I found this to be a pretty good read...
QB Coach Tony Petersen Recruiting Q&A
AMES, Iowa -- Tony Petersen starts his second season as Iowa State’s quarterback coach. He will oversee Austen Arnaud’s transition from back-up to possible starter this season. A former quarterback and then coach at Marshall, he went on to tutor signal-callers at Minnesota. As a Gopher coach, including a tenure as co-offensive coordinator, he went to seven bowl games as his Minnesota quarterbacks (including Bryan Cupito and Asad Abdul-Khaliq) rewrote the UM record books. Petersen was an all-Southern Conference quarterback at Marshall, where he went on to coach at his alma mater before heading to Minnesota.
Q: Compared to the days when you were being recruited as a player how has the whole recruiting process changed?
“I think the biggest thing that has changed is probably the Internet and how that’s brought everything into play. Everyone knows what’s going on, not only other coaches but fans. Anybody that wants to get online can find an awful lot out about recruiting. I would say that is probably the biggest thing that has changed over the years.â€
Q: Austen Arnaud is going to get a lot of work this spring. What are the things as his coach that you work on?
“Austen has had a season with some playing time in our offense. We’re so much farther along this year than we were last year. The offense is in and he understands it. Now we have to fine-tune what we are doing with our offense. We are working to fine-tune some of (Arnaud’s) mechanics. We’ve got to make sure we cut down on the turnovers. We want more first downs and more touchdowns. We can really spend a lot more time learning to run the offense efficiently. Last year we spent so much time inserting the offense. This year we have more time and that is going to help us.â€
Q: What are the positives that Austen Arnaud brings to the quarterback position?
“I think Austen is a natural quarterback and leader. Kids follow him. He is a very confident individual. He is very comfortable in the pocket, which is good. He doesn’t have happy feet back there. He’s got the size, speed, and athleticism to get out of the pocket and move and make first downs. Austen has a strong arm. He’s really got about everything you’re looking for in a quarterback.â€
Q: Is there some sort of prototype signal-caller you are looking for when recruiting?
“You need a winner there. That’s the most important thing. Today, with the way offenses are going, your QB obviously has to be able to throw the football well enough to get it done there but we have also got to have enough athleticism and little bit of speed to get out of trouble and to make people pay when they aren’t paying attention to the quarterback. It’s tough if you have a kid back there that is a pure thrower. You have to be awful good upfront and that’s tough to do. You are looking for somebody that can do a little bit of both, but he’s got to be a leader and a natural quarterback.â€
Q: With the incorporation of the spread offense, in its various forms, what happened that made it so prevalent and what did it do to alter college football?
“When they ran the wishbone and the quarterback ran, you added that 11th person to the running game. (The spread) is a throwing offense with wishbone concepts built in. The quarterback is the running-back back there and all of the sudden the defenses don’t have that extra hat to rush or cover people. It is difficult to defend. You’ve got to stop the pass and the run. Now, instead of one or two backs in the backfield you can have two or three with the quarterback. I think that’s probably the toughest thing its brought against the defenses.â€
Q: What is something you really didn’t know about Iowa State when you came here that you know now?
“The great gameday atmosphere is one of the biggest selling points we have. I was at Minnesota for eight years and game-day was not what a lot of the other teams in the Big Ten had. It is great here and that’s a big selling-point for us. My family loves Ames.â€
Q: Having some prolific quarterbacks at Minnesota, how does Austen Arnaud compare against those guys?
“Austen hasn’t played that much, but he’s got as much or more ability than anybody I ever coached at Minnesota. I had some kids that were good players (at Minnesota) and they did some good things on the field. They ran our offense and did it well. I would say Austen has got probably more ability than anybody I coached at Minnesota.â€
Q: You coached Chad Pennington (currently New York Jets, NFL) at Marshall. Of the individuals you coached at Marshall and Minnesota, if you to have one player or quarterback who would you take?
“I would take Chad. I also had Byron Leftwich as a true freshman. I only coached him one year. Byron was a great player. I would still take Chad over all of them. He was a great kid; great competitor, smart. He was everything you were looking for. Chad wasn’t a runner, but he’d be the one I take out of everyone I’ve coached.â€
Q: Looking ahead to this year, is it a better recruiting atmosphere when you are settled in instead of last year, when you were just coming in?
