QUOTING ILLINOIS HEAD COACH Ron Zook...
On today's game...
"You can't turn the ball over and have a chance to win. You can't give up 300 yards rushing and have a chance to win. Obviously for us to be a successful team we can't do those things. We've been talking about the turnovers and stopping the run, but they're a good football team and they did a great job."
On preparing for next week after today's loss...
"I only know one way and that's to go back to work. We've got one game left that we could still get bowl eligible. That doesn't mean you're going to a bowl, but you're bowl eligible. Obviously, it's a rivalry game and it's a big, big game. We've got to keep grinding and push through this."
On Eddie McGee and Juice Williams at quarterback...
"We're just trying to do what we did last year-let Juice settle down. As you saw he came back in and did settle down. "
On the decision to punt over kicking the field goal in the third quarter...
"Well, you don't know you're going to pin them for sure and I just didn't have a real good feel with the wind. The whole reason I took the wind in the third quarter is that I didn't want to give them the chance to go up another touchdown. I felt like maybe we'd have a chance to get the wind in the third quarter and make it a tight game. Then come back in the fourth quarter and see what happens."
On the late-hit call on Donsay Hardeman...
"That was a critical play, obviously. We were down by 10 at the time and then they went in and scored again. Once again when things like that happen, your defense has to bow up and stop them."
On dealing with the loss...
"Not everyday is going to be a day at the beach. You've got to go back to work. I told them in the locker room that I only know one way. It is what it is. Fifty percent of the teams lost today, they all go through it. Is it fun? No. Does it hurt like heck? It's brutal, it is, but you do it all for that feeling you get when you win on Saturday. You have to understand that it's going to be painful, but you've just got to keep going."
QUOTING ILLINOIS PLAYERS:
LB Brit Miller
On his final game at Memorial Stadium...
"It's one of those things that you always try to prepare yourself for, but you really can't do it. In all honesty, it really hasn't hit me yet. Right now, we've got one more game and that's what it's all about. We need to go out with a win and get bowl eligibility. That's what it's about right now."
On what he looked at walking off the field...
"Just looking at my last sights of Memorial Stadium. You never think it is going to end, but after being here for four years and seeing all the good and bad, it's just a little bit surreal right now. We've still got one more game. The season's not over yet. We get to go play one more by Juice's hometown, so we've got to get one for Juice next week."
On what he said in the locker room...
"I just went and talked to the seniors and the young guys. One thing I did say to the linebackers was that this game is all about winning. The only time you feel good is when you win. You don't feel good in the offseason or at camp or any other time unless you come out here on Saturday and get a win. That feeling only lasts about 24 hours, but that's what this game is all about, getting the 'W'. We've got some great talent here and this program is on the rise."
RB Daniel Dufrene
On the play of the offense...
"Once we got down to the red zone, we didn't execute like we did all week in practice. That's what it comes down to, execution. If we execute, no one can stop us except ourselves."
On playing against Ohio State...
"I feel very comfortable going up against them because you've got to get up for a game like that, going against a great defense."
QB Juice Williams
On today's game...
"We had lots of mistakes and sometimes we were on different pages out there. We've got to take advantage of the opportunities we have. When we get in the red zone, we've got to put up points, at the very least a field goal. That's something we've got to continue to work on and take care of business at Northwestern."
On his fumble...
"It was a guy coming from behind. I really didn't expect him coming, but he hit the ball right on the nose and knocked it out. It's no excuse because I've got to hold the ball high and tight to protect the football."
On lining up at wide receiver...
"There wasn't anything planned for me to catch a pass out there. I was just meant to be a decoy out there to give Eddie some running room."
QUOTING OHIO STATE HEAD COACH JIM TRESSEL
Opening Statement...
"I'll tell you what, today was a tough football game, tough conditions. A Big Ten road situation and I thought our guys did all the things or most of the things that you need to do to be successful. Our defense was relentless going against one of the finest offenses we face. They created turnovers at critical times. Offensively, we did a good job running the football but we did have one turnover and almost two, which could have been costly. Special teams-wise, when you come up with a blocked punt for a safety, that's huge. Plus you get the ball back because of the wind. Probably one of the things that had the most impact was the third quarter. I was kind of waiting to see which they would take first, the wind the third quarter or the fourth. They took it the third. Probably the best thing that we did was ate up a whole bunch of time against the wind. That made a big difference and gave us the opportunity to move on and win."
On Chris "Beanie" Wells...
"He's a little bit off pace for our little bargain. Beanie's a physical guy but unfortunately he left it on the ground. We have to straighten that out. We can't do that next weekend. He breaks tackles. He helps that offensive line get energized because of how hard he runs and he's just a physical, great football player. For such a big guy he runs with awfully low pads."
On the weather affecting the game...
"You knew that you were going to have a lot better chance of winning if you were going to be able to run today. You could pass it some, but you better not try to make a living on that. The other thing is that those two quarters you were against the wind really affected your special teams and so forth. You didn't want to be doing things that would stop the clock. Sometimes incompletions stop the clock. You wanted everything you were doing to keep that clock rolling."
On Terrelle Pryor...
"I thought he was patient. A couple of those runs he had, he had to step up inside of some kick-out blocks. They were bringing pressure off the edge. I thought he showed a lot of patience as far as when we threw the ball, which wasn't a whole bunch. He did a good job of waiting in there and even though on a couple of those incompletions his patience was pretty good and we just didn't quite put them in there. He understands it more every day."
QUOTING OHIO STATE PLAYERS:
LB James Laurinitis
On Illinois...
"The three games that I have played against Illinois have been battles. This one was no exception. They are a great team with a great offense. We knew we had a big challenge this week and are just excited to get out of here with a win."
On the Illini offense...
"With an offense like this that is so dangerous, you have to realize they are going to get some yards. As a defense you just have to make the big plays that cause turnovers. It's kind of like a bend, but don't break mentality."
DB Kurt Coleman
On the play of fellow DB Tyler Moeller...
"He created a lot of mismatches and when he blitzed he always got home. He played great."
On pressuring Illini quarterback Juice Williams...
"We felt like if we could bring pressure and affect Juice then we could get some turnovers. That is exactly what happened."
RB Chris "Beanie" Wells
On the weather...
"We knew it was going to be a cold one and had to play hard. It was a running backs' dream. Cold and wet, what more could you ask for."
On Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor...
"He played great. I don't think we threw the ball very much, but he is getting better weekly."
QB Terrelle Pryor
On rushing for over 100 yards along with Chris Wells...
"There was a lot of wind today, so we couldn't throw as much. They have a great offense, so our game plan was to run the clock."
On the state of the team...
"We learned a lot and grew as a team from the losses to USC and Penn State. Now, we are just playing for our seniors. We have one more game and we will let everything else work itself out."
