Fitz talks Vandy

The following is a transcipt of coach Pat Fitzgerald’s Monday press conference.

Opening Statement…
“We had a great practice today and had a positive camp, I think we improved the areas we wanted to. We believe our running game has improved, I like our defensive line, I like our new young wide receivers and the way they’ve competed. Who and how many will play, time will tell. I think Dan Persa has had a great camp and we’ve got two freshmen quarterbacks who we think are going to be pretty spectacular also. I like the camps that Josh Rooks and Drake Dunsmore have had.
Up front on defense, our defensive line is deep and we’re going to need them on Saturday. It’s going to be hot so we’ll have to rotate a bunch of guys in. Same thing in the linebacking corps, that group has come together and improved. As I look at the secondary we’ve had a couple different combinations throughout camp so we’ve seen a lot of football jersey guys play. We think they’re all prepared for the opener.
Looking at Vanderbilt, it’s a team that’s coming off not only going to a bowl game but winning one. It’s a team that we believe is going to come together after going through a little off-the-field adversity, losing one of their recruits, Coach Johnson retiring and Coach (Robbie) Caldwell taking over. It’s a team that will be unified, on a mission and the challenge for us is to be focused and handle our business the right way on the road against a tough SEC opponent.

On what Vanderbilt is enduring with a late coaching change…
“Maybe not the same circumstances so it’s difficult to compare, but through difficult times good football teams come together and they unify. They take a challenge as a motivator to play together as one. From all the things that I’ve read from down there, it seems like that’s what has happened. We’ll find a way to rise up to their level of passion on Saturday.”
On why he believes the running game is improved…
“No. 1, we put an emphasis on it and you typically achieve what you emphasize. No. 2, we’ve got very good players. We have a good group up front that is coming together, Coach Adam Cushing has done a great job up there. It’s been our focus all offseason. Here comes your first test - you think you know the information and then you get tested on it so we’ll have a better idea on Saturday night and Sunday but so far so good on what we’ve emphasized in camp. It will be a test, (Vanderbilt’s) defense runs very well. I’ve been impressed by (Chris) Marve, he’s a sideline-to-sideline linebacker and same thing with Casey Hayward and Sean Richardson, the corner and the safety, they really come downhill.”

On what they did to make the running game a focus…
“Well you look at the areas where you think you have room to improve. We were close in a bunch of games to having a much more efficient run game. I thought we had good balance but we’d like to be more efficient - four or more (yards) on first down, second-and-6 get half or more, third down pick it up and fourth down pick it up, score on the goal line. We’ve just worked our tails off. We put more reps in and we’ve tried to put ourselves in a position to be more efficient.”
On his impressions of Vanderbilt…
“I think there are a lot of similarities between the two schools. On offense they’re a spread team with a very dynamic quarterback, Larry (Smith) is a dual-threat guy who missed a lot of San Francisco 49ers jerseylast year to an injury. But he’s dual-threat very similar to Dan (Persa), although maybe a little bigger. They have two running backs who are as good as we’ll see in the Big Ten. Not only are they outstanding running backs but Warren Norman is a tremendous kick returner, one of the best if not the best in the SEC. They’re aggressive, they’ll bring pressure and force you to execute and they play sideline-to-sideline. In the kicking game, they can run and their kickoff return unit is one of the best in the country. They’re very well-coached, very disciplined and a very good football team.”
On expanding the pocket the way the offense did under Mike Kafka…
“I believe we can, Danny is a dual-threat quarterback and can make all the throws we ask our quarterbacks to make. He also can make you pay with his legs. I think what’s more important, especially in the opener, is his decision-making, seeing different color jerseys who react a little differently. How he handles that will be critical. If his work ethic is any indication, I think we’re in for a fun ride. He’s talented and very disciplined so I look forward to watching Danny play.”
On the new contributors on the offensive line…
“Pat Ward played a little last year for us, he’s very nimble and can move his feet for someone who is 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds. His father was a great player but I think he gets his athleticism more from his mom. He’s a dynamic athlete. Neal Deiters, who started the last half of the year, is in the mix. Neal’s a big guy and he’s getting into better and better shape after nursing some injuries in the offseason. He’s getting into great shape and playing with an attitude. Brian Mulroe got his first collegiate start in the Outback Bowl, another athletic guy who plays with an attitude. Then we’ll go with Doug Bartels, Al Netter, Ben Burkett and Keegan Grant, who have all been in there. We’ve got a deep group and I look forward to seeing how that group comes together. We’re a little further ahead at this point than we were at this point last year, which I think is more injury driven. Last year we had a couple different combinations and it showed.”
On cornerback Justan Vaughn…
“Justan had a good spring, a very solid offseason and came into camp maybe in the best shape of his life. I like how he’s improved fundamentally and technically, we’ve challenged those guys quite a bit in some of the little things they are going to see. Vanderbilt will put pressure on us, do some formation variations similar to what Auburn did in the bowl game and some gadgetry. We need to be disciplined in the secondary. I like the camp Mike Bolden has had as well as Demetrius Dugar. We have some options and flexibility there.”
On cornerback Jordan Mabin…
“I like the way that Mabes leads because he’s genuine. He’s not necessarily the most outspoken guy in the world, he leads more by example and he just goes out there and makes plays. He’s been pretty consistent with that through his whole career. I think we get more vocal leadership from our safeties, it’s just the way our system is, along with our linebackers. Mabes is a great leader but he does it his way, leading by example more than vocally.”

