Indiana University Athletics
Media Tuesday: Wisconsin
12/1/2020 12:05:00 PM | Football
Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with Indiana RB Stevie Scott III, DE James Head Jr., CB Jaylin Williams and P Haydon Whitehead on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
RB Stevie Scott III
Q. On the quarterback situation…
SCOTT: Having Michael Penix Jr. go down is crushing to the team as he has been through so much. He helped this team win in so many ways. It is a sad feeling and my heart breaks for him because he had worked so hard this offseason. He wanted to play a full season with us and get us to what we have been trying to get to, a Big Ten Championship. Now with Jack Tuttle stepping in, we have full confidence in Jack that he can come in, control the game, control the pace and lead us to victory. He is also a great leader and has showed improvement this week. I am excited to see Jack play.
Q. On the Wildcat formation…
SCOTT: I am going to try to take advantage of the opportunity. I am excited. I am just one those players that is trying to make a play at any given moment to help the team win. If I have to go in the Wildcat formation and pass it, then I will pass it, even if I have to turn into the quarterback for moment. I am here to do whatever they need me to do to win.
Q. On having a nose for the end zone…
SCOTT: This is a grown man's sport and you have to be a grown man when it comes down to the goal line. Anywhere in the red zone we have to be tough, physical and have a nose for the end zone. We want to get the ball in the end zone and make plays. We want to be out there helping the offensive line and the team.
DE James Head Jr.
Q. On Wisconsin's offensive line…
HEAD: This game is going to be upfront. When watching film, they have an excellent offensive line. They are tough and physical so as a whole defensive line we have to step up and make plays.
Q. On D.K. Bonhomme…
HEAD: It is always tough coming into the defensive line. After practice, D.K. and I work on hand placement. He is working hard and is going to be a good player. He has the speed, physicality, moves, so he is adjusting well to the defensive line.
Q. On the success of the team getting after the QB…
HEAD: Everybody is buying into what Coach Kevin Peoples is telling us to do. All of the stunts we run, everyone is buying in and doing our jobs. Everybody is wanting to make a play. If all 11 of us want to make a play and go after the quarterback, somebody is going to get there.
CB Jaylin Williams
Q. On leading the nation with 16 interceptions…
WILLIAMS: The vision coverage has been a big thing for us. I feel that our secondary has a lot of athletes, we have a lot of speed out on the field defensively. The vision coverages give us a chance to read the quarterback and see where he is going. We have played a lot of one-read quarterbacks in the past couple of weeks and we have been able to make our reads based on the movement of their shoulders. It has been going well for us. We are making a lot of plays.
Q. On mishaps following interceptions the last couple of weeks…
WILLIAMS: Actually, today in practice we did a takeaway circuit for us, specifically. The last two weeks we have not been able to capitalize. That is on us and that is on me. I have to be accountable for that. We are going to get better. We are going to get more, so we just have to get better.
Q. On keeping eye discipline against Wisconsin's offensive attack…
WILLIAMS: We just have to do our job. If everyone does their job and does what they are supposed to do, then it should be a fun game for us. We have to do what we have been doing for the last few weeks and get the ball, create those takeaways.
P Haydon Whitehead
Q. On flipping the field with a good day punting…
WHITEHEAD: That is something that I take a lot of pride in, obviously. The thing that I take the most pride in is being able to help the team. At the end of the day, it is about how we perform as a team and getting the win. It was nice to play my role.
Q. On punting in colder or windy weather…
WHITEHEAD: It is definitely a lot colder than I have been used to growing up. Even though I have been here for a couple of years, it is still a bit of a shock when it starts getting into those winter months. Preparing ahead is probably the biggest thing, knowing what the weather is going to be doing throughout the week, especially on game day. Sometimes we have to change technique a little bit to accommodate for the wind or it could be something as simple as putting extra layers on before practice to stay warm. There are little tweaks that we have to do to adjust to the weather but that is all part of playing in the Big Ten.
Q. On the feel of the ball in colder weather…
WHITEHEAD: You can definitely tell a difference. The ball can almost go like bricks when it starts to get really cold. That is not much fun, but, again, that is just part of it. I know that they can even deflate a little bit at times when it gets really cold. That can also make it a little bit more difficult. That is what separates those that are really good at their job from the rest.
