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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 14, 2015Kyle FloodPiscataway, New Jersey COACH FLOOD: Good afternoon. I'd like to start by congratulating Janarion Grant, the Big Ten special teams Player of the Week, and also named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll, which is a national award for the versatility of the most versatile players in the country. I think an award and an honor that he certainly is deserving of this week after his performance on Saturday. That's exciting to see, two weeks in a row, to score on special teams the way he did, it's going to make us a better football team. Now we turn the page as a program and we move to Penn State, and going to Happy Valley to face a very talented football team, a very well-coached football team with one of the premiere quarterbacks in the country with one of the better defense in the country, and a defensive line that is certainly as talented as some of the best defensive lines in this conference, and there's quite a few. But they are right up there with all of them. And No. 98 is as good a player as there is in college football. So he's somebody we are going to have to be aware of as we go through the game. Questions? Q. You said yesterday, in relation to the incident that happened outside -- COACH FLOOD: Let me do this. I apologize for cutting you off. Let's do the questions on football first, and then I'll take whatever questions you guys have that I can answer. Q. What have you seen offensively from Penn State? COACH FLOOD: Well, they are finding ways to run the football and they are doing it in a lot of different ways. They have some conventional run plays that they run. They have also got a player in No. 10, who is a very fast, very shifty runner, Brandon Polk, 5-9, 170 is what he's listed at but five rushing attempts from 95 yards. He's a dynamic player. They have gotten him the ball in sweeps and they have gotten him the ball in reverses and those are things that I think have helped open up their run game. Q. You mentioned Zettel, check he can what do you do differently? How big of a challenge is that? COACH FLOOD: Well, we've got to block him better. I know that's a general answer. And that's not easy to do. He gives everybody -- everybody that plays against them, he gives them problems and he is a spectacular player. So he's somebody we are going to have to be conscious of. He's somebody we're going to have to be aware of. We'll have to try to get as many double teams on him schematically as we can and ultimately win some one-on-ones against him, too. That's not easy. We have two guards in Chris Muller and Dorian Miller that I think are playing gone a good level, and we need them to continue to do that as the competition gets better. Q. Their offensive spread gave up ten sacks in the first game. Your defensive line, you said you needed to get more pressure with Washington State. How pivotal is that matchup in this game? COACH FLOOD: It's a big matchup. It's a big matchup. And they have got good players on that line. They have got a couple guys on New Jersey that we recruited in Angelo Mangiro and Brendan Mahon, two highly-rated guys. The No. 1 junior college offensive tackle in that country is on that line. So they have talented players. Again, we are going to have to find ways to get pressure on the quarterback. If you give Christian enough time and you make him comfortable in the pocket, even if you cover the receivers, he can deliver the ball, so that can be an issue. So we have to get him off the spot. Q. Not that it's any news to anybody; is this where you're really missing Darius? COACH FLOOD: I think when a player like Darius is not in the lineup, you miss him no matter who you play against. Darius could have helped us last week and if he's not available this week, we'll miss him this week. Darius is a spectacular player and a difference maker but we have other good players on the defensive line. It's one of the strengths of our team and we won't make any excuses if Darius doesn't play. Q. Obviously the highlights with Janarion have been the kickoff and punt returns, but he's been doing that since freshman year. How far along has he come this year as a complete receiver and football player? COACH FLOOD: The difference this year is you're right, we still have the kick returns and the punt returns, but you saw the big third down conversion in the first game, unfortunately got called back. You saw a big fourth down conversion in the last game. As the season goes on, I believe you're going to see Janarion impact the passing game more and more. Q. You said yesterday you're looking for improvement from Chris. What areas do you want him to improve the most? COACH FLOOD: It's really the operation. I want to see him operate better. Now that he's had the experience of going out there for the first snap of a game and playing through a Big Ten football game, I want to see him operate the offense better and I think he will. I have high expectations for him, and I have no doubt that he'll perform better this week. Q. From a football standpoint, what is the absence of Leonte mean to your offense? And is Janarion somebody who does step in, and is there concern about him being spread too far around the field? Will that affect his role on special teams? COACH FLOOD: We have got other talented players but I think what you're saying it right, tar a. I think a guy like Janarion can make explosive plays and Leonte is certainly somebody that did that for us in the past. We have to find ways for Janarion to touch the ball more in his absence. Q. If