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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 6, 2017

Chris Ash

Piscataway, New Jersey

COACH ASH: As always, appreciate you guys coming on Monday. We'll go through and just do a quick recap of the game from last week. Talk about upcoming opponent and take any questions you guys may have.

Just want TO start by again thanking the fans that showed up Saturday. I don't know how many were there. Doesn't really matter. But I know they made a difference when we needed them to and just really is exciting about what we can build here in this area. It's loaded with recruits and an outstanding fan base, and I think we can create an outstanding environment that's loud and makes a difference and makes an outstanding home-field advantage in the future.

Just really appreciate the fans and the students that were in attendance in that game and hopefully they walked away feeling really good about the game.

It was a hard-fought game, four-quarter game like we knew it would be and hopefully a lot of fun to watch. But to watch the film, it was a great victory. It did go down to the wire just like we thought it would, just like most of the games we're in and we're going to have a chance to win are going to go, but we made enough plays in that game.

We didn't play perfect. It wasn't our best game that we could play, but again, it was probably the closest that we've been all season to playing well in all three phases. We ran the ball well on offense. We made enough stops and some key plays on defense. They had some special teams plays, especially at kickoff coverage team that changed the field position.

So I thought we did some things in all three phases that we have not done so far this year. You know, we're getting closer. We're getting better. But we're still so far away from what we want to be and where we would like to be as we go through the season. But again, we're pleased with the progress that we're making.

You know, players of the game from this last game offensively, had an outstanding rushing game, both our running backs, Gus Edwards and Rob Martin were co-offensive players of the game. I think they ran the ball exceptionally well. Especially late in the game in the fourth quarter when we needed some tough yards and needed to move the sticks and get points and those guys were able to provide it.

Defensively, Kiy Hester was the defensive player of the game. Kiy is around the ball a lot this year and had another Pick-Six that obviously was the difference in the game.

And for special teams, our whole kickoff coverage unit was the Special Teams Player of the Game, or Players of the Game, I should say.

You know, when I watch -- first thing I watch when I come in on Sundays from the game is kickoff coverage just because of the effort, the toughness and just the passion they have for that one rep. It's really impressive to watch. They were physical, they were fast, and really were locked in and excited about the challenge that the Maryland kickoff return team presented. I think they rose to the challenge and did an outstanding job.

As we move forward, our next opponent is a very good one, going into Penn State. They are a talented -- very talented football team. Obviously a tough environment, a great venue and we just need to continue to focus on ourselves and our improvement and our preparation, and continue to try to strive to play the best that we can play in all three phases on Saturday.

So with that, I'll go ahead and open up for questions.

Q. We make a big deal out of having one running back, but the way that you split it with Martin and Edwards and having a little change of pace with Raheem, is that kind of what you envisioned with this offense, being able to split it up with those guys riding the hot hand?
COACH ASH: No, we're just lucky that we have them to be honest with you. We want to be able to run the football. You've got to be able to run the football, and when you can do it with fresh legs and rotate guys. Obviously that makes it more challenging for a defense, especially late in a game when you've got a guy that's fresh versus a guy that's taken 30 to 40 carries throughout a full game. We've got the luxury to do that, and Josh Hicks is another guy that we can put in there that has fresh legs and provide a spark.

Right now, we're very lucky and fortunate that we have several players that we have confidence in, that can go out and make plays in the running game.

Q. How is K.J. Gray doing?
COACH ASH: K.J. should be fine. He's day-to-day but should be fine. Obviously a pretty vicious hit in that collision with Damon Hayes. Just fortunate we don't lose both of them on that particular play.

Q. And more long-term guys, Saquan Hampton and Jonah, how are they doing?
COACH ASH: They are recovering fine. We are hoping to have them back sometime soon.

Right now, we'll have both of them back at some point before the season's over. Just not completely sure when. But both of them are progressing nicely.

Q. What's that dynamic going to look like when Jonah comes back with Marcus playing at guard and Mike Maietti playing at center?
COACH ASH: Don't know yet. Jonah was a starter, but Marcus probably played his best football game this last Saturday -- not probably. He did; he played his best football game this last Saturday.

Mike Maietti is Mr. Steady. We've talked about him before. He's a guy that walks through the door, and doesn't look like a Big Ten offensive lineman, wasn't heavily recruited, but when you watch him play on Saturday, the guy gives you everything he's got. He's just a fighter in there and really proud of him and the way he plays.

So when Jonah comes back, it will be a bonus, but he's going to have to fight to get back in the mix because those two guys are playing pretty good football right now.

Just follow-up on that, talking about Maietti being a red-shirt freshman starting, one of the real cool things I think from a fan's perspective and a coach's perspective looking forward: We only started four seniors in that football game on Saturday. We had two on defense with Ross Douglas and Sebastian Joseph, and we had two on offense with Gus Edwards, and Dorian Miller.

So we only had four seniors starting that game. So we've got a lot of guys that are playing a lot of football right now that will be back, and really excited about that, not only for this continue season, but for next season, too, moving forward.

Q. When it comes to recruits and since Penn State is one of the closest schools to New Jersey, how tough has it been, that battle, to keep the kids here in New Jersey and keep them here instead of going Penn State, because I know that's always been a battle with you and Penn State.
COACH ASH: Yeah, people talk about it all the time. Our concern is recruiting guys that we think can play and develop to be Big Ten running back players. I don't care who else is recruiting them. I don't care where else they go, what they are looking at. I'm concerned about going out and recruiting the best players that fit our culture, our environment that we can coach in our systems and develop to be a player at this level.

The proximity of Penn State, Maryland, schools up north, Boston College, we're obviously going to recruit against those guys every year because we are all in the same region, and that is what it is. Penn State's got a lot of history, a lot of tradition, they have got a great venue; that excites people and we hope to do the same thing here.

