IAFB D Players 090923
Iowa Defensive Players
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00 It's always fun bringing a side-hawk trophy back to Iowa City.
00:06 Great team win. Coach has got us ready throughout the week.
00:09 Scout team did a great job really implementing the Iowa State offense.
00:13 So great team win.
00:15 What did you see on the blocked field goal?
00:17 Blocked field goal? We've been looking at it all week.
00:19 They have been a little light in their stances so if we brought pressure
00:23 we were expecting some good results.
00:25 To start the game on that defensive point, what kind of feeling was that?
00:28 It's a great way to start a game. Holding them to no points after a long drive like that.
00:33 Fighting for 5-10 minutes and then getting the stop on the final play is huge.
00:39 What happens after a drive like that? They move the ball pretty well.
00:43 Still huddling up, make adjustments? Is that when you start dialing in?
00:46 Yeah, just going back to the same game plan.
00:48 We made a few adjustments and then we were pretty dialed in after that drive.
00:53 So figures himself out.
00:55 First drive is always a little tough getting adjusted.
00:59 What's the message coming out for that last drive that they had?
01:02 Get off the field. Biggest thing is to get off the field.
01:05 If we are able to just finish strong and get off the field, we're able to bring that trophy home.
01:12 Everybody bought in. Everybody was really looking forward to rushing over to their sidelines.
01:18 Did you guys snuff out that fourth down play?
01:20 I was on the back side. I did not personally.
01:24 But Joe and Harkett did a great job getting there.
01:28 The whole week we've been prepping for this stuff.
01:31 We just had a great week of preparation leading to this point.
01:34 How much does it matter that this is WIC 200 for Kirk?
01:37 It's huge. It's so much fun celebrating with him. He's getting a little emotional.
01:41 There's so many new guys coming in. They love the energy too.
01:45 It's just a great team win. Great opportunity to be able to celebrate that with a coach.
01:50 That milestone happening in the side-haul game, how special was that?
01:54 It's huge. Just being able to bring that back home to Iowa City.
01:57 It's always fun to keep it at home.
02:03 Bouncing back after last season's losses, it's nice to have it back in the building.
02:08 How about that trophy grab? The guys all held hands and then you just sprint.
02:12 Yeah, love that. We swarm in, we swarm out.
02:16 We're going to swarm to all the trophies too.
02:19 We know what that means to us. We know the work we put in.
02:21 It's everybody together. It's not any one person.
02:23 We're hearing your chanting in there. It seems like it's a pretty excited locker room.
02:28 Yeah, it's always fun. It's a great time.
02:31 Great guys. Just wouldn't want to celebrate with anybody else.
02:36 On that pick six, one, what was your involvement in that?
02:40 Two, what does it feel like to see your defense make a play like that
02:43 and get itself on the scoreboard?
02:46 We preach the whole week of practice, score, score, score.
02:50 So if we get a pick against scout teams, we're trying to bring that back
02:53 to the end zone because every point matters.
02:56 We're always trying to just score ourselves to help the entire team.
03:02 The way we practice has led up to that point.
03:06 You had a lot of pressure on that play. Was that just a good pass for you?
03:09 Did you see something?
03:10 It was a good call. It was a good call by coach.
03:13 I was able to go to the right guy who did my responsibility fairly well.
03:17 200 wins, you may not see that a whole lot else in college football.
03:22 As a young guy, how much do you appreciate what he's done over the course of a decade?
03:26 It's incredible just seeing the progress of this team,
03:30 of Coach Ferentz, throughout my five years now.
03:33 It's great to celebrate that with him.
03:37 It's not going to happen very often.
03:39 Really just taking this one, enjoying it for the next 24 hours,
03:42 and then we're going to get over and get on to the next one.
03:45 What worked in the pass rush?
03:48 Just persistence.
03:50 Continually working and not stopping on your first move if it misses.
03:57 Persistence.
03:58 Logan, it just seems like throughout the first two weeks,
04:00 Iowa State and Utah State were both very quick pass oriented,
04:03 trying to negate that pass rush that you guys had.
04:05 How have you guys been able to stay locked into your keys and stay confident
04:09 when those rare opportunities arise where you might have a little bit more time
04:12 to get to them?
04:13 Biggest thing is everybody doing their job, doing the job to the best of their ability.
04:16 We've got a great group of guys that's willing to run to the ball.
04:18 If it's a screen pass out on the sideline,
04:22 we're just trying to get 11 hats to the ball every play.
04:25 Everybody's buying in.
04:27 Everybody's doing that day in, day out of practice.
04:29 Those are the results throughout the game.
04:31 Minor team, more for Logan.
04:34 How important are special teams plays like the block field,
04:36 but walking through that play?
04:37 All three phases are just as important as one another.
04:40 Every play matters.
04:41 Every play counts.
04:42 It's a game of inches.
04:42 We've been scheming that up all week and it just happened to work this week.
