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ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 23, 2015

Todd Graham

Tempe, Arizona

Q. Todd, you guys spent a lot of last year looking for someone to replace Carl Bradford, and I remember you telling me earlier in the year that you thought Antonio might be that guy. Just his development at that position. Where has he gone from early in the season to where he is now?
COACH GRAHAM: Phenomenal. I don't know that we've had a guy, Doug, in the four years that has adapted and improved as much as he has in one season. He's playing his best football -- he's played his two best games of the year in the last two weeks. So he's gotten better and better and better. Just a very versatile player.

Tony's a linebacker. He's obviously -- we had to get creative with that position to really adapt it to him. He's done remarkable. He really -- I mean, I think Salamo and Jordan are leaders, but Tony has really emerged as the intensity of our defense. Really he ignites them. He really does.

I think he's been -- he's an All Pac-12 performer defensively and has been phenomenal. You look at the numbers that he's put up is pretty impressive. Not only that, I mean, I think he's been a big part of why we've led the league in sacks by almost ten. I think we have almost ten more than everybody else, TFLs. Finally, in the last two weeks we started rolling out those take-aways.

Tony's had a remarkable year and a guy that, I think, has really positioned himself to play a bunch more football. He's a heck of a player. He's a guy that can play inside or outside linebacker, and now he's shown this year he can land on the end of the line of scrimmage and really play well. So I don't think we've had anybody that's developed and improved any more than what he has.

Q. What's his upside?
COACH GRAHAM: I think he's just getting started. We were really laboring over would we move Christian there or Antonio? We were trying to figure out what we were going to do there.

I'll tell you something else he's done a good job of. He's done a good job of helping develop Ismael. Tony's been a really solid -- he's a great human being, great person. His upside is he's only getting started, when you improve that dramatically the way he has, and then just his development, just his awareness of the game, and just some of the plays he makes, he's really been impressive. Each week, it's getting better and better and better, and that's happened throughout the whole season, but it's been a dramatic jump in the last three or four weeks.

Q. Todd, this was a big win, obviously, your rival game, Senior Day. Usually, this is it. This is the end of the regular season. Now you have to go on the road. Just as a coach, what are you concerned about as far as emotionally getting over that and move on to the next one?
COACH GRAHAM: You've got to -- if I had my preference, I wouldn't do that. I would love for our game with Arizona to be the last game of the year every year, but it is what it is. My job is to coach and get our team prepared.

Obviously, we've got to get some guys healed up. It was very physical. Our guys played very physical. We dominated the game physically in all three phases. We were really, really physical. So we've got to get our guys healed up there and be smart this week in how we work.

Then we had a great meeting this morning. And that was my whole deal, I told our staff, we need to be the most organized we've been. We need to be focused because we've got to put this behind us, which is a big deal. That game was a big deal to our program, to our seniors.

I always tell them forever that 2015 seniors, they got it done in the game that counts the most, and that's something they can always be proud of. Now, great, let's move on. Let's go to the next game because we need to get this seventh win and then get the eighth win. So we've got two games left for these guys. I want to enjoy every moment that we have.

But the most important thing right now, we're playing the best quarterback we've played all year long. I think we're playing the best receiving corps maybe we've played all year long, with maybe the exception of USC. I think these guys are very much in the same regard as far as their talent at receiver. So they're very, very capable of scoring points and got a lot of respect for Coach Dykes. They're a very well coached team. They've lost a lot of close games.

Two very, very good football teams going at it. It's going to be their Senior Day. It's going to be their last home game. So they're going to have a lot of those emotions. And they're coming off their big rivalry game with Stanford. This is all about who wants it. We've got to want it and get back up, and I know these guys will rise to the occasion.

Q. Coach, it was obviously unfortunate Jordan wasn't able to play in the Territorial Cup. But I'm curious, what was his demeanor like on the sidelines and how he helped the younger guys in the secondary during the game?
COACH GRAHAM: He was phenomenal. He was talking to them in between every series, and he had a head set on, so he knew the calls. Just coaching them up and was very much involved and was a great asset to those guys during the game.

That's one of the things -- I pointed out in our press conference that I was just really taken back by was the play of Solomon Means, and he was talking to -- Solomon's never played safety here, and he just didn't play, he played really, really well. After watching that film, I sure wish I had thought about that a lot earlier because he is a heck of a safety. He'll continue to play there this week and in the Bowl game.

Jordan was just phenomenal in talking to him and talking to Kareem and coaching those guys up and keeping them calm. Jordan does a great -- he even works on me a little bit. He tries to keep me calm too. He's the only one that will say anything to me when I'm mad.

