Northwestern University Athletics
Weekly News Conference Transcript
10/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 12, 2009
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Weekly News Conference Transcript
Opening Statement...
"Thanks everyone for being here. Looking back at the game Saturday, I thought our defense really carried over the momentum from the last two quarters in West Lafayette very well. We'd like to have that last series back and a couple plays but for the most part I thought we played as fast and as physical collectively as a defense as we have all season long. To set a single-game sack record and not have Corey (Wootton) out there I think shows a little bit of depth developing on our defensive front and the job that Marty Long and Mike Hankwitz are doing. I'm continually impressed by the improvement of our linebacking corps, I thought that Quentin Davie and David Arnold were active Saturday and Nate (Williams) was solid again. Obviously the job that Sherrick McManis and Brian Peters did, they were both active and making plays. Brad (Phillips) continues to get healthy and is playing pretty solid football.
On offense, we're close. Fundamentally and technically, a few things here and there, and there are plays that are going to pop. Our guys just need to keep improving and battling. As a team I thought we played well together and stuck with it. In the kicking game, I liked the way that our coverage teams played, giving us good field position. It's nice to only have one kickoff during a game, that's few and far between when you have that. I thought (Brendan Smith) and (Andrew Brewer) were both pretty decisive in our punt return games.
A lot of room for improvement and we're going to need it. We're playing a football team that has really improved from early in the season. (Their) Quarterbacks are playing very well, they've got skill across the board, their running backs run physically and they've got an offensive line that plays very well together. On defense, Greg Jones is a linebacker that I like to watch. He's active, he runs around and is involved not only there but in the kicking game. They played really well the last few games from the standpoint of playing together. They came in here (to Ryan Field) last year and got up on us quickly. We were playing from behind the entire game and it was a challenge that we didn't rise to the occasion for. I said after the game that the credit went to Michigan State, I thought they played outstanding that day. We're going to need a great week of practice to improve, find a way to get better and compete against the Spartans up in East Lansing."
On the play of the offensive line...
"We're close. It's similar to the way we were on the defensive line earlier in the year, just some fundamental mistakes, missing assignments, mistakes in where we're targeting -- instead of going vertical we're going horizontal and vice versa. Then you don't have the same seams we're accustomed to. There were a couple plays where our backs need to make more decisive cuts, the plays were there. It's a 12-man operation, 11 guys on the field and our coaching staff putting in a good plan. Obviously I'm disappointed with our output, maybe, but I'm extremely proud of the way our guys played, I thought they kept working to get better and there are things that we can definitely correct and fix."
On what the O-line can do differently...
"You have to trust yourself, that's what I mean when I say we're making mistakes fundamentally and technically. Part of it is footwork, where you target your eyes, your hands on running plays. We're not doing it consistently enough so guys were running around blocks, behind blocks and we weren't playing together across the board. Fundamentally we aren't trusting ourselves and our technique and playing within ourselves."
On having Stephen Simmons and Arby Fields...
"I think having both guys makes a big difference. I think Stephen is one week closer to really being able to get out there as a running back and in the kicking game. I thought he played pretty well and ran around pretty well in our workout today. Hopefully he'll continue to do that and continue to get more and more involved in our offense."
On Corey Wootton's injury status...
"He was limited last week in practice and he practiced a little more as the week went along. We thought he'd respond accordingly after Thursday but he just didn't come around. It was unfortunate for him but I thought it was a great opportunity for someone else and I thought Kevin Watt stepped in a played pretty well. Obviously the game that Vince Browne was very active on the other side. It was unfortunate Corey couldn't play but we got some other guys the opportunity to get out and play and I thought they took advantage of it."
On the play of Sherrick McManis...
"He's just trusting himself. I thought when you watch the way he plays, he's playing as technically sound as he has in his career so from a technical standpoint he's in a confident place. He's worked hard since last season to improve that. Jerry (Brown) had him at 8-for-8 at the point of attack on Saturday. To grade at 100 percent at the point of attack I think shows you the level he's playing at right now. He's made three pretty impressive interceptions, all three kind of at critical times in three games. I think what's most impressive about Sherrick is his humility, he just comes to practice every day with a workmanlike attitude, he works hard to improve and inspire his teammates and that's what you're looking for in a captain. I think that's what's most impressive, his desire to improve and make his teammates better."
On NU having won its last two games at Michigan State...
"I don't know how many of our guys were playing in those games. It's a great crowd, a great stadium, it's as hostile an environment as you'll play in in the Big Ten. This week we'll pump the noise into our indoor facility, we'll just try to focus and find a way to execute in that environment. It's a great challenge. But I don't think it matters what we've done there in the past."
On causing so many turnovers the last two games...
"We work hard at it and I think you achieve what you emphasize. You come out to practice and you see we're always trying to rip and strip on the ball. Our secondary has the mentality in practice that they get upset when the ball gets caught against them, they try to get it out. Since (Mike) Hankwitz came it's been stressed every rep every day. I think our staff has done a great job and our guys are buying into it. We had some chances earlier in the year where we had ball in our hands against Minnesota, against Syracuse, but unfortunately we didn't get the job done. The last two weeks we have and our guys have done a great job staying with it."
