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BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL MEDIA CONFERENCE


December 5, 2010


Bob Beretta

Rich Ellerson

June Jones

Steve Orsini

Brant Ringler


BRANT RINGLER: Thank you, everybody, for joining us today. I want to say the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is very proud to host the Army Black Knights and the SMU Mustangs. One word comes to mind when I think of what these two head coaches have done with their young football programs, and that word is 'vision'. It's obvious they both have a plan to bring their programs back to the forefront of college football.
Coach Ellerson has done a great job of taking the United States Military Academy's core values and blending his similar football philosophies into what an Army football player should be and will be as the program continues moving forward.
The proof that it's working is in the team's Bowl-eligible record and the fact that Army has now reached its first Bowl game in 14 years. We couldn't be happier in having Army assist us in continuing our tradition of hosting a service academy. It only adds value to what we're trying to accomplish with our Bowl game each year, and that is a full patriotic tribute to those that wear and have worn our nation's cloth.
For SMU, Coach Jones in only his third season on the hilltop has the Mustangs in back-to-back Bowl games. But this year SMU was able to accomplish two more goals along the way from my perspective. One being a Conference USA West Division crown and, two, a berth into the Conference USA championship game yesterday.
I know they got a little banged up in that game but I'm hoping the time off before the Bowl game will get them back to full strength in time for the game.
Let's not forget Army has a big game this coming weekend against Navy, and we pray that Coach Ellerson's team will escape injuries so that both Army and SMU will come into our game very healthy.
Overall I feel Army and SMU both bring very contrasting styles of football into our Bowl game. Army's top 10 running game versus SMU's strong passing attack. I believe this will give our fans a great game as these two teams battle it out at Ford Stadium. Regardless of the victor, this is another large step in the growth of these young football teams. We should all get accustomed to seeing them every year in a Bowl game.
Finally we all know SMU will be playing in its home stadium. I think some might feel this is an advantage. But I wanted to point out from a crowd perspective, I can tell you it will be quite balanced as the home team fans will be well matched by not only Army fans but fans in general that come to our game every year just to support the military that come to our game every year. You have to remember the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is more than just a Bowl game.
TIM SIMMONS: Brant, you announced a couple weeks ago the game is a sell-out at 32,000 and we're selling standing room only.
BRANT RINGLER: That's correct. We're selling standing room only through our Bowl office. As far as the Army and SMU ticket offices, if anybody needs tickets, they need to go through those schools.
TIM SIMMONS: Again, the kickoff is at 11 a.m. central time on the 30th of December, that's a Thursday. SMU will be the home team, Army will be the visitors, is that correct?
BRANT RINGLER: That is correct.
TIM SIMMONS: And ESPN TV and radio will be handling the national broadcast.
Are there any questions for Brant?

Q. Brant, how many SRO's can you get in there? What's the max-out capacity with those that you can get for your game here?
BRANT RINGLER: I think we're looking at probably around 5,000.

Q. So 37 roughly?
BRANT RINGLER: Roughly around there. We also have suites and club-level seating that puts us at 33,500, so you're looking at 38, 39 thousand total.
TIM SIMMONS: One last question for Brant. How did Army get in the game? Obviously they signed the agreement, but it was because of TCU playing up into the BCS?
BRANT RINGLER: That's correct. We had Army as a backup agreement to both conferences. When TCU was able to run the table, will get their Rose Bowl selection today, it moves them out of the Mountain West Conference Bowl selections. There's only four other teams in the Mountain West Conference with Bowl selections, but there are five Bowls in the Mountain West Conference. Therefore Army was able to slide into that open spot, thus we have today's game, Army versus SMU.

Q. With the headquarters still being in Fort Worth, how are you going to handle that? The teams will be in Fort Worth and practice, even though SMU is playing in its home stadium?
BRANT RINGLER: Yes. All the events will occur in Fort Worth. The practices for both teams will occur in Fort Worth. Only thing that will occur in Dallas will be the game on December 30th.

