Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo on Fall Camp (8/10/23)
Transcript
00:00 Are you the fastest?
00:02 You know, I think, like you said, you know,
00:04 we talk about pound for pound.
00:06 I probably got them by about 35, 40, but, no, I mean,
00:10 we definitely have some speed in the backfield for sure.
00:13 What's it been like to be --
00:15 you were here for spring, but now in fall camp,
00:17 what's the competition been like for not just you guys,
00:20 but for everybody?
00:22 You know, it's been really good.
00:23 I think, you know, one thing that I, you know,
00:26 like about our backfield specifically is,
00:29 you know, just our versatility.
00:31 You know, we're all completely different backs,
00:33 so, you know, we all bring something different
00:34 to the table, and I think, you know,
00:36 having a backfield like that makes it tough for defenders.
00:40 What's it like being in this offense?
00:41 I mean, all you guys are getting your opportunities,
00:44 getting touches.
00:45 I mean, you all are in different ways having success.
00:47 What's it just like working through this offense?
00:51 You know, me specifically, you know,
00:52 obviously coming from a completely different offense
00:56 at Wisconsin, you know, it was a big change for me in the spring.
00:59 You know, it took some getting used to for sure,
01:01 but, you know, just from the spring to the fall,
01:06 you know, things have slowed down a lot more,
01:07 you know, just embracing, you know,
01:10 what it is that I bring to the table, you know,
01:12 so really just embracing that
01:15 and, you know, using my ability to the fullest.
01:18 What's your impression of the newcomer, the freshman?
01:21 What are your thoughts on Brown and how he's performing?
01:24 You know, honestly, I was really impressed with him
01:27 because similar to like Maurice said, you know, we came in,
01:31 we all had each other at first,
01:33 you know, picking up the offense and stuff,
01:35 but, you know, seeing just how quickly, you know,
01:37 he's been able to pick things up and, you know,
01:39 just seeing, you know, the game slow down
01:41 and seeing him make plays out there
01:43 has been very intriguing, so, you know, I'm happy for him,
01:47 and I think he's heading in a great direction.
01:49 Isaac, what kind of things are different for you
01:52 versus Wisconsin?
01:54 You know, it was kind of a lot of just,
01:56 you know, north and south downhill running at Wisconsin.
01:59 You know, in this offense, you know,
02:01 they have a lot more space for us,
02:03 you know, not as crowded in the box.
02:06 You know, I think that's what we saw,
02:08 you know, a lot of nine-man boxes,
02:09 so, you know, it was just a lot of north and south,
02:11 not a lot of, you know, space to run,
02:14 but, you know, I think our passing game
02:17 complements our run game a lot, you know.
02:19 You know, we make plays in the pass game,
02:20 you know, just opens up lanes, so.
02:23 Isaac, you went downhill against Coach Brown last year
02:26 on that one play where you scored.
02:28 Does he remind you of that big run at all
02:29 when he was recruiting you, or did he talk about it
02:32 when you all played Purdue last year?
02:34 Oh, yeah.
02:36 You know, we talk about it every once in a while,
02:39 and I try not to bring it up too much.
02:41 I don't want to make him mad or anything,
02:42 but obviously, you know, I was excited about that run,
02:47 but, you know, happy to be with him now.
02:49 What is -- what do you feel like your role with this team,
02:52 being kind of the bigger of the backs?
02:56 You know, for me, you know, like I kind of said earlier,
02:58 you know, just embracing, you know,
03:01 that I have a little bit more size than a lot of backs,
03:03 you know, just using that to my advantage,
03:05 but, you know, also being able to show my speed
03:08 in the offense, you know.
03:09 There's -- you know, there's guys who have a lot of size,
03:12 but, you know, being able to use size and speed
03:15 has been important to me,
03:16 and I think, you know, Coach Barkley's helped me a lot,
03:19 you know, helped me realize and recognize that
03:21 and be able to use that to my advantage.
03:24 As Maurice was talking about, there's more opportunities
03:26 for the running backs to catch the ball in the Brown offense.
03:30 Your thoughts on that opportunity
03:31 that exists for you now?
03:34 You know, I think it's awesome, honestly.
03:36 You know, similar to kind of like what I said earlier,
03:40 you know, we didn't throw the ball a lot at Wisconsin,
03:43 so, you know, being able to show versatility,
03:45 being able to show, you know, that you can catch the ball
03:47 out of the backfield, it's important, you know.
03:50 So, you know, being able to show that
03:52 and then, you know, as well as the run game,
03:53 obviously, pass protection, you know, helps me a lot.
03:57 But, you know, it just helps out the offense as a whole.
03:59 In regards to being a pass catcher,
04:00 is that something you're comfortable with,
04:02 or how much has that kind of been progressing for you
04:04 as far as just kind of incorporating that in your game?
04:07 You know, I think the spring helped me a lot, you know,
04:10 being able to catch, you know, several passes,
04:12 probably more passes than I have in a very long time.
04:15 But, so, you know, coming in in the spring,
04:18 being able to do that, you know, built my confidence in that area.
04:21 So, you know, going into the fall, I was a lot more confident.
04:24 Your thoughts on Maurice and Juar,
04:26 and did you know anything about them
04:28 before you kind of got here?
04:30 Honestly, I didn't know anything, you know.
04:32 I came in on my visit, you know.
04:33 I was able to meet both of them.
04:36 You know, obviously, you know,
04:37 we've built a very strong relationship,
04:38 so, you know, the relationship helps with everything.
04:43 But, you know, just seeing them on the field,
04:45 you know, seeing the way they can pull a rabbit
04:48 out of a hat is crazy, you know.
04:50 They make plays, you know.
04:52 There's plays that you think, you know,
04:53 is going to be a tackle for a loss,
04:55 and then, you know, somehow they make something happen.
04:57 And, you know, seeing that out of both of them,
04:59 you know, it's been awesome.
05:02 I think so much is made of this offense and running backs
05:05 and catching the ball and throwing the ball
05:07 all over the field, but just how important is it still
05:09 to be able to get those yards on the ground
05:11 and keep defenses on us?
05:13 I think it's, you know, it's very important.
05:15 You know, there's going to be games, you know,
05:17 where the passing game, you know,
05:19 might not be working out, so, you know,
05:20 I mean, we're going to have to run the ball.
05:22 So, you know, obviously in a situation like that,
05:25 you know, us running backs are going to have to do our thing,
05:28 you know, make sure our eyes are good
05:30 and, you know, just making sure we're getting tough yards,
05:32 you know, whenever we need to and making big plays.
05:36 All right. Thank you.
05:37 Appreciate it. Appreciate it.
05:38 Next up.
05:40 (clattering)
05:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]