Everything the Cincinnati Offense Said about Alabama Football Ahead of the Cotton Bowl

Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, quarterback Desmond Ritter, offensive lineman Dylan O’Quinn, wide receiver Alec Pierce and running back Jerome Ford all spoke with the media on Monday afternoon.

DALLAS — On Monday afternoon, the Cincinnati offense took center stage ahead of its 2021 Cotton Bowl matchup against No. 1 Alabama.

Alongside offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, quarterback Desmond Ritter, offensive lineman Dylan O’Quinn, wide receiver Alec Pierce and running back Jerome Ford all spoke with the media ahead of the team's appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Here is the full transcript of the Cincinnati offense's Monday press conference:

Cincinnati Offense Press Conference - Dec. 27, 2021

Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock

Opening Statement

COACH DENBROCK: "Thanks very much. First off, let me semi-apologize for my appearance. We just got off the practice field getting ready. We had our Tuesday practice today. Let me just lead off by saying, you know, we're honored to be included in the College Football Playoff. I think our guys have worked very, very hard for an opportunity like this. They've beaten down a lot of doors. They've overcome a lot of obstacles to give themselves this opportunity. We're excited that it's against the University of Alabama, just because of what that program and their head coach represents. And Coach [Nick] Saban and, obviously, the University of Alabama has been at the top of the college football world for quite some time. And it's a goal that we've had in our program to play for championships. This is an opportunity to kind of continue that goal. We were able to secure our conference championship, obviously, to give ourselves this opportunity.

"But we look forward to, you know, the opportunity to play against the best. And the champs are the University of Alabama, and we get an opportunity to see what the Bearcats can do. So, it's an exciting time for our program. I know it's an exciting time for our players, our coaches, everybody associated with our organization. And what I look forward to the most is, given the leadership on our football team that has brought us so far as a program, the opportunity on this stage to showcase what they're capable of doing."

Q. You guys have remade that wide receiver room over in recent seasons. Whether it's and I guess there's a surprisingly lack of diva status among those guys, at least from the outside. How do you recruit to that, whether it's home-grown guys like Alec [Pierce] and Tyler [Scott] and Tre [Tucker] or somebody like Mike that you pull in off the portal?

COACH DENBROCK: "Well, as you know, and everybody should know, it's been a real emphasis of ours to try to attract as many playmakers to get this offense a little more explosive over the last couple years. We've been very fortunate to do that. As you mentioned, Justin, some has home-grown talent and some through other relationships or prior relationships that we've had. I think the -- there's maybe a misconception that there's no divas in that room. There's not a guy in that room that doesn't want the ball every time we call a pass play. But I think the best thing we've got going for us throughout the entire offense is an understanding that it's going to take all of us to be successful. Your opportunities will come provided you're where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing, when you're supposed to be doing it. And those guys do a great job of doing that. There's a lot of really quality football players in that room. And we love the opportunity to, you know, not only be deep and have more than one guy available to us to make plays but give those guys the opportunities to impact the game as we go."

Q. I just want to ask how preparation has been this week? Obviously, COVID and reducing the chances for spread has been such a big focus, and things are kind of going crazy with that. How have you been able to keep the guys focused and staying safe in that regard?

COACH DENBROCK: "Well, Tino, as you know, for the last year and more than a year, it's been an incredible challenge to keep their minds focused on the task at hand, and it's something that we talked to them a lot about all the time. It's something the leadership, the players on the team themselves have put a priority on. To make sure that we don't limit any opportunities that may come our way by not taking care of the things that we know we can control. Which is, you know, social distancing in the media room, wearing a mask when we need to wear a mask. Following the guidelines that are set forth for everybody out there to try to keep themselves safe. We don't venture very far from that. I think what we do with, you know, with the younger generation, as I call them, is just constantly try to remind them and keep it in the back of their minds that you've worked so hard to provide yourself this opportunity, the last thing we need to do is compromise that by doing something out of character. And these guys have done a great job of kind of focusing and making sure they're doing what they needed to do to not only stay on field but be successful doing it."

