Aug. 6, 2004
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CHICAGO — The print and radio media in attendance at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon got their chance at the conference players and coaches at roundtable sessions on Thursday. Here is some of what they had to say.
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz:
(on the Hawkeyes’ summer conditioning) “My sense is that we’ve had a great summer. Chris (Doyle) is very pleased. I’m going into camp feeling good about things. All in all, we’re in pretty good shape.”
(on Iowa’s offensive line) “We’re pretty thin right now, so we can’t afford to loose anyone else. That would really hurt us. I felt good in January coming out of the bowl game about our line, then two guys with starting experience are out with pretty bad injuries.”
Purdue Coach Joe Tiller:
(on the league’s tough defenses) “We worry about every one of them. We think they should only play with 10 guys. There are good defenses through the league. Wisconsin, I think, is going to have a great defense. I think Iowa’s going to have a great defense. I think Ohio State probably has enough depth in the program that they’ll be as good as they’ve ever been. I thought Penn State improved on defense as time went on.”
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“My sense is that we’ve had a great summer. Chris (Doyle) is very pleased. I’m going into camp feeling good about things. All in all, we’re in pretty good shape.”
Head Coach Kirk Ferentz
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Penn State Quarterback Zack Mills:
(on expectations for his team) “I think the expectations are a lot higher, with a lot of guys coming back. For myself, this is my last year, my last go around. I want to be remembered as the guy that helped turn the team around, and I want to go out as a winner.”
Illinois Coach Ron Turner:
(on the Illini’s defense) “We weren’t a very good tackling team and a lot of that had to do with fundamentals, and a lot of that had to do with personnel. If we don’t tackle better, it’s going to be another rough season.”
Wisconsin Coach Barry Alvarez:
(on whether QB John Stocco is anxious to play Iowa after last season) “I think John’s anxious to play Central Florida. He’s not worried about Iowa. That’s a long way off. In athletics, you concentrate on your next game, or camp. You stay with what’s ahead of you.”
Iowa will hold its media day on Tuesday, and will launch its season on Sept. 4 with the throwback game against Kent State.
Barry Pump, hawkeyesports.com