Dec. 24, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
Shreveport, La. – Vanderbilt held its pre-bowl press conference at Independence Stadium ahead of Monday’s Independence Bowl. Here’s what Commodores head coach Derek Mason, quarterback Kyle Shurmur and safety/linebacker Oren Burks had to say on Saturday:
On the importance of the postseason to Vanderbilt:
“Every bowl game matters to me. When you talk about the intent of your program and what you’re trying to do, I can’t speak for anybody else, but I can speak for my program. Our young players have benefited tremendously from this extra spring ball, from having these extra practices.” -Mason
On potentially finishing 7-6 instead of 6-7:
“We’ve come a long way. But we still have some football left to play. This group understands what’s at stake.” -Mason
On Vanderbilt’s offensive growth:
“I thought our guys gained a lot of confidence and grew up in those 12 weeks. That’s part of the journey, just trying to get young men to go from where they are to where they want to be.” -Mason
On Vanderbilt’s 45-point outburst in a win over Tennessee:
“I think you saw flashes throughout the year of what we could do. Like coach said, we’re very process-driven. We just stuck to the process. We grew. It was great to put a complete game together towards the end. Those big plays, those flashes you saw, they became more consistent.” -Shurmur
On Vanderbilt defying expectations in its last two games and reaching a bowl:
“The one thing about football, it’s played between the white lines. You roll the ball out, you roll up your sleeves and you’ve got to play football. The prognosticators can say what they want to, but when you understand who you are, and you’re built towards being a football team that hangs its hat on certain things, you don’t deviate from that.” -Mason
On rain forecasted for the Independence Bowl:
“You got to play the game with the elements that you’re given. Football’s been around for a long time. I had the great fortune to coach with the Minnesota Vikings and coach in some harsh weather, whether it’s in Lambeau Field or Chicago. Elements are just part of this game. I think our guys embrace the elements well.” -Mason
On matching N.C. State’s intensity in the bowl game:
“North Carolina State, they’re a lot like us. They’ve grown as the year’s gone by. We’re looking forward to a physical game, and I think we’re going to match that.” -Burks
On N.C. State’s offense:
“You’re going to see two complete run games. Both offensive lines are extremely good. When I watch [Matt] Dayes, Dayes is as good a running back as we’ve seen all year long. You watch what he’s done in the ACC and you watch how consistent he’s been.” -Mason
On N.C. State All-ACC defensive end Bradley Chubb:
“We play against good players all the time, but when I look at Bradley Chubb, he’s dominant.” -Mason
On not being satisfied with reaching a bowl game:
“You play the game to win. That’s why you step on the field. Anything else, for this group, would be a shortcoming for us. We came here, just like N.C. State, to win a bowl game. And that’s exactly what we’re looking forward to.” -Mason
On Ralph Webb’s importance to the ‘Dores’ offense:
“It’s been great. You see him on the field as a great player, and he’s obviously a quarterback’s best friend. He’s embraced the role of being a complete back. He’s a great friend, teammate, captain, everything, even more than what you see on the field.” -Shurmur
On quarterback Kyle Shurmur:
“The biggest thing about him, he doesn’t get too high and he doesn’t get too low. He gives me the look that says, ‘Coach, I got this.'” -Mason
On Vanderbilt’s seniors:
“It’s the last leg in the journey for this 2016 group. We’re going to take all the time we can, love on one another, cherish one another, and really make sure that these seniors get a chance to go out the right way.” -Mason
On Vanderbilt’s growth under Derek Mason:
“The thing with Coach Mason, he’s building this program the right way. It takes time. This bowl game is really the prefect time for us to develop ourselves and send our seniors off the right way, establish the culture that we want to see for a long time at Vanderbilt. The success is going to continue to grow.” -Burks