On who will start on the offensive line...
"We're going to see who practices the most fundamentally and technically sound and those gentlemen will get the opportunity to go out there first. We're rolling guys through so we're looking forward to see if guys take what we just coached them about here this morning to practice this week. I just want to play consistently. I don't care who plays as long as we're playing at a consistent level. Guys are working hard to improve, now we just need to perform at a consistent level. I'd say we're a work in progress as a team. That's what you do, you work your tail off in September and October to try to find a way to make your season relevant in November. We have to work our tail off to improve this week."
On David Arnold's development at linebacker...
"He's an active young man, he's learning at the position. I work with him a little bit and I've watched him on tape and David really worked hard fundamentally at the position. That's kind of where we are with a lot of guys. When you talk about our offensive line you're talking about a lot of redshirt sophomores that are playing. Same thing with Dave. This is really his first time playing at linebacker. There's a lot of nuances and a lot of things he has to work on. You see him going through those checklists before each snap. He's doing a good job and he's communicating with the sideline, not only during games but during practice. I like where his head is at and I like the direction he's heading."
On if there is frustration about not playing up to potential...
"I think I see a team that's really hungry, is driven to improve and has a great attitude. The only frustration is that we aren't playing today. On the way out of our leadership council meeting I looked at Mike (Kafka) and said how are you doing and he said "I can't wait until 6:50 a.m. tomorrow." Our guys are chomping at the bit to work and improve and I think we have a good attitude in our locker room. That's all you can ask for as a coach, I believe in our seniors and I think the leadership council is doing a good job keeping focus on the main thing which is to get better."
On facing Michigan State's pair of quarterbacks...
"I don't know if we'll stop them because nobody has stopped them yet but hopefully we can slow them down. Kirk (Cousins), they may not be running him as much but against Michigan when the play broke down on a few occasions he was able to take off and really make Michigan pay a little bit. Keith came in and ran a little bit of option, a little more read zone. I saw the hit he took at the end of the game and hurt his elbow and I heard Kirk has an ankle injury but both those guys are tough. Their O-line does a good job protecting them. When you're playing two dual-threat quarterbacks the hard thing for our secondary is once they start scrambling, knowing when to come back to the football, being disciplined so you don't come up too soon and let them dink it over your head. Not only do they have one but they have two guys doing that so it'll be a great challenge.'
On Mike Kafka's running ability...
"I think he's truly just taking what the defense gives him. A few of his running plays were pass plays when they were called but their defense had overshifted and allowed him to make a play. A couple of the other option plays we had run they took the ball out of his hands and he made good decisions. I really like the way that Mike has managed the game and run the offense, at times as a fan you might say why didn't he run there but I always ask fans if they've been in that position before. Mike's trying to make really good decisions with the ball and I think about 99 percent of the time this season he's done that. Each week is a different challenge. He'll see a different scheme, different concept against Michigan State than we saw a week ago but he just needs to continue to evolve in his progressions and his preparation and he's doing a good job with it. We're trying to get Danny (Persa) involved a little bit and his attitude's been great too."
On the personal foul called against Brian Peters on Saturday...
"I think it's a tough call, I know that they want to protect the defenseless player. I think if you look at the intent of the play it's a tough call. It could go either way but it was called that way and you have to play it. I thought our defense responded and got off the field, the quarterback scrambled and we kept him in bounds. I think the emphasis by the NCAA and by the officials to protect the defenseless player is the right way to officiate our game. I just asked the official how I could coach him better to make sure we don't get that call the next time. He said the hit was high and I said I think when you watch the video you'll see he slipped and he was just trying to make a football play. That happens and I thought our defense did a nice job responding. I know it's a point of emphasis on head-to-head contact and also a point of emphasis on the defenseless player. I think Brian was in a tough spot, he slipped and he was trying to have the player not catch the football. That was a penalty of a young man trying to make a play and I'm OK with that. I don't think his intent was to injure or try to go head-to-head. It's a judgment call and I respect it."
On Jeremy Ebert's role this season...
"You have to remember he's coming off offseason surgery. So like a lot of our players he's battling back, he's doing a nice job on his rehab and he's starting to get more and more involved. Now we're at the halfway point and he's getting more involved in the offense. His attitude has been pretty good. It's tough when you come from being a high school quarterback, you play as a freshman, you have offseason surgery ... he still hasn't really gone through an offseason yet so he's trying to work himself into really great shape and great strength after coming off an injury."
On what has surprised him most through the first half of the season...
"We've been pretty resilient, it hasn't been a yellow-brick road for us and nothing has gone perfect at all. The attitude has stayed consistent, the coaches and team have stayed the course and we're starting to play to the way we're capable of. I'd like to see us play more consistently, I'd like to see us play at a higher tempo and those are things that we can correct in practice. Our guys have an attitude that they want to do that. You work hard to make the last half of October and November be significant and I think if you ask every team in our league where you'd like to be, you'd like to have that opportunity. You have to take them one at a time and we'll work our tail off to get better this week, try to find a way to win on Saturday. Sounds like it will be beautiful weather for Big Ten football, looking forward to snow, it's going to be great."
