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INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 14, 2015

Kevin Wilson

Bloomington, Indiana

Michigan - 48, Indiana - 41

COACH WILSON: The team, it's been playing good. Again, we played well but not good enough. So congratulations to Michigan. Proud of our guys, proud of the seniors. Good, awesome group. A lot of ball to play. A lot of things to play for. We'll see if we're strong enough and led well enough to get what we need down the stretch.

Q. (Question off microphone)?
COACH WILSON: Again, we've had a back and forth. We talked about, hey, do you want to go long read? There were some one-on-one plays. We felt they would play pressure, man-to-man coverage and we just worked the play. Their defender did a good job defending and we couldn't make the play. We talked about 81 running a similar play to the play we did before, the play before.

We had, I think, the second-down call we had a chance where we ran the ball and a lot of times we don't tell Nate sometimes with his injury and come off the shoulder, we like him to run a ton sometimes, but he actually, the second, he could have kept it but it wasn't part of the scheme.

We then included him on third down. He made a phenomenal effort trying to get in on third down, spun around, he got to about the one and a half or two. We talked about it. We had several choices.

We went with a max pro and a route over here and two routes over here and see if some guy could win. And they defended it.

Q. How hard was it to not put Jordan on that last play as well as he'd been running, particularly against a defense that is that good?
COACH WILSON: We talked about it, made a choice.

Q. If you scored a touchdown, would you have gone for two?
COACH WILSON: No, I would have kicked it because we would have been right back up. And I would have felt with the momentum that we had offensively we were scoring and you would have to go for two the next time.

So we would have been right back up. I think we would have had enough plays that you thought you might continue to pop a few things in and again you've still got to execute.

But we would have tried to extend it because now the overtime, it's back-to-back scenarios. So we would have doubled down. And we would have had to go for two on next one, on the third OT. Didn't get there.

Q. Such a successful day, what was the line doing?
COACH WILSON: It was good team -- you got some receivers and you got backside tight ends. I'm sure we would protect those guys well. It takes a lot of guys to run the ball. It takes a pass game and their ability to play the pass game -- and what were Nate's numbers? 20 of 34 for 220, so there's some balance. It's just a good team. Jordan played extremely well, a great game, played hard, did a lot of things, but also I thought we had a fair plan of what we were trying to do. It was good teamwork, good team effort.

Q. What was the mindset behind (indiscernible)?
COACH WILSON: I don't know. We had some passes, but going -- and sometimes there's run-pass combos. They were kind of playing, challenging every receiver. But, really, the run was getting on schedule. I think we had 55 snaps in the first half.

I thought the more they played Peppers on offense the more tired he got. That was good. I thought just had a lot of plays. I think the key was the first downs and the second downs got us on schedule because we didn't get into a lot of third-and-longs. It was the first couple of plays. We got drives going; and, I'm not sure, I don't think we had a three-and-out on offense, maybe we did, I don't remember.

It wasn't like we said we were running, we were just playing what was there. And maybe we should have ran the last one. Didn't work, so every time it doesn't work, you do something else that probably would work but we didn't know because no one ever sees that one.

Q. What did you feel the issue was with the past defense, (indiscernible) 21-yarder?
COACH WILSON: I was on, really, with the offense getting their calls, what we're doing next, so say exactly what the calls, communications were. I gotta go back with all the plays, going back to regulation, we had them fourth down, if I remember correct, fourth and five.

So a little pop there. Great pressure. Couldn't quite get there. Looked like Shaw coming around. Their left tackle was heating it up and made a contested catch.

There was a double move, the last move, like a slant and go. And the corner bit it. And the guy's there. So that was the last one. The one before, I'm trying to remember what the one before was. Help me out.

Q. 21-yarder.
COACH WILSON: I don't remember the call. Because I was talking a fair amount with the offense what are we thinking next all that deal. Kind of putting it in with the coach knowing his guys and so I don't have that info.

Q. Is there any concern, I guess, in your mind that any of those freshmen basically reaching a point where they maxed out in the season back in the secondary?
COACH WILSON: I mean, they're going to have to hope -- I shouldn't say that word. I don't like that word. That's why, we did some things, changed some of the practice, take some of the running, some of the workload off.

But Andre Brown had a shoulder issue, didn't dress today. Jameel Cook is not playing in two games. He had an injury last game, hadn't dressed the last two.

So he had an ankle injury that required surgery. So we're getting a little thin. We're trying to be smart with them. Again, I expect those guys, this team, you know, there is zero moral victory. This team plays pretty good football, not quite good enough, but they have a knack for coming back. And the coaches are doing a good job coaching them and leaders are doing good, working hard down the stretch this week. Going on the road is going to be very difficult. And at the same time we're going to put together a good week, and this team has a knack for coming back, and we keep talking if we're a good team, we keep getting better.

I thought we got better from the way we played at Penn State wasn't good, and we got better until we stood around for 20 minutes. Then we came back the next week and got better until we stood around for five. And last week we were battling.

