Oct. 26, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema met with the media Monday during the Wisconsin Athletics' Weekly Press Conference. Bielema spoke about what the team did during the bye week and previews Saturday's game against Purdue.
A full transcript can be found below and you can also watch the archived Web cast on InsideBadgerSports.com.
Bret Bielema: Thank you, Brian. Excited to get going. You know, to have the bye week last week probably came at a very good time for us, as far as, you know, coming back off of two back-to-back losses. Having an opportunity to kind of regroup ourselves and to get healthy, first and foremost, a couple guys. And other than Mike Taylor, as you know, because of his knee injury will miss him for the rest of the year, but everybody should be back involved in Saturday’s ballgame with everybody practicing this week.
Took last week, an opportunity to work with our younger players and developmental guys, and then especially with our twos, guys that have been backups through the first seven ballgames and possibly could be called into action here in the next four to five games, and have an opportunity to work with them and kind of practice those guys as the starters during the course of the week to put some pressure on them.
I know our guys are hungry and excited, and it’s good to be back in Camp Randall, and it’s good to have an 11 a.m. kickoff. With that, I’ll open it up for questions.
QUESTION #1: Bret, you’ve defended a Purdue offense that has been strictly pass, but what’s different about this guy, with that new coordinator . . .
BIELEMA: You know what, Jeff, and both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively, they’re totally different. They’re running spread, but everybody’s spread is different. I think as you’ve seen Purdue evolve through these games, they’ve really settled in on their strengths. Their quarterback is probably playing as well as anybody. I believe he’s their second leading rusher. What he’s really done a good job of is taking advantage of pass rush lanes. People get overly concerned about getting up field and getting after the passer, and they open up gaps, and he’s really done a good job of scrambling with the football. In addition to not only running through those holes, he does a good job of finding windows to get rid of the football.
Every game has been a little bit different. I was traveling on Saturday back from recruiting, so I didn’t get a chance to watch the game. So on Sunday, when I had an opportunity to watch the film, they did some of the stuff they did versus Ohio State, but yet Illinois was having difficulty stopping the run, so they relied heavily on the run game, something they really hadn’t featured in all the games up to that point. So I think Purdue does a good job of taking what they can get. But it is unlike any other spread of the past.
QUESTION #2: What do you think those two wins did for Purdue’s confidence? Do you see a difference on tape from the team you saw early in the season?
BIELEMA: The two wins? Yeah. I remember we crossed over, I guess, when we were playing somebody, I don’t know who it would have been, I had an opportunity to watch them on film a little bit or watch the game, and, you know, they were very close to winning not only the Northern Illinois game, but the Notre Dame game. So they had been right on the verge, and you can see as they began to realize they could win that Ohio State game, just the difference that they played in. And then to go to the Illinois game and have it carry forward, you know, you could definitely see them.
I kind of always gauge a defense by how they play PAT/field goal defense. And Illinois was lined up to kick a field goal, and they missed the field goal, and just the way that defense reacted, not only to the effort during the play, but afterwards, you could see the excitement that those guys are playing with because they knew they had an opportunity to win their second game in a row. And as everybody knows, you know, when you win ballgames, things don’t hurt as much, you know, your attitude is that much better, and it’s easier to rebound and get ready for that next opponent.
QUESTION #3: You guys have talked the last couple games about needing to do a better job protecting Scott (Tolzien), and you go up against a line this week that’s pretty active, including that defensive end, (Ryan) Kerrigan, No. 94. Just what has made him so effective, in particular in that Ohio State game, where he just, it seems like he took over against . . .
BIELEMA: He did. He kind of reminds me of OB (O’Brien Schofield). I mean, you talk about two defensive ends that no one really probably knew their name before the season started, other than their respective programs, and you definitely got to know where he’s lined up. Their defensive line has been gaining confidence with every game, and again, because of what they did in Ohio State, you could see it in the Illinois game. Very good vertical rusher, does a good job of getting off, a lot of this, again, not only just by possession, but what he’s done to this point, first step, reaction, how he uses his hands, how he leans and understands how to make big plays, very similar to what OB has been able to do.
QUESTION #4: You talked before the season about kind of learning the lessons from last year. What did you learn from kind of the way the losing streak seemed to snowball last year that you can use this year to kind of prevent that?
BIELEMA: Well, two totally different situations as far as, you know, chemistry, makeup, attitude, leadership. You know, I know we lost, what was it, 31-13 to Ohio State. That last touchdown, you know, we got in a situation where we gave the ball away. And Iowa was a contest, and definitely didn’t close out the fourth quarter the way we wanted. But I felt last year at some points there was times where the guys just let go on the field, and I definitely haven’t seen that at all from these guys, and don’t intend to. And just the way they practiced last week, I know they’re eager and chomping at the bit to go back out there and play.