Q. Coach, if you can, reflect back your first year in 2012, there was so much that was said about this program was not able to win in California. Then you go to Cal and get that big win there. How much do you think that win kind of like turned the corner for the program to start winning across the board?
COACH GRAHAM: Winning breeds winning. It's all about -- you know, I don't really look at all those things. I think tradition helps you tremendously. I mean, if people expect a win, it sure helps along the way, but we've not -- we've had -- we've done pretty well in California, as anywhere we've gone.

I would like to have won a few of them that we lost we should have won, but, no, I think winning breeds winning. I think our guys know that it's about their preparation and how they play and how they perform in each game. There's not any of that. I think, by winning and doing the things we've done at the Coliseum, at the Rose Bowl, at Cal, our guys know that there's not some mojo working against you or something. It's about your work ethic and preparation.

But we need to go win this game. And really for these seniors, for them to finish the regular season, the 2015 season, with their seventh win and have an opportunity to go get our eighth. That's well short of what our goal was, but when you look at what these guys have done and what they've been a part of in four years, I'm really proud of that. 3-1 in the Territorial Cup. Obviously, wish we didn't have the 1 on there, but you look at our conference record, 23-12, something like that, I don't think anybody's got any better conference record in the South than what we do.

Best three academic years in the history of our program. Coming off a 990 APR, I don't think that's ever happened before. And not only that, just the character and how they do what they do on and off the field. Man, we've got a lot to play for this week, and that's to go get this win and then go get in this Bowl game, and I want to cherish every second I have with these guys. They're a really special group.

So I think all those things -- winning breeds winning. It has not been -- it's hard. It's not easy. But I think that game, when we went over there and won, was big to change that. That started it, and then obviously, we've built upon that.

Q. Todd, in your first year here, you had the midseason losing streak, then wrapped it up with four straight wins, including a Bowl win against Navy. Have you brought that up at all to your team?
COACH GRAHAM: No. You know, what I've talked about this morning was just some messages I wanted these guys to -- the seniors and the guys in this room. It's not just the seniors. Our football team changes every year after the last game of the season, which will be our Bowl game. And you're never the same again.

So I talked to them a lot about the lessons that I want them to learn in life and spent a lot of time talking about that. We've talked about the job at hand and what we have to do this week to get ready. We talked about maximizing every opportunity with the time we have left together because there's very little time left together for the 2015 team and these seniors.

I haven't talked any about that. We talk a lot about your responsibility as a Sun Devil and each year to leave the program better than you found it. I think these guys have been pretty remarkable in that regard. But we don't -- I haven't talked to them any about that.

Q. Coach, have you given Jordan any advice about how he should go about his rehab? Being that he's such a high character individual, how do you think he'll go about it?
COACH GRAHAM: Obviously, the doctors -- I'll tell you this, I never even comment on them, but we've got the best team doctor and training staff, Gerry Garcia and his group do a tremendous job. If you look at just how healthy our guys are -- and I think that's -- you know, there's a lot of guys with bumps and bruises and things like that, but the way they come back from injury and things like that, our guys are very, very well trained by our strength staff and training staff. Coach Gris does a great job, and our team doctors are phenomenal.

They obviously are advising Jordan on exactly what he needs to do with his rehab. He's indicated to me that he wanted to put off his surgery until after the Cal game, and obviously, I'm more than okay with that, but obviously, the doctors are going to make the decisions on those things -- and him.

My advice to him, I've just been trying to -- there's not much you can say. If you ever -- this game -- I love the game of football because it's so hard, and it's not fair. It emulates life. It's pretty darn tough, pretty physical. It's really been -- my heart goes out to him because it was a play that was such a -- it's always like that. It was just a freak play. It was a very unusual play how he got hurt.

But you know what, I've also talked to him a lot about life's like that. You're going to have times where you're going to face things that are unforeseen, and that's when your true character is exposed. He'll respond from this and recover from this like a champion that he is. He hasn't -- I haven't seen -- he could be like moping around and just down and depressed. I haven't seen any of that. I've seen him fully participating just like he was healthy, and that tells you a lot about him. So he's a champ in every way. He'll recover and rehab from this thing and be better than he was before.

Q. Todd, following up on this idea of finishing 8-5 for the seniors and taking advantage of opportunities, are you a believer in momentum from one season to the next? In other words, can this create momentum for the guys moving forward?
COACH GRAHAM: I am. I think one of the things we've done, we've been able to do is -- I'll give you an example. Our first year finishing off the way we did, there's a lot of, not just externally, I'm talking about internally. Inside these walls and inside our training facility, I think it gives you energy. As the next year, we had supposedly a better year but played poorly in the Holiday Bowl, I thought that was -- but both of them motivated us. I think we were a little bit irritated with the way we had finished off that year.

