Postgame Quotes: Indiana vs. Michigan

Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Michigan
November 14, 2015

Indiana Head Coach Kevin Wilson
Opening Statement
"Well-played, hard, we got the short end of the stick but the guys need to play better this week than they did last week. We played a really solid team that's been playing well. We played well, but not good enough, so congratulations to Michigan. We're proud of our guys, proud of our seniors. Good, awesome group. Lot of ball to play, lot of things to play for. We'll see if we're strong enough and led well enough to get what we need down the stretch."

Q. On the final play call?
COACH WILSON: Again, we've had a back and forth. We talked about, 'hey, do you want to go long read?' There were some one-on-one plays. We felt they would play pressure, man-to-man coverage and we just worked the play. Their defender did a good job defending and we couldn't make the play. We talked about 81 running a similar play to the play we did before.

We had the second-down call where we had a chance to run the ball and a lot of times we don't tell Nate sometimes with his injury and his the shoulder, we don't like him to run a ton sometimes, but on second down, he could have kept it but it wasn't part of the scheme.

We then included him on third down. He made a phenomenal effort trying to get in on third down, spun around, he got to about the one and a half or two. We talked about it. We had several choices.

We went with a max pro and a route over here and two routes over here and see if some guy could win. And they defended it.

Q. How hard was it to not put Jordan on that last play as well as he'd been running, particularly against a defense that is that good?
COACH WILSON: We talked about it, made a choice.

Q. If you scored a touchdown, would you have gone for two?
COACH WILSON: No, I would have kicked it because we would have been right back up. And I would have felt with the momentum that we had offensively we were scoring and you would have to go for two the next time.

So we would have been right back up. I think we would have had enough plays that you thought you might continue to pop a few things in and again you've still got to execute.

But we would have tried to extend it because now the overtime, it's back-to-back scenarios. So we would have doubled down. And we would have had to go for two on next one, on the third OT. Didn't get there.

Q. Such a successful day with the run, what was the line doing?
COACH WILSON: It was a good team effort -- you got some receivers and you got backside tight ends. I'm sure we would protect those guys well. It takes a lot of guys to run the ball. It takes a pass game and their ability to play the pass game -- and what were Nate's numbers? 20 of 34 for 220, so there's some balance. It's just a good team. Jordan played extremely well, a great game, played hard, did a lot of things, but also I thought we had a fair plan of what we were trying to do. It was good teamwork, good team effort.

Q. What was the mindset behind the amount of running plays?
COACH WILSON: I don't know. We had some passes and sometimes there's run-pass combos. They were kind of playing, challenging every receiver. But, really, the run was getting on schedule. I think we had 55 snaps in the first half.

I thought the more they played Peppers on offense the more tired he got. That was good. I thought just had a lot of plays. I think the key was the first downs and the second downs got us on schedule because we didn't get into a lot of third-and-longs. It was the first couple of plays. We got drives going and I don't think we had a three-and-out on offense, .

It wasn't like we said we were running, we were just playing what was there. And maybe we should have ran the last one. Didn't work, so every time it doesn't work, you do something else that probably would work but we didn't know because no one ever sees that one.

Q. What did you feel the issue was with the pass defense?
COACH WILSON: I was on with the offense getting their calls, what we're doing next, exactly what the calls and communications were. I've got to go back with all the plays, going back to regulation, we had them fourth down, if I remember correct, fourth and five.

So a little pop there. Great pressure. Couldn't quite get there. Looked like Shaw coming around. Their left tackle was heating it up and made a contested catch.

There was a double move, the last move, like a slant and go. And the corner bit it. And the guy's there. So that was the last one.

Q. Is there any concern in your mind that any of those freshmen are basically reaching a point where they maxed out in the season back in the secondary?
COACH WILSON: I mean, they're going to have to hope -- I shouldn't say that word. I don't like that word. That's why, we did some things, changed some of the practice, take some of the running, some of the workload off.

