The University of Akron Athletics
Ianello Weekly Press Conference Video and Quotes
August 31 | Football
The following is a transcript of Akron football head coach
Rob
Ianello's discussion with the media at his weekly press
conference in the Stile Athletics Field House. Ianello will meet
with local media each Tuesday at noon ET.
Opening Statement:
"I appreciate everyone coming today. It's great to finally get into
a game week. I'm excited to get the season underway and I know the
team is equally as excited. We play an excellent opponent in
Syracuse, from the Big East Conference, a BCS school. It's going to
be quite a challenge for us. We are looking forward to finally
playing an opponent and seeing how we do once the bullets fly, when
it really counts. Playing against such a quality opponent will be a
very good measuring stick for our players and our program at this
early date in the season. I know our team is eager to play in our
great stadium and eager to play in front of our great fans, and we
look forward to getting started."
Regarding what makes Syracuse a challenging
opponent:
"Like everyone said, we are playing up. We're playing a BCS
conference school and an automatic qualifying conference. Anytime
you play up, the perception is that they should come in here and
win the game. That's perception. Perception isn't always reality,
but that is the perception. They are in the second year of a new
program, where we are in our first. They have a year head start on
us, essentially, in doing what they are doing. if you look through
their team and returning starters they have on defense, it will be
quite a test for us. From that standpoint, and they have an over
1,000-yard rusher in DeLone Carter who a year ago certainly had his
way with our defense. Those things combined, you look at their
defense, their top-five tacklers are all back. They have an NFL
punter, with a 48-yard average. And they have guys who are going
through that system for the second year. That's what will make them
such a formidable opponent for us."
Regarding finalizing the depth chart:
"We are still in flux a little bit at tight end. Both Richard
Hall and Rhyne
Ladrach are going to play, which one rolls out for the first
series of the game, that's in flux. Making sure our linemen are
health and ready to go, I think that's pretty good. Paul
Simkovich, I can tell you he is questionable for the game and
Adam
Bice is doubtful for the game, so Mike Ward
will start at center, that I can tell you."
Regard preseason training camp:
"I think there was a lot or trepidation on our players' part about
training camp, wondering what it was all going to entail. It wasn't
any different, in my opinion, than any other training camp i have
been involved in, in terms of the way we practiced, the tempo of
practice, what we demanded of them. We don't have as big of numbers
out there, so I think that took it's toll on our team. When you
don't start out with as much depth and you get some guys dinged up
during training camp, then that can take a toll on your team. We
only had three two-a-days, when we really were supposed to have
four. One of those was an afternoon we took off and went swimming,
which was kind of a built in thing I was planning to do at some
point during training camp, which was to shut it down and give the
guys a chance to get their legs back. Their attitudes have always
been really good. When I brought speakers in to talk, Coach (Gerry)
Faust spoke to our team, Sam Rutigliano spoke to our team, and the
first thing they said to me afterward was that your guys are really
dialed in and your guys are really paying attention. Some people
might thing that's a little thing, but to me that's a big deal. You
bring a guest in to speak to your team and they are dialed in to
the message. How that translates to our performance on Saturday,
that's why we play, but we need those little things to happen in
our program to give us a chance to be successful and continue to
grow."
Regarding controlling the tempo of the
game:
"Football is a game of momentum, momentum swings. How we handle the
momentum swings during the course of a game. Practice is longer
than the game, but you have to stay focused for different
situations in the game, which we did last Friday night, we went
through a bunch of different scenarios of a game. From punting on
our 1-yard line to having a two-point play to win the game and
everything in between. So we need to stay focused during an entire
game and just be able to handle the swings in the game. We're going
to make some plays and the opponent is going to make some plays.
How you handle that during the course of a game, often times
determines the outcome."
Regarding his team's youth:
"We are relatively young. We are going to have this year as many as
nine true freshmen play, along with two junior college transfers
who are new to our program. As I told our staff, everyone on the
team is a freshman. This is their first time going through this
with us. First time in our offensive system and defensive system,
our special teams system. We can't take anything for granted. For
example, you take senior Mike
Thomas and you can't take anything for granted, because he is
going through this for the first time with this coaching
staff."
Regarding the handling of play calling:
"John
Latina, our offensive coordinator, is calling the plays. I have
great confidence in John. We worked together for four years, prior
to coming to Akron. It's an offensive system we are both very
familiar with. During the course of a week of game planning,
offense is my background and I stay in the offensive room on a
consistent basis. I also will spend time with the defense. I have
told our team I study the opponent's defense, I watch their
offense. The only situation in the game where I will call it
myself, will be the two-minute offense. i believe the two-minute
offense, because of the instant communication that has to happen
with the quarterback, I will signal that myself. John and I will be
involved in those situations, but I will call those before half and
at the end of the game."
