Head Coach Jedd Fisch Postgame Press Conference: Eastern Michigan

e e e e e a little nervous the uh Big 10 availability list you were uh listed as questionable today should you be questionable every week now I hope not I don't really know how to answer that uh yeah I hope not uh I was just battling a little thing but um I'm all good now what was the key for you guys to get to the man uh coach belich Call's a great defense so honestly it's really just doing our job that's all I could say about that um it's yeah just doing our job and trusted in his uh his plan our game plan and everyone doing their job all 11 on defense way did you guys get sorted out after that first quarter uh I mean kind of just some self-inflicted stuff we thought you know um you know the first drive I think I missed uh I missed a read you know I thought they kind of confused me on the coverage on third down uh and they actually uh dropped nine so they only rushed two and Dro nine which is the exact opposite of what we were expecting in that down and distance uh and then the second drive me and kki wer on the same page on a a shallow route where you know I thought he was going to keep on running and uh he said down but you know it's just little things like that that you know we just have to get corrected um so you know I felt like the first time we really made an explosive play uh you know that kind of kicked the door down for everybody on offense and we really got rolling after that speaking of that first explosive play you know what was kind of going through your mind on on that fourth and one uh that ended up going to Giles and you know what' you like about that look uh I mean we tried to you know quick snap them and they caught a timeout and we had a run play on initially and then you know I thought coach fish caught a really really good call for that scenario I mean it's a it's a good call if it works you know but it is fourth and one you know so I thought it was a great call we executed it really well and I thought JS was great after the catch so Z you guys appeared to struggle controlling the Run game uh early in the game but then things kind of settled down you what was the difference did you guys change something schematic or what was the difference um I think we just had to uh kind of just settle into the game a little bit um I think we kind of got caught off guard just a little bit right away honestly I don't think we were playing our best ball um but yeah we just adjusted figured it out 21 of 26 four touchdowns no interceptions it's about as efficient as you can get uh exactly it's been a couple games in a row now uh can you just describe how you think you performed and how that ball is feeling come off your hand it's feeling good I just think there are things that I have to clean up you know I mean uh like the the first third down you know is Giles is sitting down in his Zone coverage and it's going to be a first down if I make the right read uh and then like there was another there was another play last week with a similar situation on Third and nine or 10 where I could have done the same thing so uh it's just you know playing quarterback playing the position you know taking care of the ball and you know ultimately just Distributing the ball to The Playmakers uh so I think if I can do that and just try and get better each week you know this is not a finished product by any means but you know just try and get better each week and you know see where we can take this thing what are thoughts on what Denzel Boston has done the first two weeks I think I think he's been great you know I mean um obviously he had a great spring for us you know great camp but to see him come out there uh in game scenarios make plays you know had two touchdowns today and the best thing about Denzel is he's always hungry for the next one you know he's he had two touchdowns today and it was in the fourth quarter and he was like man we should we should be up by more than this you know so it's that's the thing about Denzel that I love so uh we got to keep going as an offense we got to come back to work and obviously a big week ahead but we have to have a great week of practice St past a Decker the raft can you kind of take us through that play and break it down yeah I mean it's a play that we we think we or we thought we would have coming into the week and um you know anytime we can get Decker on a linebacker we feel good about it so I mean we were out there after practice on Tuesday working that one specific play for about 30 minutes you know just that one specific you know play versus the look we think we're going to get and you know where I'm going to throw the ball and he's going to be there and score so it's pretty cool to see that see that uh come to fruition after all the after all the work we put in this past week on that specific play he's a freshman any hesitation with that freshman or talk a little bit about that let it let it eat were you guys repping that play because they they showed that certain look on film a lot last week or okay we felt good about it well jeremi didn't have any catches in the first game uh five catches today and a touchdown how important was it to get him kind of incorporated into this offense yeah no we definitely wanted to uh you know I think I think he's really good you know big physical can do a lot after the catch so uh it was definitely in our game plan you know try and get him going early get him some get him some momentum some confidence so it's good to see him uh playing well and I think if you know he he Jiles and Denzel can all play at a high level we'll be pretty explosive in the passing game what extra Dimension does he kind of bring to this offense like what are his best traits uh I mean he's just big and physical I think he's really really good 50/50 balls I don't I mean we haven't really gotten to see that yet I mean I thought we were going to hit one today and you know you're a couple inches out of bounds you know with the ball on the right hash short field right there but uh you know we'll we'll hit it you know that's that's a play we'll come back to and uh you know I have no doubt that he'll make that play the next Zach you had to wait a long time to get on the field for an extensive time for Washington now you played two games uh coach fish said you're a little rusty last week but you know that was to be expected how describe your play how do you feel right now uh describe my play in terms of what being able to play finally at Washington and and and you know you had a a big day