On the offensive line rotation…
“I’d say our starters right now are set. This week will be similar to a couple years ago when we brought 70 players down to Duke early in the year and played 68. We fully anticipate playing everyone on the bus.”
On the difference in Arby Fields’ game this year…
“Maybe I’m not as mad at him, I don’t know. I think he’s just a sophomore. Freshman year is so hard. We’re not even into school yet and won’t be for four more weeks. The expectations that go along with being a Big Ten football player are as difficult as you’ll ever have. I thought he handled it well last year, he’ll be the first tell you he wished he was in a little better shape coming into last year, but to his credit he worked his tail off every day. I thought by the halfway point of the season and he beyond he put himself in position to be a very solid Big Ten tailback. He had a good offseason and he’s prepared so I look forward to seeing him Saturday.
“He’s having more fun and he’s more comfortable. It’s a big change for a kid from California leaving home for the first time and flying halfway across the country. He had a lot on his plate when you think about the year he had. He did a great job academically, he went from football right into training for baseball season, travels with baseball for Seattle Seahawks jersey a couple weeks, has no spring break, then comes back and goes right into spring football practice when he’s playing baseball and football. I can’t say enough good things about him. He had a great offseason and I think it was a catalyst for helping him grow up fast. Not too many guys in the country are doing that and it’s impressive to see.”
On Northwestern’s punting plans…
“(The rugby-style punt) is part of what we do and we pick and choose when we want to do it. When you look at our stats, our rugby is very efficient, return yards are very low and we cause a lot of turnovers. We won some football games because of it. The last time I looked we play in Chicagoland and when we get into the October and November, that wind starts to howl. Stefan Demos is not a punter, he was a kicker in a punter’s role and he handled it very well. Brandon Williams has stepped up, had a great camp and averaged well over 40 yards in camp. We haven’t seen that since maybe the Paul Burton era. I told Demos all camp that we finally have a punter in the program and it’s not him, but he’s had a great camp too, kicking the ball as well as he ever has.”
On Vanderbilt’s Warren Norman…
“They played a number of backs a year ago, schematically there wasn’t that dramatic of a change (between different backs). He’s maybe 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, both guys remind me of Arby or Tyrell Sutton in that they are very physical, can make you miss, catch the ball extremely well out of the backfield. You see his true speed as a kick returner, and he’s one of the best in the SEC if not the country. It’s going to be a challenge for our kickoff team but we’ve been good on that unit too.
On if Northwestern recruited any players on Vanderbilt’s roster…
“We did recruit a couple of those guys and I think they recruited a couple guys on our roster so we have some relationships. It’s always fun to play against guys you get to know a little bit through recruiting but when the ball goes up you just go play football. Personally, I just met Coach Johnson when we were on an ethics committee meeting for AFCA so I was looking forward to spending time with him. Obviously that’s not going to happen now but looking forward to spending time with Coach Caldwell.”