Indiana University Athletics
Media Tuesday: Maryland
11/24/2020 1:11:00 PM | Football
Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with Indiana WR Ty Fryfogle, WR Miles Marshall, LB Micah McFadden and S Jamar Johnson on Wednesday, Nov. 24.
WR Ty Fryfogle
Q. On back-to-back 200-yard games…
FRYFOGLE: That was always the goal, to get to a point like this where I can play the best of my game. It has taken time and getting better every year. You have to take it day by day. I feel like I'm playing at the top of my game right now, but I need to keep going and get better every day.
Q. On growing up in Mississippi…
FRYFOGLE: That's all we do in Mississippi is play sports, mostly football. My favorite sports team was always the Saints because I was an hour from there. Drew Brees had always been there and has been really good. They won a Super Bowl a couple years ago.
Q. On the attention he has been getting…
FRYFOGLE: It is exciting to see my work is being noticed, but I still have to keep working and get better. None of that matters after the week is over with. You have a new week and you have to move on from there and get better.
WR Miles Marshall
Q. On his relationship with Michael Penix Jr. …
MARSHALL: Me and Michael are very close. I wouldn't say best friends, but we have a very good relationship. We came in together and I've seen him grow and learn the offense and make all the good throws. He is a great quarterback.
Q. On any throws from Penix that surprised him…
MARSHALL: Coach Heard always gets on us at practice and early on in the season about running a deep route and not stop because we don't know if he is going to throw it. We have to speed up and go get it. I always keep my head on a swivel. When I was out that week at Rutgers and watching at practice, he surprised me because I can sit back and watch him throw the ball. The arm angles he has, it's amazing.
Q. On his progression
MASHALL: I'm working on getting better every day and on the little things. I think I'm getting a lot more opportunities this year with Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale not being there. I'm getting more opportunities and more snaps. I'm just trying to make the most of those opportunities.
LB Micah McFadden
Q: On what makes Maryland's offense hard to defend…
McFADDEN: They are very athletic. They are also very multiple in the things that they do. They run a lot of different plays out of a lot of different formations. A lot of the plays are similar, but it's difficult when they do it out of a lot of different formations and motioning a lot of guys. We just have to be honed in and everybody has to know their job on each play to execute to perfection each week.
Q: What message did you want to get across after the Ohio State game…
McFADDEN: I think it was definitely a depressed mood in the locker room. Guys were definitely down after that game. I wanted to communicate to the linebackers that it's on our shoulders to get everybody in the position they need to be for this team to be successful. The linebackers are such a core group and crucial for the defensive side of the ball to be successful. We need to communicate with each other and tell somebody when they are doing something wrong and pat them on the back when they are doing something right. We have to continue to be the leaders that we can be and make sure everybody is locked in each day and getting better.
Q: On dual-threat quarterbacks they've played this season…
McFADDEN: We definitely need to keep this guy contained. We did a fairly good job last week, but we didn't get the quarterback down enough. We didn't get enough sacks. We need to continue to keep him contained, get to him and get him on the ground when we can. But also, on the back end, keeping it confusing for him, making him double clutch and go through his reads. Hopefully he will throw some takeaways for us. It's about keeping him contained and having our blitzes get there.
S Jamar Johnson
Q: On what the keys to getting takeaways this season has been…
JOHNSON: We have been giving them good disguises, showing the coverage here and there, switching it off. Also, in the offseason and preseason, we were catching JUGS and doing a lot of ball drills. We work on takeaways every Tuesday. Like today, it was takeaway Tuesday. We do our ball drills. A lot of our takeaways just came right to us and we have to seize the opportunities in the game. That's what we have been doing, capitalizing on those QB mistakes.
Q: On how to defend the Maryland offense…
JOHNSON: Everybody has to do their job. Coach is going to put us in the right positions, and we are going to trust the game plan. As long as everyone does their job and stays on top of the coverage, everybody running to the ball, everything should be smooth.
Q: On Thomas Allen…
JOHNSON: Thomas, we love him. I just talked to him today before I went out to practice. I usually see him right before I walk through the tunnel to practice. I asked him how he was doing today. He told me he was doing good today. He is a tough guy. I know he's been through a lot of injuries, but he's a tough guy. He always comes back fighting. He made a good play for us in the Michigan State game, the game that he got hurt, but all we have to do as teammates is encourage him. We need to make sure he keeps his head up and make sure he isn't getting down.
