QUOTING ILLINOIS HEAD COACH Ron Zook...
On todays overall performance:
"I told our team at half-time that we played 25 minutes of good football in the first half and we just let that five minutes get away from us. The thing that I'm proud of about our team is that we came and fought in the second half and came out and fought hard. The game improved and I thought that our defense came out and played exceptionally well. This loss is going to hurt and it should hurt. There were a lot of things we did well and there is still a lot we need to improve on."
on the defense:
"I thought the defense really played well today. That's a pretty good offensive football team and I thought we did a good job against them. I thought that we continued to fight and continued to battle throughout the game. They hung in there and kept fighting."
On Juice Williams prior to the game and his performance:
"He was excited, very excited. And that's just like how I wanted him to be. He was really looking forward to today's game. He'll get better with time. As he gets more playing time he will continue to improve. The football he's playing now is a lot different than what he is used to."
QUOTING ILLINOIS PLAYERS:
WR Jacob Willis...
On the touchdown catch:
"It was just a little scramble drill that we always work on, and Juice just put it on the money. We just connected for it."
On Juice Williams making his Big Ten debut:
"He did a good job; first Big Ten game, first time starting. I think he went out there and stayed composed the whole time. I was really proud of him."
DB Kevin Mitchell...
On the defense:
"We were out there and we knew we had to execute. We were put in positions by the coaches to make plays, and that is what we need to continue to do. We did some things defensively today that we hadn't before. We know that as a defense we are getting better and better, but we still have things we have to work on. Iowa is a good ball club, a 14th-ranked team, but we went out there and played with them today."
On the defense helping Juice:
"We try to take that pressure off the quarterback, because it takes that pressure off of him trying to always make something happen. He is getting better every game and we will continue to believe in him and in us as a club. Once we start hitting some of those passes we'll be okay."
QB Juice Williams...
On his first Big Ten start...
"I was excited, coming out of the tunnel with the fans cheering, but that's something that you can't let affect you. You have to go out there and focus on the game, your job. I had the guys to help me focus and go out there and concentrate on the game."
On connecting with his receivers in the fourth quarter...
"We were out there and had to make a play. Before in the first three quarters, we were there, but the connection just wasn't happening. In the fourth, I think we felt it a little more and I got it where I needed it to go. We have to go out there and play under pressure, and those are the kind of situations we work and practice on. I had that same kind of feeling last week. You have to be the athlete you are and work it."
QUOTING IOWA HEAD COACH KIRK FERENTZ...
On the victory:
"We are very pleased to get the win. It was a hard-fought game. We knew it was going to be a tough ball game and it turned out to be that way. Anytime you can open up on the road in conference play, and come out 1-0, we are very pleased about that."
On the performance of his team:
"We have a lot of things we need to clean up still. There are some situations still that are a little bit concerning, but I think overall the guys did a lot of good things out there too. We will enjoy the win today, and come back tomorrow and correct some mistakes."
On the offense:
"We have to give Illinois credit right from the start of the game. They did an excellent job, and they played very aggressively. They brought pressure and we never got into the rhythm until the second quarter, a lot of that was the result of good defensive play."
On the running backs:
"That's something we are going to continue to work on. We had good production, I thought they all ran hard, but we didn't get a lot of clean runs."
On the defense:
"I think overall the guys did a good job, they covered well."
On the special teams:
"I thought overall our special teams played well today. It gave us a good chance to control field position. Kyle made a nice field goal, I thought he was outstanding."
On Illini quarterback Juice Williams:
"As you can see this guy is a very talented football player, highly recruited last year for very good reason. He did a lot of good things out there. He has good speed and a strong arm."
On Illinois' turnovers:
"Everybody knows when you play young quarterbacks, they are a little more vulnerable to turn it over and throw the dead ball occasionally. That's something he will work through real quickly, I'm sure of that. On the flip side it helped us and made us get something going."
QUOTING IOWA PLAYERS:
QB Drew Tate...
On his performance:
"I thought we played well. I didn't have the intensity that I needed right when I came out. I wasn't focused as much as I should have been, like I have been in the past two games that I've played. And I can't do that any more. I felt like I let down the guys in the first quarter, but I got back up in the second quarter. And once we hit the second quarter, we started scoring points."
On Illini quarterback Juice Williams:
"He made plays. He made some good throws and used his speed well. It was my second year before I played versus his first year, so he's doing something a little different than I did and he is in a totally different scheme than I am. It's all on him to throw the ball pretty much."
On Illinois defending Iowa's running game:
"They scouted us well and took a lot of runs away, and they knew where to come from and how to do it. And that's the best way to stop our running game, by doing what they did and they did a good job."
DE Bryan Mattison...
On Illinois:
"We had a pretty good game plan for the offense, trying to stop the run. They have good running backs and a really good offensive line."
On the outcome of the game:
"I'm just happy to come out of here with a win. It's a tough place to play and they have a good team. I think we've got a lot to build on. We had to win, which was the most important thing this weekend. And now we just have to get back to work tomorrow and see how we do against Ohio State."
On the injuries throughout the game to both teams:
"This is a physical sport and you hate to see guys get hurt. But that's just the dimension of the sport. Like I said, it was a Big Ten game, and the Big Ten is a physical conference no matter who you are playing. You worry about your friends and teammates, but we have great trainers and tough kids, so they'll be back."
