It's an old adage. You think about players – not plays. You think about players. You think about a guy who can make a play that you need at that point. Blake Powers, James Hardy. We got good protection. Players make plays. |
It's encouraging for the coaches, because we made adjustments and the guys just keep executing. |
It's not anything you can check out of the equipment room and give the guys. You can wish for it, (but) they have to gain that confidence themselves. |
James was truly an unknown quantity, ... He was really, physically drained in the spring and he got dinged in the fall. We brought him along slowly, but he has a great future. He's a natural receiver. |
James was truly an unknown quantity. He was really, physically drained in the spring and he got dinged in the fall. We brought him along slowly, but he has a great future. He's a natural receiver. |
Many people will say, Division I-AA, gosh, why did Indiana struggle? But this is really a good football team. They played very well. Their defense gave us problems, and obviously they ran the ball way too much. |
One of the best aspects of earning a degree from a great school like Indiana University is Saturday afternoons in Memorial Stadium with your friends. We are going to win games because the students are there cheering us on. We will deliver on the field, and we need for students to deliver in the stands so that we can come up, sing the fight song and celebrate after games. |
Payton is a guy with great potential. He'll challenge for a spot. He'll give us that quality depth, at least. |
Some of the patterns he runs you kind of marvel at because he really appears to be a natural at the position and I haven't seen too many of those, especially as a young guy in college. It's a pretty mental position. |
Some of those throws were great. Just because the guys were a little bit open you've still got to make that throw and that catch, and I thought we did that several times today. |
Talk about a stamp of approval on that move to switch him to linebacker. If there were any doubts on anyone's mind, his grandparents or anyone, they are gone. He can play middle linebacker. |
That was a pretty athletic move. I don't know if a lot of quarterbacks make that play. |
That's how much ahead you have to work. |
The best compliment I can give Blake is just to say that if I hadn't inherited him as the quarterback, he would have been a kid I would have recruited. I think he has all the tools to be very successful in our system. |
The prognosis for recovery is great … . I feel badly that I have not had the chance to talk to the players, but I want them to know that this is going to be a special year for us. |