Q: Did you see anything on Saturday from a defensive standpoint that creates cause for alarm, or was it just a pretty darned good Wisconsin offense?

Jared Clauss: I think Wisconsin knew who they were trying to be. You see teams trying to figure themselves out that haven’t bought into a system, always changing things up…Wisconsin has been doing what Iowa has been doing for a long time, running the same stuff. They happened to have a monstrous line, a couple of tough running backs, a quarterback that can manage the game; they have a good offense. This isn’t the first team they have done this to, it’s just that they are very confident in what they are doing right now. They looked tough. I credit them. You saw our defensive linemen after the game saying they played well and they put some yards up.

Q: So you think it’s more a matter of tipping your cap to the other team than anything else?

Clauss: You would always like to see a perfect defensive game every week. I think they did what other teams have been doing in the pass game, keeping a few extra guys in and establishing the running game and it wasn’t like they were sitting back there in shotgun announcing their intentions to pass. Their offensive line did a good job. I thought Michigan’s offensive line did a good job of staying on blocks. They are big guys and they maul you. That and when you have a back as big as Clay with a head of steam, you will get four and five yards a pop. I credit their staff for having the confidence in those guys to go for it so often on fourth down. You tip the cap and hope that our guys rally and regroup and realize that Michigan State will bring a lot of the same stuff. They don’t have the line size that Wisconsin has, but they sure have the balance on offense, which is the toughest thing to defend in my opinion.

Q: How demoralizing is it when you force a three and out to have to turn around and go back out there? Is it tough to crank it back up?

Clauss: No, but it’s frustrating in a sense that you accomplished your goal, but like Norm always says, you are a fireman. They don’t ask where the fire is and they don’t care. When the bell rings, you have to go put it out. When they came back out, no one was hanging their head. Wisconsin and Iowa were dominant on offense in this game. It felt like whomever had the ball last was going to win, which is why I felt good about the pick and the three and out that we were looking good. But credit to them, they got the fake punt and the rest.

Q: You played for Norm, he was around all of your time there. What type of an impact do you think not having Norm on game days or during the week makes for this team right now?

Clauss: I don’t know. I wish I had a good answer for you. I never experienced this, so I don’t know what it would have been like. I know that guys like inspire confidence by their presence and the fact you know he has seen everything. He has been on numerous staff’s, he has coached in a few conferences. He has seen everything. Nothing will surprise him or cause panic on the sideline and that instills confidence. The saving grace is that the two guys that are calling the plays now in Coach Wilson and Coach Phil Parker, they have been around and seen things too. Not to the extent that Norm has, but these guys aren’t fresh out of school. They are seasoned, have been at Iowa a long time and know the defense. But like anything, you want your leadership around. That weighs on them, but I don’t have an answer to say that I think ‘this’ would have happened, because I never experienced it.

Q: We have talked about flushing losses in the past. These guys have to put it behind them and this one was really tough. What is it about Kirk Ferentz and the way he handles things day to day and week to week that allows the Iowa teams to get these losses out of their system and rise up the next week?

Clauss: Because he is a very level headed guy. Not that he is unemotional, but he doesn’t let his emotions get the better of him. How many times have you seen him lose his temper to the point that has you questioning whether he is in control of himself? We have played against other coaches that have lost it. Guys see that and there is a difference between being emotional and having your players know that he really cares and a game means a lot to him, or just a chaotic rant. Coach Ferentz, during and after the game and during practice, is very good at not getting too high on the highs or low on the lows.

This one stinks. We were all depressed. If you are not a fan of either team, it was a great college football game in the sense that it was back and forth, but this one hurts bad. As fans we can sit there and say what an awful game and how hard of a loss it was on us, but take what you are feeling and multiply it by ten and that is what those coaches and players are feeling. No one is taking it harder than them, but Coach Ferentz is good about watching the tape, being critical when he needs to be, point out what needs to be corrected and move on. Looking back…you can’t go too fast going forward if you are always looking back. I think they will correct the things they need to correct, but this is not the end of the world and he will not let his players feel that way. When they have a big win, they won’t be congratulating each other for a long time. It’s one day, done and over. We have a huge game this weekend with Sparty coming to town.

Q: I continue to be impressed by the development of the offensive line, what were your thoughts.

Clauss: I thought they looked good. Pass protection has been very good. The only pass protection issues I saw was JJ Watt late in the game and some pressure up the middle early. That guy is a heck of a player and it doesn’t mean our line is not doing a good job; that guy is a stud. Communication seems to be there where there are not many mental busts on zone reads, letting a guy through or not picking up the blitz. Outside of the end of the game against Arizona, I think they have been fantastic. When you consider their youth, it’s encouraging for the future.

Q: You mentioned earlier that Michigan State has balance on offense but how is their running scheme different from Wisconsin’s?

Clauss: When I saw Michigan State play Michigan, their inside three guys did a fantastic job on combination blocks. They were getting to the second level and you saw some huge open holes and big runs because of that. I only caught part of the Northwestern game but their inside three are very talented, or at least they have played well when I have watched. One of the strengths of Iowa’s defense throughout Ferentz’s tenure is that we are very gap responsible. This will be a huge test for the defensive tackles because a good combination block, or a guard and a center that really know how to use their pad level and team up to get to the second level, that is tough to stop. Iowa has been good at keeping their nose guard play side of a center-reach combination block through the years, and this will be a huge test. I fully expect them to rise to the challenge because we have in the past. But this is a talented offense that knows exactly what they are trying to get done.

It’s the second straight week we will play a senior quarterback that isn’t putting up huge numbers but knows what they need to do to win. It will be a big test and it’s a dangerous game. But as we saw last weekend, Michigan State can be beat. You have to play sound football. What did it take for them to beat Northwestern? Another fake punt. That is what happens in the Big Ten. Week in and week out, you rarely see a blowout like the Ohio State-Purdue game. Usually the team that executes wins and it will come down to that this weekend. Turnovers and execution. I felt Iowa played good against Wisconsin, but they didn’t execute or maybe Wisconsin did execute and we didn’t take advantage of things. There were not a lot of turnovers, it was just them making the plays when they needed to and that is what we will see this weekend.

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