Following Tuesday’s press conference, GopherHole.com’s Luke Gildemeister had a few minutes to chat with redshirt junior defensive lineman Scott Ekpe. Here is what he had to say:
Q: How does the previous solid defensive play give your team confidence going into the last two non-conference games?
A: “We prepared the moment the [2014] Citrus Bowl ended. The defense has been on their game. We’ve been teaching the freshmen the playbook, so we’ve prepared for this. The last two games have been good, but obviously they could be better. We just need to progress each and every week.”
Q: The Colorado State running game was successful during the first quarter. What changed to cause you guys [the defensive line] to become more successful?
A: “That early score that they had, it really hurts everybody, you know, but as a defense we’ve progressed to where it’s not about picking at each other, saying ‘it’s your fault’ or ‘it’s his fault’ it’s all about gathering together, making sure you do your job, and everybody else does their job, and that’s what I feel that we did.”
Q: Have you guys watched a lot of film yet on Kent State and Ohio?
A: “We start [watching film] today [Tuesday]. But usually some of us watch film on our own. I’ll watch film on my own. The running game, their [Kent State] good. You can never take a team lightly. Prepare like you prepared the last two games as a defense. Take nothing for granted.”
Q: How does your preparation differ going into a non-conference game compared to a huge Big Ten game? How do you make sure you guys aren’t getting too cocky?
A: “Every game you have to prepare as hard as you can, no matter who the team is. You never want to take a team lightly, you never want to take anything for granted because you never know what can happen. You know, [on] Saturday Coach Kill says the team that prepares the most, prepares the best, wins the game so that’s what we try to do every single week, just prepare as much as we can.”