Indiana University Athletics
Head Coach Terry Hoeppner's Weekly Press Conference
11/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner met with the media Tuesday, Nov. 22, for his weekly press conference.
On the quarterback position going into the offseason:
"Let me say this about the quarterback position and more specifically Blake Powers. One of my comments to him after the game, because he obviously took it very hard and sat by his locker after everyone had left. I reminded him that, `Blake, the quarterback and head coach get too much credit and too much blame. You are a tough guy and your resiliency is being tested. This has happened for a reason.' Did he play as well as we wanted him to play down the stretch? No. As I keep saying, because it is true, it wasn't a judged competition. It wasn't something where he simply had to go out and practice all week and then perform. The competition had a lot to do with it. I think he would be the first to say that he didn't play as well as he could have played, but he wasn't the only one. There were so many things contributing to him making a bad throw or pick. Some of those were caused by some other part of the passing game. For sure, you can't single him out. He was getting a lot of credit and I just saw a write up from early in the season that he was the poster child for this program turning around when we were 3-0. He was getting too much credit then. So, giving him too much blame now would be inappropriate.
Sure, we will compete. We have a quarterback committee that we think is very talented. That is the excitement of spring practice. That is the challenge of the offseason. How much do you improve? I felt Blake Powers was the most improved player in our program earlier in the year. It is a journey and not a destination. He needs to keep improving and maybe as much as he did last offseason. The conundrum that becomes the quarterback position at any level is what the other guys do to keep you from doing what you have been doing. Part of it was the defense. Ohio State was able to put good pressure on us without using their blitz package. That was all we worked on all week. That is now more guys in coverage and they are still getting good pressure. We need to do a better job of protecting the quarterback. We need to do a better job of running our routes and not getting knocked off our routes. Wisconsin was a perfect example of that. They really kept us from running our routes. That is why playing receiver is difficult. You look in the playbook and see these nice, neat lines that the receivers run. It doesn't show a defensive back in there jamming them and adjusting their route. It also doesn't show that the blitz is coming and they have to read that on the run and make an adjusted route. That is why playing receiver is where you get better as you get more experienced. We didn't have Jahkeen Gilmore that game against Wisconsin. He would have matched up better against that type of physical coverage. There are so many areas where we can get better. There are so many things that we are excited about. The fact that have redshirted so many of this freshman class that we think are very talented. They have indicated that to us on the practice field. We had some of the best scout teams week-in and week-out that we have ever had. Those young running backs and young defensive linemen, it was a real challenge for the offense and defense."
On the college redshirt system:
"I talked about the five-for-five, where you could be playing freshmen. I came up with a new plan. I offered a new proposal that I just sent to our Big Ten rep. I have been a big plan of the five-for-five. Now I come up with a 4.5-for-4.5. You either play them early because you think you need them, but then, there are times you wished you didn't. You also get to the midway point and wish you could play different guys because they have been in preseason camp, in your program and in your weight room. They are now physically and mentally capable of playing in a game. They are taking care of themselves because they have matured and are stronger. Plus, they understand the game and understand what you are trying to do. A .5 bonus for real freshmen where you could play them those last six games when some injuries have set in sounds better. How long did it take you guys to graduate from college? I know I graduated in four, but was probably an exception. Back in the day, that is what we did. Nowadays, 4.5 is kind of the average. To me, it makes all kinds of sense. We need to make that change. It would definitely help the IU's of the world, but would also help the Auburn's and the Michigan's of the world, too. I think it would help motivate our freshmen. Right now, in the preseason, you know you aren't playing in games. I might get to travel, but I am practicing and am on the scout team. As opposed to saying if you do a great job in the classroom, a great job in the weight room and a great job practicing, you are going to be in position to maybe get to play. I would say that you can't use that .5 any other time. If they don't play at all freshman year, they still have four years to play. That cleans up all the redshirting. If you play him for that whole first year, that is a year gone and he has three to go. It makes so much sense. It would be manageable and would be a bonus in terms of our APR. With a five-year plan, you are on schedule with most other college students. The five-for-five has now been withdrawn. Mike Stoops had to burn his quarterback's year in game seven or eight. I've had to call a freshman in with three games left and I need you to play. That is a tough call. In the long run, I think it would help our freshmen and help the teams that end up playing with 60 guys toward the end of the year because you redshirt people. I redshirted 22 guys. I could have used some of them."
