TicketsHead Coach Luke Fickell
Opening Statement
"I will start first and foremost by saying thank you to our student body more than anything. I thought last week they did a phenomenal job. I know it wasn't our home game, which I still don't know how it wasn't our home game, but I thought they did an awesome job. They were there early. I didn't expect that, but I believed they may started a little faster than we did and I really appreciate that as well as the entire crowd. I thought it was really good. I think that if that had been our home game we would have maybe opened the upper deck and could have filled it, so it was awesome to see our fans, starting with our students. It was a rivalry game and that doesn't mean it's ever going to be easy. It was a hard fought game. We didn't play well to start obviously, we had some turnovers and some things like that, but all in all the objective is to win the football game and for the first time since 1915. we took the lead in the series 60-59-7 and we are happy, excited and proud of that. It is time to move on and we did that Sunday, probably around three or four o'clock, we evaluated it and now we are on to Indiana. This is going to be a great challenge for us. It is something that we have been looking forward to with getting them into our home stadium and we are excited for Nippert Stadium to be rocking. I think that we have seen, you have seen and know about it, that it is one of the tougher stadiums to play in college football and that is what I would expect on Saturday. We have a job to do, just like last week, our student body and our fans will do their job and I know I am excited about and our entire team is excited for that."
On how big last season's Indiana win was for momentum, compared to Miami (Ohio)
"It was big, but it was big in a lot of different ways. Every year you are going to go through adversity, and I have said that I thought it was probably the worst 28 minutes of football we played in a while. We did not play well. We didn't handle the atmosphere quite as well, maybe it was the heat or all the different things being on the road. We did not handle that well, but for us to find a way to kind of rally the troops, gather ourselves and win a big game on the road after that kind of the start was big. Not that we didn't believe in ourselves, and think we had a really good football team, but more than anything to be down the way we were and to face what it is that we were facing on the road. I thought that really helped define us kind of as a team because every year you are different. I think that was the point last year where we found out a lot more about all the other things we had around us. We knew what Desmond Ridder was going be like, we knew a lot about the other guys, but how are those guys really going to come together? I thought that in that second half in particular, the last minute and a half of the first half, I thought was really big for the growth of our season last year."
On if he is comfortable throwing the ball more
"We are comfortable with winning and scoring points. Every year you are going to be a little different and that still doesn't get away from who we think we are and who we want to be. For us to be able to establish and find the guys that are going to carry the running game I think more than anything is where we still got to grow. We are not going to get away with being a Top-15, Top-10 team in the country throwing the football. I mean, the reality is the teams that are a top-two or top-three in the country in those stats aren't always the best, just like the top-two or top-three teams running the football aren't always the best because there needs to be a balance. For us to continue to grow, we know we have got to be able to throw the football, but we have to make sure that we have enough balance. I am not saying we didn't, obviously Charles (McClelland) rushed for over 100 yards and I thought that was really good for a team (Miami (Ohio)) that basically, in the past, said they are not going to allow you to run the football. I think Kentucky rushed for 40 or so rushing yards and they have done a really good job, but I know for us to continue to develop we have to create and make sure that we are balanced in what we are doing and that is establishing an ability to run the football."
