Quoted: Penn State
9/29/2021 1:25:00 PM | Football
WATCH | Nick Sheridan Press ConferenceWATCH | Charlton Warren Press ConferenceWATCH | Stephen Carr Press ConferenceWATCH | Micah McFadden Press Conference WATCH | Tiawan Mullen Press Conference WATCH | Michael Penix Jr. Press ConferenceWATCH | Ty Fryfogle Press Conference---MEDIA MONDAY: at Penn StateNOTEBOOK: IU's Goals Remain ‘In Front of Us’GAME NOTES: at Penn StateNo Question, IU Seeks To Have Fun at No. 4 Penn State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A second-straight road trip awaits the Indiana football program at No. 4/6 Penn State on Saturday (October 2) at 7:30 p.m. EST on ABC. Earlier this week, the Hoosiers talked to the media and below are quotes from coordinators Nick Sheridan and Charlton Warren, along with student-athletes Stephen Carr, Ty Fryfogle, Micah McFadden, Tiawan Mullen, and Michael Penix Jr.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences, while video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Nick Sheridan | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On his evaluation of the red zone offense at Western Kentucky…
NS: In no particular order, I think we got a false start on a first-and-10, so that put us back at first-and-15 and we were not able to overcome that. On another possession, I think we got an illegal block in the back, and I think that would have been first-and-10 on the 14 [yard line] and we end up going back 10 yards. There were certainly a couple of calls that I was probably a little bit too aggressive, not patient enough, tried to throw the ball down the field and didn't hit [the receivers]. They were not timely calls. At the end of the half, I thought we did a good job. We drove the ball down the field and were able to get three points.
We'd love to score touchdowns in that situation, but the other two are a little more disappointing because we had some momentum, we were driving the football, and we went backwards. It was a combination of things: some calls I didn't like on my end that I need to be better with. I thought I was a little aggressive in a couple of those situations and we didn't connect on them, or the coverage wasn't what we were looking for, and I take responsibility for that. Then the penalties you can't have that. No doubt we settled for too many field goals on [at Western Kentucky], and we have had opportunities in the first four ball games to score more points than we have, and we have to capitalize on those opportunities. We didn't do a good job of that on Saturday, despite a lot of positives. You don't want to be kicking as many field goals as we did.
On the atmosphere at Penn State...
NS: It is a wonderful environment. Penn State's fans and the atmosphere that they create and the history of the program, the quality of the football that program has had for a long time. It is a testament to all of the players and coaches and people of that community. It is a tough place to play, but an opportunity that our guys are looking forward to.
Charlton Warren I Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
On how he felt the game plan worked at Western Kentucky…
CW: I think the tempo, mixed with the splits, and they take those wideouts and put them right next to the sideline, I think that gets you a little bit off or soft in coverage because of the bubble screen and run action. They are really trying to get you to tip your hand with that.
I think there are certain scenarios that you would like to have over. Maybe, we would like to be a little tighter on this guy so it isn't a leaky 6-yard gain, maybe it could be a 2-yard gain. Maybe at times we could have set an edge on something so that it didn't get out on the perimeter. As soon as you go back and watch it there are always times you want a better force or better edge on some of those wide formations so that maybe you can stifle the run and challenge the pass routes a little bit better than that.
On Tiawan Mullen's performance at Western Kentucky...
CW: I make a big deal about challenging routes and defending the grass. I think in this game, a lot of guys can make plays down the field, he made a bunch of plays on balls from 0-16 [yards]. I think if you want to be an elite player at that position, you have to make plays between 0-16 [yards] coming back toward the ball. He did that about four times in that game, coming out of his break and challenging the ball at the jump point, driving forward and making the play on the ball without grabbing, holding or getting [pass interference]. When you go through a game where a team is throwing the ball what seemed like every down and you get zero defensive holdings, zero PIs, that means your secondary is playing with a certain level of technique and I thought Tiawan played with exceptional technique, great break and vision, and he jumped some routes and challenged some balls down field. I for sure thought it was his best game. Not that he hasn't done really good stuff for us, so far, but he really attacked receivers and had a really good on-ball percentage when it came to defending routes.