But Andre Brown had a shoulder issue, didn't dress today. Jameel Cook is not playing in two games. He had an injury last game, hadn't dressed the last two.

So he had an ankle injury that required surgery. So we're getting a little thin. We're trying to be smart with them. Again, with this team there is zero moral victory. This team plays pretty good football, not quite good enough, but they have a knack for coming back. And the coaches are doing a good job coaching them and leaders are doing well, working hard down the stretch this week. Going on the road is going to be very difficult. And at the same time we're going to put together a good week, and this team has a knack for coming back, and we keep talking as if we're a good team, we keep getting better.

I thought we got better from the way we played at Penn State, and we got better until we stood around for 20 minutes. Then we came back the next week and got better until we stood around for five. And last week we were battling.

This week they came back and they continued to keep pushing, and it's not where we want. But I'm going to ask them to keep pushing. As coaches we'll do everything we can the right way because it's a really great group of kids.

And they don't deserve anything. We just expect them to get better. Believe they're going to. Expect them to.

Q. Called a timely timeout in the fourth quarter. You wanted to regroup the defense a little bit. And the two snaps after that, they got really good pressure on Rudock and you guys ended up with the field goal. With the secondary the way it is, to your point of view, is that what really needs to happen now, the pressure?
COACH WILSON: Yes. And sometimes we have to do it where we can't blitz, because you leave voids, holes, some of those middle routes, when you pressure with backers up the middle, the middle is open and they're ranked, some leverage routes. If you're inside, running corner routes; if you're outside, they're running end breakers. But that was my thing.

I thought we did a great job, their leading rusher is their quarterback, and I might be wrong but I believe it was on scrambles. And so we did a really good job. If you look at that, of holding their run game on run plays to about 60, 70 yards, and that's tough, physical, two tight end deal. I think their defensive fronts played well. We've got to keep lighting up guys so we can get the pressure that we need.

Again, we're just sitting around. And it's second, third down. And we're playing a really good team, winning. No disrespect, but if we can get that crowd louder, that tackle is a little slower out of the count -- you're so close that you need a lot of things clicking because you're getting down to a play or two.

Now we're going to be on the road, doesn't matter down the stretch, we have to keep our own energy. But the last few weeks the way the guys are playing, the "D" line to me is the key to our defense finishing strong, whether we've hit the wall or not. I think the "D" line is key.

Jordan Howard is playing great. He's healthy, "O" line and tight end, the way Cooper and those guys played, that's the key to that run game. There's a lot of groups. And we said we were a good line of scrimmage team.

And to me it's a good Big Ten team, you get stronger down the stretch. And we played two of the most physical Big Ten teams in the country the last two weeks, starting to show that kind of buy-in and now we have to make some plays that win those games.

Q. Coop -- Latham got banged up late.
COACH WILSON: Latham cramped up. As a matter of fact, he had a full-body cramp in there. And he just cramped. And Coop got an ankle, but came back and played. He got kicked. And the proverbial, when it's late in the game, you get kicked, sometimes you get a free timeout. Used to be you had to come off the field to show your toughness. So if you're hurt and coming off, our tempo now on offense has slowed down. So you want to get basically a timeout. Michigan did the same thing a couple times. It's just part of the game.

Q. About those participating in Senior Day festivities pre-game?
COACH WILSON: I saw today's Senior Day as really parent day. A bunch of parents, parent group -- we have an awesome group. They get together before the games, after the games. Led by a couple of families that are awesome with e-mails and do a great job of bonding.

And there's some great niches with the way they embrace all the new families that come in every year. I've talked to a couple of kids, they need to understand the workload. And the door's open, if you want it, but at the same time if you earned the right to do this. And you can do it again if you want. It's more of a formality.

And there might be some guys that didn't go through senior day that maybe don't want -- everyone is kind of different. What is your work, it's workload. This is a lot of commitment. And after four years do you want that on your body, your back, all the lifting, all the running and practices. Some guys do; some guys don't.