Q. And can I follow that up with just a question on Desmond [Ridder] and since we're going to speak to him next, what have you seen from him? Obviously, he's the leader on the team, but going through this week, this is perhaps the biggest game in program history. What have you seen from Desmond Ridder leading the guys in preparation?

COACH DENBROCK: "Well, I think the best thing that I've seen from Des is Des is being Desmond. He's not out of character. It's not out character for him to lead our football team in every way. Whether that's vocally, whether that's through his play, how he studies the game, how he prepares himself. He's a great example to everybody around him of how to get ready for a game like this in the challenge that's ahead for us offensively coming up.

"So, I think the best thing about it is, you know, he's in his comfort zone in a leadership role. And he's done, not done anything to venture outside of that. He's just been himself which is plenty good enough to lead this football team."

Q. Just a lot has been made about the Group of Five status with Cincinnati and playing a team like Alabama. You've coached at, you know, the Power Five level. What tells you about this team, your Cincinnati team that says they're on the same level as an Alabama and the Power Five conferences?

COACH DENBROCK: "Well, I mean, I think it's strongly led by the senior class that we have. We've got over 33 seniors that have been through the wars and been through the fire. Have had disappointments along the way. Have had challenges along the way. Have had struggles along the way. And has done nothing as a group and a football team but overcome those things that people put in front of them. Whether that's labeling them a non-Power Five team. Whether that's calling them Cinderella or whatever name that people in the media like to come up with to try to describe this group. I describe them as a football team. A group of men that have a common goal, that grind and fight and scratch and claw every day to make that a reality.

"So, you know, I think this is a group, because of the leadership that we have, that's capable of matching up and having success in any situation."

Q. Do you think that the doubts have fueled this team's motivation for this group?

COACH DENBROCK: "I mean, I hope they grow motivation from whatever factor they feel like they need to gain motivation. I think first and foremost, above all else, these guys play for each other. They believe in each other. They've been through, as I said, the wars together and the disappointments together. This is truly a family of football players, not just a football team. And they support and they play for each other. And that's a pretty strong bond to have and leads to a lot of successes these guys have enjoyed."

Q. You played Alabama while you were at Notre Dame in the national championship. I'm curious, I know their defense has evolved since then, but what might be particularly unique or challenging for you in game planning against a Nick Saban-led defense?

COACH DENBROCK: "I think first and foremost, it's, you know, how athletic they are. You know, how -- I won't say complicated or overly complicated, but they give you so many different varieties of looks and different change-ups and things that they do, I think that's as much the challenge as anything. And you combine that with the quality of athlete that they have on the defensive side of the ball, whether that be in the front seven, whether that be with the coverage skills in the backend, you know, that presents some real issues.

"You know, you have to be at least aware of the fact that you're rarely going to get the same look twice. That you have to be, you know, on your toes with communication with your guys up front, in particular, and your quarterback's got to be able to see the multiplicity of the things they do defensively and be able to decipher it with not a lot of time on his hands in the pocket. So there's so many unique challenges to playing an Alabama. Much like the game we were in last year, it's the best of the best playing defense. And they're not only great with what they do scheme-wise and confusion with what they do scheme-wise, they got great athletes out there doing it."

Q. I'm just wondering, I know you guys have probably seen Alabama by now. Can you tell me, we all know about Will Anderson. Can you tell me another than Will Anderson, which sounds kind of funny, but can you tell me some of the other players on Alabama's defense that just jump out on film?

COACH DENBROCK: "Well, I'll answer my question probably a little more generally than you hoped. But my answer would be pick one. I mean, I think everybody along their defensive front is, you know, does a great job with body position and leverage and understands their fit, where they're supposed to be in the scheme. They've got two really solid linebackers, inside linebackers that cannot only run, stop the run but do a great job in coverage. They've got press corners that are long that can frustrate the crap out of your wide receivers. Two safeties who even if you try to isolate them are going to be a problem trying to create match-ups against. So I don't know that there's certain players that I can single out, necessarily. Just to say that you can see across the board the quality of player that they have on the defensive side of the ball. And that they're well-coached. They're fundamentally strong in everything they do. And their scheme's as solid as anything we've faced this year."

Q. When you look at Jerome [Ford] and the year he's had, what kind of stands out? Why he's made such a big leap and how motivated do you think he's going to be to face his old team?

