KIRK FERENTZ: Welcome to everybody. Obviously very pleased with the team today. We talked in January about it's a new season, a new year, and talked to them last night, this is the first chapter in that story.
So just very, very pleased with the team. I felt we had a really good camp, productive camp, preseason camp. I felt our first week of game preparation went really well. The focus was there every day at practice, and to me, my guess is that time away from the building, the guys did a good job, as well, and most importantly they were ready to play today. When we showed up on the field the guys were ready, so happy about that, and I think we saw a lot of improvement in a lot of different areas out there on the field. The guys played hard. I thought we were more aggressive in areas than we've been, some other areas, and particularly on the perimeter offensively and defensively.
So those are things we're pleased about. And then on top of that, it was a great opportunity for a lot of young guys to play in two phases, really. We had a lot of new players out there playing in our starting lineups, like every college football team, but it was a little scary to me last night, Paul Federici at the hotel mentioned to me we had over 20 guys, it was the first time they had been at the hotel the night before a game, and I didn't realize the number was that high, so it was a little bit alarming there for me -- not alarming, but to get the guys in the game, a lot them in prominent roles, and then get guys in the game in that fourth quarter in front of fans, that's a good thing, and when it really counts. It's going to be a great learning experience.
All in all, a lot we can learn from and a lot of good teaching moments out there, and we'll go back to work tomorrow, but we're really pleased to get the win.
Q. That 99-yard and 81-yard drive, those were textbook.
KIRK FERENTZ: It was a great way to start, and then we overcame terrible field position, to their credit. They did a great job of pinning us in on the 1, and then also overcame a false start in there. I think we were 1st and 15, so we were able to get past that, as well.
There was a lot of things there that were pleasing. Any time you can sustain the ball like that and put a drive together, that's a positive thing.
Q. When you see a guy like Drew Ott establish the tempo of your defense, it must be pretty pleasing.
KIRK FERENTZ: It was. He's been going hard all camp, and he's really been going hard ever since he got here, but he just has grown as a football player, and for us to have a good football team, it's just imperative our best players play better than they ever have, and I think Drew certainly is an example of that, but we have a lot of guys doing that, and I'm certainly pleased with, I think, the way our older guys, our experienced guys have moved forward.
Q. His bloody nose kept him out a while?
KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, it did, it took a while to get him out there, but fortunately he was able to return.
Q. How do you think the offensive line played? A lot of questions about those guys coming into this game.
KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, just joked with Gary (Dolphin) and Ed (Podalak) on the radio that for two tackles that have never played, I've never read so much about two tackles in my career. That's a couple years now. I thought both those guys, they've been practicing well. They've really done a good job, and as I said before, it's over a couple years, not just the last couple months. You have to have faith and confidence, and you never know how things are going to go. They had veteran ends today and guys that were dangerous and hard to block.
It's really good for those guys, and not only them but the other guys that are first-time starters, guys like Jaleel Johnson, Nate Bazata, Miles Taylor, go right down the list. We had guys that hadn't played football significantly, good to see them get out there and perform and not show up in a negative way.
And then the big thing is I was talking to our whole football team, we've got to turn the page tomorrow and get back to work and see what we can do to get better fast.
Q. The fourth-and-2 at I believe their 14, the thinking there?
KIRK FERENTZ: You know, we kind of shifted our thinking a little bit last year about four-down situations. We talk weekly, and then certainly before the game just about what our parameters are going to be and what our thought process would be but based on down and distance. Also the score of the game.
You know, it's just something that we've kind of developed a comfort level with, and just pleased with the way our guys responded.
Q. A play that didn't work was extremely popular with the crowd when you went for the (fake field goal).
KIRK FERENTZ: I've heard that. Probably won't be as popular next time it doesn't work. I'm just going to go out on a ledge and take a shot at that one.
But just as part of our thinking, back in January and then -- January was more personnel related, but after recruiting finished, we tried to go through everything as thoroughly as we possibly could, and I think that's probably the creation out of that think tank a little bit.
