return where we should have got him down but they get out on that and they get no points. We get a takeaway on that one.

Kareem Orr, we have got two true freshmen starting on defense, and those guys are playing at an extremely high level. Our guys, the character that our guys have, obviously we're disappointed.

It reminded me of last year's UCLA game right before the half. We self-destructed with take aways and making poor decisions but at the end of the day we can get those things corrected. There's not much to say other than we need to get it done. We've got to get it done and play disciplined football and take care of the football and obviously not have critical errors and have everybody do their job.

You know, over the last several years, we've had those situations. I remember the Oregon game, our first year, we were 5-1 and just self-destructed, turned the football over. And took us four weeks to come out of that. Wind up winning the last three games of the year and everybody's excited.

And then I remember the Stanford game, great illustration, this is kind of a talking point that I had with our team today. Because really, I want to come in here and just say, you know what, we're disappointed. I know our fans are disappointed. That's not, you know, we can't beat ourselves like that by turning the football over and making bad decisions to do it, especially on special teams.

But simply put, we just didn't get it done and we take care of the football and that's a different football game. But you don't get to do that. Doesn't matter. So you know, I remember going to Stanford, getting blown out -- I mean, blown out. I remember our quarterback being sacked, probably a record pace and we came back the very next week and put 62 on USC.

So the biggest thing is no questioning, no questioning, no doubt in what we are doing. We don't doubt each other. These kids believe in each other and respond like the teams before you have. The first year it took us four games to respond, and the last two years, we responded the next week.

Obviously the week after last year, having a very, very disappointing game, to me and to our fans and everybody with UCLA, come back the next week and have the Jael Mary game, and guess what, that wasn't easy. That was extremely hard. That was an extremely difficult game.

We need to have a similar response. We have got a similar challenge. This is a very, very well-coached football team, a very veteran football team and very explosive at wide receiver, very similar in regards the differences offensively. These guys can run the ball.

Perkins is -- nothing but great things to say about that young man. You can tell, a high-character guy, physically tough, going to make you tackle him. So their running backs are really solid core and their receiving core is extremely fast and dangerous.

So very similar plan. We've got to keep it in front of us, those type things and then we've got to stop the run. The key for us is just we've got to take care of the ball, hundred percent ball security and then we've got to do our job and we've got to respond the way that we know our guys can. I believe in our guys. I believe in what we're doing.

Like I said, I know it's disappointing. I was very disappointed that we self-destructed that way, and you know, we're going to work and we've had positive meetings and we need to go respond.

Q. Is it a good thing that maybe Saturday you're going on the road with a chance for the team to galvanize itself and go out on the national stage and prove and show what team it is?
COACH GRAHAM: The Pac 12 conference, every week you get to do that. I'm not going to tell you that I wouldn't rather play at home. But obviously our guys know that our backs are against the wall.

And everything, every issue we have is self-inflicted and we've just got to get those things corrected and take it upon ourselves to go to work and get it done, and yeah, it's great. The Pac 12 conference, you're going to have an opportunity every week because you look around the conference, I mean, you know, we ain't the only one that had a difficult weekend.

Every weekend it's like that and there's times that we beat people like that and that people beat us like that. Usually it's self-inflicted and guess what, the self-inflicted wounds count. But I'll tell you this, the character that our guys have and the belief that our guys have in each other and what we're doing, we know we've got to go on the road and get it done. Obviously you've got a great stage to do it on.

Q. You mentioned Perkins earlier. David Shaw said a couple weeks ago that he's one of the guys that seems to fly under the radar.
COACH GRAHAM: Yeah, I don't know why and he's really, really good. There's not anybody that I would rank in front of him. I think that USC's running back core top to bottom, probably it's hard to say anybody is better than that whole group. But I can tell you that UCLA's is right up there with them, and I think Perkins to this point has been playing at an MVP-calibre in the league.

As far as this football team, they are playing extremely well. They are undefeated obviously at the top of our conference and we've got to go on the road and play our best game to get it done. But he's the real deal.

Q. What makes him effective?
COACH GRAHAM: Obviously you can't be as strong as he is. He's a guy that probably is -- impeccable training habits, very strong, great balance, keeps his pads down, doesn't put the ball in jeopardy. He is just as solid as they get.

So what makes him is I think his balance, his vision and his strength. He's just a guy that's really strong. He breaks a lot of first tackles.

Q. Speaking of the UCLA running game, I know the tradeoff in the USC game was them having so much success in the air versus the ground; but did you take away a lot of positives from the run defense from last week that you can apply to this week?
COACH GRAHAM: Yeah, we talked about that, because people had said, are you worried about your rush defense and I'm not. I think that's a strong point for us. I think that we did a pretty solid job stopping the run. The problem was we gave up an 80-yard cheap touchdown play and then we gave up 14 points in the kicking game in turnovers on offense.

Yeah, I feel exactly how I did before the game. You play the triple option, they run it every down, it dilutes your stats so I don't really worry about the stats. I know that we have a strong -- we are strong up front and we have a strong rush defense. We'd better, because UCLA is very, very well-coached. They make it very difficult for you because they spread the field. You've got to also deal with the receivers and how they go about doing that is they are a different structure in how they do it. It's a challenge. But you have to stop the run and you can't give up cheap ones.