On explosive plays and balance of the offense
"That's been the difference in the rivalry game. We were plus 11 in the explosive plays last week. Obviously, we didn't win the turnover margin, which is where we have not done as good a job in that game in particular. The analytics people in the world would say that turnovers aren't as big a deal, it comes down to the explosives, but I know that I don't agree with them. At times, there are things that can balance things out, you have to be able to find ways to create explosive plays, just like defensively you got to find ways to eliminate explosive and create havoc. That is where we have done a good job every week. We have done a really good job and found ways to create explosive plays. Whether that's throwing the football, whether that's getting the ball into space, or getting the ball and popping one. It really comes down to the space stuff. I say it all the time to Ben (Bryant), lets gets up to the second level and let's have the skill guy get the ball out there and in all that space and make guys have to tackle him. We have done a really good job of that and I think that was the difference in last week's game"
On different opponents each week and difficulty in preparation
"You don't prepare any differently, obviously the unique one was the triple option stuff. Sometimes it takes a week or so to get back into the swing of things. We used to do a study that after playing a triple option team, a lot of teams had not fared well the following week. I don't know if that study still holds up, that was four or five years ago. I do know that there are some things that make it a little bit more difficult for you with the development as a defense. I think that each week there are going to be different things. We didn't tackle well at the very end of the season last year, but as you look back at it, you would say okay, well you are tackling different people as well. I think we knew going into this season that we were going to be a little bit front-loaded with the schedule. We needed it. We knew we needed to do some things in fall camp to prepare ourselves. I don't know that we did a great job of that in week one, but I think we have done a much better job as we continue to move forward. I think from here on out, we are going to see more and more skilled players and our league is full of skill as well. Teams are going to spread it out, get the ball in space, and you have got to do a really good job of having the ability to tackle and leverage things, especially defensively."
On the magnitude of Indiana, a Big Ten Opponent, coming to Nippert Stadium
"I don't think our guys look at it as proving anything. I do know that they grew up in this region, 81 percent of our guys, so anytime you can play another team that is within our region, it is a great opportunity. Think about our league, we don't get a whole lot of opportunities to play the teams that maybe some of our guys grew up watching. Not saying that they were diehard to go to Indiana, but I think that does mean something anytime a team comes to Cincinnati, especially if they are undefeated. I think it's a big deal. I don't think they look at it differently. I think from not just because of what we did last year, but in general, what we pride ourselves on, but that doesn't sell it short of saying "Hey, this is a 3-0 football team.". You don't get a whole lot of [Power 5 Opponents] to come into your stadium and so, yes, it's a big deal for us. I am sure it will be a big deal for them because obviously, last year in their house, it didn't go the way they wanted it to. In some ways, I think if I was them I would have this one circled. The ability to go on the road and redeem what we did to them last year. So, the key is that we understand that the key is that we prepare for that. I think more than anything, our players just love being at home and having the ability to play in front of a wild crowd."
On the players that stepped up to replace Malik Vann
"They did a good job, and we knew we were going to have to play a lot of guys. It is hard, it is difficult. I mean, not just feel bad for our team, I feel bad for Malik (Vann). It is a really difficult situation to come back for another year and prepare well and to have something like that happen and it's not something you could avoid. There's no "If I would have done something different", it's just one of those things that you got no explanation for. It is a tough situation, but it's a part of the game. That is why we've been harping and hammering on those guys. I call them younger guys, but it is guys that maybe haven't played as much ball that are going to be a big part of this. Obviously, Eric (Phillips), Justin Wodtly and Noah Potter are the guys that went from playing 40 snaps a game or 35 snaps a game to playing 50 snaps. We are going to have to be able to use those guys in some different ways and be able to move them around a little bit more. Now for us we got to find who is that seventh and eighth guy, and that's where Ryan Mullaney has also fallen into and he has been able to help us a lot."
On how Indiana plays and how to gameplan against them
"There's not a giant sample size to because you are looking around and obviously with what Walt Bell the offensive coordinator had done in other places, or whether you look at what they did at UMass, and it just got three games looking at him. There's a lot of things that you are still trying to speculate, but you know that they are going to spread the ball around. If you remember playing the UCF's of the world, I think that is very similar to what it is that they are doing and the unique thing about UCF was that if you didn't pay attention to run, that's where they were most dangerous. Everybody talks about the shots down the field and the space, but their ability to have balance is what made them so good. That's a little bit of the vision of what I see from Indiana. Sometimes they notice the splits and things like that, but their ability to still be able to run the football is where they create the difficult situations. When they really have a balance to what they are doing."
