Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Defense
12/17/2024 8:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– As No. 10 Indiana Football's first round College Football Playoff matchup at No. 7-seed Notre Dame on Friday (December 20) approaches, Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara, Jailin Walker and D'Angelo Ponds addressed the media inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room on Tuesday (December 17).
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Aiden Fisher | LB | Jr.
On a moment of feeling validated for all the work that has led to all the success…
AF: Yeah, I would just say fall camp was kind of the turning point. Everybody had that belief no matter what. It was a matter of fact of putting the pieces together and building the camaraderie we needed.
Yeah, spring ball a lot of faces weren't here. We went through the spring portal and some guys got back from injury. Once we got back in fall camp everybody was rolling together, and I think we all had the sense that this could be a special team.
On the look of the 4-3 and what Rolijah Hardy has shown…
AF: Definitely gives a lot of versatility to the defense. Some teams like to use different personnel groupings, and it helps us having different schematic things to put forth as we go on each game.
But I think the thing with Rolijah is he has just been a sponge. He's gotten in that room, and he's wanted to learn every single thing, everything that me and Jai Walk say. He's always listening and he's really impressive. He's a really good player, really smart player, and he's impressed a lot of people, I know that, and he's just a great player and one that we're very fortunate to have in our room.
On balancing it being another game and taking in the moment…
AF: The thing for me is, you know, I look back on this game and this season once it's all done. Right now, I'm just trying to keep my focus on getting to the game first, and then just making sure that we come out on top.
I'll look back once the season in total is over, I'll look back but right now focusing on another game.
On how Mikail Kamara is a teammate and his message to the guys…
AF: First off with him, the numbers speak for themselves. He's a phenomenal player once he's on the field, but what he brings off the field is really special. He's a really good leader. He's a great teammate, and one that brings energy every day. He's always checking in on people and making sure everybody's good.
He's a great player, but I think he's an even better person and he's such a great teammate to have around.
On his relationship with Bryant Haines…
AF: I would say it starts at the top. Coach Cig believes in me a lot. That kind of falls down to Coach Haines and the guys in my room. As long as they believe in me, I'm going to have that confidence to help them out, and I not just the prep that I put many myself, but how hard I work and making sure that I things cleaned up and shored up for myself; that way I'm good to protect to other people and lead by example and show them the way and how I got to I'm at right now.
On the key to slowing down Riley Leonard…
AF: First you want to make sure you keep everybody in front of you. They do a great job with the running attack, and our thing will be the same thing we've played with all year, great angles. You watch a lot of film on him; he's a great player.
A lot of people take really bad angles on him. Some people just think he's slower than he is just based off his position but he's a really good athlete. Just got to make sure we take good angles to him and once we get to him, make him pay the price for carrying the ball.
On what he has seen on film and his plans for preparation…
AF: We've got to stop the run. Something that we're very prideful in here as a defense and something that they are really good on offense. It's going to be a really good matchup.
Our biggest thing is like I said, take the smart angles, attack when it's there and make sure we stop the run, first of all.
On the sense of pride and accomplishment with all the accolades…
AF: First with team success comes individual success, so as long as the team is doing well, obviously your players are going to reap the benefits of that.
Definitely a sense of pride, especially where we came from and how hard I know how everybody here has worked to get to this point. It's a blessing and all glory to God for putting me in this position and it's just something that I think I've worked really hard at and I'm really prideful about.
On the Ohio State game being a learning point…
AF: There were a lot of distractions going into that game, a big game with a hostile crowd and it's just something that we have to learn to manage and handle. Going into this game it's no different than the Ohio State game. It's a big game, one with obvious, huge, implications but at the end of the day it's just another game we have to prep for like we did the past 12 games.
Just learning from our mistakes from the Ohio State game, things we got to hit on. We've had three weeks to clean things up and shore up, so we'll learn that lesson and put it to use Friday.
On the fun of playing in this defense and any input he has on the game plan…
AF: First question, playing defense, I don't know if you can find a player in that locker room that doesn't have fun playing this defense. First, you're on a top a rated defense and you're making plays every Friday, Saturday, and you're having fun playing with guys that you care a lot about.
