Northwestern University Athletics
Monday Press Conference: Maryland Week
10/9/2017 3:03:00 PM | Football
Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald
On players of the game…
"I thought Justin Jackson played really well on Saturday. You know, a guy who, again, is coming off being banged up, I thought that was maybe his best performance of the year. I look forward to continuing to work hard to get him going. We had no big playmaker. I, and our defensive staff, thought Sam Miller really played well defensively, really active. And then Nate Hall was our big playmaker, was all over the field. Practice-wise: Jelani Roberts on offense, Earnest Brown on defense, and Chris Bergin special-teams-wise. Looking forward to going back - it's a little bit of a homecoming for me, being a former Terrapin, you know, starting my coaching career there with [then-Head Coach] Ron Vanderlinden. First ever meeting between ourselves and the University of Maryland, really am Impressed with Coach Durkin's team. I know they had a tough one Saturday like we did, but when you watch what he's been able to do and accomplish in a short amount of time... he's an outstanding football coach, a great friend, and [I'm] really impressed with what they're doing, especially with some of the injuries that they've had at the quarterback postion, they continue to progress. It's been impressive. The way they went up on the road and beat Minnesota was incredibly impressive. And then defensively, very similar structure to what they did when he was at Michigan and obviously we didn't have great success against that the one time we went against each other. Got our hands full, and then going on the road, it's gonna be a challenge, so [I'm] looking forward to the week.
On whether he still follows Maryland, this week's opponent…
"I started my coaching career there, so of course... I follow the Idaho Vandals, I follow Colorado still. When you have the privilege as a coach to be at those places, it's always gonna be a part of ya. I was really fired up for D.J. [Durkin] when he got the [Maryland Head Coach] job. I've known him for a number of years. To see the success he had at Michigan, and now to have this opportunity as Head Coach, for he and his family... know quite a few of his staff members and to see the type of program that they've built in a short amount of time has been really impressive. Obviously, they've done a great job with the DMV recruiting. They've done a really good job keeping the guys home and it's not a surprise. He's an outstanding football coach."
Was there anything you expected to be able to do against Penn St. that you weren't able to do?
"Win. And then everything falls after that. I'm not going to specifically talk a whole lot about game plan. You guys have been covering me now for too long to [not] know that. I think from a standpoint of our ability to finish drives, I thought we had the ball, what, four or five times across the 50 [yard-line] with opportunities to go score. And not to get that accomplished, I think, was really a telltale sign of the game. And then our inability to get anything going rhythmically in the third quarter.... when our defense still kept us in the game, [there] were some things that I thought we'd be able to get accomplished that we didn't.
On the defensive line's performance against Saquon Barkley…
"I thought our defensive line dominated the game. I thought they were outstanding. I thought every guy that went out there played his rear end off. They were incredibly active. I mean Saquon got credit for the run, but we should get credit for the carry. We misfit the play, we missed a tackle, our corner ran up the field and our safety ran into the umpire (briefly laughs). He gets the 53 yards. So if we had any one of those four guys do a little something different, it probably goes for four or five [yards] like it did the other three times they ran the tackle trap play. Credit him, though, he's a heck of a player. But I thought our defensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage pretty well.
On growth of the pass rush in first five games…
"Again, I think it has to do with, sometimes, schematics and what you see. When you face a heavy RPO team - you know, run-pass-option team - it's pretty hard to get a pass rush, 'cause it's really like three-step all day. We played BG, We played Nevada, we played Duke. All three of those teams were heavy, heavy RPO teams. Saturday, Maryland's got a lot of RPO in what they do also. Where[as] at Wisconsin, none. Very little. And there was a little bit on Saturday, but I thought our guys transitioned much better. And again, we're playing a lot of young guys up in that room. And I think they're improving, they're getting better. To see a guy, a veteran like Joe, start to step up, is what we've expected from that group."
On facing another RPO team in Maryland this weekend, which often leads to being one or two seconds away from sacking the quarterback but not quite getting the sack…
"I think you gotta have tighter coverage, right. You gotta be able to [cause a] smaller window so the quarterback's gotta hold it a little bit longer. And then you flip it over and offensively, you try to have that be part of the solution 'cause they're actually reading, more times than not, the guys at the second level, than if you bring safeties into the fit - the read and the safeties. So, quarterback is gonna show the ball like it's a run play and you're getting full run run action from the O-line, and so it's hard to go play and defeat the run, and then get vertical. It's a challenge, there's no doubt. That's why it's so in vogue. I mean, I got five minutes to see a play last night from the Chiefs, and I'm like oh, there's RPO. Andy Reid's a genius.
