Hope Holds Weekly Press Conference

The Boiling Point: Transcript from Danny Hope’s weekly press conference.

Danny Hope held his weekly press conference to discuss his team’s performance in Ann Arbor, as well as its preparation for Wisconsin this weekend. Following are some excerpts. After the jump you’ll find the entire transcript.

Q. Who would you say at this point halfway through the Big Ten season on your team is making for a push for post-season honors?
COACH HOPE: I think Kawann Short is one of the better players at his position in the Big Ten. I think he’s an outstanding defensive tackle prospect. I haven’t looked at anyone else’s numbers. I think Joe Holland is a great player. Ricardo Allen has to be up there somewhere as far as interceptions and takeaways go. I think our punter, Cody Webster has done a great job. He didn’t kick his best game last Saturday. Probably his worst game as far as getting off some good punts. But he’s up there on a stats standpoint. I think he’s tops in our league. We have a handful of players. Dennis Kelly has played well. He’s created in the 80 percentile almost every game this year. He’s played well. There’s a lot of good offensive linemen in the league. We have a handful of top players that are top players or could be top players in their position in our league.

Q. From your standpoint, your offensive line, things didn’t go as well as you would like at Michigan, what’s the key to that?
COACH HOPE: Our offensive line? I think team takeoff is really important. We’re playing in a packed house that’s a very live atmosphere there. A great place to go. Really exciting place to go play a game at. It is very loud.
We did well against Penn State from a team takeoff standpoint. That was important for us in that game. We didn’t do near as well this past week at Michigan from a takeoff standpoint. Playing in another loud environment, linemen getting out of their stances at the same time will be important for us.

Q. What do you think the difference was in the takeoff between Penn State and Michigan?
COACH HOPE: I don’t know. Maybe we didn’t do it as well in practice throughout the course of the week. Schmeig, our center, he was sick throughout the course of the week. He wasn’t in there as much, wasn’t as good at it. We had guys moved around some. Peters Drey didn’t practice all that much. Continuity I think throughout the course of the week in practice. I think that lack of continuity carried over in some of the games.
Michigan played hard and were good. So was Penn State. We weren’t as efficient with it throughout the course of the game, throughout the course of practice. We addressed it, tried to work hard on it, but we weren’t as efficient in practice.

Q. First off, you’re playing a Wisconsin team that’s had two heartbreaking losses on the road, still very formidable. Talk about the problems they present.
COACH HOPE: They’re a great football team. That’s a tough place to play at. They’re still the same from a run standpoint where they can come out and get after you with the power run game, they have a great offensive line that’s dominant at times and loaded with good runningbacks. That part of them hasn’t changed offensively.
They now have a new weapon, a very good passing attack. Their quarterback is one of the top efficiency-rated quarterbacks in the country, maybe number one. He was right up there. Average about 250 yards a game, over 200 yards a game from a passing game. Very explosive offensively. Even more so now with the threat of a very good passing game.
Defensively, much like in the past, very big and very strong, really physical. Linebackers that tackle very well. We think they’re exceptional in the secondary also.
A very good football team. I think they’re top 10 in total offense on a national level and top 10 in total defense, somewhere near that, on a national level. So they’re a great football team.

Q. When you play an offensive line as big as Wisconsin, how challenging is that, given their size, strength and experience?
COACH HOPE: Well, it’s real tough. They’ve wore down opponents over the years. Last year we had some success against them. Again, they have a way of wearing you down over a period of time.

Q. You mentioned the runningbacks. Montee Ball leads the nation in rushing touchdowns. What problems does he present?
COACH HOPE: What’s up in front of him presents the biggest problem. They do a great job of run blocking, very physical up front. They give him running room. He’s a great player. But he has a great offensive line to go along with him.

Q. From your standpoint, your offensive line, things didn’t go as well as you would like at Michigan, what’s the key to that?
COACH HOPE: Our offensive line? I think team takeoff is really important. We’re playing in a packed house that’s a very live atmosphere there. A great place to go. Really exciting place to go play a game at. It is very loud.
We did well against Penn State from a team takeoff standpoint. That was important for us in that game. We didn’t do near as well this past week at Michigan from a takeoff standpoint. Playing in another loud environment, linemen getting out of their stances at the same time will be important for us.