And just seeing the emotion that playing this defense brings, you're flying around, you're hitting people, you're making big plays, intersections, sacks.
Playing an explosive defense obviously is a lot more fun than just playing one that you're going to give up 2 to 3 yards a carry and you're off the feel. Like we want TFLs and sacks and explosives. I don't know how anybody would not want to play in this defense. It's a lot of fun.
And then to my input, me and Coach Haines talk a lot. We'll send each other text messages, show each other different things we see over the weekend from different teams. So, we'll be able to kind of, I give my input there talks to Coach Haines and seeing things that he likes and just kind of going from there. So just a little bit of input making sure that me and him are communicating at a high level.
On managing the emotions of this big of a game…
AF: Back to the Ohio State game, you feel a feeling of losing again. So, I know a lot of the guys here, the JMU guys, I think we lost three times in the last two years. It's not a feeling that we like and not a feeling that we want to repeat. Managing your emotion comes from that. You know exactly what it takes to win a game, and you know kind of the mistakes that you made to lose the Ohio State game.
Making sure that you're staying level the entire time. We're going to make good plays and sometimes we're going to give up bad plays. In the grand scheme of things, you have to stay leveled and make sure that you're focused on the next play as soon as the whistle's blown.
On seeing this team put it together from spring to now…
MK: I think it was kind of like, the way we started like interacting with each other in the locker room, I think our team chemistry like got to a point where everyone was able to talk to everyone about different things.
I think noticing that from the beginning of the year to where it's the middle of the season, I started seeing things like that. And most importantly, was seeing the way we were all able to lock in during practice, lock in during games and be very communicative with each other. Especially seeing that from the JMU perspective my freshman year and seeing different levels of chemistry, different levels of team camaraderie, seeing the way that we started to come together in the middle of the season, I think that was the biggest turning point.
On manifesting this success…
MK: I'm big into manifestation but more importantly big into religion. I feel like the more and more you talk about things, the more and more you talk to God about things, those things will start to itself. That's the way I've lived my life, especially when you come from a place where you don't really see a future, right. The only way for you to see that future is to manifest it and talk to God about it, right. That's kind of always been my thing.
On how special it will be to play in the College Football Playoff…
MK: It's going to be great, especially with Coach Kuntz, him coming from Notre Dame. This is a big moment for him and then just going forward, it's big, especially us proving ourselves. Every single scout, every single beatwriter that said that our D-Line is not the best D-Line in the country.
Just continue to prove it and prove it against Notre Dame and then go out there and play against an SEC team and show it on every single level. That's something I'm excited about.
On looking back on his success throughout the season…
MK: Just to show all my production that I did at JMU wasn't a fluke. I think that's something important. And then especially just, really just me personally just all the work that I ever put in, really, to manifest and to show itself right in front of me, it's a blessing, and I'm forever grateful for it.
On the challenge Notre Dame presents…
MK:: It definitely creates extra numbers, especially with having a laid back lead blocker with the running backs and having that extra man blocking.
But for me, I feel like their scheme is pretty simple. It's just for us to go out there and fit our gaps and do what we need to do. We've practiced it. We've seen it. It's something different but nothing that scares us at all.
On his confidence…
MK: Just going back to the other question, the confidence kind of comes from God, and then the second piece of it is the work that I put in that no one really sees.
So once you know when you work your butt off every single day, you kind of understand that not everyone works the that I that I work and not everyone works the way that my teammates work. So that confidence kind of shows itself in games, show it is receive in practice, and then just continues to bubble and then once you see the results show, that confidence just skyrockets.
On what him and the defense are trying to prove…
MK: That we are physical. That's the biggest thing. When you play against a team that wants to run their quarterback, that means they want to grind it out. This is going to be a physical ballgame to see who outlasts the other, and I know it's going to be us on top.
On how he would describe his play…
MK: kind of all of the above. Depending on the situation it calls for different things, but I think it all starts for me, it's just playing this game with so much joy and passion, right. Once you start from there, you know, you run out of the tunnel, you're screaming and excited and get your team pumped up.
