Indiana University Athletics
Head Coach Terry Hoeppner's Weekly Press Conference
10/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Head Coach Terry Hoeppner met with the media on Oct. 3 for his weekly press conference in preparation for Illinois on Oct. 7. He was joined by redshirt wide receiver Andrew Means, senior linebacker Jake Powers and junior fullback Josiah Sears.
Opening Statement
"I don't feel a lot different now than I did after the game (Wisconsin). After watching the tape, I am still surprised we played the way we did. I didn't see it coming. The way the game started and the way we forced them to punt, that is what I thought was going to happen. I thought it was going to be a well-played football game. I knew they were a good team. Obviously, they are a good team that played well, and we didn't play well. I was most disappointed in our pass defense. It goes back to the basics of football. I was taught a long time ago, the most important element is pass defense. A play can turn into a touchdown, and it tends to be demoralizing when a ball gets thrown over your head. You have to play sound pass defense. You can't give up easy touchdowns in the air, period. Pass defense has received a lot of attention with the staff both on Sunday and Monday. Obviously, it will be a point of emphasis today. We are playing a Big Ten opponent this weekend on the road that is coming off a big win. It's not going to get any easier for us, but as a staff, we are not discouraged, but we are disappointed. Our job as coaches is to come up with answers and some strategies to win games. We haven't given up on the older guys by any stretch. We have played a lot of younger guys so far this season, and there may be some more on the horizon. It's an evaluation all practice week to find out who is playing the best and who is going to match up the best. We are determined. I told the staff on Sunday, we are coaching in the Big Ten. We have no problems, just opportunities. I am more determined than ever. I feel great, and I am ready for the weekend."
On playing more newcomers:
"We are at that point. We have a number of guys who are ready and who have been practicing up. I want to travel some true freshmen as part of the learning experience."
On the loss to Wisconsin:
"As a coach, I have never been on the receiving end of a game like that. I've been on the other side quite a few times. I know this, I don't like it, and I don't intend of it ever happening again."
On how the coaching staff dealt with the loss:
"As coaches, Sunday was a big day. As painful as it was, you have to analyze and critique the film and come up with answers. As a coach, you look forward to finding out what happened. We had too many blown coverages. It wasn't just technique, it was mental errors. The good thing is those things are fixable. We missed way too many tackles. You want to see improvement. We have practiced live tackling for two weeks. We are determined, and we had a good day Sunday and Monday. The coaches have utilized our time well this week, and it will be a great day for practice. We aren't happy with the results, but it's important how we respond as coaches."
On playing redshirt and true freshmen:
"We haven't given up on this team. We have not written off the older guys. The concept of the old guys versus the new guys is preposterous. I told this team last year that `you guys are my team.' This team has been through a lot. Go out and compete. The challenge is if you aren't playing, go out and show us you should be playing. The fact that we are playing some younger guys is because they are practicing best. To say that we are building for the future by playing young guys is incorrect. We are building for Illinois."
On Illinois:
"Illinois is coming off a big win. They have a lot of confidence, and they are playing at home. Everything is in the here and now for us."
On the seniors:
"I've met with the seniors both individually and as a group about what we need to do. They are my seniors. I haven't given up. It's getting tougher, but we haven't given up on this team and this senior class. They have been so good and responded so well to all of the adversity they have had to face. I have a group over to my house every Thursday night. If they don't like what's going on, do something about it. They understand the situation. If I didn't want them here, they wouldn't be here. We invited 105 to camp, and that's who we have."
On the difference between Illinois from last season to this season:
"The biggest difference is the quarterback (Isiah "Juice" Williams). He is throwing the ball well, and by design, they are running him well in the spread offense. He is 220 pounds, and he is a powerful runner. I think they are playing a similar structure on defense as they were last year, but they are playing better. Michigan State is a good football team. They are playing with a big confidence boost. We are going to build on the fourth quarter we had against Wisconsin, because we know we can do it. We have to keep making plays on special teams."
On the importance of the stability at quarterback:
"I think it's more important that we are more productive on offense rather than who the quarterback is. We need to play better because we can. If you watch us practice, you know we are capable of playing much better."
On the team's confidence after the loss:
"I hope that we are not that fragile in that one play knocks us off kilter. It's our job as coaches to get the team ready. I know there is no answer or an exact science to win games, but they need to be as prepared as they can be. We are trying to gain support, build a fan base and win games."
Junior fullback Josiah Sears
On playing on the road against Illinois:
"We are focused on beating Illinois. Because it's their homecoming, they are probably a little more pumped up, but it's still a football game."
On what the team needs to do to win:
"We need to have a good week of practice. When it comes game time, we need to play like we do in practice and not make mental errors. We need to come out ready to play."
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Andrew Means
On the Wisconsin game:
"The penalties are going to hurt any team. We had two in the opening drive that were crucial and hurt us, momentum wise. The penalties and missed assignments hurt the team. We need come out and play hard and not make the mental mistakes. We were driving the ball fine until those mistakes."
On the team's confidence after the penalties:
"I think the penalties took all of the momentum out of the drive and that cost us down the road."
On the play of quarterback Kellen Lewis:
"I thought it was great for a young quarterback to get to start in a Big Ten game. I think he handled it well. Obviously, there are things he can work on, like the rest of the team, but I think he will mature faster because of it. Every time he gets back on the field, he is stronger."
Senior linebacker Jake Powers
On the importance of the Illinois game:
"It's crunch time right now. We need to start making the adjustments and getting serious. We need to have a good week of practice and do everything we can to turn this around."
On tackling:
" Tackling is all about effort. If you are going hard, most of the time, you are going to make the tackle. It's an effort thing. I think as the pressure mounts, you are going to start seeing more and more playmakers emerge."