Q. We talk so much about their offense, but they’re fourth in the country in pass defense. That might be a product of who they played. When you watch film on them, what makes them so hard to throw on?
COACH HOPE: Their secondary is very good. Their corners are excellent. No. 26 is an outstanding player. They have a very big, strong defensive front. They’re similar to Michigan in some ways, similar to Penn State where they’re big across the defensive front, strong, quick, very good in the secondary.

Q. From an offensive perspective, once you get past the offensive line, that’s not necessarily the hard part because of what they can do at quarterback, the talent they have with their runningbacks.
COACH HOPE: Getting past the offensive line is still the hard part. They do a great job of blocking and protecting the quarterback, opening holes for the runningbacks. Wisconsin has a lot of great players. They’re similar to Michigan in some ways where if they can control the line of scrimmage, they have lots of great play-makers around to get the ball to.
Again, I think it all starts up front. If we don’t play well up front, they’re great ball carriers, do what they do. If you can’t manufacture some kind of pass-rush, their quarterback is extremely efficient.

Q. What do you think the difference was in the takeoff between Penn State and Michigan?
COACH HOPE: I don’t know. Maybe we didn’t do it as well in practice throughout the course of the week. Schmeig, our center, he was sick throughout the course of the week. He wasn’t in there as much, wasn’t as good at it. We had guys moved around some. Peters Drey didn’t practice all that much. Continuity I think throughout the course of the week in practice. I think that lack of continuity carried over in some of the games.
Michigan played hard and were good. So was Penn State. We weren’t as efficient with it throughout the course of the game, throughout the course of practice. We addressed it, tried to work hard on it, but we weren’t as efficient in practice.

Q. Wisconsin I would imagine is a team that’s pretty good in terms of time of possession goes. How critical is it not to find yourself in a situation like you did last week with 23 offensive plays?
COACH HOPE: We had opportunities last week offensively to give ourselves a chance to compete, manufacture some drives. In the second half we were in position, manufactured a drive to score to take the lead, not score a touchdown, get a field goal, be right there close at halftime.
We have to execute. We have to get on the field, stay on the field. We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot from an offensive standpoint or much because the level of competition is so great. We have to execute and be more efficient from an offensive standpoint. That would make a huge difference in us staying on the field some.

Q. Russell had an x-ray yesterday. Do you think he’ll be good to go? Ankle look all right?
COACH HOPE: I’m optimistic. He won’t do anything today. He’ll be limited some tomorrow. We were in a similar boat last week. I think it will be the same. He was ready to go, reinjured in the game. I think he’ll be ready to go. Won’t know for a couple days to be sure.

Q. Does Dennis Kelly get enough credit for how athletic he is for being as big as he is?
COACH HOPE: Probably not. He’s really improved as a player from a technical standpoint. He was never redshirted. He came in and played his first year. That wasn’t part of the master plan when we first recruited Dennis. Thought he was going to be a gray shirt. He grew the second half of his senior year.
We were behind on the offensive line. We opted to bring him in in the fall. He helped us win on Saturdays and it would give him a chance to get some experience to be a starter the next year.
So he’s done a great job. It would have been great if we could have redshirted him because I think he really improved significantly from this time last year to where he’s at now. He’s a significantly better football player from a technical standpoint, how he carries himself, how he gets in and out of the stance, plus the way he looks. He’s always had a big body, but he’s filled out a lot in the right way in the last several months.
I think he’s a good prospect. A lot of pro scouts are coming by watching him. They’re surprised how well he looks, how much bigger he can still be. He’s not done growing yet. He’s 6’8″, 308 pounds, still not done growing.
I think he has a great upside to him. I wish we had him for another year.