Those key plays, fourth and shorts, goal lines, that's when you're like, I have to must evident up and bring up whatever demons I need to attack these offensive linemen. But it starts with having fun and understanding that this game can be taken away from you at any moment. So you have to go out there and play every single play like it's your last.
On if he came in with a chip on his shoulder being at a lower level to start…
MK: I think it's just something that's just there, right. I think it's something that we've all had because we've always been underdogs and now to come in this situation and still be looked at as an underdog that chip continues to grow to be honest with you.
No matter how many sacks I get, no matter how many plays Pond makes, Rourke makes, Fish makes, the chip just gets bigger and bigger every single time because you know if you have one good game -- but one bad game they are going to trip you so every single game, you've got to trip it.
On the rush from him and his defensive line unit…
MK: It's fun. Like all the things that we work at in the pads, all the smooth pass rushes and cute wins that you see on Instagram, right, you get to go hit those and hopefully you see the highlights on ESPN.
But it's go out there and wreak havoc and make plays, right. You have a one-on-one, every single time, just go in. Simple.
On his film process…
MK: I go based off of formations, formation, tendencies, what do they like to run. In this formation are they run heavy? Are they pass heavy? Do they like gap scheme? Are they a zone scheme type of team?
You go from there, and then once you start to understand the scheme, then that's when you start to analyze the player specifically. Are they high hands? Low hands? Does this guy come off with a lot of intensity? Is he kind of more finesse? So you kind of go based off that.
And once I understand all of those aspects, then I start to understand my strengths and weaknesses based off of what he does, and I start -- try to attack his weaknesses with my strengths.
On forcing a turnover…
JW: Turnovers is a big thing. When we create turnovers, it gives the offense and special teams energy, and when you create turnovers, their defense are tired and they have got to get right back on the field and play our offense. Turnovers is always a big thing when you want to win the game.
And like we know Notre Dame has a great run offense. Just attention to detail every day in practice, being secure in the offense and run fits and being able to critique and be able to do good in running.
On how special this is for him….
JW:It's amazing coming from being a G5 recruit, just seeing how this place can change, being able to see how a program like Indiana can change. Just amazing seeing how Coach Cignetti can build a program like this.
I just trust Cignetti and his word. He's a great Coach. Every day we just know we have to listen to his word and stick to the details and go out there and play the game and have fun as a family.
On what's it like going against Horton I practice…
JW: Since freshman year me and Zach been bumping heads. He's a true senior, too. So we came in together. That's my brother on and off the field. I know Zach is a great tight end, and he gets me better. So every day we get to go against each other iron sharpens iron, and it just show that he made me the player that I am today. I appreciate Zach for that one.
On being mindful of Riley Leonard's running ability…
JW: Yeah, you know, we put in new end stops, like spying the quarterback or just running like past, past so just to navigate him -- have him have trouble escaping the pocket. We just know he a great quarterback so we have a lot of plays built to stop his effectiveness, and it's ready.
On enjoying playing for Caoch Haines…
JW: I love playing with Coach Haines. Ever since I came here, at JMU as a freshman, he's a great man, you know what I mean. He just want us to be the best man that we can be on and off the field and it shows, man. He's a great Coach. I just love that man. He's a father figure because my father passed, so he's just another father figure for me and he just wants me to be the best man off and off the field.
He's hard on us and that's what we want, is a coach to be hard on us because he brings out the best version of us.
On if there was a moment that validated the success…
JW: You know, since day one, he brought the image of like we're a team and we're here to win and be a family. In summer workouts and spring workouts I could tell the competitiveness. Everybody was working hard and trying to get better.
We had one goal, and the goal was to win and to be able to go into the College Football Playoffs. Like I said, summer workouts and spring workouts we knew we had this one goal and with the competitiveness, iron sharpens iron, and it just made us a better team.
On the importance of flushing the bad….
JW: It's amazing. Fish is my brother, too. We know they have a good run offense and just be able to be linebackers. We know the game is going to be put on us. Just being able to go out and lean on your brother and have fun when he's right besides you, it's amazing. When he's down I bring him up and when I'm down he brings me up. Having him beside you, it's great and it's an enjoyment to be able to be out there with your brother.
