As usual, IU coach Bill Lynch addressed the media at his weekly Tuesday press conference. Here are some highlights.
Officiating
In his opening statement, Lynch emphasized there were 173 plays in the Iowa football game.
"That's why we talk all the time about 'play the next play' so that when you go back and look it over you don't say, 'it was that play that made the difference in the game'," Lynch said. (For your viewing pleasure or displeasure, here's the call in question).
The first three questions all concerned the officiating, specifically the controversial touchdown/no touchdown catch by WR Terrance Turner.
- Does Lynch want an answer from the Big Ten? "No...we've had contact with the Big Ten office and we have all the confidence in the world that they will handle it appropriately...When I talked to (the players) yesterday it didn't even come up. I'm more concerned about the 173 plays - there are 171 other ones that we can get corrected and we can do our job."
- What does "make contact with the Big Ten mean? Is that a letter, phone call, something else? "We made contact. Let's move on to the next question."
- Did Lynch ever consider just taking the $10,000 fine to blast the officials? "No, that's now how I was brought up," Lynch said, "and I'm not going to change now."
Injuries
Lynch said senior cornerback Ray Fisher, who injured his knee returning the opening kickoff against Iowa, will undergo surgery Wednesday. Lynch did not elaborate on the extent of the surgery and did not rule out Fisher for the remainder of the season. Fisher will miss this week's game against Wisconsin.
Safety Nick Polk, who missed last week's game due to an ankle injury in practice, was listed as questionable this week. He was listed as the starter on the depth chart. Running back Darius Willis, who has been banged up much of the season, was also listed as questionable with an ankle injury.
CB Donnell Jones, who played through an injury against Iowa, was not on the injury report.
Follow the jump to see Lynch's thoughts on Iowa and Wisconsin, as well as the full injury report and game captains for this Saturday.
Preliminary injury report
OUT: DE Darius Johnson (shoulder), DB Chris Adkins (elbow), DT Jarrod Smith (back), CB Ray Fisher (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: RB Zach Davis-Walker (foot), S Jarrell Drane (thigh), OL Cody Faulkner (shoulder), S Jerimy Finch (hamstring), S Nick Polk (ankle), DL Terrance Thomas (shoulder), RB Darius Willis (ankle)
PROBABLE: DE Fred Jones (foot)
Thoughts on Iowa
"Iowa as we all know is a great football team...when teams have special seasons - and where it ends up we don't know - there are special plays and there are special games that you have," Lynch said.
He said Iowa's defense locked down the Hoosiers late in the game, especially as IU played into the wind in the fourth quarter.
- On finishing games
In three road conference games, IU has struggled in the fourth quarter. Lynch said the coaching staff has tried to determine what has kept the Hoosiers from finishing games. "Each game is different," Lynch said, adding that it often is a matter of making one play or converting one first down. He said the coaching staff has not found "that one thing" that keeps IU from winning.
Does the team wear down? I don't know, Lynch said. He mentioned that while it's not a strength or conditioning issue, some of the defensive players are giving huge efforts for the duration of the game, including making plays on special teams.
- On just being unlucky
"I really don't worry about that," Lynch said.
Lynch said even the "unlucky" plays come down to execution. He used Tyler Sash's interception return as an example. He said if the players executed better - were one step quicker, threw it one moment earlier, blocked one person better, etc. then that play would not have happened.
"If we give (the players) the out that it's just bad luck, that it just sometimes the ball doesn't bounce our way, then that's the way they are going to practice and play Wisconsin and hope the ball bounces our way," Lynch said.
- On Iowa's two big plays against IU's secondary
Lynch said the two big passing plays by Iowa in the fourth quarter were a result of breakdowns in the secondary. He said it might have been a communication breakdown but emphasized there were missed tackles in the secondary. He added that CB Donnell Jones was playing hurt and might've been able to chase down the Iowa receivers if he was at full strength.
Thoughts on Wisconsin
Lynch said Wisconsin's the first true power-running team they've faced this year. He said Wisconsin RB John Clay reminds him a bit of former Badger RB Ron Dayne. He emphasized they can score in different ways and the team can't just focus on the Badgers' running game.
- On fan support
Lynch emphasized his hope that the fans aren't turned away by the two-game losing streak.
"I really hope our fans come back out and support us," Lynch said. "...I really do think our fans (in close games) were a big help...the students have been tremendous all year and we need their support again this week to come back out and be a part of it."
Will you be going to the game? Or have you put IU football in the rear view mirror?
Game captains
The game captains for Saturday's home game against Wisconsin will be Ben Chappell, Rodger Saffold, Collin Taylor and Matt Mayberry.
