Alvarez Addresses Media During Monday News Conference
October 15, 2001 | Football
Wisconsin head football coach Barry Alvarez spoke to the media on Monday during his weekly news conference. The news conference was in preparation for this weekend's game against Illinois.
Alvarez talked about how the Badgers rebounded from the Indiana loss, the Illinois defense and Fighting Illini quarterback Kurt Kittner. A partial transcription of the news conference follows.
You went through a tough week with many people asking questions and doubting the Badgers. You always seem to bounce back. What do you attribute your perseverance to' 'Maybe because we have kids with character. And they understand that the only people that really count, what they say, are the people in the [locker] room and regardless of what's being said about you, it's how you feel about yourself and how the rest of your teammates feel and what you think you can get done. If you don't have character, if you don't have any grit, then you won't bounce back. If you're more concerned about what people are saying about you, you don't have a chance. But we've been fortunate, we 've got people who are made of substance and guys that aren't afraid to go out there and put their neck on the line and compete and when you get everybody on the same page trying to do that, normally you're pretty good.'
Some would say the character of your coaching staff is the reason your team bounces back: 'I can't disagree with that. Players have to follow somebody and there's obviously some leadership and they spend an awful lot of time with the staff. Certainly if they aren't made up of that same character, you really don't have much of a chance. The players need somebody to follow. I thought we had tremendous leadership this week'when you have a rough week, then you really find out how good your leaders are and I thought our kids were really good, I thought a lot of them stepped up. I really like the way our seniors stepped up'I just really like the way our kids responded.'
What are the factors that make you a good road team' 'It's hard to put your finger on it. We try to address what you do on the road, we try to be very consistent in how we prepare. Last Friday was the same preparation, the same schedule ' within one half hour than it would have been if we were playing at home. We go through the same meetings, we get there and instead of going to a movie we go to the hotel. That's all consistent. We teach them how to deal with the crowd and not worry about anything other than the game. We play crowd noise during practice in preparation for a loud crowd and I think that really helps make you concentrate during the week, because if you don't concentrate you can't even practice, because guys are jumping off side and it's very annoying for coaches and everything else'yet it really makes those kids concentrate during the week and I think sometimes that carries over.'
Illinois quarterback Kurt Kittner was a true freshman the last time the Badgers played UI (in 1998). How has he come along since then' 'I remember they put a lot of faith in him and really relied on him as a true freshman 'obviously he's come a long way and his supporting cast has come a long way. He was obviously very talented back then, but he's really matured over the years and they've recruited well and [Illinois coach] Ron [Turner] has the type of player that he wants in there.'
Does Kittner remind you of anyone' 'It's hard to compare guys. He's in a class with all the top quarterbacks; he's in that league. They all have their strengths, they're all quality guys and they 're all probably first round guys. He's the whole package, he's smart, he's just as impressive as those guys we saw earlier in the year who are getting a lot of the attention.'
Do you think the Badger defense is able to defend a passer like Kittner, especially with Illinois' running attack' 'That 's what we're going to find out. I don't know. That's what's difficult about preparation for a team like this because you can't overplay them. You have to play them true, you have to respect both the run and the pass and they do them both well. That's why you play to find out those things. '
How good is the Illinois defense and how much credit do you give Illinois' defensive coordinator Mike Cassity' 'Mike brought in a totally different scheme, they're a pressure defense and you're going to see a number of different fronts ' more than we'll see against anybody else. Every snap they're going to pressure from linebackers to corners to safeties. They present more problems with that scheme and they're going to be playing man coverage. So I credit him, it's his defense, he put it together, he tied it to those kids, they're playing it well and they're playing with a lot of confidence. He's done an outstanding job.'
Bowl game thoughts: 'We have to win three of the next five. My guys are smart enough to know you have to win seven to go to a bowl game. We don 't even have time to talk about that. We just worry about the next game 'we have to concentrate on the next game and that's never changed. I 've never, ever gone any farther out than one game; you're foolish if you do, particularly in this league. If anyone overlooks anyone in this league, you have an opportunity to be beaten. I don't care who it is, I think any team in this league has a chance to win regardless of who they play whether it's the top or bottom team playing, if you're not prepared and you don't play well you have a chance to be beaten. So were not worrying about [bowls] right now.'
