.png&width=42&height=42&type=webp)
University of Minnesota Athletics
Coach Mason Talks About the Regular Season Finale Against Iowa
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Glen Mason addressed the media on Tuesday during his weekly press conference. He talked about the team's performance against Michigan State and previewed the upcoming match-up against Iowa, which will be the final home game for 11 Golden Gopher seniors.
Opening statement:
“First of all, I’d like you to know at the outset that I refuse to make a prediction on the Ohio State-Michigan game. I only say that because my phone has been ringing off the hook.
“On a more pertinent note, I know you guys are interested in health and injuries and all that stuff, and I’m happy to report we’re very healthy. At this time of the season, I’m sure every coach cries the same blues that they’re beat up and worn out to some extent, but putting guys on the shelf is not our problem right now.
“This week we have the Iowa Hawkeyes. If you remember back to the beginning of the season, a lot of people had them picked as a top-10 team and be a serious contender in the Big Ten Conference along with Ohio State. They got off to a good start and then ran into Ohio State and since then have been kind of up and down. They’ve been involved in a number of close games. I can tell you after endlessly watching the film since their game last week, they’re a very good football team.
“On offense, they have the ability to run and pass. They have a very exciting quarterback in Drew Tate. They’re defense is a typical Iowa defense. They’re tough and they play extremely hard. It’s hard to get big plays against them, and they’re good on special teams.
“It’s the regular season finale for us. It’s a great, great rivalry that has been around a long time. As you know, we play for pig, Floyd of Rosedale. As I always say about our team, you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. Over the last couple of weeks I really believe we’ve been getting better. That doesn’t mean we’ll get better this week, but we’ll pursue and stay after it and try to get better. It’s going to take a maximum effort from the Gophers this week in our final game with Iowa.”
On how Minnesota has been able to turn things around late in the season:
“I said even when we were playing poorly, ‘Did I see it coming?’ No, because this team had a great attitude and they prepared very well. I used the analogy that we studied well and knew the information but didn’t do very well on the test. We’ve been doing a little bit better on the test. Team performance is not static. Very seldom does it stay one way. It doesn’t surprise me that we’ve been playing better because of the attitude of the players. I never felt they were cashing it in or losing faith and I never questioned their effort. We just weren’t playing well.”
On the defense playing together as a team:
“You can’t look at our defense right now and say there’s one difference-maker. To have a chance against anybody, we have to play well as a team defensively.”
On Willie VanDeSteeg:
“He was a guy who wasn’t on our radar until he played in the Dome in a playoff game. He had a big-time hit on the quarterback that I saw on TV. I said, ‘Who is that guy?’ That guy turned out to be Willie VanDeSteeg. We explored it and he got excited about it. I’m not sure if he thought he had the ability to play at this level, but we were serious about it. He’s a young guy and he’s getting better. Success breeds success and he’s having more success and he’s more confident. He’s a fun guy to be around and it’s fun to coach a guy like that.”
On the 3-4 defensive alignment used at Michigan State:
“That was more for the coverage type of stuff we were doing. We’re being pretty creative in a lot of ways. We don’t have a lot of spare parts there.”
On opening up the offense against Michigan State:
“It’s great to come up with something new, but if it doesn’t fit you may spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make it work. Let’s face it, when you go into a game this late in the season, if the stuff you’ve been working on all year isn’t good enough, you’re probably not going to beat somebody.
“Some people have a perception that over the last couple of years all we have done is run, run, run. Who’s the passing leader now in the history of the school? Bryan Cupito. I don’t really care if we run or pass. It’s what fits the personnel and moves the chains and hopefully puts points on the board.”
On the team’s defensive performance:
“The defense really did a good job. Things weren’t going our way in that game, needless to say. The defense made two plays in that game that swung the momentum our way – the interception in the end zone by Dom Barber and when Mario Reese hit the quarterback and Steve Davis picked it up the fumble and returned it. That swung the momentum in our favor and we kept it the rest of the way.
“The best thing about our defense is that we’re playing one senior, Mario Reese. We need to add some more bodies there and we need to recruit better talent there. We’re hanging on the best we can right now, but we’re getting better. One of the problems we’ve had, and hopefully we’ll rectify it, but if you look at a guy like Dom Barber – he’s getting better, but this is third defensive secondary coach he’s had in three years. We need some stability there. Even though we haven’t made wholesale changes, we’d like to keep the same minds in that room coaching those kids. I like what I see right now. We’re going in the right direction.”
On the team’s mindset going into the Iowa game:
“To me, if you’re really part of it, it’s the biggest game in the country. I can honestly tell you that’s how I feel. I could care less who wins the Ohio State-Michigan game. I’m not even sure I’ll watch it. I’ll be totally drained after our game because it’s Minnesota vs. Iowa. As far as I’m concerned, and the same goes for my coaching staff and every player on the team, there isn’t a bigger game in the country this week than the one right here.”
On how the team responded to an early deficit against Michigan State:
“A lot of people assumed after we got down 9-0 there would be panic on the sideline. We were in trouble, but you normally get yourself in trouble. We got ourselves in trouble, and if you get yourself in you have to get yourself out, and that’s what a couple of guys did by making some plays.”
On Steve Davis’ excessive celebration penalty:
“After viewing it on film, I have no problem with the official throwing the flag. In the interpretation of the rule, it was a penalty. My problem is that there is no consistency in how the rule is being enforced. By what I see on TV, it wasn’t very bad, but it’s still an infraction of the rule. Regardless of what a guy does, 15 yards is too severe, especially when they’re not doing it across the board.”
On the seniors who will be playing in their final home game:
“I have similar thoughts all the time. When they come into the program, they sit in the back of the room and the seniors sit up front. The ultimate goal is to end up in the front row. If you end up in the front row, there are two things that are probably going to happen and should happen. One, you’re going to be playing some football, and two, you’re going to graduate from the University of Minnesota. All you have to do is hang in there, don’t lose faith and keep working hard.
“Normally at this time of the year, guys start saying, ‘Coach, you were right. It went a lot faster than I ever thought.’ That’s one of the great things about my job – I get to see these kids every day and watch them grow up. They come in as boys, and they go out as young men.
“If you go through that list on how they’ve developed, college athletics has not only give them an opportunity to play Big Ten football but also to go to college and get a degree. The system works.”