On Tyler Lancaster's evolution at NU, his leadership qualities on the D-line…
"He's been outstanding. Everything. Weight room. Film room. Practice. The way he goes about getting himself prepared to play. In-game - you know, we just wrapped our leadership council meeting - outstanding. That's why he's wearing jersey #1. He is the Wildcat. It's what you want that positional number to embody. And then he backs it up with really consistent play. I'm gonna miss him when he's gone, I'm gonna enjoy this next handful of weeks with him in the regular season, without a doubt, 'cause he's one heck of a football player.
On team's identity…
"I don't put a whole lot of stock in what's said in the talking season just because that's just what it is - it's all talk. And then you go through the start of the year, and you get a couple of guys a little bit dinged up. And now all of a sudden, we gotta change some things a little bit. But I think we're getting healthier offensively, which I think is gonna help a lot - especially with some very key contributors. And then the same thing defensively. I think we ran into a little buzzsaw at Duke. We were down a lot of guys, and we had to have some guys in some different positions - not as excuses. And I thought the guys battled through that and I think we're starting to see the return on that. But I would just say right now I don't ever look at any of those types of things. I just wanna find a way to win, and that's what we're working our butts off right now to create a plan to be able to do that."
Why does Northwestern have more targeting penalties this season? Is it the result of officiating?
"One [ejection] was a really good call on [linebacker] Paddy [Fisher]. He's gotta lower the contact. We call it the strike zone. It's kind of like baseball. It's gotta be from the letters to above the knees. And the quarterback... and he was just [aiming] too high... I don't know, he's probably four or five inches taller than the quarterback, and so he dropped down, he just didn't drop down low enough. And so that's a great call. The other ones were tough. I mean, they were really tough. And, like I said, I'm a proponent of the call because we're trying to take it out of the game. Those are two really challenging calls. They could probably go either way. I think if either one of those were not called... if they get reviewed, they're probably confirmed, and if they're both called like they were, they probably are both confirmed. So it's just part of it. I think they're more anomalies than anything. We've put together tapes in camp. I even pull plays from week to week to be able to show guys in team meetings. So it's definitely something that we work really hard to make sure we take out of our game. We've got one legitimate [call] and two that are just challenges that we gotta just be a little bit smarter and better on."
In the midst of a 2-3 record, is there a heightened sense of urgency to turn things around?
"There's been a heightened sense of urgency the whole year. I mean, we've put ourselves in this positon by the way we've coached and played. So the solution is within. If you don't have that urgency all the time, you're not gonna perform very well. The biggest concern from my standpoint is [that] we've gotta get much more consistent offensively - especially up front. Our lack of consistency there is really hurting' us. I watch a lot of Big 10 ball as I go through my week of preparation. This isn't something I think that is unique to us. You see a lot of commonalities right now, teams that are moving the ball pretty well or playing really well up front offensively. And the teams that aren't are not. So we've gotta just continue to drive guys fundamentally, we've gotta make sure they're not overthinking things, and then they've gotta play fast and cut it loose. "Cause I see that happening on our defensive line. I mean, I see that group really playing - playing hard, playing fast, playing physical."
Do you put stock in Maryland being near dead last in most defensive categories?
"I gotta t-shirt that says 'Stats are for losers' and Paul Kennedy's picture is on there. I actually do have that. If you guys want it, you can have it. Every game is a new season. Every week is a season in and of itself. I can't tell you I look at very many stats going into a game. I look at the tape, if that makes sense. And so when I look at the tape, I look at a team... I look at that Texas game, that was all three phases, really impressive, as I watched that video. I fast-forward to watching the Minnesota game, and it was really, really impressive to watch the way the Terrapins played. Obviously, they got after Towson, and they've played similar to us - two pretty darn good teams that ended up on the short end. And you know, with [Maryland's losses to] UCF and Ohio State, we [each] ended up on the short end against three really good teams. And we gotta coach better and play better if we wanna win those games. Obviously we're not doing a good enough job."
On being thin at middle LB and S because Godwin and Paddy are suspended for the first half thanks to targeting penalties…
"You know, I've got a redshirt year left, so I'm gonna wear 51 this week, Blake's gonna move to 52, so that's our plan in the middle. And then I'll be gassed by about the second series, so we'll figure it out after that. Nah, I mean you prepare guys every week. So whoever it is that earns the starting roles at linebacker and at safety throughout the course of the week based on their performance, will go out there and start. And then we'lll have two pretty good players that'll be lathered up and ready to go for the second half. It's part of the game."
