Gophers react to 48-0 win over Rhode Island

uh about end of the first quarter beginning of the second you were getting pretty good protection and you seemed to get in the Rhythm and seemed to kind of carry through the game yeah feel like that's what happened yeah I think I think the oine did an amazing job today um you know I think the leaders of that group Quinn and T and and Greg at Center um those guys carried that group and they did an amazing job today um you know I love playing behind them uh they're the ultimate competitors and I can't wait to to Showcase more this year ma what do you think allowed the quick game Concepts to really get going today and find a Groove offensively I think it was just execution to be honest I think I think quick game's a a good Universal concept um overall and I think our guys got to really good spots today it's about guys feeling zones and um you know the wild out trust and how they're how they feel the zones and did an amazing job today with that I thought they got the really good spots the whole day Darius How does how do you feel physically how what was it like being out backr on field how close were you to playing last week do you think um I feel good right now um everything's going great um the trainers are doing a lot of work with me helping me get through all these all these things um I mean last week before the game I was running full speed so I mean it was more so just making sure that I'm fully healthy and and making sure that I'm be here for the whole season um I mean I'm excited I mean I had fun today it was it was a great game there was a few times you caught the ball whether was in the flatter when you did the little H in front of line then back turned to the defense and made guy Miss just what goes into that feel that you've kind of developed throughout your years I feel like it's just natural um I play a lot a receiver in high school so I mean that's prepared me for like those moments I mean it's just a field that you have on the field and also Max throws the ball to where he wants you to turn it's a lot that plays a lot into it so I mean he puts the ball on my right shoulder I know that I should probably turn to the right because I mean he's throwing away from the defense so as those are the main things Darius how much an emphasis did you put on expanding your receiving skills this off season 2 um that's always been something that I wanted to do coming out of high school that's something that we talked about as or with the staff um I mean it was just a right time to put it in I mean Max has been known to throw the check down so I mean it's just it's just really good opportunity with the quarterback that we have and the way that he goes through his progression and and checks it down Max PJ talked about you growing in leadership um from last even from last week to this week being a whole team leader how do you strike that balance between you're a new guy but you do have a lot of experience how do you strike that balance to turn that into a leadership position for you yeah it's very interesting I think you you get here in in January uh as an as an older guy um you know very used to Leading a whole another group of people and you come here and and you have to build upon yourself but also make sure that you're building with the team um it's a very interesting Dynamic um I would say it's not been easy at all I think the my team around me has been amazing you know helped me through the process and um I think great leaders um their team allows them to lead and I think this team has done that um I think with all our leaders it's been the same way um and also like you know learning throughout the year of how to lead on the field now too um in game B situations and um again that goes back to to me lean on the older guys who have done it before and um they've done a great job with that and you know I think it's been it's been a fun process so far um and I can't wait to see where it goes with this team Max did it feel like it was a little bit slower like you were back at New Hampshire in the second time um I don't know I I don't think you know it's hard to say you're back in New Hampshire when you're in this you know whole new Arena now um Minnesota and I think um it was more of a a you know a personal kind of growth from from last week um and you know trying to feel out you know where you know trying to be in the moment as much as possible um and you know I think the the guy I'll shout out today was Quinn and um Quinn did an amazing job um leading me as a leader um and you know keep me you know in the right mental space and um you need those guys um and Quinn's an amazing leader in you know in his position group himself but um he did an amazing job to save the team and myself so Props to him but you know I can't wait to to see where it goes you know eventually as well and um continue to to let let us slow down with the offense too how important is that first throw the second quarter the third n you final gears and then you guys end up scoring six different receivers with receptions on that drive too yeah super important it's it's hard to get uh in third and long sometimes you have to be really fishing on first and second down and you know when we don't execute to the to you know our standard we get into a third and long situation and that's where guys just have to make plays and I think Jameson got to a really good spot um it's funny you talk about why Jameson got open because you know uh Daniel and Daniel pulled the flat Defender to to the left side and Jameson found the soft spot in the zone um that's all about the guys working together that's why you know one guy messes up and the whole the whole play looks looks