Jordan Hall | Post Iowa | On Head Coach Jonathan Smith After Tough Loss

Jordan Hall | Post Iowa | On Head Coach Jonathan Smith After Tough Loss

see a little bit of the reactions there. Uh yeah, thank you Jesus. Just for another Saturday to be able to to just go do something that I love doing. Wasn’t the outcome. Um but you know, I’m having fun with these guys and we’re making memories just came up a little bit short and yeah, I mean we fought hard um all game just uh you know momentum started going back and forth late in the game uh and they were able to finish better than we did. When the offense goes three and out the three drives in the fourth quarter as a defense, did you guys feel the pressure to go out and get a stop with those? Did you feel that mounting? I wouldn’t I mean I wouldn’t call it pressure. I mean we felt like uh defensively we had a pretty good game. Uh we were excited to go back on there uh on the field. Um we we knew that it was going to come down to us making a stop at the end. Um just wasn’t able to get it done. Why do you think you guys were able to have a pretty good day overall on defense? Um I mean we have a great leader and coach Rossy. Uh we had a great week of practice all week. Um, and we just love each other and you know, we’re all we’re all frustrated and and we all wanted to get this one. Um, but you know, we all just wanted to play together and just have fun and let it loose. Uh, and I think we did that today. This has always been known as sort of a tough place to play in the the fourth quarter once they tied the game. Did you feel that momentum shift the way people got loud cuz I know they were booing earlier in the game for their own side and then all of a sudden it’s like a switch flip. Uh, I try to I try to block out the I mean, it was pretty quiet when I was on the field. So, uh, you know, I don’t I don’t really pay too much attention to the crowd noise and the swings and that. Would you agree that your defense has improved the last three or four weeks basically since Indiana game? Would you agree? I think I think anybody’s been watching us play Wood. Yeah. What have been the keys to make that happen? Uh, yeah. Like I said, Coach Rossi being on the sideline and his energy, uh, I think has has boosted us a lot. Um, and like I said, we just uh we’re all frustrated and we all want to play for each other. Uh, and I think it showed this game. I mean, every play um people were celebrating with each other. Um, for I mean, honestly, for for four quarters up into the last probably five or six minutes or so. Um, but it’s just the love that we have for one another and just wanting to continue to make memories and and make the best of the season. This and the the Minnesota game both, I mean, you get it close. Minnesota obviously was overtime, but in terms of like just getting to the the finish to to get a win, what are the sort of missing ingredients there? What’s missing from you guys to sort of take that next step? Yeah, I mean, honestly, just being real with you, I think that’s outside my pay grade. All I can do is is go in and run the calls and and uh play the best football that that I can play. Um, you know, defensively, I I think we did a good job all all game. I think offense uh you know they did uh uh well also and compared to some other weeks uh we just didn’t finish well. Um but that’s not you know for me to make adjustments or say what we can do better. Can you put my job my job is to is to play football and I’m going to continue to do that for next week. The play that Avon made there and the check that you guys it looked like you were making a check there. Did that feel like a momentum swinging moment? Uh yeah that was a huge play. Um we had we had a play called. um worked out perfectly to to what they were trying to do. I think it was I feel like it was a double pass. He was peeling back the pass, but yeah, just worked out perfectly. Good play call to what they had called. Can you put into words the disappointment in the locker room or the team right now compared to other losses? I imagine it builds or do you just get numb to it or what’s it like? Um we’re uh yeah, definitely disappointed. Definitely uh not the outcome that we wanted. Uh but we know we have one more game left and we’re going to have the same approach uh last week as as we did this week. Continue to try to get better with this one game left. Uh continuing to bond together and make memories, have fun, and let it loose. Is it hard? Is it hard as a leader to get everyone to get back up time after time? It’s been pretty impressive, if you don’t mind me saying that you guys have been able to do that. I mean, that’s that’s my job as as a leader, and it’s not just myself. We have I know we have five captains, but we have multiple guys that that step up um and that and that love each other and that that want the best for this team and want the best for uh each other uh individually. Um so I mean it’s I guess it’s tough from a sense that it’s not the season that we wanted, but it’s easy in the sense of the guys that we have and we’re going to show right back up on on Sunday tomorrow and get back to work. What’s Coach Smith been like during this during the less Easter? Uh the I mean the same. Uh he’s he’s a good coach. Um and and he runs this program well. And uh I’m going to say this now cuz I didn’t have media last week. Uh co you know the the bass that coach Smith gets uh it it appalls me that he’s a he’s a great coach, a great man, and he leads well and I stand by him. Um uh but he’s been constant win lose or draw. Um we’re going to go back uh in on Sunday. He’s going to have the same approach and we’re going to have the same approach and we’re going to look to get it done next week. I was going to ask you this at Minnesota. What is it that this staff has done to keep you guys engaged with them, but also to kind of keep you guys fighting throughout this? Um, I mean, I don’t think they’ve done anything. I mean, we’ve we want to win. It’s not like the coaches just want to win. We also want to win and we’re all passionate. So, it’s not like, you know, they they put some holy water on us or something and everybody’s, you know, wants to win. and we’ve wanted to win since January. Uh unfortunately, some of the games haven’t gone our way, but I mean, we’re we’ve had our same process since week one of uh the game preparation um and reflection after. How bad do you guys want to feel that that feeling of being on the right side at the end of one of these? Pretty pretty bad, I’d say. Well, um I don’t know if you guys ever ended up colliding, but we I’m wondering your thoughts on him as a player that finally turned 21. I don’t know if you guys ever met, but when the ball’s in his hands, what are sort of his traits that make him who he is? Yeah, I mean, he’s a he’s a good player. Um I mean, I don’t know what other way to put. He’s a dynamic player for him. Good in the return game. Uh I think we we did a good job funneling him on on defense. Um but he’s he’s a good player. Makes explosive plays. Um big momentum guy for them. Uh and yeah, just God bless him in his career as a good player. your fumble recovery. Was that Quendarius from behind that knocked that ball out or how did how did that develop? Yeah, I I believe so. I think I think it was him. Um third down third down stop that we need that was huge. I think it was third down. Uh yeah, he was able to retrace uh off the block and and get the ball out and it kind of just bounced my way. Anything else, Jordan? I am all good. Yeah, that lady.