OPENING STATEMENT
Well, obviously we're glad to be 7-0, and the bye week comes at a good time, gives us a chance to get some bumps and bruises healed up. Also gives us an opportunity to work with some of the young guys that have not had as much work since we broke camp, so you know, that's encouraging.
You know, a lot of positive things going on right now. I think someone told me we're leading the Big Ten in plays over 40 yards, so one of the things we wanted to do was try to be a little bit more explosive. We have nine different guys that have done that. We're doing a pretty good job in our 3rd downs, and so, there are just a lot of good things.
Next man in, we've had four different tackles start ball games. We had two different running backs that have gained over 200 yards. So we're excited about where we're at. We realize there's a bunch of work to be done.
Q. How do you explain, you have three new linemen in three different positions, you run for over 280 yards against a pretty good defense. They only had a week to prepare for that, putting Cole on the left and Sean on the right?
GREG DAVIS: Well, throughout camp we mix-and-match lineups, realizing that during the season different guys are going to have to play different places.
The lineup that you saw the first week of the season, I mean, guys had already been working at different positions. We had started working James at guard, center and tackle; Sean Welsh is a guy that has worked at tackle during camp some. So you try to prepare for those situations. Obviously Brian did a great job in game week realizing what we were going to have and the best way to fit all the pieces together.
But you do work on some of those things in camp, moving your top six, seven guys around.
Q. Can you put a finger on how or why this offense has become more explosive?
GREG DAVIS: You know, I think that, one, our backs are doing a good job. I think C.J. is seeing opportunities to take the ball down the field and taking them. He will take those shots.
The other thing I think that goes unnoticed -- two things, really. Our fullbacks have done a great job, and our wide receivers have done a great job. Most of the time when an explosive play happens, for example, the very first touchdown against Northwestern, I think it was 35 yards around the end, the line did a good job. It was a little bit of a counter zone play. Jake Hillyer did a good job, he came in and got the safety, and we had Akrum one-on-one with the corner.
So we had cleaned everything up for the back. Akrum made the corner miss, and it turned out to be an explosive play.
Usually those things are a combination, but I think probably not enough nice things are said about our fullbacks and our wide receivers because they've really done a good job of creating explosive plays downfield.
Q. It seems like the explosive plays mostly have either been screens or running plays.
GREG DAVIS: We've worked hard on our screens. We've worked hard on our screens. A lot of times that's, again, putting a back in a good situation, and again, the line has to do a good job because they're not just all going out together. There's assignments that they have, and then our backs have done a good job of running after the catch.
Well, obviously we're glad to be 7-0, and the bye week comes at a good time, gives us a chance to get some bumps and bruises healed up. Also gives us an opportunity to work with some of the young guys that have not had as much work since we broke camp, so you know, that's encouraging.
You know, a lot of positive things going on right now. I think someone told me we're leading the Big Ten in plays over 40 yards, so one of the things we wanted to do was try to be a little bit more explosive. We have nine different guys that have done that. We're doing a pretty good job in our 3rd downs, and so, there are just a lot of good things.
Next man in, we've had four different tackles start ball games. We had two different running backs that have gained over 200 yards. So we're excited about where we're at. We realize there's a bunch of work to be done.
Q. How do you explain, you have three new linemen in three different positions, you run for over 280 yards against a pretty good defense. They only had a week to prepare for that, putting Cole on the left and Sean on the right?
GREG DAVIS: Well, throughout camp we mix-and-match lineups, realizing that during the season different guys are going to have to play different places.
The lineup that you saw the first week of the season, I mean, guys had already been working at different positions. We had started working James at guard, center and tackle; Sean Welsh is a guy that has worked at tackle during camp some. So you try to prepare for those situations. Obviously Brian did a great job in game week realizing what we were going to have and the best way to fit all the pieces together.
But you do work on some of those things in camp, moving your top six, seven guys around.
Q. Can you put a finger on how or why this offense has become more explosive?
GREG DAVIS: You know, I think that, one, our backs are doing a good job. I think C.J. is seeing opportunities to take the ball down the field and taking them. He will take those shots.
The other thing I think that goes unnoticed -- two things, really. Our fullbacks have done a great job, and our wide receivers have done a great job. Most of the time when an explosive play happens, for example, the very first touchdown against Northwestern, I think it was 35 yards around the end, the line did a good job. It was a little bit of a counter zone play. Jake Hillyer did a good job, he came in and got the safety, and we had Akrum one-on-one with the corner.
So we had cleaned everything up for the back. Akrum made the corner miss, and it turned out to be an explosive play.
Usually those things are a combination, but I think probably not enough nice things are said about our fullbacks and our wide receivers because they've really done a good job of creating explosive plays downfield.
Q. It seems like the explosive plays mostly have either been screens or running plays.
GREG DAVIS: We've worked hard on our screens. We've worked hard on our screens. A lot of times that's, again, putting a back in a good situation, and again, the line has to do a good job because they're not just all going out together. There's assignments that they have, and then our backs have done a good job of running after the catch.
