JEFF BROHM: Our guys are getting ready to get back; hopefully we have a good week of practice. We understand that it's the last home game for a lot of guys that put in a lot of hard work and efforts, and we need to try to send them out on a good note.
We also understand how football works, so we have to have a great week of practice. We got to continue to tweak things here and there to make improvements to help our team we have to work as hard as we have ever worked. We have got to keep the same hunger that we had this past week and the same drive to want to try to achieve something, and then we got to go out and play a football team that we have had a hard time with since I've been here.
They're disciplined. They play really good defense. They are physical up front on both sides of the ball. They try to run the ball and they force you to beat yourselves.
So we have to make sure that we come ready to play and understand what it takes to win a football game in this conference.
Q. Okay, Jeff, do you understand all the Purdue scenarios to win the west? I know you don't like looking ahead, but I got to ask.
JEFF BROHM: Well, once again, at this point in the season a lot have things can happen. We understand that and we have to control ourselves.
So home game against Northwestern is the challenge ahead. That's the only thing we can focus on or we're not going to win a football game.
Q. What's it like to have the program in this position this late in the year?
JEFF BROHM: Well, that's a good thing. I mean, I think that our guys have worked hard to put ourselves in a position to achieve hopefully a good season if we continue to play well.
But just like every week, there is a lot of football left to be played and we have to find ways to continue to improve. In most of our wins against FBS opponents it's been by a touchdown or less. We have got to beaten handily a couple times in the past months.
I think it's important to try to keep working hard to make improvements, tweak the team, make adjustments, and try to find a way to get better. That's critical at this time of the year.
Q. Devin Mockobee has over 700 yards rushing. Two games and a bowl left. What would it mean to get him 1000 yards?
JEFF BROHM: Well, we do want to make sure that we continue to maintain balance. When I say that, the ability to do both, pass the ball and run the football. I think that Devin definitely has some elusive skills to him. He has done a really good job.
Our other running backs have worked hard and are ready to go, but it's important that we find a way to run the football and get yards on the ground and get big plays in the run game.
Whether it's Devin, Dylan, or any of our running backs, or even our quarterbacks, we got to find a way to do that.
Q. I think the last five games you've only been able to play your six offensive linemen. Just talk about how that unit has performed and I guess the fact that they stayed healthy, too.
JEFF BROHM: Well, it was great to see them do a really good job this past week against a good defense and not give up any sacks. Obviously that's on everybody. Aidan got the ball out quickly at times, but our offensive line has worked hard all year long.
They don't get a whole lot of credit, but they work extremely hard. A lot of guys are banged right up just like every team. They continue to play through things that we have, and we got to hope that we can continue with those six the rest of the way.
It's going to be important we have all six, and that's thin enough as it is. We have to make sure we take care of them during the week, while we get enough good practice in, and hopefully they can stay healthy.
Q. Northwestern has lost nine in a row. Have you ever been part of a program that's struggled like this, and what makes a team like this dangerous?
JEFF BROHM: You know what? Coach Fitzgerald has done a great job. He has achieved a lot of success by doing it the right way, by just building a program of discipline and toughness and hard work.
They've played some good football at times. They played Penn State very close. They played Maryland very close. They played Ohio State very close. We have the capability to win football games and they understand that.
Just like on every football team, it takes all three segments. So the defense has to play well, offense has to play well, special teams do. If you don't have all three you're not going to win in this conference.
I just think that they probably feel like they're very close to getting over the hump, just as we know that we're very close to falling off the edge if we don't do a lot of things correctly.
That's just how the game is going to work. I don't think it'll change. But they're a very well-coached football team and we will have our hands full on Saturday.
Q. Staying with the Northwestern theme, Evan Hull. Jus how much of a centerpiece is he for that offense, and how much does he need to be a focus for your defense this week?
JEFF BROHM: Well, he has got to be the main focus. He's a really good running back. He's physical. He's tough. He's played a lot of football. We have to be able to stop him, and that needs to be without question the central focus.
I'm sure they're going to give it to him in a lot of different ways, and we're going to have to make sure that we don't allow him to beat us.
Q. I'll butcher the guy's name, but the offensive linemen, Peter, how much do they run behind him or how much is he maybe a different centerpiece for what they want to do offensively?
JEFF BROHM: Well, he's really good. He's going to be a high first round pick. I remember when we tried to recruit him coming out. He was very talented then. I just think he's continued to work. He's got athleticism, strength, really good feet. You're not going to win a lot of one-on-one matches with him. You're going to have to make your hay somewhere else.
He's been solid a year long, and without question when have runner and that blocker, I'm sure they'll run behind him a lot.
Q. Your defensive line would appear starting to get payoffs with some sacks and more pressures back there. Has that just been a constant thing all year where you have had to kind of wait for that to happen with the depth that you've had on the line?
JEFF BROHM: Well, I actually think they've played hard all year long. Thought we did a better job in the coverage aspect this past game that helped us get those sacks, so I do think it's a combination of a lot of things.
