Bloomington Leader

Quoted: Michigan

With a visit from No. 4 Michigan on the horizon, Indiana defensive coordinator Chad Wilt and offensive coordinator Walt Bell talked to the media, while student-athletes Zach Carpenter, Bryant Fitzgerald, James Head Jr. and Josh Henderson each talked with IUHoosiers.com's Austin Render in front of the Saturday Big Noon Kickoff game.

Below is a partial transcript of the coordinators press conferences, while video of the full media sessions can be found near the top of this story or at IUHoosiers.com/watch.

Chad Wilt  |  Defensive Coordinator

On what he has seen on tape from Michigan…

CW: One of the things I always try to look at is how do teams score their points. Lot of times that tells you the identity of what they are as a team. Nineteen rushing touchdowns and eight receiving touchdowns. That tells you, their identity.

Now some of that is distorted from games early in the season when they get up big and ran the ball more, but you see a very effective and efficient running game. Coach Harbaugh has been known for that for a long time. You see that right away; you see affective and efficient quarterback play. Who McCarthy is and how they ask him to be, you also see affective and efficient TE play and well as effective and efficient WR play. They don't create negatives for themselves. They don't put themselves in bad sports offensively. They stay on track, stay on course, take their shots when they want to take them, and ask the QB to do a lot. Not just game management.

On Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh's thumbprint on the offense…

CW: That's to the point how do you become effective and efficient? You do the same things over and over. You see the continuity and consistency from Jim Harbaugh regardless of who the coordinator is and who's calling or not calling the plays. You see the continuity and consistency. Go back and watch Stanford, they had the big offensive line and big tight ends, and they used the tight ends and what do you see from these guys, big tight ends and big offensive line and they are effective in the run game and that sets up everything else for them of who they want to be. Harbaugh's thumbprint is on that thing wherever he has gone and how he wants to manage the game offensively.

On player rotation in the defense…

CW: You want your best players on the field when it counts the most but, sometimes the best players are the ones who are the freshest. That's part of it too, you play the guys who will play the best they can. You want your best players, and the expectation is when you're on the field you are a starter. You play like a starter and sometimes that is situational. What personal are they doing, what are they doing on offense, and we evaluate all that but when it counts the most you want your best players on the field no doubt about that.

Walt Bell  |  Offensive Coordinator

On Jaylin Lucas' role moving forward after his appearance at Nebraska…

WB: I think for us we're all very aware that Jaylin is a really good player. I think early on when you have a full boat of guys like D.J. Matthews Jr. and Cam [Camper] and other great tailbacks, there's a little bit of a growth curve from a pass protection standpoint but as he continues to grow and develop he definitely will become a larger piece of what we do.

What we see in practice, especially through fall camp and spring football, even when he  first got here, we witnessed what he did on Saturday. He's hard to get on the ground, great space touch player. While those other skills develop, pass protection and things the young player has to continue to learn, he will feature some of those other skills.

On changing the scheme as guys get healthy or injured throughout the season…

WB: Fortunately, I've been in positions where I've been here before. When you play big time football that's something that you expect. There is going be a little bit of a revolving door in terms of personnel and who is and who is not available. Who's at full speed who's not and ultimately that's our job to make sure that we got the best grouping of 11 that we got and put them on the football field and put them in a position to make a play. That's a job that every coach in the country has to deal with, you know especially as you get to the meat of your schedule.

On the running backs contributing in the passing game…

WB: Yes, it's always there. We always have two or three 11 -an action screens to get these guys touches in space to alleviate the pass rush. More than anything else, you can manufacture touches that way and at the very least you know the ball is going here or here. Putting the right guys in the right place. Our offensive line has done a great job in the screen game throughout the year, and it's something we need to continue to be good at.

Original source can be found here.