COACH DENBROCK: "Well, I think he's done a nice job of being fully motivated all year. Obviously, playing against a lot of people that maybe you came in with or played with at one time adds a little something to it for him. But he's been great all year as far as being on top of his game and doing great things. I think, you know, Jerome is a unique type of individual when it comes to running back. He's a hard-yard guys, which means he can get in between the tackles and do the dirty work that running backs need to do sometimes, whether that's falling forward, gaining an extra yard, gaining an extra two yards, whatever that happens to be. And he also has the ability to kind of break out in space and make explosive runs and score touchdowns. You know, with the ball in his hands. And has done a great job of that the entire season. So I think he's a complete back from that standpoint. And has certainly added a lot to our offense as the season's gone along."

Q. You kind of got asked about it earlier, but you guys are a two-touchdown underdog, and I'm sure you don't look at that kind of stuff. But is there any sense of wanting to prove you guys deserve to be on this stage by your performance?

COACH DENBROCK: "Chris, I hope all is well with you. I don't believe that at all. I mean, you know, each kid's going to have kind of his own little motivation thing. I think as a football team, we feel like we've earned our way here. We feel like and know we belong here. So for there to be any outside extra motivation that's needed to get these guys ready to roll or -- there's enough of a challenge that's going to be standing across the field from us, that deserves our full attention. And has our full attention. And you know, I think the thing that some people forget sometimes about this group of seniors and this football team in particular is they did everything that people ask them to do to get to this point. They've been successful 13 straight times that they've taken the field. And you know, the opportunity that's in front of us to play next, we're well aware of how difficult it's going to be, how much of a fight and a struggle it's going to be. But one that I think our players going to be prepared for."

Q. And Luke [Fickell] made a comment yesterday that, you know, kind of in the middle of the season there, when some performances maybe didn't go as well as you hoped, he felt that maybe you guys were maybe putting too much pressure on yourselves. Is that kind of the same mindset you got to get past going into this game?

COACH DENBROCK: "I definitely think it's a lesson we learned as the season went along. It's hard to keep the players away from social media, obviously. ESPN and the like, I mean, God bless them, we love it all. The Twitter world and all of it. But the fact of the matter is, people were trying to label us as this or that or tell us what we needed to do. And you're not doing this well enough. You're not doing that well enough. All we really needed to do was be us and continue to win. I think over the course of the middle of the season, in particular, that was a lesson learned for this group of seniors and this football team and for the coaching staff, in particular. To make sure we're saying the right thing guys and not filling their heads full of things that really don't matter. What really matters at the end of the day and what we've built our program on is the trust, love, and respect that we have for each other when we walk into the locker room. And that hasn't changed no matter whether we've won by 13 or 30. So we just tried to kind of focus more on that, Chris, than we did the rest of the noise."

Q. You kind of touched upon it a little bit in your answer saying the label of Cinderella and the underdog. Just because recruiting is such a big part of the sport, why do you guys think you've had so much success developing the Desmond Ridders and some of these younger guys like Alec Pierce, and you know, guys that were lighter recruited than the guys at Alabama and had success?

COACH DENBROCK: "Yeah, I think that false on two levels. I think, number one, it's identifying the right individuals that have the potential for growth. To grow their game. And combined with a hunger and to gain knowledge and to gain experience and to gain strength and to put the work in necessary to become better and better and better at what they do. We've been very fortunate to have a good track record of IDing those guys and then being able to talking into coming and playing at the University of Cincinnati. And I would say secondly, it's the coaching staff. I mean, outside of myself, which I don't know whether I would include myself in this or not, but there's some great coaches on this staff. Whether that's up and down the line, whether that's on offense or defense, and development is a huge piece of what we feel like our responsibility is to these guys that are in our program. Whether they're true freshman or whether they're seniors or fifth-year seniors, we don't change the model. We just keep digging and try to make them better every day and try to find ways from a coaching standpoint that we can help their game grow and put them in a position to have more success. So I think it's a combination of both those things that have led to kind of what you're getting at with your question."

