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KF Ill Pre PDF
KF Ill Pre PDF
Media Conference
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Kirk Ferentz
KIRK FERENTZ: First of all, just good afternoon. fight and compete or you're going to surrender. There
Appreciate everybody being here and covering the really aren't options in either one of those choices.
team.
The choice is to push forward and maximize the
Just looking backwards for a second, last weekend was opportunities moving forward, and I'm confident and
a defining weekend for a lot of teams in college comfortable our team will do that, and that's where
football, and certainly a pivotal one for our football we're at right now.
team. You look back, every team starts preparation for
the most part in January with the out-of-season The other thing was regarding playing time, roles, and
programs. You go through a lot, and then August rolls that type of thing with personnel decisions, etc, and as
around and there's a lot of hope and optimism, and we you can well imagine, our first goal as a team is to win,
certainly felt that way. It was a guarded optimism, but and then our secondary goals are to score points
you have goals, lofty goals and expectations, and the offensively and stop points on the defensive side.
bottom line is this football team this year has really
worked hard. I've said that consistently. They've We spent a lot of time evaluating our team, looking at
worked hard. They've had a great attitude, and they've the team, watching them, and then week to week trying
showed up and competed hard, and that is to figure out what gives us the best chance to do those
commendable. Certainly, the first seven weeks went two things, attain those two goals, and it's a little bit
better for us than the last three, and that's certainly complex. It starts with knowing your personnel and
disappointing for each and every one of us. then obviously trying to match your opponents,
anticipated things that they're going to give you. So it
That's part of the deal. They've been tough losses, two depends on the plan.
points, six points, four points, and I know that's
disappointing for our fans. It's more disappointing for Injury situations of players also factor into it a little bit,
our players as you can imagine with just all the and then most importantly once you get to the game;
investment that they've made, but that's part of the how the game goes, how the opponent chooses to
deal. attack you and go on from there.
With that, I understand there's always questions, and There are a lot of things that go into it, a lot of it is
questions are asked, and quite frankly probably the reactionary and then just work from there. So that's
hardest time for me to deal with that stuff is right after a how we go about that.
ballgame. You're thinking about the players, where
they're at mentally, and you're thinking about the game Circling back to our football team, I've said this
in a million different ways. consistently, this team so far has really shown good
leadership, and they've continued to do that. We've
Clearly I had some time to reflect and look back, and had good leadership there, and we've seen a good
just to hit two questions quickly, I'll touch back on attitude from everybody, and there are a lot of little
those, and then we'll move forward to Illinois. things you look for during the course of a year, whether
it's academic, social, just things they do, how they
First thing is how do we move forward as a football interact with each other, what the locker room looks like
team right now, what's there left to play for, and I've when you walk through it, and I think these guys have
always felt like anything in sports, I mentioned the other really done a good job of doing the little things well.
night we prepare pretty much year-round. You only get
12 opportunities guaranteed, so every game is special. Nobody wants to lose, obviously. Nobody wants to
We've got two scheduled and they're important to us. I lose one game, let alone three in a row, but the big
know they are for our opponents, also, and it really thing right now and the thing we've tried to
goes down to two things for a football team or anybody communicate to our players that's the key is looking
when you face disappointment. You're either going to forward at this point. There's nothing you can do about
pull together or you're going to divide or you're going to what's happened behind us, and really what's
Turning the page to Illinois, the captains will be the Q. Noah had, I believe, eight or nine snaps in the
same guys: Parker Hesse, Nate Stanley, Jake Gervase second half. Is that enough in your eyes for Noah?
and Keegan Render. Injury-wise it looks like Brandon KIRK FERENTZ: Nothing really looked very good last
Smith will be back. He's practiced the last two days, so Saturday, quite frankly, offensively. There wasn't much
as long as he gets through the week, he'll be back. we did that really did with consistency, so we went back
Nate Stanley is doing better than the last two weeks. I and looked at everything and we'll try to keep him
don't know if he's 100 percent, but he's certainly doing involved and get him involved. But he's a good football
better and doing fine, threw the ball well today and player. We're going to be a better team if we can get
yesterday. And then on a different note, Max Cooper, him the ball. He didn't play that many snaps against
we lost him in the last part of the game there on Indiana, but he had a lot of production, and that was
Saturday, so he's going to be out for the season, coming off an injury and what have you. Snap count
unfortunately. He's been doing some good things and was pretty low, but his production was really high, as
just came back off an injury. That's disappointing for was T.J.'s, and we didn't get that kind of production
everybody. from either of the guys the other night. Not putting it on
them, it's just Northwestern did a really good job of
Talking about Illinois, Coach Smith's third year and making it tough on us the other day.
they're a very young football team in a lot of regards.
