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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 18, 2017

Paul Chryst

Madison, Wisconsin

Michigan - 10, Wisconsin - 24

COACH CHRYST: Extremely proud of our team and the way that they played today and battled and fought a really good Michigan team. I feel like it took everyone, and certainly a good team win.

Like I said, proud of the way the guys played and prepared during the week and went out there, and I thought they put it all out there, and that was good, and I appreciate that as a coach, certainly.

Q. Paul, I think you've been asked this before, but can you explain why your quarterback can go from a difficult situation where he throws a pick to the next series and the series after that making big throw after big throw?
COACH CHRYST: Alex does a good job of being in the moment. That was a heck of a play that Bush made on that, and certainly knew we were going to have to try to get some things down the field. It's a really good defense.

I thought Alex just stayed in the moment. And those next couple drives, he gave guys a chance to make plays, and I thought they competed and went and got the ball. Certainly, those were big.

Q. How impressed were you with Alex on the touchdown throw where he stepped up to avoid pressure and fit it in the window there?
COACH CHRYST: It was really good. We had a penalty on that. We were a little bit further back. I thought he did a really good job of stepping up and decisive in his throw. Those are big plays.

I think he was good in a lot of -- even some of the ones that were incomplete, he did a good job of, if it wasn't there, getting it in and out of his hand. I thought he did a lot of really good today.

Q. Edwards and Connelly were always valuable players in the linebacking corps. How much more valuable have they become now that they don't have Chris and Jack there? What did you think of their performance?
COACH CHRYST: I thought those two were noticeable, and they played fast and made big plays. Quite honestly, they were fun to watch, and certainly a big part of this defense.

I thought defensively, we played really well. I thought it was a huge stop, you know, after the one pick, able to hold them to a field goal. But the defense put pressure on the quarterback, and they were really good in the run game. They were fun to watch.

Q. Might sound weird, but do you think that the Michigan field goal was the best thing for Wisconsin, because it finally allowed you guys to get some good field positioning?
COACH CHRYST: I was really proud of the stop that the defense made. It was a game of field position.

You know what I thought early? I thought Anthony did a really nice job, Lotti, in our punting game, and certainly the coverage units. It's all part of it. That's why it feels like everyone had to contribute, and they just kept playing no matter what was happening, the adversity. And that's why I'm proud of them.

Q. You alluded to this in your first answer, but they were clearly selling out to stop the run. How badly did you think you needed to get something going in the passing game? Do you think that opened things up a little bit for Jonathan?
COACH CHRYST: Yeah. We knew going in it was going to be hard. I thought that we did a pretty good job. We got some runs going.

Yeah, we knew he had to do both. They did such a good job of getting after the quarterback. Very similar type defenses, and so you didn't want to panic. You just knew you had to kind of be persistent and kind of get a feel for how the game was playing out.

Q. Paul, Pryor and A.J. Taylor and Davis have made plays before, but what have they done since Cephus has gone out to help compensate for his loss?
COACH CHRYST: Certainly, there's a little bit more on them, and each one came up with big plays. I thought, obviously, K.P.'s run on the reverse, guys blocked it up and he finished it. Danny and A.J. made big plays. They need to do that, right? That's who you've got. Proud of them. It's fun seeing their growth, and you know they can continue to get better. I still feel like this whole team's that way. Doing some really good things, but we can still get better and need to find ways to get better.

Q. As well as your defense has played all year, it seems to find another notch in the second half. What do you think's going into that? I think it did it again today.
COACH CHRYST: I think you're right, Tom, in that they certainly, all year, have played well. But I think that there's a competitiveness in them, and I think there's a pride in it.

They know that it's all of them doing it. I think there's a little bit of they want to make sure they're doing their part individually. But collectively, certainly, I think the coaches have done a really nice job of giving them good plans. But they're playing and executing. They're making plays.

Every guy, you can kind of look at, and it's hard just when you're watching the flow of the game, but I can kind of think of every guy making a play that was big. And so I think they're just challenging themselves and certainly challenged by the opponents. But I think they're challenging themselves and not settling on we've arrived.

Q. Speaking of guys making plays, Nelson on the punt return, did it look like he didn't know whether he should pick it up? What were you thinking when it was laying on the ground?
COACH CHRYST: Pick it up.

(Laughter.)

COACH CHRYST: You know what I mean? We've been excited about Nick, and we don't always get those opportunities. We'll look back at it, and there's a lot of guys that helped. That was, obviously, first score, that was a huge play and certainly gave everyone some energy.

