Transcript: Badgers' Ball, Borland, Wilson take part in teleconference
September 27, 2011 | Football
Sept. 27, 2011
• Listen: Ball, Borland, Wilson Teleconference 
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin senior quarterback Russell Wilson, junior running back Montee Ball and sophomore linebacker Chris Borland took questions from members of the national media in a teleconference Monday as the No. 7 Badgers prepare to open Big Ten play against No. 8 Nebraska.
Archived audio from the teleconference is available through the link above, and a complete transcript of remarks by Ball, Borland and Wilson can be found below.
QUESTION #1: This is Adam Rittenberg with ESPN.com. I just wanted to ask Russell, what's been your approach, Russell, to handling some of the attention that you've received? I know it's been awhile leading up to the season, and then after you actually started playing games.
WILSON: I think the main thing is being consistent every single day with my work ethic, with my mentality of just trying to be the best every single day. And I think more than anything, just working with these guys is a pretty awesome experience. I'm blessed to be here in Madison. I'm blessed to be a Badger, and it's an awesome opportunity.
QUESTION #2: How would you evaluate yourself in the first four games?
WILSON: I think I've done a good job. I always believe there's room for improvement though, and so my job is to facilitate the ball to the right guy at the right time, and that's my goal throughout the season and every single practice and every single game.
QUESTION #3: I know a lot of people were wondering how you'd transition to this offense. Has this gone better than you thought it would as far as blending in, or is this what you expected?
WILSON: You know, I think it's what I expected, maybe a little bit more, you know, in terms of how well everything's going so far. But at the same time, you know, I have full confidence of me learning the offense. I have full confidence in the guys I was playing with, and that's why I came here.
QUESTION #4: This is Pete Thamel from The New York Times. This is for Russell and Chris. You obviously have some people coming up this weekend that have never been there before, a lot of people from Nebraska. Can you guys describe what the Jump Around is like between the third and fourth quarter for people who've never experienced it, please?
BORLAND: It's a tremendous amount of excitement. You can tell, it's kind of the, the fans are looking forward to it when that third quarter ends, and when it starts, I've never seen anything like it. There's a great deal of energy. The whole stadium gets into it. The student section's going nuts. It's something pretty special.
WILSON: I would just have to agree with Chris there. You know, obviously, it's a tremendous atmosphere, and it's a great place to play football.
QUESTION #5: Hey, Russell, this is Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Can you please talk about when you first became aware of the graduate transfer rules, and what factored into your decisions to attend Wisconsin?
WILSON: I believe I became aware of it probably my sophomore year. I just heard about it, and then, you know, once everything kind of took place where it was in the best interests of me, in terms of leaving NC State, I kind of pursued it and just kind of looked into the rules of it all and found Wisconsin.
QUESTION #6: Would you have any advice for anyone else who's considering taking advantage of the rule?
WILSON: No. I mean, that's kind of tough to say or anything like that. Obviously, transferring is never something that you necessarily want to do going into things. But I think the best thing I can say about it all is, I got my degree from NC State, and I graduated early. I graduated in three years, and that's not easy to do. And so that's one thing that I'm proud about. I'm blessed, and I'm blessed to have that opportunity and all that.
QUESTION #7: Russell, was the Wisconsin the only team you considered for your fifth year of eligibility in college football?
WILSON: No. There were several other teams that I looked at, and then, I narrowed it down to a couple and then decided that Wisconsin was definitely the best place for me.
QUESTION #8: Why did you leave minor league baseball and go back to college football?
WILSON: Well, I personally, believe that the Lord's blessed me with talent to play both and the ability, so I didn't want to shy away from that at all. And I knew that playing my last year would give me an opportunity to play in the NFL, and I wanted to pursue that and just see what would happen. And also in terms of academically, I get closer to getting my graduate degree.
QUESTION #9: Is pro football or pro baseball in your future now, do you think?
