• last year
Iowa TE Interview
Transcript
00:00 Okay, James. All right, Eric. Welcome. If you have questions for Eric, raise your hand and we'll go right into the interview.
00:12 First question Eric's from Scott Dr. Man.
00:16 Eric, how are you today, sir. Good. How are you, I'm doing well I wanted to ask you about kind of your any, do you have any overall feelings about Michigan State kind of lingering from your days in Michigan and, and certainly from the game you guys have
00:29 played two years ago where you think you had 10 catches.
00:34 Um, nothing really lingering too much.
00:38 Just treating them like another tough opponent and, you know, just ready to get out there and get it back on the field and, you know, correct some, some stuff.
00:49 You know, I'm just more going out there just ready to win and get back on the winning streak. So,
00:56 right next question is from Mitch Fick.
00:59 What was the key in that game I think it was you and K both put up career highs I mean obviously the chemistry is there this year too but do you remember of just what specifically was was clicking I know it's been two years but any any memory of just what was going right
01:12 for you guys.
01:14 Um,
01:17 I think.
01:19 I don't know I just felt like we ran a lot of like why screens that game. And I like caught the ball like off the little fake pass block.
01:28 We ran a lot of those.
01:31 And coaches is calling my number like plays that we were that I knew that were coming to me he was he was just calling my number a lot that game.
01:39 And, um,
01:41 feel like.
01:43 I don't know I can't really think too much about what was going on and what they were playing against us and stuff because it's been so long ago but it was just one of those days where I was just open all the time and Kate was what Kate was hitting me.
01:58 So, next question is from john steppy have a two parter here first of all still know I hop and I l deal. And then on a slightly more serious note with having your past experience with Katie.
02:12 Is that just a matter of like, have you just picked up where you left off or is there any kind of transition period when you're doing this in a different offense and you guys are doing it in before.
02:23 Um, yeah, it's just, um, feel like it's all like a matter of trust. Yeah, me and Kate.
02:31 Yeah, me and Kate, we played together in Michigan and everything but, you know, it was a entirely different system and plays and stuff like that and keys and stuff so, but, you know, he's, I feel like it's a matter of trust.
02:48 And I took it took a little bit for him to trust me I feel like to throw me the ball more and in games, especially you know after you know the Penn State game, he's, you know, I dropped the first the first ball on the bench, or on the not bench, but the middle,
03:09 the middle slant, and, you know, I fall down on this on the screen and stuff like that like I gotta, I gotta gain his trust more.
03:18 And I feel like once that happens, you know, he'll, he'll start trusting me more and once we get out there and practice and, you know, I start doing things the right way, you know, start trusting me more.
03:30 And I feel like that's what it's really about is, you know, he wants to, I know he wants to show love and give me the ball and, you know, stuff like that but he also has keys and reads and people and stuff like that he has to throw throw to so going off that.
03:49 Oh, and to answer the IHOP, yeah, no, they haven't. No, and Iowa.
03:54 But now,
04:10 am I supposed to call somebody or something.
04:15 I hope you're doing well. Um, how do you just reflect on what you've done the first four games of the season, what do you feel like you've done well what do you kind of continue want to continue improving on.
04:27 I feel like, like there's always things to improve on. And there's always going to be things that things that you're better at doing and other stuff like for me I feel like I'm naturally better at getting open and, you know, running routes.
04:44 And also just you know physical contact.
04:47 But, like, I would, I would love to get better at, you know, just knowing the offense like better conceptually conceptually, like, like just the concepts and what we're, you know, trying to accomplish on each play.
05:05 Um, also, you know, ball security, I had a huge fumble in the last game that, you know, I try not to dwell on but it's just, I got to focus more on you know keeping two hands on the ball and, you know, especially when I'm going down to the ground, and those like awkward
05:24 positions, but, um, that and, you know, running crisper routes and, you know, but, you know, and blocking and so it's a whole bunch of stuff.
05:34 It's a whole bunch of stuff you know you could get better on and, and, you know, you know that what coaches are looking for, you know, I would love to, you know, that's the stuff they're looking for ball security, you know, trusting that trust again trusting
05:48 you to, you know, take the ball back to the huddle and, you know, blocking it and just doing everything the right, the right way.
06:03 Eric, I'm going to ask you to think back a couple years again. We heard so much about Cade talking to the team after the last Saturday I saw the video from the locker room and Rutgers in 2020 after he comes in and leads that comeback and another kind
06:18 of similar situation where everyone's around him and he's speaking I think you're in the background of it. Do you remember that speech was that a moment where you and collectively that team were like okay that that's our leader, not just for this season but going
06:31 forward. Do you remember that moment at all. Yeah, yeah, I remember, because it was like the first time he did it.
06:37 And, you know, guys were like, kind of in shock that he did it.
06:42 But it kind of the stuff that he was saying what we could get behind he was just saying, I remember right he was just pretty much saying that, you know, let's go win out let's go, you know, don't count ourselves out because we were having a terrible season that year
06:58 that we started out with you know we weren't.
07:02 We weren't doing too good, at least I don't think I don't remember. I forget what game that was with Rutgers but he was just telling us you know to get out there and went out and that was after a big win.
07:15 But the speech after the Penn State game was after a loss.
07:19 And, you know, he was pretty much just telling us.
07:24 You know, was remember this feeling, and to not, you know, ever have to go through it again.
07:31 And to do what it takes you know we we know we had a pretty bad game out there this past Saturday.
07:37 And, you know, we know we could have played a lot better.
07:40 And we could have done a lot more things right that had nothing to do with, you know, play calling or anything else that had everything to do with, you know, executing, and we didn't do that, and we know we can do that.
07:54 And we know we're going to fix it and hone in on those little details.
08:00 We can we go for here on out.
08:02 And that's pretty much what Kate was like emphasizing.
08:06 And we can't wait to get out there and, you know, do better.
08:12 And when compete.
08:15 Looking forward to it.
08:18 Get this right two more.
08:21 Two more questions Eric.
08:23 First questions from Scott Dr.
08:25 Eric I wanted to ask you about kind of maybe the way your position has changed a little bit since Luke's injury I mean he was primarily the why and you are moving a lot you were you're a Wyatt sometimes you're F you're in a lot of different positions.
08:41 Are you now.
08:43 More so the why in most situations or are you still kind of fill in that role where you're kind of the move tight in and just depending on different formation and grouping.
08:54 Yeah.
08:57 To answer that question I really don't know.
08:59 To be honest, because, you know, coach just tells me to go in and, and at, at a position and I just try to do my best, but like now that Luke's, you know, unfortunately not not playing, you know, I think he they're going to have me more doing, doing stuff that Luke
09:21 was doing at the Y position, a lot more than I was.
09:27 But it's great that I love I love being able to, you know, line up at fullback and F out in the slider you know in line at why, but I don't know, just, I guess it has to do with like game plan and stuff like that I just go in when coach tells me to, and, you know, try
09:48 to execute to my best, my best ability.
09:53 Right. Last question Eric is from Colin Vatzmeyer.
09:58 Hi Eric, I'm just curious what the general mindset kind of is for both you and the offense going into Michigan State this weekend.
10:07 Just to go one and oh, with this week you know, win and attack each game individually not think too far ahead, and just focus on what Michigan State is bringing to the, to the table.
10:20 And we're going to do that with every week we go, go on, or every week we have here on out, just coming up we're going to just focus on them, beating them and what it takes to do that and entrust our coaches and trust, you know, trust them to, to lead us to victory.
10:41 All right, perfect appreciate your time this morning Eric. Yep. Thank you guys so much.