QB Desmond Ridder

Opening Statement

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "First of all, thank you for having me. We are excited to get down here, get down to Dallas. Great hotel, beautiful stadium. Definitely one of the biggest that I think all of us have played in or walked in, but we're excited to get down here and play Alabama and show not only ourselves and, you know, everyone in the country what we can do against a top team."

Q. Kind of a big-picture question I asked you in the beginning of the year, I think after you guys beat Notre Dame. But just to look back at when you went into that game at UCLA as a freshman and getting that win out there to now playing in the College Football Playoff. Can you even recap what this journey has been like for you from that moment to now?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "Yeah, I mean, there's been a lot of ups and downs and, you know, all of our records and rings of championships and bowl wins, you know, they might all says "wins," but myself and our teammates and others around us in the program, we've had doubts too.

"But it's just been a journey. And Coach Fick [Luke Fickell] has always talked about trusting the journey and trusting the process, and that's exactly what it's been for myself and a lot of my teammates. So, I've had a great experience over my five years here, and I'm just hoping we can seal it off with one of the best experiences there is."

Q. Mike Denbrock talked a lot about the unique challenges that the Alabama defense brings. And you guys have a unique opportunity with having a former Alabama player in Jerome Ford. How much do you tap into Jerome's experience there or maybe against an Alabama defense, is it kind of limited in what you can actually take away from someone who wasn't been there a couple of years?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "You can learn a lot. You obviously see what they're like physically on film, but you learn a lot from him more mentally and, you know, how they approach the game, you know, how they're going to come prepared. He lets you know what the Alabama culture is just so we're not just hit in the face when we get out there and something may be a little different than what we think. So having Jerome on our team, it definitely helps us a lot and he's a great addition to our team."

Q. You guys have had about three weeks since the playoffs berths came out. And you guys have heard all about what a great accomplishment it is for you guys to be here. You've heard about you're underdogs. Now that you're actually here, Coach [Luke] Fickell talked about the opportunity. You guys don't want to let it go to waste. Talk about the mindset that it's now game week and what you guys really do want to accomplish and you haven't done what you wanted to do yet.

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "We're taking it day by day. Coach Fick [Luke Fickell] gave a great speech this morning before we came over here in our hotel. He said, you know, lock in from about 7:00 to 1:00, and then we'll have meetings later on tonight.

"But, you know, when we lock in from 7:00 to 1:00, right after practice, it's all football and then we have meetings later on at night. But those other times after that, you know, it's for relaxing and resting and, you know, having a good time with our brothers because, you know, for a lot of us, this is our guaranteed last opportunity to go out here and play the game of football. So, you know, we're going to do everything we can to make the most out -- make the most out of it and also have a good time while doing it."

Q. What have these three weeks been like, though, getting ready to get to this point?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "Yeah, it's definitely been a long three weeks, especially with a little Christmas break. We played the championship game the first week of December and had a couple days off there and then started to get to practice.

"Those first six, seven practices were, you know, attention to the older guys, but then, the later half of practice, it was all young guys. So kind of gave the older guys who have played a lot of ball some time off but also got good work in with it.

"But it's definitely been a long time, especially with the nerves, the excitement, or whatever you may want to call it, just the anticipation of coming down here. So, you know, Christmas was a little more exciting to be able to open up presents with your family and then we drove back to Cincinnati and woke up the next morning, had practice, and was able to fly down here. So, we were all ready to go and excited."

Q. Going to the Cowboys game last night, what kind of flavor did that give you? Did it help you at all to experience the stadium ahead of time and did you get any flak for going out last night?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "No, yeah, so it definitely gave it a good aspect of what it's going to be like. When I went back home, I kind of thought at points it is going to be that loud and at points it's not going to be that loud. I don't know how the ticket sales are, but let's just say they're 50/50. There was may way more than 50% Cowboys fans in the building last night. There were times where there was an interception or a touchdown where this place got loud. So, I'm excited to see how it gets over the next week."

Q. I just want to ask you about leadership. Obviously, that's such a big thing for you. You know, you're the unquestioned leader of this team. But that comes over time. What does the word "leadership" really mean to you and how does that definition really carry into this what could be your last game in a Cincinnati uniform?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "Yeah, to me, leadership is not only being the one person that, you know, everyone looks up to, but it's also being there for people, you know, whether that be in good times or in bad. So, for me, you know, I was a good leader in high school and came in here to Cincinnati not really knowing what to expect as far as from a college football standpoint.

