Oct. 20, 2008

Coach Wannstedt Press Conference

Oct. 20, 2008

Rutgers Week

 

On the win over Navy:

“It was pretty much what we talked about after the game and looking at the film. It was a good solid team effort and win. I thought our guys continued to be fresh and very coachable from a standpoint of playing as a team. They (Navy) scored real quick and tied it up but we bounced back and then we threw an interception but we scored twice before the half so we bounced back from that in adverse situations. I liked how our guys responded. There were points during the game that were turning points that forced our guys to again stay focused and not lose their composure and press on forward.”

 

On Rutgers:

“Rutgers may be the best two-win team in the country. If you watch them on tape, their running back Kordell Young has gotten better week after week. I think he’s probably as healthy as he’s been all year. He sure looked that way last week. He had some very nice runs against Connecticut on Saturday. With them winning the game, I think it was a very big momentum boost for them, I’m sure. Defensively, I think personally they’re playing as good as any defense I’ve had a chance to watch. Obviously we have South Florida, Connecticut, Cincinnati – so we’ve got some real good defenses in our conference and I think Rutgers is playing as good as any of them. They do a lot of movement, they pressure you a lot. They force the issue – as I would categorize their defense. We have our work cut out for us this week. We’ve got a good week of preparation. We have to stay focused and come up with some good plans on offense, defense and special teams. We’ll approach this one with the same intensity and focus that we’ve done the last three or four games.”

 

On the last three games versus Rutgers:

“I think the first year they beat us handily up there and it was because of turnovers. We gave up a punt return for a touchdown and fumbled a kickoff so we were never really in the game. The last two times have been close. The last time we played them here it was a three-point game in the fourth quarter and they break a long run on us. Up there last year I thought we played real well on defense and we had an opportunity and just didn’t finish it. I think it’s more of a matter of focusing on ourselves and making sure that every opportunity we get, that we play smart football and don’t give them anything cheap, whether it is offense, defense or special teams. We have to continue to get better and we have a lot of room to do so in all three phases.”

 

On containing Rutgers’ pressure on the quarterback:

“I think when a team pressures you, they play a lot of man coverage. It’s really a group effort. Yes, the quarterback has to make the throws and the decisions but we have to block first. The receivers have to get open. We’re going to have guys up in our face and they’re going to be running with us so we’ve got to do a good job of running routes and getting open. I think as a total offense, we’ll be challenged much more so than we’ve been all year.”

 

On Bill Stull’s improvement in handling the pressure:

“Every week he’s been avoiding the rush. For the most part he’s been making good decisions as far as getting rid of the ball or not forcing one in there and maybe taking a sack. That (a sack) might be a good thing.”

 

On the offensive line’s production:

“They seem to be playing better and better each week. Last week was a different challenge because Navy was a 3-4 team and now Rutgers is a 4-3 scheme. Last week was a good challenge for our guys mentally as much as physically because Navy did a lot of moving around and I thought our guys handled it really well. I think communication is important. We’d like to think we’re getting a little better physically but I think the most important thing for our offensive line is that communication with each other and I really believe we’re taking some steps forward with that.”

 

On the reserve players who played against Navy:

“They did a good job. I think that just getting that whole second group in there helped. Myles Caragein had an opportunity to play quite a bit. Lucas Nix played most of the fourth quarter. Jonathan Baldwin played quite a bit so we got a lot of the young kids in there – straight across the board – and that was good. Shariff Harris got a couple of carries. Henry Hynoski got in as well. Everyone got a little taste of playing and it’s good to be able to do that when you’re winning the game.”

 

On the updated status of Mick Williams and Tommie Duhart:

“Mick practiced yesterday and Tommie’s not bad. He twisted his ankle a little bit. I’m going to be optimistic and say he’ll be back this week. We’ll just take it day to day.”

 

On the play of Gus Mustakas against Navy:

“That was his (Gus) first real complete ball game since his injury last year. He played start to finish and came out of the game feeling good health-wise. So I’m hopeful that it’s a good step forward for Gus physically as well as psychologically.”