Q. A couple years ago your program had trouble hanging on to the ball with the fumbles. This year, knock on wood. The time and effort you put into securing the ball, is that what you’re seeing maybe this year?
COACH HOPE: Absolutely. Then having some continuity at the quarterback position right now makes a big difference. We turned the ball over some the first year here. As the head coach in ’09, we were brand-new at the quarterback spot. Did a better with ball security the second half of the season. Our performance and record changed dramatically.
Last year we started the season off pretty good from a ball security standpoint. We had a quarterback, he was established, new. We went through the injuries, had to continue changing the quarterback situation. I think that increased our turnovers, the ball coming out.
This year coming into the season, we know how important it is for us to take care of the football. Certainly a sense of urgency from a coaching standpoint. Our team is the one that has grasped that sense of urgency. They deserve the credit.
The defensive players are always trying to strip the balls from our guys during the play and then after the play and anytime the ball is being carried. It’s a real awareness effort by our whole football team. I think that’s carried over on Saturdays.

Q. Getting the run game going, how much would that lead to some of the things you want to accomplish?
COACH HOPE: I think it’s a big part of us being successful. We did not establish the running game like we’d like to this past Saturday. We didn’t win the game. I don’t think that was the main reason we lost the game. I think Michigan played well and had too many big plays. We couldn’t allow them to make that many big plays. That was the difference maker in the ballgame.
We think we have to be able to establish the running game. The running game is one of the reasons why we haven’t turned the ball over. We have tough runningbacks. They do a great job of hanging on to the football. Establishing a running game is huge for our football team.

Q. What did you learn out of the Michigan game that can be lessons as you go against another team that can produce some really big plays?
COACH HOPE: We have to execute better. Comes down to being inches down at times. A couple plays this last Saturday, playing hard, guys were where they were supposed to be at, going hard. They throw a big pass up, just inches off. Got to execute better.
We think we can go out and be even more polished in practice. I still think we’re a good football team that can get a lot better. We’re not as good as we can be at quarterback right now. We’re not as good as we can be at receiver right now. We’re not as good as we can be as an offensive line right now. We’re still getting better as a football team. We can still get better as a football team. I think we can get better as a football team. We can go out and execute better and that would eliminate more big plays from happening on Saturday.

Q. As a coach, you’re a big underdog. I’m not just talking points, but perception. Virtually no one gives you a chance to win up there on Saturday. Is that something you play up during the week with your team or you kind of let things fall where they fall?
COACH HOPE: You’re only half right. We give ourselves a chance to win. That’s the most important part.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH HOPE: I like that role at times. I’m a competitive person. Being the underdog doesn’t deter my belief in winning. We’ve won a lot of big games over the years that we were underdogs before the game. Once the game starts, all the bets are off, you have to play the game.

Q. What do you need to do better to win on the road? 0-3 on the road this year.
COACH HOPE: The level of competition has been tough. When you play at Penn State, you play at Michigan, those are always tough. So you start off with some points against you in those situations. In both of those games we played really hard. I’m not disappointed at all in the effort, the competitive effort of our football team this past Saturday. Even at the end of the game when the score was lopsided, obvious we weren’t going to win. In my mind that didn’t happen till late in the game. I thought we had a chance to compete even though we kept allowing big plays, shooting ourselves in the foot.
We competed hard at both of those places. We made too many mistakes. Playing on the road in a tough place like that, great competition, you’re going to manufacture more mistakes and have more glitches from an execution standpoint. So we have to execute better, make less mistakes.
A great example is in the second quarter this past Saturday, score was 10-7, we had the ball driving down the field. Get to the 16 yard line, we throw a play we run often. We don’t execute it quite as well. Tipped up a little bit. They make a great play. It’s a turnover rather than us taking the lead. What a difference that would have made in the ballgame.
We have to execute better to give ourselves a chance to win on the road against teams like Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State.

Q. Who determines the rotation at defensive end?
COACH HOPE: The defensive line coach for the most part. We meet at the end of the week and talk about how we’re going to play them as a staff so we have an idea where guys might be utilized in special teams, make sure we’re on the same page. It’s Coach Emanuel’s call.
What you got in mind (laughter)? Who do you think should play more or less? I’m open for suggestions.

