Nov. 13, 2007
Quoting Head Coach Ron Zook...
...on Saturday's game with Northwestern:
"Well, it's hard to believe that this is the last regular season game already. I kind of joked with the players Monday night that it seems like we just got back from Rantoul. I'd like to be able to go to Rantoul next week for Bowl preparation, but they weren't too fond of that idea. Obviously, this is our last home game here. It's something that to me, if you know me, you know that I'm a loyal person. And it's important to me that we send these seniors out on the right note. Any success that we've had, it has to do with our seniors. The guys that played for us the last two years that aren't here, I've gotten notes from many of them. I tell them, you guys are part of this, you were the foundation. If they hadn't bought in to what our coaching staff and what we were trying to do, the young players that we've been fortunate enough to get, wouldn't have come. Because it's about people, about feelings, and it's really important to this staff and myself, that this senior class goes out like the way they should. And if last night is any indication of preparation, they are excited about it as well because we had a great practice again. I guess the one thing we've done here the last few weeks is prepare. I think they understand just how important it is to prepare to be able to play the way you're capable of playing. This is a good football team we're getting ready to play. Obviously, they have an awful lot at stake as well. There's no one in this room that has beaten Northwestern since we've been here. Our staff hasn't beaten them, and none of the guys on the football team have beaten them. It's a critical game really for both sides. It's a rivalry game. As rivalry games go, a lot of times, you can throw stats, you can throw all the things that may mean something out the window. It's going to be a 60-minute game. Both teams, I'm sure, will lay it all on the line and leave it all there. Of course, it's on national television, so that's another great thing for the Big Ten Conference and both schools."
...on knowing that there is still one more game after Northwestern:
"The fact that they know that we have another game, one more game after this one, has a special meaning. It really does. I think that Memorial Stadium has been such a neat environment. It's critical. All of our students and the job that they've done have been amazing. I hope that all of them can show up Saturday and send these seniors off. I know that we've gotten word that the dorms are going to stay open later. Whoever made that decision, I really appreciate it. Hopefully, any fans that were going to leave because of that, I'm glad that they have the possibility that they can now come to the game. It's an 11 o' clock game, and hopefully we can get it over in good time, but we need them. I think that its important to the seniors because of that bond that happened between our football team and the students. It's not something that was planned; it's something that just happened. That's one of the neat stories about our students, the stadium, and the football team this year."
...on doing something special for the students:
"I'll do whatever I have to do. I've said it many times. Anything that's legal and any amount of money that my wife will let me spend."
...on having four hometown players:
"I'm sure it'll be a little special for them because not only have they been here four or five years, they've been here all their lives. They grew up here. They've seen a lot of tough times, and now they're a part of a class that has had some special times. Not only the win-loss record this year, but they can leave here knowing that they've got something to do with this program turning the corner a little bit and being a big part of that. As I've told them on Monday, you can take that with you for the rest of your life. When you're my age, you're going to have that and no one can take that from you. It's just like a degree. Once you've got your degree, no one can take that from you. I think it is a special meaning for those guys."
...on the seniors:
"Not only great guys, but great people and ambassadors to this University. Great team guys. For the first time, I've never done this, but I am actually going to go out there for senior day. I think that it's important that I show my appreciation."
...on not going out for seniors in the past:
"I normally haven't. I never have. It's just something. I think that it's the seniors' day. It's about the seniors; it's about the parents. I think that it's important that I show my appreciation."
...on talking about Northwestern in the past:
"I'll be honest with you. I'm not sure what I said or how I said it in any context. I can assure you that I've never looked ahead in a football game, but I have talked about the importance. We've talked about the importance of this game back on June 17th, simply for the fact that this is the state of Illinois. We're both in the state of Illinois. We have not beaten this team and I think that it's important that we have our best effort."