So just very, very pleased with the team. I felt we had a really good camp, productive camp, preseason camp. I felt our first week of game preparation went really well. The focus was there every day at practice, and to me, my guess is that time away from the building, the guys did a good job, as well, and most importantly they were ready to play today. When we showed up on the field the guys were ready, so happy about that, and I think we saw a lot of improvement in a lot of different areas out there on the field. The guys played hard. I thought we were more aggressive in areas than we've been, some other areas, and particularly on the perimeter offensively and defensively.
So those are things we're pleased about. And then on top of that, it was a great opportunity for a lot of young guys to play in two phases, really. We had a lot of new players out there playing in our starting lineups, like every college football team, but it was a little scary to me last night, Paul Federici at the hotel mentioned to me we had over 20 guys, it was the first time they had been at the hotel the night before a game, and I didn't realize the number was that high, so it was a little bit alarming there for me -- not alarming, but to get the guys in the game, a lot them in prominent roles, and then get guys in the game in that fourth quarter in front of fans, that's a good thing, and when it really counts. It's going to be a great learning experience.
All in all, a lot we can learn from and a lot of good teaching moments out there, and we'll go back to work tomorrow, but we're really pleased to get the win.
Q. That 99-yard and 81-yard drive, those were textbook.
KIRK FERENTZ: It was a great way to start, and then we overcame terrible field position, to their credit. They did a great job of pinning us in on the 1, and then also overcame a false start in there. I think we were 1st and 15, so we were able to get past that, as well.
There was a lot of things there that were pleasing. Any time you can sustain the ball like that and put a drive together, that's a positive thing.
Q. When you see a guy like Drew Ott establish the tempo of your defense, it must be pretty pleasing.
KIRK FERENTZ: It was. He's been going hard all camp, and he's really been going hard ever since he got here, but he just has grown as a football player, and for us to have a good football team, it's just imperative our best players play better than they ever have, and I think Drew certainly is an example of that, but we have a lot of guys doing that, and I'm certainly pleased with, I think, the way our older guys, our experienced guys have moved forward.
Q. His bloody nose kept him out a while?
KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, it did, it took a while to get him out there, but fortunately he was able to return.
Q. How do you think the offensive line played? A lot of questions about those guys coming into this game.
KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, just joked with Gary (Dolphin) and Ed (Podalak) on the radio that for two tackles that have never played, I've never read so much about two tackles in my career. That's a couple years now. I thought both those guys, they've been practicing well. They've really done a good job, and as I said before, it's over a couple years, not just the last couple months. You have to have faith and confidence, and you never know how things are going to go. They had veteran ends today and guys that were dangerous and hard to block.
It's really good for those guys, and not only them but the other guys that are first-time starters, guys like Jaleel Johnson, Nate Bazata, Miles Taylor, go right down the list. We had guys that hadn't played football significantly, good to see them get out there and perform and not show up in a negative way.
And then the big thing is I was talking to our whole football team, we've got to turn the page tomorrow and get back to work and see what we can do to get better fast.
Q. The fourth-and-2 at I believe their 14, the thinking there?
KIRK FERENTZ: You know, we kind of shifted our thinking a little bit last year about four-down situations. We talk weekly, and then certainly before the game just about what our parameters are going to be and what our thought process would be but based on down and distance. Also the score of the game.
You know, it's just something that we've kind of developed a comfort level with, and just pleased with the way our guys responded.
Q. A play that didn't work was extremely popular with the crowd when you went for the (fake field goal).
KIRK FERENTZ: I've heard that. Probably won't be as popular next time it doesn't work. I'm just going to go out on a ledge and take a shot at that one.
But just as part of our thinking, back in January and then -- January was more personnel related, but after recruiting finished, we tried to go through everything as thoroughly as we possibly could, and I think that's probably the creation out of that think tank a little bit.
