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News bullets and other items:

• Jabrill Peppers will redshirt. He was initially supposed to be out 6-8 weeks but isn’t where he needs to be to play again this season. He’s 4-5 weeks away from being healthy and will be fine for spring practice
• Derrick Green is 2-3 weeks away from “doing things” despite initially being ruled out for the season
• Noah Furbush had surgery to fix an injury that occurred in an All-Star game and has only participated in meetings this season
• Drake Harris is slowly getting better and able to do more things, but we won’t see him this season
• Hoke met briefly with Hackett this week, and they talked about day-to-day aspects of the program and how the team has stayed together
• Hoke said the one change they’ll make as far as road games go is not turning the ball over, which I personally am a proponent of

Opening remarks:

“I think we had a really strong, energetic practice yesterday outside. Trying to get as many of the elements as we could because weather could be a factor. Wind will be a factor at Northwestern. Excited about the opportunity to go back to Chicago. There's quite a bit of Michigan alums that will have an opportunity to come to the game. It's important that we, in the football game itself we've got to start fast. Got to start and then continue that throughout the entire game.

“With Jabrill I had told you guys I would probably have an answer a little bit and we are going to redshirt him for this year. Him and I have had a lot of different conversations. Talked to his mother, talked to the doctors, trainers, and everybody who should be included in the conversation but a couple things that he's done very well is take care of himself. He's done great with the treatments, great with the rehab and all those things. He's done a tremendous job in school right now academically and he's excited about when he can get back on the field. He's improved but he's just not going to be where you want a guy to be who has that kind of ability. So as far as that goes– obviously we’re excited about this weekend.”

What's Jabrill’s injury?
“He's got a leg injury. That's probably as specific as all get.”

Well, he had the ankle earlier. Is it the same thing? Is it a different injury?
“It's a leg injury.”

Will that require surgery or can you not elaborate on that?
“Well, he doesn't need surgery. It's one of those things that just if I could tell you exactly the medical diagnosis I would but he's improving as we go forward.”

He's expected to make a full recovery?
“Oh yeah. No question.”

About Northwestern's offense. They've struggled. We talked about this a little bit Monday, but what did they do that's similar to Indiana and what did they do better?
“Well, I think they struggled with Iowa but Pat [Fitzgerald], I heard some of his comments and it was one of those games where nothing kind of got put together. They beat Wisconsin and they beat Penn State at Penn State. Played Nebraska very well. They were ahead in the football game and then Nebraska came back and did a nice job. From an offensive standpoint, I think Jackson, the back, is a guy who is awfully good. He has very good burst, very good speed. The offensive line, basically all but one is the same line we faced a year ago. I don't think we slowed them down a whole lot a year ago like we’d like to, so from that standpoint– then Siemian. He was off a little bit on Saturday and give Iowa credit for that but you look at other games, you watch the Minnesota game, you watch other games and he can really, really be effective.”

With Jabrill, would you expect that he be ready for spring practice?
“Yeah. Yeah, I think he'll be, you know – initially it was 6 to 8 weeks we thought was kind of the timeline on it and so I think he'll be in good shape probably in the next 4 to 5 weeks.”

When do you expect to have a timeframe for when Derrick [Green] can start doing things again?
You know, I think it's going to be another 2 to 3 weeks as far as I can tell with what we've talked about. He's getting better. He's doing a lot of alternate conditioning and things that you want him to do. Both of them and all of the guys when they’re banged up a little bit is they’re in meetings. One of the things Jabrill has done a nice job in the meetings, and making sure he understands the checks that are made, stuff like that out on the field. So I think Derrick, he's getting better. I can't give you an exact time[frame].