...on preparing for the Northwestern game:
"That's the one thing that I'm excited about this football team right now. They have done the things that the coaching staff has asked them to do, which is focus on us. We talked last week and I told them Thursday night, imagine that we win the game. Imagine. I didn't know that there was going to be people at the airport. I didn't know what it was going to be like after the game. I didn't know what it would be like in the locker room. I just wanted them to imagine the feeling of what it would be like walking around campus. I kind of joked with them last night. I haven't been on campus. We're bunkered in here. I know that there are phone calls and e-mails that I can't return. I'm sure that they are getting bombarded the same way. But watching them last night and watching them focus. That's kind of how I judge what kind of week of practice that we're going to have. Usually, it starts on Monday when the coaches talk. You can tell whether they are paying attention or not and whether they are focused in. And that obviousl was a comforting feeling last night."
...on recruits calling more after the Ohio State win:
"It's always ringing off the wall. I don't think that there's any question when you're able to have a win of that magnitude, of course on national television and the way it's talked about. The players are going to take notice of that. I've said this many times. Recruiting is still about people. Everyone understands that it's going to be hard to go somewhere and win every single game. There's going to be tough times wherever you go. And that's why I think that it's important that it comes down to people and feelings."
...on getting more exposure:
"I think so. I don't think that there's any question that those kinds of things help your program. The more national exposure that you get is something. Particularly, out of this Midwest area. You don't have to explain to anybody of who you are and where you are."
...on health of players:
"Good shape. I worry about Russ [Weil]. Russ tells me that he's going to play. I mean Russ is a pretty tough guy. So he's the only guy that was a little gimpy last night. Everyone else seems to be fine. Vontae ran extremely well. Obviously, we don't want Vontae or Regis to have any contact this week, but they seem to be fine."
...thoughts on a bowl game:
"I can't answer that. I told Coach Guenther on Sunday. I said coach, if you would, I'd appreciate if you handled that stuff. Obviously, this game is very important game for us, for a number of reasons. Number one, being our seniors. The bowl status, for what it means to have the opportunity to possibly be second or tied with second in the Big Ten and those things. I got to let coach handle those things. We worry about one this, this game."
...on Northwestern:
"I think every coach maps their season out, pointing out where you feel like you are, what you feel like you need to do, and games that are very important to your program, your staff and important to recruiting and all those kinds of things. This is a team no one in our room has beaten them. We the coaching staff haven't beaten them. It's a rivalry game where we haven't put up our end of the bargain. I think it's time that we go out there prepared to play. It will be a physical, hard game. There's no question in our minds. They've done a great job. Pat's [Fitzgerald], he's a veteran head coach, and he makes the right decisions and does a great job."
...on having so many bowl eligible teams in the Big Ten:
"Well, I'm worried about one. That's what we tell our football team. The only thing that we can take care of is us. And that's why it's so important that we focus on us being as mentally and physically prepared as we can."
...on amount of break the team will have before practicing again:
"They'll have the week, since school is out, which I think is needed. Without the open date, these guys have been going pretty hard now for a long period of time. So they'll have that week, and we'll come back Monday. We'll get back in the lifting and running part. By that time, we'll know where we're going and what we're doing, and we'll be able to set our bowl schedule practices."
...on bowl preparation:
"Obviously, preparation for a bowl game, you prepare for the team. But when you first start getting back into practice and so forth, I feel like it's a little like spring practice. The young guys, the guys that maybe you haven't played a lot or at all maybe, they're back in the thick of it. I told our freshman two weeks ago, I said, you guys are redshirted for two more weeks. People sometimes get caught up in that redshirt as years, not really a year. That's why we don't really make a decision where we don't want to waste a young man's year. I said it goes from the first game to the last game. Once that last game's over, your redshirt's over."
...on the redshirt players' development:
"Unbelievable development, particularly in the weight room. Unbelievable. Lou and his staff have done an incredible job. You talk about weight increases, strength increases, not only with the young guys, but our football team as a whole. With the veterans, the guys that are playing, it is very evident."