WILSON: Right now, Nebraska is, and that's the only thing that really matters right now. And so I'm just focusing on that and just taking one day at a time, like I always try to do.
QUESTION #10: Russell, this is Brian Rosenthal of the Journal Star in Lincoln. Can you just talk about Nebraska's defense, what you've seen from them on film, and how do they compare to the first four defenses you've faced this year?
WILSON: I think the main thing you notice is their speed. You turn on the film, you notice that they can really, truly fly around from the guys up front to the guys in the back, so it's a good thing for their defense. And we have to play great football, and it should be a great game, great atmosphere, and we're excited about it.
QUESTION #11: What challenges maybe do they present that previous defenses haven't?
WILSON: Obviously, up front, they're extremely talented and (it's the) same with the linebackers and defensive backs. So it's going to be a great game, and we're up for it. And we have to have a great week of preparation and just making sure we're executing our offense.
QUESTION #12: This is a question for Montee. Montee, this is Pete Thamel from The New York Times. I think when you guys were really at the center of attention in college football last year, people remember the tenor of that win over Ohio State, where you just ran the ball down their throat and physically overpowered them for four quarters. Can you talk about the makeup of this year's team, and do you guys have the ability to do that, Montee?
BALL: Well, yeah. Of course I believe that we do have the ability to do that, because, we've practiced extremely hard with establishing the run game. But also, I'd say that we're a balanced team now. We have Russell Wilson, and (Nick) Toon came around and is making some great plays, the receivers are. So I just feel like we're just going to go with the same game plan and make sure that we establish the run game and, also, put the ball in the air.
QUESTION #13: This question is for Montee Ball. This is Dirk Chatelain at the Omaha World-Herald. What did Russell say when he got to the program to, you know, to kind of fit in with you guys? That's not easy for a guy just, you know, coming in as a transfer.
BALL: Really, mainly what he did was he came in (and) did a lot of studying, really, a lot of studying. Right off the bat he was teaching us backs how to run our routes and stuff like that, how to take the handoffs and stuff like that. So, really, he kind of took us under his wing, and we made sure that we, paid a lot of attention to what he was telling us, because obviously he's a great player, very intelligent man, and is going to take this team to the promised land.
QUESTION #14: All right. Montee, did you have any doubts, I mean, like how good this guy was, or how he was going to fit in?
BALL: No. No doubts at all about how good he was. But I had a little doubt about how fast he was going to pick up the playbook, because he didn't have that much time as usually a lot of people do. But he did a great job with that. He was really focused on getting the job done, and I'm really glad to see that he got that he got that done.
QUESTION #15: Hey, Montee. This is Adam Rittenberg again. I just wondered, how would you describe Russell's leadership style maybe in comparison with Scott's (Tolzien) last year?
BALL: Well, they both do a great job of managing the huddle, managing the game; really great leaders for the team. But one thing that I see different with Russell from Scotty is that Russell will throw the deep ball.
You know, he will take shots down the field, which is some risk that you've got to take on the field, and we kind of wish that Tolzien would have done that a couple of times. Like I said, Tolzien did a great job, but (we're) really glad that we have Russell here in our program.
QUESTION #16: This is Dick Janda, again, at KLMS Radio in Lincoln. Russell, how would you compare Wisconsin and North Carolina State?
WILSON: They're both great schools, but it's tough to compare it. But in terms of what I like about here, it's just the guys here are guys who work hard every single day and they're determined to be successful on a daily basis in the classroom and on the football field. I think that's the best thing about Wisconsin.
QUESTION #17: Are you pretty anxious to open the Big Ten season? What's the level of excitement like there in Madison?
WILSON: I think the level of excitement is extremely high. We're definitely excited about it, but at the same time, you don't want to be too high about it. At the same time, you want to focus on what you need to focus on, making sure that you're doing the right things at the right time in terms of preparation, and you've got to have a great week, obviously.