getting into the back field so so it must be coming along uh yeah I'm definitely growing in the game you know just getting uh more snaps and stuff um I still think I feel a little rusty I don't feel as good as I want to um but that's you know we have practice um more games and stuff and so I should just keep getting better I think we do a great job of practicing hard during the week and we're we're a team that's going to stay on the rise uh through competition and stuff like that all the time so um I feel decent about where I'm at but uh I'm not satisfied I'll just say that Zach considering that long layoff just what did it feel like to get that first sack today felt pretty good uh I was pretty hyped um yeah I guess can really say about it I felt pretty good Z can you describe how this belich defense just plays to your strengths um I think it plays kind of to everybody's strengths I think we do a great job of putting people in position where they're good um and we all trust in it all 11 guys on the field trust in what we're going to do and we you know obviously we have times where we have some mess ups but we're growing with it and I think um you know as we continue to grow it'll just keep getting better and better but um I think it allows a lot of guys to play play fast I think that's one big thing well when it's well when it's fourth and one and you're uh you know deep in your own territory and your coach trailing your coach says hey we're going to go for it does that does that build up any extra Goodwill with him like all right he trusts us in this situation I mean yeah I mean it's it's good I guess hindsight's 2020 I mean uh but yeah I think it's pretty cool to shows that you know he has the confidence in us to you know get a yard you know I mean I think if it's fourth and one you know really anywhere on the field I think it's a it's kind of a mindset play it's a toughness play it's a mentality you know that we're going to get a yard on fourth and one so yeah I think it's it's cool that coach fish shows the confidence in us to do that are you surprised at all that that was the call or to go for it or or not necessarily to go for it but uh the play action I was a little bit surprised but that's one of my favorite plays you know we had that play in for we had that play in last week and I love it because it's a shift in emotion and then play action so it's a lot for the defense but it's really simple and easy for us and then obviously anytime you can get the ball to Jiles he's a he's a elite with the ball in his hands well as a leader how do you take it upon find your to keep the team even kill in both success and adversity the first three drives you pun and then you get on the wall there just trying to keep everybody even kill how much do you take that upon yourself yeah I mean I take a lot of pride in you know telling guys just play the next play you know it doesn't really matter what happened or what the scoreboard says what the situation of the game is you know just play the next play and play up to our brand of football like it doesn't matter who's in the game what down it is like just stay even kill you know take it one play at a time and play how we play football at the University of Washington so uh I guess that that's the main thing you know I mean good or bad just trying to stay even kill cuz you know you have to play the next play and you know you know you don't want to be like emotionally hijacked about the next play because I mean you know my dad's a high school coach he always says when emotions go up Clarity goes down so I try and just remember that throughout the game you know just trying to stay even kill and uh yeah just taking one play at a time were you nervous at all though or were you worried at all a little bit when the offense just wasn't going at first no that's football sorry Zack uh you uh weren't the only one to get their first UB sack today lenus um Deshawn those guys what's it like to see you know your teammates kind of break through that barrier too oh man that's awesome uh Deshawn he came in he's been working his tail off been a great teammate um there's nothing you better you can ask for than when like transfers come in and they just fit the culture and um buy in and don't complain about nothing and just work hard like you love to see that um so that was great seeing that and alenius he from about a couple hours away from me uh back home in Minnesota so that's my dog um that was super cool to see him uh Big E we call him that was that was really cool so that that made me super happy Zach as a sorry Zack as a unit the defense came up with a lot of big plays they obviously in the first quarter off that blocked punt you hold them on Fourth and goal um you also force that fumble in the second to kind of get the offense going so how does it feel kind of as a unit you always seem to have that big play in your pocket when you need it uh feels good uh I mean that's our job right so uh you know if that wasn't the case then we're you know letting the team down um you know we came into the week uh big emphasis on taking the ball away um I don't know how many we had but uh uh that was one of our our goals so uh you know it feels pretty good but um we still got some things to clean I don't think we played our best game honestly not even close uh so yeah I he Zach a little bit off topic has there been any talk about you getting an extra year for what happened last year um from what I know I'm a red Shir Junior so I have received the Year back um but I'm not 100% sure on that I honestly don't really worry about it too much I'm just where my two feet are playing this season um so I really can't answer that honestly well how important was that fourth and goal stop for for the offense to watch the defense pick you guys up like that it was awesome I mean obviously we have to start better and things like that but anytime you know you have a defense like we do that can stop them not no matter the situation you know we feel like if we you know turn the ball over on Downs inside the 10 on our own 10 we feel like our defense is going to get the Stop and you know that's just the confidence we have in our teammates confidence we have in each other um you know if if the defense is struggling you know we fully expect to go back down and score a touchdown the next drive so it's you know we're one team uh we all play for the University of Washington and uh yeah we all have the same goal in mind all right thank Youk thanks guys e all right well a um good afternoon it's better than