bad um it's a it's a it's how everyone plays together um and that's why you know the product we put on the field today worked out was because everyone played together today there was after missing time last you know what it's like and then not being be able to be out there the first game of the season what did it feel like for you when you cross that goal line I mean it felt great um I mean I just knew going into this season that the main focus for me was my body and just being able to be here for the team I mean it was kind of tough um not being there for the first game but I mean everybody rallied around me help me picked me up um coaches players so I mean that went that went great and it just felt good to play today honestly they were really jamming the Box on dar to begin with I think one of the things that broke you guys out was ample use of the uh running backs of wide receivers yeah I would agree I think you when you look at the the NFL um you know running backs are you know a defense is you know one of the scariest threats in the defense because they can run but also because they can make plays when you throw a three yard check down and run for 20 yards um that helps a ton with the Run game in itself it also helps up you know open up shots in the pass game as well um so when you can have guys that do that and you have protection enough to to hold it as long as you can um for the ability to check the ball down if you get to your progression then um you know that just that keeps an offense on schedule um and I think we did a pretty good job staying on schedule I don't have first downs we had but um I think we did a really good job staying on schedule because of that stuff that's a lot there go Max for you just getting to see Drake Lindsay get into the game after you put that big lead on the board and then see him throw his first touchdown what was that like for you yeah ultimate uh big rer moment um he's uh he worked so hard and you know to see him have success in the field today was was an amazing feeling um he's he's put all the work in um starting from January and to see it kind of unfold today on the field it was an amazing feeling and I was uh you know his biggest support on on the sideline today so I had a blast watching him play Max what was it like to get your first touchdown pass here and then just what did you see on the on the long one to lacki yeah me and Drake both had our first touchdown passes today it was pretty cool um cool moment to share together um it was good I mean this the the play was amazing the scheme was amazing um you know coach Harbo and his staff did a really good job putting in a really good offensive scheme this week um and the play opened up itself um driver did a good an amazing job of of catching and getting vertical and scoring and um and then also lchi did a really good job getting open in space I think again it goes back to everyone working and doing their own job individually as a team um and it all kind of unfolding and and showing What It's Like on the field when everyone works together um and you know people finding soft spots is a big part in pass game and they did a really good job of that today any more from Max or darus all right thank you guys thank you talking points from Heather leading into Rhode Island this week for all of you uh for all of us well it start you start first well uh it was mainly stopping the run as always you know we pride ourselves on stopping the Run uh but it was also just preparing so well to where that we weren't surprised on the field and um coach F hits on it all the time but I think everyone in the defense loves the game of football so we prepare so well so when we go out there and play you know not a lot is new to us I think today as a team we were just able to play fast and play how we wanted to and that's the expectation from uh coach Heather yeah like Jack said like we all play as a team we all love each other and it was fun today I mean all of us there wasn't a person on the defense that wasn't smiling and that's definitely like one of the biggest like things that like he told us to come into the game with especially like even with being violent and then responding from last week again like he just told us me need to fly around and have fun and that was probably the biggest emphasis that he put on us yeah just respond on respond from last game execute on third down that was one of the biggest keys and then just to go have fun was a great time for you for Coy and Jack just on your interceptions you talk about the reads that you made on both plays I'll start so I was in the Box pre- snap and I think the quarterback thought that he had a one-on-one with our corner out there and uh the receiver ran a curl and my job specifically that play was curl flat so it was it was perfect so I was right in that spot and the quarterback just threw it thank thank big ant right here for putting the pressure on the quarterback getting it out I mean the defense was the the D line was on fire tonight but you know you know I would hate to be a quarterback going against our D line because they do put the pressure on you and they are awesome yeah we had a timeout right before and uh Coach Collins put in the mic I mean he said two by two you're going to go get a pick and the X came he came under and then ant again had a good pressure and then Cody tipped it tip tips and overthrows got to get those it is yeah what goes through your head when you see the ball coming right at you and there's nothing but green grass in front of you well at first I like blinked for a second I was like is this real life and then you know of course they always say catch the ones they catch the ones that they throw you so you