RUTGERS HEAD COACH CHRIS ASH
CHRIS ASH: Obviously this is a first, being in here, back-to-back victories, so it's a good feeling. Really excited about our players. Again, we didn't play a great game, but we made the plays we needed to on defense and special teams to win the game, and it's okay to win games like that. But it wasn't pretty.

Really the difference in the game, two takeaways on defense. We didn't turn the ball over at all on offense. That was huge. Holding them to 3 of 15 on 3rd down was huge, and then the 4th down stops that we were able to get in that game was huge.

Punting the way we did to flip the field position was outstanding. Not only the snaps, the punter, but the coverage, also, was great for most of the day out there, and it was just a big, big part of the victory, and couldn't be happier for Ryan Anderson and that punt team and the way they're playing right now.

Really excited about our team. We challenged them several weeks ago after the Ohio State game to bounce back and show tremendous grit and resolve and brotherhood, and they've done that, and it's on to the next one, and we'll celebrate this one for 24 hours, and we'll come back tomorrow and clean up the things that we didn't do very well and keep getting better and move on to the next challenge.

Q. When you think about where you guys were eight days ago with the Big Ten losing streak, and now to have two back-to-back Big Ten wins for the first time ever since Rutgers joining this conference, what can you say about the turning point in the last eight days?
CHRIS ASH: There is no turning point. You don't win those games in the last eight days, you just don't. You win games in the off-season, back of the off-season, spring ball, summer conditioning, training camp. That's when you win these games. You just don't want to lose your team during tough times and adversity, and that's really, I guess, a testament to our players is we have been through some tough times. We didn't start off great. We were 1 and 4, some close games, some tough losses, and we stayed together, and we kept battling and kept fighting and kept getting better.

We'll celebrate this one and we'll move on to the next one, but there's no defining moment in the last eight days that says you did this to win these two games. That just doesn't happen.

Q. Is there an identity forming with this group now with these two wins?
CHRIS ASH: We just got two wins, man. I just walked off the field. I don't know. The identity is toughness and brotherhood. If you want to talk about identity, just mentally and physically tough, we laid it on the line. They did it for each other, and that would be our identity, and I'm okay with that.

Q. On that last drive, what do you tell the defense --
CHRIS ASH: Don't let them score. That's it. Don't let them score.

Q. What's going through your mind?
CHRIS ASH: Don't let them score. Don't overcomplicate it. There was not a lot of words, other than just go fight, guys, and don't let them score. Don't let them get any points; they don't get any points, we win the game, and that's exactly what they did. There were some plays in that drive that we missed opportunities to get some sacks that might have ended it earlier. We didn't get them. Quarterback did a great job avoiding some pressure, getting out of some tough situations and scrambled. Got some huge chunks of yards on them that were a little concerning, obviously, but at the end on the two-point play, man, our guys sucked it up and made the plays we needed to.

Q. If someone looked at these numbers and they said --
CHRIS ASH: I don't look at them right now. I'm not looking at them. You can look at them, you can make all the assumptions you want. There's one that matters today, and we've got that W.

Q. What underlining this game that you knew if you did it right, you could win today's game?
CHRIS ASH: The formula doesn't change for winning games. We've got to go play really, really hard, and we've got to do our job. We've got to play four quarters of football. We've got to be good up front on both sides of the ball. We weren't today. But again, just because one part of that doesn't work doesn't mean you can't win games, and that's really what it was about today. You know, all three phases weren't clicking together for four quarters today, but we still did what we needed to in one phase or the other, made a few more plays that allowed us to win the game, and that's all that matters.

Q. On the 4th down, on the two-point conversion, there was a time-out; were you trying to pressure them there?
CHRIS ASH: No, we had a two-point play, defensively, that we work all the time. We've never been in a two-point situation yet, so we haven't had to call it. But there are certain things that teams do in those situations that we practice all the time. We called them over, we wanted a time-out to see what they were lined up in, we talked about the options that they typically would do in that situation. They did one of them exactly like we thought. We gave them three options that they would possibly do, and they did one of them and we defended it. Was able to get pressure in the quarterback's face, he threw the ball up and they didn't catch it.

Just the cumulative reps of practice that we put into those situations that they had pretty good idea of what they were going to do. Once they started the motion, we knew exactly, and our players adjusted, covered the guys down and got pressure in the quarterback's face, and it worked.