Stephen Carr | RB | Gr.+
On how the offensive line is having more success each week…
SC: They are just playing with focus and passion. That is how we sum that up ... I see the progress and I think it is just going to get better and better every week.
On what he has seen from Penn State on film...
SC: We just got done watching some Penn State film before I came up here. They are a great team. Really aggressive [on defense] and that is something I look forward to playing against.
On playing in night games...
SC: I played a lot of night games at my old school. I couldn't really keep count; it is a lot of years I have played. We practice in the morning here, so I have a good feel for playing in the morning and at night. I just love to play on Saturdays.
Ty Fryfogle | WR | Sr.+
On D.J. Matthews Jr. being out the rest of the year
TF: I feel really bad for D.J. He was doing awesome, he was contributing to the football team, but he's a real tough guy, I know he'll bounce back and be alright. Some guys just have to adjust and they will. We'll get it figured out this week in practice.
On mindset going into Western Kentucky…
TF: You know, we had to flush last week out. It was a new week this week. We had a great practice, we had a great game plan, the coaches put us in a great position to have success and I think we succeeded on Saturday as far as quarterbacks and receivers. As an offense, I think we did pretty well. There's still stuff we have to improve on, and we'll work on that this week.
On Jacolby Hewitt and Miles Marshall having the chance to step up and take on more responsibility…
TF: I'm really excited for both of those guys. They had really great games [at Western Kentucky] and I feel like they'll step up. Those guys will compete, they're gonna work their hardest in practice. I'm excited for the opportunity for those guys.
Micah McFadden I LB I Sr.
On the atmosphere at Penn State…
MM: It's going to be a great atmosphere over there. They always got a - except for last year - great crowd. But obviously coming off of last year they'll definitely be looking for a little revenge. I think it's up to us having a great week of practice and getting everything lined up and perform during the game, so as long as we do that, I think we can match up well.
On Penn State being different from last year
MM: They're pretty explosive and they have a lot of dynamic guys outside. They'll be making plays on the edge, but I think it's going to take our guys upfront doing their job and stopping the run early and then forcing them to throw the ball, and then after that we'll do our job on the backend. I think it's everyone doing their job and locking in.
On going up against an experienced quarterback
MM: He's a great quarterback, real experienced guy, and he's not normally a runner but he can use his legs and extend plays and scramble and get out of the pocket. We're going to have to do a good job of containing him upfront and then locking on to guys in the backend and making sure we're not coming out of coverage to corral him but doing our job as linebackers and flowing with the ball and tracking him down.
Tiawan Mullen I DB I Jr.
On his game at Western Kentucky…
TM: Preparation, you know attention to details, dialed in. When the play came my way, I made it. Just playing football, playing confident, playing for my team. My team forced me to make big plays and when the game gets tough, is on the line or any part of the game. That's what I go out there to do for the team, just try to do my best every play.
On where the defense needs to get better…
TM: We've been playing good overall, but we can do way better. We can improve and have another opportunity tomorrow in practice to focus on the details, communicate, fix the things that need to be fixed, adjust a few things, stay focused, stay true to who we are, and we'll be ready.
Michael Penix Jr. I QB I Jr.-R
On evaluating decision making from Cincinnati to Western Kentucky…
MP: No turnovers, that was the first one. Just taking care of the ball, executing the plays at a high level, understanding the game plan, understanding what we need to do to get a win, and just continue to fall back on our preparation and our practice. I feel like we had a great week of practice last week and we have to continue to have that every week so that we can go out on Saturdays and play a good game.
On Penn State's defense…
MP: I haven't been able to see many of their games, but since I've been here, I've always known that they have a tough defense, they play physical, they play good upfront. We just got to continue to stress training everyday with the offensive linemen and the outside perimeter, the blocking, the route running, and just making sure we're making all the right plays and just going with the game plan, trusting in the game plan, trusting in ourselves and this team just knowing we can go out there and compete with anybody. It's football, anything can happen so we are not really focused on the outcome right now, we are just focused on what we can do to make sure the outcome is what we want. Just trying to narrow down, dial in on the simple things, make sure that we keep attention to all the small details and just play free and have fun.
