Translating Dana Holgorsen’s Big 12 Media Comments - Part Two

In case you missed it, you can catch part one of our translations translations here. I hope you kept your tinfoil hats on because there are more comments to translate.

Q. Are you a fan of the move to the Big 12 championship game and how do you feel like those teams that play in it should be determined?

DANA HOLGORSEN: Yeah, I'm in favor of a championship game. There is no question. I've said this for a couple years, the thing I don't like about not having a championship game is having these games, these regular season games that first week of December. I think that hurts the teams that are playing from a recruiting perspective and it helps the teams that are playing if it's a situation where you're being considered for CFP or, you know, a top-tier Bowl game. I just don't like the format. I think you need to find the best two teams. I got all the confidence in the world with the Big 12 administration, Commissioner Bowlsby and to figure that out. I don't have the answer, and it really doesn't matter what I think anyway.

TRANSLATION: Nobody wants to come play in Morgantown in December and nobody watches us when you have Alabama-Georgia playing, USC-Stanford playing and I guess the ACC game draws about 5 people. But I’m a football coach so luckily I don’t have to figure this stuff out.

Q. Coach, there's been a lot of discussion about whether the Big 12 should expand. Obviously you guys are at a traveling disadvantage, do you think the Big 12 should expand and would you prefer someone to be closer to you guys?

DANA HOLGORSEN: It certainly wouldn't hurt. I'm in favor of expansion. I'm on the side of my boss President Gee who is in favor of expansion as well. So, you know, who, that's not for me to say. There's a lot of things that go into it that I don't have the knowledge to be able to discuss. I would like to see two teams added. I would like a good, round number of 12. I was in the Big 12 for a long time and we had 12. It makes those divisional breakups easier and it makes trying to get a championship together a little easier as well.

TRANSLATION: Of course I am in favor of expansion. You know who makes the SEC Championship? The two teams who played the easiest schedule. At some point, we wouldn’t have to play Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State back-to-back.

Q. You're five years in now at West Virginia. Big 12 is no stranger to you, but have you been surprised at how difficult it's been for you to get momentum going? I think you're 15-20, 15-21 in conference play. Is this what you expected, or did you want to be -- think you would be farther along?

DANA HOLGORSEN: Well, I think we're right where we need to be, to be honest with you, we've showed improvement the last two years. Looking back on last year we won more games than we have in the previous three years in the Big 12. Two points away from winning 10, so I think we're pretty competitive. I think the schedule sets up a little bit better this upcoming year. We got a lot of bodies, a lot of returning starters, a lot of guys that are familiar with what's going on. So I feel like we're right where we needed to be. Early on we flat out didn't have the depth to be able to compete. We had a couple of highlevel players that won us some games, but we didn't have the depth. That's not an excuse anymore because the last couple of years we've had depth and we've been competitive. So I like where our team is at, and I feel like we're going to be he every bit as competitive or more this upcoming year.

TRANSLATION: We are so close to having a really great year, kinda like Mike Gundy is so close to having a really great mullet.

Q. Nine of the ten starting quarterbacks are back from last year. What do you think of this crop? Do you think it might be one of the better once you've seen since you've been in the league?

DANA HOLGORSEN: This go-round, yes. This reminds me of some of the those 2006, 2007, 2008 years where we had a lot of older guys that were returning guys. Quarterback play has been great in this league for a long, long time. The last couple of years it's been a little bit more spotty, but seeing all these guys coming back with what they can do, I think is pretty good, with all the returning guys. I alluded to it earlier, you gotta score points because there's so many good quarterbacks and so much good skill and so much great offensive minds in this league that 35 points a game isn't going to get it done all the time. We've addressed that and we know what we gotta do offensively and Skyler understands that and I think Skyler is in a really good place right now. We've gotta be able to do what we need to do each and every week from scoring points and moving the ball to be able to be competitive because the quarterback play and the offenses are so good in this league.

TRANSLATION: This reminds me of the time when I was an offensive coordinator and I was telling Coach Leach that we had to score more points. He wanted to run the ball but I said “Mike! We gotta throw the ball to score” so we started throwing the ball and we scored points. But then everyone did it and everyone copied us. Its been a while but I got a feeling this is going to be one of those years.

Q. Last year, you said developing left tackle is the priority for fall camp. What's the prior to this fall camp? Corner back? Defense? Something on offense you want to see?

DANA HOLGORSEN: Tackle is still something that we're trying to develop. We got two good, young tackles, Yodny and McKivitz, those two guys are really good young tackles that we're trying to continue to develop. Timing within the passing game is important, got a lot of good, young receivers and it's going to be exciting to see which one of these guys breaks out and separates themselves much like Kevin White did two years ago. Defensively without a doubt it's corner. We got a lot of options at corner and we got a lot of older guys, two junior college guys, a fifth year transfer, another fifth year transfer from Miami, another junior college kid that's been on campus for two years and then four freshmen as well. So we got a lot of bodies there, but that's going to be Coach Adams main priority and Coach Gibson's priority to get those guys to be able to rely on those guys to be able to do what we want to do defensively.

TRANSLATION: Honestly at this point I’ve tuned out. You’re still asking me questions? I know, repeat what you said. “Left tackle!” “Defense!” “Something on offense” That should hold you guys overs.