On this team being an extension of his family…
JW: When they are down they able to pick you up because that's what family members do. Family members want you to be the best version of yourself and it's not just about -- it's about being the best version that we can be and like for us being family members, we'll be able to enjoy the game that we're playing.
You know, we're bringing it all. Like we're giving it all and we're leaving everything on the field and it shows, and I love this team as a family.
On how campus has changed since the season….
JW: It feels amazing. I came here in January and it was around basketball season, so football season wasn't up. It just showed we could change this place. There wasn't like a lot of involvement with football.
Since we been winning, you can see the fans and students, they will come talk to you on campus. It feels great to see that we can change a program like Indiana, and like I said, we're just getting started. We've got a long road for Indiana. Coach Cignetti is in good hands.
On just having fun playing this year…
JW: Playing a sport that you love and you know you got your brother beside you and be able to have fun, it feels amazing, you know what I mean. It doesn't feel like a job. Feels like a hobby or like something that you entertain or something that you love to do.
So although we're taking the game seriously we're having fun with it, too. It feels great.
On the role of the secondary in stopping the run…
DP: Secondary basically just have to read their keys, stay disciplined, and don't fall asleep, basically. Just do their job.
On his skill set…
DP: Man, that's my guy. Man, he's the best receiver I've faced. He got me way better, especially starting from our freshman year. That's who I always wanted to go against in practice.
So he's definitely great competition. Every time I see him it's iron sharpens iron, so he definitely got me better to the point where I am now.
On his future…
DP: My future? You said about my future?
On the compliment…
DP: That's nice to know. But I had to put it on the field myself. I just continue to be my best version of myself each and every day and try to get better. I'm not really focused on the future. I'm focused on now.
On the changes to town since the football season…
DP: Everybody noticed the crowd changed since the first game, but even around campus things are a lot different. People walk up to me around campus and stuff like that. That wasn't happening in the first couple weeks. So that changed a lot.
And the support we just get around football changed as a whole. Yeah, it's definitely good.
On Mikail Kamara as a teammate…
DP: He's a leader and he leads by example. And he doesn't speak that much, but you can tell he's a guy that leads by example. When I talk to him he's definitely a confident guy. He's always trying to get to the quarterback and he is just telling me to do my job. He tells me to cover for three seconds and he'll get there. So, yeah.
On what people don't know about Mikail Kamara…
DP: You may not know Mikail -- that's a good question. I don't know. I want to say you may not know Mikail is a family guy. He likes his family. I guess that.
On balancing treating it like another game and soaking it all up…
DP: You have to take it like another game. You can't just do extra things. You can't be Superman. You've got to do your job. It's really another game. You've got to do your job. Don't make it too big of a game for you.
On the All-American recognition…
DP: It's a blessing to get noticed by everyone in the country, especially me coming out of high school. It's definitely a blessing for my talents to be noticed around the world.
On the Indiana-Notre Dame matchup…
DP: Yeah, especially around Bloomington. You can tell people are excited and getting tickets. You can see by the ticket prices there's definitely a lot of support coming from Bloomington.
On how special it is to have this success with this team…
DP: We've been working hard since I came here in fall camp. We've been going at each other, so it's definitely time to go at other opponents and we were ready for it. I felt like we prepared well for that each and every day.
Definitely we've got each other better and we were prepared well for the season.
On how he gets better every day…
DP: I start with my Coach honestly. He's teaching me everything I need to know and preparing me well. Trusting my technique, that's what it is. Going out there, trusting your technique and winning your one-on-one. That's basically what I do.
On the brotherhood of this team…
DP: It means a lot to me. All the guys in here, even the transfers, everything, they took me in with open arms. It definitely means a lot to me, and I definitely want to bring a National Championship here to Bloomington.
On having a chip on his shoulder…
DP: I definitely had a chip on my shoulder since the beginning of the season.