On how far away IU is from being where he wants to be:
"I'll say this. I don't think as a team that we are athletic enough. Almost across the board at every position. That is the emphasis for the winter. That is also the incentive for the young guys on the team. I have included the spring practice calendar to all our season ticket holders. You are welcome to attend to watch our redshirt freshmen compete for positions. We have some talented young guys that did not play this year. They might be more athletic than some other guys. We've seen what other guys can do. Is that the best they can do? Can they get better with a tailor-made program? We are going to monitor them weekly and in some cases daily. I've given them academic goals and weight goals. Some of them need to stay the same. Some of them just need to get stronger at that weight. There are a number of them that need to get bigger, and there is a group that needs to get smaller. We need to be more athletic. In some cases, we are too big. I think we can make some pretty dramatic changes and it can happen pretty quickly. I also think this winter will be so much different. We were trying to learn who the players were last year. I was trying to figure out names. Position coaches were trying to figure out how people fit in. We aren't there now. We have a good handle on the guys right now and what we think they can do. We had a big recruiting meeting last week where I rated the players and then, independently, the position coaches rated them. Then, we put them together. Here are the comments. What does everyone think? We have a pretty good handle on their strengths, weaknesses and areas of improvement. We can tailor-make that program. Here is exactly what you need to work on. Not only is it academics and weight goal. There is a speed goal and skill improvement goal. Whatever your position requires you to do. Our hand-eye coordinator has improved as we use the speed bag. There is a direct corollary between punching the speed bag and your hand-eye coordination. It will help anyone. We had some guys already get the routine down pretty good. That is why this winter will be different. This isn't a winter with a big question mark over it. There isn't a mist or fog. It is crystal clear. I think we can improve. I think winning on the field will be a by-product of how we manage our lives off the field. I am excited. The season is over, and the season has just begun. We saluted our seniors, thanked them and dismissed them. Here is the big picture overview of what we have planned for you. This time period is on academics, then academics. We want them to finish strong. We need to push hard to get every GPA point we can get. When we come back in January, it is on. We are excited about that."
On how much tackling will be emphasized:
"Part of that were the guys we were trying to tackle. The last week of the season, we were doing tackling drills. You can get better and teach tackling. It will be a great point of emphasis. If you can learn, then you can play. The understood part of that is that if you can block, then you can play. If you can tackle, you can play. If you can change directions, you can play. All of that is under that simplified motto that if you can run, you can play. We need to become a more fundamental team. If you are more athletic, then you put yourself in position on the field to play. Here is the challenge as a coach. Defensively, A - get them aligned properly. We had some of that this year. B, then they need to know their assignment once the ball is snapped. C, they have to go to the next by getting off the block and getting to the ball carrier and the pass. We need more guys who can then go to D and possibly E. I think some guys can go to F defensively. Who shed the blocker, rush the quarterback, get rid of another guy, jump up and tip the ball and catch the ball then run it in for the touchdown. I really thought we would score a lot of defensive touchdowns this year. It didn't happen. A lot of guys go A to B. Smart guys and teams know what to do and can go to C sometimes. Not very much D. We need erasers out there. When different guys don't go to C, this guy goes to D and takes care of all the problems because he makes that play they couldn't make. We don't have that right now. I think back to a Johnny Williams in 1995. I moved him from a second team mike to free safety. Randy Walker said, `Are you sure?' I tell that story, because I wasn't positive about it. I just knew we needed an eraser back there. We needed someone that could take care of other mistakes. He led the league in tackles and was the Defensive Player of the Year. That is the kind of guy who would run by linebackers to make the play. He read things and was a fast football player. He just made plays. He was our Reggie Bush. I stayed up and watched Fresno and USC the other night. They put Reggie Bush out with a hitch to a wide receiver. He got one block and proceeded to run 50 yards for the touchdown. He did all the A-C things, and then he went to F. That is the kind of guy. That is where the game has gone. The USC's of the world have a lot of playmakers. We have guys in our program who are young and can go to D and E. That is how they appear. That is exciting for us. We will be able to put some of those guys on the field who we saw make plays on the scout team. If he can do it on the scout team, he has a chance to be a playmaker to take it beyond C."
On the linebacking position:
"We will have the young guns there. That is a position where we are still looking for those guys on the road. We don't have enough of those linebackers. They are special teams guys. They are the guys that defend the pass, rush the passer and stop the run. That is the key to your defense. It makes every other position better. It dictates what you are able to do. We aren't happy with the results and also aren't happy with some of the performances. We will continue to coach how we coach. We will still have fun practicing football. We will have to have some guys step it up and perform better or we will give that chance to someone else. It may be somebody who is sitting in English class right now. That is the reality. That is where we are right now. To me, it is marketed different than a year ago. I wasn't here a year ago. I was getting ready to go to a bowl game a year ago. I struggle to comprehend that we really played like that, because I am not used to that. I told them no buyer's remorse. I would do it again and do it the same. I have high hopes."