On the offense's ability to bounce back from pressure…
MP: It makes me feel good knowing that we have group of guys that are going to continue to keep one mindset. We preach it but it's no good preaching it if you're not out there doing it. I feel like that's what we did on Saturday at Western Kentucky. They had a good offense, and the quarterback was making a lot of good throws, and we just had to continue to respond. The defense made big stops when we needed it, and we took advantage of it. That's the reason I feel like we got the win. We just stayed focused, locked in, and did everything we could to get the job done.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences, while video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Nick Sheridan | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On his evaluation of the red zone offense at Western Kentucky…
NS: In no particular order, I think we got a false start on a first-and-10, so that put us back at first-and-15 and we were not able to overcome that. On another possession, I think we got an illegal block in the back, and I think that would have been first-and-10 on the 14 [yard line] and we end up going back 10 yards. There were certainly a couple of calls that I was probably a little bit too aggressive, not patient enough, tried to throw the ball down the field and didn't hit [the receivers]. They were not timely calls. At the end of the half, I thought we did a good job. We drove the ball down the field and were able to get three points.
We'd love to score touchdowns in that situation, but the other two are a little more disappointing because we had some momentum, we were driving the football, and we went backwards. It was a combination of things: some calls I didn't like on my end that I need to be better with. I thought I was a little aggressive in a couple of those situations and we didn't connect on them, or the coverage wasn't what we were looking for, and I take responsibility for that. Then the penalties you can't have that. No doubt we settled for too many field goals on [at Western Kentucky], and we have had opportunities in the first four ball games to score more points than we have, and we have to capitalize on those opportunities. We didn't do a good job of that on Saturday, despite a lot of positives. You don't want to be kicking as many field goals as we did.
On the atmosphere at Penn State...
NS: It is a wonderful environment. Penn State's fans and the atmosphere that they create and the history of the program, the quality of the football that program has had for a long time. It is a testament to all of the players and coaches and people of that community. It is a tough place to play, but an opportunity that our guys are looking forward to.
Charlton Warren I Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
On how he felt the game plan worked at Western Kentucky…
CW: I think the tempo, mixed with the splits, and they take those wideouts and put them right next to the sideline, I think that gets you a little bit off or soft in coverage because of the bubble screen and run action. They are really trying to get you to tip your hand with that.
I think there are certain scenarios that you would like to have over. Maybe, we would like to be a little tighter on this guy so it isn't a leaky 6-yard gain, maybe it could be a 2-yard gain. Maybe at times we could have set an edge on something so that it didn't get out on the perimeter. As soon as you go back and watch it there are always times you want a better force or better edge on some of those wide formations so that maybe you can stifle the run and challenge the pass routes a little bit better than that.
On Tiawan Mullen's performance at Western Kentucky...
CW: I make a big deal about challenging routes and defending the grass. I think in this game, a lot of guys can make plays down the field, he made a bunch of plays on balls from 0-16 [yards]. I think if you want to be an elite player at that position, you have to make plays between 0-16 [yards] coming back toward the ball. He did that about four times in that game, coming out of his break and challenging the ball at the jump point, driving forward and making the play on the ball without grabbing, holding or getting [pass interference]. When you go through a game where a team is throwing the ball what seemed like every down and you get zero defensive holdings, zero PIs, that means your secondary is playing with a certain level of technique and I thought Tiawan played with exceptional technique, great break and vision, and he jumped some routes and challenged some balls down field. I for sure thought it was his best game. Not that he hasn't done really good stuff for us, so far, but he really attacked receivers and had a really good on-ball percentage when it came to defending routes.
Stephen Carr | RB | Gr.+
On how the offensive line is having more success each week…
SC: They are just playing with focus and passion. That is how we sum that up ... I see the progress and I think it is just going to get better and better every week.
On what he has seen from Penn State on film...
SC: We just got done watching some Penn State film before I came up here. They are a great team. Really aggressive [on defense] and that is something I look forward to playing against.
On playing in night games...
SC: I played a lot of night games at my old school. I couldn't really keep count; it is a lot of years I have played. We practice in the morning here, so I have a good feel for playing in the morning and at night. I just love to play on Saturdays.
