[Fuller/MGoBlog]

So we were told on Monday that the receivers and tight ends were playing as well as any group in the Big Ten. They’ve taken a big step forward, it seems like. What do you think has been the cause of that?

“I think it’s just impossible to work hard and practice really well and not get a lot better. If you do the right things it will pay off. It’s just a matter of time, I think. Really that’s all I would attribute it to.”

Can you measure the synchronization change from the start of the season til now with Jake Rudock and the receivers?

“Just in terms of being on the same page?”

Just being more used to each other.

“Yeah. I think I wouldn’t say that we weren’t used to each other, but with the pass game relationship there’s definitely a benefit of spending more time together. Kind of, as I’ve said before, it’s just a matter of improving over time.”

When did you start to see those improvements pay off on the field?

“In terms of Jake and the receivers?”

Yeah.

“I thought we were going to throw the ball well against Utah, so…it’s not like an ‘aha’ moment, I guess. It’s not like an instance where you go all of a sudden Jake’s good, Jake Rudock’s good or Amara and Jehu are good. It’s just a matter of improving and connecting on plays; more plays in week two than we missed in week one, week three and four, etc. It’s not like a one week, one moment thing even though people will try to make Indiana out to be like that.”

I got scolded a bit Monday for asking about Ian Bunting. He was starting to contribute quite a bit in the passing game early in the year. What’s he got to do to get back to that level and see more playing time?

“He does all the right things. He’s working tremendously hard and is practicing really, really well. If there was a downside of having a really good, deep group at one position I think that would be it. Not everybody always gets to play as much as they’d like or contribute in the ways that they would like, but he’s doing all the right things and hopefully in the next few weeks he’ll be able to show his improvement.”

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What are the strides that you’ve seen from Jake Butt in terms of his progress? Seems like he caught a couple balls early and now again this week.

“I think everything. He’s gotten much better as a blocker. His aggressiveness, his pad level, his placement of his hands on defenders has all improved, and his route running was good and is still improving even further. Just everything. I think him being on the same page with Jake, as they have been the whole year, and then just getting open. Sometimes teams just take certain guys away better than others, and Indiana was- he had a big game. We have a bunch of good guys. Just certain weeks one guy has a big game-”

Seems like Jake Butt’s able to go up for that ball and Rudock will throw it high for him. They’ve got a comfort zone, even though that’s not a normal throw to a lot of guys.

“Yeah. I think, as you guys are getting at, there’s a comfort level that grows in that regard in terms of throwing to specific receivers, and I think with him that’s grown over time. I think he realizes where Jake likes it; he prefers high balls, and he’s 6’5 or so and has decent jumping ability and good reach. That’s a tough throw to defend, for sure.”

Defensively, Penn State’s pretty tough this year. What have you seen on film from them that might affect your group?

“Really good front seven. The defensive line and linebackers are good players. The defensive ends are experienced, they’re long, [and] they’re physical. Really tall guys with long arms, and they use their length well. So, guys who have that trait, who have long arms and know how to use them, always present a challenge to your technique so that’s exciting for us, especially to be at the point of attack against, in my mind, their best players is exciting. It’s an exciting opportunity.”

You guys chart everything. Has Jake Butt had a drop this year?

“Um, he’s had two balls broken up, passes kind of broken up that I think both myself and Jake would tell you he should have come down with.”

So you’re giving him- he’s got like 33 catches and two he couldn’t come up with, basically?

“Uh…two that I can think of. It’s a high standard in the room and he holds himself to as high a standard as anybody, which I love. So, I can’t recall which two teams those were. Probably Maryland and maybe Northwestern, but he has such strong hands, as do Jehu and Darboh, that it’s like you’re almost spoiled as a coach because any ball that’s contested you’re like, ‘Why didn’t you come down with it?’ because they routinely do it, so that’s something I love about him.”

Do you grade that on a curve, what’s expected for certain guys, where you can make that catch but maybe he couldn’t?

“Yeah, I think I kind of do that with everybody and then certain guys like him you have such a high expectation for, and guys like that, they’re special because they hold themselves to that as well. It’s like ‘If the ball is anywhere near me I expect to catch it,’ which is cool because not everybody’s like that.”

How much was the success of the offense the last couple weeks a function of improvement you guys made versus the defenses you were facing?