On pros and cons of further trips thanks to expanded conference…
"Well, I'm fired to have, obviously, the league that we currently have. I think going from the east coast all the way to the Rocky Mountains with Nebraska, is something that, to me, makes the Big 10 unique. Going back to my experiences in College Park, I was fired up when Maryland got added to the Big 10, just from my own personal experiences and my history there. And I know we've got a lot of alums that are in the DC-Baltimore area - Northern Virginia, and same thing obviously in the greater New York area around Rutgers. For me, I've gone out and spoken in D.C. to our alumni association there. And I know how excited our fans are that we're getting a chance to go play near them."
On Saturday's attendance versus Penn State...
"I'm very thankful to our fans. First and foremost, to our students, it was great to see the student section almost full. I hope they had fun. I know we didn't play well for them in the second half, but I'm very thankful for that. We're going to need them when we come back in a couple weeks for back-to-back weeks. Very thankful to our marketing department and our season ticket sales force. Those teams are working their butts off. We just have to continue to do our part and win games. That's key to continuing to keep the positive momentum going."
On Justin Jackson approaching the program rushing record...
"Amazing. Absolutely spectacular from the standpoint of durability, toughness, resolve. Any time you start talking about those types of accomplishments over a career, it's just absolutely spectacular. I've had the privilege, you've had the privilege to call it. Sometimes we take for granted those types of players and I know we don't, but sometimes by human nature, you're like, 'Oh yeah, he had another great game.' [laughs] It seems like just yesterday he was a freshman. Where I have seen the most growth is in Justin's leadership. He's willing to get out of his comfort zone. He's willing to back up the responsibility of being in a captaincy role that I think more and more today is more difficult than it has ever been. We're in a feelings society. No one wants to hurt each other's feelings. He is a guy that is going, to be honest, and I think he has earned so much respect from his teammates that even though he doesn't say a lot when he does, guys know he's being real and being honest with them. They need either keep going in the direction they're heading or fix the direction they're on. I've just really seen great growth from him in that aspect. I've really been impressed."
On how Justin Jackson came out of Saturday's game versus Penn State physically...
"Great. Best he has been all year postgame."
On what he learned from watching the tape on Sunday...
"Yeah, you know I thought again like I said earlier, I thought our defensive line was really active. I thought that may have been the best game they have played all year. Again, it wasn't just one guy. Collectively as a group, I thought they played really, really hard. There were multiple opportunities that we left out there that would have changed momentum in the game. Both offensively and defensively, but especially offensively. You've got first and goal at the nine and we go four negative plays in a row. I don't have a big solution for that. All four should have been successful. Those were all four plays that other times in the game we executed. Other times in the year, we've executed. That was kind of indicative of the day. It wasn't just one guy. Those are the things we've got to get fixed. You do it through fundamentals, focus, discipline, and competition. Some guys, if they're not performing well, we've got to get different guys in. As a staff, we have to have a plan to put our guys in a position to be successful."
On if the rotation at offensive line inhibits the rhythm of the group...
"Yeah, probably. But I don't have another solution because I'm trying to get five guys to play consistently. When five guys emerge, then five guys will play. Deep thoughts with Pat Fitzgerald right there. Deep thoughts."
On whether or not the offensive line is playing fast and loose...
"No. No. I mean, no. That was on the tape too. Yeah. Yeah. They're overthinking things. Way overthinking things. That option play should have been a touchdown. It should have been a touchdown. We've got everybody collected and the end man on the scrimmage line goes up to the pitch. An inside guy that we should have blocked, redirects and makes the play. Good for him. The kid made a nice play. That should be a touchdown. When it doesn't work, it's like, 'Why would you call that? Why?' Well if we would have blocked the guy who wasn't really the hardest block on the play it would have been, 'That was a great call. Wow.' That's kind of where we're at right now. It's part of the deal. I look forward to the 'Wow, what a great call that was. That's outstanding. Way to go'. But we're not there yet, so we've just got to keep grinding. We've got to keep grinding."
On if his previous time at Colorado played a factor in scheduling them...
