Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Penn State
10/25/2023 10:00:00 AM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– As the days near closer to Indiana Football's week nine matchup at Penn State on Saturday (October 28), Indiana offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rod Carey, defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and select student-athletes addressed the media inside the Henke Hall of Champions.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Rod Carey | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On making changes to avoid several third-and-long situations…
RC: First off, it's not good to be in third-and-long, so you want to do everything as a play-caller to stay out of it. Obviously, I haven't at times, but sometimes I have. Some of that is when you are aggressive on first down and it doesn't work, then you're setting yourself up for a third-and-long. There's a balance on how you attack that. The last two weeks we have not done a good enough job of that. That was a key factor in this week and not having the production that we wanted to have as far as points. There are not drastic changes that you make, as far as scheme wise. You just go ahead and try to manage it as best as you can while still maintaining that level of aggressiveness.
On Brendan Sorsby's performance…
RC: I'll address it as an entire offense that no one played good enough to win. As it pertains to Brendan, I certainly think he played his rear-end off. He played physical, he used his feet, but it still wasn't in that category of good enough to win. He recognized that as we were talking, so we have to go and clean that up. There aren't a ton of blatantly big things, it's some of the young quarterback issues that we have to work through because none of us are young anymore. We are in game mode now. That has gone by the wayside. For him, certainly his first full time, so you have a little more leeway with him on that, but there are some little, fundamental technique things that we have to clean up, now that he knows
On the progression of Trent Howland…
RC: He is under the same thing that I just laid out when I talk about guys that are doing some good things but are still in that category of not good enough to win. We all know that as a unit offensively and as coaches. Trent certainly with starting the week before at Michigan showed us enough to get more reps and then showed us enough here to get even more reps going forward. That started in practices with fall camp, and certainly he got his opportunities. When you get your opportunities in games and you execute the way that he has been, that deserves more. It's going to continue to go up. It's good to see a forward lean, it's good to see guys finishing downhill and he certainly has done that.
Matt Guerrieri | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
On balancing toughness with schemes when defending short yardage plays…
MG: There is a combination of both. There are ways to take away where the ball is being directed and there are other times that you feel really good about the number that you have compared to what they have. It's technique and fundamentals from there. A toughness mentality that we preach throughout the week. I would say it's a combination of both of those things.
On the challenge of fitting several new faces into a game…
MG: It's next man up. That's why you train and that's why you don't just rep. It's not like the NFL where you just give stars more reps than other guys. You balance that because in college football, this is what happens sometimes. Those guys step up and they are expected to do just as well as the next guy. As a play caller, you know what that guy does well, so you have to put them into a position to be successful. To me, it's that simple. Next man up mentality and you hold those guys to that standard, and they go and take advantage of the opportunity.
On evaluating the defensive line and linebackers…
MG: It's technique, fundamentals, and fight. In that game you saw some good examples of that, and you saw some not so good examples of that. We point out, "here is what we are capable of doing, us at our absolute best," and holding ourselves to that standard. I'm honest with those guys. I may say, "I've got to make sure that you guys are in the best possible position to be able to be successful," and it's their job to go play as hard as they can with mentality and with fundamentals from there. We have got to beat blocks and tackle efficiently. Those are critical things to a team that is going to run the ball 55 times in a game. You have to keep them off schedule. If not, conversions are happening in easier situations. Taking advantage of those third downs. When you do have third-and-long, you have to get off the field.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Rod Carey | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On making changes to avoid several third-and-long situations…
RC: First off, it's not good to be in third-and-long, so you want to do everything as a play-caller to stay out of it. Obviously, I haven't at times, but sometimes I have. Some of that is when you are aggressive on first down and it doesn't work, then you're setting yourself up for a third-and-long. There's a balance on how you attack that. The last two weeks we have not done a good enough job of that. That was a key factor in this week and not having the production that we wanted to have as far as points. There are not drastic changes that you make, as far as scheme wise. You just go ahead and try to manage it as best as you can while still maintaining that level of aggressiveness.
On Brendan Sorsby's performance…
RC: I'll address it as an entire offense that no one played good enough to win. As it pertains to Brendan, I certainly think he played his rear-end off. He played physical, he used his feet, but it still wasn't in that category of good enough to win. He recognized that as we were talking, so we have to go and clean that up. There aren't a ton of blatantly big things, it's some of the young quarterback issues that we have to work through because none of us are young anymore. We are in game mode now. That has gone by the wayside. For him, certainly his first full time, so you have a little more leeway with him on that, but there are some little, fundamental technique things that we have to clean up, now that he knows
On the progression of Trent Howland…
RC: He is under the same thing that I just laid out when I talk about guys that are doing some good things but are still in that category of not good enough to win. We all know that as a unit offensively and as coaches. Trent certainly with starting the week before at Michigan showed us enough to get more reps and then showed us enough here to get even more reps going forward. That started in practices with fall camp, and certainly he got his opportunities. When you get your opportunities in games and you execute the way that he has been, that deserves more. It's going to continue to go up. It's good to see a forward lean, it's good to see guys finishing downhill and he certainly has done that.
Matt Guerrieri | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
On balancing toughness with schemes when defending short yardage plays…
MG: There is a combination of both. There are ways to take away where the ball is being directed and there are other times that you feel really good about the number that you have compared to what they have. It's technique and fundamentals from there. A toughness mentality that we preach throughout the week. I would say it's a combination of both of those things.
On the challenge of fitting several new faces into a game…
MG: It's next man up. That's why you train and that's why you don't just rep. It's not like the NFL where you just give stars more reps than other guys. You balance that because in college football, this is what happens sometimes. Those guys step up and they are expected to do just as well as the next guy. As a play caller, you know what that guy does well, so you have to put them into a position to be successful. To me, it's that simple. Next man up mentality and you hold those guys to that standard, and they go and take advantage of the opportunity.
On evaluating the defensive line and linebackers…
MG: It's technique, fundamentals, and fight. In that game you saw some good examples of that, and you saw some not so good examples of that. We point out, "here is what we are capable of doing, us at our absolute best," and holding ourselves to that standard. I'm honest with those guys. I may say, "I've got to make sure that you guys are in the best possible position to be able to be successful," and it's their job to go play as hard as they can with mentality and with fundamentals from there. We have got to beat blocks and tackle efficiently. Those are critical things to a team that is going to run the ball 55 times in a game. You have to keep them off schedule. If not, conversions are happening in easier situations. Taking advantage of those third downs. When you do have third-and-long, you have to get off the field.
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