Although football games in the Big Ten don't officially start until August 30th when Minnesota takes on UNLV, the Big Ten kicked-off the football season Thursday with its annual Big Ten Football Media Days. During the first day each coach took the podium to answer questions, make statements about their team and to declare that each program is as excited as a child on Christmas morning to start the football season. Here are a few of the most memorable quotes from Day 1 of the Big Ten Football Kick-off in Chicago, Illinois.
Bret Bielema (Wisconsin)
Q. Now that you're married, are you going to be a smarter coach? How is that going to affect things?
A: "Nineteen weeks and five days that we've been into this relationship. It's because I get reminded on a daily basis, not that I knew that stat."
Danny Hope (Purdue)
During his opening statement
"This is an exciting time for all the Boilermaker nation, our fans and our players and our coaches. First time since I became head coach at Purdue we potentially have a very good football team coming back."
Urban Meyer (Ohio State)
Q. Do you have a problem with coaches being able to solicit players from Penn State right now?
COACH MEYER: "I have a problem with that...I have a problem with that."
Tim Beckman (Illinois)
During opening statement
"I want to address the situation because I know it's going to be asked, so I'm going to attack it because I'm a proactive guy. I just want everybody to understand-- and you can ask questions from there-- about the Penn State situation. We as a staff and me, myself, as the head football coach, talked about this.
It was brought to our attention by two individuals prior to even any sanctions being granted by the NCAA that an opportunity might present itself for a transfer.
We did not go onto their campus. We only talked to individuals that would be willing to meet with us. We did not go after them. They had the opportunity to come to us if they would like to come to us and speak to us. And that's how we handled the situation."
Kevin Wilson (Indiana)
On what needs to improve for the Hoosiers this season.
I think we'll be a lot better on defense, but we're not at a point physically and in year two to play lights-out great defense. We've got to score a lot more points, too. Everybody talks about our D struggling. We average 18.1 points. That's as poor an offense as I've been around since 1999.
So we need to score points, because that will help our defense. We move the ball offensively. I think 59 percent of the time when we got to the 40 yard line, we scored points. So basically, three out of five times, we scored points at the 40 yard line when you're getting into that fringe score area.
So scoring points is going to be critical for our football team's success, to complement the defense, and I think third down stops, because we're not going to play great defense yet, but we got to get some stops to keep the game manageable and give us a chance to start getting the W's in Big Ten play.
Q. You gave up over 240 yards a game against the run on defense last year. Has that been a focal point during your off\0x2011season preparations for this year, and what needs to change to be more successful against the run?
We were one of the few teams in the nation that gave up more rush yards than pass yards... And in our world, we've got to get a team playing one-handed. So last year, our inability to play defense in the run game allowed our defense to play as poorly as it did.
So we've got to play 11 defense. Get 11 guys getting hats to the ball, team defense. Still, whether we're stopping the run, whatever, third down stops, creating some turnovers getting the ball back to the offense is what we've focused on more than just stopping the run.
Q. At this point now is Tre Roberson a lock at quarterback or will he have a little bit of a battle between Cam Kaufman as well?
"When you're a 1-11 football team there's no job safety. There's nothing etched in stone. So if you've started, if you've played, we've played a lot of guys looking for combinations. I think with a lot of those guys playing, that increased our work habits and we've had a great off-season. And we're not going to have a quarterback threat or a quarterback competition.
I'll say this: The conversation to Tre Roberson and the conversation to every quarterback, we're not going to be a good team in the Big Ten with average quarterback play. That is a fact. We better be one of the better quarterbacks in the league and we better play at a high end if we expect to win and start playing quality Big Ten football."
Q. We've heard a variety of opinions from some of your peers regarding recruiting Penn State players. How do you\0x2011\0x2011 what's your stance on that? Do you have a problem with that philosophy?
"We all have the rules and the guidelines. The one -- I don't know if you were the one that said this, the one rule that I don't understand is how I can oversign and some team have more than 85 guys on scholarship and other teams don't have that right. That's a competitive advantage to another school.
So I don't understand how someone can go past 85. If I go past an initial and take it back, but if I'm walking into an arena and I've got 85 on grant and somebody's got 87, I don't know if that's fair. I want to be fair to those kids if they want it. As far as reaching out, I see it as a kid wanting to transfer."
Q. Coach, what's your team's goals coming into this season?
"I think the key thing, it starts with me. And we've done a great job as coaches addressing us and doing some of the things we need to do and what I need to do better to communicate, to team lead, to team build, to get that thing going."
Jerry Kill (Minnesota)
"I think when adversity hits, you have to deal with it. You can't run away from it. We've had a fair share... But to be honest with you, sometimes tragic events bring you closer together and you find out who you are."
Brady Hoke (Michigan)
Sarcastically talking about the media:
"But we're glad to be here. Glad to see you, kind of. But we're glad you're here. So thanks."
Bill O'Brien (Penn State)
Q. What will be the key to have success on the field in these upcoming years with the restrictions?
"The key is, number one, to keep this 2012 team together, which right now it is together. And we've got to continue to communicate with our players and that's what we're doing on a daily basis, minute to minute, we're communicating with these players.
So that's number one. And then moving forward, you know, again, I've said this this morning and I've said this over the last couple of days. I've heard the talk that this is so bad and what are we going to do. I don't see it that way. I don't see it that way. I see it as an opportunity. I see it as a little bit of adversity that we need to overcome."
Bo Pelini (Nebraska)
Reflecting on first year in Big Ten
"I don't think there's anything that really surprises us. But I think a year under our belt, having some familiarity with the conference, with the teams, with the style of offenses and defenses, you know, there's one thing seeing it on film; there's another thing living it and seeing it in person, firsthand."
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern)
On new uniforms:
"Some people have accused me of being the youngest old school person in the country and I'm okay with that. To see the Northwestern stripe prominently in our jersey I think is classy. I think it shows the tradition of our university, not just of our football program.
And I'll just put it to you this way: The technology in that uniform is cutting edge. It's strong and as unique as anything in our country."
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
Q. The Big Ten has had a lot of long\0x2011tenured coaches, when you look at Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler and people of that regard. So what does it mean to you to kind of now be the longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten? And also how has the conference changed since you first became a head coach here?
"I have a 22\0x2011year history with the school. Worked for a man who was there for 20 years, Dan Gable. Had a long career.
And I think one thing, draw a parallel between the University of Iowa and the Pittsburgh Steelers, they stay with their people. And so I'm very, very appreciative of that.
University of Iowa has been tremendous to me on a professional basis and equally as important, maybe more so important to me, is what they've done for our family.
So I feel fortunate we've had five kids graduate from one high school. That's hard to do in this profession. I've had a great experience on a personal level and then a great experience professionally.
So I'm just honored to be the head coach there and very much looking forward to this year."
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State)
Q. Despite what you guys accomplished last year, the perception is that Michigan is still favored over you guys. Do you like your position in that sense?
"Well, why do you guys bring that up on me? I would just say they've been favored pretty much the last four years. Competitive game. Big rival game. They do an outstanding job there. But it only matters: Are they favored or not in the locker room? And in our locker room, they won't be favored. So we'll start with that"