"And, you know, for the first couple of months and time while I was there, I kind of just let things come to me and grew friendships and grew in our brotherhood. And it was, you know, kind of towards the later half of my redshirt season, or my true freshman season where I was redshirting at the time, where I really started to open up, started to reach out to some of the older guys and see how they were leading and how they were going about their daily business. So when I knew that I wanted to play my next year as a redshirt freshman I could be the best person, I could be the best teammate I could be and the best leader I could be."

Q. You mentioned in your previous answer leadership in high school. I'm just curious what it was like to be coached by Will Wolford and how formative was that experience for you in terms of carrying you to today where you're at Cincinnati and you are the leader of this team?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "Coach Wolford, at this point, I like to call him one of my good friends. He's been there for me ever since I was a young kid in high school, and he's always there for me no matter what I do. He really taught me what it was to be a leader and how to lead a football team. You know, he was in the NFL for a long time and has done a lot of great things in his career.

"And so for him to have -- to be my first high school football coach, you know, it really showed me what an NFL player looks like, you know, how they go about their daily business. And he made sure that we knew that too, because we had some guys on the team that had dreams and aspirations of going to play in college and going to play in the NFL. So he really set the bar for them."

Q. The people that have been around this team the entire season understand how many next-level players are playing at UC and will play on Sundays maybe even as soon as next year. Do you think the rest of the country might be surprised at how many NFL players are on your team and will play on the field on Friday?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "If they're surprised, then they haven't been watching our games. So maybe the draft or whatever that may be might help them wake up a little bit, I guess. We have a lot of great players, and it's just a testament to the hard work that we've put in, the hard work that our coaches, our trainers, all of our staff at UC has got us to this point. We're just going out on Saturdays and Fridays and just showing what we can do. And, you know, like I said again, it's just a testament to all of our hard work."

Q. Obviously, on the most basic level, this is all about Cincinnati trying to find a way to get to the College Football Playoff final, but does there feel to be some additional pressure of being the first non-Power Five team and representing that dream for other universities around the country who want to try to make it to this stage?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "No, not really. And, you know, for us, we've already had so much pressure on us throughout the entire season of marking off the checklist, you know, so why add the pressure of every other non-Power Five school that we have on our back?

"You know, for us, it's really just been about us and will always and continue to be about us and the way we go about our way and the way we go about our game. So there's really no added pressure on us from that standpoint. And yeah, we're just excited to get out and show what we can do."

Q. What have you learned about yourself in terms of the challenges of dealing with success that might be different than what you personally dealt with the first few years of your career?

QB DESMOND RIDDER: "That adversity is going to come in many different ways, and the one thing I really look back on this season is not taking things for granted. You know, we did go 13‑0 and, you know, the season that everyone had ‑‑ or the season that everyone thought we should have and this and that, but there would be times where I would come into the locker room and the celebration and the joy, and it's just not there, whether I thought I could have played a better game or didn't have the game I thought I could have had.

"But at the end of the day, looking back and seeing what we did, you know, it's something to be grateful for and something that, you know, teams may never accomplish and only strive to accomplish.

"So, you know, really just not taking anything for granted, not taking any day for granted, no matter how good or how bad a situation may be, and just living every day as it's just your last."

OL Dylan O'Quinn

Opening Statement

OL DYLAN O'QUINN: "Obviously, this is an awesome opportunity. The first Power Five to break through the College Football Playoff. We're just excited to get to the 31st and play some football."

Q. Dylan, your impressions of AT&T Stadium, what it's like to step on a field where they have had Super Bowls and how you guys reacted to being on there?

OL DYLAN O'QUINN: "Yeah, it was pretty cool walking through that tunnel. We came here for the Cowboys game last night. We were sitting in the nosebleeds and it was still awesome to see everything, awesome to see the crowd go crazy. Really excited to see that on the 31st."