Ty Fryfogle | WR | Sr.+
On D.J. Matthews Jr. being out the rest of the year
TF: I feel really bad for D.J. He was doing awesome, he was contributing to the football team, but he's a real tough guy, I know he'll bounce back and be alright. Some guys just have to adjust and they will. We'll get it figured out this week in practice.
On mindset going into Western Kentucky…
TF: You know, we had to flush last week out. It was a new week this week. We had a great practice, we had a great game plan, the coaches put us in a great position to have success and I think we succeeded on Saturday as far as quarterbacks and receivers. As an offense, I think we did pretty well. There's still stuff we have to improve on, and we'll work on that this week.
On Jacolby Hewitt and Miles Marshall having the chance to step up and take on more responsibility…
TF: I'm really excited for both of those guys. They had really great games [at Western Kentucky] and I feel like they'll step up. Those guys will compete, they're gonna work their hardest in practice. I'm excited for the opportunity for those guys.
Micah McFadden I LB I Sr.
On the atmosphere at Penn State…
MM: It's going to be a great atmosphere over there. They always got a - except for last year - great crowd. But obviously coming off of last year they'll definitely be looking for a little revenge. I think it's up to us having a great week of practice and getting everything lined up and perform during the game, so as long as we do that, I think we can match up well.
On Penn State being different from last year
MM: They're pretty explosive and they have a lot of dynamic guys outside. They'll be making plays on the edge, but I think it's going to take our guys upfront doing their job and stopping the run early and then forcing them to throw the ball, and then after that we'll do our job on the backend. I think it's everyone doing their job and locking in.
On going up against an experienced quarterback
MM: He's a great quarterback, real experienced guy, and he's not normally a runner but he can use his legs and extend plays and scramble and get out of the pocket. We're going to have to do a good job of containing him upfront and then locking on to guys in the backend and making sure we're not coming out of coverage to corral him but doing our job as linebackers and flowing with the ball and tracking him down.
Tiawan Mullen I DB I Jr.
On his game at Western Kentucky…
TM: Preparation, you know attention to details, dialed in. When the play came my way, I made it. Just playing football, playing confident, playing for my team. My team forced me to make big plays and when the game gets tough, is on the line or any part of the game. That's what I go out there to do for the team, just try to do my best every play.
On where the defense needs to get better…
TM: We've been playing good overall, but we can do way better. We can improve and have another opportunity tomorrow in practice to focus on the details, communicate, fix the things that need to be fixed, adjust a few things, stay focused, stay true to who we are, and we'll be ready.
Michael Penix Jr. I QB I Jr.-R
On evaluating decision making from Cincinnati to Western Kentucky…
MP: No turnovers, that was the first one. Just taking care of the ball, executing the plays at a high level, understanding the game plan, understanding what we need to do to get a win, and just continue to fall back on our preparation and our practice. I feel like we had a great week of practice last week and we have to continue to have that every week so that we can go out on Saturdays and play a good game.
On Penn State's defense…
MP: I haven't been able to see many of their games, but since I've been here, I've always known that they have a tough defense, they play physical, they play good upfront. We just got to continue to stress training everyday with the offensive linemen and the outside perimeter, the blocking, the route running, and just making sure we're making all the right plays and just going with the game plan, trusting in the game plan, trusting in ourselves and this team just knowing we can go out there and compete with anybody. It's football, anything can happen so we are not really focused on the outcome right now, we are just focused on what we can do to make sure the outcome is what we want. Just trying to narrow down, dial in on the simple things, make sure that we keep attention to all the small details and just play free and have fun.
On the offense's ability to bounce back from pressure…
MP: It makes me feel good knowing that we have group of guys that are going to continue to keep one mindset. We preach it but it's no good preaching it if you're not out there doing it. I feel like that's what we did on Saturday at Western Kentucky. They had a good offense, and the quarterback was making a lot of good throws, and we just had to continue to respond. The defense made big stops when we needed it, and we took advantage of it. That's the reason I feel like we got the win. We just stayed focused, locked in, and did everything we could to get the job done.
Players Mentioned
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