CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: WASHINGTON VS MICHIGAN

January 6, 2024

Chuck Morrell

NRG Stadium

Washington Huskies

Press Conference

Q. Obviously you knew there was potential for two teams. How did you guys go about doing advance prep for this outcome over the last month?

CHUCK MORRELL: I think obviously you got some lead up time after the Pac 12 Championship Game, the full-time coaches, or the on-field coaches go on the road recruiting and then your support staff is in the lab.

Obviously their first priority was make sure they got Texas broken down and set up but in the meantime as soon as they finished that, weren't right on and did Alabama and Michigan. There's definitely some lead-up time with those guys. We did some of that work, but leading up to the semifinal game, your focus is 100 percent on playing Texas. Got to switch the gears pretty quick, and then get ready to adapt this week on a short week.

Q. What do you make of that gap? This is more of a regular turnaround, a lot more obligations, how does that change how the game might play out?

CHUCK MORRELL: Yeah, it will be interesting to be honest with you. Because I think our time down here right now is extremely valuable. Like we are still in game plan mode. We are still finalizing a lot of touches and still working through a lot of things that we've got to do in order to be prepared to play the game.

So it feels slightly rushed. I think when you pull the travel in, went from Louisiana back to Seattle back down here. But I also know that our guys had that similar experience. We had plate Pac 12 Championship Game. We actually played on one day short of rest there, and feels very similar to that.

Q. I saw a clip of you guys on the plane after the game. Are you already starting prep on the plane?

CHUCK MORRELL: A hundred percent, yeah. Walking into that trip down in Texas, had game film loaded up on both Alabama and Michigan, and the second you walked out of there, really, no celebration. Get on the plane. Open up the laptop. Start going to work and that's exactly what we did, and it's been nonstop. Every single minute that we've been awake has been focused on that since that time.

Q. What stands out about Michigan?

CHUCK MORRELL: Just their level of discipline and physicality. That's one of the things is how physical of a group their front. Is what their demeanor and identity is. They really stick to their identity and play really good complementary football. You have to be ready to establish your own level of physicality on a snap in, snap out basis.

. Where you see people wear down is later in the game. Everybody is amped up right the beginning of the game and ready to set the tone. But also need to play 40 or play 50 of defending those same power plays; so guys start wearing out. So you have to be in it for the long haul.

Q. Washington's defense finished 81st in third down defense on the year, but held seven of 21 to Texas and Oregon in third downs. Was there a change or tweak, or was it purely health in the secondary?

CHUCK MORRELL: I think a big piece of it is health in the secondary, and as the season has progressed, guys have made -- there are some things for certain that we have done schematically but also I think there's a big piece of weekly basis of those guys, able to execute what we are asking out of them.

Q. Will there be -- never going to give away the game plan, but will there be more aggressiveness considering the power run game? They like to play nine in the box and attacking every person and Washington does a really good job of getting safeties up on the line of scrimmage, maybe dropping them back. But here, you know the run is coming. How do you prevent the fourth quarter tiredness or getting worn down by the 50th rush play?

CHUCK MORRELL: I think you have to rely on your depth. I think we are -- at this point in the year, we do have our best depth that we've had throughout the course of the season. There are certainly points in the middle of the season we didn't have the same depth. You have to trust your twos, your guys coming in, your rotational guys, to help you get through all the way to the end of the game.

Q. What's different -- inaudible.

CHUCK MORRELL: The biggest thing is we've been in a lot of big moments, even though it's not this level, a lot of moments over the years. The thing that's different is guys are bigger, faster, stronger, and there's a lot more people watching the game. Outside of that, the football field is 53 and a half yards wide, it's 120 yards long. Same size of field.

Q. Talking to Kalen earlier about in some of the fourth down calls and aggressive calls your offensive staff has made, and he said, listen, if we don't execute, we just want our defense to not give up more than three. So as a coordinator, stuff like that, you guys are going on the same side of the field, sometimes might put you guys in a difficult position. How do you guys integrate that in the overall philosophy of aggressive play calling?