QUESTION #18: Hey, this question is for Chris Borland. Chris, you know, you see a lot of Big Ten quarterbacks who can really run. How does Taylor Martinez compare to some of those guys that you've seen in the past?
BORLAND: I think he's right in the caliber of Denard Robinson and Terrelle Pryor with how fast he is, and he cuts extremely well too. Probably one of the best running quarterbacks I've seen on film since being in college, and he's going to give a real test to our defense this week.
QUESTION #19: Do you guys hear about his speed, and do you prepare for it differently, knowing that he's probably going to be faster than anybody you've faced this year?
BORLAND: You just have to be on top of everything. There's some things you can do with your scheme to change it up, but for the most part, you just need to make sure you're getting off blocks and you're keeping gap integrity.
QUESTION #20: Chris, Colin Fly, Associated Press. What's it been like to have Mike Taylor there and to be able to play off of him? And you guys must be excited to be together on the field this year.
BORLAND: It's been a lot of fun. Mike's a really good player. I think he's playing his best football of his career right now, and that's fun to see. It's good to see him healthy, and I love playing next to Mike. He's a tremendous player. Our defense is playing fast this year, and it's exciting to be a part of it.
QUESTION #21: How important is that chemistry then?
BORLAND: It's real, and it matters. Linebackers are supposed to be the pulse of the defense, and I think we're doing that his year -- not just Mike and I, but Kevin Claxton and Ethan Armstrong -- and we all have a good feel for one another, have a good feel for the defense, and I think we're performing well right now.
QUESTION #22: This is Dick Janda again at KLMS Radio in Lincoln for Chris Borland. Chris, could you talk a little bit about the Wisconsin defense and just how you would describe it?
BORLAND: I think we're an aggressive bunch. We're talented, and we harp getting after it. We like to play fast and aggressive. We have good chemistry, and we like to try to rattle the opposing offense, so an aggressive bunch, talented, and we're excited to get after it.
QUESTION #23: How would you describe yourself as a linebacker?
BORLAND: I think it's similar to our defense. I'm not the biggest guy in the world or fastest, but I play hard and play smart, and those are two simple things that I think you need to do in the game of football and especially at linebacker.
QUESTION #24: Has this game with Nebraska been kind of the talk of the town all summer? How much are you guys pointing toward it?
BORLAND: There's been a lot of excitement for it. You know, internally, we were focused on our first four games as they came, one at a time, but I know out in the city and around campus, there's been a lot of excitement for this game in particular. And now it's here for us, so we can focus on it too.
QUESTION #25: What will it take to stop Nebraska and the Nebraska offense?
BORLAND: It's going to start with the run. They like to run the ball, tremendous option attack, and a really aggressive, fast line. (Rex) Burkhead's a great running back and, obviously, everyone knows that Taylor Martinez is fast, and he can run. So it's going to start with stopping their run.
QUESTION #26: Chris, Adam Rittenberg, I'm just wondering how much has Coach Bielema played up the significance of this game with you guys?
BORLAND: We haven't really had to. I think the way we prepare every week has been our best practice for this week. Not much has changed. Obviously, this game probably has more hype. It is the best opponent we will have faced up to this point, but nothing really changes. We just continue to prepare like we have, and, hopefully, we'll have our performance, like the ones we've had so far.
QUESTION #27: I just want to ask you, I know Coach has you guys go against the top offense a lot in practice. What's it like going against Russell and the challenges he presents?
BORLAND: It's exciting. We enjoy it. We talk about competition breeds success ultimately, and they're a tough challenge every day from the lineman to, obviously, Russell and the backs and the receivers. I like to think one of the best offenses we'll see all year.
QUESTION #28: Russell, this is Adam Rittenberg again. I'm just wondering, this whole element, the culture of this program, why do you think that it's been such a good fit for you? I mean, did you have an idea of what it was going to be coming in, or has it been different from what you thought it would be?