QUESTION #5: I know it was only a couple of weeks ago, but does it seem like it was a long time ago when you were running around with the axe at Minnesota and kind of had all that momentum and what do you do to recapture those feelings, that emotion?
BIELEMA: You know, that seems like a long time ago, and I guess it was, almost a month ago. But you know, our guys, I really felt that there was a lot of pain on Sunday when they came in, and a lot of same thing on Tuesday, but when they got out there and practiced, we were really short in meetings on Tuesday and got back out there. Wednesday, we didn’t have any meeting time because we wanted to just get out there and practice. Coaches went on the road that evening to watch high school here in the state of Wisconsin. Just the tempo that they played with and practiced with, it’s just about the opportunity in front of us.
You know, we’re a 5-2 football team. It probably did good for all of us to get away from it a little bit on Thursday and Friday. You know, as I traveled in recruiting two different days, every school I went into and all the places that I was, people would come up to me and in an airport or whatever and, Coach, congratulations on the start of the year. It takes you back because you’re so disappointed in the back-to-back losses that you forget that you’re a 5-2 team.
I pointed out to our guys that, you know, I believe there’s seven teams in the top 25 that have two or three losses, one of them having three that is ranked, that I feel that we would be able to hold ground with and move. We’ve lost to two teams that are combined, I believe, 14-2. Iowa is a good team. Ohio State is a good team. Saw with the NCAA rankings that we have the 11th toughest schedule currently in college football for this year.
So we’ve done some teams that same team that went punch to punch with Iowa there on Saturday night as we’re sitting there watching it, we realized what we did to that team not too long ago. So they just got to get it in their minds, and sometimes it’s good to be away from people that want to talk about the two losses rather than what you’ve done over a cumulative season.
QUESTION #6: When Taylor went down, you, obviously, we asked you a lot about Chris Borland. But I’m just curious if Blake Sorensen is ready for the increased role, because he’s going to be probably at a couple positions . . .
BIELEMA: Blake’s been kind of one of the unsung heroes, you know. He has maybe statistically hasn’t popped up, but he’s been there. He’s been really the backup for all three linebacker positions since fall camp, and a guy that came in with the hopes of being a starting linebacker, and still might be on Saturday, depending on how he practices this week. So he’s also been doing good things for us on special teams. So Blake does have that chance, but he also has the ability to play, he’s unlike any of the other guys. Like Culmer (St. Jean) only can play in the middle. Mike (Taylor) and Chris (Borland) probably can only play on the outsides. Jaevery (McFadden) is best suited for the outside. Blake kind of plays all three and knows them very, very well.
QUESTION #7: Fans get excited when there’s a game on Halloween. Do players have to be reminded about focus of a game on Halloween though?
BIELEMA: I’m sure they know it’s Halloween, but there will be more of a talk of Halloween as, you know, as Saturday approaches. I think our guys, just the way this group is, they’re going to focus in on Saturday and be ready roll out there. And any time we play a game in Camp Randall it’s special, no matter if it’s homecoming, Halloween, night game, day game, it doesn’t matter. Our guys, I think, kind of just take the task at hand.
QUESTION #8: Bret, you guys have talked about finishing, for a couple of years, a lot. Has that almost elevated in importance now, given where you are this season?
BIELEMA: Well, you know, we kind of made a discussion of this during our staff meeting right after the game against Iowa, is, you know, to focus on the task at hand is to, what we’ve been able to do well is work through our schedule and do what we need to do, which means Purdue needs to be our focus. But in reality of it, there’s a four game Big Ten schedule, and in the bigger picture is going to have a huge effect on us as a team. So what we did is I talked a little bit briefly about what’s in front of you with the four game Big Ten schedule, but there’s nothing more important than Purdue and the preparation for them. Because we had a bye week, we got a little bit of a jump, which allows us to have an opportunity more so than we do during the regular course of the week.
QUESTION #9: Was last year disappointing in that regard? As much as you talk about it, as much as you make . . .
BIELEMA: You know what, we’re in 2009. I’ve talked enough about 2008. And I understand where you’re coming from, but, you know, if you want to keep going back, 2008 was disappointing. This is 2009. I’m excited about this ball club, just like I was in week one.
QUESTION #10: Just a quick follow up on Blake. You said that if he practices, depending on how he practices, he could start, is that middle or on the outside?
