Kevin Wilson: Rutgers Preview

Coach, with the different offensive looks that you brought out against Maryland, as you continued on in practice this week, how have the different quarterbacks and running backs meshed together as you prepare for what's to come as you head to Rutgers this weekend?

"Well, one you have a different defensive structure to go against, two you don't have different offenses, you have to run the same plays because you are one play away from having another right tackle. That happened last game, so it is not like they run these plays because this quarterback is in. That being said, there cannot be a lot of offense. Our deal is just to find what we think we need to attack the defense, what works on the situations and not have too much. If you have too much offense, the kids do not know what to do. We are working hard to keep it simple, to find some running game, take care of the ball, take care of the quarterback and try to score points."

Specifically looking at Rutgers, after they have struggled through a couple of weeks in a row, a much stronger showing as they played Minnesota a couple weeks ago, what did you see from them in that game that boosted them back to where they want to be?

"There is a lot of talent and defensive line talent, so it's a well-coached group with coaches that know what is going on. They are a team that, when they had momentum and success last week had the game won. At the end game Minnesota finishes a drive and kicks a field goal on the last play of the game to win. Minnesota is playing some of the best football in the Big Ten West. That was a road game, now they have had a week off to rest up and a week off to get more time on us. Again, winning is hard, winning on the road is hard and this is going to be a difficult challenge. It all starts up front with our O-line, our D-line and our ability to match up. That is one of the strengths of their team. It is going be a tough football game. We have to play well or we will be on the wrong side."

As you talk about going on the road, specifically just getting off on the right foot, starting aggressive early on the road to put that foot down to get things started.

"Three weeks ago we did not start well at home, then we did not start well at Northwestern. We did start well against Wake Forest, scored on the first play of the game, had first-and-goal on the second drive with a chance to go up 14-0. You have to play 60 minutes. It is good to start well, and it is good to start well on the road, but it comes down to execution. Last week we had a third-down sack which caused them to punt. We had a couple third-down conversions that got us to the end zone, we had an interception and a couple more third-down conversions. It really is just about execution. It would be great to start out executing early. If we do, we have to keep it going. If we do not execute early, we have to find a way to keep it going. We have to take care of the ball, we have to take care of the quarterback and we have to play 60 minutes on the road."

Coach, final question for you, if you could speak about the the play of the defensive line, specifically, the last few weeks the tackles for losses have gone up. Numbers-wise and just generally the improvement that they have made over the last month or so.

"They have improved. There are not a bunch of really good individuals, but as a group, a lot of guys play and they play hard. Coach Tom Allen and Coach Mark Hagen are doing a great job with the group. There's a lot of good buy-in, so you love that. I would also say some of the tackles for loss and sacks are due to good coverage. It is also good to get edge pressure, so it is not just the D-line. But that has been a group that has brought as much most weeks… and they will need to again this week because one of the strengths of Rutgers is their line of scrimmage play, in particular their O-line. We will need a great outing. The game is won upfront, we can be a spread offense, we can throw it a lot, we can tempo it and they can do the same thing. But if you can control line of scrimmage you have a good chance. Again the strength of Rutgers is their lines, so it is going be a challenge for our O-line, D-line. Our guys have been inconsistent but our D-line has played well the last few weeks. This will be a big challenge for us on the road."

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