Quotes from Tuesday's Press Conference
10/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Randy Edsall
Opening Statement:
"Tough game this week against a really good football team in Iowa. As you watch Iowa on tape, they are a team that is very sound in what they do scheme-wise. They are very well coached. You can tell that Kirk's [Ferentz] has been there for 16 years. He's got things going the way he wants and their team plays hard and physical. They are very good fundamentally and from a technique standpoint. They have good players. We are looking forward to the opportunity Saturday.
“Abner Logan will be back. He had the opportunity to appeal his sanctions and he did that. He has been cleared by the university to play in the games. We don't know to what extent we will be using Abner, but like I said, he is cleared to play. We do have Daniel Ezeagwu ending up having some surgery here. He has a couple issues. He has a back issue and a meniscus issue. The meniscus will be getting taken care of next week. That's why you saw Josh Woods in the two-deep. As far as any other injuries are concerned, we will just continue to see how the week unfolds to see if we get anyone else back playing on Saturday."
On the team's progress during the bye week:
"Again, I thought the bye week came at a good time for us. We were able to get some rest for our guys and get some of those bumps and bruises taken care of. We were able to take a look at ourselves and our tendencies and see what we were doing and what people were seeing out of us. We were able to get out on the practice field and have the opportunity to get a jump-start on Iowa. I thought the bye week was productive for us in all those ways. Hopefully that will bear out on Saturday."
On having linebacker Abner Logan back in the linebacking corps:
"Abner is a really hard worker. He is a guy who likes to play the game, plays it with energy. He's done a lot of good things for us on special teams. It gives us another guy who has experience and who's played to be out there and have the opportunity to go out there and have some reps. It can allow us the opportunity to do some other things with him being back."
On offensive lineman Michael Dunn's progress throughout the season:
"I think Michael has been getting better each game he's played in. You can see him develop more confidence in each game he's played in and he's continued to get better. He's worked at it and he's a guy who wants to do well, and wants to play well. He wants to be good and work hard to be good. What he is doing each and every day is to get better at the little things of playing offensive line. You see how far he's come since he's been here, and it's not like he is complacent with where he is. All he wants to do is go out there each day and get a little better. That's what you see out of him. He gives you all the effort that he has and gives you everything he has. You just need to see how he's come along and also understand that he has the ability to get a whole lot better and I'm sure he will."
On quarterback C.J. Brown's performance throughout the season:
"I think C.J. has done a lot of good things, but like all the guys on our team they have to get better. I don't care at what level they play at, guys are never going to play great all the time. The thing you like about C.J. is he can help you move the team and do the things that we need to do. You take a look statistically; we've scored over 24 points in every game. We move the ball. Have we moved the ball as consistently as we would like to, no, but that's just not on the quarterback, there are other people involved. I don't think C.J.'s confidence is an issue at all. He knows when we sit down at the end of the game and watch the film, there are some mistakes, but you correct them and move forward to the next game. His confidence is good and I think what C.J. has to do, is make sure he goes out there and plays to his strengths and utilize all the abilities he has to help our team get better and win games, and move the ball. He would be the first to tell you he would like to be a little more consistent. I think all of us would like us to be more consistent football team and that's what we are working on every single day, and that's what we're striving for.”
On preparing the defense for talented offensive lines:
"You take a look at teams, and Iowa is very good. They have a good offensive line and are well coached. Kirk is an old line coach and his son is coaching the offensive line for him. They do a good job. You have to take a look at other teams and what they do and then you have to take a look at who you are as a team, and put them in the best possible situation. For us to be successful defensively, you have to play with good technique and play with good fundamentals. You have to keep your pad level down, use your hands and be sure you stay in your gaps and do the things you have to do to combat those things. I'm not going to get into specifics or anything along those lines, but the better opportunity to be successful will be determined by how well we will be able to do the little things."
On Iowa's two-quarterback system:
"Against Indiana they didn't play the quarterbacks that much together; Rudock and Beathard. Rudock's more of a thrower. I think they are both good quarterbacks and they obviously have packages for each one of them. The things that you do is rep things you see them do on film and have your guys take a look at it and try to base your calls on who's in there at quarterback."
On Maryland's run defense:
"Usually when you give up yards it's because people aren't executing, guys aren't fulfilling their responsibilities the way you need to. It might be a guy missing a gap here; it might be a guy missing a tackle there. It's a combination of everybody not doing the things that you need them to do. Those are the things that we've been working on, getting everybody to understand what their job is and getting them to continue to do their job. If you can get everybody doing their job and doing it to the best of their ability you have a lot more opportunities for success. Again, guys are working hard. Guys are really working hard. They want to be good, they want to do things the right way, and they don't like giving up the yards. But I think the one thing, other than the last game we played, we found a way to keep people out of the end zone. That's what we have to continue to do and we have to continue as a coaching staff to take a look at who we are and who we have and put together the best plan we can to take advantage of the skillset because we've had some guys out due to some injuries."
