How do you move forward from the loss to West Virginia?
“You just have to learn from it and move on. I think we’re fortunate that the team that we play this Saturday demolished us last year. Anybody on that was on that sideline and on this roster that was a part of that – that’s not one you forget. I think that’s going to help us. I think we know that they’re a good football team coming in here. We’ll be ready to go. It was a tough loss. We didn’t like the way we closed that game out. You gotta give West Virginia a lot of credit. Those guys played till the end. They got momentum and ran with it and closed us out. But, I don’t see us having any problems getting up for this week just based upon opponent and being a home game.”
What did you learn about WVU QB Will Grier after facing and seeing him in person?
“His mobility is really impressive. He can keep things alive. He hung in there – made some deep in-cut throws with guys bearing down on him, made some great fade throws under duress. And he kept coming – didn’t get rattled. He was down the whole game, was hit a bunch, sacked a bunch, but kept standing in there just making some really nice throws. Just watching him, through his first five games, he’s gotten better each week. He’s getting back into the rhythm. Obviously, he took a year off from playing but you can tell he’s a big time player. They got a really good offensive coordinator in there that’s playing to his strengths. They got three really good WRs and a great RB. They’re doing a heck of a job on that side of the football.”
What would’ve happened if you tried playing linebacker like ISU QB/LB Joel Lanning?
"I would’ve just been a fraternity guy because I wouldn't have done it."
What did you learn from the second half collapse?
“You gotta execute. When you have an opportunity to put a team away is what it comes down to. We knew that they were a good football team. We had a chance right there at the end of the half to make a field goal or score a touchdown and didn’t. And then coming out of halftime in the third quarter had some opportunities to put it away, extend our lead and didn’t. Let them hang around and they found a way back into it. Anytime you go on the road, and you miss three field goals and you have 16 penalties for 150 yards, you’re going to make things extra hard on yourself and that’s what we did. We gotta learn that when the momentum shifts somebody needs to step up and make a play and we didn’t do it this time. So if we keep moving forward when that situation arises again we’ll be able to find a way to make a play and flip that momentum back on our side.
Do you credit WVU more or blame yourselves for the three straight three-and-outs down the stretch?
“I think a combination of both. There were throws that we made all game that we didn’t hit. There was cuts that we made all day that we didn’t see the cut. To their credit, they were playing extremely hard at that point and flying to the football – shut us down. So, you have to give them most of the credit but at the same time we continue to do what we do. We just didn’t execute at a high-level.
Thoughts on ISU QB Kyle Kempt:
“He’s played very well. The win he had on the road at OU is as big as any you’ll ever see from a Big 12 QB in his first start. That’s a monumental victory. I’m sure it built a lot of confidence. They do a great job offensively there. You can tell he’s well-coached He’s getting the ball to the right places – protecting the football. We’ll have our hands full. We struggled with them last year and we know that we’ll have to play our best game.”
Can you expand on what it’s like for Joel Lanning to keep up with both sides of the football?
“It’s pretty incredible. They asked him to gain a bunch of weight. He’s played linebacker and you can tell he has. He’s thicker and is able to stand in there with those big linemen. He diagnoses plays very well on the defensive side of the ball – you can see that. Then to be able to hop back in there at QB is – I mean on a weekly basis to get enough reps in practice and execute at a level he’s executing at – pretty incredible. He’s what you want on your team. As a former player, a former QB, you really appreciate his savvy, his football IQ and the way he plays the game.”
What have you seen about ISU in general that’s led to their success behind Kempt?
“I think they’re protecting the ball well. He’s getting the ball out of his hands. They’re doing some stuff schematically that has been successful at just executing at a high-level. I think early in the season they were doing some of that. They had a little of a setback against Texas, but if you look at their body of work, previous to that game, they were doing good things offensively. That’s a trademark of coach (Matt) Campbell and his staff. Bu, I think the biggest thing is just the decision making. He’s seeing it at a high-level and getting the ball to the right people.”