It's just like that, would be a broken record in this league every week, that's who you're going to face. But these guys have been at the top of the conference. In my opinion, offensively have been one of the best over the last three years I've been here. They have been probably one of the toughest to defend and do a really, really good job of coaching their offense.

Q. How do you feel Kalen Ballage performed on Saturday coming back from illness, and what is his workload going to be moving forward?
COACH GRAHAM: Obviously just getting back in playing condition and all that. I thought he did a really good job, made some good runs. Obviously fatigued pretty quickly. Wasn't able to get as many snaps as we'd like and so we are hoping to increase that as we move forward.

He wasn't able to do anything for a couple weeks and that's hard to get back into playing shape. I thought obviously he's a guy that we played him on every special teams. He's such a great athlete, and then I thought he did a solid job.

Q. As far as your defensive line goes, are you generating enough pressure with that first group up front?
COACH GRAHAM: Oh, I don't know if you ever generate enough pressure. I thought there was one play where the quarterback scrambled like 17 yards. I mean, you know, we were matched up man, we covered everybody; and I hadn't seen him pull the ball in and run, and he sure did. He made a great decision.

No, I mean, I think we're controlling the line -- up to this point, our guys have really done an unbelievable job in the run game and we've got to continue to get better with our pass-rush, our four-man rush. I would say that would be a good assessment.

Q. In weeks leading up to USC, you mentioned wanting to play faster on offense and then after USC, you talked about you guys were huddling and maybe wanted to keep --
COACH GRAHAM: Just in that game.

Q. Can you expand on --
COACH GRAHAM: Yeah, it was just in that game. I thought whatever we've got to do to win games, that's what we're going to do. And I thought the formula that we needed to win that game was to have 80 plus plays on offense, and play 65 or less on defense and that's what we actually did.

But we're a tempo team and a team that believes in that. Also, you've got to be -- if you're not executing, it doesn't do you any good to go fast. So we modified a little bit there, and I thought it helped, just kind of gauge our guys a little bit. And then we varied the tempos. We did mostly, we would hurry and go fast and vary the tempo.

It was just a plan for that game and it had a lot to do with the explosiveness of the players they had on offense, as well as we were trying not to kick the ball to the returner because you're not going to -- similar to this week, they have got great returners. I think obviously Adoree' is, there's none any better than him.

Q. You and Coach Mora came in at the same time. Can you talk about some of what's changed in the conference?
COACH GRAHAM: I think it's gotten a lot more competitive. Obviously the level of player that's in this league, you can look and see their success the guys are having as they leave this league and just every team, I mean, top to bottom.

I think just looking in the South Division, Colorado, Utah, every team in our league, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and USC, I think you can look at all those teams and I think they have all gotten better over the last three years that I've been in the league.

Obviously the level of player, the talent is pretty special. And then just the schemes; the schematics in our league is so diverse as far as what you have to defend each week. It's the toughest thing to do is to be able to defend, play defense in the Pac 12 Conference. I think it's pretty challenging.

And you see that. You see improvement, you look at Utah, go into Oregon, win 62-20, and you look at all those games, it's just the margin for error is very small, because the offenses are so explosive, if you have two or three turnovers, we had four turnovers result in 28 points, and that tilts it in a hurry in a game like that.

So you'll see those things. Sometimes looks surprising but that's kind of how -- our league is very, very explosive, and the dynamic of the offenses are a big challenge, as well as the kicking game.

Q. Inaudible.
COACH GRAHAM: I think you have to. I've seen, obviously, you know, in the last three years, you see all programs are investing in their program and I think you have to do that. They are investing in a lot of ways. Obviously building facilities and doing those type things, but building staffs and programs and I think the coaching in this league is really good. I think that's improved.

Q. I want to get your thoughts on the new uniforms being unveiled, and is the timing good with the team kind of playing maybe not up to expectations.
COACH GRAHAM: That's news to me. I didn't even know we were unveiling a new uniform. I think that's great, our players like that, our fans like that, and I'm focused on getting better and winning football games.

Q. Gary Chambers had his first 100-yard receiving game and can he be an emerging playmaker?
COACH GRAHAM: Gary has been very, very steady and consistent. I always tell people and people talk about the Jael Mary deal, his catch was pretty critical before that. Gary is a great story, the way he's worked his way into the lineup in the last two years, and has done a solid job. He's really a guy that's improved over the last few weeks and I think it's critical that he continues to do that to help us generate offense.

Q. You mentioned JoJo earlier. Where has he progressed since he started practicing a few months ago?
COACH GRAHAM: Just knowledge. He is a great talent, great young man, great character. Just playing as a freshman is going out and standing in the middle of the 101. Things are flying by a hundred miles an hour and you're trying to figure it out. I think the game has started to slow down for him a little bit. I've seen him, he's making plays, he's playing with some emotion and he's one of the neatest kids we have. I remember doing his home visit with his grandfather and his family, really a neat kid.

It's hard to come here, middle of June and don't get to practice until the sixth of August and start playing at this level. That's just phenomenal I think how he's been able to do that. But it's just knowledge. He has an understanding of what he's doing. He's still got a lot to learn but it's slowing down for him a little bit. He's playing better and better and better.

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