Notes & quotes from College Football Championship pregame show
Former Oregon coaches Mike Bellotti & Chip Kelly reunite with Nick Aliotti in live pregame interview
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. (Jan. 12, 2014) – 90 minutes prior to Oregon and Ohio State meeting for the first College Football Playoff National Championship, Pac-12 Networks brought viewers complete pregame coverage with Mike Yam, Rick Neuheisel and Curtis Conway live from the Networks’ San Francisco studios and Ashley Adamson and former Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti live from AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Below are select quotes, plus a link to an interview with Aliotti reunited with former Oregon coaches Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly:
Ducks reunited: Former Oregon coaches Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly and Nick Aliotti reminisce and celebrate the Ducks’ return to the National Championship – http://snpy.tv/1ssa9a9
“It’s at the top in my mind, especially in the era of the spread offenses; Especially in the era of post-snap decision-making… This guy has been phenomenal and right now he stands at +50 on the year when it comes to the ratio of touchdowns that he’s responsible for, as opposed to turnovers that he’s responsible for. That’s never been done in the history of college football.” – Rick Neuheisel on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota’s place in College Football history
“It’s been very gratifying to see. It’s a big moment for the conference and there’s a sense that the Conference has probably been underappreciated and hasn’t gotten the respect that it’s deserved nationally. So to see our schools rallying behind Oregon, realizing there’s a lot at stake for the whole Conference is really terrific.” – Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott on the ‘#BackthePac’ movement of support for Oregon from the other 11 Conference schools
“I think it’s huge, I really do. I’ve coached in this league for a long time and I know what’s said around the country about the style of ball that’s played on the West Coast. I heard Mark Dantonio as I’m sitting in my hotel room today, he’s the one coach that’s played both these teams, he’s lost to both of them; He called Oregon ‘a finesse team.’ I got angry in my hotel room and I’m going, ‘we’re going to show you tonight.’ Oregon has climbed the ladder. They have earned the distinction of being one of the elite teams in the country and they have to finish it off.” – Rick Neuheisel on what this game means to the Pac-12 and Oregon not always getting the respect they deserve
“Nobody’s too cool to get fired up. If you don’t have those butterflies going, you’re just not human.” – Nick Aliotti on Oregon feeling the butterflies heading into kickoff
“Nine of the last 10 National Championship games have been won by teams that ran for more yards.” – Rick Neuheisel on the importance of the running game
“He will fill that spot perfectly because he’s always been the guy; he’s going to step up. Everyone is talking about [Darren] Carrington, but [Byron] Marshall’s saying, ‘you guys seem to forget who’s been the receiver on this team all season.’” - Curtis Conway on Oregon WR Byron Marshall stepping up for the absence of WR Darren Carrington
Pac-12 Networks’ pregame coverage team will return immediately following the game with a live, 90-minute College Football Championship Postgame Report, Presented by GameFly featuring postgame analysis, highlights and interviews from the AT&T Stadium.