Q. You guys are obviously the big underdog coming into this game. I'm curious if that motivates you at all, if you guys feel like you need to prove yourselves a little bit on this stage for the first time.

OL DYLAN O'QUINN: "Not really. We're just kind of focused on being on us. We've heard a lot about this David versus Goliath talk. The fact of the matter everybody puts their pants on the same way. Everybody plays the game of football. We just want to go out and be us."

Q. When you look at your running back (Jerome Ford), he obviously comes from Alabama. He was there two years. How motivated do you think he's going to be for this game?

OL DYLAN O'QUINN: "Yeah, I'm sure Jerome will be pretty motivated. I think he's just going to go out and do his thing that he does on every Saturday. He's going to run the ball, hit the holes, run hard."

Q. What, if any, are your impressions on film of Alabama's defensive front? And what are the challenges of their pass rush with Will Anderson and guys like that?

OL DYLAN O'QUINN: "Yeah, obviously it's Alabama. They're big, strong, physical. We'll have a challenge ahead of us. But we're up for it. And we're going to do our best to block their defensive line and get our running backs to the second level and keep our quarterback on his feet."

Q. Obviously Alabama's Will Anderson has a record for tackles for loss, and they've gotten after the quarterback pretty well. What have you seen out of their pass rush and the challenge you guys face?

OL DYLAN O'QUINN: "Well, I think they get up the field really well. I think they have some good pass rushers. They like to squeeze the pocket pretty well. So, we're just going to have to take good sets and try to take care of them."

WR Alec Pierce

Opening Statement

WR ALEC PIERCE: "Yeah, I'm super excited. It's a dream come true. I'm really excited to be here. It's a great venue. The Cotton Bowl has had great hospitality so far. And just looking forward to this week."

Q. What have you seen on film from Alabama's corners, both [Kool‑Aid] McKinstry and [Jalyn] Armour‑Davis?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "They're both good players. They've both got good size, good length. They both run. So it's just going to come down to making plays. There might not be as much separation as we've seen in the past. It is going to come down to making plays."

Q. You guys have had a little time to let it set in, the major accomplishment that you've had here and you're a significant underdog in the game. What's the mindset now that you're here and it's about time to put it on the field?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "The mindset right now is just working this week, going over our normal routine, practicing ‑‑ preparing for Alabama. That's kind of what we're focused on right now. I know Coach Fick (Luke Fickell) said the morning, when we're practicing, that's got to be all Alabama, all focus on that; and in the afternoons, we can have a little bit more fun and enjoy the bowl festivities, stuff like that."

Q. Take me through how much going against Ahmad Gardner every day has not only made you better but made Ahmad better. I know we watch it in practice every day. but maybe for those that aren't familiar, just talk about the respect you two have and how much you've elevated each other's game.

WR ALEC PIERCE: "Sure. He's a great player. I think he's probably the best press corner in the country. Going against him every day is an unbelievable look. We get a ton of opportunities to make each other better and just work against each other and sharpen our craft."

Q. The group of receivers you guys have in the room, not a lot of outspoken personalities or kind of divas or so to speak from a position that often does. Where does that culture come from with you guys?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "I think it's just the mentality in the room. We have a saying "by any means necessary." It's basically just whatever we got to do, we got to go out there and run the ball a thousand times and block our game or throw the ball a hundred times. That's what we're going to do to win. At the end of the day, we want to win. We'll really do whatever it takes. That includes contributing on special teams, a big emphasis, things like that."

Q. How much have you guys talked about kind of the significance of being in this game, in terms of ‑‑ obviously you're the first non‑power school to get to the playoff. And how you guys perform could determine the fate of others down the road.

WR ALEC PIERCE: "I don't think the significance for us is anything other than the significance of it being the College Football Playoffs. It's the biggest game of the year for us in that aspect that we have a chance to advance on to the college football finals. That is itself a huge, enormous significance. Other than that, I don't think we're looking at the outside factors."

Q. There's been some other questions before this about Alabama's pass rush. Does that put an extra pressure on the receivers to get open quicker, just given that Desmond [Ridder] might not have as much time?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "Just going to have to be able to try to get open as best we can. Whether it be early or not, I don't know ‑‑ for me, I just control what I can control. I run my route the same way whether I know we're going against a good pass rusher, a team that's dropping eight. I just try to get as open as I can."