We don't encourage it, discourage it. Here's the role. The only thing I ask is the kid comes back. I don't want a poor fifth-year senior. I want great attitude, positive dude, give me some energy and juice to help the team.

There's several guys we'll visit. But as families, that Mangieri family, Sudfeld family, Spriggs family, some of those families are, fourth year's gone, and a lot of those guys who redshirted, played with them.

Q. On the success of the run game today?
COACH WILSON: We're not a bad team. But we're not good enough, because the real stat is we're 0-1 this week. And we need to get 1-0 next week. It's not about stats and running; it just wasn't enough.

Should we have ran it one more time tonight? Ultimately there's only one stat that counts. And we're 0 for 1. But at the same time, we're a good enough football team, players. We can throw some stats out there, but the real stat is the "W". Right now we're 0-6 against a couple really good teams. But that's Big Ten football and that's Big Ten East football.

And at the same time we look forward to learning, having a good week. Appreciate the families and parents and fans here, you guys. And at the same time we've got a lot of football to play.

We'll do everything, because the one stat we need to be is find a way on the road seven days from now we need to be 1-0. Get us one more.

Indiana Players
Quarterback Nate Sudfeld

On the final play…
"We had full gap protection, three men on routes, and we tried to find the best man-on-man matchup. We had a little whip route to Mitchell (Paige). We just were not able to make the play. It was very close. He ran a great route, but the defense made a good play. It was the play we wanted, and we just could not convert. "

On how involved he is in play calling…
"Throughout the week we practiced 4^th down with the game on the line, or 3^rd and short attempting to figure out what plays we liked. In the tight zone (red zone) what plays we like. They trust my input. The play was not my call but any means, but we all agreed on it. I thought all the play calling tonight was great. "

On what it'll take to get over the hump…
"I am not really sure. We just have to keep playing harder and harder. What we are doing works, but we have to make the plays when it counts. We were close to doing that tonight, but again, we have to make it happen. "

On the game overall…
"I thought our O-line was chomping them up. We were playing very fast. Their defense was very tired, especially their front seven. They respected our pass game. They manned us up and played some good coverage. We were just finding way to make things work. I thought both running and passing was working today. We just were not able to execute at the very end."

Linebacker Tegray Scales

On not being able to get over the hump…
"It's close, and we are right there. Coach keeps saying we are knocking on the door. I think it is about time we open the door and knock it down. We have to keep practicing, keep working and keep getting better."

On IU stopping Michigan's running game…
"We were able to play downhill. The quarterback (Jake Ruddock) got a couple yards on scrambles, but that's because we were in coverage and he managed to slip out of the backfield. We really could not do much about that, but overall we stopped the run pretty well."

On Michigan's three big pass plays at the end of the game…

"I think we had a few mistaken coverages or miss communication. We didn't really talk over the plays."

Running Back Jordan Howard

On how tough it was to not get the ball on the last play…
"Of course everybody wants the ball on the last play of the game and get the play for the team, but I didn't question coach's decision. I feel like it was a great decision, we just have to make the play."

On if the last play was designed to catch Michigan off-guard since it was a pass…
"I guess the play call was a pass because they (Michigan) were so focused in on the run, and I feel like it was a great call. We just have to execute better."

On if he wanted to just ask for the ball on the last play…
"No, I didn't because I always agree with the coaches' decisions. I never question what they do. I just feel like we've got to make the play. I'd take the same play call again."

On the success of the running game today…
"The offensive line was getting great push on the defensive line. They opened some holes greatly for me, and the tight ends were blocking well, and the receivers were blocking well downfield. We just had good play calls."

On Spriggs' blocking, especially towards the end of the game…
"I was just reading off of his [Spriggs] block because I read his block on plays like those. He was just dominating and I was just making my decision. He was making it easy for me."

On his play today…
"I feel like I somewhat proved myself, but I don't want to make it all about me. The team, we've proved that we can run the ball on anybody, no matter what the stats say."