When I first transferred here there was a lot of naysayers or people saying whatever. But I definitely had a chip on my shoulder the whole season and felt like I had something to prove. I knew I could do it but a lot of people said I couldn't. I definitely have a chip on my shoulder and played with a chip on my shoulder all the time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media sessions can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Aiden Fisher | LB | Jr.
On a moment of feeling validated for all the work that has led to all the success…
AF: Yeah, I would just say fall camp was kind of the turning point. Everybody had that belief no matter what. It was a matter of fact of putting the pieces together and building the camaraderie we needed.
Yeah, spring ball a lot of faces weren't here. We went through the spring portal and some guys got back from injury. Once we got back in fall camp everybody was rolling together, and I think we all had the sense that this could be a special team.
On the look of the 4-3 and what Rolijah Hardy has shown…
AF: Definitely gives a lot of versatility to the defense. Some teams like to use different personnel groupings, and it helps us having different schematic things to put forth as we go on each game.
But I think the thing with Rolijah is he has just been a sponge. He's gotten in that room, and he's wanted to learn every single thing, everything that me and Jai Walk say. He's always listening and he's really impressive. He's a really good player, really smart player, and he's impressed a lot of people, I know that, and he's just a great player and one that we're very fortunate to have in our room.
On balancing it being another game and taking in the moment…
AF: The thing for me is, you know, I look back on this game and this season once it's all done. Right now, I'm just trying to keep my focus on getting to the game first, and then just making sure that we come out on top.
I'll look back once the season in total is over, I'll look back but right now focusing on another game.
On how Mikail Kamara is a teammate and his message to the guys…
AF: First off with him, the numbers speak for themselves. He's a phenomenal player once he's on the field, but what he brings off the field is really special. He's a really good leader. He's a great teammate, and one that brings energy every day. He's always checking in on people and making sure everybody's good.
He's a great player, but I think he's an even better person and he's such a great teammate to have around.
On his relationship with Bryant Haines…
AF: I would say it starts at the top. Coach Cig believes in me a lot. That kind of falls down to Coach Haines and the guys in my room. As long as they believe in me, I'm going to have that confidence to help them out, and I not just the prep that I put many myself, but how hard I work and making sure that I things cleaned up and shored up for myself; that way I'm good to protect to other people and lead by example and show them the way and how I got to I'm at right now.
On the key to slowing down Riley Leonard…
AF: First you want to make sure you keep everybody in front of you. They do a great job with the running attack, and our thing will be the same thing we've played with all year, great angles. You watch a lot of film on him; he's a great player.
A lot of people take really bad angles on him. Some people just think he's slower than he is just based off his position but he's a really good athlete. Just got to make sure we take good angles to him and once we get to him, make him pay the price for carrying the ball.
On what he has seen on film and his plans for preparation…
AF: We've got to stop the run. Something that we're very prideful in here as a defense and something that they are really good on offense. It's going to be a really good matchup.
Our biggest thing is like I said, take the smart angles, attack when it's there and make sure we stop the run, first of all.
On the sense of pride and accomplishment with all the accolades…
AF: First with team success comes individual success, so as long as the team is doing well, obviously your players are going to reap the benefits of that.
Definitely a sense of pride, especially where we came from and how hard I know how everybody here has worked to get to this point. It's a blessing and all glory to God for putting me in this position and it's just something that I think I've worked really hard at and I'm really prideful about.
On the Ohio State game being a learning point…
AF: There were a lot of distractions going into that game, a big game with a hostile crowd and it's just something that we have to learn to manage and handle. Going into this game it's no different than the Ohio State game. It's a big game, one with obvious, huge, implications but at the end of the day it's just another game we have to prep for like we did the past 12 games.
Just learning from our mistakes from the Ohio State game, things we got to hit on. We've had three weeks to clean things up and shore up, so we'll learn that lesson and put it to use Friday.
On the fun of playing in this defense and any input he has on the game plan…
AF: First question, playing defense, I don't know if you can find a player in that locker room that doesn't have fun playing this defense. First, you're on a top a rated defense and you're making plays every Friday, Saturday, and you're having fun playing with guys that you care a lot about.
And just seeing the emotion that playing this defense brings, you're flying around, you're hitting people, you're making big plays, intersections, sacks.
