Wisconsin Coach Paul Chryst Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
Oct. 15, 2016
Camp Randall Stadium – Madison, Wis.
 
OPENING STATEMENT: Credit to Ohio State certainly, but I really appreciate the group in the locker room. This one is tough, on them, on us, because we didn't come into this one hoping to keep it close, hoping to just be out there.

Asked the kids on Friday night to put it all out there, and they did. You guys know, I know, they know, there's things we need to do better, could do to tilt it. Like I said, obviously it's a good Ohio State team. They made plays.

But I was proud of the way our kids competed and played the game and kept playing and did it together. You know, this one hurts tonight. Tomorrow we got to come back, and it's about going forward.

Q. (Question about being up going in the third and what changed.)
COACH CHRYST: Yeah, I mean, that was not how you'd want to do it. You know, we didn't have anything going. I mean, the thing that gave us a chance tonight, offensively I'm talking about, was running the football. We were able to do that in everything but the third quarter. Certainly we had some third down opportunities and didn't win there.

That's why you don't get the plays. I mean, I'm trying to think through a couple of those others. We didn't win those plays, right? That's what makes it harder, and yet that's why I'm also proud of the way they battled back and gave us a chance.

We've got to do all we can as coaches to help them to, when they get themselves a chance, to find that edge to get over that hump.

Q. Based on the way you ran the ball, you get to the four and have four shots at it there in overtime. Feeling pretty confident about your chances there?
COACH CHRYST: Yeah, I did feel good, you know. I mean, it's easy, okay. We didn't get it on the first one. Thought we had an action pass off of it. Didn't get that. Credit to them there.

When it came down to that point, we didn't make the plays, execute, to give ourselves that chance to maybe put it into the second overtime.

Q. How much confidence do you gain in a guy like (Andrew) Endicott?
COACH CHRYST: Obviously a game like this, Endy came up big. Yeah, we had confidence with him before this game, you know what I'm saying?

I think like anyone, it probably gives him as much confidence as it does give us the confidence. This group, I love and appreciate this group. They're going to give all of themselves to give this team that chance.

Q. You mentioned the running game and improvement there. Your line was able to open up a bunch of holes. What does Ohio State do differently in the passing game that made it tougher on your offensive line?
COACH CHRYST: They have good players. They did a nice job of changing up some of the things they were doing. Enough that you've got to be able to adjust during the play.

There were a couple of those where we either moved off the spot or didn't get the throw-off, on third down I'm thinking.

It's a good football team they've got. We had a lot of good things. We're going to look at this one like every game. There's going to be things we've got to build on, we can build on, and I think some areas may be improved, then there's going to be some things that we have to clean up to keep growing and being the best we can be. That's the quest.

Q. Do any of your team's goals change after a second straight loss or do you feel like everything is still out there for them this season?
COACH CHRYST: Our team goals, which mean a ton to us, this group has a vision. Nothing on the outside, nothing will impact this. Two weeks ago went the undefeated season. We didn't talk about that one.

You know what, we got a ton to go forward with. We're at the halfway point in our season. We got a lot of football ahead of us and some great challenges ahead of us, great opportunities.

Q. Alex (Hornibrook) may look at this last play kind of overarching it. He throws an interception, then leads them down the field. How gutsy a performance was it for Alex?
COACH CHRYST: I thought he did some things tonight that were good, and there were some things he's got to clean up. I think there's a lot of guts on this team. This group cares about each other. They also want to be the best football player they can be and contribute to this team. I think we've got a ton of guys. Alex is one of them.

You know what, that's why it hurts this group. In a weird way, you know, you appreciate that it hurts them because they put it all out there. Yet we got to come back with resolve, perseverance. I think the rest of our games are in the west. We got a lot of football ahead of us.

Q. You were shifting a couple spots on the offensive line throughout the game. What went into the plan to give a couple of those guys an opportunity?
COACH CHRYST: Tried to find the best combination of guys. We'll see going forward.

Q. A 10-point lead at halftime against this team is nothing to scoff at. You put up 300 plus yards of total offense. In the locker room at halftime, did you think you missed a chance to build a bigger cushion?
COACH CHRYST: Yeah, I thought that even at the end of the half. You don't know when those chances, opportunities come in a game. We knew when they come, you've got to take advantage of them.

Now you look back, that's where a lot of them were, right? We talked about it earlier. We didn't do anything in the third quarter. You know that when you're playing, and yet you just got to keep going.

I think if you're to look back at this game, absolutely. Some of those drives, in my mind, playing over and over, how did you attack it, what did you do. That's the beauty of the game.

Q. I know you said you didn't come here just to keep this game close. The way you played against Michigan, now Ohio State, do you feel like the Badger program is that much closer to being among the elite?
COACH CHRYST: Spend no time trying to think about that. What this group wants to be is the best team it can be. I'm proud certainly of the program and everything. This is our window. This is this year's team's window. The objective is to be the best we can be.