“Um…that’s a good question. You’re kind of setting me up there. It’s both. Indiana has really good personnel on defense. They didn’t have a particularly good day against us, and we were also executing really well so there’s always a give and take there when you’re playing anybody, but I’d like to think that, as we do every week, we’re kind of in control of how well we play no matter who it’s against. So, I think it was more a function of us improving and executing at a high level.”

Is Wheatley Jr. back practicing?

“Mmhmm. Oh yeah, he’s been [practicing].”

What do you like about him?

“I like everything about him. He looks good, and he’s improving at a rapid rate as you would hope for a guy who’s taking on a lot of new things being a newcomer. He’s big. He runs really well for his size. I don’t know if you’ve seen him, but he’s enormous. So, he’s a very fluid athlete and he’s catching the ball well and he’s learning how to use his size to his advantage as a blocker. He gets to work against some really great players on our defensive line, which is exciting.”

Are you guys going to be able to hold onto him or is he going to grow into an offensive lineman?

“No, I’m gonna fight off Drev for that one, I think. I don’t want Drev to get too close to him.”

Has he been on the scout team for a lot of weeks, Wheatley?

“Yeah, he’s been on scout team with the scout team doing all kinds of stuff.”

Did you see him making plays against the starting defense?

“Certainly, yeah, yeah. It’s exciting. It’s such a good opportunity. A lot of guys kind of take their first year- if they’re working on the scout team, they don’t realize what an opportunity it is to get better because you’re working against really, really good players all the time. Better players than if you’re working with the starting offense and preparing for Penn State, for instance. To use it as a personal development time and really hone your fundamentals against Wormley and Willie Henry and Royce Jenkins-Stone and other guys who’ve gotten injured; I mean, that’s outstanding. Nobody in the country has a chance to work against guys as good as that and to get to do it every single day is huge, and he realizes that and appreciate it, I think.”

Are you going to lobby for Gentry to play tight end?

“Uh…I’ll take anybody. He’s big and fast and can catch, but he throws the ball pretty well, so I don’t know. We haven’t talked about that, but I like big, fast guys a lot.”

Without being specific, how much does your success on the field with the tight ends help in recruiting when you make a pitch to a kid?

“I certainly hope a lot. It seems like guys take notice. There’s certain guys out there that are particularly good receivers that should take notice of the fact that we have over 700 yards as a tight end group, I think, and a Mackey semifinalist. So, there’s definitely certain guys out there that I would hope take particular notice of that and realize that there’s other teams in this conference that Jake along has three times the yards they do as a whole unit, so I think that’s exciting for us.”

How much time do you get to spend with your dad off the field, and how much fun has it been to work with him to this point?

“I spend a ton of time [with him] off the field but it’s mostly in this building, so all the time. But it’s been really fun. I didn’t really know exactly what it would be like, but it’s been great. It’s been really fun to be around him and to learn from him and watch him more closely than I ever have.”

What’s been a surprising part about being a co-worker with him instead of just being his son?

“Mmm…I don’t know. I’m not sure. There’s nothing that really comes to mind. That may be surprising. I know him pretty well.”

Away from the building do you get to see him at all?

“Every now and then. Not a ton. During the football season you don’t have time. There’s not much time, you know. Really very little time. Sometimes Saturdays after a game but we’re pretty much here all the time, so it- being around him here is enjoyable and certainly more than I have in the past when I was living thousands of miles away or was in college, so I’ve enjoyed it.”

Mattison and Jake Rudock said they used some silent cadence last week against Indiana preparing for a loud crowd. What do you do in practice? How much of it is loud music, how much of it is practicing the silent cadence?

“In terms of a ratio or anything like that I’m not sure, but you just want to make sure you get enough of it and enough of it in third down periods, periods where you’re anticipating dealing with more noise than others. It’s…I don’t know. The noise, it’s loud there certainly but guys aren’t as bugged out by noise anymore, I don’t think. I think just because they’re so used to going through entire days with headphones on. I mean, that’s what it’s like. It’s like having headphones on, so someone talks to you and you just don’t hear them and you’ve got to figure out what they want and what they’re trying to get your attention about just by reading their gestures. It’s kind of like that, you know, and guys are pretty used to that. You just get enough to make sure you’re ready with whatever specific kills or audibles you might have. I don’t think you need to go nuts with it like four straight days in practice.”