On Carson Lensing’s development at defensive end:
Carson’s a guy that we really didn’t know coming in where we would play him. Were we going to play him at tight end? Were we going to play him at linebacker? Were we going to play him at defensive end? The next thing you know, I think we’re midway through the season last year, he’s 250 pounds. Put on about 25 pounds in his first semester here and a lot of that was great weight. It’s kind of what you wanted to see. He had a really unique film from high school. He ran the ball, he played MIKE linebacker, he did a lot of different things. But I’m really proud of Carson. He’s one of those guys that just keeps getting better and his development and growth is really fun to watch. He’s a guy that can rush the passer. He’s certainly got some twitch to him which is really nice to have on the outside. But he’s also a pretty strong kid and has the ability to play the run. So it’s going to be kind of unique to watch him continue to develop. He’s still a redshirt freshman and just learning just what to do as much as anything.
On starting four in-state OL against Northern Iowa:
Certainly the offensive line, you look out there last week and four of the five starters are from this state. I think that’s something that’ll continue to be a priority to us. Trying to do a great job in our six-to-eight hour radius and that starts right here at home, making sure we recruit the guys that we feel give us a chance to be successful. Just so happens to have four of those young men that are starting on this year’s offensive line from the state, I think that’s really big for us. And all those guys playing good football, to be honest with you. So really positive. And some young guys in there. You’ve got Jake (Campos) who is kind of the seasoned vet. But what Julian Good-Jones did on Saturday night and his development to go from right tackle now into to center I think is awesome. Bryce Meeker has continued to grow and get better. And those two are redshirt sophomores. They’ve still got a lot of football to play. Josh Knipfel’s a redshirt sophomore, or a true sophomore in a way. So they’re still young and and still got a lot of growth to do. I think you’ll just see them continue to get better as well.
On being an opposing defensive coordinator game planning for ISU’s receivers:
I like you letting me be the defensive coordinator for a little bit. Sometimes I ask our coaches; they won’t let me do it. So I appreciate that. But I think they biggest thing you want to do is, from their end of it, you look at those guys: what’s your game plan? Are you going to say, hey listen, we’re going to, our defensive backs are good enough to challenge those guys man-to-man. Get up in their face and press ‘em and be able to plan man-to-man. Or are we better off in a zone situation where we can keep our eyes on ‘em, keep things in front of us. And certainly have the ability to try to take the running game away with our front seven. I think today’s world of football, there’s not many different ways to handle it. You’re either going to be a zone team or you’re going to be a man team and it’s all based on what is your personnel defensively. I think that’s the really unique thing with what you see from opposing teams. But I think it all goes into matchups and what do you think you can do in your matchups, your one-on-one situation. If you can’t do it with one then you’ve got to find ways to do it with two.
On two or three key areas to give Iowa State a chance to win:
I think the biggest thing for me is getting better from week one to week two, number one. I thought our team in a lot of ways showed great growth last week within the football game. Now can we understand those areas where we weren’t as successful as we wanted to be or needed to be and can we get ourselves better? Number two, you look into this football game and I think any game, it’s about winning the third down situation: staying on the field on offense, getting off the field on defense. And certainly the turnover game. So I don’t know if that means this game is any different than any other but I think those three core values are things that are really important for our football formula of success each week.
On Hakeem Butler’s emergence at receiver in the first game:
I’ve said a lot of real positives about Hakeem cause he deserves it. I think he’s a guy to me, as you look at his overall body of work from the end of the season a year ago to what his capabilities are, our conversation was really simple when he came back in January. You can be as good as you want to be. You have more talent than anybody in this building of what your end potential can be. But you have to understand the consistency and what we’re asking of you so we can trust you to be on the field and be able to be the guy that gets those balls and gets those opportunities. That’s where I’ve been so proud of him. His off-season was tremendous, I thought he had a really, really good spring. He piggybacked that with a really great summer. Matt Eaton and Marchie Murdock, I think those guys had a great impact on him. He’s got a great relationship with Jacob Park. I think you saw all of that a little bit at times on Saturday. And I think you guys are starting to see what we’ve seen a lot of over the last four or five months. Hakeem’s a really special talent. He’s still a young football player. You look at Hakeem’s background and him growing up, never was it a challenge of his personality. It was just a matter of growing into the football player he’s got the ability to become. I love him. He’s got a great smile. He loves football. He enjoys the moments. He’s a guy that it’s really fun to be around. I think he’s really had a great impact on our football program.