CHUCK MORRELL: Don't even think twice. I think that's just been the mentality of Coach DeBoer. Play the percentages, and it's never a surprise. We practice it all the time. We are used to it.

I mean, defensively, we are used to being in a lot of fourth down situations, and we know what being on the book or using analytics is like because so many teams are using analytics now.

There's never a moment of doubt in your mind about the situation, and it's, hey, when it calls for it, if it works out, which it has for us at times, great. If it doesn't, then it's on us to step up to the plate and get a stop.

Q. You mentioned analytics, and obviously I know you guys study that. It also just seemed like there's just a lot of buy-in from the whole program, that hey, this is how we have to coach this team. Where does that come from, the confidence?

CHUCK MORRELL: At the end of the day, if you're going to win a championship, right, I think at the end of the day, you're going to have to be aggressive and you have to pick your spots. I think we have played in so many close games this year. You've got to find that one extra play where you have to have the confidence to say, hey, we are going to be aggressive and win the game.

I think the kids understand that. The staff clearly understands that. And everybody is on the same page, and there's never been a wavering of belief or doubt has never entered in. I think everybody has bought into that philosophy.

Q. Could you talk about the dynamic of just, you guys have so much experience on the defensive side. How is it coaching a group like this compared to some others that you had with the factor being that there's just a ton of fifth- and sixth-year guys?

CHUCK MORRELL: Veteran guys, you're asking about that, just having veteran guys?

No, I think it's great. You look at a number of fifth- and sixth-year guys that are out there right now. Tooley has been fantastic for us, a sixth-year savvy veteran, and I honestly feel he's been one of the best defensive tackles in the league. There's so many things he does at critical points in the game that young guys probably wouldn't do. Same thing with Eddie and Ace. Just a host of guys that are really veteran.

I think like the biggest thing that I see out of that is that the moment is never too big for them. They have seen all the wars. They have seen all the battles. You know, I think that's part of the confidence when you walk on the big stage is you've been there before. You've been in situations like it before, and you don't get rattled. Young guys can get rattled and it's great having veteran guys that the moment is not too big for them.

I think there's confidence. Obviously we played them a year ago, and you know, they improved, we improved and we knew it was going to come down to critical plays at the end of the game. Again, I think the guys believed all the way.

Q. I grew up on small college campuses, and I watched the athletic director cut the grass and paint the lines and do the laundry. What do you think it means to those guys who are out there grinding in Division II, Division II, to see you and Kalen and in a really short period of time to be coaching in this game?

CHUCK MORRELL: Well, I just think that it shows you that the hard work and level of dedication that you put into the game can certainly pay off. I think when you get in our shoes, you'll never take anything for granted. We have done the laundry. We have mowed the grass. We have only had so many footballs for the season. We have traveled on one bus. We have ate cold sandwiches on the side of the road.

I think what people probably don't really grasp is the work is still the work. It doesn't matter what the level is. I think it's a message to those guys that it's definitely possible and there's good football coaches at all levels.

Q. What was the biggest challenge for you as a coach and AD at Montana Tech?

CHUCK MORRELL: Just not enough hours in the day. I think when you take on that role of being a head coach and the athletic director, most of your day is filled with problems. Anything as an athletic director that comes on your plate is usually not a good thing for the most part.

It just taught me a lot of leadership qualities at a high level. I think you have to be able to manage an entire athletic department and a football team and focus on being successful on the field. Just investing in people around you and trust in people to do their job every day.

Q. Does it feel the same when you get on the bus after a Bowl win and you're still sitting next to this guy like you were so many years ago?

CHUCK MORRELL: Honestly, yes, it's not changed. Whether it was a win in 2001 or it's 2024, this day. We talk about it often. The feeling is the exact same. You know what's at task. You're fighting monumental battles and to walk away successful, there's a sense of pride in that.

Q. Just want to ask about the challenge in facing an offense that wants to tell you exactly what it's going to do to you, and then continue to do it 30 times in a row if they have to. How do you approach that as a defensive coordinator when an offense is as physical and intentional as they are?

