Indiana University Athletics
Media Friday: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
12/20/2019 12:52:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana will face Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday, Jan. 2, with a 7 p.m. ET kick on ESPN.
On Friday, offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack met with the media. Below are partial transcripts of their press conferences.
Offensive Coordinator Kalen DeBoer
On his plan for the next two weeks…
"Well, fortunately you have a staff here that has done a great job getting us up to speed and carrying it through the last couple days. We'll be working both ends. Probably the best thing is it's a three-hour time difference so I can do all my work here and mesh it along with the stuff on the other end of the country and work on the Fresno State stuff later in the evenings because it's a lot earlier, three-hour time difference. We'll get it done, we'll get it done. This is all about these guys, this year. This is about having a special season and finishing it off the right way."
On what he sees on film from Tennessee…
"I know the rest of the staff has done a lot more of watching film. I've watched it, watched some with the quarterbacks today. Obviously, very, very big up front. Do some different things, a lot of different things in the secondary, but I feel like whatever it is, we'll find a way to match up and get things in our favor. Nothing will be easy, they're a SEC defense that's played really well the last half of the season in particular and probably played well because they play team football. They've done a better job that way as well. Today and tomorrow will probably be the more in-depth watching of the film and really putting the game plan together with all the situational stuff and so forth."
On what he's learned from head coach Tom Allen…
"To me, he just reiterates the passion that you have to have. You have to be convicted in who you are as a person and when you do that and you can be who you are around your team. You can do what you love and have a lot of fun doing it and getting the whole group around you to follow in one direction is an amazing feeling. I can just see the confidence he has in himself is starting, now that we have players that are playing at a high level, is starting to come out in our team at another level. I just think with the recruiting end of it, how hard he works as a recruiter. There are a lot of head coaches that do a good job, I think he's one of the best that's out there for sure."
Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack
On bowl practice accomplishments …
"These bowl practices are so valuable for us as a young team, a young defense. Guys that you see a year from now when we walk out on the field against Wisconsin are going to take a more vital role in our defense. To see these young guys experience these reps they are getting right now is invaluable. I mean, when you really get another spring ball that closes the gap between your regular season with the first practice in spring there is a lot more carryover. Then the spring ends up being a lot cleaner because of that. It is a compound positive thing that happens from these bowl practices."
On coaching approach for bowl practices …
"As you get closer to the game, obviously you focus more on Tennessee. What we are trying to do, what we are trying to get, is the first six practices were much more spring ball-like in terms of the flow, what we were trying to get accomplished, the individual time, and all those kinds of things that were very focused inwards on us. When we get into moving forward, we will basically try to get a week's worth, or a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday worth, of practice the next couple of days to use as a game-week preparation like we would in a normal week. We will then do the whole thing over once we get to the bowl site. That is pretty valuable. That is really more than what we get even in a bye week. We will be very focused on Tennessee for basically two whole weeks from a practice perspective."
On the rich getting richer with bowl preparation …
"That is a great term. It really is a rich get richer mentality when you get these extra bowl practices because of the things we just talked out. You want to keep the momentum going from what you have already done and what you have already built off of. The longer that you stay away from the game when you are out there on the field, the rustier you are going to get, especially for these young guys. Every single rep is so critical for them. For us, this was gold for our defense. It really is."
On Friday, offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack met with the media. Below are partial transcripts of their press conferences.
Offensive Coordinator Kalen DeBoer
On his plan for the next two weeks…
"Well, fortunately you have a staff here that has done a great job getting us up to speed and carrying it through the last couple days. We'll be working both ends. Probably the best thing is it's a three-hour time difference so I can do all my work here and mesh it along with the stuff on the other end of the country and work on the Fresno State stuff later in the evenings because it's a lot earlier, three-hour time difference. We'll get it done, we'll get it done. This is all about these guys, this year. This is about having a special season and finishing it off the right way."
On what he sees on film from Tennessee…
"I know the rest of the staff has done a lot more of watching film. I've watched it, watched some with the quarterbacks today. Obviously, very, very big up front. Do some different things, a lot of different things in the secondary, but I feel like whatever it is, we'll find a way to match up and get things in our favor. Nothing will be easy, they're a SEC defense that's played really well the last half of the season in particular and probably played well because they play team football. They've done a better job that way as well. Today and tomorrow will probably be the more in-depth watching of the film and really putting the game plan together with all the situational stuff and so forth."
On what he's learned from head coach Tom Allen…
"To me, he just reiterates the passion that you have to have. You have to be convicted in who you are as a person and when you do that and you can be who you are around your team. You can do what you love and have a lot of fun doing it and getting the whole group around you to follow in one direction is an amazing feeling. I can just see the confidence he has in himself is starting, now that we have players that are playing at a high level, is starting to come out in our team at another level. I just think with the recruiting end of it, how hard he works as a recruiter. There are a lot of head coaches that do a good job, I think he's one of the best that's out there for sure."
Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack
On bowl practice accomplishments …
"These bowl practices are so valuable for us as a young team, a young defense. Guys that you see a year from now when we walk out on the field against Wisconsin are going to take a more vital role in our defense. To see these young guys experience these reps they are getting right now is invaluable. I mean, when you really get another spring ball that closes the gap between your regular season with the first practice in spring there is a lot more carryover. Then the spring ends up being a lot cleaner because of that. It is a compound positive thing that happens from these bowl practices."
On coaching approach for bowl practices …
"As you get closer to the game, obviously you focus more on Tennessee. What we are trying to do, what we are trying to get, is the first six practices were much more spring ball-like in terms of the flow, what we were trying to get accomplished, the individual time, and all those kinds of things that were very focused inwards on us. When we get into moving forward, we will basically try to get a week's worth, or a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday worth, of practice the next couple of days to use as a game-week preparation like we would in a normal week. We will then do the whole thing over once we get to the bowl site. That is pretty valuable. That is really more than what we get even in a bye week. We will be very focused on Tennessee for basically two whole weeks from a practice perspective."
On the rich getting richer with bowl preparation …
"That is a great term. It really is a rich get richer mentality when you get these extra bowl practices because of the things we just talked out. You want to keep the momentum going from what you have already done and what you have already built off of. The longer that you stay away from the game when you are out there on the field, the rustier you are going to get, especially for these young guys. Every single rep is so critical for them. For us, this was gold for our defense. It really is."
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Tuesday, April 21
FB: Nico Radicic - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21