Experienced defense worries coach
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 10/19/2007
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Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz discussed the Boilermakers during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Here's some of the highlights, courtesy of the school's Web site.
Talk about moving the ball, Purdue's defense has given up a lot of points.
"Yeah, they have, but they've played two pretty high-caliber teams. I think Michigan and Ohio State are separating themselves a little bit from a lot of the teams in the league.
"So we're going to have a challenge there. A lot of the same guys are playing better than a year ago. It's kind of like Illinois. I think they're very similar in that regard. A lot of guys back from a year ago, a lot of familiar faces. But like you'd expect, they're playing at a higher level than they were a year ago."
How much of a step forward was Saturday (Iowa beat Illinois 10-6)?
"Well, it was major. We just needed some success, first and foremost. As I've been saying, our guys have worked hard. Their attitude has been great. But at some point, you've got to have a little reward in there, too. There's no guarantees you're going to get one, but it certainly is important.
"And I think it just kind of verified for a lot of the guys on the team that, hey, you know, things can work out, we've just got to keep pushing, keep working through some issues and challenges. You know, you learn a lot out of losing, and we certainly have learned enough this year, so hopefully we can start pushing forward the other direction.
You can go from extreme to extreme like Illinois' running game and (Purdue's) passing game. Is that a challenge week to week?
"Yeah, it is a challenge. The good news is Purdue will run some option. The bad news is we probably won't see it. That preparation was good, but yeah, it's a very -- it's a shift back, so it's going to be a whole different preparation for us.
"But again, the biggest challenge is you've got a quarterback who can really throw the football very well. It's one thing to say, hey, we're going to throw the ball around, but these guys really practice it, they execute it very well, they've got precision, they've got talent, and that's where the challenge is, just how they operate. We're going to have to try to be at our best."