Indiana and Minnesota Postgame Quotes
10/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 6, 2007
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Indiana Head Coach Bill Lynch
Opening Statement
"It was a good win. I really thought, for the second straight week, our kids really gave a great effort from start to finish. I don't think we had the lulls that maybe we had early on in the season. Obviously, a team like Minnesota that is really good offensively, they are going to score some points and move the ball. I thought our kids really played hard and in some tough conditions. The heat down in the stadium really built up and anybody that has been around here a while knows how hot it can get down there. Really, both teams gave great effort.
"I thought our defense played really well. After the first couple drives when they got their feet under them, I thought they were really solid. They didn't give up any big plays. There were a few times in the first half when we missed some tackles, but I thought we were really hitting them, but we just didn't wrap up. But we were getting after them. And then in the second half I think we tackled better and we came up with the turnovers. Leslie (Majors) had a great interception as did Will (Patterson). That is always a goal of ours to win the turnover battle and we were plus one there."
On the run defense:
"Our kids take real pride in it and they work hard. Our defensive staff has done a great job. Minnesota got some good runs in the fourth quarter when we were playing some two deep stuff. We didn't want to get the safties involved because we didn't want to give up the big play and they got us a couple times. But other than that, I thought we were solid the whole day."
"I don't know how many sacks we had but we had a couple pressures and I think that is kind of how we are trying to do things. We are trying to stop the run and force them into passing situations so we can get after the quarterback."
On the playcalling during the game:
"Matt Canada, our coordinator who calls the plays, has done a great job all year. We have had good balance, just like we did today. That has been something that has been a real goal of ours ever since last spring and today was one of those days."
On Bryan Payton's contributions today:
"I am really happy for a guy like that. That is why these kids practice so hard and lift all year, because you never know when your opportunity is going to come. That's why, as a coach, you are really happy for a kid that is ready when the opportunity comes. A kid like that could look back and say `I really wasn't ready. I didn't know it was going to happen today.'"
"We had some other kids step up today too. When Ben Wyss, our center went down, Matt Moses stepped up. I am not sure about this, but I think Matt had not had much more than a few cleanup snaps in his career here, but he has spent a lot of hours in the weight room."
On kicker Austin Starr:
"He has stepped up all year when we have asked him to and that is what his job is. He is a good kicker. It is kind of bittersweet because we were down there in the red zone and couldn't get the touchdown. If we score touchdowns, then the game might be a little easier in the second half. We left some points on the field. Give them credit; they played some good red zone defense."
On Will Patterson's interception after deflecting the previous two passes:
"It looked like he was begging to come off the field because he was so tired, but he stayed out there. He is a good football player. They happened to be passing to his side and we were in some zone coverages and he did a great job in his zone. I think the defensive staff did a great job of putting us in the right spots. It was a great interception because he bobbled it a little bit and showed he could run a little bit going down the sideline."
On whether it will be difficult to keep the team level-headed going into next week:
"I don't think so. They have been really good with what we have talked about. They haven't gotten all caught up with themselves when they have won and when we got beat, they didn't hang their heads. And that is exactly what we will do; come back tomorrow and review it and then start to get ready for Michigan State on Tuesday."
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster
"I am an extremely positive, optimistic kind of guy. Now I need to wait and see the tape before I find some optimism in the game. Obviously I am disappointed in the outcome of the game because we just didn't make plays."
"Offensively we go down and score the first two times we get the ball and then we did not do much the rest of the day and I credit that to Indiana."
"Indiana is a much improved football team. Coach Hep put together a heck of a squad and Bill Lynch is doing a great job coaching them right now and they are playing great football."
"We didn't tackle Kellen Lewis. We didn't tackle a lot of guys on defense. We just have to find a way to improve and get better and that's what we will do as we look at this and move forward."
"I told the team that we just have to stay the course - you have to stay the course - we have a plan in place - to win. If we keep going, keep fighting, keep scratching, we are going to win. We are going to stay positive, we are going to stay together. Anybody that expects me to be anything different than I have been is mistaken."