On the extra linemen for the Lanning at QB offensive package:
I think each week we’ll do some different things. The two guys that came in as well were Josh Mueller and Bryan Larson. For me, I love to reward guys in the program that are really playing and getting better and deserve the right to get on the field. Now sometimes it doesn’t happen because of situational aspects buy those are guys that have earned the right to at least get a role. Bryan Larson obviously we put on scholarship, a young man that has really done a great job. Josh Mueller’s kind of an up-and-comer for us right now. Has had a great off-season, really good fall camp. So I thought what a great way for them to get into the game, playing a little fullback. They’re trying to get receiver numbers now; that’s not going to happen here anytime soon. But it’s fun to be able to have some depth where we can do some different things, be creative. If you look at our past, we’ve done a lot of that. But you’ve got to have the depth to be able to create some of that to where you feel comfortable with those guys in the game.
On putting seven defenders up to stop Iowa’s run game and trusting four defensive backs:
Can you hold up in situations at times where you feel comfortable playing man coverage. Doesn’t mean you always have to be in man coverage but it’s a situation where I think, what’s the matchup entail, what’s the best success rate for you and how do you do things. That’s our starting point every Sunday night on both sides of the football. What situationally do they do best and how do we put our guys – based on what our personnel looks like – to be in the best position to be successful. So that’s something we are constantly fighting back and forth on, just trying to make sure we give our young guys the best opportunity to be successful.
On comparing Iowa State now to same time last season playing Iowa:
I don’t think it has any merit to this game, but I think our team’s better in terms of mentality, period. You’re talking a year ago was first time here, myself and our entire staff going into the season, right? It was new schemes, both sides of the football. New team. They were trying to understand us and we were trying to understand them. I don’t think there’s any us hiding we weren’t a very good football team a year ago, especially early part of the season. We’ll find out if we’re a good football team right now. I think we’re certainly better than we were a year ago because we know how to practice. We understand what the process looks like day to day, day in and day out. Those are all things that are growing process and hopefully in a program that does have sustained success. Guys understand that and know how to do that. But we’ve got really good senior leadership and this group of seniors have done a really good job understanding the mentality of what it looks like to be successful day in and day out and hopefully that will continue to happen for us cause I think it will give us a chance throughout the whole season to be successful.
Carson’s a guy that we really didn’t know coming in where we would play him. Were we going to play him at tight end? Were we going to play him at linebacker? Were we going to play him at defensive end? The next thing you know, I think we’re midway through the season last year, he’s 250 pounds. Put on about 25 pounds in his first semester here and a lot of that was great weight. It’s kind of what you wanted to see. He had a really unique film from high school. He ran the ball, he played MIKE linebacker, he did a lot of different things. But I’m really proud of Carson. He’s one of those guys that just keeps getting better and his development and growth is really fun to watch. He’s a guy that can rush the passer. He’s certainly got some twitch to him which is really nice to have on the outside. But he’s also a pretty strong kid and has the ability to play the run. So it’s going to be kind of unique to watch him continue to develop. He’s still a redshirt freshman and just learning just what to do as much as anything.
On starting four in-state OL against Northern Iowa:
Certainly the offensive line, you look out there last week and four of the five starters are from this state. I think that’s something that’ll continue to be a priority to us. Trying to do a great job in our six-to-eight hour radius and that starts right here at home, making sure we recruit the guys that we feel give us a chance to be successful. Just so happens to have four of those young men that are starting on this year’s offensive line from the state, I think that’s really big for us. And all those guys playing good football, to be honest with you. So really positive. And some young guys in there. You’ve got Jake (Campos) who is kind of the seasoned vet. But what Julian Good-Jones did on Saturday night and his development to go from right tackle now into to center I think is awesome. Bryce Meeker has continued to grow and get better. And those two are redshirt sophomores. They’ve still got a lot of football to play. Josh Knipfel’s a redshirt sophomore, or a true sophomore in a way. So they’re still young and and still got a lot of growth to do. I think you’ll just see them continue to get better as well.