Q. I was going to ask about Isaac, Ryan Isaac.
COACH HOPE: Okay.

Q. In fall camp you mentioned he could play end. He hasn’t played end at all. Is that an option?
COACH HOPE: He’s a better fit at tackle. It’s always an option. I would like to think we could take any one of our defensive linemen, line up at the defensive line, execute the assignments and techniques. They may not be tailor made for that position. I really don’t want Gerald Gooden inside at the nose guard position. I expect him to line up in the shade and play his techniques all the way across the board.
So, yes, we can take Ryan Isaac and put him out there in the end position. Might be a good idea against a big, strong, physical football team that is run oriented. He’s big, strong, tough. Played well last year. Made some plays this year. I’m comfortable moving him around. He may not be our first pick on third-and-long out wide rushing off the edge maybe compared to a Gerald Gooden type player.

Q. Or Jalani Phillips in that role?
COACH HOPE: Jalani, possibly.

Q. Who is the best run defender of the ends that you have?
COACH HOPE: Our best run defender is probably Kawann Short. He’s our best defensive lineman in my mind. Our best run defender out of our defensive ends, depends who is playing the best. Gerald Gooden is sometimes. Right now Ryan Russell is sometimes. I really like Ryan’s upside from a frame standpoint. He’s going to be a big person. He’s 6’5″ and some change, about 260 pounds, which is a very big defensive end to only be in his second year of college football. I think he’s really going to be a big, strong defensive end down the road. He plays big, plays strong, big squat in the weight room. I think he at times is very good against the run. It’s executing the technique and doing a lot of the little things that makes the difference.

Q. You mentioned the offensive line. Is Schmeig not sick anymore?
COACH HOPE: He’s well now. He’s done with the (indiscernible) and moved on.

Q. You have no control over this. Would you have preferred facing a Wisconsin team that’s ranked in the top five or a Wisconsin team with its back against the wall and lost two straight?
COACH HOPE: They look the same to me on film in every one of their games. They do the same things and they’re really good at them. I don’t think it really matters. They’re going to play as hard as they can to win and so do we. We lost our last game, too.

Q. Having gone through the Notre Dame loss, tough loss, bounced back pretty well from that and improved. Having to deal with that helped you in this situation?
COACH HOPE: We’ve dealt with it many times with things not going our way. That’s what I like about our players and our team. That’s why I’m always optimistic that we’re getting better, have a chance to win on Saturdays. They show up and get it on. At times we’ve been a little shorthanded personnel-wise. At times we’ve made some mistakes. I like the way they practice, get up on Saturdays taking the field believing we can win. I don’t have any question about our team rebounding or wanting to win. I’m excited about that part of it.

Q. You say that Wisconsin looks the same. At the same time they had those two losses. What, if anything, seems different between those two games and the other games Wisconsin played?
COACH HOPE: The game was close all the way to the end. Really good defensive football teams that they played against. Really, really good defensive football teams. We have some great defensive football teams in our league right now. Some of them aren’t necessarily paired with the offensive football teams. Ohio State is a great defensive football team. Not putting a whole lot of points up on the board. Penn State, outstanding defensive football team. Hasn’t put up a lot of points on the board. Michigan State is a good defensive football team.
I think who they played against, they played against some great defensive football teams, best there is in the country, top teams.

Q. You’ve had some degree of success against some of the other top teams in the country. Beat Michigan, Ohio State a couple years back. Wisconsin has presented some problems for Purdue. If it’s a matchup thing, what is it in particular about Wisconsin that’s caused problems for Purdue?
COACH HOPE: They’re good. They’ve been good the last several teams. One of the top teams in the country the last several years. Playing up there is really difficult. Last year the score wasn’t as close in the end, but we were ahead at the half. We competed throughout the course of the game.
But the last couple years they’ve been further along as a football team, absolutely. They have been so far throughout the course of this year. We’re getting ready to play this Saturday. We have some things we can do better.