Playing an explosive defense obviously is a lot more fun than just playing one that you're going to give up 2 to 3 yards a carry and you're off the feel. Like we want TFLs and sacks and explosives. I don't know how anybody would not want to play in this defense. It's a lot of fun.
And then to my input, me and Coach Haines talk a lot. We'll send each other text messages, show each other different things we see over the weekend from different teams. So, we'll be able to kind of, I give my input there talks to Coach Haines and seeing things that he likes and just kind of going from there. So just a little bit of input making sure that me and him are communicating at a high level.
On managing the emotions of this big of a game…
AF: Back to the Ohio State game, you feel a feeling of losing again. So, I know a lot of the guys here, the JMU guys, I think we lost three times in the last two years. It's not a feeling that we like and not a feeling that we want to repeat. Managing your emotion comes from that. You know exactly what it takes to win a game, and you know kind of the mistakes that you made to lose the Ohio State game.
Making sure that you're staying level the entire time. We're going to make good plays and sometimes we're going to give up bad plays. In the grand scheme of things, you have to stay leveled and make sure that you're focused on the next play as soon as the whistle's blown.
On seeing this team put it together from spring to now…
MK: I think it was kind of like, the way we started like interacting with each other in the locker room, I think our team chemistry like got to a point where everyone was able to talk to everyone about different things.
I think noticing that from the beginning of the year to where it's the middle of the season, I started seeing things like that. And most importantly, was seeing the way we were all able to lock in during practice, lock in during games and be very communicative with each other. Especially seeing that from the JMU perspective my freshman year and seeing different levels of chemistry, different levels of team camaraderie, seeing the way that we started to come together in the middle of the season, I think that was the biggest turning point.
On manifesting this success…
MK: I'm big into manifestation but more importantly big into religion. I feel like the more and more you talk about things, the more and more you talk to God about things, those things will start to itself. That's the way I've lived my life, especially when you come from a place where you don't really see a future, right. The only way for you to see that future is to manifest it and talk to God about it, right. That's kind of always been my thing.
On how special it will be to play in the College Football Playoff…
MK: It's going to be great, especially with Coach Kuntz, him coming from Notre Dame. This is a big moment for him and then just going forward, it's big, especially us proving ourselves. Every single scout, every single beatwriter that said that our D-Line is not the best D-Line in the country.
Just continue to prove it and prove it against Notre Dame and then go out there and play against an SEC team and show it on every single level. That's something I'm excited about.
On looking back on his success throughout the season…
MK: Just to show all my production that I did at JMU wasn't a fluke. I think that's something important. And then especially just, really just me personally just all the work that I ever put in, really, to manifest and to show itself right in front of me, it's a blessing, and I'm forever grateful for it.
On the challenge Notre Dame presents…
MK:: It definitely creates extra numbers, especially with having a laid back lead blocker with the running backs and having that extra man blocking.
But for me, I feel like their scheme is pretty simple. It's just for us to go out there and fit our gaps and do what we need to do. We've practiced it. We've seen it. It's something different but nothing that scares us at all.
On his confidence…
MK: Just going back to the other question, the confidence kind of comes from God, and then the second piece of it is the work that I put in that no one really sees.
So once you know when you work your butt off every single day, you kind of understand that not everyone works the that I that I work and not everyone works the way that my teammates work. So that confidence kind of shows itself in games, show it is receive in practice, and then just continues to bubble and then once you see the results show, that confidence just skyrockets.
On what him and the defense are trying to prove…
MK: That we are physical. That's the biggest thing. When you play against a team that wants to run their quarterback, that means they want to grind it out. This is going to be a physical ballgame to see who outlasts the other, and I know it's going to be us on top.
On how he would describe his play…
MK: kind of all of the above. Depending on the situation it calls for different things, but I think it all starts for me, it's just playing this game with so much joy and passion, right. Once you start from there, you know, you run out of the tunnel, you're screaming and excited and get your team pumped up.
