Interviews with Iowa student-athletes playing defense
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00:00 Statistically, you had a pretty great day on Saturday, but after the game you mentioned
00:04 that there was a lot of cleanup that you had to do in terms of quarterbacking the defense.
00:09 Now that you've gotten a chance to look at the tape, what are some of the things or some
00:13 areas of improvement for yourself that you saw?
00:16 Definitely just got to process that information a little bit faster than I want to.
00:21 Getting that call from the sideline, making sure my defense is set to the right side of
00:25 the field is big for me.
00:28 Just making sure while I'm getting a call, understanding what personnel is out there.
00:33 That's a pretty big one.
00:34 I feel like I'm doing a better job with that now.
00:37 Just understanding if there's two tight ends in a game or one tight end, how that can affect
00:41 our defense.
00:42 What's the ceiling for this team?
00:43 The sky's the limit.
00:44 I feel like our team has a good understanding of the opportunity we have this season.
00:56 I feel like me being around this is probably the most confident this locker room has been.
01:02 I'm saying that coming off a hard loss.
01:05 I feel like the buy-in from the guys is at the highest it's ever been.
01:11 The sense of urgency.
01:12 Now that I'm a senior, I just feel like it means a little bit more.
01:17 The game's just a little bit different.
01:20 Just going out there and competing, not knowing when your last game is your last game.
01:25 I feel like we try to maximize our opportunity and the opportunity we have.
01:30 How helpful was it to have Jack to learn from over these last many years?
01:35 It was good because obviously Coach Wallace is a heck of a coach.
01:39 It's good that a guy who was like-minded as myself, I saw how he played in Coach Wallace's
01:46 defense.
01:47 He did what Coach Wallace wanted him to do as long as running a defense.
01:54 Coach Wallace understands it's easy to coach, but it's one thing to be the guy out there
01:58 having to execute all the plays and stuff.
02:01 I saw how Campbell did that.
02:04 That helped me.
02:05 The same with Seth Benson.
02:07 I feel like he did a great job.
02:08 I just feel like they're really responsible for how the defense has grown over the years.
02:14 You can't really improve the defense if you don't have linebackers who can do stuff.
02:18 Is there anything in your game that you have noticed that you're mimicking Jack or Seth
02:23 on?
02:24 I would like for people to say I mimic their effort on every play, just trying to get to
02:30 the ball every play.
02:32 Honestly, that's really just the standard around here.
02:35 I feel like Nick's done a good job for a guy who never, I don't know if they've even met
02:41 really, but for a guy who's never met, how easy he was able to pick up the culture that
02:45 we have around here.
02:47 Culture's kind of hard to figure out if you're new to the system, but I feel like we've done
02:52 a good job just trying to uphold the standard.
02:55 I just asked Jay about how he's a leader on the field, but also kind of like a jokester
02:59 off the field.
03:00 Can you just touch on Jay's personality off the field and how fun of a teammate he is
03:04 to be with?
03:05 Yeah, he's one of the funniest guys on the team.
03:09 Just really like being around him.
03:12 I go over there quite a bit just to hang out with him.
03:16 He's got him, Nick, Craig, Fish, they're all in a house.
03:20 Just going over there and not talking about football, he's always a joy to be around.
03:25 Obviously you did talk about how it is important to still work hard on the field too.
03:30 How is he as a leader on the field?
03:32 He's a tremendous leader.
03:33 He's always first one in, last one out.
03:36 You can tell that by he's always in the facility I think until, I don't even know, hours.
03:42 When I'm leaving, usually around 7, 7.30 I always see his car here, always in the linebacker
03:47 room and on the field too, just communicating, getting the guys ready to go for Saturday.
03:53 You guys, you particularly, have experienced bad losses like this before.
03:57 What can you draw on this week to flush it and move forward?
04:01 A lot of season left.
04:02 Yeah, there's a lot of season left and that's kind of a point we're making.
04:07 All of our goals are still out there on the table.
04:09 We can still win the Big Ten West, we can still go win the Big Ten.
04:13 That's kind of a point to tell the young guys and the guys that have been here for a little
04:17 while, for me I've been here for a while, so just kind of tell those guys that the world
04:21 isn't falling and let's get back out of that practice.
04:24 Has that been kind of the theme that you've experienced through the years from older guys
04:28 saying hey this is just one game?
04:30 Yeah, yeah.
04:32 I've been very fortunate enough to be around tremendous leaders and even if he wasn't an
04:38 older guy, but like Jack Campbell, I'm older than him, but he's one of the best leaders
04:42 I've been around and that's how he carried himself.
04:47 Just he, after a bad loss or anything, you should see him on that Monday at practice
04:51 just giving it his all, letting the guys know that the season's not over, we've got a lot
04:57 more to play for.
04:58 How do you generate the pass rush?
05:00 We keep asking this every week, but is there something that's not going right or is it
05:05 up front or are you doing it differently?
05:09 Yeah I mean I just think it just all comes down to fundamentals and what we're doing
05:13 in practice.
05:14 Just being able to see some things in film that we can correct and like I said in practice
05:23 we've been working on that.
05:25 Really put an emphasis on that lately so hopefully that'll show up on this game.
05:30 I think we have great leadership from the vets in the room and I think that those guys
05:35 are just moving forward.
05:37 We know that we can't lose the game twice so we can't let last week dictate the rest
05:42 of our season so we know that we have to keep moving forward, we have to keep getting better
05:46 at the day in and day out stuff and just the little things to help build us up so we can
05:50 ultimately hit some of our goals.