“I actually got here after the recruiting process, but from what I understand it was just a whirlwind. We are a lot more settled this year. Things are going smoothly. I think spring ball and offseason workouts after being here are just going to be so much easier.â€
Q: You were a collegiate quarterback. Does that help you coach the position?
“I think it always gives you an advantage. That’s not saying that you couldn’t coach the position if you didn’t play it. I’ve always thought that it gives you an advantage in the little things. I always know what they are going through when they are a young quarterback. They are in the pocket feeling uncomfortable and have a lot to learn. I understand the whole learning process.â€
Q: What was the highlight of your playing career if you had to choose something?
“Probably when we beat Appalachian State in the third round of the playoffs to go to the national championship game. Marshall had never made it to the championship game, so that was neat. A lot of people down there had relatives (killed in the 1970 Marshall football plane crash), so it was emotional. It was probably the highlight of playing days.â€
Q: Did you see “We Are Marshall� And what was your opinion coming from that background?
“Yes, I saw it. I think they did a really good job. Some of the people in that movie I actually know from playing there and everybody I’ve talked with said they did a good job with it.â€
Q: As a coach, before you came to Iowa State, your quarterbacks have put up some amazing numbers. Is there a game or season that was special?
“When I was at Marshall, we won a lot of games by a wide margin. Some of the most satisfying games I have ever been a part of as a coach (at Minnesota) would be when we beat Ohio State at the “Horseshoe†and we beat Michigan at the “Big Houseâ€. Those would probably be two of the most fun games I have experienced as a coach.â€
Q: Could you tell us about your hometown, your development, and how you ended up at Marshall?
“My hometown was Lodi, California I moved around a lot when I was younger. I actually never played quarterback until I was a sophomore in high school. The baseball coach talked me into playing. He kind of had to drag me out there. He put me at quarterback. I’ve always started since I started playing. After high school I was just going to focus on baseball and a junior college coach talked me into playing QB out there in California, close to my home. I ended up with a scholarship out to Marshall and chose to go there over a couple other places.â€
Q: How would you describe Coach Gene Chizik to people compared to other successful head coaches?
“What you see is what you get with Coach Chizik and that is what I like about him. He is a straight shooter. He is fair. He’s a genuine person and he really cares about you and your family. I just think that’s important.â€
QB Coach Tony Petersen Recruiting Q&A
AMES, Iowa -- Tony Petersen starts his second season as Iowa State’s quarterback coach. He will oversee Austen Arnaud’s transition from back-up to possible starter this season. A former quarterback and then coach at Marshall, he went on to tutor signal-callers at Minnesota. As a Gopher coach, including a tenure as co-offensive coordinator, he went to seven bowl games as his Minnesota quarterbacks (including Bryan Cupito and Asad Abdul-Khaliq) rewrote the UM record books. Petersen was an all-Southern Conference quarterback at Marshall, where he went on to coach at his alma mater before heading to Minnesota.
Q: Compared to the days when you were being recruited as a player how has the whole recruiting process changed?
“I think the biggest thing that has changed is probably the Internet and how that’s brought everything into play. Everyone knows what’s going on, not only other coaches but fans. Anybody that wants to get online can find an awful lot out about recruiting. I would say that is probably the biggest thing that has changed over the years.â€
Q: Austen Arnaud is going to get a lot of work this spring. What are the things as his coach that you work on?
“Austen has had a season with some playing time in our offense. We’re so much farther along this year than we were last year. The offense is in and he understands it. Now we have to fine-tune what we are doing with our offense. We are working to fine-tune some of (Arnaud’s) mechanics. We’ve got to make sure we cut down on the turnovers. We want more first downs and more touchdowns. We can really spend a lot more time learning to run the offense efficiently. Last year we spent so much time inserting the offense. This year we have more time and that is going to help us.â€
Q: What are the positives that Austen Arnaud brings to the quarterback position?
“I think Austen is a natural quarterback and leader. Kids follow him. He is a very confident individual. He is very comfortable in the pocket, which is good. He doesn’t have happy feet back there. He’s got the size, speed, and athleticism to get out of the pocket and move and make first downs. Austen has a strong arm. He’s really got about everything you’re looking for in a quarterback.â€
Q: Is there some sort of prototype signal-caller you are looking for when recruiting?
