I learn a lot listening to opposing coordinators. Jay Hill is one of the veteran-type coaches who has been around the block. He's done a little of everything as a coach on offense and defense. Coached corners and RB at Utah then was the head coach at Weber State for eight years.
He talked about playing KU and what they have to do. Mentioned Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal. Also found it interesting he compared how you have to play sound like you would against Air Force against KU. Also one thing of note is how they were able to get pressure a lot using four man fronts and they have been banged up in the secondary.
We know you are moving on but final thoughts on the defensive performance against Arkansas…
Well, you guys know I don't necessarily love bend don’t break, but in that game it seemed like we did that a little too much. We need to be a little more sound in some of our run fits. I think we gave them too much in the run game. I thought we were outstanding on third downs, which was a huge part of the game. And then when it really mattered late in the game, I thought we executed very well. They had no points in the last 39 defensive reps. They had no points. So I thought we finished the game very well. I just thought early on were a little shaky.
There was pressure at the end, it seemed like the guys thought they were going to get to the quarterback…
I agree with that. The atmosphere of that stadium the whole night was absolutely incredible. And I thought we handled the trial early of getting down 14 and then we rip off 21 straight, and then we get down 10 and rip off 17 straight. And I thought they handled the adversity well. And I think the biggest key to it is the belief in one another, the belief in the schemes late in the game. And they just had that will to win. You could see it in the pass rush. They just wanted to win that game.
Tanner Wall moved into the starting safety spot…
He's played well, right know there's been a lot of injuries through the year, but that's college football. We were down three safeties in that game. I thought Tanner came in and played a good game and someone's going to continue to have to step up because it's a weird year right now in the safety room, but that's college football.
Will any other defenders be moved to safety, like corners or anything…
No, we don't see that right now. I mean, the guys that we have in our room that we can win with and they're doing a good job. They’ve got to continue to prepare the right way. When their numbers called, they got to go in and perform like Tanner's done, like (Ethan) Slade has done.
You touched on this, but the defensive line performance late in the game…
They were getting home with a four man pass rush, and the coverage was really good, too. I mean, a lot of the reason why there was such good pass rush is the coverage was very sound in the fourth quarter. But you got to give those guys credit. I mean, they did a great job of collapsing in the pocket. And not only that, they kept KJ in the pocket. That guy is a legit, big time SEC quarterback, made a lot of plays in his career, and he's a very savvy football player, and were able to do a good job of crowning him and keeping him in the pocket.
Jalon Daniels is just as elusive but not as big…
I would say he's more elusive. He does a great job of getting the ball out of his hand. He does a good job with the RPO game. He doesn't hold onto it very much, and when he does, then you’ve got to catch him when he's scrambling. So, he brings a lot of problems to the field. There's a reason why he was the preseason Big 12 conference player of the year, and we got to go out and contain him. We’ve got to go out and do some things that cause him some consternation and some disbelief in what he's trying to do based on our coverages and our blitzes and the things we're bringing.
What strengths do you see from Kansas on film…
I love the running back. Number four is a great player. They're very good at their scheme. They execute the run game, the throw game at a very high level. I mean, this is really the best offense in the Big 12 for the last two years, statistically, and it's not close. They throw it well. They run it well. They execute their schemes. And I love the quarterback and the running back.
What do you have to do when you're facing such a balanced offense…
Well, just like they do, we’ve got to execute our assignments very well. It's a little bit like playing Air Force. It's going to be very assignment sound is what we're going to have to be. We're going to have to execute what we call very well, and we just got to make sure that we're not giving anything up cheap down the field.
Back to back road trips can be a challenge. But the fact that this is the Big 12 opener does this give you extra juice…
I love playing on the road. I always have. I think the teams I've been involved with have always been really good on the road and I think it's going to come down to if we go out there and execute and do what we're supposed to do, we're going to be good. I think that being a Big 12 opener and so much riding on the game, our guys will come out with some juice and passion and we got to do a good job as coaches, preparing them the right way and then do a good job of making sure they're fresh for this game talent.