04:49 We'll take it.
04:50 We're going to move on after tomorrow's film session.
04:55 We're going to take that, put it in the bank for the future.
04:58 You were mentioning swarming together for trophies.
05:01 Is that something you decided in the offseason or when did that happen?
05:03 We know how it felt last year.
05:07 They didn't quite swarm to the trophies.
05:11 We're always going to show that we are one team, one unit,
05:15 and we're going to do it together.
05:17 All right.
05:18 Thanks, Logan.
05:18 Thanks, Logan.
05:19 Cooper, bringing that CyHawk trophy home, you're an in-state guy, what does it mean?
05:25 It means a lot.
05:26 Growing up as a kid watching this game, this is the stuff you dream about,
05:32 being able to hold this trophy.
05:34 I'm excited that we get to bring it home.
05:38 Jeff talked about him remembering last year you guys having Iowa State come over and get
05:43 that trophy and then showing it to you guys.
05:45 Did you have that in the back of your mind, remembering what that felt like,
05:48 having ISU take it last year?
05:49 Yeah, I think a lot of guys remember all the stuff that went on post-game after they won
05:56 and held that in the back of their minds when we're preparing for this game and coming into here.
06:02 We knew we wanted to get that thing back.
06:06 How happy were you for Sebastian to get that pick six?
06:09 I was really happy.
06:10 He works his tail off day in, day out, flies to the ball, flies around.
06:16 He's earned everything he's got.
06:18 I think Logan mentioned something about last year's post-game.
06:22 You guys went to the trophy as a swarm.
06:24 Something about how they didn't or something last year?
06:27 What happened last year that was in your mind, I guess?
06:30 Yeah, I don't...
06:34 I mean, last year after the game when they won, there was a bunch of guys running over.
06:40 How we swarm off after the game.
06:41 A bunch of guys running over into our swarm and saying stuff to us.
06:46 We want to do it as a team, go get that trophy as a team.
06:51 So we were happy to have it back.
06:53 They announced that this was the 16th straight year that the Iowa defense has gotten a pick six.
06:59 What does it mean to you to be part of a unit like that with such a sustained
07:03 record of success?
07:04 Yeah, that's something we take pride in, taking the ball away.
07:06 And when we take the ball away, we want to score.
07:09 That's something we do in practice, during spring ball, during camp.
07:15 Whenever we're on the field and we get turnovers, we want to take it to the house no matter where
07:19 it is.
07:20 So we take a lot of pride in scoring as a defense.
07:22 Looked like you almost had your first pick of the season there and then Xavier kind of
07:28 took you out.
07:29 What happened?
07:32 Yeah, I kind of fell off my man and X was trailing his guy.
07:38 I guess he didn't see me coming or didn't know where the ball was.
07:42 But it's all right.
07:42 What did you think of that?
07:45 I mean, this is only a second career start.
07:47 Seemed to be composed, I thought.
07:51 What would you think of the way he competed against you?
07:53 Yeah, they had a good plan, I think, for us.
08:00 Him being a young guy, they played well against us.
08:03 They always do when it's a side-out game.
08:05 So it was a good challenge for us.
08:08 We knew we'd have to come in and play well to win this game as we do every year.
08:14 What does that mean for you and your team?
08:20 Yeah, it's awesome.
08:21 When you come to the locker room and you see tears in his eyes, he's the guy that gives
08:27 his all to us.
08:29 I'd do anything for him.
08:31 I love him to death, so do a lot of these other guys.
08:36 That embrace with Joe Ivins after the win.
08:38 I mean, this is Joe's last ride.
08:44 He's from Ames, Iowa.
08:46 We were talking about it all week, how it was his last ever game in Ames.
08:55 Just being able to come out on top, it was great for him.
08:59 One more question.
09:00 Cooper, the defense making that final play to save the game, how fitting is that?
09:06 How much pride do you take in that and ending the game right there?
09:08 Yeah, we knew it was going to be a battle every single drive out.
09:13 We just got to try and do our job no matter what's happening in the game.
09:18 That's what we did on that last possession.
09:22 Guys, their will to win.
09:24 Just going out there and getting that stop, which we needed.
09:29 All right, thanks, Cooper.
09:30 Thank you.
09:30 Walk me through the pick six.
09:33 It was really slow motion.
09:36 They had motioned over and just read it the whole way.
09:40 I saw the quarterback taking steps and I just went to my progression.
09:43 It felt like practice.
09:44 It was very slow down.
09:46 Something I'm never going to forget because I saw the ball coming real slow,
09:51 caught it, take it in, bring it in, and then just bring it home, bring it home.
09:57 I knew there was some guy running behind me and I knew I had to pick it up a little bit,
10:02 but I wasn't aware.
10:03 I didn't know he was in the game.
10:03 It was good.
10:05 It was good.
10:06 Great feeling, matter of fact, to do that for our team.