This week they came back and they continued to keep pushing, and it's not where we want. But I'm going to ask them to keep pushing. As coaches we'll do everything we can the right way because it's a really great group of kids.

And they don't deserve anything. We just expect them to get better. Believe they're going to. Expect them to.

Q. Called a timely timeout in the fourth quarter. (Indiscernible) you wanted to regroup the defense a little bit. And the two snaps after that, they got really good pressure on Rudock and you guys ended up with the field goal. With the secondary the way it is, to your point of view, is that what really needs to happen now, the pressure?
COACH WILSON: Yes. And sometimes we have to do it where we can't blitz, because you leave voids, holes, some of those middle routes, when you pressure with backers up the middle, the middle is open and they're ranked, some leverage routes. If you're inside, running corner routes; if you're outside, they're running end breakers. But that was my thing.

I thought we did a great job, their leading rusher is their quarterback, and I might be wrong but I believe it was on scrambles. And so we did a really good job. If you look at that, of holding their run game on run plays to about 60, 70 yards, and that's tough, physical, two tight end deal. I think their defensive fronts played well. We gotta keep lighting up guys so we can get the pressure that we need.

Again, man, we're just sitting around. And it's second, third down. And we're playing a really good team, winning. No disrespect, but if we can get that crowd louder, that tackle is a little slower out of the count, you can get -- you're so close that you need a lot of things clicking because you're getting down to a play or two.

And I'd like to -- now we're going to be on the road, doesn't matter down the stretch, we have to keep our own energy. But the last few weeks the way the guys are playing, the "D" line to me is the key to our defense finishing strong, whether we've hit the wall or not. You know what I'm saying? I think the "D" line is key.

Jordan Howard is playing great. He's healthy, "O" line and tight end, the way Cooper and those guys played, that's the key to that run game. There's a lot of groups. And we said we were a good line of scrimmage team.

And to me it's a good Big Ten team, you get stronger down the stretch. And we played two of the most physical Big Ten teams in the country the last two weeks, starting to show that kind of buy-in and now we have to make some plays that win those games.

Q. Coop -- Latham got banged up late.
COACH WILSON: Latham cramped up. As a matter of fact, he had a full-body cramp in there. And he just cramped. And Coop got an ankle, but came back and played. He got kicked. And the proverbial, when it's late in the game, you get kicked, sometimes you get a free timeout if you just go splay a little (indiscernible). Used to be you had to come off the field to show your toughness. So if you're hurt and coming off, you can let your teammates, the game -- our tempo now is offense has slowed down. So you want to get basically a timeout. Michigan did the same thing a couple times. It's just part of the game.

Q. Juniors, coach, the pregame thing (indiscernible)?
COACH WILSON: No, no, as a matter of fact, we tell them, as a matter of fact, sometimes -- because we played so many juniors today. I saw today's senior day as really parent day. A bunch of parents, parent group -- we have an awesome group. They get together before the games, after the games. Led by a couple of families that are awesome with e-mails and do a great job of bonding.

And there's some great niches with the way they embrace all the new families that come in every year. I think as families, sometimes families -- I've talked to a couple of kids, they need to understand the workload. And the door's open, if you want it, but at the same time if you earned the right to do this. And you can do it again if you want. It's more of a formality.

And there might be some guys that didn't go through senior day that maybe don't want -- everyone is kind of different. What is your work, it's workload. This is a lot of commitment. And after four years do you want that on your body, your back, all the lifting, all the running and practices. Some guys do; some guys don't.

We don't encourage it, discourage it. Here's the role. The only thing I ask is the kid comes back. I don't want a poor fifth-year senior. I want great attitude, positive dude, give me some energy and juice to help the team.

There's several guys we'll visit. But as families, that Mangieri family and Sudfeld family, Spriggs (indiscernible) families are, fourth year's gone, and a lot of those guys are redshirted, played with them. So we'll see. I don't think it's a big deal.

Q. Offensively, you guys have seven yards rushing. Team's averaging 8.6 defensively. 41 points against a team giving up only 11 points a game. What did you see, why was the run game so good, and why were you guys so (indiscernible)?
COACH WILSON: We're not a bad team. But we're not good enough, because the real stat is we're 0-1 this week. And we need to get 1-0 next week. It ain't about stats and running; it just wasn't enough.

Should we have ran it one more time tonight? Ultimately there's only one stat that counts. And we're 0 for 1. But at the same time, we're a good enough football team, players. We can throw some stats out there, but the real stat is the "W". Right now we're 0-6 against a couple really good teams. But that's Big Ten football and that's Big Ten East football.

And at the same time we look forward to learning, having a good week. Appreciate the families and parents and fans here, you guys. And at the same time we've got a lot of football to play.

We'll do everything, because the one stat we need to be is find a way on the road seven days from now we need to be 1-0. Get us one more.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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