GopherLady
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2008
- Messages
- 9,448
- Reaction score
- 1,095
- Points
- 113
Kill/Claeys/Limegrover presser notes - Kill said Gophers played a "terrible" 1st half
Here are my notes, typed lived...so not verbatim (as always) for those of you who wanted to catch up on the press conference.
Jerry Kill:
• The big thing with us right is we got a huge win at CSU, we did it in a way that we haven't done it, coming back in a 2 minute drill, scoring and taking it to OT, now we build from that. Looking forward to getting back out there playing Kent State.
• We're physically beat up a little bit and the reason for that is because we played hard.
• Injuries - Jon Christenson will be out, he had knee surgery on Monday, we're hoping to get him back in 3-4 weeks. KJ Maye was spitting up blood, but he'll be able to do somethings as long as things progress with him. We have 2 more offensive linemen that won't practice today, so we're 3 starters down. We'll get Gentry back for the 1st time, but we're going to be careful with him. Lingen had a concussion during the game.
• We've got to play better in the 1st quarter, pure and simple
• On D - We played better last week with the 2 injuries than we did the week before. The communication system is difficult, they are playing really well right now. From a D-line standpoint, we're healthy. Steven Richardson played one of the best games I've ever seen a Defensive Tackle play.
• I think it helps anytime you get thrown in the fire, Richardson got that last year. He loves football. They told me he was going to be special. He played pretty good last year, but this year, he's not making the mental errors he did last year. He reminds me of Donaldson that plays for Pittsburgh.
• We talk about that a lot, it's better than it was last year, believe it or not. Statistical wise - Mitch hadn't had an INT in 153 passes, the longest streak in college football. What I was disappointed more than anything, he is our leader, and in the 1st half we didn't play very well, and he's the leader. He took us right down the field and we won the game. You judge QB's on wins and losses. He's the most comfortable when we're in no huddle right now. The plays are more limited and he doesn't have to think as much. With that being said, we can't do that all the time. Those are some things we need to look at. Going no huddle all this time, that's the reason we took the ball down and scored. I was excited to get out of there with a win, on the road, and the way we played down the stretch. Our kids play hard and they never give up, they fight their tail ends off…that was the most encouraging. Terrible 1st half. Not good at all. We had a halftime conversation, if we played in the 1st half like we did the 2nd, we'd have 550 yards and 2 more TD's. That's why I'm working long hours, and am in sweats, I've got to get it corrected. Rodney had a great game. You guys were here for Barber and Maroney and those guys, you just need to get a body on a body, and let those kids play.
• On Mitch - good thing he's out of state, because being an instate QB, he's taking a beating and he's not a pro player. He pulled down the screen, and the kids had tweets, he had 4-5 tweets that Mitch Leidner can't throw a ball, and they laughed at it. Demry - put a little weight on, he's slight, but he can throw the ball and run it. He's still learning, it's not easy to do, just go out there in play. Can't talk about it, but we have another good one coming.
Tracy Claeys:
• Jalen is still learning how to play. He continues to get better, but he's not playing at quite the level that they others are. He's better than before. He has just as high a ceiling as anyone.
• On Richardson - anytime you're strong and fast, you have a good chance to be a good FB player. That's one position that height is overrated.
• I think Coach Sawvel did a great job of getting those guys ready to go. 95% of the plays those kids played were good against a really good football team.
• We don't huddle on D - it's a matter of being ready when they change the tempo.
• Kent state bring a different running game. We haven't seen that yet this year. Keep the ball in front of us, they throw a lot of bubbles, and play action passes. Be good with our eyes, and don't let something get behind us.
• We came from that conference, and every kid in that conference has been told they aren't good enough to play in the Big 10. There are enough kids out there that can run, all of them want to prove that they should have had the opportunity to play, they play with a chip on their shoulder.
Matt Limegrover:
• Always a work in progress, depth is going to be tested. You do as much as you can early in the week. Try to get as many of them healthy, we'll be ok by the end of the week.
• On Jon Christenson - it's a shot to the gut, when he went out, you feel bad about any kid, but for a kid like that who just keeps fighting back, it's something you pull a little harder for. He came out of surgery, and he said knee scopes are different than other surgeries, he put a positive spin on it.
• Rodney Smith - one of the biggest things is, it isn't just with the ball in his hands. He's showing that he's very confident. He's starting to put the whole thing together. It's one of those things, he didn't grade out perfect this week, he had a few mistakes, but he was pretty critical of himself, and that's all you ask for in a kid like that.
• Wolitarsky - he played as a freshmen. When you want to get things done, you take your older kids and tell them what to do. He bounced around a lot, we started working him inside a lot more. He was able to work on that and have a comfort level there.
• We put a lot of time into the opening series/script. CSU played us completely differently from what they did the week before. There is kind of a settling in. It's about getting that adjusted quicker, and attack what they're doing to us slower. We'd love to go out and score an 80 yard TD the 1st play of the game, but it's hard to know exactly what they're going to do to you. We got a good feel in the 2nd half, and the key is doing that sooner. We want to play a complete game. The slow start is something that is top on our mind. The start of the game and 3rd downs is what we're emphasizing.