CHUCK MORRELL: Yeah, I think it's pretty clear-cut. The level of physicality, and we have been addressing that throughout the course of the week. I think there have been some teams in the league that have helped prepare us for this moment. I think obviously Oregon State comes to mind, a really physical, run-oriented style.

So our guys at least have some recall of that type of game plan, where they are going to play ball control, they are going to be ultimately very physical.

I think the key point comes later in the game. It's, okay, it's the 30th time of running downhill into the A gap, and can you do it the 30th time as well as you did it the first time. I think that will be the telltale of the game is whether we can continue to manage our level of physicality throughout four full quarters.

Q. In terms of their offense, a lot of offenses say that they want to play that way and do that, and very few can.

CHUCK MORRELL: Right.

Q. What has made them physically or mentally, schematically able to have that kind of success?

CHUCK MORRELL: I think No. 1, they have got excellent depth. I think that's the key thing. You have a multiple good running backs, a host of tight ends and their offensive line, all real guys.

So I think their depth allows them to hold up to that. And like I said, they are playing very good complementary football. Their defense gets them back on the field. They eat up a lot of clock, chew up a lot of clock while they are on the field allows them to shorten up the game. Allow them to do a fantastic job of not making the big mistakes.

Q. I wanted to ask you about just the veteran presence on this roster. You look at so many of the guys here, three, four, five, even some six-year guys, for you as a coach how much -- how important is that to what you guys have accomplished this year?

CHUCK MORRELL: I think there's always a trust relationship that's built between players and coaches. When you've got savvy veterans, I think there's a lot of trust when it comes to game planning and installs and knowing that they understand what they are supposed to do and when they are supposed to do it. I think it just prepares you to play in big moments and play in big games.

The big thing is our guys never get rattled. They never get on tilt and a lot of that has to do with that veteran level of presence.

Q. When you guys first got here, as a staff what was your message to the guys here?

CHUCK MORRELL: That we were going to work to build relationships. Obviously that's the first thing is that you have to form trust. I think that's the first thing that you have to do.

Obviously they are coming off a very negative situation. You know, we're coming in, they didn't get to choose us. You know, you've got to establish that level where they are going to take the coaching and they are going to take the scheme adjustments and they are going to take the new dynamics of how the football team is going to be run and they have got to buy into it. I think that's obviously what Coach DeBoer did a fantastic job of is getting guys to buy in.

Q. How much easier does it make your job when you do know, here is who we have and we are able to develop and grow them over time, as opposed to, hey, we are shuttling in 15 transfers on defense or something like that?

CHUCK MORRELL: I think, yeah, certainly, throughout that first spring, you can develop a lot of trust and you can go back and look at what guys have done previously on film and have an idea of their skill sets and how you are going to use it from a schematic standpoint.

So yeah, I think it was a net benefit for us to be able to carry some guys forward and not start from scratch, even though at that time, we were all starting from scratch. They had to learn a brand new offensive, defensive, special teams systems. The thing is at the University of Washington, we have some incredibly high football IQ guys. It's a great school and some really intelligent young men that go there. Us being able to get them to adapt, I think that happened pretty quickly.

Q. I imagine that made improvement and development this year more feasible?

CHUCK MORRELL: Yeah, right, now they know. They know at this point. They are in a situation now where it's their second go-around. They have been through multiple spring balls, a season, another season. That certainly was a major asset for us.

Q. McCarthy, obviously a great quarterback and great efficiently. What do you see as his vulnerabilities?

CHUCK MORRELL: Well, I don't know if he's got a lot to be honest with you. I think for us in our season, this is another phenomenal quarterback in a long line of quarterbacks in our league, Williams, Nix, see Penix in practice every day. We are used to a lot of high-level quarterback play and he does a fantastic job all around. Obviously he's active with his feet. Very accurate with the football. Doesn't make the big mistake and that's what has allowed their offense to be as successful as it has been.

Q. What was your first job?

CHUCK MORRELL: DB coach at Sioux Falls.