05:52 Anything that you said or any of the other leaders or coaches said in the last 72 hours
05:57 that kind of stood out to you?
05:59 I mean yeah, we've been in this situation before.
06:03 Iowa's been in this situation before and they've had terrific seasons out of it.
06:07 I think that nothing's out of reach, the world didn't end.
06:14 We lost the football game so now it's just how do we get better, how do we attack this
06:17 next week and move forward so we can start getting back on the track.
06:22 What's the frustration level like when you're on the field for so long and you just can't
06:26 get off and they're slowly methodically moving down the field?
06:29 As a defense, what's that like?
06:31 I mean you just want to make plays, you want to make plays to get off the field.
06:37 We know we're all accountable and so just play in and play out.
06:40 Now we're just focused on working on those details so we don't have to feel that.
06:44 I know Jay's leading the Big Ten in tackles.
06:47 What does he bring to the table in playing that spot which has been a legendary spot
06:52 for Hawkeye linebackers in that middle?
06:54 Yeah, he's just doing an unbelievable job.
06:56 I think every day he comes in it's just a tribute to him in his preparation every single
07:01 day and he's just making plays every single week.
07:04 Really proud of him.
07:05 He's doing a great job and that's my boy.
07:08 Anytime you see him doing well it means a lot to me.
07:11 I'm really happy for him and I just know that he's insatisfied.
07:16 I think that he keeps a chip on his shoulder and I think that he knows that what he's done
07:20 up to this part of the season is good but I think he wants more and he's holding himself
07:24 to even higher standards.
07:26 How quick did that relationship between you and Jay?
07:28 How quick?
07:29 Because obviously morale.
07:30 Yeah, it's been fast honestly.
07:34 Just like kind of instantly.
07:35 It's like the same person honestly in a way.
07:39 It's honestly kind of weird.
07:41 We do everything pretty much together.
07:44 We really much just do everything together.
07:48 We live together.
07:49 We see him every day.
07:50 Same position group.
07:51 Talking to him all day.
07:52 Honestly, you probably see him too much but I haven't been tired of him yet.
07:56 It's a great relationship and shoot, I'm thankful to know him.
07:59 He's my brother.
08:00 Yeah, I mean I definitely think that he's really mobile in the pocket and then their
08:04 running back is dynamic.
08:05 Makes some plays.
08:06 They have a big tight end.
08:07 They have a good receiving core.
08:08 I mean, we're getting into that spot where it's big time football.
08:11 Michigan State, historically, has always been a good team and always will be a good team.
08:15 So I mean, we got some stuff to work on and we know that we have to stop the run.
08:21 We know we have to make plays on the ball in the pass game.
08:24 So they're a good football team.
08:26 They do a lot of stuff outside zone wise and they're a good football team.
08:31 What was that about a golf game?
08:33 Flappy golf is just like a speed racing game to make it in the hole.
08:36 That's what we've been doing lately.
08:38 That's like a D-back room?
08:39 Yeah.
08:40 Who's the best at it?
08:41 Oh, it's me.
08:42 Everyone knows it's me.
08:43 They might not say it but I got the moves.
08:47 What's this kind of first four games been like for you?
08:50 Kind of settling into that as your first full season at the start.
08:53 It's been exciting, really.
08:55 Just honing in on the little details now and trying to perfect the craft and go out there
08:58 and play with more confidence and more speed and just have some more fun.
09:01 What were the things that you took away from Kavon last year?
09:03 Really, he taught me in the film room how to go about film and then on the field just
09:08 trusting yourself, making the call and just go at full speed.
09:10 So that's something I've been trying to do lately.
09:12 Was there a moment where things kind of really felt like they were clicking for you out there?
09:16 I couldn't give you like a pinpoint day but everything's been clicking a lot more.
09:20 Just being able to play faster, play smarter.
09:22 So it's all been helpful.
09:24 Do you think back to your pick six down in Nashville much?
09:29 Sometimes I'll reminisce about that, just trying to get another one.
09:31 But as the game goes and the season goes, it just keeps coming.
09:34 How much of a leader has Jay been for this defense?
09:36 Jay's been a huge leader.
09:38 Comes on the field every day, just brings the energy.
09:41 So something we really needed and he's just been a big step in that direction.
09:45 How helpful is it when sometimes things aren't going your way, like against Penn State, to
09:48 have him and kind of the body language he's giving you guys?
09:52 He's always juicing us up.
09:53 Like good or bad, he's been staying the same playing.
09:55 So it's been good.
09:56 Everyone's building out for him.
09:57 So I just hope he keeps doing what he's doing and keep us going.
10:00 What are the things you're working on?
10:02 I'm working on footwork, just technique and just being more confident every day and going
10:07 out there and playing fast.
10:08 You know, fans dwell on losses for a long time.
10:11 How long do you, I mean I know you had the 24 hour, but how easy is it to move on from
10:15 something?
10:16 You didn't lose much in high school.
10:17 How tough is that?
10:18 It is tough losing, but you get that 24 hours, you watch the film and really you just have
10:22 to flush it.
10:23 If you don't flush it, you'll dwell on it and make more mistakes.
10:25 So once you flush it, you just go out there and keep playing fast and keep going.
10:28 Do you dwell on that on the flight back or what's kind of your routine I guess to kind
10:34 of get that past you?
10:36 Yeah, the flight back, you just sit there and think a little bit about what you could
10:40 have done.
10:41 Then when you get back, you watch the film the next day.
10:43 So you get that 24 hours in and then after that, you just have to move on.
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