Oct. 16, 2007
Junior Cornerback Lydell Sargeant
You guys just blew out a ranked opponent and you have No. 1 Ohio St. coming in a couple weeks. How do you focus with this week's game?
I think just watching Indiana on film and what they have shown this year, they have the same record as us, they lost to the same Illinois team as we did, and they lost to a Michigan State team who we have not played yet, which they showed they are pretty good. So, I think that it is pretty much self-explanatory that if we don't stay focused for this game, we will lose because they are that type of team, and they have a dynamic offense that can really take over a game and that's something we have to stay focused on, because I don't think we were as focused against Illinois. So we have to do that this week.
This has been a year where a lot of strange things have happened. Do you factor that in when you go into a game like this? Do you remind other people "Hey look what happened to Team A or Team B, and we can't let that happen to us?"
Yes, we have seen that is doesn't really matter if you are ranked or if you're not. Unranked teams have beat some big time teams like even last week. The No. 1 and the No. 2 teams went down. Indiana, they're not a sleeper team by any means. They are 5-2 and they are 2-2 in the Big Ten. So they still have a legitimate shot to win the Big Ten if their season goes well. So, we've just got to stay focused and know that they have the same goals as we do, and that's to win.
You guys have faced good receivers like Mario Manningham, but nobody like James Hardy, who is 6-7. How tough of a match-up is he going to be for you guys this weekend?
He's a special player. For somebody to be that tall or that athletic is really special. We were watching him on film as a secondary and he was running routes well. The quarterback knows how to get the ball to him well. I think that he is one of the better receivers that we will play all year, one of the best receivers in the nation. So we have a big task in front of us, but we just have to prepare well and be ready.
Are you surprised how good he is for how young he is?
Yes, he's one of those guys that may be a three-year and out. So he's experienced, he has a good year under his belt. He has nine touchdowns on the season already. So he's really experienced and we're going to have to look forward to going up against whom we've got.
What are the similarities and differences in the option run by Illinois and Indiana?
I think they both have really athletic quarterbacks. Indiana runs an offense similar to Northwestern's. We saw our freshman year that they had a quarterback that could really run, and I think this quarterback is the most athletic person. Coach Bradley was saying that he will be one of the most athletic players we will see all year. He's fast, he can throw the ball. They have some dynamic players on offense. So their offense is tricky and I think that it is important for our defense to go in and be prepared and watch some film to see what they can do.
Since you have already seen Juice Williams, does that make Kellen Lewis any easier to prepare for?
I don't think it's going to be easy to prepare for him. But I think that game is giving us some experience to defend that type of quarterback and that offense. So, I think we have a good game underneath our belt against that offense. It's not going to be easy by any means. But we'll look forward to it.
What makes going on the road tougher than playing at home?
It's the Big Ten, so the crowds. Obviously, not playing at Beaver Stadium is a loss because you don't have 110,000 people behind you. But our two (road) games have really helped us this season, and the young guys haven't been in the Big Ten and played good teams on the road, don't know how it is, and we have to understand that we can't make mistakes.
After playing Juice and the Illinois offense, what did you learn from the mistakes you made there, and how do you carry that over to Indiana?
Most importantly against that type of offense, if you make one mistake, it can be a game-changing play. The athletes that they have, if one person doesn't do their assignment or messes up, it could be a touchdown. So it is important to us that every little thing matters in this game. And one play can be a game-changing play.
What are your thoughts on this college football season in regards to upsets and just the many surprising games? What is your perspective as a player?
I think that is why people like college football because you have kids....young adults that are 19 and 20. They all have the same goal, which is to win a game. Especially this year, there really isn't any dominant team or team that's shown they can't be beaten. I think what is really important is that your ranking doesn't really matter. The only ranking that matters is at the end of the season. For us being ranked, we are not really worried about it. Ranked teams have lost all year. So from a college player standpoint, it's a good year and it's exciting.
Junior Wide Receiver Deon Butler
What is it like being around Rich Ohrnberger every day and how funny is he away from the field?
Oh my goodness, he is one of the funniest guys, if not the funniest guy on the team. He helps lighten the mood in practice. You know, everything (at practice) is so serious. It is good to have a guy like him on the team who can work hard but at the same time lighten the mood and crack jokes. He's a straight up comedian. He's hilarious.
When you guys go on the road, do you walk out on the field a couple of hours before the game, just to get a feel? What do you guys get out of it?
I think most guys walk out there, depending on the team or the stadium we're playing in, whether it's the grass or the artificial grass, its nice to just get a feel for it. Or the stadium in general, just to get a feel for your footing. Basically, that is due to if it is artificial or real grass.
There were a lot of throws on first down on Saturday; the passing game was a little different. How much more fun was that for you?
Definitely whenever the ball goes in the air, it is more fun for the wide receivers. I mean, that is something the coaching staff put an emphasis on last week, just throwing the ball more or kind of setting up the run game. The run game came through tremendously with Evan and Rodney. Anthony played an excellent game at quarterback. So just being able to throw the ball like that and get into a rhythm early, it seemed like we just got it going.
Do you expect that to continue?
Definitely. I hope we can build on it. We carried it over to practice. When we see something good like that and see that we can get in a rhythm to control the ball and be a two-dimensional team, that is something we can build on for the rest of the season.
You and Terrell got off to a fast start on Saturday. There were weeks like this week where Derrick Williams did not get many touches. Is it tough when that happens?
It can be tough, but the great thing about our wide receiver corps is that we have all kind of grown up together. We came in (together) as freshmen; Terrell was a year up on us. Everyone realizes that there are going to be games where you're not going to have the glory or as many yards or catches. The best thing about this receiving corps is we all have one goal, which is to win. In the end that is all that everyone cares about. It doesn't matter who has the records or who has so and so catches. As long as a win is put into our column, that is what everyone cares about.
The offense has been a lot more successful the past two weeks. What do you guys need to do on Saturday to get over the hump on the road?
Just as I was saying earlier, just prepare for every game the same whether it is home or away. Just build on what we've been doing well and learn from our mistakes. Just to continue to prepare for each game the same and just work hard.
Through the years, in practice, if a guy was not working hard or making mental mistakes, Joe would tend to sit the player, at least at the start. How do you guys focus in practice from making those kinds of mistakes?
It definitely keeps us focused. We as players realize the same thing. You are going to play exactly how you practice. I remember a couple weeks ago where I ran a route two steps short and I told myself just fix that in the game. Come game time, I watched the film the next day and I ran the route just like how I did in practice. I think that guys realize that even though says it that we play how we practice, you just get into a rhythm and you are going to run the plays exactly how you do in practice. So that is why you have to prepare in practice exactly like how you do in a game.