“You need a winner there. That’s the most important thing. Today, with the way offenses are going, your QB obviously has to be able to throw the football well enough to get it done there but we have also got to have enough athleticism and little bit of speed to get out of trouble and to make people pay when they aren’t paying attention to the quarterback. It’s tough if you have a kid back there that is a pure thrower. You have to be awful good upfront and that’s tough to do. You are looking for somebody that can do a little bit of both, but he’s got to be a leader and a natural quarterback.â€
Q: With the incorporation of the spread offense, in its various forms, what happened that made it so prevalent and what did it do to alter college football?
“When they ran the wishbone and the quarterback ran, you added that 11th person to the running game. (The spread) is a throwing offense with wishbone concepts built in. The quarterback is the running-back back there and all of the sudden the defenses don’t have that extra hat to rush or cover people. It is difficult to defend. You’ve got to stop the pass and the run. Now, instead of one or two backs in the backfield you can have two or three with the quarterback. I think that’s probably the toughest thing its brought against the defenses.â€
Q: What is something you really didn’t know about Iowa State when you came here that you know now?
“The great gameday atmosphere is one of the biggest selling points we have. I was at Minnesota for eight years and game-day was not what a lot of the other teams in the Big Ten had. It is great here and that’s a big selling-point for us. My family loves Ames.â€
Q: Having some prolific quarterbacks at Minnesota, how does Austen Arnaud compare against those guys?
“Austen hasn’t played that much, but he’s got as much or more ability than anybody I ever coached at Minnesota. I had some kids that were good players (at Minnesota) and they did some good things on the field. They ran our offense and did it well. I would say Austen has got probably more ability than anybody I coached at Minnesota.â€
Q: You coached Chad Pennington (currently New York Jets, NFL) at Marshall. Of the individuals you coached at Marshall and Minnesota, if you to have one player or quarterback who would you take?
“I would take Chad. I also had Byron Leftwich as a true freshman. I only coached him one year. Byron was a great player. I would still take Chad over all of them. He was a great kid; great competitor, smart. He was everything you were looking for. Chad wasn’t a runner, but he’d be the one I take out of everyone I’ve coached.â€
Q: Looking ahead to this year, is it a better recruiting atmosphere when you are settled in instead of last year, when you were just coming in?
“I actually got here after the recruiting process, but from what I understand it was just a whirlwind. We are a lot more settled this year. Things are going smoothly. I think spring ball and offseason workouts after being here are just going to be so much easier.â€
Q: You were a collegiate quarterback. Does that help you coach the position?
“I think it always gives you an advantage. That’s not saying that you couldn’t coach the position if you didn’t play it. I’ve always thought that it gives you an advantage in the little things. I always know what they are going through when they are a young quarterback. They are in the pocket feeling uncomfortable and have a lot to learn. I understand the whole learning process.â€
Q: What was the highlight of your playing career if you had to choose something?
“Probably when we beat Appalachian State in the third round of the playoffs to go to the national championship game. Marshall had never made it to the championship game, so that was neat. A lot of people down there had relatives (killed in the 1970 Marshall football plane crash), so it was emotional. It was probably the highlight of playing days.â€
Q: Did you see “We Are Marshall� And what was your opinion coming from that background?
“Yes, I saw it. I think they did a really good job. Some of the people in that movie I actually know from playing there and everybody I’ve talked with said they did a good job with it.â€
Q: As a coach, before you came to Iowa State, your quarterbacks have put up some amazing numbers. Is there a game or season that was special?
“When I was at Marshall, we won a lot of games by a wide margin. Some of the most satisfying games I have ever been a part of as a coach (at Minnesota) would be when we beat Ohio State at the “Horseshoe†and we beat Michigan at the “Big Houseâ€. Those would probably be two of the most fun games I have experienced as a coach.â€
Q: Could you tell us about your hometown, your development, and how you ended up at Marshall?
“My hometown was Lodi, California I moved around a lot when I was younger. I actually never played quarterback until I was a sophomore in high school. The baseball coach talked me into playing. He kind of had to drag me out there. He put me at quarterback. I’ve always started since I started playing. After high school I was just going to focus on baseball and a junior college coach talked me into playing QB out there in California, close to my home. I ended up with a scholarship out to Marshall and chose to go there over a couple other places.â€
Q: How would you describe Coach Gene Chizik to people compared to other successful head coaches?
“What you see is what you get with Coach Chizik and that is what I like about him. He is a straight shooter. He is fair. He’s a genuine person and he really cares about you and your family. I just think that’s important.â€
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