Indiana University Athletics
Head Coach Terry Hoeppner's Weekly Press Conference
9/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 5, 2006
Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner met with the media today for his weekly press conference. He was joined by assistant head coach Bill Lynch and wide receivers coach Billy Lynch. Joey Lynch, Bill's son and Billy's brother is a quarterback for Ball State.
Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner
Opening Statement:
"When we gather in this room, it's a good thing because it means today is a practice day, and we are one day closer to playing football again. I was up at 6 a.m. Sunday morning because I couldn't wait to watch the tape. One of the worst seats in the house is on the sideline. You want to clear up what you are remembering about the game the previous night by watching the tape. I think it's revealing that we can play and win a game like that and no one is really excited with their performance after the game. There was a sense of accomplishment after the game. I thought it was an important win. We are not just about winning a football game. We are building bigger things than just winning a game. We had a number of good plays. It's also important that we don't get too carried away with the success or get to critical with the plays we didn't make. In every phase of the game, we have areas we can constructively critique. When I was a player, I never thought there was a game where I thought I couldn't play any better. I hope that our players feel the same way. Just winning a game isn't enough. If we can get this team to keep raising the bar, then we can build on wins and those wins become winning seasons and then championship seasons."
On what the staff is challenging the team to do for this week's game:
"Find a way to win. That's been my motto for a long time. You truly don't know from week to week and from game to game how the game is going to unfold. Until you step across the line and engage the other team, you just don't know. It's not until you engage them do you know how you match up with them that particular day. What you don't want to get forced into as an offense is a lot of thirds and long. Statistically, that is not a good down to do what you want to do. Defensively, you want to get the other team behind the chains and force third and long."
On the Hoosier running game:
"When we throw a bubble pass, that's a run in our offensive planning. Technically, it's a forward pass, but it serves the purpose as a run. In a spread offensive, that play is a running play. At times, I thought we ran the ball well. We had a first down and in two plays, we were in the end zone. We have worked since the game, as a staff, critiquing what we could have done better. It's a work in progress. I don't have a set number of running plays and pass plays. The game unfolds. All of the aspects that go into the game determine how we adjust. You have to find a way to move the ball and to win. We have to continue to find a way to do what we want to do and not get pushed behind the chains offensively. "
On making big plays:
We need to make more big plays. We didn't make the big plays on offense Saturday night. We made big plays. I like punt returns for touchdowns, and I like interceptions for touchdowns. Those were products of our schemes and our practice regiment. No one was surprised to see Chris Phillips intercept the ball and run it back for a touchdown. It's about the sixth one he's had this summer. No one was shocked that Tracy Porter ran back a punt. We have very good athletes on special teams."
On the offensive line's performance against Western Michigan:
"I thought the offensive line did relatively well on pass protection. They didn't have many breakdowns one-on-one. There were a few schemes that we didn't pick up, but it wasn't a technique or personnel problem. The offensive line is far from where it needs to be, but there is definitely improvement. It didn't look like it was Charlie Emerson or Kyle Thomas' first college game at the position. Chris Mangerio earned a game ball. We had too many penalties and that has become a point of emphasis for the officials this season. We have to be a smart football team, and that's on me and the coaching staff."
On the play of junior defensive end Brian Faires:
"Brian is a big guy who can run and is athletic. As a coaching staff, we spent a lot of time putting players in the right position for them and the team. Brian Faires and Charlie Emerson are prime examples of this. We are much more equipped making those changes this year with the depth and the development of the young guys. I am proud of Brian. He will continue to get better because he is continuing to learn the position."
On the impact of the newcomers:
"We played 58 guys and five true freshmen. That is a lot for me, especially in game one. They all played pretty well. Josh Bailey, who started his first game at a new position, turned in a solid performance with some big plays. We liked the consistency and the big plays. There is plenty he can improve on, but I love his attitude and energy. He will hit you."
On Ball State:
"I've played against Ball State. The last time was in 2003. I've been to Muncie several times. They do an excellent job. They will be well coached and eager to play this game. Iowa came to Oxford in 2002. It's part of the agreement the two conferences have made. I think it's great for both leagues. I have great respect for the teams in the Mid-American Conference. I've been on the other side of the field. I know their fans will be fired up. We need to be prepared to go into a hornet's nest and play a good football team. Ball State is playing really well right now and putting up a lot of points. We need to have a great week of preparation starting today."
Assistant Head Coach Bill Lynch
On what it will be like playing against his son Joey, a quarterback at Ball State:
"Obviously, it's an interesting week for us. I'm not the first one to ever do this. It's the first time I've gone through it. We had some fun with it this summer. You can sense it's getting more intense as the conversations have become less frequent. It will be fun to get to the game. So many of Joey's teammates are friends of the family, thus there are a lot of associations for us. We are anxious to go up to Muncie and play."
On his feeling about returning to Muncie:
"In this profession, it happens quite a bit where you have to go back and play a team you once coached. Billy did that as a graduate assistant at Miami (Ohio) right after he got done playing at Ball State. That is part of the business."
On the game against Ball State being a family affair:
"I think it's a little ironic that this is the same weekend the Mannings are playing against each other. We had a lot of fun in the summer talking about this weekend. It's here now. I think we have it in proper perspective and are ready to play the game and enjoy it. We can't make it out to be more than it is. It's about Ball State playing Indiana."
On how his wife, Linda, is handling the situation:
"It will be tough on her. I have a daughter living in Muncie and a son playing at Franklin College that will race to Muncie after the game. This has effected the entire family, but, again, I think we have it in the proper perspective."
On helping the defense:
"The defensive staff knows what they are doing. Because it's early in the season, the defensive staff had some time to do their homework. The game of football is so specialized that we have our hands full with just offense. That part has made it easier on all of us."
On taking the time to watch Joey play on Saturday
"Hopefully, I will be too involved in the game to sit and watch. When the other team is on offense, that is the time that you use to communicate with the other offensive staff. Anything you see during that time is in passing. All I am concerned about is when it gets to third down and we need to get ready. I will probably watch how Joey did the next day on tape."
On Joey as a quarterback:
"Unfortunately, I haven't seen him play a lot since the last two years I have been coaching elsewhere. I know he has improved a lot. He has developed into a pretty good quarterback."
On Ball State:
"They are a good football team, and they are getting better. They were really good last year. They beat some good teams last year, and they return a lot of good players. Knowing Joey and some of his teammates the way we do, we know how hard they have worked. They have been pointing toward this season. If you watch the tape from their opener, they really got better as the game went on. They are a good, hard-nosed football team that has played together for a while. Like Coach Hoeppner said, it's going to be a hornet's nest going up there on Saturday."
Wide receivers coach Billy Lynch
On playing against his brother:
"It was my birthday on Sunday. Sunday starts game week and you can tell the game is getting close because I got no call from him Sunday, which is normally a day we talk."
On having his brother on the other sideline:
"I'm excited for the game. Everything we have been talking about as a family this summer has been in good fun. We are involved so much in the preparation for the game, the family connection has become a distant part of it."
On how he thinks Joey will react if he makes a big play:
"If it were Kevin [the youngest Lynch brother] or I, we would be doing something to celebrate. Joey is a focused and non-demonstrative kid."
On talking strategy as a family:
"We are a football family and for years, we have sat around and talked Xs and Os. We have watched him on tape, and he has watched us. We will see all we need to from that tape."
