Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Week 10 vs. Michigan
11/9/2015 2:58:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana football (4-5, 0-5) will celebrate its Senior Day on Saturday against Michigan (7-2, 4-1) at Memorial Stadium.
IU's coaches and select players were made available to the media Monday to discuss No. 15 Michigan as the two teams prep for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
As usual, IUHoosiers.com was there to speak with the players and coaches leading into the new week. Here's five quotes and storylines to follow heading into the game.
Head coach Kevin Wilson on his seniors: "These guys have given a lot…I've tried to take the greedy part out of things. But I want these kids to experience success because I know the effort, energy, true energy they've given our program. It's been very impressive. Very proud of that group."
Indiana's seniors will be recognized during the pre-game as part of the annual Senior Day festivities. Among the seniors being celebrated are five fifth-year players who were a part of Wilson's first recruiting class in Bloomington and fourth-year seniors who were a part of Wilson's first full recruiting cycle.
Wilson has spoken publicly the last few weeks about the importance of winning games for this class in particular. These seniors, Wilson said, have believed in his vision since he arrived in Bloomington and deserve to end their careers with a winning season.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns on Michigan's defense: "They're going to bring a lot of challenges. Easily, arguably one of the best defenses in our league. They're stopping the run at a high level, not allowing a lot of points. They're stout up front, very strong. Backers are veteran. They're experienced. Their secondary is as aggressive. Quite honestly, in all phases they're going to be a challenge."
The Wolverines are surrendering a league-best 240 yards per game while giving up only 11.9 points per game. At the heart of their success has been a stout rush defense which has given up just 80.6 yards per game, but their pass defense isn't bad either. Michigan is also allowing just 159.4 yards per game through the air.
Defensive coordinator Brian Knorr on improving third-down defense: "It was the three third-and-9 plus that we didn't get that were keys to scores (for Iowa last week). Those are situations where we want to be able to finish off an opponent."
Indiana's third-down defense has been a root cause for headaches in recent weeks.
The Hoosiers have struggled to get opponents off the field on third down in back-to-back games. After allowing Michigan State to convert on 13-of-20 third-down attempts two games ago, Indiana allowed Iowa to pick up first downs on 7-of-14 third-down attempts.
IU's inability to get teams off the field hurts both the defense, which has to reset to kill a drive, and the offense, which is forced to stay on the sidelines. The Hoosiers will look to address the issue in practice this week as best they can in preparing for the Wolverines, who rank sixth in the conference on third-down conversions.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver on the team's mindset: "Our first four games, we didn't expect to lose. I think that's something we're trying to get back to. The close games we've had, because we had close games at the beginning of the year, I think that's the difference when it comes down to one or two plays."
One play can make a world of difference considering how tight Indiana's recent games have been.
The Hoosiers have had six games come down to one possession. All three of those games against Big Ten opponents have been losses. The three against non-conference opponents were wins.
Oliver said one of IU's keys this week is getting back to feeling like they're going to win every game. He said that belief factor could make the difference in wins and losses in the final three weeks.
Junior running back Jordan Howard: "When we play, we can play with anybody. We're going for seven wins now. We're trying to win the last three games. We just have to make the plays when they come to us and step up and not be afraid of the moment."
Players say moral is still high in the locker room despite a five-game losing streak. They say their season is far from over with goals of being a winning football team still obtainable.
Wilson will be one of the first to point out that there are no moral victories in football, but poor moral can quickly defeat a football team. The high energy around the football complex is a good sign for Indiana as it looks to return to .500 on the season this weekend against Michigan.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana football (4-5, 0-5) will celebrate its Senior Day on Saturday against Michigan (7-2, 4-1) at Memorial Stadium.
IU's coaches and select players were made available to the media Monday to discuss No. 15 Michigan as the two teams prep for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
As usual, IUHoosiers.com was there to speak with the players and coaches leading into the new week. Here's five quotes and storylines to follow heading into the game.
Head coach Kevin Wilson on his seniors: "These guys have given a lot…I've tried to take the greedy part out of things. But I want these kids to experience success because I know the effort, energy, true energy they've given our program. It's been very impressive. Very proud of that group."
Indiana's seniors will be recognized during the pre-game as part of the annual Senior Day festivities. Among the seniors being celebrated are five fifth-year players who were a part of Wilson's first recruiting class in Bloomington and fourth-year seniors who were a part of Wilson's first full recruiting cycle.
Wilson has spoken publicly the last few weeks about the importance of winning games for this class in particular. These seniors, Wilson said, have believed in his vision since he arrived in Bloomington and deserve to end their careers with a winning season.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns on Michigan's defense: "They're going to bring a lot of challenges. Easily, arguably one of the best defenses in our league. They're stopping the run at a high level, not allowing a lot of points. They're stout up front, very strong. Backers are veteran. They're experienced. Their secondary is as aggressive. Quite honestly, in all phases they're going to be a challenge."
The Wolverines are surrendering a league-best 240 yards per game while giving up only 11.9 points per game. At the heart of their success has been a stout rush defense which has given up just 80.6 yards per game, but their pass defense isn't bad either. Michigan is also allowing just 159.4 yards per game through the air.
Defensive coordinator Brian Knorr on improving third-down defense: "It was the three third-and-9 plus that we didn't get that were keys to scores (for Iowa last week). Those are situations where we want to be able to finish off an opponent."
Indiana's third-down defense has been a root cause for headaches in recent weeks.
The Hoosiers have struggled to get opponents off the field on third down in back-to-back games. After allowing Michigan State to convert on 13-of-20 third-down attempts two games ago, Indiana allowed Iowa to pick up first downs on 7-of-14 third-down attempts.
IU's inability to get teams off the field hurts both the defense, which has to reset to kill a drive, and the offense, which is forced to stay on the sidelines. The Hoosiers will look to address the issue in practice this week as best they can in preparing for the Wolverines, who rank sixth in the conference on third-down conversions.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver on the team's mindset: "Our first four games, we didn't expect to lose. I think that's something we're trying to get back to. The close games we've had, because we had close games at the beginning of the year, I think that's the difference when it comes down to one or two plays."
One play can make a world of difference considering how tight Indiana's recent games have been.
The Hoosiers have had six games come down to one possession. All three of those games against Big Ten opponents have been losses. The three against non-conference opponents were wins.
Oliver said one of IU's keys this week is getting back to feeling like they're going to win every game. He said that belief factor could make the difference in wins and losses in the final three weeks.
Junior running back Jordan Howard: "When we play, we can play with anybody. We're going for seven wins now. We're trying to win the last three games. We just have to make the plays when they come to us and step up and not be afraid of the moment."
Players say moral is still high in the locker room despite a five-game losing streak. They say their season is far from over with goals of being a winning football team still obtainable.
Wilson will be one of the first to point out that there are no moral victories in football, but poor moral can quickly defeat a football team. The high energy around the football complex is a good sign for Indiana as it looks to return to .500 on the season this weekend against Michigan.
Players Mentioned
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