I don't want to speak for our guys, right? They've got voices. But the bar is set high here. Yet, you know what, we want to be the best we can be. I think there's still room for growth. I love a lot of the things that we've done, but there's still room for growth. We got to take those steps.

Q. There were four or five times where you had (J.T.) Barrett right where you wanted him, and he managed to flip and make a play.
COACH CHRYST: You look at those on two things. How can we finish, right? We all participated. You play it over and over and over in your head. Whether it's T.J. (Watt) or (Jack) Cichy. At the same time you say, Hats off, he's a heck of a player. I thought he was everything that we thought coming in. Thought he was a guy that competes and makes plays. He did that.

Thought he also made some big throws, clutch throws in hard situations. We got some pressure early, but I don't think we did much at the end. Even overtime, we had some opportunities for some lost-yardage plays. We didn't. They did make those plays. He's a heck of a player, J.T. I'm talking about.

Q. What makes them so hard to beat when you're right there?
COACH CHRYST: I think they're a good football team, really good football team.

Junior LB Jack Cichy
On trying to take something positive from the game:
"We have a lot to improve on, we had a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of details that we kind of let slip away. They are a great team, they are going to make plays and we just have to limit those plays that are made. We didn't quite do that tonight but there's a lot of things to build on, a lot of good things we can take from this and we got to go get our pig back next week."
 
On if the team's goals changed after this loss:
"I don't think they changed at all. It's a bit of a hiccup but we're going to take this adversity and we're going to be better from it by the end of the year. I think that's one thing that makes this team so great is we care a lot so it's going to matter to us. We're not going to let it happen again."
 
On if he expects to see Michigan or Ohio State again in the Big Ten championship:
"Yeah, that's the plan. That's the plan for us but we still got to take one day at a time and one week at a time and if we do that, we will be where we want to be."
 
Senior K Andrew Endicott
On the possibility of kicking the game-winning field goal:
"I mean I definitely thought there was going to be a nice little game-winning field goal opportunity with the way our offense was moving the ball all day. I definitely thought it was going to be a real possibility and I was nervous but I was also pretty excited for that opportunity and I talked to Raf (Gaglianone) on the sideline and he was just talking me up and just saying how I've waited four years for this and he's right. So it's too bad that that opportunity didn't happen but maybe next week."
 
On if he has surprised people with how well he has filled in:
"I don't know if I've surprised people, if that's the right phrase. I remember telling someone before that I was hoping when Raf went down that no one would really realize it. I hope that I've been doing that and I hope that I'm just trying to go out there and help the team and put points on the board. Today, obviously, was a good day for me personally, would've loved to get the win as a team but I was just hoping people didn't realize that Raf wasn't kicking."
 
Senior RB Corey Clement
On coming close to beating the second-ranked team in the country
"It's very disappointing and when it comes down to overtime we get another four tries to punch it into the end zone. Ohio State has a great defense. They were calling out a lot of things but we just had to persevere and execute and fight through all the adversity that we were up against. I think we really played well, just coming down to overtime, like coach said, you either beat the heavyweight champion or you don't but you still get back up and learn to fight next week."
 
On his performance in the game:
"I just allowed myself to be patient; that is what I said to the media earlier this week. Just working with those guys, it's been there all season, I had to do my part and just allow myself to be patient, allow the holes to open up and today was one of the best days I've felt and I just allowed the game to come to me and it showed."
 
On when he starts thinking about Iowa:
"As soon as I leave this room, that's when it ends and we turn the page. Now we look forward to Iowa and try to win out the rest of the season to get to the Big Ten championship so a lot is at stake but we're going to sulk in this loss and know what it feels like. We just have to come back, we're on a two-game losing streak, so hopefully we'll turn that back around against Iowa."

Junior TE Troy Fumagalli
On the loss in overtime:
"It hurts, it definitely does. Especially because I think we left some things out there in the first half and the second half, but at this point in time we just have to move forward. I think all of the goals that we have for our season are still right in front of us, and we are just working towards Iowa now."
 
On the vibe in the locker room after the game:
"It's down, obviously. When you get so many people that put their hearts out there, that's what it's like when you come up short so, it's down. We'll fight back."
 
Freshman QB Alex Hornibrook
On his resiliency after throwing an interception:
"If we didn't get that drive going there that could've affected us a lot more and that gave us a chance to go into overtime. Our offense just got the momentum back and drove it down the field."
 
On his confidence going into overtime:
"It's another chance, game still on the line to play. We felt good going in there and we just couldn't put it in there at the end."
 
On if there were missed opportunities going into halftime:
"Obviously there was a couple missed opportunities. We could've had a touchdown there that would've made a difference. Obviously there's things that we can do better."
 
