Opening Statement
We just really struggled to find a move. I think in the first half we were backed up and even got to the goal line and never got in to score. I feel like it led to the second half of the football game at the same spot. We've got the players and people to do it, but we're going to have to make it right. I feel like we have a lot to play for.
Q: Matt, on the other side of the ball, I think you gave up 200 yards in the in the fourth quarter. Can you take us through what happened there and what happened on the broken play where they went up the field to score on the busted play?
A: I think we had a guy slip on the broken play and again, that play, that situation, it's the narrative of the second half. We left chances, and we had so many opportunities to put the game away, and we just didn't take advantage of those opportunities. Obviously, that play will stick out. But the reality of it is, defensively, I thought we played a tremendous football game. We gave ourselves every opportunity to win the football game, and we didn't take advantage as a team when we had the opportunity to do that.
Q: The decision at the end of the first half not to push for points and trying to get to the half.
A: I forget what happened on the first play. I don't know if it was a penalty or whatever that was, and then my concern a little bit was that. We can put some judgment on the hiccup right there. The third, fourth, and one, should we go for it? Should we not? I felt like we were playing such good defense there that I just didn't want to put our team at risk. That'll eat at me. The other thing is they had two timeouts, and I didn't want to give them the ball back there either at the end of the half. When it started negative, I just felt like the biggest thing for us is let's get this thing into halftime. Let's make the corrections, knowing that we had a really significant lead at the point. We can come out, play great defense, get the football back and kind of take the game over.
Q: What do you say about the performance you got from Rocco tonight, and obviously the pick there to start the second half?
A: It'll be interesting to answer that question even a little bit better after you watch the videotape. But I thought Rocco made some tremendous plays. I thought he kept us in the football game. Some scrambles at the time, maybe some scrambles and throws. At least some of our issues, probably more so with protection things, where even that ball was tipped, it wasn't a ball that was a bad or poor decision. It was a tipped pass. I really thought Rocco played well. I thought it was a really good football game for the most part. I'll answer that better after I watch the tape.
Q: Did you feel like not having Koby (Howard) in any part has any role in the offense' inability to sustain rhythm, or is it just an inability to stay in rhythm period?
A: I think the one thing Kobe has done a great job of is he's made great plays and he could make some of those plays that were available, or he's made some of those plays. I'd be a fool to sit up here and say we didn't miss Koby. I would also say I have great belief in the rest of our guys, and the rest of our guys had some opportunities, and they got to keep pounding away at it. Koby's a guy that we have all have great faith in and certainly really proud of him.
Q: Your staff and your players expressed a lot of confidence in the receiver group beyond Koby today. Chase was the only guy who had a reception from that receiver unit. What was the ultimate breakdown, and why were you not able to get more guys involved and get them touches? Were you surprised at all by the end result of the stat sheet?
A: Would I say I'm a little bit surprised? I would say I'm a little bit surprised that those are the statistics in the game. I think there was just a weird flow to the game, especially in the first half of the football game, where you're in more situational football. I think some of it will be really interesting to see what happened in the second half. I think I'll have a better answer for you guys on Tuesday to that question. We're going to have to have more production from the receiving room and from the other players on the opposite side of the ball. That would cut it up.
Q: Matt, not getting it early and having to settle for the field goal. What effect did that have, and also, up 17-0, how did your defense play when Wisconsin scored before the half? Did you feel that way?
A: I'd say in the first three games we did a great job in the middle eight, and I think today we lost the middle eight six to nothing. That means they have the opportunity to pull points on the board right before half. They get the opportunity to do it coming out, and I think from our end that was a great opportunity up 17-0 to really give ourselves great momentum moving forward. We didn't have any opportunity to score points there. Obviously, we didn't score the rest of the game. That first possession, it was a little bit goofy down there too. The penalty that happened kind of got it goofy in terms of what we saw was a different defense than maybe what we had prepared for. I thought we did a great job after the first opportunity we got down there. We made the right adjustments, and I thought had the right play calls in terms of what we wanted to do. think that's going to happen in any football game. You got to make adjustments based on what those guys do, and I thought our staff did do a really good job of that the second two times we went down there.
Q: Matt, just your thoughts on the running game. It looked like James Peoples was actually your most productive back today. What do you think of the rotation, and do you think you would be able to get more out of it, even though you didn't have Koby available at that stretch of the end?
A: I would say first of all, I thought James ran the ball really well today. I thought he made really key plays in some key situations. I do. I thought the running game and offensively was choppy, and I wish I could say it was better. You guys all know that have seen us play, this is not the rhythm we want to play in, and we have to be better. All around it was choppy between the offense line, receivers and running backs, there’s got to be a significant improvement for the team.
Q: Coach, all losses are difficult. The way that you guys lost this one, and just being the Big Ten opener, you got a short week. You got to go on the road to prepare. What'd you tell the guys, and what did some of the leaders say to the guys in the locker room on how to handle this one and move forward?
A: I've said this multiple times. Adversity is what college football is about. The ability to overcome adversity and the ability to unify and rally forward. This will be a great test for us. We'll find out a lot more about ourselves here in the next six days from our coaching staff and our players. The reality of it is, these are all correctable things if we're willing and humble enough to be able to make the great corrections. It will be a great challenge for us. Not going to be easy, but you know we look forward to the challenge to grow ourselves forward. I appreciate it.