Whatever your job title was, it was about slash with seven other things. All right, who is in charge of the equipment; who is putting out press releases; who is taking care of travel.

Q. I thought it was interesting that Michigan didn't use a lot of 12 personnel against 'Bama, and they maybe used 12 as much as anybody in the country. What did you see in them doing more 11, and as you're studying them, the why of that?

CHUCK MORRELL: As you watch Alabama's front, they have some physical characters up front. I think an opportunity to try to get in a little more space and be able to attack them a little bit differently. I think that was something that ended up being an asset for them as a part of their game plan.

Q. What challenges does 12, and especially their 12 with two really high-ends tight ends, what challenges does that present?

CHUCK MORRELL: Well, your box number has to be right. That's the thing, all the time, the math. Defensive football is math. If they have got nine, you need ten. So you've got to put the guys in the run fits, but also you have to be really wary because tight ends start popping out of there, you look at trying to defend play-action pass and explosives, and they have done a good job with their chunk yardage coming out of their heavier sets.

Q. Loveland is a challenging guy, 18. What challenges does he present from your standpoint? Imagine you can't guard him with a linebacker?

CHUCK MORRELL: He's got an elite skill set. In terms of just route running, I think we have seen a lot of -- in the Pac 12 this year, seen a lot of great tight ends. But he's the best route runner, technical route runner that we've seen on film this year.

Man, incredible catch radius. But that can come in and do the dirty work, so you have to mark him all the time. You have to know where he's at.

Q. How did getting your safeties back late in the year change your defense?

CHUCK MORRELL: A major asset. It was a huge difference. I think just having Turner and Cam back, those guys have a lot of experience. They are the brain trust. They are the quarterback of the defense.

Just I think it brings a sense of calm and level of execution that you need to be successful in the big-time games.

Q. When you where he reflect back on taking Jabbar from the portal, portal hits, 50/50. You are to be really pleased with how that's worked?

CHUCK MORRELL: Yeah, gentleman bore is a home run. That's incredible. I just think about what he's meant to the team, the demeanor, obviously made a myriad of big-time plays throughout the course of the season. But also the character and the person that he is and the leadership that he provides us every week, couldn't be more pleased to have him on our roster.

Q. With Ed, walking on to where he's at now, what was your first impression, and how do you put that in perspective?

CHUCK MORRELL: Well, I just know how much effort and energy he puts into the sport on a daily basis, and I'm just so happy for him to be getting paid off like he is; the recognition and everything that he gets, he deserves; the mental toughness that it creates to have that level of belief in yourself that I'm going to make it because when you're coming in saying, hey, man, we don't know if you're going to make it, you have to bet on yourself and that's something that he did and I'm just so happy that it's paying off at the level it is for him.

Q. Beyond just the stats, numbers, how do you qualify his value and what he means to this defense?

CHUCK MORRELL: Well, just his level of professional preparation every day. I think it drives not only our linebacker room but others around him that, hey, this is the way we need to have it done a day-in and day-out basis, and he does that as well as anybody on our team. I think this just kind of makes the culture contagious in like how we are going to prep and approach every single week.

Q. The matchup with Michigan, seemed like a different matchup than you've had all year. What do you draw upon? Is there a previous game that applies?

CHUCK MORRELL: Yeah, I think there is. I just mentioned Oregon State, they have been a very good -- quietly been a very good football team in our league and they have got that 12 personnel, 21 personnel demeanor. And so we've faced a style that's similar to that.

Now, obviously, I think Michigan has got a great identity in what they do offensively, and they are going to challenge you to step up and fistfight with them for four quarters.

Q. Preparing for the CFP overall, how did you logistically strategize, okay, we have to scout this team and scout this team and have to get ready to play Texas first?

CHUCK MORRELL: The focus was on Texas for sure. But our guys, our support staff did a good job of pre game planning a little bit and at least having the film broken down on both Alabama and Michigan.

The second we walked off the field, we got on a plane and started studying Michigan. You have to do a little bit of work in advance but you can't really focus on it because you're preparing. I mean, Texas was a fantastic team this year. It's been a busy short week.