Junior WR Jazz Peavy
On what it felt like to be in it until the end:
"It still hurts, just the fact that we lost, but we've always known that we are a team that can hang with any team in this country and it just sucks that that's how this one ended up."
 
On the jet sweeps in the first half:
"That was just how the game was going. Coach let me know we were going to ride the hot horse and we did that until they stopped it and once they did then we just switched it up and changed the game plan."
 
On the mindset coming out of the half:
"Nothing really changed in our minds. We knew we just needed to keep attacking them, keep the pressure on them, we needed to stay up and we just let it slip through our hands." 

 
Sophomore OL Michael Deiter
On whether or not the team's goals shift after two consecutive losses:
"No, I don't think your goals change. I mean, you can't let them change just after two tough losses. You've got to look at where you can get better, keep your goals the same and just keep working. Because you know you have time, there's a lot of season left. It's not time to step back and go, 'I guess we'll settle for this, we'll settle for that.' We just have to keep pushing, get things right."
 
On what the team was hoping to accomplish coming into the season:
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we want to accomplish. Obviously we want to win the west, the Big Ten. All that's in front of us. You can talk about a national championship but that's just talk. You can set out goals but you just have to go out and work. You lay your goals out, like I said the Big Ten West and the Big Ten, and that's in front of us and that's just stuff we have to keep working towards."
 
Junior OLB T.J. Watt
On the close loss:
"It's tough man, and it's going to sting for a while, but we just have to move on to Iowa."
 
On the disappointment of his play against Ohio State's QB J.T. Barrett:
"It's terrible, especially when I know it was me. I was back there so many times, especially on third and long, had him in my grasp completely and that leads to a touchdown. Certain plays like that, where you know it's on you, it sucks and I take full responsibility. I did not play up to par and I just could not finish when they were my plays to be made.
 
"He can do it all, we've been seeing it all week. He can run, he can throw and he trusts all his players. I think he showed that tonight."
 
On how soon the team will put the loss behind them:
"We have film tomorrow afternoon; we're going to watch that and then once film's over we're going to move on to Iowa and start game-planning and get back to football."

Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer
Opening Statement:
"That's a great win against a very good team. That was great for our conference and obviously I can say we won the game so I feel great about it, that was a real one. I'm very proud of our guys, and when I say that I mean like really proud. We did not play well in certain areas but man did they play hard, and to be down at least 10 points, we could have been down worse if our defense gave up too many plays but they tightened up and set themselves up for field goals. That, to me, was a big part of the game, once we got in the red zone we kind of tightened things up a little bit. Offensively, a long way to go, J.T. Barrett was not outstanding but he's one of the toughest cats I've ever been around and he's a guy that I know who I want behind center in that kind of environment."
 
On adjustments made at the half:
"It's my job to be upset and I came in there and was ready to tear into people but I looked at a bunch of professionals and the defense who gave up 300 yards in the first half so I just saw a bunch of professionals going about their business. They had the overlays going on and the coaches were working and that's what everyone gets paid to do and they did a very good job. I'm very proud of tonight and the coaches."
 
On the game's final play:
"I didn't see it, we were scripting for the next set and I almost got ran over on the sidelines so you'd have to ask those guys."
 
On how he felt heading into overtime:
"I never thought that way. I thought this was a tough one, I looked out there and I saw very good players all over the field. That running back is in outstanding form and they did some good things. That's a very good coaching staff, they had two weeks to prepare and you could tell. We got another situation coming up this week, another bye-week team on the road. I wouldn't say there were some indicators that that was going to be a bad ending but on our sideline you could tell that it's just what we do and what good, competitive football teams do, just keep swinging."  
 
On Ohio State's passing performance:
"They did a nice job of switching up man and zone and we worked so hard on man-beaters all week and they played a lot of zone against us. We pushed the ball down the field and didn't come up with it, I want to say five or six times we didn't come up with it, and that's concerning but once again that's just the game and we still ended up with 226 yards passing against I think a top-five defense in America. So we're good, man, just got to get a little bit better."
 
On the final TD:
"That was a tough situation. We liked that matchup, and then I actually said to make sure Noah [Brown] is in there because he's our guy and we made the throw. J.T. [Barrett] and Noah got a nice little chemistry between the two of them down there."
 
On the performance of QB J.T. Barrett:
"I've been lucky, you know you look at some of the quarterbacks that I've been blessed to coach and I've been around and I know in that situation that's who I want behind center. He didn't play his best game, when he does it's incredible. The absolute test of a leader is to raise the level of play of those around you and he's surrounded by a bunch of guys who are newbies this year—we have a true freshman playing left guard—and it's a quarterback's responsibility to pick up his level of play, same with a bunch of new receivers so that's what makes J.T. so special."