Q. I know you said you don't feel like you need to do this on behalf of all Group of Five teams. But being a two‑touchdown underdog in Vegas ‑‑ something I'm sure you don't look at ‑‑ do you feel like you guys need to prove in this game that you belong here?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "I don't think we need to do anything different to prove that we belong here. I think we just need to go out and play our game."

Q. What do you think it says about your program and maybe the way you guys have operated that you were the first team to break through, the first non‑Power Five to make the playoff?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "It means a lot. Coach has really bought in and got the players to buy in. It's been a long journey. I know a lot of us have been playing here for a while, a lot of guys with a lot of starts. So just to kind of see the program grow has been really cool to see."

Q. Desmond Ridder talked about ‑‑ I asked him what the learning lessons you can take from Jerome Ford when it comes to Alabama, if there's anything schematically or anything like that. He really talked about, well, we learned about the culture that Alabama has and what they kind of bring. I guess from your standpoint, what do you think Jerome Ford's experience at Alabama can teach you guys about being on this stage in this game?

WR ALEC PIERCE: "I agree with Dez. Jerome's being there, he knows the culture, he knows how they work. I know they are a really well‑run program. Yeah, I agree with what Dez said."

RB Jerome Ford

Opening Statement

RB JEROME FORD: "Very excited to be on a stage like this and have an opportunity to play a great team in front of a lot of people. Pretty sure me and my team, coaches, everybody are excited for the opportunity."

Q. I want to ask you how surreal is it for you to be with Cincinnati and to be playing your former team but to be a part of this historic run for Cincinnati against Alabama?

RB JEROME FORD: "It's a great opportunity to play on a big stage. I'm thankful for everything Coach [Nick] Saban has done for me, the opportunity to play at Alabama.

"But I am a Bearcat. And I would kind of appreciate it if people stop calling me "the" Alabama transfer. I'm a Cincinnati Bearcat. But like I said, I'm thankful for everything Coach Saban did for me and the opportunity to play at Alabama around all the great coaches and other great players."

Q. When you chose Cincinnati, did you have any inkling that this would be a possibility that you guys could finally break through and make the playoff?

RB JEROME FORD: "Honestly, it didn't really cross my mind. Only thing I thought about when I came to Cincinnati is how could I contribute to help win games and win a conference championship. Anything else would have been a plus.

"We just take it one game at a time, one step at a time. Just get my foot in the door. I didn't really think much about a national championship or anything besides winning one game at a time."

Q. Good afternoon, Jerome. Congratulations on making the College Football Playoff. Can you talk about how you ended up choosing to continue your college football career at Cincinnati after deciding to transfer? And, also, during the game on Friday, what is it going to be like for you to look across the field to the other sideline and seeing some of your former teammates and the coaches who recruited you out of high school?

RB JEROME FORD: "Honestly, coming out of high school, Coach G (Gino Guidugli) was a great recruiter for my area. He came and talked to me. I was real high on Cincinnati, but I chose Alabama.

"When I entered the transfer portal, I knew Coach G was still a great guy, somebody ‑‑ a place that I felt that I could go when I jumped into the transfer portal. And that's how I ended up choosing Cincinnati. Still had that relationship with Coach G. And I hit those guys up and they made it happen.

"And then as far as looking to this other sideline on game day, it's a business trip. We came here to play football. It won't be one of those things where it's like, oh, my buddies are over there. It will be just like playing another team. We came to play a game and win a game. And we are just grateful for the opportunity to play on such a big stage."

Q. As the season developed and it started to look like the playoff might be a possibility for you all, did you ever find yourself thinking about the possibility of playing Alabama? Or did you kind of intentionally try to keep that out of your mind?

RB JEROME FORD: "We intentionally tried to keep it out our mind and focus one game at a time. All the play, all talk all year, we just tried to stay close to our brothers in the locker room and just focus one game at a time, one play at a time, one practice at a time, and be where our feet are and be us. I didn't really think anything about a national championship ‑‑ take it one game at a time ‑‑ or a playoff game.

"Now we're here. We focus one game at a time."