On the challenge the secondary faces against Indiana
"The good thing is we have got some pretty good slot receivers that we've gone against every day and that's where Tre Tucker and the guys that we face on a regular basis really help prepare us for when we get opportunities like this. Our nickels and defensive backs have been challenged a lot, but they (Indiana) do create some more space with some of those splits and things like that. There's always different things and you got to be aware of it, but that's why I kind of said before that I think those nickels will have a little greater challenge on their hands not just because of (D.J.) Matthews but also because of how they use the space that they create. That's a great challenge for us."
Redshirt Senior Tight End Josh Whyle
On the offenses being able to split out wide and move around the field
"It speaks to how dynamic our offense is and can be. With everybody at running back, we have good depth, and the game Tre (Tucker) and Tyler (Scott) had, it just goes to show how dangerous we can be on offense."
On what this game meant to the team
"It allowed us to see what kind of team we are and it sets the standard for this year. It showed us what we can do and what we can achieve, and that's our goal. That's what we are going to go out to do this Saturday."
On what he will you pull from last year's slow start to the game to help with this years
"This past week I thought we got off to a little rocky start. As an offense, you have to start fast and stay fast. I think we got to limit turnovers and penalties. I think that's going to be a key factor to this game. At the end of the day, they're all x's on the board and we just got to be us, it's, it really comes down to that."
On the difference with this year's teams calmer demeanor than last year's team
"Most definitely. That's one thing you kind of think about going into the season. We have young guys on our team, but it was almost surprising to me and kind of a relief that they are very mature. I think that comes from the guys that have led this program in the past like Coby (Bryant) and Sauce (Ahmad Gardner). They set a standard and that is something that all young guys have looked up to."
On how big the Indiana game is this year
"To me, I don't really feel the pressure. Coach (Luke) Fickell always says focus on us and don't worry about outside noise or anybody that comes in here. This is our house. No matter who comes in here, we got to protect it. It's plain and simple, and that all that I got on my mind."
Junior Defensive Lineman Jowon Briggs
On running the three man front and the pressure that it has with those three versus the quarterback
"That does a lot of things for us. It allows us as defensive lineman to be able to dominate and rely on our back end a little bit more. With three defensive lineman, there is an extra skill guy back there and it helps us to be able to succeed doing what allows us to play a little more fluent."
On Malik Vann being absent and how the defensive line moving forward
"One of the main things that Coach (Luke Fickell) makes sure that we are doing, and its starts with the seniors, is just making sure everyone in the room is ready no matter what. We have been making sure that we got guys that are ready to go in when needed; players like Eric Phillips, Noah Potter, and Ryan Mullaney all those guys have been playing extraordinary well. I think that is a testament to not only how the standard that Malik (Vann) set by performing and training the way he does but also the standard that the coaches set for all the defensive lineman, to be able to go in a game when their name gets called."
On what it is like as a defensive lineman to watch Ivan Pace, Jr make such an impact on this team
"That is probably one of the freakiest guys that I have seen on the field, he is just so fluid out there. I am grateful to have that guy playing behind me with (Wilson) Huber. I think he is awesome."
On how quickly he knew Ivan Pace, Jr. was going to make a big impact
"Our first practice. I remember as soon as he came here, we were running around and playing around mind you, we weren't even there in teams and we were tossing the ball around, I saw him run and just out of nowhere, he ran and caught the ball right in front of my face. I was like "Where did this dude come from?". I mean that's just him, that's just Ivan (Pace, Jr.)."
On how he mentally prepares for a team that is coming back for vengeance
"On of the main things that I would say is important from a defensive line standpoint is no matter what, you are going to be coming in somebody every play. I try to treat that as coming off the ball with the same mentality every time and let everything else take care of itself. Of course, with a great Indiana team coming in, got a lot of downhill runners, obviously coming back for vengeance and off a 3-0 start they are coming in with a chip on their shoulders. So, it is important for us to start fast, play aggressive, and just have a good showing out there."
On Indiana being down to their third-string center
"In my head, that guy earned his spot. He is a scholarship player in the Big Ten, so you never know. He might be the best center they got, so I am going to get after him the same way I would get after a first string or whoever would be out there. I say it is more so of a mindset, coming to play a team more than going to play an actual person."