Many people said you make too much emphasis on playing the Rose Bowl, so our guys didn't want to play in the Holiday Bowl. That's a bunch of -- ain't nobody plays football that won't try to win every game they're in. For whatever reason, we didn't prepare and play very well, so I do think it affects you.

I can tell you how I want to go into the off-season. I think it does give you momentum in your training and in the mindset of your players. I'm not talking about the public or the external or fans. It also gives you momentum there. But just like winning this game is one that -- I mean, they were ready to go today.

I think our guys know that, when we play to our potential, I don't think there's anybody who can beat our team when we play to our potential. I think winning the next two games are vital in that mindset and going into the off-season.

So even though in 2013 we lost the Holiday Bowl, we were not motivated going in because we won ten the next year, but it was just different. It was very different. And I thought that was even a reflection of just where we'd been. We were almost there, but then we got beat in the championship, and then we got beat in the Bowl game. We didn't just get beat in the Bowl game, we really played poorly. So that left a bad taste in our mouth that motivated us, but I believe winning breeds winning. I don't think -- I don't learn a lot from losing other than I don't want to do it anymore.

I think that's why it's very, very important these next two games for this year's team and for these seniors and for the future.

Q. Todd, I know he jumped off sides twice on special teams, but Jalen Harvey caught a touchdown pass and plays on a lot of special teams. What does he provide for you?
COACH GRAHAM: Another young man I should have pointed out -- obviously, during the game, I'm trying to win a game, so I'm not watching individual performances. There's an injury that hurt us this year. He flat -- obviously, competing for the football, through a pass interference call. He's really going to be an outstanding player. I think he's a guy that would have really helped us. Him breaking his collar bone was a very big loss, as well as Cam. I think we've missed Cam tremendously there.

But, yeah, he jumped offsides a couple times. I think we got that straight. But I'll tell you this, I like you've got to tell him to whoa and not go. He's a competitor. He is a passionate guy. And that was a big-time play on the big home run shot that he caught.

So I really like that because I also could tell how it affected him, Doug. You could see him -- you could see that building. You could see -- a guy needs to get on the field and make a play, and when they make a big play, they tend to grow faster. You could see a lot of growth from him. And even how he handled it. I get after him pretty hard if you get a penalty, especially if it's not very smart, and he's matured so much. I was very impressed with how he handled that and how he dealt with that.

So I was impressed by him, his route running, his ability to separate and get behind them. That was pretty impressive -- not only that, he played well. He was a guy that graded out very high and a guy that I think is going to be a factor for us. He's going home this week, and this will be a big game for him this week as well. He's a guy that this next game and the next two games and the Bowl practice and all that stuff, he'll get better every day.

Q. Coach, you talked about generally stabilizing the (indiscernible) position. Would it be fair to say the by-product of it was also the will position and Christian Sam and D.J. Calhoun, how they both played and really give you a good depth over there?
COACH GRAHAM: Yeah, I think one of the things that Tony will tell you that's helped him is the play of the guys inside of him. We dominate the line of scrimmage. I don't think there's a game this year we thought our defensive line did not dominate the line of scrimmage. We're getting the ball thrown over the top of us and thrown around us and ran around us, but we've been pretty dominating.

And then Christian's play has been stellar, and D.J. coming in on third down, he's put up a lot of numbers and done a great job. I think our forcing unit is in really good shape. I think we've -- even at times, you know, even exceeds what I think sometimes. When I watch him, I say, man, I thought we'd struggle a little bit more with that. They've done really well.

Obviously, Salamo really is critical. I would love to have a microphone on him during the game and to watch that because he really is -- he's the smartest player as far as a linebacker and being able to memorize the calls and make the calls at the right time.

I don't know if you all remember in the game, but they made a quick check early in the game. It was back down on this end. They flipped the back on the other side. He hands it and changes it and puts the pressure on the other side. They run. We get a TFL. So he's really sharp when it comes to that.

So that forcing unit with, I think, all three of the linebacker positions, and then Laiu plays so consistently. I think he's played almost 800 snaps. But Tony, I think obviously Tashon's play and Christian's play, as well as D.J.'s, has really, really helped him.

And then that boundary's been pretty solid for us when Jordan was in there and then with Lloyd Carrington. Those two corners have played -- I mean, to bump and run every single down and to play like they've played -- you know, the plays that we've given up in the back end, very few have been on them. We've left some guys uncovered with our safeties and stuff like that. Most of the big plays down the field have been on our safeties. Those two guys play pretty well as well.

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