RB Stevie Scott III
Q. On the quarterback situation…
SCOTT: Having Michael Penix Jr. go down is crushing to the team as he has been through so much. He helped this team win in so many ways. It is a sad feeling and my heart breaks for him because he had worked so hard this offseason. He wanted to play a full season with us and get us to what we have been trying to get to, a Big Ten Championship. Now with Jack Tuttle stepping in, we have full confidence in Jack that he can come in, control the game, control the pace and lead us to victory. He is also a great leader and has showed improvement this week. I am excited to see Jack play.
Q. On the Wildcat formation…
SCOTT: I am going to try to take advantage of the opportunity. I am excited. I am just one those players that is trying to make a play at any given moment to help the team win. If I have to go in the Wildcat formation and pass it, then I will pass it, even if I have to turn into the quarterback for moment. I am here to do whatever they need me to do to win.
Q. On having a nose for the end zone…
SCOTT: This is a grown man's sport and you have to be a grown man when it comes down to the goal line. Anywhere in the red zone we have to be tough, physical and have a nose for the end zone. We want to get the ball in the end zone and make plays. We want to be out there helping the offensive line and the team.
DE James Head Jr.
Q. On Wisconsin's offensive line…
HEAD: This game is going to be upfront. When watching film, they have an excellent offensive line. They are tough and physical so as a whole defensive line we have to step up and make plays.
Q. On D.K. Bonhomme…
HEAD: It is always tough coming into the defensive line. After practice, D.K. and I work on hand placement. He is working hard and is going to be a good player. He has the speed, physicality, moves, so he is adjusting well to the defensive line.
Q. On the success of the team getting after the QB…
HEAD: Everybody is buying into what Coach Kevin Peoples is telling us to do. All of the stunts we run, everyone is buying in and doing our jobs. Everybody is wanting to make a play. If all 11 of us want to make a play and go after the quarterback, somebody is going to get there.
CB Jaylin Williams
Q. On leading the nation with 16 interceptions…
WILLIAMS: The vision coverage has been a big thing for us. I feel that our secondary has a lot of athletes, we have a lot of speed out on the field defensively. The vision coverages give us a chance to read the quarterback and see where he is going. We have played a lot of one-read quarterbacks in the past couple of weeks and we have been able to make our reads based on the movement of their shoulders. It has been going well for us. We are making a lot of plays.
Q. On mishaps following interceptions the last couple of weeks…
WILLIAMS: Actually, today in practice we did a takeaway circuit for us, specifically. The last two weeks we have not been able to capitalize. That is on us and that is on me. I have to be accountable for that. We are going to get better. We are going to get more, so we just have to get better.
Q. On keeping eye discipline against Wisconsin's offensive attack…
WILLIAMS: We just have to do our job. If everyone does their job and does what they are supposed to do, then it should be a fun game for us. We have to do what we have been doing for the last few weeks and get the ball, create those takeaways.
P Haydon Whitehead
Q. On flipping the field with a good day punting…
WHITEHEAD: That is something that I take a lot of pride in, obviously. The thing that I take the most pride in is being able to help the team. At the end of the day, it is about how we perform as a team and getting the win. It was nice to play my role.
Q. On punting in colder or windy weather…
WHITEHEAD: It is definitely a lot colder than I have been used to growing up. Even though I have been here for a couple of years, it is still a bit of a shock when it starts getting into those winter months. Preparing ahead is probably the biggest thing, knowing what the weather is going to be doing throughout the week, especially on game day. Sometimes we have to change technique a little bit to accommodate for the wind or it could be something as simple as putting extra layers on before practice to stay warm. There are little tweaks that we have to do to adjust to the weather but that is all part of playing in the Big Ten.
Q. On the feel of the ball in colder weather…
WHITEHEAD: You can definitely tell a difference. The ball can almost go like bricks when it starts to get really cold. That is not much fun, but, again, that is just part of it. I know that they can even deflate a little bit at times when it gets really cold. That can also make it a little bit more difficult. That is what separates those that are really good at their job from the rest.
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