Northwestern University Athletics
Weekly News Conference Transcript
10/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 25, 2010
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Weekly News Conference
Opening Statement...
"You look back at our last six games against the Hoosiers and they've been nothing less than extremely entertaining. The games have been decided by a combined total of 23 points so it's going to be a 60-minute battle, a tough trip for us, they always play well at home and their recent increased attendance at home has been well-documented. We're going to come back this week and have a great week, guys are confident, they're in a bit of a foul mood, but confident. Obviously we need to find a way to make a few more plays but we made some improvement off the bye week and I thought we played improved football Saturday in all three phases. There's still room for improvement and that's what we'll focus on this week."
On what they coach their players to do on punt returns...
"That's a coaching point there -- and obviously I didn't do a good enough job accentuating it -- you cover your guy until the ball is kicked. We didn't do a good job coaching it or executing. Like I said after the game, hats off and kudos to [Michigan State], nice job. We've played where we haven't had a punt returner back, we've done that. But other than that it wouldn't change."
On the strengths of NU's defensive reserves...
"Ben Johnson does a nice job in multiple facets, he's a very good pressure guy and also a very good linebacker, one of our fastest in the program. He has solid cover skills. Same thing with Hunter [Bates], he's very good in man-to-man coverage and we've also had an opportunity to bring him off the edge a little bit and he's got great football pedigree, football smarts. David [Nwabuisi] has played pretty well in that role, he's our nickel and had a few big plays a couple games ago at Minnesota. They've all done well and they all have multiple roles on this team. [Giving starters a rest] is a down-the-line variable, it's a byproduct of it, but I wouldn't say it's A, B or C on the list, it's probably closer to X, Y or Z."
On how NU improved during its bye week...
"I thought for the whole year we've improved in the kicking game, we've had some issues and you guys have done an awesome job documenting that, no stone unturned by this group. Our punt return improved and made a big jump this week, I thought we were a block or two away. Both Hunter Bates and Venric Mark did a nice job there. Our kickoff returns have improved, our punting went from one of the worst in the country into the top 40, our punt return defense is getting better and the same goes for our kickoff return defense. We ran the ball better and we stopped the run much better. We had some big plays on offense and I think there are still some more out there, we had some impact plays on defense. We're inching closer and closer to playing 60 minutes but we're not there yet. If you were to tell me we're going to have the ball with a chance to win the game with two minutes to go I'd say, `Good, let's go.' Unfortunately, we didn't accomplish that and the credit goes to our opponent."
On how he decides which punt returner to use...
"Both guys are dynamic. I like them both. Hunter got a little dinged up and that's why we made the change early. I thought [Venric] handled the first punt OK, the wind held it up a little bit, and I thought he handled the second a little better. Both guys have a role in that team whether they're returning punts or not."
On Justan Vaughn remaining at the top of the depth chart...
"I think everything's fluid, at the end of the day a guy has to be produce and be productive. I wouldn't say either guy [Vaughn or Mike Bolden] played shutdown football on Saturday so they'll just have to continue to improve, and they will."
On why the secondary struggled against Michigan State...
"We had some breakdowns in some guys not trusting their technique. We got out way too fast in some circumstances and gave way too much time and distance to a good group of receivers but we just need to trust ourselves and trust our technique and what we do. I said after the game, there was no indication in practice that was going to happen. We have to have better undercoverage, there were some times where we need to get better re-routes so we take some steam off their receivers, especially in the fourth quarter. Those are things we can improve. I thought we affected the quarterback and pressured him. The sacks will come off that, but I thought we could have performed better."
On Adonis Smith's comment that it's starting to feel more like his offense...
"I'd rather have him like that than the opposite. He's improving, he's getting better but he's got a long, long way to go. That whole group (of running backs) is working their tails off to help the team win. I know some of the guys aren't happy with their role, I'd be disappointed if they were. But they're helping the team. Stephen Simmons is out there in the kicking game, Arby Fields is out there in the kicking game, Jacob Schmidt and Adonis have all been out there. They've all done a good job helping our team."
On Jacob Schmidt's status for the Indiana game...
"I'd say he's questionable right now. We'll report it on Thursday."
On Dan Persa overthrowing receivers down the stretch...
"He just missed. We get so spoiled after he's been completing 85 or 90 percent of his balls. He was just off a little bit."
On Stefan Demos' performance Saturday...
"He got a little dinged up (making a tackle) but I wouldn't call him hurt. He came back and kicked really well the rest of the game. I told him he did a good job getting over to the ball but that his tackling technique -- which is a left kick -- probably wasn't in his best interest albeit effective. It's probably a technique he shouldn't use. It's one of those moments I think I'll remember for the rest of my life."
On the presence of Ara Parseghian last weekend...
"After the game Coach had to get back so we didn't have time to spend postgame. I told him I'd give him a call sometime this weekend. It was a real special weekend, one I'll never forget the rest of my life. It goes back to what that group was able to accomplish here as student-athletes and what Coach was able to accomplish bringing back the pride and establishing a winning tradition. To see that group at walk-through Friday and to have Coach share his thoughts with the team and to be part of the reception Friday night was something that will go down as one of the most special moments in Northwestern football history. I'm very appreciative of Coach, very thankful for him and Katie to come take the time to be part of our program. We had a lot of people who had a hand in that, Carolyn Fleming in our office, Nolan Jones, (former player) Jay Robertson, Mike Wolf and his staff and the support of Jim Phillips. It was a great weekend."
On allowing eight sacks vs. Michigan State...
"I would say we allowed three sacks. The first play of the game was as a sack, it was a spread-out play and Danny lost a yard. If you go back with a critical eye, closing in on half of those were scramble sacks. Could Danny have thrown it away? Maybe. Most of them were very short yardage sacks. There were three we look back at and we lost three one-on-one battles that we need to get shored up. The number is a little misleading."
On the difference in NU's ability to stop the run from Purdue to Michigan State...
"Well, they're very different schemes (to play against), night and day actually. We fit much better, attacked better up front, but we still have a long way to go to get where we want to be. From an overall standpoint, we tackled pretty effectively after the first couple series. The one reverse they hit and the long run at the end of the game, if you take those away -- and I know you can't - we're sitting at 70 or 80 yards rushing. I thought we did some good things. In the bye week we took some areas we needed to improve on and that was one of them, but we need to keep it going. Indiana is going to put pressure on you, it's well-documented the way they throw the ball. Ben (Chappell) is tremendous, he's got receivers at every position that can score when they touch the ball. They've been beat up but [Trea] Burgess and [Antonio] Banks, what they do out of the pistol puts a lot of pressure on you schematically. Matt Canada and their offensive staff do a great job so it will be a great challenge this week for our defense."
On avoiding a shootout-type game vs. Indiana...
"Yes, that'd be great but we have to find a way to win. Like I said, 23 points over six games for a combined differential. That's not a lot. It's going to be a 60-minute battle and we have to find a way to win. We didn't play very well the last time we went down there and they did. We turned the ball over a bunch and gave up three trick plays. We have a lot of guys on the bus who were part of that game and are very well aware of how they jumped on us last year. We're playing a very good football team. Bill Lynch does a great job, he and I are trying to take our programs to the next level. They do a great job recruiting well and do a great job in all three phases, they're very dynamic."
On defending the pistol...
"It's a little bit different because the quarterback's back is turned to the line of scrimmage so the ball is hidden and they've done some nice deceptive things out of it. They've faked a fly sweep, faked a zone and thrown a bubble, things of that nature. Matt Canada and the offensive staff does a great job. It will be a little unique from what we've seen but we'll work diligently on it this week."