BIELEMA: Probably on the outside. Yeah, you know, Chris has got a lot on his plate and has been really productive for us in the way he’s been able to come in, especially on third down and in the sub packages. So we kind of had to weigh and measure is he better off, you know, playing as an every down starter or a guy that can continue to fill that role for us and be productive. Because sometimes when freshmen, you know, just can’t handle the big picture as you want. As much as I’d love for him to be, you know, the seventh game of his sophomore year and still his first year of playing.
QUESTION #11: Bret, you talked about giving the twos and threes extra reps during the bye week. Did you see some of them pushing the starters for additional time? And I’m sure that’s what you were hoping for.
BIELEMA: Yeah. But developmental, obviously the guys that aren’t playing, but, you know, one of the major goals we wanted to accomplish last week was get a guy like Kraig Appleton, Montee Ball, Curt Phillips, you know, at the offensive line position, couple of those guys. Defensively, David Gilbert, Brendan Kelly, Louis Nzegwu, you know, Kevin Claxton at the safety position. Guys like that, you know, they’ve been right there on the verge.
And one of the keys for us, I think, this year defensive line-wise is, we went ahead and played our twos, even though maybe we didn’t feel that they were right up to that level, but get them 10 to 15 snaps, and I think that applies to all positions. If we can get some of our ones a relief so that they can get maybe, you know, 10 or 15 less plays and play that much better or that much harder, it might benefit all of us. So there were guys that I thought really took a step forward, those guys I mentioned being the ones that jumped out.
QUESTION #12: Scott Tolzien struggled the last couple weeks, obviously not all on him, but have you guys done anything different, maybe the last week or so, try to get him back on track?
BIELEMA: You know, and it’s, I guess the point that we tried to take as coaches was if anybody had dropped in the last two weeks, I don’t care what phase of the game it was, the quarterback is obviously the point of attention, but look at why they struggled. You know, obviously, Scott threw interceptions. Well, was it because he didn’t read the right route? Is it because we didn’t give him the right option? Is it because he didn’t see the things he needed to see in his progression? Be very critical of what happened and why it happened. You know, as coaches, if we can change that or make it better, that’s what we need to do.
So you know, it’s been interesting just, I love reading the opponent we’re going to play, and one thing that Purdue has done differently in the last two weeks is change their turnover margin huge. Much the same to us, we had been very, very good in the turnover margin. Defensively we’ve still been able to get them, but we’ve given up more than we had in the previous five games the last two. So bottom line, ball security is going to be a huge factor in the success of this game.
QUESTION #13: How does Purdue use No. 24, (Jason) Werner, their linebacker? Do they line him up as end? I know he’s a strong-side linebacker. And also, Ralph Bolden, their running back who is really explosive?
BIELEMA: Kind of, the defensive player, No. 24, he probably is a little bit like Borland, you know, they’ll use him in a variety of places. I think they’ll try to get him in mismatches or people that they feel he might be able to take advantage of with his athleticism. Their running back seemed to be, you know, especially in the last two games, they come in with a certain idea, but what I like about watching Purdue on film is if they see a play that works, they go back to it.
I always remember as a young linebacker coach, I had a defensive coordinator that always used to poke fun or make fun of offensive coordinators who would have a successful play and never come back to it because they feel that the defenses are going to make corrections or get adjustments. And a lot of times, you know, coaches can’t even get the kids over to the sidelines to get those things ironed out. But Purdue is not that case. You can almost bet if you have a productive play against you, you’ll probably see it within the next series, or a productive player.
QUESTION #14: Bret, you mentioned Appleton, and I know you guys were very high on him in camp, but I’m assuming you have not gotten him the ball as you would have liked to this point. What can you guys do to get him involved as you would have hoped?
BIELEMA: I think you got to force it in. And it’s not to the same extent, because wide receiver is different from quarterback, but you know, when we make a decision we’re going to get Curt Phillips in the game, we say this is when it’s going to happen, this is how it’s going to happen. It may adjust, you know, by a series or a how the flow of the game is happening, but you make a conscientious decision to do it. So that’s what we’ve done this past week with Kraig. This is where we’re going to get him in. This is what we’re going to do.
You know, and on the flip side of it though, Kraig plays behind Nick (Toon), and Nick has been paying pretty well. Nick got in, I’m sorry, Kraig got in more in the last two games. Nick had been a little bit dinged up and hadn’t been able to take the number of reps, so just a matter of getting reps on the field. Our best personnel grouping still to this point is 12, which is two tight ends on the field, with the way our guys are playing at that position, which only allows two wide receivers to get on the field. And David (Gilreath), I’m sorry, Nick and Isaac (Anderson) have been playing pretty well.