He talked about playing KU and what they have to do. Mentioned Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal. Also found it interesting he compared how you have to play sound like you would against Air Force against KU. Also one thing of note is how they were able to get pressure a lot using four man fronts and they have been banged up in the secondary.
We know you are moving on but final thoughts on the defensive performance against Arkansas…
Well, you guys know I don't necessarily love bend don’t break, but in that game it seemed like we did that a little too much. We need to be a little more sound in some of our run fits. I think we gave them too much in the run game. I thought we were outstanding on third downs, which was a huge part of the game. And then when it really mattered late in the game, I thought we executed very well. They had no points in the last 39 defensive reps. They had no points. So I thought we finished the game very well. I just thought early on were a little shaky.
There was pressure at the end, it seemed like the guys thought they were going to get to the quarterback…
I agree with that. The atmosphere of that stadium the whole night was absolutely incredible. And I thought we handled the trial early of getting down 14 and then we rip off 21 straight, and then we get down 10 and rip off 17 straight. And I thought they handled the adversity well. And I think the biggest key to it is the belief in one another, the belief in the schemes late in the game. And they just had that will to win. You could see it in the pass rush. They just wanted to win that game.
Tanner Wall moved into the starting safety spot…
He's played well, right know there's been a lot of injuries through the year, but that's college football. We were down three safeties in that game. I thought Tanner came in and played a good game and someone's going to continue to have to step up because it's a weird year right now in the safety room, but that's college football.
Will any other defenders be moved to safety, like corners or anything…
No, we don't see that right now. I mean, the guys that we have in our room that we can win with and they're doing a good job. They’ve got to continue to prepare the right way. When their numbers called, they got to go in and perform like Tanner's done, like (Ethan) Slade has done.
You touched on this, but the defensive line performance late in the game…
They were getting home with a four man pass rush, and the coverage was really good, too. I mean, a lot of the reason why there was such good pass rush is the coverage was very sound in the fourth quarter. But you got to give those guys credit. I mean, they did a great job of collapsing in the pocket. And not only that, they kept KJ in the pocket. That guy is a legit, big time SEC quarterback, made a lot of plays in his career, and he's a very savvy football player, and were able to do a good job of crowning him and keeping him in the pocket.
Jalon Daniels is just as elusive but not as big…
I would say he's more elusive. He does a great job of getting the ball out of his hand. He does a good job with the RPO game. He doesn't hold onto it very much, and when he does, then you’ve got to catch him when he's scrambling. So, he brings a lot of problems to the field. There's a reason why he was the preseason Big 12 conference player of the year, and we got to go out and contain him. We’ve got to go out and do some things that cause him some consternation and some disbelief in what he's trying to do based on our coverages and our blitzes and the things we're bringing.
What strengths do you see from Kansas on film…
I love the running back. Number four is a great player. They're very good at their scheme. They execute the run game, the throw game at a very high level. I mean, this is really the best offense in the Big 12 for the last two years, statistically, and it's not close. They throw it well. They run it well. They execute their schemes. And I love the quarterback and the running back.
What do you have to do when you're facing such a balanced offense…
Well, just like they do, we’ve got to execute our assignments very well. It's a little bit like playing Air Force. It's going to be very assignment sound is what we're going to have to be. We're going to have to execute what we call very well, and we just got to make sure that we're not giving anything up cheap down the field.
Back to back road trips can be a challenge. But the fact that this is the Big 12 opener does this give you extra juice…
I love playing on the road. I always have. I think the teams I've been involved with have always been really good on the road and I think it's going to come down to if we go out there and execute and do what we're supposed to do, we're going to be good. I think that being a Big 12 opener and so much riding on the game, our guys will come out with some juice and passion and we got to do a good job as coaches, preparing them the right way and then do a good job of making sure they're fresh for this game talent.