Those key plays, fourth and shorts, goal lines, that's when you're like, I have to must evident up and bring up whatever demons I need to attack these offensive linemen. But it starts with having fun and understanding that this game can be taken away from you at any moment. So you have to go out there and play every single play like it's your last.
On if he came in with a chip on his shoulder being at a lower level to start…
MK: I think it's just something that's just there, right. I think it's something that we've all had because we've always been underdogs and now to come in this situation and still be looked at as an underdog that chip continues to grow to be honest with you.
No matter how many sacks I get, no matter how many plays Pond makes, Rourke makes, Fish makes, the chip just gets bigger and bigger every single time because you know if you have one good game -- but one bad game they are going to trip you so every single game, you've got to trip it.
On the rush from him and his defensive line unit…
MK: It's fun. Like all the things that we work at in the pads, all the smooth pass rushes and cute wins that you see on Instagram, right, you get to go hit those and hopefully you see the highlights on ESPN.
But it's go out there and wreak havoc and make plays, right. You have a one-on-one, every single time, just go in. Simple.
On his film process…
MK: I go based off of formations, formation, tendencies, what do they like to run. In this formation are they run heavy? Are they pass heavy? Do they like gap scheme? Are they a zone scheme type of team?
You go from there, and then once you start to understand the scheme, then that's when you start to analyze the player specifically. Are they high hands? Low hands? Does this guy come off with a lot of intensity? Is he kind of more finesse? So you kind of go based off that.
And once I understand all of those aspects, then I start to understand my strengths and weaknesses based off of what he does, and I start -- try to attack his weaknesses with my strengths.
On forcing a turnover…
JW: Turnovers is a big thing. When we create turnovers, it gives the offense and special teams energy, and when you create turnovers, their defense are tired and they have got to get right back on the field and play our offense. Turnovers is always a big thing when you want to win the game.
And like we know Notre Dame has a great run offense. Just attention to detail every day in practice, being secure in the offense and run fits and being able to critique and be able to do good in running.
On how special this is for him….
JW:It's amazing coming from being a G5 recruit, just seeing how this place can change, being able to see how a program like Indiana can change. Just amazing seeing how Coach Cignetti can build a program like this.
I just trust Cignetti and his word. He's a great Coach. Every day we just know we have to listen to his word and stick to the details and go out there and play the game and have fun as a family.
On what's it like going against Horton I practice…
JW: Since freshman year me and Zach been bumping heads. He's a true senior, too. So we came in together. That's my brother on and off the field. I know Zach is a great tight end, and he gets me better. So every day we get to go against each other iron sharpens iron, and it just show that he made me the player that I am today. I appreciate Zach for that one.
On being mindful of Riley Leonard's running ability…
JW: Yeah, you know, we put in new end stops, like spying the quarterback or just running like past, past so just to navigate him -- have him have trouble escaping the pocket. We just know he a great quarterback so we have a lot of plays built to stop his effectiveness, and it's ready.
On enjoying playing for Caoch Haines…
JW: I love playing with Coach Haines. Ever since I came here, at JMU as a freshman, he's a great man, you know what I mean. He just want us to be the best man that we can be on and off the field and it shows, man. He's a great Coach. I just love that man. He's a father figure because my father passed, so he's just another father figure for me and he just wants me to be the best man off and off the field.
He's hard on us and that's what we want, is a coach to be hard on us because he brings out the best version of us.
On if there was a moment that validated the success…
JW: You know, since day one, he brought the image of like we're a team and we're here to win and be a family. In summer workouts and spring workouts I could tell the competitiveness. Everybody was working hard and trying to get better.
We had one goal, and the goal was to win and to be able to go into the College Football Playoffs. Like I said, summer workouts and spring workouts we knew we had this one goal and with the competitiveness, iron sharpens iron, and it just made us a better team.
On the importance of flushing the bad….
JW: It's amazing. Fish is my brother, too. We know they have a good run offense and just be able to be linebackers. We know the game is going to be put on us. Just being able to go out and lean on your brother and have fun when he's right besides you, it's amazing. When he's down I bring him up and when I'm down he brings me up. Having him beside you, it's great and it's an enjoyment to be able to be out there with your brother.