know just had to make a kind of routine catch there and then once the ball's in my hands all I'm thinking is go go go you know so that was my thought process Anthony PJ was talking about the versatility this defense and being able to do a lot of different things how beneficial has it been to be able to move around with your versatility to get match up oh it's great mean it's the whole D line mean with Jaylen he can play e Jos he can even go play inside like all of us and we can just go have fun again like I keep on harping on that like that's like the biggest emphasis for like our D Lance just to have fun like like playing football is fun and then like again like we all play fast so say like three guys are tired Boom come out put three more guys in that can play any spot on the field like any spot on like deine like it's fun and it helps you be able to play fast so yeah Anthony I thought you set the tone for the defense on the first series when you uh pressured the quarterback for uh for uh fourth down uh tell us about the play uh yeah so Danny stgo had a good pressure he made the quarterback roll out and um I wanted to set to him with a little bit of power a power rush and he came out and um yeah so then I was able to get the pressure on that's really all Coy what's the journey been like since you got here in June when you're a little bit banged up from track get healthy over the summer and then culminates today in your first interception yeah it's start in the summer I mean obviously I came here with an injury so it was tough at first but then be able to just come back in and the coaches and the players just be able to help me and day by day I mean you just got to take it one day at a time and just working through it fall Camp especially I mean I've never gone through so much Playbook and meetings I mean it's crazy but it was a great time and taking it day by day that was it was just awesome and then obviously game time you just got you got to perform that's what that's what it comes down to Jack PJ was talking about how you guys had to sit for nine or 10 days with how things went against North Carolina did you feel that among the team just because of itching to get back out there and what does a win like this do for you guys now moving forward 100% I think that was a great question too um one I wanted to actually can you can you say that one more time for me I'm sorry just how just how it kind of really sat with you guys for nine and 10 days after the game coach Flex said I want to play another 60 minutes right now and I think all the players felt the same way so it was mainly just getting in there getting the corrections and yes we were itch in the play um it was all about the response response response response that's what we were harping all week so I think today we finally executed like we should have and it's going to be you know I think it was a good morale boost for the team moving forward Jack had to be fun out there Bumble recovery interception put pressure on the quarterback stopped a couple of short passes right it it was it was awesome you know everything like I said I think I got to give a I got to give credit to the coaching staff for how well we prepared you know everything out there it seemed like I mean we knew it was going to happen so just being able to trigger and make plays you know that's just a testament to our our coaching and our preparation as a team you know and and I think we all played complimentary football today on the defensive side of the ball you know they were getting pressure you know DBS were doing a good job holding coverages so there was there was not much they could do in the end so it was it was a very fun day Cory we got to see you at punt returner in some of the open practices finally getting your chance back there and you take it for 28 yards what was that like to man I got to take it to the crib uh yeah that's that's my only thought on that but I mean it's fun I like I like the ball I like the ball in my hands but obviously I'm grateful for the opportunity anytime I get the chance to go back there I mean it's a it's a dangerous spot I mean you're the one only man back there which is grateful that I got to go back there Jack coach F was talking about Coach Monroe giving a speech this week how much did that message resonate with you guys and the team as a whole uh I think I think Monroe hammered it you know his message was you know it's all about us and what we have here is very special um we emphasize gratitude and I'm I'm one of those that is very grateful because like I said you know I came from the FCS right so everything we have over here is just night and day different and I think you know it connected very well with the team you know just being grateful for what we do have and you know sometimes in the dayto day we get caught up in you know we take things for granted right so just take a moment to stop appreciate what we have how close we are as a team you know it was a awesome and we love to row we had the hour kind of posting before this did you did you get the old and see family or anything like that just after a big game like this yeah I mean we got 11: a.m. game so we got the whole day so yeah my I got a bunch of people coming up so I'm just going to have dinner with them that's going to be awesome what college football does cor did the interception look like a big beach ball when tipped up in the air like that no I mean I'm tell it comes fast but tips went over throw like I said you got to get those and anytime they throw with you you got to go get it but I'm telling you it comes fast it ain't it ain't a beach ball you have any more questions or everyone all set all right thank thank you guys thank you