Q. Where will they practice in Fort Worth?
BRANT RINGLER: Army will be practicing at (indiscernible). Tomorrow we'll have a site visit with SMU to determine their practice location.
TIM SIMMONS: For your information, media credentials are online by visiting our website. We will open our media headquarters the 27th of December in Fort Worth. We will also have credentials available in Dallas starting on the 29th of December. If you have any questions, just give me a call, 303-678-8484.
Coach Ellerson, if you could make an opening statement about playing in the Bowl game, give your thoughts on the season to date, then talk about SMU as your Bowl opponent.
RICH ELLERSON: Obviously we're thrilled to be Bowl eligible, we're thrilled to be on our way to Dallas and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. It's a threshold for our football team, for our football program. It's something our seniors articulated in the pre-season as part of the destination that they wanted to see this season culminate in.
As I say, I'm surprised to hear that we're actually the visiting team. We're going to SMU to play SMU and you're telling me we're the visiting team. C'mon now. But obviously I suspect for some it's a great matchup from an interest level.
It's a lot of fun for me because June and Jeff Campbell, we all go back a long way. Once upon a time June Jones and I were on the same staff at the University of Hawaii, both young coaches, getting ready to play an option team, Air Force. I remember in the locker room June saying, I hate this offense. I remember saying, I hate this offense, I hate to play against it. Here we are umpteen years later getting ready to get after each other.
So, again, looking forward to this on a personal level. I know our program and players can't wait. Obviously we have this other huge thing happening this week, the Navy game, which has all of us lasered in on. But this is a threshold, as I say, that our guys couldn't be prouder of.
TIM SIMMONS: Coach, will the Navy game kind of give you a little bit of a break? You're playing the last game of the regular season, gives you another week of preparation of playing football hard. How do you term all that?
RICH ELLERSON: Well, there's three weeks between our last regular-season game and the Navy game. Some of those practice opportunities that you associate with a Bowl team, frankly that's what we've been doing the last two weeks. As we come out of the Navy game, we go right into finals, some leave, then we're in the Bowl game.
Our preparation between Navy and the Bowl game will look more like a regular game-week preparation. It won't be the traditional fundamental developmental opportunities that I think most civilian schools associate with the Bowl game.
There is some value in having the layoff, but having the game on a shorter time, I think that's beneficial.
TIM SIMMONS: Any questions for Coach Ellerson?

Q. Coach, just talk about getting into a Bowl game and having to play a team in its own home stadium. How do you approach that?
RICH ELLERSON: I don't know. I tell you, we're going to friendly country. Texas is academy friendly. Certainly the greater Dallas area, we have enough posts in that area, we have enough players on our team from that area, we have a significant percentage of the core cadets hail from Texas.
I don't think it's going to feel like an especially enemy territory. We have an awful lot of support there. We're not going to feel like the home team, but we're not going to feel like strangers either.

Q. Have you talked to Troy Calhoun about the Armed Forces Bowl?
RICH ELLERSON: I have not. But that's a good point, I should.

Q. Coach, was June always a pass-happy guy even in his early stages as a coach?
RICH ELLERSON: When he wasn't playing golf. Yeah, June loves to sling it. Obviously very, very good at it. Very prolific at it, both as a player and as a coach throughout his career.
But I think one of the things, again I can't say that I've spent a bunch of time looking at SMU, but I did watch them play on Saturday, and they do run the ball efficiently and effectively. It's not a one-dimensional outfit.

Q. Were you ever teammates at Hawaii?
RICH ELLERSON: Yes, we were. We were teammates at Hawaii and then we played against each other when he was at Portland State. We coached together at Hawaii and we coached against each other in Canada.
As I say, I won't say we don't talk once a month or anything like that, but I would argue a year never went by that we weren't together for something.