Q. After Gio misses Blackshear the first time, what led you to go back to it a second time?
CHRIS ASH: You know, we thought it was a good match-up for us, and it's like anything else, just because they stop a play one time doesn't mean you can't come back to it. There's no rule that says you can't run a play twice, and we just happened to like that match-up. Didn't work the first time. We thought if we could do it again, protect it the right way, got the right defense called where we could exploit a match-up, and we did, and it was a great throw by Gio, a great catch and cut-back by Blackshear to get it into the end zone. Again, the little freshman just happens to show up big at the end of games when we need him, and that's two weeks in a row he's done that.

Q. The flipside is you're at the 35 and you can play for a field goal. Obviously it worked out. Was it your call or Jerry's call to go to the touchdown because if it's incomplete you're stuck in no-man's land?
CHRIS ASH: No, it's just a call that they've been working on. We weren't playing for a field goal. We were trying to get a 1st down, and if we could get a touchdown, that would have been great, but we wanted to at least get a 1st down, and it worked out to go all the way, so great play call. When you call a play and it works like that, it's a great play call, right? Great coaching.

Q. How significant is it for yourself as a coach since you've been here and for the program to get these back-to-back wins in the Big Ten?
CHRIS ASH: It doesn't matter to me. It's not significant for me, it's significant for these players. They're the ones that put in a lot of time. I work for the players, and the fact that I get to watch them celebrate the way they have the last two weekends, that's all the gratification I need. That's the only thing I worry about. I don't care if it's two wins in a row, three. Every Saturday we get one win and they get to celebrate like that, man, that's so rewarding as a coach, and that's all I care about.

Q. How about Gus's touchdown run to start the game? What did you see on the play? And just in terms of momentum, how big was that?
CHRIS ASH: Any time you can start the game the way we started it, they took the ball, we kicked off, and the ball hit the ground, we got pretty good field position to start, they drove the ball, we stopped them, which was great. We got the ball, went down and scored a touchdown. That's the way you want to start football games. You talk about starting fast, that's starting fast. It was a good play call. We blocked it up well. Gus broke a couple tackles, he came through the hole, eyes up, and he saw the end zone, and he outran everybody. It's not just Gus, that was a great job by the offensive line to at least get him started, and then it was a tremendous individual effort on his part to pull through some tackles and take it all the way. I mean, I love that kid.

Q. We saw Hunter Hayek replace Janarion on punt returns. Is Janarion okay?
CHRIS ASH: Yeah, I think so. I haven't gotten a medical report or anything like that. I don't think there's anything wrong with him.

Q. Gio's performance I think 9 for 18, 87 yards, not pretty, but did he manage the game the way you wanted?
CHRIS ASH: We'll have to watch the tape. First thoughts, I would say yes, but until I watch the tape, I don't really know yet. I do know he managed it well enough to win the game, and he protected the football, and that's the first priority is to do that and he did that, so that allowed us to win -- if we would have turned the ball over today a couple times, we wouldn't have won that game, so Gio and the running backs did a great job of that. But we've got to get more out of our offense, there's no secret. Just it wasn't a total four-quarter performance that we would have wanted and thought we would have needed to win the game.

Rutgers Player Quotes 

Rutgers Punter Ryan Anderson
On the postgame locker room celebration: "The atmosphere is great in there. It's always good when we get a win, but we just need to keep going and get more wins. We just need to keep doing what we're doing."

On the two-game Big Ten winning streak: "It's huge. I did not know it was the first time ever, but it's huge. We are definitely making a name for ourselves, we just need to keep going and do what we do. We need to keep going back to work every day."

On if it felt like a real Big Ten game: "It definitely did feel like a Big Ten game. Growing up in Michigan, I watched every game pretty much. It was a great game to be a part of and we're excited to keep going."

On improvements in his punting: "Distance and accuracy is key, and at this level, I realize there is no room for error. I basically have to put it over there by the boundary as close as I can and that's what I'm doing. I just need to keep getting better each day."


Rutgers Quarterback Giovanni Rescigno
On the win: "We did a lot of hard work in practice. A lot of work went into it. We bounced back from last week, too, with the win. We responded again and that's really good for us moving forward."

On his knee: "I was feeling pretty good. The trainers did a really good job with me and I felt really good going into the game."

On his touchdown pass to Blackshear: "I was kicking myself because I missed the first one. Then we ran the same play and he was open again, so it was really good to hit him. I told him I was going to hit him and we did, so it was awesome."

On eliminating turnovers and penalties: "Coach Ash and his staff are doing a really good job with us. They preach hard work and tell us to play our game, and to eliminate stuff we do that loses us games. For example, turnovers and penalties, stuff that we can control. What we did today is we didn't have turnovers and we forced some."