On the growth of the program:
"We need quality depth because one guy needs a blow and the next guy goes in and is almost as good. We need where John Pannozzo goes down and the next guy can go in and play. That is part of it. The response I am getting from a multitude of season ticket holders and e-mailers, it is truly humbling. It makes you feel great. It is rewarding. People are with us where the victories didn't come on the field, but the victories we enjoyed off the field were appreciated. They appreciated the attitude and spirit. I think developing that collegiate atmosphere was a win. I saw a picture of one of the old walks and you compare that to the last walk. It doesn't look the same. It kept growing. The increase in attendance. We didn't get enough wins in the stands. We had some pretty good improvement. We are changing attitudes and reconnecting. I said we were going to do the Walk on my first press conference. There are two parts to the Walk. The grove, then when we connect with the band. The tunnel of people you go through is really impressive and we are undefeated in the Walk. The Rock was not pre-conceived. That evolved through discussions with alumni. The bookstore is selling rocks. You have people wanting to take pictures with the Rock. You have sports writers interviewing the Rock. I think that was a win. Talking with the president and the athletics director, no one is satisfied, but everyone is encouraged."
On how many recruits he plans to sign:
"We are concentrating on defense. We want to finish this class and will probably have another six or seven guys. For the most part, they will be defense. We make take a special receiver out there that is probably hard to turn down. That is probably our deepest position with redshirt freshman that you have only seen in practice. I am excited about them. Nick Polk, Chris Banks, Andrew Means and Kevin Welch a walk-on from California. Those guys can play, but if there is a difference maker out there that can go from A-to-B-to-TD, you take him. You can over-sign in the Big Ten, depending on whether we have any attrition. That is to be determined. The recruits that are committed to us are committed. The ones that we are still vying for have set visits. You have to keep recruiting those commitments. We are engaged and we want to get married in February. We don't want them dating around on us. The guys we recruited last year, they are athletic guys who can run. Whether you are a Jammie Kirlew or Demetrius McCray. They all are athletic and can run. That continues to be the guys who are committed to us."
On whether he was ever surprised by anything in the Big Ten:
"Not a surprise, I said it early on. I lobbied to get Miami in the Big Ten. Joe Paterno said they needed a 12th team. How about us? We are already in Big Ten country. It would make it easy for the Olympic sports to travel. We tried to schedule as many as we could. Be careful what you wish for, because I have it now eight weeks out of the year. I think the top teams in the Big Ten can play with anybody. Minnesota leads the nation in rushing. Michigan's defense was better than I thought. You watch them on tape against other people and then you try to determine how you will match up with them. What formations and defenses do you need to use? The quality of play and depth of play was not surprising. It just confirmed that this is the deep water with the big fish. We would dip in and out at Miami. Obviously, we didn't do it on a weekly basis. We need to get to the point where we have quality depth. That is where the 4.5 plan would allow every team to maximize the college experience and not have Demetrius McCray run around and just practice. He practiced well. He was a great practice player. The team came up with a term where you got McCrayed. That is pretty hard for a scout team player to do. That meant you tried to tackle him and you didn't come close. He still had a great year. He also blocked about six punts this year on the practice field. He is one of those athletic guys that will help us."
On the challenge of the offensive line:
"The hardest position to play in college football is offensive line. Not only is it a physically demanding position, it is also a very mentally demanding position. Those defenses don't just line up in front of you. You have a big guy like the Michigan State defensive tackles that are 320 or you have quick guys coming off the end. You have to have experience to play there. I think if we make dramatic improvement in terms of wins next year, it will be because of the play up front. That is such a key area. People who know me and know what I try to accomplish, that is what Iowa and Wisconsin did. That offensive line that is 6-4, 293 and can run. How quickly can we make that happen? How quickly can we get those guys that can play and be effective in the Big Ten? I know those receivers we have can play. The running backs can play. Quarterback is a position where we need to get better. We have a dearth at linebacker. We lost some key defensive linemen, but we have some guys that can play. We have a lot of question marks, but offensive line is one. We graduated Adam Hines, Isaac Sowells and Brandon Hatcher. That is an area of emphasis."