10:10 Yeah, something I'll never forget.
10:12 It turned out to be the difference in the game.
10:14 Do you mind that?
10:15 I mean, there was a lot of key points in the game, a lot of ups and downs.
10:21 I won't say there's just one certain effect or one certain play,
10:25 but I mean, it was just a collective unit of guys doing their job at the end of the day.
10:33 We did that better than Iowa State.
10:36 All respect to Iowa State.
10:38 They're a great team, great defense, great offense.
10:40 Now it was a great game.
10:43 Last year you were involved and you knocked a fumble, you knocked a fumble loose,
10:48 and then somebody else picked it up and ran it in.
10:50 Bowl game, you were as good as anybody, but two guys had picked sixes.
10:55 What did it mean for you to now get yours?
10:57 I mean, I always believed I could do that.
11:01 I could make those type of plays.
11:02 The fact that I can do it on TV, I guess, it was a pretty cool feeling.
11:08 Did it feel any differently than you were expecting it would feel?
11:13 No, I try not to get too high, get too low.
11:18 So it was a good feeling and I just play the game more.
11:22 You mentioned go through your progression on that play.
11:28 What is that progression that brings you to that point when the ball's coming up?
11:32 I mean, they came out of empty formation and they had motioned the guy over.
11:37 That changes little tweaks to our defense, so we have to know what everyone else is doing,
11:44 how that's going to change my responsibility and what I'm going to look at that certain play.
11:50 So that just brought my eyes to my man and I just looked the whole way in.
11:55 Are pick sixes expected on this defense?
11:59 Do you go into a game with that as an absolute goal?
12:03 I mean, what's expected is good defense.
12:05 Our standard and good defense comes pick sixes.
12:10 Pick sixes are flashy, but I always respect the little things, what it takes.
12:17 Like the things that no one always sees, especially what happens in the trenches, the delinement.
12:21 That's where the battle is won, so that's the key focus of our defense.
12:28 What can you say about how the secondary played today?
12:30 Sorry, what was that?
12:32 What can you say about how the secondary played today?
12:35 Oh, I mean, we had a little tweak, so I mean a little ups and downs, but that's the game.
12:40 That's part of the game.
12:42 There's going to be ups and downs.
12:43 It's just how you bounce back and that's exactly what we did.
12:46 So I'm proud of our guys, so it was a good game.
12:50 What were the adjustments from A camp that first drive where it seemed to have a lot of success?
12:55 After that, it seemed like it was a different kind of defense.
12:57 I mean, they had a young quarterback, so we had to adjust and play off of him.
13:03 And that's exactly what we did.
13:06 We knew he was going to be young and we just had to go off of how he felt and how he went about the end.
13:13 So that's exactly what we did.
13:15 Sebastian, the defense made the final play to win it.
13:17 Describe the emotions of when your unit makes the stand to win it all again.
13:22 I mean, I couldn't ask for a better ending, a better moment.
13:25 For the defense to have the game, for us to be on the field in that moment,
13:32 you couldn't ask for a better story.
13:34 That's what we want.
13:36 We want to be in that situation.
13:37 We want to take them down.
13:40 We want to do a potential job.
13:41 And the fact that we did that, it was a great thing to do with these guys.
13:46 Sebastian, I think since bowl prep, Kirk's just said you've kind of really ascended.
13:50 I mean, what's the difference between the player you were maybe before during bowl prep to now?
13:55 And you kind of feel like you've been going along the same lines?
13:57 I would say experience.
13:58 Game-over game experience, just being in the flow of things and just, yeah, having that experience.
14:04 And that is a huge factor.
14:07 What's it like in the locker room?
14:09 So celebrating with Kirk after winning 200?
14:12 I didn't even know this was going to be Kirk's 200th win until I got into the locker room.
14:17 And when I saw him go in, we were all in the locker room just waiting for him, right?
14:26 And just to see him, and we were all just like patiently waiting, because I know
14:30 it's going to be a good feeling.
14:32 And then just to see the look on his face,
14:36 knowing that we all contributed to just do that for him and for this team.
14:42 And we're all in this together, so it was just a good feeling to do it as a unit.
14:46 What was the moment when you found out that it was 200?
14:49 Which moment was it where you found out that it was 200 in the locker room?
14:53 I mean, I was a couple feet away going into the locker room.
14:57 So did somebody tell you?
14:59 Yeah, someone was like, oh.
15:01 I don't know.
15:03 I was the only one that didn't know.
15:05 But no, yeah, good feeling.
15:09 What did Kirk look like walking back to the locker room?
15:11 What was that?
15:12 What did Kirk look like walking back to the locker room?
15:15 I mean, he was just a smile on his face.
15:20 There was just a big old smile on his face.
15:22 Looked proud.
15:23 That's what I'm saying.
15:25 He looked proud of us.
15:26 Thank you, Smash.
15:29 Thank you so much.