Opening statement: I would just say this to our fans who were here today: I thought the energy in that stadium, what they gave our football team, was awesome, and I really just can’t thank them enough. I wanted to start off and certainly say that they were incredible.
Q: Can you talk about why the running game was able to be so effective today, and what went into the extensive usage of Cam (Wallace) that we haven’t seen that much in recent weeks?
A: I’ve said it to you guys multiple times: you've got to earn the right to play, and Cam did. Cam had an incredible two weeks. He has continued to stay the course, and how he’s practiced has earned the right to go in and not just play, but honestly take advantage of his opportunity, and that’s what I’m really excited about. I thought both of those guys, Carson and Cam, were the lead one-two punch tonight, looking like we want to become here as we continue to grow ourselves forward. But, as I said, in the running game, I think simplifying what we do allows us to fundamentally try to adapt to what our backs and our offensive line can do well and really grow from there. I thought it was a great starting point and a great opportunity for us to continue to grow forward.
Q: How did you evaluate your run defense, and what did it take for them to be so successful today?
A: Twofold, we were able to do a better job on first down, which I thought really helped us. I think those things were big, and as we evaluated ourselves, how can we continue to be better on first and ten or repeat situations. The second thing, getting a lead, playing with the lead, helps that opportunity as well. Then I think the third piece of it, those are things we really went to work on in the last two weeks: man running the ball and stopping the run, and what are we doing and not doing, both schematically and fundamentally, can help us. And I give a lot of credit to our coaches. I think they did a great job with the game plan, but I think they also did a great job fundamentally correcting some areas that we were just a hair off on over the last couple of weeks. We took a step in the right direction.
Q: How important is it to finish this season strong to establish the foundation of the program you’re trying to build, starting here with your first win in Big Ten play?
A: To me, finishing is what these seniors are about. This senior class has been through a lot, no matter how you slice it. Whether they came here or they stayed here. There’s been a lot of change, and the reason why we’re sitting here today in late October, ready to get to November, and have a tough four-game losing streak, is that in those games, you have every opportunity to win, and you don’t. And this group has never wavered. They’ve never flinched. They never whined or complained. They’ve just kind of gone to work and tried like heck to correct the areas and grow themselves forward. I wouldn't say everybody in that locker room's done it, but I'd say the bulk majority has. You saw that tonight. It's exciting for this group because it is really the culture we're trying to create here. You win with team. You win by not paying attention to the outside noise. You win with having the ability to stay focused on your craft, and you win with team football. Tonight we played team football for four quarters, which was great to see. We'll see if we can continue to go forward. It'll be a great challenge for us and a great opportunity ahead of us.
Q: What was the Chase (Sowell) situation today, where he couldn't go, and then on top of that, how do you feel like the offensive staff did game planning without Chase and Koby (Howard) available today?
A: From a game planning standpoint, I think Chase is really close. I think Koby's really close. It'll be great to get those guys back. But man, I thought Amarian (Jackson) stepped up. Another young man who's really showcased himself in practice over the last couple of weeks and is waiting for his opportunity. That's what offensive football is. You have a good player go down, the next guy's got to step up, and I thought the tight ends stepped up in a great way, and the running game helped that too. I thought Rocco (Becht) was outstanding. I thought he played the type of football that we've seen him play a lot of, but he played it for four quarters and did a great job with his consistency. A lot of credit goes to him. It's funny, every time some great player goes down, that guy continues to be the focal point of why the offense keeps moving the football and not the football field. Really happy for him to end up playing.
Q: Your special teams, did you come into this game thinking you wanted to call the fake earlier, or did it sort of present itself? And then the blocked punt. How did you see that play from your perspective?
A: I wasn't happy with the two calls prior to the blocked punt, so that probably didn't help me be focused in the moment. The blocked punt, there was a breakdown in protection. We've got great young men that we trust on that. We're going to have to get it corrected. I think the biggest thing was how we responded to that once the blocked punt happened, which I thought was huge in the game. The fake field goal was happening based on what you saw from the defense and the opportunity to maybe steal an extra possession in the football game, and again, Coach Lustig does a great job with our special teams; just great execution made by (Nathan) Tiyce. Thank goodness we got an Aussie. That underhand pitch looked pretty sweet, and then we did a great job finishing.
Q: What were the emotions like in the postgame locker room, and was there a sense of relief?
A: I don't know. To me, I feel win-lose, I’m pretty similar to be quite honest with you, I think our kids, there is joy when you put the time, effort and energy, and you're able to come away with the outcome. I think, as the head coach, I've watched this team grow every single week. There's not been a week that this group hasn't. Maybe Northwestern there was a setback, but from that point on, this group has done an unbelievable job growing itself forward. The fruits of, and especially the last two weeks of practice, I just felt a different energy coming off of Michigan. To watch this team be able to get rewarded with a win, and not only a win, but playing its best four quarters together of team football, that part's exciting, and it's great for those guys to earn the right to celebrate tonight and get ourselves back and see where we can take this.