“You just have to learn from it and move on. I think we’re fortunate that the team that we play this Saturday demolished us last year. Anybody on that was on that sideline and on this roster that was a part of that – that’s not one you forget. I think that’s going to help us. I think we know that they’re a good football team coming in here. We’ll be ready to go. It was a tough loss. We didn’t like the way we closed that game out. You gotta give West Virginia a lot of credit. Those guys played till the end. They got momentum and ran with it and closed us out. But, I don’t see us having any problems getting up for this week just based upon opponent and being a home game.”
What did you learn about WVU QB Will Grier after facing and seeing him in person?
“His mobility is really impressive. He can keep things alive. He hung in there – made some deep in-cut throws with guys bearing down on him, made some great fade throws under duress. And he kept coming – didn’t get rattled. He was down the whole game, was hit a bunch, sacked a bunch, but kept standing in there just making some really nice throws. Just watching him, through his first five games, he’s gotten better each week. He’s getting back into the rhythm. Obviously, he took a year off from playing but you can tell he’s a big time player. They got a really good offensive coordinator in there that’s playing to his strengths. They got three really good WRs and a great RB. They’re doing a heck of a job on that side of the football.”
What would’ve happened if you tried playing linebacker like ISU QB/LB Joel Lanning?
"I would’ve just been a fraternity guy because I wouldn't have done it."
What did you learn from the second half collapse?
“You gotta execute. When you have an opportunity to put a team away is what it comes down to. We knew that they were a good football team. We had a chance right there at the end of the half to make a field goal or score a touchdown and didn’t. And then coming out of halftime in the third quarter had some opportunities to put it away, extend our lead and didn’t. Let them hang around and they found a way back into it. Anytime you go on the road, and you miss three field goals and you have 16 penalties for 150 yards, you’re going to make things extra hard on yourself and that’s what we did. We gotta learn that when the momentum shifts somebody needs to step up and make a play and we didn’t do it this time. So if we keep moving forward when that situation arises again we’ll be able to find a way to make a play and flip that momentum back on our side.
Do you credit WVU more or blame yourselves for the three straight three-and-outs down the stretch?
“I think a combination of both. There were throws that we made all game that we didn’t hit. There was cuts that we made all day that we didn’t see the cut. To their credit, they were playing extremely hard at that point and flying to the football – shut us down. So, you have to give them most of the credit but at the same time we continue to do what we do. We just didn’t execute at a high-level.
Thoughts on ISU QB Kyle Kempt:
“He’s played very well. The win he had on the road at OU is as big as any you’ll ever see from a Big 12 QB in his first start. That’s a monumental victory. I’m sure it built a lot of confidence. They do a great job offensively there. You can tell he’s well-coached He’s getting the ball to the right places – protecting the football. We’ll have our hands full. We struggled with them last year and we know that we’ll have to play our best game.”
Can you expand on what it’s like for Joel Lanning to keep up with both sides of the football?
“It’s pretty incredible. They asked him to gain a bunch of weight. He’s played linebacker and you can tell he has. He’s thicker and is able to stand in there with those big linemen. He diagnoses plays very well on the defensive side of the ball – you can see that. Then to be able to hop back in there at QB is – I mean on a weekly basis to get enough reps in practice and execute at a level he’s executing at – pretty incredible. He’s what you want on your team. As a former player, a former QB, you really appreciate his savvy, his football IQ and the way he plays the game.”
What have you seen about ISU in general that’s led to their success behind Kempt?
“I think they’re protecting the ball well. He’s getting the ball out of his hands. They’re doing some stuff schematically that has been successful at just executing at a high-level. I think early in the season they were doing some of that. They had a little of a setback against Texas, but if you look at their body of work, previous to that game, they were doing good things offensively. That’s a trademark of coach (Matt) Campbell and his staff. Bu, I think the biggest thing is just the decision making. He’s seeing it at a high-level and getting the ball to the right people.”
