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00:00 Okay, well, we're happy to get out there with a win.
00:03 As everyone saw, it was a tough football game for our team.
00:07 It wasn't a great performance in the first half for sure.
00:10 So that was disappointing.
00:12 But that's how college football works.
00:16 I talk about it all the time in our football team.
00:18 Nothing will ever be easy.
00:20 We challenge our guys in halftime to play much harder, play much tougher.
00:25 Figure out a way to grind this thing out.
00:28 And just try to win the half.
00:30 And also, we said, look, we're gonna judge effort.
00:34 And if you're not giving more effort than the other guy,
00:36 you won't play the rest of the year.
00:37 I think our guys stayed together.
00:39 They gave way better effort.
00:41 Fortunately for us, our coaches hung in there too.
00:43 We found a way to coach better in the second half and
00:44 had a better plan and some adjustments.
00:47 And it took everything to win.
00:48 So we have a long ways to go.
00:50 But like I told them, every college football game is gonna be like that.
00:55 And if you're not ready for that,
00:56 then you might as well not show up at the game.
00:58 >> Questions for Jeff?
01:01 >> Yeah.
01:01 >> Jeff, in addition to the effort thing,
01:07 did you change any schematically defensively in the second half?
01:10 Cuz they had 282 yards in one quarter, and
01:13 then the rest of the game they had less than 200.
01:17 >> Yes, we did.
01:17 >> [LAUGH]
01:18 >> So, you know what,
01:20 we got in a rut there playing too much man coverage in the second quarter.
01:24 We had some guys running all over the place and not knowing where to be.
01:27 I thought we played the same front too much.
01:31 We were on our heels, the linebacks weren't attacking downhill.
01:34 And fortunately, we worked a lot of things throughout fall camp,
01:38 the summer and the spring, and we made adjustments.
01:40 We used different calls, changed the front, stemmed the front, played more zone.
01:45 We did a much better job.
01:47 And I just think, you know what, you come in the game thinking you can do something,
01:52 and if it doesn't work, you gotta be able to adjust.
01:54 So I applaud our defensive coaches for making those adjustments,
01:58 our defensive players for coming out and really doing a heck of a job in the second
02:02 half until the very last drive, getting the ball back for us when we needed it.
02:05 Really was a great team effort in the second half that we had to have or
02:10 we're not gonna win the game.
02:11 >> Jeff, can you kinda give us some insight into how much,
02:16 given all the veteran guys you brought in from the quarter and everything,
02:19 was halftime a matter of you having to lift any spirits in terms of
02:25 having confidence that you can come back from this?
02:27 Or with the older guys, was it easier just to be like, okay,
02:31 we do this execution-wise, we're gonna be fine?
02:34 >> I didn't lift a whole lot of spirits.
02:37 >> [LAUGH] >> I try to be as positive as I can,
02:41 but it came down to somebody needed to challenge our players to do more.
02:47 And it's gotta come from me, and somebody to challenge our coaches to do more.
02:52 And that's including me, I made too many mistakes.
02:55 There's a lot of things we gotta clean up.
02:57 Football's a game of toughness, intensity, passion, and
03:00 that's just how the game works.
03:02 And you know what, if you don't have that, you're not gonna win.
03:06 So I just think that with all that said, you know what,
03:10 we communicated what we needed to do.
03:12 We didn't give in, we didn't give up, we didn't feel sorry for ourself.
03:17 We just came out and played football much sounder and
03:20 much better, and found a way to win in the end.
03:22 >> Jeff, what did you see from Jack?
03:26 He looked like he was pressing a little early, he missed some easy throws.
03:29 Then maybe it got him an easy throw, I think it was a Huggins-Bruce, and
03:33 from there he obviously played better.
03:35 What did you see from him?
03:36 Do you talk to him about that?
03:38 >> Well, I've coached Jack a long time.
03:41 It wasn't his best first half, without question.
03:44 I thought he was misfiring, he was timid.
03:46 He wasn't cutting loose, he was throwing it late.
03:49 He missed some open guys.
03:50 And if we're gonna throw the ball, we have to hit those.
03:55 So in the second half, we ran the ball more.
03:59 We got some easier completions.
04:02 He got a little bit better of a rhythm.
04:04 And you know what, he hung in there and played hard.
04:05 So I applaud him for his effort the second half.
04:09 He really wants to win.
04:10 I think sometimes he's the type who cares so much that he will press early on.
04:14 I think like everybody, he was nervous and
04:17 wasn't playing as confident and as sturdy as he easily could.
04:22 And I just think he's gotta learn from it.