midnight I guess right um awesome uh awesome environment out there today and uh can't wait you know can't wait to continue to see how this environment continues to build when the students come back I think it's just going to be awesome uh excited about the way our defense played again uh two games in a row without letting up a touchdown that's uh that's impressive and doing a really really good job we put him in a really bad spot early the first drive with the block Punt and uh for them to Bow up and stop it uh was big fact that guy makes a 57 y hats off to him it's a heck of a kick I heard it was the second longest ever in Husky Stadium so um that was a that was a boot and then uh a kick at the end uh that they made to make it nine they offensively um we need to continue to to um work on you know getting a good opening drive out of the way but three and out wasn't very much fun today I thought it was a second drive when we started on the three that's a little more challenging got to the 40 before he punted and then um I think the third drive we had a punt it away as well um need better need better by me need better by the players execution wise um but uh it starts with me on that uh after that I think we got in a great Rhythm I think we scored a bunch of uh four touchdowns in a row or something to that effect then a field goal I think we had five scoring drives in a row uh disappointed about the field goal uh spoke to Jonah about that on second and one that never should have um should not have been a a bounce there should have uh kept that inside um but uh you know that was not a Time on Fourth and two that I felt like I wanted to go for it uh in this with the score of the game and then uh Dean did a great job uh then he had a welcome the college football moment um deand doesn't need to lower his shoulder and uh even though when he lowered his shoulder um he didn't get tackled he winds up you know fumbling the ball a yard and a half later so learn from that that but came right back did a great job uh when he came out for the next Drive Big Time third and 10 throw to Rasheed that was a beautiful ball in the sideline to uh seal the game and uh but we need to be better too many penalties um too many uh special teams plays that weren't very good uh can't have a bad snap on an extra point can't have a block punt uh need to be better there and then um we obviously are very happy though we came out on top um I certainly quickly saw some scores out there and seemed like the mack had a a good day today and on also pretty uh pretty tough football games all around the the board so we're excited for the win and um now it's apple cup week how quickly did you make the decision to to go for it there on on fourth and one from your own 30 um I kind of of I felt like it was T that we needed to do it you know as soon as when when we were a yard short I just said we're going for this then I said am I really going for this uh and then I said I'm going for this and then uh they took a time out and I said Steve are you cool with me going for this and uh he was awesome you know uh I think sometimes when you're the head coach and the play caller it's also important to game manage and uh so I I checked in with him and I said are you cool with me doing this and he had the greatest answer of any defensive coach I've ever been around and it's hey it's our job to stop them no matter where they get the ball and um when when you have that kind of confidence within each other and uh within the program and the trust that he has on us and us and him and the defense uh we went forward had a big play uh we felt good about our play and then uh I think that really gave us the momentum we wanted what do you think you guys have had these slow starts in these first two games and what did you then kind of like do toh get out of that little funk I don't know we had that at Arizona too we had the first three games last year I think we had a slow start I kept hearing about um I don't know I just remember coach Carol said when we were in Seattle you don't win the game in the first quarter you don't win the game in the second quarter you don't win the game in the third quarter you win the game in the fourth quarter and um it's our job to make sure that we continue to improve each quarter uh you know some of it comes down to we got to get off the field quicker we got to get more possessions in the first quarter I think we only had nine plays we got to convert on third down I'm not exactly sure um why we didn't on a couple of those I thought we had uh a couple opportunities to convert we we didn't um so we got to get better and uh that's on me it starts with me uh maybe we'll look at some other ways to get that going a little quicker but I'm not going to get overly wrapped up in it because I think if I just talk about it all the time with the team and then we don't start fast and what does that mean right we just got to finish strong that's my thing finish strong I think we've done that another touchdown catch and it seems like you know he's a real momentum changer could you talk a little bit about him again I don't think he sees himself as a real momentum changer but it seems like both plays he's made have been momentum Changers uh I'm not exactly sure why that's been the case there was uh we said the first time we got to the 30 yard line we were going to call that play I think if we got to the or you know cross the 40 I think was what I said to the team last night so um we got there in the fourth possession I think if we got there in the first possession I would have called the play then uh so it just happened to be we were kind of stale for a few series and then we we felt we were going to get the coverage we wanted we felt like we were going to get the look we wanted we did um and uh it was a beautiful throw and a beautiful catch uh that was there's nothing easy about that play and uh no matter what if you get the coverage you think you still got to convert what was the plan with mixing demand in for a a snap or two here there earlier in the game like you did yeah um just watching their film from a year ago and last week they've gone against a lot of running quarterbacks or guys that have dual threats to them and that uh it does change your Gap Integrity a little bit and we felt like there was an opportunity there that um if we felt like we wanted to give a little bit more challenge in the you know for their run game and the way they they play they're very sound but um you know W with that being the case they they you kind of have