Jeff Brohm Press Conference Highlights- Northwestern

With the football team having an actual game this week it’s time for the normal events of a football week to start happening. Today Coach Jeff Brohm headed to the microphone to answer some questions from the press. Since we are a highly respected and well sourced website we were able to receive the transcript and are going to give you some highlights.

On the importance of this first game against Northwestern:

I think our guys understand that this is not only an important game because it’s a conference game. But this is a great opponent. They beat us pretty handily last year. Found a way to inch back in the end but it was a pretty dominating performance by them, and we have an opportunity to go out and compete against a calibre team, Northwestern, Game 1, and we can see where we stack and measure up right off the bat, and the great thing is, is you know, it’s an opportunity. It’s a chance to see how we measure and what we can do, and it would be great if we could find a way to win. I know our guys are going to take the field that way like we should. In the end, every game is a one-game season for us, but this is an extremely important game. It’s the first game of the year. It’s at home. It’s a conference game and we need to try to find a way to win.

Pontificating on Rondale Moore:

All of our good players, whoever they are, whether they are seniors or freshmen, we have to try to make sure they get enough touches where they can showcase what they are all about and we should try to find a way to do that. You know what, he’s practiced well. He’s gone through every rep of practice. He hasn’t missed one beat. He’s mentally as sharp as you can be for a true freshman. Is he going to make a mistake here and there? Sure, he is. Is he going to drop a ball or two? Maybe so. But, he has exemplified in practice what we are looking for, as far as the ability to make plays, be consistent with it, and I think he’ll work through that. We’ve got to make sure that we’re patient with him as he continues to improve.

On Injuries:

Well, we are hopeful that we have [Sparks]. I think that he had a great camp until he got nicked up, and he was probably our best receiver early on in camp as far as making plays, being explosive, playing hard. He’s got some physicality to him. So we would like to have him, if we can.

We have a few nicks here and there with some guys but I’m hopeful that on the defensive side of the ball, everyone should hopefully be ready to play for this game.

I think D.J. Knox will be available and Markell Jones, Alexander Horvath, Tario Fuller. We’ll see.

[Richie Worship] won’t be in this game and then we just kind of -- he’s still a ways off.

On the QB race and the questions you all came to find out about:

Well, both guys have had good camps and done a very good job. I think they are both going to be ready to play. While them many similarities, there are some differences. We’ll make sure that whoever is in there will utilize their talents and we’ll do things that they do well, but there are some subtle differences that we have to make sure that we play to their strengths and we do things they feel comfortable with. I think if both happen to play, that they can step in and do a good job for us.

On the difference in expectations between this year and last:

Well, it’s a good thing. Expectations are good. You have got to make sure you handle it in the right way, and that means, yeah, we want to win. It’s important that we try to win. It’s important that if we don’t, we are upset about it, we’re angry about it and we figure out a way to fix it.

I guess the best thing we did last year is took the field with some confidence; but if we didn’t win, we found a way to fix it. And that’s going to happen this year.

Everybody thinks they can win every game. It’s not going to happen. You’ve just got to go all-out every game that you have and put it on the line and be aggressive and play to win. When it’s over, you learn from it and move on.

So I think we’ll still keep the same approach. This is a big game but in the end, it’s one game. So yes, we are going to play to win and I think our guys understand that there’s no reason to hold back. They are going to hit us in the mouth a few times. They are going to make plays on us. We just have to find a way to make a few more and score more points when it’s all said and done, but I think our guys will respond and be ready to go.

So there you have it. Brohm appears to be ready to go and the team seems to have healed from many of the injuries we were so worried about during camp. Let’s hope the running back position can carry the weight Purdue needs it to come Thursday night.