• Jeff Jones - we'll get updated on him pretty soon, they're doing some tests. Gentry - he can help turn a game around. Our staff resisted the temptation to bring him back early.
Here are my notes, typed lived...so not verbatim (as always) for those of you who wanted to catch up on the press conference.
Jerry Kill:
• The big thing with us right is we got a huge win at CSU, we did it in a way that we haven't done it, coming back in a 2 minute drill, scoring and taking it to OT, now we build from that. Looking forward to getting back out there playing Kent State.
• We're physically beat up a little bit and the reason for that is because we played hard.
• Injuries - Jon Christenson will be out, he had knee surgery on Monday, we're hoping to get him back in 3-4 weeks. KJ Maye was spitting up blood, but he'll be able to do somethings as long as things progress with him. We have 2 more offensive linemen that won't practice today, so we're 3 starters down. We'll get Gentry back for the 1st time, but we're going to be careful with him. Lingen had a concussion during the game.
• We've got to play better in the 1st quarter, pure and simple
• On D - We played better last week with the 2 injuries than we did the week before. The communication system is difficult, they are playing really well right now. From a D-line standpoint, we're healthy. Steven Richardson played one of the best games I've ever seen a Defensive Tackle play.
• I think it helps anytime you get thrown in the fire, Richardson got that last year. He loves football. They told me he was going to be special. He played pretty good last year, but this year, he's not making the mental errors he did last year. He reminds me of Donaldson that plays for Pittsburgh.
• We talk about that a lot, it's better than it was last year, believe it or not. Statistical wise - Mitch hadn't had an INT in 153 passes, the longest streak in college football. What I was disappointed more than anything, he is our leader, and in the 1st half we didn't play very well, and he's the leader. He took us right down the field and we won the game. You judge QB's on wins and losses. He's the most comfortable when we're in no huddle right now. The plays are more limited and he doesn't have to think as much. With that being said, we can't do that all the time. Those are some things we need to look at. Going no huddle all this time, that's the reason we took the ball down and scored. I was excited to get out of there with a win, on the road, and the way we played down the stretch. Our kids play hard and they never give up, they fight their tail ends off…that was the most encouraging. Terrible 1st half. Not good at all. We had a halftime conversation, if we played in the 1st half like we did the 2nd, we'd have 550 yards and 2 more TD's. That's why I'm working long hours, and am in sweats, I've got to get it corrected. Rodney had a great game. You guys were here for Barber and Maroney and those guys, you just need to get a body on a body, and let those kids play.
• On Mitch - good thing he's out of state, because being an instate QB, he's taking a beating and he's not a pro player. He pulled down the screen, and the kids had tweets, he had 4-5 tweets that Mitch Leidner can't throw a ball, and they laughed at it. Demry - put a little weight on, he's slight, but he can throw the ball and run it. He's still learning, it's not easy to do, just go out there in play. Can't talk about it, but we have another good one coming.
Tracy Claeys:
• Jalen is still learning how to play. He continues to get better, but he's not playing at quite the level that they others are. He's better than before. He has just as high a ceiling as anyone.
• On Richardson - anytime you're strong and fast, you have a good chance to be a good FB player. That's one position that height is overrated.
• I think Coach Sawvel did a great job of getting those guys ready to go. 95% of the plays those kids played were good against a really good football team.
• We don't huddle on D - it's a matter of being ready when they change the tempo.
• Kent state bring a different running game. We haven't seen that yet this year. Keep the ball in front of us, they throw a lot of bubbles, and play action passes. Be good with our eyes, and don't let something get behind us.
• We came from that conference, and every kid in that conference has been told they aren't good enough to play in the Big 10. There are enough kids out there that can run, all of them want to prove that they should have had the opportunity to play, they play with a chip on their shoulder.
Matt Limegrover:
• Always a work in progress, depth is going to be tested. You do as much as you can early in the week. Try to get as many of them healthy, we'll be ok by the end of the week.
• On Jon Christenson - it's a shot to the gut, when he went out, you feel bad about any kid, but for a kid like that who just keeps fighting back, it's something you pull a little harder for. He came out of surgery, and he said knee scopes are different than other surgeries, he put a positive spin on it.
• Rodney Smith - one of the biggest things is, it isn't just with the ball in his hands. He's showing that he's very confident. He's starting to put the whole thing together. It's one of those things, he didn't grade out perfect this week, he had a few mistakes, but he was pretty critical of himself, and that's all you ask for in a kid like that.
• Wolitarsky - he played as a freshmen. When you want to get things done, you take your older kids and tell them what to do. He bounced around a lot, we started working him inside a lot more. He was able to work on that and have a comfort level there.
• We put a lot of time into the opening series/script. CSU played us completely differently from what they did the week before. There is kind of a settling in. It's about getting that adjusted quicker, and attack what they're doing to us slower. We'd love to go out and score an 80 yard TD the 1st play of the game, but it's hard to know exactly what they're going to do to you. We got a good feel in the 2nd half, and the key is doing that sooner. We want to play a complete game. The slow start is something that is top on our mind. The start of the game and 3rd downs is what we're emphasizing.
• Jeff Jones - we'll get updated on him pretty soon, they're doing some tests. Gentry - he can help turn a game around. Our staff resisted the temptation to bring him back early.