"I was pretty fired up about that. I spoke about five or six years ago out in Denver and that was the first thing I got asked by our Alumni Association was 'When are you going to come out and play in Colorado?'. I don't know. We'll see if our schedule fits in the Buffs. Did it play a major factor? No. No, not at all. I think we both needed a game. Are you guys familiar with the Big Ten rules? We have all these rules with scheduling. We've gotta have a power five every year. For us, meaning a power five opponent in the non-conference. Where it fit for us, we needed a power five and they had one. When are we going back? Like 2050? I don't know. It's a long time. I think my youngest will be graduated from Northwestern by then. It just fit. Our schedules got all jacked up when we changed the rules. We have to fit our future schedule into the framework of the Big Ten. I'm probably talking about scheduling about every other day right now. Trying to find games because certain games fit for us in that power five, but the return trip to go play an opponent we don't have it available with the way four home and five road. It's offset based on other schools as well. It's a challenge, there is no doubt about that. It's a fun challenge. We're going to have a power five every year. We have a little hiatus with Duke, so we have a couple other ones. Then we pick Duke back up. Things of that nature with our power five games. We had to push the Stanford series. We didn't play Notre Dame because of that. You guys following what I'm saying on that? It's a nightmare on Elm Street. There is a lot of working parts on that. Just trying to get games scheduled is a challenge. I'm fired up about that. You guys ever seen Ralphie run live? You watch it on YouTube? It's one of the coolest traditions in college football when Ralphie runs. It's pretty neat. You just want to make sure you're not a visiting team when Ralphie comes around. I've watched many of teams run into Ralphie coming. [Laughs]
Jared McGee on Godwin Igwebuike missing the first half of Maryland game...
"I think we're going to be fine. We always have guys preparing like they're going to start every week. Not having Godwin in the first half is a loss, Godwin being who he is for us, but I'm stepping in to fill his role for the first half and I'll be prepared. When he comes back, he'll pick up right where he left off. I think we'll be fine."
Brett Walsh on Paddy Fisher missing the first half of the Maryland game...
"Fortunately, I've been here for awhile, so I can play some MIKE. He'll be missed. Paddy is a great player, but we have other guys who will step up to fill some roles. We'll be alright, but it'll be nice to have him back in the second half."
Flynn Nagel on what the receiving corps has to improve on versus Maryland...
"Obviously, Saturday we need to be better. It starts with the receivers. We have to be better and our offense just has to stop shooting itself in the foot. We had some drives where we were getting some momentum, getting things going, and then whether it was a penalty or a missed block on the perimeter, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot. Going forward we are in a good spot. We have the guys in the room who can make plays. We've gotta keep our heads up and not hang our heads from Saturday. Move on and get ready for Maryland."
Flynn Nagel on if the receivers did anything different versus Bowling Green prior to the last two games...
"Umm... No. I don't think anything major has changed. We've had the same approach each week. We have to have that attack mentality each week. I don't know if there has been a major change, no."
Brett Walsh and Jared McGee on the play of the defensive line versus Penn State...
Walsh: "Coach Fitz is right. They had a great day. We had a plan to take away Saquon Barkley and our defensive line executed that. As a linebacker, we just play off of them. A lot of our success is attributed to how well they play. It makes it a lot easier and they deserve all the credit."
McGee: "The guys up front were outstanding on Saturday. They did well keeping some of the blockers off the linebackers and plugged the holes they're supposed to plug. In the passing game, they got to the quarterback. They made it hard for him to go through his reads and made him move around the pocket a little bit. They got their fair share of sacks, so it makes our life on the back end when the quarterback can't throw the ball. Big shout out to those guys, they were great."
Brad North on if the offensive line is overthinking...
"I'd say that is pretty accurate. Guys, including myself, are worried about things that don't really matter and aren't really focused on their jobs in the moment. We've got to eliminate those mistakes and come back next week better."
North on how that happens...
"People see different things. At Northwestern, we're taught to think a lot in general outside of the football program. Sometimes, people take things outside of football and bring them into football. Coming to practice is time to let that slide away and give yourself another chance to think just about football. Carrying external factors into the weight room or out to practice doesn't help us get better."
North on what he can do to help the offensive line improve...
"Everybody has their different way of handling things. I'm going to take it upon myself to go in, grab everybody together, discuss things and go from there."
Brett Walsh and Jared McGee on preparing for a quarterback they don't have much film on...
Brett: "We're going to prepare for them like we do every other team. Our first game versus Nevada, we didn't have film on them either. At least we've seen a couple games now. They have some playmakers so they definitely present some challenges."
McGee: "On the back end, when you're preparing to take on a guy who hasn't taken a lot of reps, you want to disguise the coverages you're in and make him guess. Help cloud his reads a little bit. Show the same thing every time and then move into the coverages we want to be in. Like Brett said, our film study and preparation, just studying what they want to do as an offense as a whole and not just focusing on one guy. Our preparation will help us be in the right place we need to be in to affect them."
Brett Walsh and Jared McGee on how long Coach Fitzgerald would last if he played a game...
Walsh: "It's a different game now. [Laughter] He is one of the greatest of all time, but we always joke that he didn't have to play any spread teams. It would be funny to see."
McGee: "I think it would nice to have Fitz in there for the run game. We could put him in there and let him run a few stunts, blitzes. That's funny he said that."
