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NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL: IOWA STATE v RUTGERSDecember 30, 2011Paul RhoadsNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK RUTGERS – 27 COACH RHOADS: Congratulations to Rutgers University. They had a very fine season. Finished 9‑4 played a very, very good football game. I thought both sides gave great effort. It was the style and type of game that I thought it was going to be. The team that played the best football won the football game today. Q. What led to the change at quarterback‑‑ COACH RHOADS: He had banged up on the play but he was not the reason for the decision. Q. What happened with the running game, seemed the first drives were a long run and then Rutgers had them bottled up rest of the way. COACH RHOADS: Adjustments. Football game takes a long time, and you prepare and you prepare on what you've seen and you put together a game plan that you think is going to attack the football team and be successful. We had the upper hand on that through the first quarter. They made their adjustments, and then executed their style of play to our run game and they played better and executed at a higher level. Q. Can you just elaborate a little on the switch, your starter coming in, and what did you do that felt like‑‑ COACH RHOADS: It's been a long time since December 3. We have had a lot of preparation and practice time since then, and there's always competition taking place on the field. He's a hundred percent healthy or close to it with that foot. He had excellent preparation in that game. We were not executing in a manner that I felt was going to lead us to a win, and from what we've seen in December's practices, made the switch. Don't want to create a quarterback controversy heading into spring ball. Q. Inaudible. COACH RHOADS: Well, there were reasons for a couple of the turnovers.  And yes, because of those reasons, we shot ourselves in the foot. I'm not going to touch the kickoff. Q. Can you talk about how Jantz' playing, been a couple of games since he has played, can you just talk about how you think he's played and did you think he was slow at all? COACH RHOADS: He was inconsistent. There were flashes that he made great throws and great decisions. And then there was some plays that you could tell that he had not played in five or six games; not getting rid of the ball, and taking sacks and suddenly 25 or 40 seconds, the clock runs down and forces a time‑out or expired and caused us a penalty. He came right out and executed the run game very quickly and took the ball right down the field; in a word, inconsistent. Q.  Before the game you had said you were a little concerned about a team that‑‑ inaudible‑‑ that just never really adjusted. COACH RHOADS: No, I just don't think we blocked well enough. They got us back on our heels and forced the game and their pressure was better than our protection. But I don't think it was a matter of not being able to understand what we were getting and having to get assigned correctly. Q. Talk about Rutgers' running game and in particular, No. 23. COACH RHOADS: Very physical. At times, we bottled it up and tackled well, but they were very physical, which we knew they were going to be, and which I'm certainly well aware of and their style of play. He's a very thick ball carrier. It's hard to get him wrapped up, and they drive their legs very well in each play. I thought that those backs‑‑ both backs I thought played well. Q. You seemed to have some fourth quarter momentum there; talk about the effect it had. COACH RHOADS: Great play. Great play. Yeah, 20‑13 and I thought the momentum was all ours and field position was good. We created a second and long situation. Our corners, especially the second half of the season, have played very well. When the ball went up, I saw where Jeremy Revis was positioned, and I was very hopeful for an interception. They both went up and made the play, timing was good and their kid made a great, great catch and run for a touchdown. Q. On the other hand, there was‑‑ early in the game there was a pass to Josh right behind late in the game and a dropped pass on third down. Did you feel like you were one or two catches away from securing and it getting back in it? COACH RHOADS: Yeah, and that starts way in the first quarter on the first drive and we finished with two field goals and our control of the game, you only have six points and the way they were scoring and losing the lead and the momentum because of it; and not executing those throws, those throws and catches, whenever they occur in a game, prohibit you from winning football games. Q. In hindsight do you regret making the switch at quarterback? COACH RHOADS: No. Q. A lot happened on the kickoff play and the block kick. COACH RHOADS: Well, three points out of the big field goal and need to finish up with touchdowns. The block kick, ball got off low, Rutgers is second in the country in blocked kicks; we knew that. That was a matter of the kicking operation. Nothing to do with protection or them getting through there. We hit that ball poorly. Q. Two‑for‑13 on third down conversions‑‑ COACH RHOADS: I think a combination of both. This is a top 20 defense. This is a defense that's going to hurt you on third down. But we had our opportunities and then failed to execute. Q. Can you give us just an overall comment on the defense and how it went for you? COACH RHOADS: The program has come a long ways and it's a primary thing that I talked to our football team afterwards. I think this is a very good season. As we move forward, that's not going to be good enough. We won both games we were picked to win, we won four that we weren't, we beat two ranked teams, one on the road and one that was No. 2 in the country. But finishing with a Bowl loss does not fulfill the expectations of our program, which is to win Bowl games. That will allow us to be very anxious and excited when January arrives and we get a chance to get back to work. Q. The third quarter, struggled, did you ever give any thought to bring Barnett in or when you took him out, that was it? COACH RHOADS: I did. But for the reason I made the switch, it wouldn't have been right to switch back. And still, his ability to throw the ball in this game was going to be a factor; and when he was in it, you saw him down the field and be very effective. I did for a second, but then knew better of it because of why I made the switch to begin with. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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