Offensive Press Conference

Cedric Benson
What does it mean to win the Doak Walker Award?
It means a whole lot. From my position, the Doak Walker Award is the greatest honor you can receive. I am very appreciative that I was voted to receive the award and I had a great time banquet. It is a great honor.

Do you feel like you are underappreciated outside of Texas?
No, not really. I really wouldn't know though. I have received some great honors and done some good things, so I am not too worried about it.

Have you seen progression in Vince Young this season?
Yeah. He has carried the team real well and has executed the plays when they have been called. I think he has been there the whole time played very well.

Before you came to Texas, did you ever imagine the kind of success that you have enjoyed?
Absolutely, I always envisioned great success for myself. That's the first step you have to take towards getting there.

Do you think Michigan has seen a combination like you and Vince Young?
No, I can't think of another team that has a running combination like the two of us.

How hard was it to get over the loss to Oklahoma?
It was a little difficult. You put so much energy into making it happen. There has been so much talk about beating Oklahoma. We put so much work into executing and being undefeated the whole season. It's hard to go undefeated through the season. But they are a very good team with good coaches and good players.

Jason Glynn
How much trouble does Michigan's 3-4 defense bring?
As far as what we do, it won't be any different. Going against a 3-4, I don't think that we will come out and have huge plays right off the bat because it may take a few plays to adjust. We have played a few teams that have played 3-4s, but not consistently.

Have people run the zone read against Michigan?
Not a lot. Ohio State's quarterback was running a lot, but I don't think it's been run against them a lot.

Is there a team that you have played this year that matches what you see in Michigan's defensive line?
The closest thing we saw this season as far as size would probably be Texas A&M. They had some real big guys. Their defensive ends were really big like Michigan and they ran pretty well. But it's hard to compare this line to that line because everybody plays differently.

Bo Scaife
What can a guy like Vince Young do to a defense?
Vince amazes me everyday with what he can do. I don't think it will be enough for Michigan to just see him on tape because it is a lot different when you see him live. He is so big and versatile and he is getting better each and every game.

How important is it to come out here and get the win?
It won't do us any good if we come out here and get overwhelmed by everything that is going on. We've got to realize why we are here and you never want to end on a losing note. This is a step in the right direction for this program. I don't think there is any added pressure on us. We just need to come out here and execute and things will take care of themselves.

Have you felt any backlash since you've been in California?
There were a few people at Disneyland and we know we aren't liked by everyone. But, it isn't any different than normal. It is like that whenever we go on the road because Texas is one of those universities that isn't welcome everywhere. But, I think that kind of fuels us and makes us more excited to play on Saturdays.

Who is responsible for the work ethic this team has?
I think coach Brown and the coaches that came in this season have been responsible. They came in with experience and have been in big games and I think that is the only thing that was missing. We went to work in the spring with early workouts and the attitude carried over through the summer and into the fall. It is nice to see all that work paying off.

David Thomas
Do you feel any pressure heading into the Rose Bowl?
I don't think so. We know we've earned the right to be here. It is important for us to go out there and play our best game of the year. We'll let everyone else worry about all of the other stuff.

What kind of leadership have you seen from Vince Young this season?
When he comes into the huddle, you can tell that he is excited to be out there, which helps to get everybody else motivated. Even yesterday, with the rainy weather, he was having fun, smiling and joking with everybody. His attitude really relaxes the huddle and it helps get us ready to go. He's really grown up this year as the quarterback.

What has Cedric Benson meant to the team this year?
He is just so consistent. Every game, he is running hard and breaking tackles. There are times when he gets hit at the line and then all of a sudden it is an eight-yard gain. It seems like every game he's had at least 150 or 160 yards. He's such a hard worker and is always trying to get better. He's blue collar and you can see it in the way he runs and how he is always fighting for extra yards.

What is your impression of Michigan's defense?
The line is really big and physical and they are all great athletes. The linebackers are active, so it should be a really good test for us. It's hard to find any holes in their defense, so it will be important for us to have a balanced attack.

As a receiver, how do you feel about Texas' run-first attack?
With Cedric Benson and Vince Young in the backfield, you know we are going to run the ball, so we've embraced it. It is important for the tight ends and wide receivers to do their jobs to help us get yards in the running game. Then, once the defense adjusts to the run by putting eight or nine in the box, we can get behind them. So, we feel like when we do get a chance to catch some passes, they can turn into big plays. It isn't necessarily the number of catches that is important, but the quality of those catches.

Vince Young
Do you see a lot of similarities between Texas and Michigan?
The two schools are very similar tradition wise. They've won a lot of games and we've been doing a lot of winning. Both teams have great head coaches. It seems like the two programs are pretty equal.   There are great athletes on both sides, so I think it is going to be a physical game and there will be a bunch of guys on the field having fun.

Are you looking forward to playing a Big Ten defense?
They do a lot of different things that we don't see in our conference, so we are looking forward to seeing how we match up. I think we match up well and we are confident in what we do on offense. If we play our game, we should be able to go out there and take care of business.

What does it mean to be playing in the Rose Bowl?
We are making history around here and we are having fun doing it. Growing up, I never thought that I would be here at the Rose Bowl. It's been a great season and I'm just looking forward to playing on Saturday. I'm ready to go right now. It's pretty exciting.

Michigan's defense has a reputation of struggling against mobile quarterbacks. Do you feel like you can pop some big plays?
They don't make too many mistakes. They cover their assignments well. But if there is a seem out there, I will take it down and try to make a big play with my feet. But I'm going to try to get the ball in the hands of some of our other athletes on the team first.

What do you think about Michigan linebacker LaMarr Woodley?
From watching film, he is a big guy who makes a lot of tackles. For me, I'm just going to try to make him miss. He is a great open-field tackler and I'm just going to try to make him miss. He moves around and disguises himself really well.

Do you think this is a chance for the world to get to know Vince Young?
Yeah, definitely. I've got a lot of critics saying that I can't do this or I can't do that. I'm Vince and I led the guys to the Rose Bowl. So, I'm going to try go out there and have fun and hopefully answer a lot of questions that people have about me.