WR Ty Fryfogle
Q. On back-to-back 200-yard games…
FRYFOGLE: That was always the goal, to get to a point like this where I can play the best of my game. It has taken time and getting better every year. You have to take it day by day. I feel like I'm playing at the top of my game right now, but I need to keep going and get better every day.
Q. On growing up in Mississippi…
FRYFOGLE: That's all we do in Mississippi is play sports, mostly football. My favorite sports team was always the Saints because I was an hour from there. Drew Brees had always been there and has been really good. They won a Super Bowl a couple years ago.
Q. On the attention he has been getting…
FRYFOGLE: It is exciting to see my work is being noticed, but I still have to keep working and get better. None of that matters after the week is over with. You have a new week and you have to move on from there and get better.
WR Miles Marshall
Q. On his relationship with Michael Penix Jr. …
MARSHALL: Me and Michael are very close. I wouldn't say best friends, but we have a very good relationship. We came in together and I've seen him grow and learn the offense and make all the good throws. He is a great quarterback.
Q. On any throws from Penix that surprised him…
MARSHALL: Coach Heard always gets on us at practice and early on in the season about running a deep route and not stop because we don't know if he is going to throw it. We have to speed up and go get it. I always keep my head on a swivel. When I was out that week at Rutgers and watching at practice, he surprised me because I can sit back and watch him throw the ball. The arm angles he has, it's amazing.
Q. On his progression
MASHALL: I'm working on getting better every day and on the little things. I think I'm getting a lot more opportunities this year with Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale not being there. I'm getting more opportunities and more snaps. I'm just trying to make the most of those opportunities.
LB Micah McFadden
Q: On what makes Maryland's offense hard to defend…
McFADDEN: They are very athletic. They are also very multiple in the things that they do. They run a lot of different plays out of a lot of different formations. A lot of the plays are similar, but it's difficult when they do it out of a lot of different formations and motioning a lot of guys. We just have to be honed in and everybody has to know their job on each play to execute to perfection each week.
Q: What message did you want to get across after the Ohio State game…
McFADDEN: I think it was definitely a depressed mood in the locker room. Guys were definitely down after that game. I wanted to communicate to the linebackers that it's on our shoulders to get everybody in the position they need to be for this team to be successful. The linebackers are such a core group and crucial for the defensive side of the ball to be successful. We need to communicate with each other and tell somebody when they are doing something wrong and pat them on the back when they are doing something right. We have to continue to be the leaders that we can be and make sure everybody is locked in each day and getting better.
Q: On dual-threat quarterbacks they've played this season…
McFADDEN: We definitely need to keep this guy contained. We did a fairly good job last week, but we didn't get the quarterback down enough. We didn't get enough sacks. We need to continue to keep him contained, get to him and get him on the ground when we can. But also, on the back end, keeping it confusing for him, making him double clutch and go through his reads. Hopefully he will throw some takeaways for us. It's about keeping him contained and having our blitzes get there.
S Jamar Johnson
Q: On what the keys to getting takeaways this season has been…
JOHNSON: We have been giving them good disguises, showing the coverage here and there, switching it off. Also, in the offseason and preseason, we were catching JUGS and doing a lot of ball drills. We work on takeaways every Tuesday. Like today, it was takeaway Tuesday. We do our ball drills. A lot of our takeaways just came right to us and we have to seize the opportunities in the game. That's what we have been doing, capitalizing on those QB mistakes.
Q: On how to defend the Maryland offense…
JOHNSON: Everybody has to do their job. Coach is going to put us in the right positions, and we are going to trust the game plan. As long as everyone does their job and stays on top of the coverage, everybody running to the ball, everything should be smooth.
Q: On Thomas Allen…
JOHNSON: Thomas, we love him. I just talked to him today before I went out to practice. I usually see him right before I walk through the tunnel to practice. I asked him how he was doing today. He told me he was doing good today. He is a tough guy. I know he's been through a lot of injuries, but he's a tough guy. He always comes back fighting. He made a good play for us in the Michigan State game, the game that he got hurt, but all we have to do as teammates is encourage him. We need to make sure he keeps his head up and make sure he isn't getting down.
Players Mentioned
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