Q. This may be tough to answer, but do you consider this to be your best coaching job through a season as a head coach? How would you evaluate the job you've done as coach of this team?
COACH CHRYST: That has never crossed my mind, and I think that collectively, players and coaches, I'm proud of the way everyone's staying in the moment and trying to help get better.

We're not done yet. You want them to enjoy this victory -- they're not easy -- and then come back and get ready for next week.

Q. Paul, you've had some high level defenses here the last few years. What's the characteristic about this defense that stands out the most?
COACH CHRYST: Well, I think that I've been fortunate. We have had good defenses, and the characteristics are names, to me. It's Leon Jacobs, it's Garret Dooley, it's Conor Sheehy, it's Alec James, it's Derrick Tindal. They're putting their spin on it and certainly have been fortunate. They've been really well coached.

But it's the player's opportunity, and they're the ones putting their stamp on it, and I think that it's fun to see this group doing what they're doing and continuing to be challenged as the season moves on.

But I think the stamp is those guys. It's their moment, and I think they're trying to do everything they can to maximize it.

Q. Paul, your defense has been particularly good in situations where they're backed up and in bad situations. How big was forcing a fumble inside the 5 there in the first half for you guys to stay ahead?
COACH CHRYST: Oh, it was huge. You're talking about points. And I think shows, too, you just keep playing. You don't know whether you're -- wherever it's at, I think they've done a nice job of just continuing to play. And certainly that was a big play.

Q. There were times today that Maurice Hurst almost single-handedly killed your guys' drives. How much did you change your game plan to deal with him?
COACH CHRYST: Ton of respect for him as a player. Certainly, I think they've got a number of guys that you've got to try to account for. But it's not like there's not some other good ones if you overcommit to something. So you just try your best, and we feel good about our guys and you've got to rise up to that challenge.

Certainly, he made a number of plays. Like I said, he's a heck of a player. You've just got to keep going. There's a lot of good players there, and you try to help your guys with schemes so they've got to give them a chance.

Q. Paul, did you feel that this was the toughest test for your team so far this year now that it's all said and done? And did you learn anything new about your football team today?
COACH CHRYST: I think every time you go out there, it's an opportunity to either learn more about them or see them in different situations, how they respond.

Michigan's a really good football team, really well coached, and really good football players. And yet, I also feel like every week's a heck of a test. And at the end of the year, we can look back and say which one was most difficult, but we knew going in it was a heck of a football team, and still feel that right now.

Q. Paul, Tyler came back after going out early last game, and D'Cota was finally back in today. How good was it to have those guys back in for a game as intense as Michigan, and were you proud of kind of the way that they handled themselves for their first game back?
COACH CHRYST: Very proud of every one of our guys. And any time that you get one of your players that can come back and play, you feel good as a coach.

They spend so much time preparing for these moments. To be able to play and participate in those moments, that's what it's all about. And certainly, Tyler and D'Cota are examples of it this week. But when Chikwe came back, that was big deal. When Danny came back, it's a big deal.

The games are limited, and you want them to be able to have as many opportunities as they can. And, certainly, I think our whole team gets energized when you get another guy back because they care about each other.

Q. The hit by Van Ginkel that ended Peter's night, what was your vantage point on that, and what did you think of that play?
COACH CHRYST: You know, I really didn't see it, and I didn't see a replay where I was at. I knew he got hit, but I couldn't see much.

Q. Coach, the seniors have set the bar so high here at Wisconsin and today was their last day at the Camp. Have they set the bar even higher as they go out?
COACH CHRYST: Well, certainly, really I thought what a great way to finish out their time playing in Camp Randall. I thought Alec James said it really well that, you know, when they were younger, there was older players that taught them how to go about it and how to play and kind of led the way. This is how you win.

And I think this senior group that's with us here has done a great job of leading our younger players. And for that, you're forever grateful and appreciate it.

And it's certainly memorable when you play your last game. And to do it in the fashion that they did, in my opinion, a really good team win. It was big.

Q. Coach, as the wins begin to pile up, the talk outside grows about college football playoff. What do you do to try to control it inside the locker room so that the guys stay focused?
COACH CHRYST: Stay inside the building.

(Laughter.)

COACH CHRYST: We were just talking about opportunities, and you want them to enjoy this one tonight, and all the work and effort that goes into it by everyone on that team and the coaches, and you appreciate it. And then we get an opportunity to come back and get ready for next week. That's a pretty good world.

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