IU Football Coach Kevin Wilson was on the weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference on Tuesday afternoon to talk about the Hoosiers' upcoming matchup against Illinois.
Opening Statement:
"A disappointing loss, battled back but unfortunately came up short against Minnesota and got another challenge and great opportunity with Illinois coming in this Saturday. (I'm) looking forward to it."
On the 100+ rushing yard performances from Tevin Coleman and Stephen Houston against Minnesota:
"We fell behind in the game, didn't really play a good first half and getting back into it we were able to use some run. I think our opponent was playing the pass a little bit and we did a fair job of blocking and those two guys played well so I think that's the first time since 2003 (that) we've had a Big Ten game with two guys over 100. We got a little better running, we'll need it this week and we'll need it down the final stretch for the final four games."
How Illinois has changed on offense from last season:
"Very multiple in what they do but then again, having known Coach Cubit throughout the years, watched his teams prior to him being the head coach at Western, where he was a coordinator. Going to use his players, going to use multiple formations, going to use the field, fourth-year player in Scheelhaase that can run the ball effectively as a quarterback as well so you got to kind of defend all the guys, defend the field. Looked like last game they got into a little bit more tempos so they can spread it out, play fast, they're more multiple than other teams in personnel so they'll put big guys out there, little guys out there and when they've been clicking, they've been a very, very efficient offense and they've struggled in some games but they've struggled against tremendous defense. They've lost the last few at Penn State, against Wisconsin at home and at Nebraska. I think before that they lost to Washington so they've lost to five pretty good football teams. They have skilled defensive players but when they play well, they've been very effective, been as good as most people in our country and our league of offense."
How Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase has improved:
"From afar, I would actually say that the last year or so looked like he might have had an injured shoulder that I think maybe affected his ability to throw it. He looks healthy even though they're running him, I think they're doing a very good job of protecting him and not exposing him so they take advantage of him but he's not been a guy that in games has ran 20 or 20 some times. I think earlier in his career as a young quarterback who was athletic, they probably ran him a little bit more, didn't trust him as a thrower. I think he's matured. He's a veteran guy now, he can probably handle a lot more mentally even though it's a new offense, he can handle more. Bill is a very good coach but I think they've done a very good job of keeping him healthy and I think that's why his production went up."
On how well equipped IU's defense is to stop Wisconsin and Ohio State's offenses in order to put IU in position to win:
"It's going to be difficult because the games were playing now, we're still sputtering on offense. The other day, we had five consecutive punts, had the ball three times inside our 15-yard line, where we had a turnover at the end of the game and two field goals in the first half so we're getting in some close games and some one-possession games. We're not quite good enough as an overall team. Defensively, we've got some young guys, we've got some injuries, we're a little banged up. We're still trying to find our niche and not just down the road with those games. Illinois, that we're playing this week, is coming in with an offense that gets rolling. They can be very explosive and cause some problems. Year 3, (I'm) disappointed our defense hasn't done better. We're gonna keep working at it through the season and work in the offseason development, recruiting because we've got to make some strides and we don't have it figured out on offense. We've just been a little more efficient, probably got a little bit more depth and a little bit more playmakers there so we're still a work in progress and we're continuing to work and press forward. Those will be challenges but we've got to get through this one this week with Illinois first."
How IU's current quarterback situation compares to past quarterback competitions in Wilson's coaching career:
"That's part of our challenge with those guys that we're talking to those guys about. I think it's really addressing them this week to make sure they're taking care of themselves and pushing themselves and really just consume their work and how they need to improve. I think sometimes it's easy with everyone on their phone, the articles and Twitter comments and social media time, you hear everyone else's opinion and you start comparing yourself to each other and that being said, we've been a little up and down, whether a guy's been hot or cold. I just think they're young guys, both of them still right now are in single digits with starts. We've got two years and a handful of games left to play this year so that being said to me, they got to get better. I've been around young players. I don't know if I've had a situation where I've had two guys very comparable with their skill set and the offense doesn't change. We're just looking for some consistency and what I'm really challenging those guys to do is to continue to press, continue to work and get better. I use the analogy of Tom Brady, who split time at Michigan years ago but has continued to work and work and work and is probably going to be a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest guys ever. Where we are now is where we are, just make sure we keep working, focus on ourselves and keep improving ourselves each day. That's been our mojo this week. Our team needs to take a step forward, with that being said, I think our quarterbacks really need to step up"