On being an opposing defensive coordinator game planning for ISU’s receivers:
I like you letting me be the defensive coordinator for a little bit. Sometimes I ask our coaches; they won’t let me do it. So I appreciate that. But I think they biggest thing you want to do is, from their end of it, you look at those guys: what’s your game plan? Are you going to say, hey listen, we’re going to, our defensive backs are good enough to challenge those guys man-to-man. Get up in their face and press ‘em and be able to plan man-to-man. Or are we better off in a zone situation where we can keep our eyes on ‘em, keep things in front of us. And certainly have the ability to try to take the running game away with our front seven. I think today’s world of football, there’s not many different ways to handle it. You’re either going to be a zone team or you’re going to be a man team and it’s all based on what is your personnel defensively. I think that’s the really unique thing with what you see from opposing teams. But I think it all goes into matchups and what do you think you can do in your matchups, your one-on-one situation. If you can’t do it with one then you’ve got to find ways to do it with two.
On two or three key areas to give Iowa State a chance to win:
I think the biggest thing for me is getting better from week one to week two, number one. I thought our team in a lot of ways showed great growth last week within the football game. Now can we understand those areas where we weren’t as successful as we wanted to be or needed to be and can we get ourselves better? Number two, you look into this football game and I think any game, it’s about winning the third down situation: staying on the field on offense, getting off the field on defense. And certainly the turnover game. So I don’t know if that means this game is any different than any other but I think those three core values are things that are really important for our football formula of success each week.
On Hakeem Butler’s emergence at receiver in the first game:
I’ve said a lot of real positives about Hakeem cause he deserves it. I think he’s a guy to me, as you look at his overall body of work from the end of the season a year ago to what his capabilities are, our conversation was really simple when he came back in January. You can be as good as you want to be. You have more talent than anybody in this building of what your end potential can be. But you have to understand the consistency and what we’re asking of you so we can trust you to be on the field and be able to be the guy that gets those balls and gets those opportunities. That’s where I’ve been so proud of him. His off-season was tremendous, I thought he had a really, really good spring. He piggybacked that with a really great summer. Matt Eaton and Marchie Murdock, I think those guys had a great impact on him. He’s got a great relationship with Jacob Park. I think you saw all of that a little bit at times on Saturday. And I think you guys are starting to see what we’ve seen a lot of over the last four or five months. Hakeem’s a really special talent. He’s still a young football player. You look at Hakeem’s background and him growing up, never was it a challenge of his personality. It was just a matter of growing into the football player he’s got the ability to become. I love him. He’s got a great smile. He loves football. He enjoys the moments. He’s a guy that it’s really fun to be around. I think he’s really had a great impact on our football program.
On the extra linemen for the Lanning at QB offensive package:
I think each week we’ll do some different things. The two guys that came in as well were Josh Mueller and Bryan Larson. For me, I love to reward guys in the program that are really playing and getting better and deserve the right to get on the field. Now sometimes it doesn’t happen because of situational aspects buy those are guys that have earned the right to at least get a role. Bryan Larson obviously we put on scholarship, a young man that has really done a great job. Josh Mueller’s kind of an up-and-comer for us right now. Has had a great off-season, really good fall camp. So I thought what a great way for them to get into the game, playing a little fullback. They’re trying to get receiver numbers now; that’s not going to happen here anytime soon. But it’s fun to be able to have some depth where we can do some different things, be creative. If you look at our past, we’ve done a lot of that. But you’ve got to have the depth to be able to create some of that to where you feel comfortable with those guys in the game.
On putting seven defenders up to stop Iowa’s run game and trusting four defensive backs:
Can you hold up in situations at times where you feel comfortable playing man coverage. Doesn’t mean you always have to be in man coverage but it’s a situation where I think, what’s the matchup entail, what’s the best success rate for you and how do you do things. That’s our starting point every Sunday night on both sides of the football. What situationally do they do best and how do we put our guys – based on what our personnel looks like – to be in the best position to be successful. So that’s something we are constantly fighting back and forth on, just trying to make sure we give our young guys the best opportunity to be successful.
On comparing Iowa State now to same time last season playing Iowa:
I don’t think it has any merit to this game, but I think our team’s better in terms of mentality, period. You’re talking a year ago was first time here, myself and our entire staff going into the season, right? It was new schemes, both sides of the football. New team. They were trying to understand us and we were trying to understand them. I don’t think there’s any us hiding we weren’t a very good football team a year ago, especially early part of the season. We’ll find out if we’re a good football team right now. I think we’re certainly better than we were a year ago because we know how to practice. We understand what the process looks like day to day, day in and day out. Those are all things that are growing process and hopefully in a program that does have sustained success. Guys understand that and know how to do that. But we’ve got really good senior leadership and this group of seniors have done a really good job understanding the mentality of what it looks like to be successful day in and day out and hopefully that will continue to happen for us cause I think it will give us a chance throughout the whole season to be successful.