But again, we're not concerned about who we've got to battle. We're just concerned about getting the guys that fit our system, fit our culture and want to be here.

Q. Obviously a lot of young receivers on the field. How do you feel about their development so far through the season?
COACH ASH: You know, up and down. They are getting better in some areas. Not as far along as we'd probably like in others. Like to see more production out of them but like I've mentioned before, our offense's job is to score points and have more points than the opponent.

When we win, obviously we've got that done. I don't care if it's running the ball, throwing the ball. We've just got to get that job done. And right now we're lucky enough in our victories that we've been able to run the ball the way we've been able to, and that we haven't had to rely on those young players to go make plays and make a difference in the game.

Q. What's been the biggest difference between the first few games of the season and then what you've been seeing from this team lately?
COACH ASH: The ability to make some plays. Somebody asked me the other day, or made the comment the other day: "You know, did this team change in the bye week." No, it didn't. This team changed after last season.

I know people talk about there's an event, there's a certain moment where the team changed. No, it didn't. This team changed after last season. We went through an awful experience last year.

When we got done with the Maryland game, the Monday after, we had a team meeting. We laid everything out there about what contributed to that horrible season and what it was going it take to move forward and get better. I think I'm on record as saying all the way back after spring and before training camp that this was a much-improved football team.

And I know when you start off 1-4, you know, people don't believe you, kind of laugh at you. But this was still a much better football team even though our record was 1-4. We just didn't make some plays that we needed to to get the victories.

That's part of the process of building a team. It starts with teaching the players how to compete, and that's what we were going through during that 1-4 stretch is we were competing. We were playing with everybody. The only game we haven't really competed in this year was the Ohio State game, and the wheels kind of fell off in that game. But we've competed in every game.

But the next step was to try to get our players to understand what it was going to take to win games. And it's the details, it's the discipline, it's the execution, it's the consistency, and what we are asking them to do, and we have gotten better at that part of it.

But the energy, the enthusiasm, the preparation, all that stuff, effort, that's all been there. That's shown up every Saturday. That's part of the process. That's part of building a team is teaching how them how to make those plays ad being consistent that will help you get that W, and that's the difference. It's not anything else.

Q. Against Maryland there was that play that looked like Ross had dropped an interception and turned out to be a fumble. Is that something you've looked at in practice, preaching to always finish the play, even though you may not be sure if it's an incomplete pass or fumble?
COACH ASH: Yeah, we try to finish every play. There's not a play that happens that we don't, you know, teach our guys to finish. They threw the ball. He didn't catch it, you know and they ruled it an incomplete pass.

So I don't know what else you want a player to do. The whistle blew and ref's going like this, incomplete. So he got up and he's ready to go play the next play. They reviewed it. They called it a fumble. They actually made a mistake on the play. It should have been -- gone back to an incomplete pass and gone back to a third and seven, instead of becoming a third and four where the ball was moved up because nobody clearly had possession of the ball as it laid there on the ground.

But Ross did what he was supposed to do. He didn't catch the ball, got up, ready to go to the next play because it was ruled incomplete. That's unfortunate but that's the way it worked out.

Q. It looked like Washington got a lot of key blocks in the running game that allowed for extra yards and got a key block in Gio's touchdown run. What have you seen out of him in that aspect and how have valuable is it to have a tight end who can make those blocks and help in the running game?
COACH ASH: The whole tight end group right now is trying to take a lot of pride in their run blocking. The cutoff blocks on the back side of zone plays has been something that we struggled at earlier in the season.

It's been a major point of emphasis for us offensively that we knew we were missing some yards in the run game because of our inability to cut off the back side. They have got a lot better at it and that's helped our running game.

In the Illinois game it was a lot better and in this game it was a lot better. It's the whole unit, not just Jerome. Myles Nash, he blocked his tail off Saturday, whether it be the front side or back side, he did an unbelievable job. He got some pancakes.

Really proud of that room and the fact that they are taking pride in their run blocking. They all want the ball. I mean everybody does. Wide-outs want the ball. But when we run the ball -- and the reason we are able to run the ball is because not only the O-line, but the tight end and wide receivers take pride in their run blocking, and that's what's happening right now.

Q. Saquon Barkley; I know Urban Meyer said earlier this year he's as good a running back as he's seen in all his coaching. Do you feel that same way? Obviously you were around Ezekiel Elliott. What is it about Saquon that puts him at that level?
COACH ASH: He's very good. There's no doubt about it. I've been around some really good ones in my days at Wisconsin: Montee Ball, Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott, Alex Collins at Arkansas. Been around some really good ones, and Saquon Barkley is as good as there is.

He can do it all: He can run the ball, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he can line up as a wide receiver, he's very strong, tremendous balance. Just unbelievable change of direction; the way he can stop and restart and make you miss in the open field is as good as there is. He's outstanding.

You never want to say that a particular player is as good as you've ever seen, but I'd say he probably is.

Q. Fans, media, they look at a team like Penn State, they lost two in a row. They are going to be really, really hungry. That's like the perception. Do you even buy in that, like you're running into a buzzsaw?
COACH ASH: No, I mean, you guys throw that when we go play Nebraska, Michigan -- it doesn't matter.

We're focused on us, our improvement. I don't care who we play, how many games in a row they have won or how many they have lost. It doesn't matter. They have got to go play their game, and I'm sure they are going to prepare to play the best game like they do every Saturday, and that's all we're going to do also.

I don't get caught up into that. Don't even worry about it. I don't care what they are doing. It's all about us and what we need to do to continue, again, to go out and prepare and get closer and closer to playing as good as we can play.

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