Like everything, every little detail matters. I thought we tweaked the plan and had a better plan coming in that our guys took advantage of.
Without question, playing a lot of defensive linemen and keeping them somewhat fresh, even though you want your best guys in there as much as you can, has helped us without question.
That's been a strength to this point, and we just have to continue to guard guys better and longer and need to get our linebackers not only supporting the run, but they got to help on play-action, which has not happened until recently.
Everything matters in order to get sacks. So I just think we just got to continue to learn and push forward with that.
Q. How much has Lawrence and Branson been an anchor in the middle there?
JEFF BROHM: Well, they've been great leaders. They work really hard. They play a lot of football for us. We've been able to keep them a little bit fresher. I thought Branson really got injured early on, but he came back and played, so give him a lot of credit.
We had a handful that had some stuff go on that they were able to play through. But Branson and Lawrence want to win. They're been here, they're battle tested, and they do a really good job for our football team.
Q. Kieren, he's his status as you start the week?
JEFF BROHM: He's probably unlikely.
Q. What did he injure on Saturday?
JEFF BROHM: I would rather not say, but lower extremity.
Q. And Branson, do you think he'll be good to go this week?
JEFF BROHM: We'll see later in the week if he can go.
Q. Did your secondary take a step forward from some previous games this past week?
JEFF BROHM: I think so. I think they did a really good job overall. Like I said, I think we helped them a little bit, but they played sounder, with more focus to detail. I thought they played hard. I thought they tried to tackle and get in on plays. I thought they tried to defend the pass very well.
Obviously there is still more things to correct, but it was improvement, and we got continue to make that. Like I said, it's not all on them. I think we have to help put the best package together so that they can go out there and execute, and all the small things matter to get that done.
Q. How many seniors are going to go through Senior Day, and with will some of those seniors potentially come back? COVID years are still possible, right?
JEFF BROHM: Yeah, I don't have the exact number yet because I just don't have it. I haven't asked. I'll get that.
Yeah, we'll have some that will choose to go through Senior Day that might be coming back. We try not to address that until after the season. We don't want to focus on that at this point.
I think there will be plenty of time to get that done. We want them to just concentrate and go out there and play football and try to win football games, and make that decision down the road.
You know, whatever that may be, we'll help them and guide them from there. We'll have definitely probably a few that go through that have a chance to come back.
Q. You talked about this a little bit after the game against Illinois, but just Aidan's job, (audio glitch) on that, what do you think worked well this week in terms of Aidan being able to find other targets? Payne had a solid performance as well as TJ. What can you kind of build on that moving forward to the last two weeks of the regular season?
JEFF BROHM: Well, it's important that we spread the ball around and it's important that other playmakers step up and emerge and make plays so that the quarterback feels comfortable going to them.
I do think we were better at that this past game. That definitely helped us. You know, Charlie has done a great job for us and has been banged up, and they had their best corner on them most of the time throughout the game. Really good player.
Payne stepped in and made plays even when he wasn't wide open. We were able to put it on him and he was able to catch the ball and carry guys as far as he could.
TJ stepped up and did a really nice job. There were a couple others that played better as well. So I think we've seen progress in practice, but it still has to happen in the game. Like you said, our quarterback still needs to gain confidence to be able to utilize these guys.
In order to win, we're definitely going to need all those guys to play well for us.
Q. And then you talked about the offensive line just not giving up any sacks. Part of that also comes from guys like Devin and Dylan in the backfield shoring up some of that pass protection. Where do you feel like the running backs have taken a step maybe in helping out in some of those pass protections, and specifically Devin, someone that you've mentioned has had to work on that a little bit? How has he progressed in terms of picking up some of those things?
JEFF BROHM: Devin doesn't have a whole lot of weight behind him. It was one of his better passing/blocking days. He puts his body in there and throws it in there. Dylan, when he came in did a nice job, and Kobe Lewis did a nice job. All three guys worked really hard and understand their role and they got to be ready when their time is called.
We are going to need all three in order to get it done. Obviously Kobe is bigger and stronger and has some physicality to him; Dylan has a little bit of both; and then Devin doesn't have a whole a lot weight in his rear end, but he definitely plays hard.
So, yes, all those things matter. They've worked hard. Coach Barkley has worked hard with them, and I think we're going to need those guys to play well, take care of the football.
To this point we've done a good job of taking care the ball in the backfield. Turnovers will be critical in this game, so if we lose that battle we'll have a hard time coming out with a W.
Q. Jeff, Clyde Washington left the game in the first half. Sounds like Kieren is unlikely. Just tell us about Clyde first and then just the depth in that linebacker spot. I guess Jacob was starting at middle linebacker, but seems like you're getting pretty thin there.
JEFF BROHM: Yeah, Clyde will probably be out for a while, so, yes, we are going to be thinner than we would like to be. We have to get some backups ready to go just in case, because that is a concern.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports