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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 20, 2016

Tracy Claeys

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Q. Can you talk a little bit about recruiting in the state of Minnesota just from the standpoint of I know you try to be as thorough as a staff as you can to uncover players everywhere; can you talk a little bit about that and how you think you've done as a staff in regard to that?
TRACY CLAEYS: You know, I think the last two years we've done a good job. I think we've done a good job evaluating kids since we've been here, and more and more have chosen to stay home, and I don't think you'll ever bat a thousand and get everybody because there's some kids that for whatever reason want to get away from home or whatever.

But the high school coaches have been extremely helpful to us, and through our camps and getting out and seeing kids, it's our first priority and always will be, and then from there we'll go to filling it in.

Q. Is it hard sometimes to decide on a kid who kind of looks like a tweener physically, maybe the wingspan isn't quite what you normally look for in that position?
TRACY CLAEYS: Yeah, that's hard on all of them, not just in-state kids, all of them, of making that decision where they're going to fit into the college game. That's why if you get the opportunity for them to come to camp, it helps a tremendous amount.

Q. Do you have any update at this point on redshirting?
TRACY CLAEYS: I don't think right now. After this game I think we'll have a good idea on that going into the conference.

Q. What do you think about the nine-game Big Ten schedule? Is that a good thing?
TRACY CLAEYS: I've said it before, I'd rather play 10 and have five and five. I don't like the idea of one year you have five at home and then you've got five on the road, and we just so happened to get five on the road because it's not easy winning on the road. I think that'll play a part in what happens each year because of that.

But no, I'm not a -- that's my only problem with it.

Q. How much do you think Brooks will be able to do this week, and how do you keep what looks like three real good running backs, how do you keep them each happy?
TRACY CLAEYS: By winning, that's how. You win, everybody needs to be happy. I mean, Shannon's deal, he's been cleared, but we'll see how he gets through practice, too. He really hasn't practiced, and so if he gets through practice okay and he's not sore and all that, then -- but if he's sore we won't take a chance on him this week, but as of now he's been cleared.

Q. How much confidence do you take in the start of 2-0 knowing that they were two dominating wins but that you haven't even hit the Big Ten schedule yet?
TRACY CLAEYS: Well, we've done pretty good in the non-conference. It still is based on winning and there's been others who couldn't get it done, so we've been able to get it done to win, but it's always one at a time. I think that's the challenge for everybody is to not get your teams to overlook one week to the next because everybody is capable of winning. Colorado State I'm sure felt like they gave one away a year ago when we were out there, when we won in overtime, and Coach Bobo has done a great job. He'll have them ready to play. Everybody has no scholarships anymore that if you don't come with your best game, then you're going to take a chance of going home and losing.

It's all about if we can keep our kids prepared and have them ready to play each game.

Q. From what you've seen, why is Mitch so much better this year? What's different about him?
TRACY CLAEYS: You know, it's only been one game, so I'm not going to go and -- but I felt last year he prepared good at the end of the year and he played well at the end of the year. So the first game he didn't. Again, first games are hard because you see things that you didn't practice for. You don't know what people are going to do.

You know, I'd like to get a little farther before we judge just how good his season is going to be.

Q. Defensively do you like the personality of this team?
TRACY CLAEYS: I do. I think, again, you talk just the way kids are nowadays, a lot of them, you get the big lead -- I was disappointed, I thought we lost some intensity in the second half a little bit, not to take anything away from Indiana State. They threw the ball awfully well and made some plays, but I thought we got the big lead and for a little bit there we lost some intensity, and that's the one thing kids got to learn is whether you're ahead or behind, you've got to play hard.

That's one thing I was pleased with the offense. We kept trying to get points on the board every possession. We did a good job. No matter how big the lead was, we kept moving the football. Defensively we've got to get in that mode.

Q. Are the players you suspended two weeks ago still suspended?
TRACY CLAEYS: Yeah.

Q. On offense you guys have been perfect in the red zone. What's been the key to you guys' success there?
TRACY CLAEYS: I guess we've caught the ball pretty good. We spend a lot of time in the red zone at practice. But on the other side, we ain't done as good in the red zone as I'd like.

You know, it's all about points, obviously, but we do, we spend -- we do one live session each week in the red zone, ones on ones, twos on twos. Some people may not quite agree with that, but I think down there you get the intensity you need. So offensively they've done a good job, but we practice that all the time.

Q. What's been your evaluation of Antoine Winfield?
TRACY CLAEYS: You know, he's come along a lot from a freshman, and we're going to keep demanding more from him. He got hurt there for a few days, and it slowed him down. No different than a Carter Coughlin and those freshmen, when they miss two-a-days it's hard to get them back because of the experience standpoint. But I think Antoine continues to get better each week, and we're going to ask more and more of him each week. I think he's capable of doing that.

Q. The close game with Colorado State last year, does that help to keep the attention of the players?
TRACY CLAEYS: Well, you hope so. That's one that, like I say, we got away with. When you watch the film, I thought their offensive line a year ago handled us up front on the defensive line for the most part and played harder, and the same way with their defensive line got after our offensive line. We definitely need to play better or it'll be the same type of deal.

I think they feel good now about the quarterback that they've got, and like I say, they're used to going places and playing people, so I'm sure we'll get their best, and we'll have to be ready to go.

Q. What difference did you notice once that quarterback went in just how their whole offense flowed?
TRACY CLAEYS: Their offense really didn't change. He's a good football coach. He's got a system that he believes in. But the executing part of it, they just seemed to execute and be a lot smoother with him in the game.

I think that obviously that's what the non-conference is for. Everybody wants to win them all and that, but it's still all about getting prepared for their conference games, and they probably feel like they're on a pretty good track to do that.

Q. What's the NCAA eligibility definition on redshirting? How many minutes can you play --
TRACY CLAEYS: Well, you can't play.

Q. You can't play even a minute?
TRACY CLAEYS: No, you can't play one play. Nope.

Q. Did you make any adjustments at the bye week? Did you do anything personnel wise?
TRACY CLAEYS: Not really. We usually try to get guys back healthy and rest. Even though it's in the second week, the bye week has taken on such a recruiting emphasis of getting out and recruiting. We practiced twice, and then we cranked it back up on Sunday again. But no, we carried the same routine, and hopefully we get a couple guys back from being banged up, and kids will have their legs under them and be ready to go.

Q. You were disappointed by kicking the ball out-of-bounds a few times against Indiana State, but how important is it to flip the field and help out your defense, make them go 75, 80 yards?
TRACY CLAEYS: Well, still, even though it's all spread, offenses are a lot anymore, no-huddle. Still, wherever they start has a huge bearing on whether they score or not. Ryan has done a good job of flipping the field and pinning them down in there, and same thing for kickoffs. I think it shows. I think they scored twice when we kicked the ball out of bounds. When people can start towards mid-field, it just gets a lot easier.

We have to do a lot better in the wind situations, but overall, what those two have done, they've played awfully well.

Q. Mitch mentioned the one period of practice where you guys worked on pre-snap penalties and trying to simulate a cadence. What other things have you tried to do to cut down on some of the penalties?
TRACY CLAEYS: Threatened them. (Laughter.)

I think that's all about being focused and paying attention. You know, everybody thinks you shouldn't punish, but they've got a little bit of things they've got to do for every time it happens in a game. We'll just keep addressing it, and eventually they get tired of running and they won't jump offsides.

Q. How do you evaluate your depth at cornerback right now?
TRACY CLAEYS: I think we're good. We're good to go there. We've just got to get some experience. In the secondary when you're young and playing, there's some hard lessons to learn, so that's why I said, that's what the non-conference is for, and hopefully we can continue to win while we get those guys some experience back there.

Q. But you like the skill level?
TRACY CLAEYS: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Q. Do you know definitively if your suspended guys will miss this game for sure?
TRACY CLAEYS: I don't know. Violation of team policy, and playing day by day.

Q. Right now the depth chart lists Amoako as a backup cornerback. How has his progression been? Wasn't he a safety initially?
TRACY CLAEYS: He's played them both, so that's why he can do that. He's played safety and corner both. With safety, with Winfield coming along and us getting along there pretty good, we're going to get him some reps at corner to give us some depth at corner.

Q. Do you see it within your philosophy or your view that once Shannon comes back that you're interested in kind of a three-tailback rotation? You've kind of been a two guy. Does that get hard to mix three in?
TRACY CLAEYS: I don't know. That's a good question. We'll find out. And it'll be whoever practices the best that week, that's who we'll go with. Competition just makes you a lot better. Like I said before the season, we'll look at ways, and we have, we've got ways to get at least two of them on the field at the same time. You know, so when you get your better football players, that's -- you always want your best people on the field all the time, so as we go, we'll have to figure out ways to get that done. But at the same time, to think they're all three going to stay healthy all year long, I think that's unrealistic to think, also.

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