[After THE JUMP: Injury-infopalooza rages on]

Can you talk a little bit about what you remember from the end of last years game in regulation and then just generally about struggles and difficulty on the road?
“Yeah. One thing, the last two years with Northwestern have been overtimes. Roundtree made a great catch and a great throw that allowed us to kick the field goal. Kenny Demens made a great stop to kind of secure the win, and then last year you look at the kick and then the effort of Dileo to get from the corner of the end zone to where he needed to be to hold the ball and spot the ball, and I think I said it after the game but it was one of the best team plays that I can remember seeing because guys had to get off the field, guys had to get on the field. Gallon did a nice job of getting up and he just didn't stay there, so he got the ball to the officials so it could be spotted. I mean, there's a lot of things that happened. Having a left-footed kicker probably helps because Drew slid in. So I was proud because we practice it and practice it a couple times over the course of the week and it just really reminds you that all of the little things matter.”

Has Drake Johnson continued to practice the way you expect him to coming off that game and will he have a chance to start on Saturday?
“Well, I think you always have a great competition going, and how guys practice and how they learn if there’s new wrinkles and all that is a big part of it. He's practiced very well. We'll see closer to game time what we’ll do as far as who will be the starter but the competition with him and DeVeon and Justice is really good and we’re excited about what they're doing and what Drake's progress has been and the hard work he’s put in and how he's developed.”

And Drake Harris, any further update? Is he continuing to do some more stuff?
“Yeah, he’s doing more and more. Obviously we won't play him this year.”
 

To follow up on the Drake Harris thing, has Noah Furbush been out all fall also?
“Yeah, he had a surgery done that came from an All-Star game.”
 

What can those two players gain from a freshman year when they're not really in practice?
“Yeah, well, you miss some of that speed of the game. You miss some of that part of it. I think what they both have gained is what they get in meetings. Drake’s doing more and more. Noah’s not at that point yet, so from that standpoint I think they're learning. And also they’re learning about going to class, all that stuff that normal freshman also learn.”

You said 2 to 3 weeks with Derrick. Does that mean there's a chance he comes back at the end of the season?
“I couldn't tell you. If I could clarify any more I would tell you, but I think everybody's a little different in their healing process but I know that he's doing a little more. I can tell you that.”
 

Have you guys ruled out the chance of him returning?
“I haven't ruled out anything yet. Again, I'm not the medical doctor or any of that stuff.”
 

We're talking Derrick Green on that not being ruled out?
“Yes. I haven't.”
 

You haven't. Has anyone?
“Not that I know of.”

With some of the struggles you guys have had on the road is there anything you can do or you're going to do differently to kind of get rid of that?
“I think the biggest thing we're going to do differently is take care of the football, because when you look at it I think we're -11 turnover margin on the road this year. That doesn't help. We're -2, which isn't great, at home but I think that has a big part in it. I think the familiarity with going back there. We understand the locker room, how to take the field. They did switch the sidelines this year where we'll be on the other side and they'll be across the way, which is different. I'm sure they had their reasons for doing it.”

We saw so little of Jabrill just in a couple games. You saw so much more. Can you tell us what was lost in terms of how he was going to fit in to your secondary like expected if healthy?
“Yeah. I think we were very excited about what he brings from an attitude standpoint to the explosiveness, the athletic standpoint, the makeup speed, all the things that made him one of the most recruited guys in this country. And his football intelligence is at a high level and his instincts, so we lost possibly he could have been a nickel or a safety, either one for us. I think he could play all three positions, but where he would have fit for our team more is where we would have played him.”
 

Did you see that high level in practice? Did he ever get [?]?
“No question. Without a doubt. I mean, two-a-days and...yeah.”

Jim Hackett's been on the job a couple days now. Have you had a chance to have a longer meeting with him and discuss his expectations?
“Yeah, we talked and just really Jim and I know each other from when I was here before and since I've been back and it was more just talking about how things are going, what do you see and all that kind of stuff. It wasn't really in-depth besides just the daily what we’re doing.”
 

So you didn't talk about expectations or-?
“No. And to answer that I think we all understand there's always expectations.”

When did you meet with him?
“Monday.”

Just to follow up on that, when you met with Jim what did he tell you kind of were his impressions of the program as a whole or –
“We didn't get that specific. We talked about obviously the team and how they've stayed together and things of that nature.”

Did he get into it all about how much he has been paying attention this year?
“I think is a former player they all pay attention.”

But no specifics about what he thinks?
“No.”