Q. Coach, can you describe I guess the atmosphere around the academy in the context of just getting back to a Bowl at all after so many years? It's got to be a real sense of relief or euphoria.
RICH ELLERSON: I think there's a great anticipation. I think, as you say, we're excited to be successful. We're excited to be competitive. Every time we step on the field, there's a great chance we're going to walk off with a W. I think that feeling has permeated the academy.
Again, in the opening statements it was talked about how we have integrated ourselves with the larger institutional core cadets and institutional values. We're trying to take those things that are unique about the West Point experience, those callouses that are so developmental and working so well on our graduates and make them pay off for us on Saturday afternoons.
We preach that, we believe that. Our players have taken that back into their companies and classrooms. That's subsequently followed them back up here to the stadium. There is a buzz about this football team, the football program. I think it's one that certainly our players first and foremost are proud to be cadets first. They're proud to be members of the United States Corps of Cadets, of the United States Corps of Cadets, and they're starting to become proud of us of what we're putting out there on Saturday. Therein lies the magic and the buzz that I think we're feeling around here.

Q. Probably the best chance you've had in year to get on the field with Navy and beat those guys. That's got to have everybody sky high.
RICH ELLERSON: Yeah. It's still an uphill fight with these guys. I think what's happened the last coupe weeks, we've had a chance to step on these big stages against Air Force and Notre Dame. We frankly haven't played well. We haven't handled the big game in the big stadium with the big crowd and the big lights, we haven't gone out there and played our best. I'm not saying our best would have been good enough, but we didn't find out.
And I think that's where the determination lies right now. We're going to make sure that when we get out there this week, we've taken advantage of the fact that we've been on those stages, we've been in this situation, we're not going to be distracted, we're not going to be overawed, because the fact is we played well enough to put ourselves on those stages.
That's all that's left, the Navy game and the Armed Forces Bowl. Those are big stages, bright lights. We have to be one of those teams that can play our best in that environment.
TIM SIMMONS: Last question I have, coach, when will Army arrive in Fort Worth?
RICH ELLERSON: The 26th.
TIM SIMMONS: Bob is here, senior associate and AD. Bob, maybe you can give some details about Army and your trip to Texas.
RICH ELLERSON: Thanks, folks. I appreciate it.
BOB BERETTA: First of all, we'd like to thank everyone with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. It's one that we certainly welcome. We're thrilled to be a part of this Bowl. We'd like to congratulate Coach Jones and the people at SMU for a terrific season as they continue to rebuild that program and put it back into national prominence.
We're excited and thrilled to be a part of this game. The team will arrive in Dallas on the 26th of December. We are putting our plans together tentatively, but we are programming for a workout on the 26th, the team will work out on the 27th, the 28th and 29th, a walk-through at the stadium. That's the plan right now from an operational standpoint for the Army football team.
TIM SIMMONS: Bob's title is senior executive associate AD of Army and also handles the media operations with his office. Any questions for Bob?

Q. Bob, what's the significance of Army and Navy both qualifying for the first time for Bowls in history?
BOB BERETTA: I think it's great not only for the academies, but for college football and the nation in general. This is the first time in history all three service academies have qualified for a Bowl and will be participating in a post-season Bowl. I think it speaks very highly of the coaching staff at all three academies. All three coaches have put together tremendous vision. They all have great vision for where they want the programs to be.
Obviously, Navy and Air Force have been able to string together several successful seasons. I think this is Navy's eighth consecutive year going to a Bowl game. I can tell you on behalf of Coach Ellerson, we aspire to that same level of success and we feel hopefully this is the first step in a prolonged period of success for the Army football team.
TIM SIMMONS: Bob, thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you on the 26th.
A reminder, we will have a press conference with the coaches on the 14th of December, Thursday, at the Bell Helicopter Customer Service Center at 2:30 to 3:00, then both coaches and the representatives from both schools will fly over to the stadium and back for a 4:00 announcement party. A little different than in the past. We'll be out at the Bell Helicopter Customer Service Center at 2:30 on December 14th. We'll get the press conference done early for everybody.
Again, Bob, thank you very much.
Steve Orsini, congratulations on playing in our Bowl. If you can give an opening statement about playing in the game for the second straight year and any details you would like to give the media folks online.
STEVE ORSINI: Thank you, everyone.
Yeah, SMU is honored to be paying tribute to our Armed Forces by hosting the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Congratulations, Army, on a great season. We're so glad. I wrote down all three service academies being invited to a Bowl for the first time in history. We're really proud to be playing another service academy. We take pride and we make a lot of effort to schedule them on a regular basis. We're in the middle of a four-game series with the United States Navy academy. So this will be our second service academy game of the season. And we look forward to playing the U.S. Military Academy.
Good luck to Navy. I know that's a great tradition, being there for five years in their athletic program. It's really, really a great event and we'll be cheering for you, that's for sure.
SMU also cherishes our partnership with Brant Ringler, the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and ESPN to host this game in SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium. It is a very unique opportunity and we will do our best to be the best partner we can for all parties involved.
I'm glad and looking forward to a great atmosphere that's going to be full of all kinds of college football fans as well as representatives from the United States Military Academy and SMU.
It has been announced a sell-out. But I do believe it will be an overflowing crowd, which is the best part, because it will be a great atmosphere for our student-athletes, which is what it's all about. They've earned this right to be there and we're going to be celebrating them in in grand style in the wonderful city of Dallas/Fort Worth.
TIM SIMMONS: Any thoughts on tickets, where people are supposed to call?
STEVE ORSINI: Sure. Our box office opens tomorrow. We'll open then. We do expect the allotment of tickets to go very fast. I encourage our fans to be very proactive. The number they can call is 214-SMUGame. The numbers of that are 214-768-4263. That's the SMU box office. We expect our allotment to go very fast, so I encourage everyone to act quickly. It will be opening tomorrow at 9:00.
TIM SIMMONS: Any questions for Steve?

