[Fuller/MGoBlog]

Talk about how the running game got you guys established early. Couple big runs on that first drive.

“Yeah, De’Veon was running really hard. All our backs were going. Both teams had success with the run early. That got us going. Set up quite a few things in the play action game and the passing game, and then our guys made plays.

“Really felt—[turns to SID] who’d you have in here? Saw Wilton. Who else was in here?”

SID: Wilton and Amara.

“Amara! Amara Darboh. [laughs uproariously] Heck of a game. That’s maybe one of his best. Talk about guys making plays, Amara Darboh was really making plays today. And Wilton, another tremendous game by him. You know, the throw he made before the half to Amara on the deep in route, I thought that was especially good after taking a hit, getting knocked down, taking a pretty hard hit and then coming back and throwing that one right on the money.

“Defensively, we made plays. Guys made plays. Three out of four fourth-down were huge in the ballgame. Jabrill getting the—got a fourth down stop and also picking up that conversion at the end, scoring a touchdown. Guys made plays. That’s the way I feel right now. Got the W.”

Jim, you talked about Amara going into the season as being your best receiver, and I think we’re seeing what you saw. Talk about what he’s done in the season to take it up even another level and what you’re getting from him right now.

“Well, his game is at a very high level. Some of the highest I’ve seen of a college receiver. I think he’s well established as a great playmaker and also disciplined in every route that he runs, he blocks, great teammate—he does it all and does it the best he could possibly do. He’s got a lot of god-given talent and great work ethic, et cetera. It was a premier game for him today.”

[After THE JUMP: “A lot of joy. It’s the great thrill of victory. The wonderful, wonderful feeling of winning. Jim McKay, right? ‘The thrill of victory’? Yeah. Good feeling.”]

Talk about Kenny Allen in the punt game and the kick game today.

“Yeah, and the kickoff game. He was flawless today. We needed that in a tight ballgame. Guys were tested in all phases: our offense was tested, our kicking game was tested, our defense was tested, and our guys came through. Kenny came through. He was 100% on all his kicks.”

I believe it was leaked that you might be getting trophies for all the guys, little miniature ones, but to have the trophy, the Paul Bunyan trophy, in that locker room for all the guys to come and celebrate with, what was that like for you as the overseer of the team? How much joy did that bring to see those guys celebrate with that?

“A lot of joy. It’s the great thrill of victory. The wonderful, wonderful feeling of winning. Jim McKay, right? ‘The thrill of victory’? Yeah. Good feeling.”

Can you give us the significance or the context of the workman’s shirt you were sporting on the way in today?

“Oh, my jacket?”

Yeah.

“That’s just a jacket I’ve had for about five years. What—what’d you say? The what of it?”

You had a workman’s jacket that said ‘Jim’ on it and I didn’t know if there was a backstory or context to that, when you were walking in to the stadium.

“Uh, yeah. I mean, it’s pretty obvious what it stands for and what it represents.”

[Someone starts to ask a question]

“Workman’s jacket.” [shrugs shoulders]

You were up pretty big at halftime, 17 points, and they keep coming back and making it tight. Did you think something was amiss with you guys’ defense or did you just view that as it’s a rivalry and that’s what happens?

“Like I said, we were tested in all phases and we were sure that was going to be the case. You know, our guys made plays throughout the ballgame, really, from start to finish. Our guys made a few more plays. I thought it was a good, tight game and good for our guys to be tested that way and good for them to come through it.”

You mentioned Wilton earlier. Really for the first time, they go and score on their first drive, the crowd’s into it, and he has to go back out and settle you guys. He goes back out and leads you guys to a touchdown. Was that one of the more impressive moments for him? That’s the first time he’s done that on the road. He hasn’t really been in that situation.

“Yeah, been noticing it really—it just keeps getting better and better in terms of his poise. He’s just very, very, very calm; very strategic. He’s thinking the whole time and he’s able to operate at a very high level. But it’s getting better every week. Kind of like—very Jake Rudock-like. Jake really grew at that and was a great example for Wilton last year. I think I would credit that. But he’s definitely an ascending player in that area.”

You were citing Jim McKay. Last year you experienced ‘the ultimate agony of defeat.’ You didn’t talk about that much this week, but didn’t that make this a little sweeter?

“I mean, any time you lose it is that, it is the agony of defeat. Any time you win it’s the great thrill of victory and the wonderful feeling of winning. That’s just a fact of business. Fact. F-A-C-K, fact.”

Can you update us on Grant Perry’s status? Did he travel here and--

“What’d I say? F-A-C-T. Correction! I stand corrected! F-A-C-T.”

Where’d you go to school?

Can you update us on Grant Perry’s situation? Was he here today?

“No.”

Is that a discipline situation?

“Wasn’t here today, Mark.”

Is that a discipline situation?

“Wasn’t on the travel team, Mark.”

I’ll throw two in here if I can. First of all, on that last play where they went for the two-point conversion, what was your understanding as to why they were doing that? Secondly, in a broader sense, a lot of guys who have held your position before or at Ohio State or Michigan State, they say you’ve got to beat Michigan State, you’ve got to beat Ohio State, you’ve got to win a Big Ten title. Do you hold with that, and if so, how significant is this as the first time you’ve done one of those three things on your checklist?

“First part of that question: when I saw they were going for two, I called a timeout to get our defense back on the field.

“Second part of that question: I mean, we treat every game like it’s a big game. We treat every game like it’s a championship game, and fortunately our guys made the plays today. The credit goes to the players. Also the assistant coaches did a tremendous job. Really proud of everybody, all our staff, and now it’s onward.”

Did you understand the two-point conversion? Like, what they were trying to do exactly given where you were in the score and what that was going to do versus just kicking the extra point?

“Uh, no, I think you’d have to ask them what—they were trying to get two points was what they were trying to do.”

In the second half of the season here you have three big-time road games. This was the first of them in a hostile environment. Did you see the composure and attitude you’d like to see from your team today?

“I thought our guys played really good, solid football and made big plays. You know, it was—that’s the way I look at it. I was really proud of them and the way they played. I thought they performed admirably and got the W. Did they perform with composure and poise? I thought so, yes.”