On the winning streak: "It feels really good. I know it's not just me. It's the o-line, it's the receivers, the running backs and the defense. Shout out to the defense they did an amazing job today. We wouldn't have won the game without them. It means a lot to me, I know it mean's a lot to the team and we're glad we get to celebrate this win."

Rutgers Running Back Raheem Blackshear
On his rookie season: "My freshman year has gone well, but I couldn't do it without my o-linemen. The seniors in the backfield have also helped me, so if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be the player I am today."

On the winning streak: "I believe this is going to motivate us a lot. We're getting a lot better."

Rutgers Defensive Back KJ Gray
On the defense's interception total: "It's just our mentality and everyone maturing. Everyone is coming together as a team and we just performed well."

On players stepping up due to injury: "Everyone has had big shoes to fill. Our veterans helped bring up the ones that needed to be brought up and everyone just performed well."

On Purdue's trick-play offense: "We knew that coming out, they liked to do a lot of trick plays and reverses. We just had a great week of practice preparing for them."

On the win: "It's a big step, but we're not finished. We're looking to go for a third win and perform well for the rest of the season."

Rutgers Running Back Gus Edwards
On the winning streak: "I think it's big. We've worked really hard this season. Some of it hasn't gone as well as we wanted it to, but with two wins, we have great momentum right now and we just need to keep building off of it."

On the play of Blackshear: "He's a really good player and a smart and tough kid. Right now he's small, but he runs with his pads and he has done really well for us."

Rutgers Defensive Tackle Sebastian Joseph
On the winning streak: "I think, going back, having that team meeting played a role in it. A lot of guys just refocused and focused their energy to the goals we wanted to do at the beginning of the season. We can't fix the things in the past, but we can fix the ones moving forward and fix the things coming up. We're all on the same page after that meeting and the credit goes out to the team. We're all rallying together."

On the momentum generated from winning: "This is just another example of us just believing in the program, believing in the game plan and believing in each other. If you do that, you'll have success."
 
Purdue Head Coach Jeff Brohm

Opening Statement: "A disappointing game for us. Anytime you lose, it's not fun, but this was disappointing because I thought our performance was very sub-par and lack luster. That start starts with me, so I didn't do a good job getting our guys ready. I thought we had numerous opportunities early on to sustain drives and it didn't happen and it kind of snowballed from there. So, sometimes you take a step forwards. Sometimes you take two steps back. This was two steps back for us. It's adversity you are sometimes going to run through and you just have to find a way to work through it and keep working hard to get better and continue to fight and scrap and see if we can find a way to find the next one."

On 500 yards of total offense with only one touchdown: "Well we can't generate big plays and that's been a problem all year other than trick plays. Our biggest play today was a fake flea flicker. You've got to find ways to push the ball down the field some because you just have to. You can't drive it 10 to 14 plays a drive and normally sustain it, even though you can do it better than we did today. We had numerous opportunities to convert situations and didn't do it. Once again I thought our runners did a decent job. Occasionally you are going to have to throw and convert third down situations. We did not. So it was not a good offense performance. That's on me and got to get our guys to work hard and try to gain their confidence back. Our defense hung in there. Other than two big plays, they did a good job. We've got to hang in there, stick together and find a way to improve."

On a big opponent touchdown run to open the game for the second week in a row: "I know one of our down linemen, I think Gelen (Robinson), hit (Gus Edwards) and he ricocheted off. Then we lost him in the pile and he went the distance. That play and the third-and-19 where we're trying to prevent (Rutgers) from getting in field goal range, we played man coverage, which sometimes you have to, our outside linebacker should've pealed on the back and he didn't and (Raheem Blackshear) ran scott free down the sideline. We don't have a whole lot of margin of error on our team. We've got to find a way to get better."

On the final Purdue drive: "Really we just found a way to make some plays that time. We had another dropped first play. We scrambled and made a play. Just hung in there and made a few plays which we had not before. Touchdown was a good throwing catch. The guy on him, there wasn't much separation, but at least we went up and made the play. So it was good that we hung and played to the end. We just don't have a margin for error and couldn't overcome it."