On what it will take to break past fourth quarter struggles…
"We just need to regroup and not let this get us too down so we won't slip up next week or the week after. We just have to make the plays. "

On heading into the next two games…
"Yes, we definitely know it's in reach and we're going to take advantage of it."

On Indiana's recent success against both Iowa and Michigan…
"The great play calls we had, the great push that the offensive line had and the blocking that we had. They just gave their all."

Linebacker Zack Shaw

On how the team takes this energy onto the road the next two weeks…
"It starts in practice. We've got to go out there with a lot of energy, and we've got to come together a lot more. Coach Wilson says you just got to keep loving each other. We've just got to keep battling and keep coming after things. We've just got to make plays and hopefully things will look up for us."

On finishing out close games…
"We've got to keep coming out and going hard. You can't let up. You just got to keep coming out here and have that fire and energy. We were in it. We've just got to make those competitive plays, and we'll be fine."

"We've just got to finish. We come out here and we play hard for four quarters, but there's some plays that we don't finish on, and we've just got to finish. We've got to finish ball games, and that's the key. It starts in practice. We've got to work on finishing things and bring it to the field."

On late pass plays from Michigan…
"There were some communication errors on the back end and guys who are just kind of there, but they're not where they actually need to be. If we tighten up those coverages and we get after the pass, we're going to be good. They've got to make plays like that."

On Michigan quarterback Rudock's efficiency…
"When we got after him, he would see just a slight little hole and if he didn't see anyone open, he would just take off running. With a quarterback like that, if you don't have contain, he can move well. We've just got to keep him contained and don't let him move out of the pocket. We were 1 on 1 with the receivers and DBs, and we've just got to make those competitive plays. He was putting the ball out there, but we've just got to keep coming after him and make those plays. "

Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
On WR Jehu Chesson and QB Jake Rudock...
"Record setting days, by both those men. If Jake doesn't play the way he does, we don't have a chance. All those attributes - talk about his accuracy, talk about his arm strength, talk about his durability, his toughness, his intelligence. But I still go back to the one that, he is unflappable. He just does not flinch. It doesn't matter what the situation is. He comes off the field, you talk and he gives feedback. He's exactly the same all of the time. He's got ice water in his veins. It's very impressive.

"Jehu, again, came to play. I really feel like Jehu, I told Jehu this this weekend during practice, he's got everything it takes to be a great player, someday a great pro player. The only thing I think he was missing was tracking the deep ball, making the deep ball catches. And today, boom, he does it. I could go on.

"Lot of good. It's like that Clint Eastwood movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. There was some of all of it today. Our guys found a way to win, and it's as good a win as you'll ever have."

On if these were the best deep ball completions of the season...
"Yeah, I think that was. Yeah. The one to Amara was pretty darn good too. Jake Butt, some incredible plays. And they were keying on Jake all night. Jake Rudock and Jake Butt in particular have a really good rapport right now. At times he's covered and Jake is throwing to a spot and Jake is using his wide catch radius and body positioning and making big plays."

On defensive struggles but making the stop at the end...
"That's the good news, we found a way. You're pleased when your team can do that. We're beat up, we're getting tired, we're running low on man-power in spots, and it showed. We played like it at times. There were blocks that we must have liked them so much we weren't getting off of them, and it showed up a lot in the game. When they - find a way, find one stop, and Coach Durkin kept saying that, and we found it. At the end of the game, I saw the quarterback look over to the slot, he had what he wanted, had the matchup he wanted on Delano Hill. Looked at it, looked back at and knew that's where he was going. Very athletic quick guy in the slot there, very maneuverable, but Delano really competed for the ball throughout the catch. Contested it the whole way and looked like he was able to slap it away. So really, really, really happy for Delano Hill, and us, for all of us. We've got things to do. You're tired, a little beat up, but two games to go. It's suck it up time."

Indiana University Athletics

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Tegray Scales

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Nate Sudfeld

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