Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald looks rested, coming off of the bye week.
— Fitz: Iowa is a pretty good rivalry for us. … It’ll be a challenge for us, no doubt about that.
— Injury Updates: WR Miles Shuler, WR Dan Vitale, WR Kyle Prater, S Ibraheim Campbell: Ran around today. Day-to-day. LB Collin Ellis: Out (concussion).
— Ellis’s concussion: More concerned long-term than about the week-to-week concern. It’s not his first concussion, so they are going to be very cautious.
— “We got a lot of work done last week. That was productive. It was a pretty tough month of football. I like the fact that I saw some guys moving around this week that I didn’t see practicing last week.”
— Fitz: We had to get some things cleaned up from a schematic standpoint. We had to figure out where their issues are.
— They don’t think about bowl-eligibility or postseason (shocker). “Trying to go 1-0 this week.”
— “I have a special place in my heart for linebackers. It’s not that I don’t love everyone else, I just love them more.”
— QB Trevor Siemian is healthier than he’s ever been, according to Fitz.
— On LB Brett Walsh (suspended for arrest over the weekend): “See my statement.”
— On the taste in his mouth from last year’s loss to Iowa: “We have a different team this year. … It’s been a great rivalry since we’ve gotten competitive.”
— On rivalry: “The biggest part of it is that we become competitive. We became competitive in ’95, and since then they have been some pretty good Big Ten football games.”
— On LB Anthony Walker: “He’s settled in. … [LB Chi Chi Ariguzo] has been a calming force for Anthony.”
— On the importance of the bye week: “We really needed it, based off of where we’re at. I wish we weren’t playing who we were playing, but it’s more about you than about your opponent.”
Kyle Prater and DL Greg Kuhar took the stand next.
— Prater: “I’m ready to go. I feel great.” He said the bye week came at the right time.
— Kuhar on losing CB Dwight White: “He’s a great kid, a great player. I realized he wasn’t practicing as much. I actually read the story online, that’s how I found out.”
— Kuhar: “Chi Chi knows how to fill the gaps. … He’s one of the leaders of the defense. Not only making tackles, but giving the calls.”
— Kuhar: “Iowa is going to be another smash-mouth team.”
— Prater: “We need to have that focus intensify. Last week, we got much better. I don’t think the focus goes down, if anything, it goes up.”
— Prater on missing the Minnesota catch: “Situation like that was tough. … I learned a lot from it. I have to get better. My focus intensified after that. … When you drop a ball, it’s just a lack of focus. Sometimes, you take your eye off for a split-second.”
— Prater isn’t worrying about last week, but he’ll use it as fuel.
