Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Maryland
10/27/2021 4:20:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As Indiana football readies for a road trip to Maryland on Saturday (Oct. 30), the Hoosiers talked to the media throughout the week and below are quotes from coordinators Nick Sheridan and Charlton Warren.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences, while video of the full coordinator media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Nick Sheridan | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On the performance of Donaven McCulley versus Ohio State
NS: I think when you're in the moment you're not really thinking about your concern level [with Jack Tuttle]. We are just trying to help [McCulley], put him in positions to be successful, call plays that he feels comfortable with and that he's had reps with in practice, and recognizing that the quality of the competition he is going against is a little bit different than the scout team that he's been working against. I think you're just trying to problem solve and help him, certainly you go into the game knowing certain plays that he feels comfortable with. He had a package of plays ready for the game, but obviously he played more snaps than he probably anticipated. So, you are just trying to put him in a position to be successful and make sure that he feels comfortable, manage the elements, catch the snap, say the cadence properly, communicate the plays - just simple basic things. He had some good plays in the game but certainly there are a lot of things that we need to help him with, coach him a little bit better, and get him better prepared for whatever happens in the game for him.
On McCulley's improvement in the passing game the last couple of weeks…
NS: I think repetitions, then the elements of the game on Saturday weren't the easiest to handle relative to being a freshman quarterback out there, but it's the same for both teams regardless. Making sure you're staying ahead of the chains, I think when you look at the film, after the first drive, when we went down there and scored, from that moment on we were playing behind the sticks. Whether it was a snap issue, we fell down, an illegal procedure, those types of things. Now you're backed up and you're in second-and-long and those aren't great situations to play quarterback when you're behind the sticks. Make sure that you can stay ahead of the chains and operate some normal down and distance passing game [plays] as opposed to a pure drop back game, which we found ourselves in far too much after that first drive.
Charlton Warren | Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
On the defense's play after the injury to quarterback Jack Tuttle…
CW: I'll tell you as defensive personnel, our goal is to keep the offense from scoring. And so, for us, I don't know if we feel any more added pressure. It's more that execution is critical. You don't have a margin to bust, you don't have a margin to have mental lapses and do things that are self-inflicted wounds. For us, the attention to detail to execution is critical down the stretch because the margin for error is small. So, for us, that's what we're focused on. Great execution, tremendous accountability, doing our job, and putting ourselves in position to create takeaways, get the ball back to our offense, and play the field position game. So, for us, it's so much about execution here down the stretch.
On cleaning up missed tackles against Ohio State and preparing for Maryland's skill players
CW: It's more that the guys that Ohio State had were more than we had guys at the point of attack. Then, they were able to make those guys miss, or whatever the case may be. For us, the attention we put on gang tackling, running to the football, having more than one person so you don't have a single point failure in space and so that's what we got to make sure we're doing. We're getting more hats to the ball, we're being in coverages and things when the ball is thrown, we have guys with vision who can break and make those tackles and it becomes a vice tackle as opposed to a one-on-one tackle in space. So, it's back to our fundamentals and getting back to that. Tuesdays are days that we really focus on that in practice.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences, while video of the full coordinator media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Nick Sheridan | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On the performance of Donaven McCulley versus Ohio State
NS: I think when you're in the moment you're not really thinking about your concern level [with Jack Tuttle]. We are just trying to help [McCulley], put him in positions to be successful, call plays that he feels comfortable with and that he's had reps with in practice, and recognizing that the quality of the competition he is going against is a little bit different than the scout team that he's been working against. I think you're just trying to problem solve and help him, certainly you go into the game knowing certain plays that he feels comfortable with. He had a package of plays ready for the game, but obviously he played more snaps than he probably anticipated. So, you are just trying to put him in a position to be successful and make sure that he feels comfortable, manage the elements, catch the snap, say the cadence properly, communicate the plays - just simple basic things. He had some good plays in the game but certainly there are a lot of things that we need to help him with, coach him a little bit better, and get him better prepared for whatever happens in the game for him.
On McCulley's improvement in the passing game the last couple of weeks…
NS: I think repetitions, then the elements of the game on Saturday weren't the easiest to handle relative to being a freshman quarterback out there, but it's the same for both teams regardless. Making sure you're staying ahead of the chains, I think when you look at the film, after the first drive, when we went down there and scored, from that moment on we were playing behind the sticks. Whether it was a snap issue, we fell down, an illegal procedure, those types of things. Now you're backed up and you're in second-and-long and those aren't great situations to play quarterback when you're behind the sticks. Make sure that you can stay ahead of the chains and operate some normal down and distance passing game [plays] as opposed to a pure drop back game, which we found ourselves in far too much after that first drive.
Charlton Warren | Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
On the defense's play after the injury to quarterback Jack Tuttle…
CW: I'll tell you as defensive personnel, our goal is to keep the offense from scoring. And so, for us, I don't know if we feel any more added pressure. It's more that execution is critical. You don't have a margin to bust, you don't have a margin to have mental lapses and do things that are self-inflicted wounds. For us, the attention to detail to execution is critical down the stretch because the margin for error is small. So, for us, that's what we're focused on. Great execution, tremendous accountability, doing our job, and putting ourselves in position to create takeaways, get the ball back to our offense, and play the field position game. So, for us, it's so much about execution here down the stretch.
On cleaning up missed tackles against Ohio State and preparing for Maryland's skill players
CW: It's more that the guys that Ohio State had were more than we had guys at the point of attack. Then, they were able to make those guys miss, or whatever the case may be. For us, the attention we put on gang tackling, running to the football, having more than one person so you don't have a single point failure in space and so that's what we got to make sure we're doing. We're getting more hats to the ball, we're being in coverages and things when the ball is thrown, we have guys with vision who can break and make those tackles and it becomes a vice tackle as opposed to a one-on-one tackle in space. So, it's back to our fundamentals and getting back to that. Tuesdays are days that we really focus on that in practice.
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