would you use him as role in the offense, would that diminish his role in special teams? COACH FLOOD: It will not. I think Janarion is in excellent shape and he'll be able to handle it. Receiver is generally a position where guys are rotating a little bit and out as we need to. If we need to get him in and out so that he can do the kick and punt returns, he's very valuable there but he'll probably play a little bit more at receiver. Q. You've personally recruited a lot of guys on the Penn State roster and the same can be said for James Franklin with guys now at Rutgers. Does it add anything and make you excited to see how these guys match up especially primetime? COACH FLOOD: You really don't -- I'll speak for myself personally. I won't speak for the players. I'll let them speak afterwards. I don't need any more motivation than the opportunity to be 1-0 in a Big 10 Championship game, which is what we get the opportunity to play this week. The fact that it's primetime; the fact that it will be a great crowd and environment, I think these are things that are all really enjoyable about college football for the players. What you're alluding to is a little bit of the rivalry aspect and I think that over time, if the games continue to be competitive the way they were last year, I think that can develop because you're right, you've got players on both side. I just mentioned two offensive linemen that start for them that are from New Jersey. I could point to Chris Muller and J.J. Denman that start for us that are from Pennsylvania, and I think you're right. I think it does add a little bit more of that feel to it because of it. Q. Moved on from Penn State last year -- in the off-season, do some losses sit more than others. Did the Penn State loss beat you harder -- COACH FLOOD: It didn't. I know that expression, and I try to correct players and even people in my life who want to use those expressions; you could have. I think we had opportunities in the game. I think we had opportunities last week in the game. But ultimately we didn't make enough plays to be 1-0 that week. That's the reality of it. But after that, I move on, and in the off-season, we really look at everything, and divisional opponents that you're going to play every year, do you examine them, we absolutely do, especially when they have the same staff, the same coordinators. It allows you to examine them a little bit more closely but not any more closely because we weren't 1-0. Q. Back to Chris, how big of a challenge is it for him going into this game? COACH FLOOD: It's a big challenge. He has got to make improvements on all of the things that we wanted him to improve on from last week, and he is going to have to deal with a very hostile environment. Q. With Carroo suspended, who becomes the featured receiver for the offense? COACH FLOOD: I don't know that I can tell you that right now. I think guys like Andre Patton, Janarion Grant, John Tsimis will be able to do a little bit more for us this week. Carlton Agudosi's role is going to get bigger. A guy like Vance Matthews, his role may get bigger this week. I probably would answer it the way I answer the Michael Burton questions in the preseason: I don't know that you can just replace him with one person, but we've got a talented group of people; that I think we'll be able to do it. Q. Everyone talks about Christian being an NFL prospect. His numbers have not been great late last season or this season to date. What do you think about the way he's playing in the first two games in your film study? COACH FLOOD: I would sum it up in one play. There's one play in the Temple game he's on the right hash and throws an out-cut all the way to the wide side of the field that was pretty well covered, and he delivered it perfectly with great pace. That's an NFL throw. There's no doubt he's an NFL first-round quarterback. Q. Can we switch gears? COACH FLOOD: Sure. Any other football questions? Q. Yesterday you mentioned, you pointed to the authorities on the incident happening, pointed back to athletics. Has Leonte been arrested or has anyone else connected with the incident been arrested? COACH FLOOD: Nobody has pointed it back to me. I would send that question probably in Kevin Lorincz in athletic communications. He would probably be the one responsible to answering. Q. Was it your decision to suspend Leonte? Was it athletics did you consult with Julie Hermann or Dr. Barchi before you suspended him? COACH FLOOD: Any time you make a decision like that, you always consult and discuss with the athletic director. That's part of the chain of command. But it was my decision. Q. Did you meet with Leonte before you suspended him? COACH FLOOD: I did. Q. And what was his explanation for the whole incident? COACH FLOOD: I think that conversation is a private conversation that I wouldn't talk about here. Q. Other players have been arrested and you've let the legal process play out before suspending them. What's different about this situation? Why does it merit an immediate suspension? COACH FLOOD: I think I'll defer that question until you get a statement from the university or a statement from the athletic department. Q. A couple weeks ago, you talked about how it tore you apart to dismiss players or suspend players. Does this one hit closer to home, because it's Leonte, the face of the program, a guy you've spent a lot of time with and one of your biggest supporters. Does this one hurt more? COACH FLOOD: I think they all hurt a lot. They all hurt a lot. When you make a decision that you are going to spend your life -- and I've spent the last 22 years doing this, working with young