Coming off a monster 186 all purpose-yard performance (career-high 101 receiving, 85 rushing) last Friday against Oregon, junior running back
Daniel Lasco took a few minutes after Wednesday’s practice to sit down with
CalBears.com. The Texas native talked about his role in the passing game, being a mentor to the younger running backs and his pre-game rituals.
CalBears.com: You are the team’s fourth-leading receiver so far. Did you expect to be such a big part of the passing game?
Daniel Lasco: Being in this offense, anything can get thrown at you. I feel very grateful that Goff has a lot of confidence in me. Whenever he’s scrambling in the pocket or hesitant he can just turn to me and check it down. It goes with the offense since we’re a pass offense and having running backs running routes out of the backfield is something to make defenses nervous because it puts us one-on-one with linebackers who usually can’t cover us.
CB: What’s it like being a mentor to the younger running backs?
DL: We help each other out. Just because they came in this year doesn’t mean anything. I don’t see them as freshmen at all. I see them as football players and running backs. Whoever is out there, we’re all watching from the sideline. We help each other as a group and it’s nice having depth at running back. It doesn’t matter who is in there, we can all pop off some big plays. Vic showed some great running last Friday and it was exciting to see him go out there and start pounding the ball down some defenses throats.
CB: What are the running backs like off the field?
DL: Everybody is brothers on this team. We all go out to get food on campus, play video games and study together depending on what classes we’re in.
CB: Can you talk about Coach Ingram’s influence on you as a running back?
DL: He’s a great dude and a great coach on and off the field. I say great dude because I think of him as a friend because off the field were just joking around and having fun. On the field he gets on us if he needs to. It’s a big transition to him from Coach Gould, but it’s great having him in the office and teaching us things. He’s excited about playing every single team and says we’re going to rush all over them. He just has a lot of energy and brings that out each and every day.
CB: What’s your favorite drill to do in practice?
DL: My favorite drill is the Jug machine that we do. That’s something new that we started incorporating this year. Ingram goes on the fly and makes up stuff. He’ll be walking out to practice just thinking of something to do different that day. It’s good because it keeps us on edge and keeps us working the little things.
CB: Do you have any pre-game rituals?
DL: Every single game I walk around the field before I get on it. I just look at the stands, people in the stadium and be one with the field. Other than that, I just have a huge music playlist that I flip through.
CB: What is the toughest stadium to play at in the Pac-12?
DL: Probably USC. My redshirt freshman year when we went down there it was crazy loud and it was a great stadium to play in. I got hit pretty hard and so their fans were brutal after I got hit. When I stood on the sidelines they were screaming and yelling the whole entire game and it wouldn’t stop. I think hostility-wise probably USC