04:23 That's one thing about quarterback play that you have to either have that skill or
04:28 you have to continue to develop that skill that when it gets game time,
04:33 the mentality's gotta be that you will stand in that pocket,
04:36 you will throw it with conviction.
04:38 You will not allow anything else to detour you.
04:40 And if you get in a little rut, you gotta be able to bounce back.
04:42 So fortunately for him, he bounced back.
04:45 A lot of other guys played better around him, and it helped us score enough points.
04:50 >> Not to get too sentimental about the game, but how does it feel to actually
04:55 have that first win as head coach back home at your alma mater?
04:58 And I guess do it the way that you guys did tonight.
05:02 >> Well, every win feels good.
05:04 You know what, it's funny as I've been a head coach, especially at Purdue.
05:08 [LAUGH] There's not one win that's easy.
05:11 And just when you think you're feeling good and you're in a good place,
05:16 man, you're gonna fall flat on your face.
05:18 So I just think having the mental fortitude and
05:21 toughness to just know, hey, this is how it's gonna be.
05:24 Sure, I love to play a perfect game.
05:25 I love to win by double digits, all those things.
05:28 You gotta find a way to win.
05:29 So I just think we have a long ways to go.
05:31 I didn't think we were gelled together as a team early on.
05:37 And yes, there are new pieces, but I thought we'd be gelled together better.
05:42 But we were not.
05:43 But we regrouped, and we just have to continue to help our players get in
05:48 the best position to succeed, help them make plays more consistent,
05:53 have answers when bad things happen, which I do think we eventually did.
05:58 And just hang in there and get better.
06:00 >> You spoke all offseason about what happens when your team faces adversity,
06:04 when that happens.
06:06 Do you think you got your answer?
06:07 >> Well, we got our answer for this week.
06:09 I mean, I like our guys.
06:11 They really care.
06:11 They work hard.
06:12 Just like I tell them, I say, hey, you know what?
06:16 You guys have worked really hard to get to this point.
06:18 You put in the effort.
06:19 You put in the time.
06:19 And sometimes when you prepare this hard, you think you can go out there and win.
06:24 And guess what?
06:26 The other team prepared just as hard, and they worked just as long.
06:30 So no, you still have to perform on game day.
06:33 You have to perform.
06:33 You have to ring the bell, meaning that your best game that you've had to date.
06:38 Otherwise, we're not getting better.
06:39 So I just think that's how football works.
06:41 It's not an easy game.
06:44 Different things come up.
06:46 But I think we have enough leadership in the room that, you know what?
06:50 They'll hang in there and they'll fight to the end.
06:51 And hopefully we can get better as we proceed forward.
06:54 >> Two more, Alexis and Ken.
06:56 >> This is Jeff.
06:57 You guys talked about that run game.
06:59 You had three guys with Isaac and Jamar and Maurice.
07:01 What did you guys like in that rotation and what they were able to do tonight?
07:05 >> Well, we needed all of them.
07:06 And I just think it's a good crew that this year we're gonna have to be able to
07:12 run the ball and we're gonna have to be able to hit some play action.
07:14 But the running game is critical.
07:17 So those guys ran hard.
07:18 They were able to rotate in there, give us different elements.
07:21 Isaac stood out a little bit, made some good runs.
07:25 Maurice made a couple.
07:26 Of course, Jamar hung in there and got on the edge a few times and
07:29 hit the big run that got us the lead.
07:31 So we needed all of them.
07:32 And we're lucky to have them.
07:36 And we just gotta continue to press forward with those guys and
07:38 make sure they get enough touches.
07:40 Because I do think they can make people miss and get extra yards after contact.
07:45 >> Jeff, there are gonna be big plays, obviously, throughout a game.
07:47 But kinda take us through the stretch where it looked like you all are arguing,
07:51 you want them to review what looked like it might have been an incomplete pass up
07:55 until the snap, and then that's the play.
07:57 You get the sack, you get the turnover, and then Jamar gets the touchdown run.
08:00 >> Well, sometimes you just need to shut your mouth and
08:03 let the referees call the game.
08:04 >> [LAUGH] >> The ball popped out, I'm thinking,
08:08 really, did he have it long enough?
08:10 And of course, sometimes when you talk to referees,
08:12 they don't look at you and don't tell you anything.
08:14 So I'm glad that they got their way and made a good play on defense.
08:21 The turnovers were crucial for us.
08:23 They got us points every time we got the turnovers.
08:25 We were awful on third down.
08:28 We couldn't convert, which is disappointing.
08:31 But we took advantage of a few good plays for our defense, and that was one of them.
08:36 >> All right, thank you.
08:37 >> Cool.