people, young men, starting out in high school and now in college, you know that there's going to be mistakes. It's no different than raising your own children. But it doesn't -- knowing that there are going to be mistakes made doesn't make you feel any better about it. It rips you apart. But as the head coach, it's my job to continue to do what we do. And when I say what I say -- when I say that, what I mean is, continue to try to bring people in their lives to help them be better people, people like Willie Alfonso, who is the Chaplain for the Yankees and the Nets. He's somebody we've had around our team quite a bit in the past. Somebody as recently as last Friday, like Vaughn McKoy from Paterson Eastside High School, former Rutgers football player, someone who has worked as a prosecutor at the state level, somebody who is I believe the vice president of PSE&G right now who is around our program a lot. You try to put these people in the lives of your players to do everything you can to help them make great decisions when you can't be with them, because there's a lot in the day and a lot in the year when you can't be with them. Q. Was there an athletic employee department involved in the altercation you referenced outside of the stadium? COACH FLOOD: I can't comment really on any of the details of the incident that happened. Q. How much do you think your players' off-field behavior reflects on you? How much are you responsible for? COACH FLOOD: As the head coach, everything ultimately reflects on you and it's part of the job. If you shy away from that, you probably shouldn't do the job. But I'm very comfortable that the people that know our program, the people who are invested in our program, and the people that spend time with our program know the quality and the high-quality of the young men that we have down in that locker room right now. Q. What does it say about the program that you've had so much trouble that's come to light in the past two weeks and of course this latest incident; is the program in trouble? Are they in turmoil at this point? COACH FLOOD: I don't think I agree with the question. And when I say that, what I mean is this. Similar to what I was just saying, the people that know our program, the people that are invested in our program, the people that spend time with our program, they know the high quality of the young men that we have in that longer room. Now, I'm not naïve, either. I understand that people that aren't as familiar with our program and all they see are the incidents of the last cupping weeks, how they could have that perception. But I think the people that know our program, I don't believe they have that perception. Q. How does it play into recruitment and trying to get people from other places to come play here at Rutgers when they have seen those news stories pretty much across the country? COACH FLOOD: I'm really proud of our recruits. I believe there was an article last week where almost all of our recruits and their parent the were quoted and saying things very similar to what I just said, that we are going there because they know that these incidents are not going to be tolerated, and they are not. We take them very seriously. We are dealing with them but they are very comfortable with the character of the young people that are in that longer room right now. Q. Are you disappointed? COACH FLOOD: Disappointed at what? Q. Are you disappointed? COACH FLOOD: At? Q. Just what these young men have done or been accused of doing. You talked to them the other night about making sure that they are accountable for themselves and this incident happens right after out in the parking lot. So is that disappointing for you? COACH FLOOD: Working with young people for a living, we constantly are reminding them to put themselves in good positions, put themselves in good places, to make great decisions. Just like I do my own son. Just like do I my own daughter. Just like my dad did for me when I was growing up. And when they make mistakes does it hurt? It hurts. But it doesn't mean we stop loving them. And it doesn't mean we stop educating the young people that are in that locker room right now. No different than my father didn't stop loving me when I made mistakes growing up. No different than I don't stop loving my children when they make mistakes. Q. The last time you suspended a couple guys, a few days later they were dismissed. Any timetable? What will determine Leonte's future? Will he play this week or is it longer -- COACH FLOOD: I don't anticipate any change in status as of right now, and it would be hard for me to answer the rest of that until I had more details just because it's a hypothetical right now. Q. I was going to in some ways follow that, I have two questions, if you don't mind. Is there is a potential -- COACH FLOOD: Only because you normally come, Tara, I'll give you two. Q. I appreciate that. Is there a potential scenario in your mind where Leonte does not see the field this year? And the second question, I did want to ask, just to be responsible, have you been given any assurance that you will be coaching the game this weekend or any indication that people are considering -- you know what I'm saying, we've asked you this before -- COACH FLOOD: Sure. Q. Has there been any assurance in that way? COACH FLOOD: Since the last time it's been asked, I have not received any contact to that topic whatsoever. I don't think it would be fair to anybody in the process right now to answer a hypothetical about it, so I'll just leave it at that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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