Q. Who would you say at this point halfway through the Big Ten season on your team is making for a push for post-season honors?
COACH HOPE: I think Kawann Short is one of the better players at his position in the Big Ten. I think he’s an outstanding defensive tackle prospect. I haven’t looked at anyone else’s numbers. I think Joe Holland is a great player. Ricardo Allen has to be up there somewhere as far as interceptions and takeaways go. I think our punter, Cody Webster has done a great job. He didn’t kick his best game last Saturday. Probably his worst game as far as getting off some good punts. But he’s up there on a stats standpoint. I think he’s tops in our league. We have a handful of players. Dennis Kelly has played well. He’s created in the 80 percentile almost every game this year. He’s played well. There’s a lot of good offensive linemen in the league. We have a handful of top players that are top players or could be top players in their position in our league.

Q. When you look at Russell Wilson and his effectiveness as a quarterback, what jumps out about him?
COACH HOPE: Accuracy with the football. Even the times you have him covered or you’re matched up well or done a good job alignment and assignment-wise, you’re executing the details and techniques of what you’re supposed to be doing secondary-wise, he can still put the ball on the money. He’s very accurate as a passer. He makes a lot of good decisions.
They haven’t turned the ball over many times. A lot of that has to do with his efficiency as a quarterback. Everything about the quarterback position you’d like to see, he does them and he does it well. He’s done it for a long time. He was a great quarterback at another school and another league. He was a standout player before he came to Wisconsin, and he still is.

Q. You’ve played in some tough environments already. Compare Penn State and Michigan to what you’ll see Saturday.
COACH HOPE: There’s not as many fans at Camp Randall, but probably every bit as loud if not louder. I remember playing there in the past. It’s a great place to go. It’s really a lot of fun. It’s a tremendous environment.
It’s a challenge, but it’s one of the reasons why you play and coach big-time football, to be in those types of environments. We’re excited about going up there.

Q. How do you compare Penn State, Michigan’s defense to what you’ll see with Wisconsin?
COACH HOPE: That’s a fair question. Comparable in some ways. There are a couple players on Penn State’s football team right now that are senior players that are earmarked as top guys, top picks for the NFL Draft, guys that are certainly first-round guys.
Both teams are similar from the standpoint they have big defensive linemen, big physical defensive front that line up and match up well with anybody’s offensive line. All four of those teams. All of those teams are very fast in the secondary. The guys in the middle are good wide-open players, too.

Q. Joe Holland has always been in on tackles, been a good tackler. Seems like this season, he’s been in on more big plays, tackles for losses, sacks, then the interception. Why do you think he’s making more big plays in addition to his quality plays on defense?
COACH HOPE: I think he’s gotten a lot better as a football player this year. It’s been a developmental thing with Joe. He was moved down from the safety position four years ago. He has plenty of experience. But him getting bigger, stronger, developing physically. Then he has a new coach. I think anytime you have a new coach, new teachings, new techniques, I think he’s starting to get a great grasp on exactly how it is we want to get it done. He’s very, very smart, very bright. Really good football IQ.
Now that he’s a senior, he has the knowledge and the tools, more of those things down to a science in some ways, it allows him to be the player he can be.
He does a great job of getting it, understanding the game plan of why you’re lined up, what you’re lined up in, what you’re trying to get done from a big picture standpoint. He does a great job of understanding the total execution part of the defense.
I’ve been really pleased with his performance this year as a football player. Obviously he’s a great student, outstanding student. But he’s been a heck of a leader for our team as well. I’m really happy with him. Very happy with him this year.

Q. I’m asking you this with your background in offensive line coaching. Wisconsin’s offensive line got a lot of publicity, praise. From your perspective, what makes their offensive line great?
COACH HOPE: Well, over the years, last several years, they’ve been very talented. They do a great job of recruiting really big people. They’re always enormous from a size standpoint. The style of offense they hang their hat on allows them to develop from a physicality standpoint. They’re always big and physical. That’s their trademark. That’s a great place to start when you start building an offensive line.
As you watch them play, you realize how well they’re coached. Zone blocking schemes, they time things right, use the same techniques. You can see them, how polished they are. They’re coached very well, very talented, and they know what they’re hanging their hat on. They do a great job at that.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much.
COACH HOPE: Thank you.