When you look at them defensively, clearly there's an Q. There's some speculation that there's maybe a
identity there that's been consistent, and then where character issue or a vendetta issue. It doesn't
the big change is offensively, they made a change in seem like that's actually the case, though, right?
systems this past out of season, and the last three KIRK FERENTZ: Well, if that's floating around out
weeks especially they've really been clipping right there, which I've got to apologize, I'll read the papers
along. I think they're 41 points a game, 550 yards tomorrow night. I haven't heard that. I can assure you
average over the last three ballgames, and a lot of that's not an issue. Noah is a high-character guy. He's
that's coming on the ground. been tremendous with us. He's a great kid. So there's
no issues there at all, and that's hardly the deal.
Quarterback and the running back are both doing a
great job, extremely dangerous players, and then Beyond that, again, he's a good player. We're going to
they're playing with great confidence, and probably the be better if we can find ways to get him the ball. We
biggest change outside of that that I would cite is just tried to get him the ball on that two-point play at
their offensive line. They were a young group last year Purdue, the last one we had. Unfortunately he was
and a little bit rough around the edges, but they're assaulted on that play and didn't get the opportunity.
much improved as a group and they're allowing their And that kind of factors in sometimes, too. Remember,
offense to operate really efficiently. They've done a we have a lot of plays that are designed for he, T.J.,
good job of moving that thing along. other guys, as well, but if the defense takes something
away, then you're out of luck on that one.
Back on the road again, and just another Big Ten
challenge. We need to have a good week. We're off to Q. You've told us in the past that Phil has the
a good start and the challenge now is to go on the road primary decision making on personnel decisions
and try to get a Big Ten win. on defense. Is the same true for Brian on offense?
KIRK FERENTZ: Yes, pretty much, and LeVar on
Q. With Noah, I don't understand how a player of special teams. We'll have conversations. I'll interject
that resume doesn't get on the field. I don't thoughts, ideas. I had one last night before we left on
understand that. It feels like he's one of the best the other side of the ball about a couple things. But
players. that's kind of always been the way I've operated. I'll
KIRK FERENTZ: No question. I said the other night, make my observations, say what I think is important,
we've got two really good tight ends, and it's rare to and then pretty much let the coordinators handle
have that. But if you look at it, this year plus compared things.
to last year, we're going about roughly the same ratio,
amount of snaps. They're out there, he and T.J. are
Coming out of Purdue, it looked like a long shot to go Q. Do you think the running back by committee has
to Indy, and yeah, so that's always been our attitude hindered that? Has it not allowed it to get into a
going back to day one in '99 when we couldn't win a rhythm?
game. But you're always trying to build towards KIRK FERENTZ: I don't think necessarily. I think it's a
something, and it's really important, you're either matter of us being a little bit more cohesive and trying
adding to it, you're contributing, or you're taking away to -- we've got to push this thing through. It's kind of
from. That was really the impetus behind sending bowl like our team overall; we've just got to push this thing
watches to the 2000 seniors because they never got through and do things a little bit better.
the opportunity to play in a bowl and that was a real
pivotal -- those guys helped set the table for that 2001 Q. Gersonde, you wouldn't waste a redshirt by
season, and that was hardly momentous looking back, using him; is there any chance you might see him
but it was at that time. That was like going to Indy for this week?
us at that point. KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, that's true of a lot of the guys
we have right now that are under that four-game count,
And then right along with that, you get pressed about so yeah, we'll definitely let those guys compete, and
evaluating teams and all that, and I am reluctant to do Ryan is -- we can play him without being penalized
that until the season is over. Two of my favorite teams now, which is really nice, and there are probably a
to coach and work with on a daily basis are not going couple other guys, too, that we're looking at that might
to go down in the record books as memorable Iowa be able to help us in some way, maybe small roles, that
teams perhaps for a lot of people, but they will for me. type of thing, help us win the game.
The '13 season and the '08 season were two of the
better -- I thought those guys really -- they were on the Q. You had NFL guys on the offensive line last year
right page, they were working together and maximized in James and Ike, then Akrum, NFL running back,
every opportunity as best they could. In '08 we lost -- but still, last year the running game was a little bit
after our 3-0 start, got off to a good start and then had short in some games --
three tough losses like this stretch. But they came out KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, we really didn't have Ike, but
of it. We had one more loss at Illinois, coincidentally, yeah.
by three points I think. But that season, the team just
kept driving and kept pushing. That's all we're asking Q. And it feels like that's a large part of what you
our guys to do right now, and there's still a lot of good guys want to be, a large part of your identity when
moments we can have if we'll stick with it, and that's you're right in your offense.
the goal right now. KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, that was a bad night offensively
for us, period, and if you look back at Wisconsin last
Q. You talked about the problem with the running year, which ironically our tight ends weren't very
game postgame, you talked about it last week. involved in that game, either. When we don't run the
How frustrating is it watching the film and not ball, it's really tough. When you're struggling
seeing really any progress? offensively, which we were the other night, it's just -- it's
KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, that was a big part of the game a bad situation. They kind of feed off each other, and
the other day. It was 3-0 at halftime, might as well be we've certainly run the ball better with NFL guys up