Post-game press conference notes

[lou v]

Fitz:

Opening statement: One heck of a defensive battle. We found a way to get one more stop. I'm proud of our kids. To find a way to get it done was absolutely outstanding. They got down to the 1, our backs were against the wall. Terrific effort from our defense. The TOs were huge, to not get points was frustrating. I feel for those kids from Wisconsin, to lose like that.

Last few plays: We were just talking about what we were gonna do on the next play. We talked about extra point block twice. Last defensive play, the call was made by the players. Hank asked them what call they wanted to make, they made the play.

Concede the score? Not at all. The two-minute drive I was disappointed in. They executed, we did not. Until then, we had a pretty good defensive day. Disappointed to see that.

When the TD catch was reversed: We were just talking about next scenario.

Line play on both sides: DL we were pretty effective all day. Offensively, got things moving, but that's a great defense over there.

5-0 on turnovers and that close: Six points off the board in the kicking game. One TO we were in no man's land (punt after turnover). I thought, let's pin them deep and flip field. Made me look right. Just going with the flow of the game. Credit Wisconsin. They rose up. They did a great job answering the bell (defensively after turnovers).

Goals left: Making November something to remember. I don't think anybody in the purple and white will forget this one for a long time. We had crazy games up here in the past -- brought up Dayne's fumble in 1996.

Jack Mitchell: Short one, he didn't follow through. He fell off the ball. The one going North, he struck it well.

Weather impact: I thought it was awesome. Kudos to the facilities crew up here. Footing was outstanding.

Pass rush: Outstanding. We were close on a couple other ones, too. Those guys have been great all year. They've had a lot of injuries on the OL this year. Our DL started fast, their OL settled in.

 

[lou v]

Fitz:

Opening statement: One heck of a defensive battle. We found a way to get one more stop. I'm proud of our kids. To find a way to get it done was absolutely outstanding. They got down to the 1, our backs were against the wall. Terrific effort from our defense. The TOs were huge, to not get points was frustrating. I feel for those kids from Wisconsin, to lose like that.

Last few plays: We were just talking about what we were gonna do on the next play. We talked about extra point block twice. Last defensive play, the call was made by the players. Hank asked them what call they wanted to make, they made the play.

Concede the score? Not at all. The two-minute drive I was disappointed in. They executed, we did not. Until then, we had a pretty good defensive day. Disappointed to see that.

When the TD catch was reversed: We were just talking about next scenario.

Line play on both sides: DL we were pretty effective all day. Offensively, got things moving, but that's a great defense over there.

5-0 on turnovers and that close: Six points off the board in the kicking game. One TO we were in no man's land (punt after turnover). I thought, let's pin them deep and flip field. Made me look right. Just going with the flow of the game. Credit Wisconsin. They rose up. They did a great job answering the bell (defensively after turnovers).

Goals left: Making November something to remember. I don't think anybody in the purple and white will forget this one for a long time. We had crazy games up here in the past -- brought up Dayne's fumble in 1996.

Jack Mitchell: Short one, he didn't follow through. He fell off the ball. The one going North, he struck it well.

Weather impact: I thought it was awesome. Kudos to the facilities crew up here. Footing was outstanding.

Pass rush: Outstanding. We were close on a couple other ones, too. Those guys have been great all year. They've had a lot of injuries on the OL this year. Our DL started fast, their OL settled in.

Dean Lowry and Deonte Gibson

Lowry on last call: We talked about blitzing but we thought we could get there if we played it straight.

Gibson on offense failing to come through: We can't intermix jobs. We have to do our jobs. We won, there's nothing to complain about.

Lowry on TD reversal: We were just playing football. One of the foundations of our program is responding to adversity. I'm really proud of our guys.

Lowry on the battle between defenses: We thought the best defense would win the game.

Both on four-game win streak: It comes down to the fourth quarter, that's been huge for us this year. You affect the QB in the fourth quarter, it's tough to win the game.

Lowry on pass rush: In the first half, we blitzed a lot. In the second half, we went straight more. It was a combination of mixing things up, being aggressive, playing both schemes.

Gibson on gelling at right time: Defense is getting back to our foundation in the first five games. We had a blip there. It's just fundamentals. We focus on execution.

Gibson on sack on second to last play of game: I didn't know Stave came out until we got to the locker room. I made an inside move and he hesitated. Shout out to the DTs, they don't get love.

 

[lou v]

Dean Lowry and Deonte Gibson

Lowry on last call: We talked about blitzing but we thought we could get there if we played it straight.

Gibson on offense failing to come through: We can't intermix jobs. We have to do our jobs. We won, there's nothing to complain about.

Lowry on TD reversal: We were just playing football. One of the foundations of our program is responding to adversity. I'm really proud of our guys.

Lowry on the battle between defenses: We thought the best defense would win the game.

Both on four-game win streak: It comes down to the fourth quarter, that's been huge for us this year. You affect the QB in the fourth quarter, it's tough to win the game.

Lowry on pass rush: In the first half, we blitzed a lot. In the second half, we went straight more. It was a combination of mixing things up, being aggressive, playing both schemes.

Gibson on gelling at right time: Defense is getting back to our foundation in the first five games. We had a blip there. It's just fundamentals. We focus on execution.

Gibson on sack on second to last play of game: I didn't know Stave came out until we got to the locker room. I made an inside move and he hesitated. Shout out to the DTs, they don't get love.

Justin Jackson and Anthony Walker

JJ on emotions at end of game: Big swing. I knew when they called him down at the 1, I knew they were going to get the stop. Walker: Our DL really dominated today. What a way to end with a big sack.

Jackson on how he feels after 35 carries: I feel fine right now. We'll see how I feel in 3 or 4 days.

JJ on Frustration of failing to capitalize on turnovers: Can't put it on anyone but us. We have great defense and special teams, they're making plays. We're disappointed in the way we played in second half. We didn't capitalize. Have a lot of things to improve.

Walker on Stave's success: He's a great QB and they're a great team. You can't stop anybody in the Big Ten. You just try to limit them and come up with turnovers. We were able to come up with one more play down the stretch.

JJ on Snowballs: I got hit with one on the field. That guy's got a great arm. It's nice to make a stadium silent...I guess they weren't silent, though. They were booing.