POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State Head Coach
Cody Hawkins speaks to local media prior to the Bengals upcoming night game with Montana, 8:30 PM in Missoula.
On preparing for a night game in Missoula
"We've tried to keep preparation as similar as possible until now, and then you will see some adjustments as we're going. We're gonna bring guys back in the evening just so we're up and moving and thinking about football in the evenings. Friday night, we'll go to their stadium, which we do for our night games just 'cause we have more time on the road. We did that at Southern Utah, and we'll do the same thing here. You gotta practice for the noise, so you gotta be in the dome. We try to go outside to get some elements, but it's been beautiful in Pocatello. I thought I was gonna try to get some cold weather practices in, but it's not gonna happen this week. More important than all of that, you can make it about the noise and the weather, but you gotta turn on the tape and get ready to play a really good Montana team."
On improving in critical situations
"Anytime you look back and you're not playing your best in critical situations, you wanna make sure you create clarity in your technique and your scheme. That might mean reducing your package a little bit just for those special downs, making sure it's your bread and butter so you can go out and execute, because that's usually what's getting you. But you also wanna try to create that performance anxiety as much as you can. In practice it's hard, but you might say, 'Immediately after stretch you're going to a competitive period,' or do it the last period of practice when you're really fatigued, even though it's an unusual thing to do. Trying to put pushups on the line, trying to take starters in and out of the lineup so those guys have to move, or making guys play different positions, just to create some anxiety that wouldn't normally be there. I think every game in the Big Sky for everyone is gonna be a barn burner, and that's been the case for us this year. We have a couple weeks left to try and play our best football. That's still out there, and hopefully we can get it this Saturday."
On managing practice intensity during eight straight games
"When you're playing really good opponents you can't ease up in practice. So we try to keep the intensity high but the periods low. We invested in some of the GPS stuff this year, so probably a third of the guys on our team will wear GPS monitors. The max speed should be the same whether it's a practice in week four or now, but their mileage should be lower. We need to make sure that we get those live reps, the team reps that they need, but individual might be cut down. It might be more of a walkthrough teaching period than an active full-speed technique drill, 'cause you still need to play fast when it's time to go. You'll probably just play a little bit less: shorter practices with the same amount of high intensity in there."
On playing on a national broadcast
"You address it and say, 'Hey, it's gonna be on national.' But we've played on national TV before. The Week 0 game last year was like that. You will be in more homes, there will be more exposure, but nobody's gonna be watching who isn't already supporting you, 'cause they're gonna find a way to watch it anyways. It's great for Idaho State to have a larger platform on a national scale. There'll be people watching the game that don't normally get an opportunity to watch us play. But we're always trying to prove ourselves right. We're always trying to make our supporters proud. Guys are gonna feel it, and they deserve the opportunity to have the spotlight on them, because they've worked really hard. I told them all, 'The reason this game is happening is because of the work you've done. So make sure you enjoy the experience rather than stress out about it.'"
On what makes Montana's offense so explosive
"I don't know if they have any non-explosive parts. When you have an elite quarterback, the leading scorer in the history of the conference, an All-American receiver and punt returner who does both, and a coordinator who has won Fiesta Bowls and coached in the SEC, they're well-coached, and they have really good players. Their scheme is awesome. They got one of the best quarterbacks in America at any level, the best running back in the history of the conference, and an All-American receiver. That's pretty darn good. There's not a better offense really in America right now. There are some really good players in our conference that you feel like you can make play left-handed a little bit. These guys are not one of them."
On Montana's reinvented defense
"They're gonna challenge you, and the thing for us is we gotta identify what they're doing. If you're watching anything from the first six weeks of the year, that's not what they're doing anymore. After that Vandal game, they went on their bye week and totally reinvented everything. What they did against Eastern and Portland State is not what they did before, and they've had a ton of success with it. We're planning on seeing some of the stuff that they did in the beginning, because I'm sure they're gonna wanna have that package in since it's so drastically different. We can't totally rely on the last couple weeks, but they've done a great job. I think they lead the conference in quarterback hits and pressures, playing a lot more man coverage, challenging guys. They look like the Montana of old the last couple weeks: multiple fronts, trying to rip your lips off. They're gonna have a lot of wrinkles, but the one thing they are not going to do, that they were doing in the beginning of the year, is sit back and see what happens. They're gonna come after you."
On the depth of the running back rooms
"We're testing the depth of that room a little bit. You kinda go into the year thinking those are gonna be all your wily vets, but it's been a collective effort. I think all those guys have to do a really good job of learning from each other. We have to do a little bit more moving in and out to make sure we're playing to guys' strengths, and I'm proud of the way that they've responded. Sudberry has played really, really tough, and he's not built like a fullback, but he's willing to do it. The way he pass protects and blocks is impressive. Rob's really quick. Brett [Spencer]'s strong and fast. We're trying to make sure we're getting them involved and allowing them to do things that really match what they're good at. It's gonna take a total effort on Saturday. They're gonna do a lot of stuff. We gotta have great eyes and protection, and we have to find a way to generate some ground game without the quarterback running the football."
On what the November stretch means to him as a coach
"It's not for me. It's for them. It'd be like asking a dad of someone playing in the high school state championship, 'Is this a big moment for you?' I am involved, and I am preparing, and I'm going to win, but it's not so Cody Hawkins can hold up a trophy. It's because you wanna see Idaho State get to where they deserve. You wanna see those players get the opportunities that they deserve. After a game like last week, you feel so bad about your guys. As a coach, you feel like you did a lot of the things you can do, but you clearly didn't do everything you could do, 'cause the goal is to have those guys feel the joy of victory. I absolutely own the responsibility of making sure that they play well, but I'm never like, 'Wow, I get to call plays on ESPN.' That's not about me. I'm saying, 'These guys have a great stage. Idaho State has a great stage.' I wanna make sure I do everything I can to make sure that they are prepared to go get the opportunities that they have earned and deserve."