QUESTION #15: This kind of goes along with Purdue’s confidence last couple games. Have you noticed that kind of leading to the turnovers, what they’ve been doing differently the last couple games?
BIELEMA: Well, you take a look at the Purdue game, I’m sorry, the Ohio State game, and Ohio State, I believe, had five turnovers. As coaches, you always talk about unforced turnovers, ones that kind of just, you know, a guy drops the ball or a guy throws a pick maybe that you could see really wasn’t where he wanted it to go. There was a lot of that in the (Ohio State game), which led to, you could kind of see, oh, we got another one, and then you know how their offense responded, and then against Illinois, kind of the same boat.
You know, and there was he treated a missed field goal, there was a turning point in that game where if Illinois was able to convert some points or get that field goal was huge, but when they came away with zero, it kind of had the same effect that we did the week prior against Iowa.
QUESTION #16: You talked about Kerry Cooks and looking for some answers at cornerback last week. Did you find anything out?
BIELEMA: Well, we put the pressure on those four corners, the guys that have been playing for us, Antonio Fenelus, Niles Brinkley, Aaron Henry, and I guess I don’t know the fourth one is, yeah, Devin (Smith). And, Devin, you know, unfortunately, did have a little bit of an injury that week, so he was going to be limited. He’s back to being healthy now. But I wanted those guys to have the pressure of every day at practice.
You know, when we maybe gave some of those other guys, you know, our number one linebackers, our number one d-line, and not so much Jay Valai, but Chris Maragos, when we let them get fewer reps last week, that wasn’t the case with the corners. We were on them full go trying to, you know, put the pressure on them and have the guys perform. The proof will be in the pudding.
This is a totally different game plan, though, you know. The way our corners needed to play in the Iowa and the Ohio State game are completely different, from a physical standpoint, than they’re going to in the next ball game and really for the remainder of the season.
QUESTION #17: Bret, you guys have looked at Maurice Moore briefly on kickoff returns. According to the depth chart, it looks like Isaac Anderson. Is that a Brian Lucas special or is that a change?
BIELEMA: No, no. Isaac, you know, one of the things I said, one of the things I told our team last Sunday, ‘hey, you know, as coaches, we’re always open to ideas’, and you focus in on what you see in front of you, and sometimes you don’t even have a young man pop in your mind. And Isaac came to me and said that he would like to have an opportunity to return kicks, something he had done earlier on in fall camp. You know, we were trying to let him be a good wide receiver, and he came to me and said it’s something he wanted to do. And if he continues to catch the ball well this week in practice, we’ll probably give him an opportunity.
QUESTION #18: Did you get the response out of (John) Moffitt you hoped two weeks ago when you talked about him focusing on the field a little bit more?
BIELEMA: You know, Moffitt’s birthday is Thursday, so I know he’ll be in the mood to have a great week this week. You know, I was just, this is all it was. I was going through the interview list, you know, and I saw that he had like nine names after him, that all you guys had requested him, and I knew you weren’t requesting him to figure out how well he was going to play at guard. You were doing it for copy. You wanted him to make great comments. I always said I want to make your guys’ job as easy as possible, but to me, a player should be interviewed because of what he’s done on the field.
And I understand where you’re coming from, but I wanted to make him aware that I knew he could play better, and I needed him to play better. Him and Gabe (Carimi) are our most experienced offensive linemen, and, you know, he did play a little bit better against Iowa, and he’s had a great bye week preparation. It’s been a difficult season for John.
John, you know, since I think about halfway through the spring ball last year realized how bad I wanted to push him to be good, and really had a great summer, and then the last workout of summer conditioning, to do what he did, I mean, it was just devastating. And Moffitt’s a bright, intelligent, and full of energy personality, and for him to sit back and watch was difficult.
So, you know, at the beginning of the week, I always write kids their birthday cards, and then they put them in their locker during the course of the week. And one of the things, I’m not going to give away John’s surprise, but one of the things I really stressed to him was, hey, I need you to be a guy that can take the forefront here in this week, and carry us through the last half of the season.
QUESTION #19: You said it’s been a little difficult year for him because of that. Is it similar for Gabe? I mean, he had an injury in camp, he didn’t miss as much time, but I don’t know if he feels he’s playing up to his potential.
BIELEMA: You know, Gabe has gone through a lot this year. He’s been banged up, the things you know about, and then also been a little bit otherwise. You know, I know he wants to compare himself to the best linemen in the Big Ten is what he wants to do, and he hasn’t been able to probably be at optimum health to do that. I think now he might have a better chance than ever. We basically didn’t rep him at all last week. So I’m excited to see Gabe close this thing out because I know it’s personally a big challenge for him, and I like what I’ve seen so far.