On QB Elijah Sindelar's two interceptions: "The first one, we were rolling and trying to run a double move on the outside. We didn't get a whole lot open. We had a slot receiver going to the post to hold the safety. The safety went over the top so he's got to either look at the post or, this was man coverage once again, so he's got to outside and run it and throw it away. We didn't get open. Once again, we come back next time and we're having a hard time getting open, so we run another double move. We didn't get open. We gave it a chance to make a play. We didn't make the play, they did. It causes you to think other ways to do it, but sometimes it tells you we're going to have to run the ball and go from there. We've got to go back to the drawing board. It's disappointing. It's really frustrating. Like I said, I'll take the blame. We've got to figure out what we do well and do that."

On trying to ignite the offense: "I thought the first drive or two, we had some plays to make. We just didn't make them. They weren't hard plays to make. They were thrown perfectly at times and we couldn't finish it off. I'd like to get more yardage on fourth down on a play. We had some miscommunication. The fake punt was good for us. We had it in all week. We had another one in as week. We went for the block at the end and came close. We did shoot some bullets. We just didn't land enough."

On the run game: "I think that we did a good job of running and coming off the ball. Some series we'd start with two runs and get to third-and-medium and couldn't convert with a pass. You want to be consistent and run it and get first downs. Once again, probably need to be more conservative. We've got to get the ball to our playmakers, whoever those are, and ride those guys and the others have to assist. I don't think it's from a lack of effort from our guys. It's just we got outcompeted at times and obviously we didn't get ready to play because we didn't make plays like we easily could have in certain situations."   

#11 QB David Blough
On the result of the game: "It's tough because those defensive guys are playing so well. It feels like we are just letting them down. We have to come out, play tough, play smart, do the little things well, take care of the football, and help those guys out. We have to find ways to get into the end zone. It's going to happen. We've done it before. Nobody's making excuses for anything we just have to make it happen."

On if the last drive was desperation: "I don't think so. We're playing football. That's crunch time. Guys made plays. Anthony (Mahaoungou) made a great play. Protection held up. So, that's the way we've got to do it."

On what he saw in the two-point conversion: "We ran a similar play before and they had it guarded. Got to give our guys a chance. Can't die with the ball in your hands, especially on a two-point conversion. Tried to throw it up. Incomplete. That's the way it breaks sometimes."

On the magnitude of this game on the overall season: "I think we play, it's Nebraska next, and that's who we're worried about."

On the two-quarterback system potentially disrupting the rhythm in the last two games: "I played bad on my first drive and they stuck with me to help get into rhythm. I played bad on my second drive and they stuck with me to help me get into rhythm. They're helping us. Coach Brohm all week asked me for plays. He's doing everything he can. Both of us have to play better. It's not anything they did. We have to play better as quarterbacks. Be more accurate, find completions, take care of the ball, run, use our legs, all the little things."

#21 WR Anthony Mahoungou
On if today's game begs the question "How did we lose"? "We respect every team, especially when it comes to the conference. Do I believe that we have more talent? Yes. Our defense, they're amazing. Every game they bring their 'A' game. I don't want to say it's always the offense's fault, but it was."

On the number of drops: "Again, unacceptable. I don't know the reason, but like Coach Brohm said, it looked like we did not come ready to play. We let them outcompete us on one-on-one matchups. The interception on me. Again, it's unacceptable."

On what it's going to take to turn around the offense: "Our mindset. We need to understand that there's going to be one-on-one matchups that we cannot lose. It's a team play. We need everyone to execute well. When you want to go to the details of each play, it's all about one-on-one matchups and we're not able to win them, so far. We need to keep working and look ourselves in the mirror."

#1 RB D.J. Knox
On the number of drops hurting their QBs: "I feel like the quarterbacks did a pretty good job of putting the ball on the spot. We just need to execute better as a team to help them out. Those drops that create second-and-long and third-and-long, those are drive killers. It's a collective effort and we all could get better."

On need to focus: "I feel like we got a little off track. I definitely feel like we got a little off track. It wasn't the same feel at certain times of the game. We just have to focus on winning one game at a time. We got out of our groove. We played hard for six games and today we came out and we had a lot of miscues and that was something that hurt us. We need to focus on one play at a time. I feel like we've been getting ahead of ourselves. It was kind of frustrating but we just have to go back to the drawing board."

On the message the team leaders gave after the fame: "One step at a time. You can't look forward. We just have to make sure that we take each game one by one, take each play one by one. Even with reps in practice; make sure you win this one and win the next one. In the grand scheme of things, it'll all come together if you just focus on what you have to do at that exact point. I feel like that was something that we got away from today. We have great leaders, great team captains. Everybody has a leader in their position room. We'll get it fixed. This won't be a problem that carries on."