Q. Steve, obviously you are hosting the game because of the implosion that took place at TCU this morning. Can you talk a little bit about the process of you becoming involved in this game and putting it on. How did Ford Stadium come about as a potential site for this and how that all unfolded?
STEVE ORSINI: It was a pretty quick process. Brant reached out to us when there was discussion I guess over in Fort Worth that the TCU stadium may not be available for the Bowl. It was a short conversation because as soon as Brant asked us, we said we would be honored to help.
I looked it as helping our great metropolitan area. We take great pride in it being a great college athletic community. Anything we can do to help that community, like hosting this game while TCU improves their stadium, we're happy to do.
BRANT RINGLER: When we started the slot knowing we would have to leave TCU due to the renovations over there, it was quite obvious where we needed to play. We needed to play in a Conference USA stadium since they were a partner. When I approached Steve, he welcomed us with open arms. Regardless if they were going to be in our game or not, they have been professional from the very beginning. We feel very comfortable with their staff and the game we'll be able to put on on December 30th.
Steve, I want to thank you and your staff. We appreciate it.

Q. Brant, what was the bonus of ending up with SMU in your game?
BRANT RINGLER: I think that's the bonus. I mean, that makes it quite easier to sell the team tickets, because they're a local team. There were some other scenarios with some other teams possibly coming in that could travel in here easily, too. But obviously having the home team at their own stadium should make it like an overflow atmosphere that Steve was talking about.

Q. TCU, that was the only year they were in this game, the inaugural year?
BRANT RINGLER: Yes.

Q. Steve, do you have any benefit from not traveling? I know the conference covers some travel expenses. After a big trip to Hawaii, do you save money by not having to really travel?
STEVE ORSINI: I don't think so. It surely doesn't compare to a Hawaiian trip because we chose, as you know, to bring everybody. Our first Bowl in 25 years. So the band, and we even took all the mascots, live and human. It was all people there.
We will have everyone here naturally. So it's going to be a special event. But all in all, I love what Conference USA does for all of its members, and that is pick up the tab for all reasonable and necessary expenses through our agreement with Conference USA.
So as far as we're concerned, other than us blowing it out, celebrating 25 years of not being in a Bowl last year, no, it's going to be close to the same scenario.
TIM SIMMONS: Is June Jones on the line?
JUNE JONES: Yes, I'm here.
TIM SIMMONS: Coach, if you could give an opening statement to the media, your thoughts on the season to date, then your thoughts about playing Army.
JUNE JONES: Well, we're excited that we've been extended the opportunity to play in the Armed Forces Bowl game. Been a big promotor of trying to play as many service academies, not only Steve and I talked about it here at SMU, but also when I was in Hawaii. That has been always an important thing to me. We're really excited to be able to play my good friend Rich Ellerson, who has done an unbelievable job. Congratulations to him for taking them that next step to a Bowl game. I know his mind isn't really on it right now, but he will be excited, I know, to play. They should have beat the University of Hawaii earlier in the year. Had they not fumbled the ball, they would have had another win in their category. I'm sure they'll like to play against our offense again.
TIM SIMMONS: Questions for Coach Jones.