a great feel for what they're trying to do on defense and uh we felt that if just lining up and just running the ball was going to be a hard uh bigest there so physical and and and old you know they got a bunch of seniors and smart football players extremely well coached so we thought mixing some different things in was going to help us in this game obviously has a track has track record coming from Mississippi State but to to see him doing what he's throwing the kind of balls that he's throwing right now uh coming off an injury year and you know doing it for you uh how how reassuring is that to see yeah I'm real happy with will I think uh I don't think I've ever had a quarterback that had almost the exact stats back to back I think it was 20 for 26 last week 21 for 26 this week I told him next week I'm looking for 22 for 26 um he threw three touchdown passes he hasn't turned the ball over he's made great decisions he's becoming more confident in the offense um I I I like the way he's playing and I love the attitude he brings every single day um and I'm proud of him I think it's a it's it's a lot you know to come across the country and uh lead a team that just you know had the success they had with the quarterback they had and uh super happy for will thought on the um Big 10 uh he's questionable on the Big 10 availability list before the game did you ever think he wasn't going to play today um I was concerned how much he could play um he wasn't able to practice very much this week so we had to uh we had to see you know how how much we could get him rested and better to be able to play talks on what Denzel Boston has been able to do first two games uh really happy for Denzel I think he's coming into his own I'm going to continue to challenge him uh We've we've had really good wide receivers um at different places that uh coach Cummings and I have been at together and then other places that um I've been at it with other people and uh coach Cummings does a phenomenal job with the wide receivers and uh developed for the last couple years some really good ones in Tucson and now he's doing a fantastic job with the development and now watching Denzel roll can you talk a little bit about it looks like early in the game you started using six offensive linemen did that have anything to do with Quinton being out or is it just some new schemes you're running no it had everything to do with Quinton being out um we we lost an extremely good blocking tight end for at least this week if not a couple more weeks and uh not exactly sure when he'll get back but um I was that's a critical loss it's a critical loss it's a uh really really good football player who brings Great Value uh in the running game and a pass protection so we feel that that's one of the things that we can do to be able to keep some of our schemes going uh but just bring in Zach Henning in that role GNA be the guy if you're going to use the six offensive lineman is Zach pretty much going to be the guy I don't know he was the guy this week uh we'll watch the tape we'll see um it was great to see Max McCree out here uh playing so and we'll see what that looks like with Max and Swan and khi and um you know we're still working the ground we're still moving our offensive line around and trying to get the right combination you talked about the thought process of going for it on fourth down but what about the decision to go on for the play action and go for the the passage j instead of just running the ball what kind of what about that look did you like I like the call uh I liked uh the execution of it uh all week we've practiced you know that play and plays similar to that we've run plays similar to that for a long time um since Spring ball you know different variations different looks different plays and uh will was very comfortable with it and uh you know your job your job in these scenarios is to get the ball in your playmaker's hands that's the job of the play caller the job is of the play caller is not to try to be the genius that it's just to hey how do I get the ball in the playmaker's hands as quickly as possible and let them roll and in that case that's what he did Sor seven sacks what can you say about that the defense yeah awesome I think it was nine tfl seven sacks or something that L something like that uh fantastic a fantastic job by our defensive front um and really everybody uh coach belich coach KUSI coach Bala I think there were some linebacker socks mixed in there as well um I think dery had three of them if I if I got that right so I mean altogether you you cause that kind of Havoc I think I mentioned it uh early on this week um to you guys and also I mentioned it to our team when you can sack a quarterback it's very difficult to score on that drive the analytics just don't really work in your fa favor so tfls and sacks are really really hard to overcome as our penalties which is made me a little disappointed on the offensive side losing a touchdown on a penalty and but you didn't ask about those so to the sacks y wasn't a huge impact in last week's game but today he really got going a couple of 20 yard catches a touchdown how encouraged Were You by him today and what changed from last week to this week to get him going yeah um well nothing changed um you know I I don't know how other people call games or I kind of know how some do but uh we call a game on what we think is going to work for that moment in time for that play and we don't really spend a lot of time saying hey I gotta make sure that Jeremiah does this or Denzel does that or J does that it's how does it look in a certain moment against the defense we're getting and I never tell a quarterback to ever Force the ball to a player so I thought that what Will's done tremendously well is hey if Jeremiah's the guy that work that hits in this coverage great if it's Denzel great if it's JS great if it's a latu great if it's Decker great and uh don't force it and let it organically happen and today it happened for uh a lot of the white outs yeah just how important was that fourth down stop inside your own five for the momentum of the game um great really really good uh for you know I think that that the the fact that our defense has a mentality of Defending every blade of grass and making sure that no yard is an easy yard um and that it goes to the conversation back at the fourth and one our guys have great confidence that they're going to make stops they did it in that situation and uh I believe that they'll do it uh again okay all right enjoy your Saturday evening e