Quoted: at Ohio State

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Prior to the Indiana football program's trip to No. 2/2/2 Ohio State, Indiana defensive coordinator Chad Wilt and offensive coordinator Walt Bell talked to the media. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes will square off at Noon Saturday (Nov. 12) on FOX.

Below is a partial transcript of the coordinators press conferences, while video of the full media sessions can be found near the top of this story or at IUHoosiers.com/watch.

Chad Wilt | Defensive Coordinator
What are the corrections you've made since last Saturday…
CW: First thing that we addressed this morning was our tackling. We didn't think we tackled very well at all, especially out in space, but also in the box. We had, as we tracked it, 16 missed tackles for 150 yards of offense after the initial missed tackle. There might have been multiple missed tackles in one play but the first miss tackle [is what we tracked for yardage]. That also includes the face mask that when they were backed up down there, we included that in the yardage, as well.

That's first thing we got to work on fixing. We spent a lot of time in our meetings this morning and we're going to spend a lot of time on it tomorrow in practice. Especially Tuesday being a big contact day for us we got to get out and work better in space. Have to work on how we are closing space and closing distance and creating footwork that we need to be better at. Missed tackling usually happens because of space, leverage, and tracking issues. Footwork issues as you come to contact, how you punch and use your arms and then if you have poor footwork your head and eyes drop, and you can't hit what you can't see. We need to fix those things.

Our guys continue to show up and fight. We challenge them even today and we can't let those circumstances dictate any behavior out of them, their body language and who we are. We've got to work to be our best no matter if it's the first play or 90th. Our DNA is takeaways, tackling, and effort. That needs to show up on play one and play 90 it doesn't matter.

On the opportunity for younger guys to get experience versus Penn State…
CW: That certainly is the beauty of what college football has done for us, how they have allowed that four game redshirt for those guys. You're exactly right, the speed of the game and the physical and mental speed of the game. These calls and these checks. You're playing your base stuff at that point and what those guys are going do best and execute best but still within the base system there are different formations and checks and adjustments.

So, for those guys to go out and actually work and execute in the game setting, but also you see guys flying around. You saw Venson Sneed Jr. leave his feet and make plays. You saw Phillip Dunnam showed up and put his face in there. So that is good for those guys. Even if its four plays today, that's what Isaiah Jones had, just to sit down and watch those four plays, he came downhill and put his face on the guy. Seeing him come down and strike a gut, play with physicality is what it's like.

Take those little things and build off them is positives for every guy at every level of our defense. I think a guy like Andrew Turvy, you know it was an emotional week for Andrew, his business not ours, but for him to go play in the game meant something to him. So, positives to be able to see some reward for guys who don't always get that Saturday reward. The reward is Tuesday to Friday.

On the discrepancy in tackles for loss versus Penn State…
CW: We were in position to make some TFL's. It goes back to those missed tackle opportunities, whether that's a missed tackle in the backfield on the quarterback or a check down that should be a minus-2 TFL that goes for 47 yards, there is 49 yards of offense in one play that was supposed to be a TFL.

There are guys in positions to make plays, we have to do a better job. Always begins with us as coaches. I'm not going to sit here and say one player's name. It begins with coaches and saying and identifying how we are teaching it, what we are teaching, holding guys accountable. They still have to play and perform on some level, too. We are not going to change fundamentally what we teach, but how we teach, how we drill it, how we are repping this in practice to get the point across and get it home to those guys.

Certainly, there needs to be some more level of disruption like you said. We had three tackles for loss and one sack on the day, that ain't up to our standard of putting people behind the sticks. Some of it is when we are there, we need to make those plays. It does go back a little bit to how we are teaching and coaching and drilling it to make sure it gets executed when those opportunities arise on Saturday's.

Walt Bell | Offensive Coordinator
On what he saw from Brendan Sorsby and Dexter Williams II…
WB: I think two guys getting their first reps of real football versus a really good defense. I thought Brendan went in, and I mean this in the most loving way possible, but played like you would expect a freshman to play in his 12-15 reps.

Then Dexter went in and did some really good things but also some really bad things, so plenty of things to learn from, plenty of things to learn from.

But, no, two guys getting their feet wet and excited to see them both moving forward. Both are going to be really good players for us at some point.

On where Dexter Williams II can grow the most…
WB: Absolutely, he's got all the natural and physical skills. He loves football and he's a stud here and a worker. Both of those young guys got a chance to play. Both have a really good chance to be good football players for IU.

But Dexter, again, you hear people talk about physical tools and the natural assumption is he must lack the mental, but that's not the case. Dex is unrefined right now. We need to catch up some of the other tools with the sharp ones, but he does have a lot of ability and will be a really good player for us moving forward.

On Dexter's role as a teammate and a high character guy…
WB: I think Coach Allen hit it right on the head. He's a guy everyone loves, for one he's been here and has been through difficult times while being here. He's had some injuries and setbacks and I think anyone who has shared adversity with others, there is a natural level of trust that you build, and just the type of kid he is.

He is easy to be around and a joy to coach. The combination of having been through tough times with the guys and the fact of what type of human being he is, I think that leads to a lot of people on the team having trust in him and believing in him.

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