 

On Pat Bostick as the primary reserve at quarterback:

“Well, the way our season’s been to this point, we haven’t really had an opportunity for any other quarterback to play. The discussion was, and is, that we’re trying to do everything we can to give our team the best chance to win this year. I think if Pat’s going to be the backup quarterback and if Bill got hurt on the first snap, then we’d expect Pat to go in. He’s got to have some playing time. We haven’t had him take any snaps in a live game since last year so that was the thinking behind putting him late against Navy. It wasn’t the redshirt thing or anything else. The decision to name him the back-up was based solely on what gives our team the best chance to win. He won’t necessarily see action every game. We’ll see how every game unfolds. He felt good about getting in there. In practice, he takes the back-up reps and he’s prepared to play so nothing’s really going to change with his status.”

 

On the significance of the team being ranked in the BCS standings:

“I would probably respond the same I did last week. They don’t hand any trophies out in October and we know that. Nobody gets bowl bids in October so we’re just business as usual. We’ll move on to the next week. It’s nice for the university but I think all of our guys know that it has no bearing on what happens on the field on Saturdays.”

 

On the team’s improved focus:

“We have intelligent people who should learn from mistakes and learn good things as well. I like our leadership under guys like C.J. Davis, Scott McKillop and some other seniors. The mentality of our team is pretty grounded.”

 

On C.J. Davis’ improvement:

“CJ has had a very good year. He’s playing extremely well. When we were debating on who to name as offensive player of the game against Navy, Tony Wise commented that C.J. not only played the best amongst the guys up front but he also practices the best, day in and day out. That emphasizes the point that he’s doing the little things on a daily basis to make himself a better player.”

 

On the offensive line’s impact on the run game:

“It impacts a lot. When we’re running some of our plays – off-tackle plays, power plays – a lot of our running backs key which way to cut based on the blocks of the guards. The guard can make some things happen and they have a lot to do with the success.”

 

On LeSean McCoy’s overall athletic ability:

“I think we all knew that he had a lot of talent. The interesting thing about LeSean, and I said this after the game, I told him the best reason he had such a good day was because of how hard he worked during the bye week in practice. His attitude has been contagious, his attitude has been very enthusiastic and I think sincere with the motive of ‘How can I get better?’ Yes, he’s got talent but in addition to that talent he’s prepared himself to be successful.”

 

On Bill Stull throwing blocks on running plays:

“I think that’s one thing that everyone knows about Billy. He’s not a prima donna

 quarterback who separates himself from the team or thinks that way. He’s one of the guys and everyone knows that. I think everyone appreciates that. They rally behind him.”

 

On Rutgers defense and similarities to Pitt:

“They’re probably a little more aggressive right now. By that I mean pressure stuff. A little bit more man coverage than what we are. They’re four-down lineman and you kind of adjust every year depending on your talent and experience. As far as running plays and what they do on special teams, there’s a lot of carry-over from a philosophy standpoint.”

 

On Rutgers’ defense keeping the team competitive:

“There’s no question that they had a chance – dating all the way back to their Navy game all the way through – to win the game. They did a great job last week with their kicking game and field position. Then their defense comes up with a safety and kept them pinned down in there. So yes, their defense is playing a lot better. I think after the first couple of weeks, they settled in to a couple of things.”

 

On the style of game on Saturday:

“It will be a physical game. No question we’ll see a physical team. Their running game is off-tackle power. They’ll also run the play action. We’ll see very similar philosophies on offense and defense as far as where both teams are coming from.”

 

On Rutgers’ experience:

“I think with their experience, it’s surprising that they only have two wins. It’s also what makes it such a dangerous and important game. Their receivers Britt and Underwood are as talented as we’ll see all year long. We’re talking about both of those guys playing on Sunday at the next level. Then of course you have a fifth-year quarterback in Mike Teel so they’ve got guys that have been around and have worked together and practiced together. They’re a very dangerous team and why they’ve struggled so much; I think you have to look at each game individually.”

 

On being a dangerous running and passing team:

“I think we’re close. We have room to improve – a lot of room to improve. I still think we’re leaving some plays on the field and the better that we run the ball, the more opportunities we’re going to have to pass the ball. One really complements the other. Every game really takes on a life of its own so to speak. What I mean by that is the offense is different from what we saw last week, the personnel is different, the defense is different, the philosophy is different – pressure and non-pressure. We learn from the last week but now this is what we’ve got to deal with. We’ve got to find a way to be the best team for three-and-a-half hours on Saturday.”