Play caller corner 'Effort, energy and physicality' evident for Illinois defense

Oct. 31—Illinois defensive play-caller Roger Cooper provides perspective from his side of the ball with the

Illini trying to make it three wins in a row Saturday at Maryland, from beat writer Scott Richey:

What stood out about the defense’s performance against Oregon?

“There were a lot of positives out of our keys to the game. We wanted to look like we wanted the game more. We wanted to be more physical. We wanted to play harder — a kind of ‘take what is ours’ mentality. No matter what the score ended up being, we wanted to put that on film. So, it was a bright spot to turn that on and see the effort, energy and physicality the guys played with. We tried to create turnovers and focused on it all week, and we got three balls on the ground and got one of them.

“Then it was always going to be about points. It wasn’t going to be about yards. It was going to be about points, and we knew we were going to have to create some of our own luck and some negative plays. With that being said, sometimes that creates positive plays for them, as well, but if that were to happen, our goal was to get it down, cap it and see if we couldn’t force a field goal.”

What did it mean to see the defense have success against the Ducks?

“Just to see their faces. You spend so much time with them. It is about a relationship. When you see them not have success and if you were to have something to do with it, it just drains you as a coach. You feel for the kids. You do. No matter how much you feel for yourself, these kids, this is their career. A lot of them don’t get to move on. You want to make sure that you’re putting them in the best position. To come down and see them run around going crazy in the locker room, that’s why you do this.

“(Otherwise), I don’t know why people would get into coaching. It’s stressful. You don’t enjoy game day. You’re always stressed out. The pay is supposed to be game day, and then I’m nervous and don’t enjoy that. When you come down on the field and see (the players celebrating after a win), that’s the payoff. There’s no better feeling than seeing your players that excited.”

Why have your player meetings been important?

“It’s just great to hear from them. I pull them individually through the week, and then I meet with them after the Thursday practice. That’s when we’ve gone through our script for the last time. I think it’s about 14 guys, and it’s just, ‘All right, guys. We just got done with that practice. What do you think?’ To pull guys aside and get their opinion is huge. It’s kind of what an offense will do with a quarterback. They play well when they’re comfortable.”

What do you do as a staff to foster playing fast?

“Practicing with purpose. Practicing is the most important thing we do, so they feel comfortable out there and they can play fast. It’s giving them a menu of things they can execute.”

How has linebackers coach Archie McDaniel helped you the last few weeks?

“I would say it’s everybody. It’s Arch and (secondary coach Corey Parker). It’s the combination of, really, three different defenses. We really get together, and we bring ideas together. We start with a list, and then you start picking your favorite things. That’s what makes it onto the menu. That’s what we’ve been doing, and we’re going to continue to do that and have a lot of voices where everyone listens and everyone is accepting of opinions.”

What has stood out about defensive lineman Pat Farrell?

“He can do everything we ask. He’s big enough to play inside, and he’s dominant in there. He’s quick enough in our stunts to loop and to pinch. On the forced fumble (against Oregon), it’s a stunt we run, and he takes an inside move and wraps tight. He can do it all. He’s one of the unicorns that’s good at everything we do. He’s priceless to have out there.”

How will the Maryland offense challenge the defense?

“(Quarterback Malik Washington) is a superior athlete. He can throw the ball all over the place, and he has a quick release. (Wide receiver Chris Durr Jr.) is an issue. He’s a tough cover. He’s got twitch, and he can run. You’ve got those fast guys, and you go, ‘Is that guy twitchy or is he fast?’ That guy is both. He’s twitchy and fast, and they get him the ball in space. He’s also their punt returner. (Running back DeJuan Williams) is a bigger guy and runs through arm tackles, but he has burst, as well.”