WILSON: Well, it's been a great experience for me so far, and once I came on my visit, I noticed that the high character here, the work ethic here, obviously the academics, and in terms of football, the atmosphere and the tradition was awesome, so I wanted to be a part of that. And it was something truly special, and I think it's worked out in the best way possible.
QUESTION #29: How did you see that on your visit? What kind of told you that that was part of the program?
WILSON: Well, I met some of the guys, and I met Montee. I met Chris from a distance. I don't know if he remembers or not. But then I met some of the offensive linemen and just got to know some of the guys on a short-term basis. I wasn't here for very long. I was here for maybe 24 hours, if that, but also got to know Coach Bielema and Coach (Paul) Chryst, and kind of what their philosophies were, and what they were all about.
QUESTION #30: Lastly, I was wondering how your experience helps you for a game like this, obviously a top-10 opponent.
WILSON: I think the experience definitely helps for sure, and I think the main thing is just playing relaxed and playing with the confidence. That preparation has really prepared me for a big game, and I definitely believe that. Playing quarterback, you have to make sure the other 10 guys in the huddle are on the same page. That they're playing with confidence, they're playing with an edge. And there's going to be storms, but the main thing is you have to weather those storms. And there's going to be some adversity there, but I believe that experience helps.
QUESTION #31: This question's for Montee, Colin Fly, Associated Press. You've been around playing in this running attack now for several years, and you know what makes a good team running the ball. What impresses you about Nebraska's run, running attack, and what they've been able to do?
BALL: I haven't seen much about them really, because I actually watch, obviously, I watch the defense side, but I can tell you that they run extremely hard. They make sure that they establish the run game as well. But we're not worried at all about it, because Chris Borland and the rest of the defense is already focused on stopping the run game and stopping their offense and making sure we stay on top of everything.
QUESTION #32: This is Pete Thamel from The New York Times again. Montee, I asked other guys earlier about the Jump Around tradition. I'm curious if you've seen anything comparable to that in your kind of tours of the Big Ten and other venues over the years.
BALL: Honestly, no, I have not, because I'm just excited as the fans are for the Jump Around to come around. I am as well, because it's a great experience. It really gets you really hyped for the fourth quarter and all that stuff, and it's just a great, great experience and great thing to experience.
QUESTION #33: This is Dick Janda at KLMS in Lincoln again for Chris Borland. Chris, how has Russell Wilson fit in as a teammate, having come in as an outsider and coming in for just this season?
BORLAND: I don't think it could possibly have gone smoother. Russell fits. He's the exact guy we try to recruit character-wise, and it was a seamless transition. He's the type of player that you can afford to bring in as a transfer with his high character, and I think we're the type of program that can afford to bring in a guy because our team would be welcoming, understand in the situation. So he fits in here so well. We all get along well. He's a great leader. I'm really glad it happened how it did.
QUESTION #34: What's it like going against him in practice?
BORLAND: That's not as fun. He's a tremendous player and he's got the offense running really well, and they execute, and so he can put some stress on you as a defender, but I think it only makes us better.
QUESTION #35: Montee, this is Adam Rittenberg. I was wondering how you would adjust or assess the running game through the first four games of the year?
BALL: I feel like we've done a good job, but, obviously, there's always room for improvement. I felt like against NIU ... that was my poorest game of the season so far. But like I said, there's always room for improvement, and we make sure that we correct our mistakes going into the next game. And like I said, we're just going to stay on top of everything and making sure that we just keep pounding the ball.
QUESTION #36: Yeah. A lot of people are kind of comparing this game to Ohio State last year. You know, Montee, you weren't as big a part of the offense for that game. How much are you looking forward to just being a bigger part, obviously, this year?
BALL: I'm looking forward a lot, because I didn't play one snap at all in that game, so I'm really, really hungry for this game. This is a huge environment, the huge stage, and that's what we all love to play in. So like I said, I'm really looking forward to it.