Q. Wanted your impressions on getting a look at AT&T Stadium and seeing a field that they have had Super Bowls on and the Cowboys are playing last night. Do you ever do any visionary things where you picture yourself running for a touchdown or someday playing in the NFL on that same field? What was your impression when you walked in?

RB JEROME FORD: "We came in for a game last night and it was kind of surreal, kind of starstruck. It was crazy just watching the fans and everybody go crazy and actually watching players play. It was pretty fun. I definitely ‑‑ if I'm blessed enough, I could see myself playing on a field like this in the future."

Q. You had a bit of an ankle injury through the middle of the season. How difficult was that?

RB JEROME FORD: "It was more of a mental thing. Our training staff did a great job of getting me back as soon as they could. They helped me every step of the way. It got frustrating at times. But, like I said, we have a great training staff and they helped me through it and we got back and we started rolling."

Q. Will there be any extra motivation for you Friday to face your former school?

RB JEROME FORD: "Every game is ‑‑ I'm real motivated to play. There's nobody or nothing the team that we are playing could do to possibly add any motivation. I feel like I'm very intrinsically motivated, and everything I have comes from inside. It's pretty much, I'm already motivated to play."

Q. Nick Saban was asked yesterday and he said he's really happy everything worked out for you and that you were able to kind of achieve the goals and aspirations for yourself. I'm just curious when you decided to transfer, what goals and aspirations ultimately did you HAVE? And do you really feel like you're achieving them now that you guys have made it to a College Football Playoff?

RB JEROME FORD: "As far as goals and aspirations, I think everybody who plays this sport wants to go to the NFL, wins game. As far as my goals and aspirations, it was to go to somewhere and contribute to a team and help them win games in any way that I could. And I was just grateful to have that opportunity."

Q. Earlier teammates, or former teammates like Brian Robinson and Phil (Phidarian) Mathis talked about being excited for you. Do you keep up with those guys? And do you kind of share that same sentiment, enjoy seeing them have success?

RB JEROME FORD: "Yeah, I keep up with them, of course. Just like I said, they were like brothers to me, older brothers, people that you can lean on and that led you to the right direction. Of course, I was happy to see them win a national championship last year and continue to be excited for those guys."

Q. When Nick Saban was talking about the portal earlier this season he said sometimes players are a little bit short‑sighted and don't think about developing or competing long‑term. How much did he communicate that to you? And how much do you feel like your performance has validated your decision to transfer?

RB JEROME FORD: "I think the transfer portal is ‑‑ I don't even know. I don't know how to answer that question."

Q. Talk about the development of your offensive line. There was some moving parts and pieces early in the season but seems like they have really gotten it together of late and what they've been able to do in opening holes for you.

RB JEROME FORD: "Offensive line has been great all season. It takes time to really, I guess, get everything clicking on the same page. I think this season, every game we got better as a unit. I feel like I'm an offensive lineman, too. Those are my guys. Those are my brothers. I just feel like every game we get better and better and better, and that's the goal to be as close to great at the end of the season as you can."

Q. Follow‑up to you guys going to the Cowboys game last night. Did you get any backlash for going out as a group with all the COVID protocols? What kind of precautions do you guys have?

RB JEROME FORD: "Our training staff does a great job with COVID and all precautions and measures that we should take. To be honest, any questions about COVID probably would be better for Coach Fick (Luke Fickell) and our coaches."

Q. You are in kind of a unique position having been in a program where the CFP is almost a matter of routine, and now you're on the one that has been the force to break through from the Group of Five. What, if anything, can you share as a message to you guys about "We belong here," and things along those lines?

RB JEROME FORD: "Can you repeat the question?"

Q. Being in kind of a unique position of having been at Alabama where these things are kind of a matter of routine and now you're at a program that has broken through as the first Group of Five school to get in, what kind of message can you carry for your teammates, sort of "You belong here"? You're going to prove that Cincinnati belongs in this kind of mix.

RB JEROME FORD: "We had a nice season, undefeated season. We just pretty much need to be us and do what we do. We don't need to do anything extra. Just pretty much be us. I feel like being us will be enough to prove that we belong here, we should be here."