On the confidence level in defensive back Josh Woods:
"Our confidence level in Josh Woods is very high, he's the next guy up; that's just how it is. Injuries happen in this game. Josh came here to be a player and wants to be a player. He's been working very hard. If he's got to go into the ballgame and he's got to play, I'm very confident that he'll give us his best effort and he'll play well. I don't ever worry about who's out there playing for us. You play the cards that you're dealt. So whatever those cards are it's up to us as coaches to get the guys to play to the best of their ability, get them ready to play, and get them ready to go out there and compete and do everything that they can to help the team win."
On the performance of the offensive line:
"Our offensive line, I think that they're doing a good job. They're helping us score 24 points a game, helping us do the things that we're doing. Again, it's one of those things; those guys are working extremely hard, sometimes you get beat and a lot of times it's just because you're not using the right footwork and you're not using the right fundamentals. Our offensive line is getting better and they'll continue to get better. Those guys are playing hard and giving everything that they have out there."
On whether or not C.J. Brown feels a sense of urgency:
"No, I mean Caleb [Rowe] was behind him before. We have a philosophy here that we're going to play guys that we feel give us the best opportunity to win. Guys know that. Everybody makes too much of quarterbacks and everything else. Not everybody's going to have a great day. You guys don't have great days all of the time. Sometimes the quarterbacks don't, sometimes the offensive linemen don't, and sometimes the running backs don't. You name it. The good thing is, I'm glad we have competition because I think competition always gets guys going a little bit more. Just like you, if you've got someone breathing down your neck writing better stories you're going to be a little bit more motivated to go out there. My guys are no different than you guys. So, I hope we have all the competition and everybody's out there competing because that's what makes it great; everybody competing. Guys know that they have to go out there and perform on a daily basis, if not, you can be standing next to the coach."
On the bye week evaluation of the special teams unit:
"We were doing a really good job on special teams there for the first four games. We fell off a little bit, but I think that we have to do a better job of coaching the guys up who are going in there for the first time and playing on some special teams. That's one of the things that we have to do a better job at as coaches is to get those guys to understand that this is what you have to do when you're in there. We took some lumps there, but then those guys that went in there were all eager and ready. But again, it gets back to perfecting the techniques and perfecting the little things that you have to do there on special teams. We have a chance to go back to basics with some of those young kids that have never played on the field before but are playing for the first time on special teams. We really have to get some more work with them and show them some more film to let them know how they have to play and work on the techniques they have to have to be successful."
On the message for alumni on the state of the program:
"I think the thing is it sounds like it's going to be a pretty full house [on Saturday]. Somebody told me yesterday something like 45,000-46,000 tickets have already been sold. So again, we just have to create that atmosphere. I just think that our kids send a message. You watch the kids play, they go out there and give everything they've got each and every snap out there; you've got to get behind kids that do that. We've been thrilled with the fans that were here and are continuing to be here. We just need to create that atmosphere because it helps so much with our kids. It helps with recruiting. These guys had a good practice this morning and they're eager to get back out there. We're 4-2 right now, we've got everything still out there in front of us. We're just taking it one game at a time, Iowa's up. We are going to have to play well to get a win on homecoming."
On Iowa's offensive resurgence:
"They made a lot of big plays against Indiana. They hit a post over the top, they got a pick six; they did a lot of good things. They got a big run by one of their freshman (Jonathan Parker) so again they have some big play capabilities there. They'll hit you with all kinds of different looks; they hit you with 21 personnel, 12 personnel, 22, 11. Again, they're well coached, they know what they want to do and they're going to do it. What you have to do is you've got to stop them."
On the play of offensive lineman Evan Mulrooney:
"I want to answer this and be nice on how I answer this. If we felt that he would give us a better opportunity to win, we'd have him in there. We have our five best offensive linemen in there playing. That's who we're going to continue to play. Evan's working hard, but right now, he's a backup left guard."
Quarterback C.J. Brown
On becoming more consistent:
"I think that's the biggest thing for us, being smart, protecting the football, and making big plays for us. We had a bunch of big plays some game and then others we don't. Sometimes we move the ball down the field and keep the defense honest. It's just a roller coaster right now."
On the importance of having the run game:
"I think anytime you can get the run game going, it's going to put more pressure on the defense and open up the pass game. A lot of guys are sitting back in the pass game with our receivers and getting the five-man box to pound the ball. It will definitely be something we have an emphasis on and that falls on me, I have to be able to run the ball better too."
On playing against Big Ten defenses:
"I don't think there is that big of a difference. I wouldn't say that it is a whole other class or level. I think we played good defenses in the ACC and there are good defenses in the Big Ten. Can we compete? Absolutely. Can we fit in? Absolutely. I don't think there is this whole fall of the shelf difference."
On what he can improve on for the upcoming weeks:
"I just have to continue to not make mistakes or silly mental errors so that everyone is lined up and on the same page. I just have to make the throws when they are there and not forcing things and taking what the defense gives me and if it's not there, take off. I can't get away from using my legs and athleticism, because in the past, it's been pretty successful."
On how refreshing the bye week was:
"It was very refreshing. Especially to get away from the contact and just kind of rest your mind, even if it's for two or three days. It was very beneficially to the team and my self."
-Maryland-
