Nov. 20, 1999

ILLINI QUOTES

Illinois Head Coach Ron Turner

(on the season)
"I'm really happy, pleased and proud for the team, especially the seniors. It's been tough on the field, and it's been tough off the field, but they pulled together. They not only talked about winning, they backed it up. There were a lot of doubters out there, but there were none in here. I understand why people would have doubts when we were not winning, but the people in the program kept believing. The guys hung together and believed in one another. The intensity that they have maintained throughout the last five games is remarkable."

(on the game)
"We played a great game. Northwestern threw some things at us that we had not seen yet this year, but we made good adjustments."

"Our guys played really well. They were healthy which allowed us to rotate guys into the game. Having fresh players allowed us to adjust to the options. We got better as the game went on."

(on Kittner's interceptions)
When he threw the first interception today I told him the same thing I said the last time he threw an interception. ?It's not the first one you've thrown and it won't be the last.' He is a tough kid. He was playing in pain. I asked him to make some throws that he probably shouldn't have made."

(on the chance to go to a bowl game)
"We made our case on the field. We did everything we can do. Everything else will fall into place."

QB Kurt Kittner

(on the game)
"My shoulder is a little banged up, but it will be alright. It is a great feeling (coming off this victory). I'm happy for the seniors that they got to win their last game here on a high note."

(on what bowl game the Illini are invited)
"Any bowl game is good for me. I told my mom last season that I'm not going to be home (for winter break) this year. She just agreed with me, not because she doesn't want me home but she wants me to succeed."

(on the dominance of the run game)
"It's great that we could do both. I think that it shows our progress when we can run and throw."

(on the progress he has made since last season)
"I've still got a lot to learn. I've got two more years left."

WR Brandon Lloyd

(on the possibility of going to a bowl game)
"Coach really hasn't said anything, but as soon as we got into the locker room we were hollering, ?We're going bowling. Our record shows that we are good enough that we can go."

HB Steve Havard

(on Northwestern's judgment of Illinois's run game)
"They were surprised we could run? I don't want to take from their defense, but I think that our offensive line was tougher today."

(on the turnaround from the Minnesota game)
"We know that we were a better team. All of the hard work that we put in wasn't for nothing for us to lay down and die."

LB Eric Guenther

(on the crowd of over 50,000)
"Once they started cheering, it was great. It was good to go out like this. I've had a great time here and it's been the best time of my life."

(on which bowl to go to)
"Not to disrespect the Motor City Bowl because they have a very fine bowl, but if we had a choice, we would like to go somewhere warm. We've been out in the cold for too long."

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS QUOTES

HEAD COACH RANDY WALKER

(summary of the game)
"I thought a lot of the same things came out of this game as they have the last four weeks. Good football teams do some things that you can count on. One is to play consistently and not have the peaks and valleys that our team has faced. There are times we look the way we are supposed to look, and there are other times when we don't."

"It's a 60 minute game, and you have to be at your best every single play. Our inconsistency really over the course of the year has plagued us, and we have avoided big plays over the last 4 weeks. Good teams find a way to connect."

(thoughts for next season)
"I know from this point on, there are no excuses. There is going to be no new offense, defense and we have got one year to get better. We're not freshmen anymore. We are not changing what we do, we're going to be one year better at what we do. Knowledge builds confidence and I refuse to accept anything that happens like this again."

(on Illinois offense)
"It was really the first time that I thought that Kittner made some errors. He has been so good at not forcing the football. We got some pressure to him and forced some errant throws. That was a big aspect of what we tried to do and I thought we got pretty decent pressure on him."

"I'm surprised at the way they ran the ball and I'm not saying that I disregarded their running game. I just thought we were a better run defense then we played today. They shoved it right down our throats when they had to."

OLB KEVIN BENTLEY

(thoughts on being in close games)
"I don't know if it is a lack of experience but we have got to get it done late in the game. We were in the ballgame for three quarters and there is no reason that we could not pull this off in the fourth quarter"

(on Illinois' running attack)
"We went after them at every ball, and they made a few good cutbacks allowing them to make us chase them down."

QB ZAK KUSTOK

(thoughts on this season and next)
"Of course we are not happy with the outcome of this season. There is lots of room for improvement and we are going to have a lot of players back next year. We have a lot of hard workers and no one is satisfied with a 3-8 record."