Q. After taking this team to Hawaii last year, how do you make this a home game?
JUNE JONES: Well, since I've been coaching in college, I've kind of always used the same formula when we go to Bowls. The kids will really enjoy the opportunity to play, especially after coming after a loss yesterday. The result of the Bowl game really takes you through the whole next year. The importance of not only having fun and doing it right, but also winning the game.
I think that our kids got a taste of that last year, and they will certainly want to finish that way again. It's going to be a challenge. All three years I've been here we haven't beaten Navy. Army runs a similar offense. (Indiscernible.) Rich Ellerson and I coached in Hawaii. In fact, Rich was one of the guys recruiting him. Rich was my center when I was a QB. So we go way back. I've always been a fan of Rich and followed him, the BC Lions, Calgary, and also ever since he adopted -- Dick told me he would hire me and give me my first job. He also gave Rich his first job. We both have stolen a lot of things from Dick. I see a lot of that in the things he says. I see that in the way he plays defense still, the way that they play on offense. So there's going to be a lot of crossover between them.
Also on their staff, Robert Lyles, their linebacker coach, I coached at the Houston Oilers, actually made the phone call to encourage Rich to get Robert on the staff. Robert is a great guy and does a great job with the kids. I'm looking forward to seeing him also.

Q. (Question regarding the triple option.)
JUNE JONES: The triple option is a very difficult offense to prepare for. I'm glad we have time to prepare for it. We also played against it at Navy. This will be a better situation for us. I know Rich very well. He will have some new little wrinkles and some little things by the time we get to game day.

Q. Do you like playing triple option offenses, going up against them?
JUNE JONES: You know, it's one of those things during the year that you usually get some guys rolled up or get some guys hurt in the front seven with all the cutting and all the things that go on with it. So you kind of take a beating the next week whenever you go play.
All in all, I think the advantage of playing the Academy outweighs all the things about the offense. To be able to support the country. When I was in Hawaii, the only time we got any newspaper coverage was playing Air Force, Army or Navy, it would be on the front page of the New York Times. They wouldn't even cover our games because they were so late, but they always covered those, so it was important.
I feel the same way when we played. Since I've come to SMU, when we play Navy, it's in everybody's newspaper and the TV coverage. So it's all positive for the school.
TIM SIMMONS: Before we break, coach, give a schedule of what you'll do, practice up till what day before Christmas, then what will you do after Christmas?
JUNE JONES: Tentatively right now we're waiting on the whole deal. But my plan will be to practice right up to Christmas Eve morning, give the kids off on Christmas Day. We'll meet in Fort Worth and practice on the 26th.
TIM SIMMONS: How strange that for you, to practice in Fort Worth when you're only 30 miles away from your home campus?
JUNE JONES: Well, it's fun. Anytime you depart and go somewhere together as a team, it's great for the bonding, it's great for the chemistry, the camaraderie. That's why I think it's mandatory that even before a game, even home games, you stay in a hotel. It's what the game is all about, about togetherness, those types of things.
Even though we're going to Fort Worth, it's an opportunity to do the schedule we would have if we were practicing right here in our own stadium. It will be a fun time for us.

Q. Coach, you talked a little bit about your overall approach, formula, to Bowls. Is that kind of formed from having to play a game at home so many times at Hawaii. You were pretty good at that after a while, staying at home, not going away.
JUNE JONES: Yeah, I haven't really thought about it in those terms. But that is going to be an issue that we do as a staff. Half my staff was with me there. Of course, the guys that weren't went to the Bowl game with us last year. The extra practice time is really what it's about. Last year we got three weeks of practice before that game and that was invaluable. The same thing will happen here. We'll get a lot of practice time. It's almost like an extra spring practice for the young kids.
TIM SIMMONS: Thank you for joining the conference.

End of FastScripts




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