On this team being an extension of his family…
JW: When they are down they able to pick you up because that's what family members do. Family members want you to be the best version of yourself and it's not just about -- it's about being the best version that we can be and like for us being family members, we'll be able to enjoy the game that we're playing.
You know, we're bringing it all. Like we're giving it all and we're leaving everything on the field and it shows, and I love this team as a family.
On how campus has changed since the season….
JW: It feels amazing. I came here in January and it was around basketball season, so football season wasn't up. It just showed we could change this place. There wasn't like a lot of involvement with football.
Since we been winning, you can see the fans and students, they will come talk to you on campus. It feels great to see that we can change a program like Indiana, and like I said, we're just getting started. We've got a long road for Indiana. Coach Cignetti is in good hands.
On just having fun playing this year…
JW: Playing a sport that you love and you know you got your brother beside you and be able to have fun, it feels amazing, you know what I mean. It doesn't feel like a job. Feels like a hobby or like something that you entertain or something that you love to do.
So although we're taking the game seriously we're having fun with it, too. It feels great.
On the role of the secondary in stopping the run…
DP: Secondary basically just have to read their keys, stay disciplined, and don't fall asleep, basically. Just do their job.
On his skill set…
DP: Man, that's my guy. Man, he's the best receiver I've faced. He got me way better, especially starting from our freshman year. That's who I always wanted to go against in practice.
So he's definitely great competition. Every time I see him it's iron sharpens iron, so he definitely got me better to the point where I am now.
On his future…
DP: My future? You said about my future?
On the compliment…
DP: That's nice to know. But I had to put it on the field myself. I just continue to be my best version of myself each and every day and try to get better. I'm not really focused on the future. I'm focused on now.
On the changes to town since the football season…
DP: Everybody noticed the crowd changed since the first game, but even around campus things are a lot different. People walk up to me around campus and stuff like that. That wasn't happening in the first couple weeks. So that changed a lot.
And the support we just get around football changed as a whole. Yeah, it's definitely good.
On Mikail Kamara as a teammate…
DP: He's a leader and he leads by example. And he doesn't speak that much, but you can tell he's a guy that leads by example. When I talk to him he's definitely a confident guy. He's always trying to get to the quarterback and he is just telling me to do my job. He tells me to cover for three seconds and he'll get there. So, yeah.
On what people don't know about Mikail Kamara…
DP: You may not know Mikail -- that's a good question. I don't know. I want to say you may not know Mikail is a family guy. He likes his family. I guess that.
On balancing treating it like another game and soaking it all up…
DP: You have to take it like another game. You can't just do extra things. You can't be Superman. You've got to do your job. It's really another game. You've got to do your job. Don't make it too big of a game for you.
On the All-American recognition…
DP: It's a blessing to get noticed by everyone in the country, especially me coming out of high school. It's definitely a blessing for my talents to be noticed around the world.
On the Indiana-Notre Dame matchup…
DP: Yeah, especially around Bloomington. You can tell people are excited and getting tickets. You can see by the ticket prices there's definitely a lot of support coming from Bloomington.
On how special it is to have this success with this team…
DP: We've been working hard since I came here in fall camp. We've been going at each other, so it's definitely time to go at other opponents and we were ready for it. I felt like we prepared well for that each and every day.
Definitely we've got each other better and we were prepared well for the season.
On how he gets better every day…
DP: I start with my Coach honestly. He's teaching me everything I need to know and preparing me well. Trusting my technique, that's what it is. Going out there, trusting your technique and winning your one-on-one. That's basically what I do.
On the brotherhood of this team…
DP: It means a lot to me. All the guys in here, even the transfers, everything, they took me in with open arms. It definitely means a lot to me, and I definitely want to bring a National Championship here to Bloomington.
On having a chip on his shoulder…
DP: I definitely had a chip on my shoulder since the beginning of the season.
When I first transferred here there was a lot of naysayers or people saying whatever. But I definitely had a chip on my shoulder the whole season and felt like I had something to prove. I knew I could do it but a lot of people said I couldn't. I definitely have a chip on my shoulder and played with a chip on my shoulder all the time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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