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HOLIDAY BOWL: WISCONSIN VS USC

December 16, 2015

Clay Helton

San Diego, California

This is the Holiday Bowl folks.

THE MODERATOR: All right, everybody, we're set to begin the Holiday Bowl portion. At this time I would like to introduce the first year executive director of the San Diego bowl game association Mr. Mark Neville.

(Applause.)

MARK NEVILLE: Wow, never got an applause in a press conference before, all right. Thank you all very much for attending today's press conference. Joining me up here right now is the 2015 President of the San Diego Bowl Game Association, Kimberley Layton, and then on my right is the CEO of National Funding, Dave Gilbert.

Many of you know that the nonprofit Holiday Bowl has been without a title sponsor heading into bowl season this year. As you can see by our logo behind me, that has changed. National Funding, a San Diego based financial technology company serving small to medium sized businesses nationwide has stepped in to fill the void.

The 2015 bowl game will now be known as the National Funding Holiday Bowl. It's my pleasure to welcome the CEO of National Funding, Dave Gilbert.

(Applause.)

DAVE GILBERT: Thank you. It's an honor and privilege to be here today as CEO of National Funding. We felt it was a huge opportunity for us to help support the community, and when I saw that the opportunity to sponsor this and take over title sponsorship to watch USC play Wisconsin, it was a no-brainer.

When you look back at how much history these two bowl games have in the community, it's enormous, and as a proud member and resident of San Diego, I just felt an honor that our company could help do that.

To give a little background, National Funding, our company, started in '99 out of Los Angeles, and we moved here in 2001 because I wanted a good place to build a company and to raise my family. I am a big fan of the city, love this city. When you look at where I went to school, it was USC, so there is no coincidence that there is some passion there. My wife is also here tonight, and she graduated in '99; I graduated in '98.

So we're just looking forward to a good game. We feel blessed to be the title sponsor. Two great schools, a great city, and we feel fortunate. Thank you.

(Applause.)

THE MODERATOR: Coach Chryst and Coach Helton, if you guys could come on up here. We will do the same drill as before. We will ask each coach to come up, say a few words, take questions, and finish up with one-on-ones. We will begin with, in his first season, he started out as interim, but now he is the full-time Head Coach of the USC Trojans, Clay Helton. Clay?

COACH HELTON: Thank you very much. I can't tell you how excited we are to be part of the National Funding Holiday Bowl and to be down here the second year in a row and see familiar faces that treated us with such hospitality last year, we're so glad to be back. I can remember the memories of a great game last year versus Nebraska, and really just the whole week, just starting off right from the hotel with our Trojan Club of San Diego right there, in full force, and really supporting us all the way through the week.

We know that once again, this is going to be a really prestigious game, when you look at the two opponents between USC and Wisconsin. It will be one of those that the whole nation will be watching. I've already been asked for way too many tickets by fans up north, and they're excited to come down and be associated with this game.

We've been so impressed with Coach Chryst and his staff and his team as we have scouted tape this week. Defensively without question, anytime that you hold teams to 13 points a game, you're doing something really, really right. To be the number one scoring defense in the country says you're doing things very well, number three in total defense. I've been extremely impressed by their quarterback and what he's done over his lengthy career. To be able to set maybe an all-time victory mark for the school speaks volumes of the character that he has and the leadership that he has.

This is without question one of the most well-coached groups that we have seen throughout our season, and really it's going to be a great challenge for us. We look forward to coming down here with our football team. With that I will take any questions that you might have.

Q. Clay, how is the quarterback situation? I know Cody has a little bit of an issue and with Max, how do things look?
COACH HELTON: Cody is doing well. He had a little bit of a sprained thumb coming out of the Pac 12 Championship game that he's had a brace on for about a week and a half now. That brace is off. He's one of those -- he's going to play no matter what. You could probably cut his right wrist off and he would still play.

He's going to be ready for the game. What we have been fortunate to have, just like all these postseason -- whether it's a championship game or a bowl practice is how it develops your younger players too. So to have the five extra practices in the Pac 12 Championship game and now to have nine practices going into a bowl game, that has helped Max I think grow as a young quarterback, so it's been good fortune for us.

Q. Could we see Max?
COACH HELTON: Depending how the game is going. This is a huge game for us, and a huge game for our seniors. We want to end our season on a very, very high note for a bunch of seniors that have really contributed a lot to this program, so we will treat it just like it's a National Championship game.

You know, this is a very important game for our football team moving forward, so we will treat it just like any other game. We have been in kind of playoff championship football since the Utah game, to be able to get to this point and be at this point in our season. Cody will definitely play as much as needed.

Q. Coach, can you talk about how difficult the circumstances were when you took over and what was the key to keeping things going in the right direction so you guys could be here?
COACH HELTON: First, it was a lot of fun. I think the most fun time in coaching is when you are faced with adversity, because you really get to find out what type of guy you are, what type of players you have, and I was very fortunate, this is my second time through being an interim, two years ago having to do it at the Las Vegas Bowl and getting a big win there, but you also had guys that have been through it before.

You know, you had a bunch of seniors and juniors that have been in this situation before, and we knew how to pull out of it. As a coaching staff, you totally commit yourselves to your players and to helping them win games. You don't worry about what's going to happen a month or two down the road or what the future might hold. You are a servant to your university and to your players. If you do that, you're going to win some football games, and we won enough to be here, to be at one of the most prestigious bowls in the country. So I'm very proud of the effort our players have given and our staff has given to be here at this bowl game.

Q. Clay, you made some staff changes. Has it been a challenge trying to get ready for the bowl game with some of the coaches no longer there?
COACH HELTON: No, I've been extremely fortunate. When you look at some of the other members that have been along on our staff that have been able to step up, you look at Mike Tuiasosopo, whose had over 20 years of coaching, a lot in the Pac 12, you look at a Kenechi Udeze, who was a first-round draft pick defensive lineman being able to help with our defensive line, you look at a Mike Goff, a San Diego Charger for a long time, and to have that type of quality men within your program to be a part of this thing.

We have nine full-time members that are coaching their tails off. They're game planning right now while I get to have a nice dinner tonight, so they're mad at me! We have been fortunate to have quality coaches take the lead in this game, and I'm proud of them.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH HELTON: So proud of him and so proud of what he's done for our university. I can't think of a guy that's represented USC as well as him, as a player and as a person. It's his time. Anytime you have that you have the opportunity to be a first-round draft pick with the attributes that he has not only as a player to be able to -- whether it's a free safety, a nickel Sam, an inside linebacker, he's going to be a valuable commodity, and like I told him, "If you said no, I was packing your bags for you."

It's a great opportunity for him, and that's what we want for our players at USC, to come in, get their degree and be able to move on and do well for their families. So proud for him.

Q. You mentioned the Las Vegas Bowl previously. How is the preparation on your end different this time around where you know what the future of the program is? This is like your direction now.
COACH HELTON: I think it's very important when you get the opportunity to be in a bowl game, especially, you know, a bowl game as prestigious as the Holiday Bowl. You give your absolute best, ever, because it's your last one, it's your last one with a lot of seniors that have committed a lot of their time to the program, and so, you know, we have an unbelievable opportunity to end the season the right way and to have a chance to be a Holiday Bowl Champion, how prestigious is that?

We knew how it felt last year walking away after beating a really good Nebraska team and how it propelled us into recruiting and into the next season, so this is a very, very important game for our football team and for our university.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Clay.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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