Defensive End Jamie Blatnick
Q: What challenges does Stanford present?
A: They have a powerful offense, they have really good offensive linemen. It's a different mindset you have to go into the game with. You have to be a bit more aggressive with it. You have to really get after them. You can't stay in scheme for too long, you just have to get out there and play.
Q: You don't know what to expect from their offense.
A: They do run the ball a lot. I figured they would throw the ball more before I got in there and started looking at them. They are quite balanced. It's one of those things where you try to get the reads if you can and if you can figure out what they're going to do it will really help a lot.
Q: Do you think the defenses can shine in this game?
A: I've hear the term so much, shootout, I feel like every week is going to be a shootout. It's different when you have a lot of time to prepare. Sometimes it makes it a little bit harder for offenses to score points because the defenses now, instead of having a week to prepare have a couple weeks. It really makes a big difference. It probably won't be a shootout based on that, but you never know. We could come out with two whole new offenses.
Q: Do you think one defense will really just have to take over?
A: It's a good possibility. It's probably going to come down to the turnover battle. When you have two great teams like this, keeping one team's offense off the field could be crucial.
Q: Is it extra important to focus on getting three-and-outs?
A: It really is. We can't have them having the ball for the whole game and our offense only having it a couple of times. Getting 40 snaps just wouldn't cut it. We definitely can't give up the yardage that we have previously. Having more time to prepare I think, that shouldn't be a problem.
Q: Does OU game give you confidence for this?
A: We have a little bit of momentum. I wouldn't say too much of it really rolls over. It's just one of those things where guys have to buy in and get after it. Be confident and attack. As a defense you can't sit back and scheme and work. A lot of it is just going to be effort, getting to the ball carrier and making plays. That's what we did against OU, we made a lot of plays. That's what we have to do against Stanford.
Q: Was their running game a surprise?
A: Yeah. Before I watched anything on Stanford I figured they would throw the ball a lot because all I ever heard about was Andrew Luck. But once I started watching them, they run the ball more, if not evenly. They run the ball a lot and they get three or four yards with it. Then they come back with a boot or a power pass and catch you off guard.
