Sept. 18, 2010

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ILLINOIS Head Coach Ron Zook Postgame Quotes

On the decision to go for it on 4th and 1 on the last drive:
"Our football team had to do it and they did it. That's what good football teams do. We're making progress."

On the progress of the team overall:
"We're 2-1. We could be 3-0; that would be a little better. But we'll go from there. The guys are improving. Next time we can't get so many penalties and the defense can't give up big plays."

On Nathan Scheelhaase's aggressiveness jumping over defenders:
"I wish he wouldn't do it, but he's such a competitor. He does it because he wants to win and he wants to help his football team. He's getting smarter with his decision-making but I can't take his game away from him."

On the penalties:
"It was very uncharacteristic. I want to look back at them and see if it's the things we're teaching them. I heard an explanation of a rule before the game that I've never heard of before. We have to make sure we're teaching them the right things."

On NIU Coach Kill:
"I talked to him on the sidelines and I just hope he's OK. He didn't have quite the energy today, and that's understandable, but he looks OK."

On the team's energy after Hugh Thornton's injury:
"He's getting a CT scan right now and he has feeling back. The team saw him smile and wink at me. They just want to make sure he's OK."

ILLINOIS Postgame Player Quotes

QB Nathan Scheelhaase
On the game in general:
"There were definitely some plays that I thought I should have made and some things that I thought I should have done better. I think the reason we probably won, the difference between this game and the Missouri game was that sometimes when there were misses, we were still doing a good job of executing and not turning over the ball. Not turning over the ball was what kept us ahead and in the game."

On Coach Zook telling him not to go in the air:
"Obviously, on the first one I was trying to get into the end zone any way possible. The second one was a big third down that I thought we needed. I was actually over the third down line already. The third time I was airborne was probably the least necessary of them all. I was just trying to make a play and that's important for our guys. I think it kind of gets our guys going. I probably need to do a little less of it. Whatever it takes to get a first down, to get a touchdown, to keep moving the ball down the field, those things are always important."

On converting the fourth-and-one play in the final drive:
"I knew we had plays. We had plays that we worked on all week for various fourth-and-one situations. I knew Coach Petrino had the plays ready in his arsenal. It was really up to Coach Zook. I was really happy that he was confident enough in us to get that first down. With the way Mikel (Leshoure) was playing, I felt good about that call and getting that first down. I felt like we had some good momentum on that drive and really could get a first down out of it. That was a huge first down and a huge play by him and great blocking up front to give him enough of a crease to get that extra yard."

RB Mikel Leshoure
On the team in general:
"We thought in camp we were a good team. We loved the offense and we thought that Coach Petrino would put us in places where we could win if we did our job. We felt the confidence a while ago, but now coming out and doing it in front of our opponents instead of our own defense has given us even more confidence to go out and do our job. I think we can compete with the best."

On how it feels to have a third good game in a row:
"Things feel good. I love the play calling and how Coach Petrino counts on me to get the job done and be the workhorse. I feel like as long as we can keep executing I can keep getting these hundred yard games."

LB Martez Wilson
On reaching the next level:
"My instincts are kicking in game by game. I read my cues faster and I'm reacting faster. I definitely still have a lot of room for improvement."

On getting back into things after not playing a lot last year:
"I would definitely say that's a huge difference. Being away from the game for a year is a long time. Plus, in the off-season I wasn't allowed to really hit. Now that I'm coming back, my instincts are coming back faster than expected. As the season goes on, you'll see me making more plays."

On the expectations of being a top player causing stress:
"It did early on. Then I had a talk with the coaches and people around me, and they said that I had to play the game for me. Everyone wants it so much, but I also have to want it for myself. I have to play the game for me. I'm out there; I have to read the cues and things like that. After I was told that, it made me relax a little more. As the games keep going on, everything that everyone's expecting is just going to come along."

NORTHERN ILLINOIS Head Coach Jerry Kill Postgame Quotes

Opening Statement:
"Well, I think the greatest sign is that we are getting better as a football team and that is what I am excited about. I think we took some strides today. We played a very good football team; I compliment them. I think Coach Zook has done a great job with hiring some people that are very good. I think their kids gave every ounce they had and their coaches did a heck of a job with the game plan and putting things together. This is our third game and our goal is to get better by the time we get into our conference play. We have improved each week and that is what I am excited about. I think we have a good football team and I am looking forward to getting better.

On deciding to coach today:
"I will answer all those questions; I don't want to make that more then what the game is. The game is about the kids. There wasn't any decision to be made. I wasn't going to miss any ball game. I have been coaching ball for 27, 28 years. Everyone gave me the opportunity to get out on Thursday night and coach a great game, which I love. If something is going to happen, it is going to be on the field. I love this game so there wasn't any question about that."

On Chandler Harnish's running:
"From week one to where he played last week, he had an outstanding game, and we came to week three where he played a tremendous opponent and got better. He just needs to keep getting better. We are very pleased at the progress he is making for this football team and I think our football team is excited about that."

On going for two in the first quarter:
"I have been coaching this game for a long time and we didn't come down here to lay up. We have won a heck of a lot of football games, so I am not going to change my style. First of all, we had the thing. We made a mistake. Because they didn't cover somebody, we did the wrong thing. If we had done the right thing, we would have scored on the darn thing. That is part of football. In a game like this, if that gets us two, we are trying to find a little bit in the kicking game, if that gets us up two points. All of a sudden, (our lead) is eight and that makes them have to go to work. It didn't work, so you go back to the drawing board. I believe you have to be aggressive to win games. When we go on the road, you've got to go and try to win the game. You're not going to get it given to you. So we are going to be aggressive."

NORTHERN ILLINOIS Postgame Player Quotes

QB Chandler Harnish
On the team's overall performance:
"I'm definitely proud of the way our guys played and how we handled adversity late in the game. And going back to that hit, that was completely my fault, so the lineman did a great job tonight. There were a couple plays here and there, but they really protected me well, and you have to give credit where it's due. Illinois played a good game, and we expected to win the game. We really did. We gave ourselves a shot. We just came up a little short."

On the game plan:
"We came in with a great game plan. Our assistant coaches did a great job this week of preparing us. The game dictates what you can and can't do, but I felt like we ran a lot of the plays that we had prepared during the week, and for the most part, they were pretty successful, but when you think about a game, it just comes down to a couple plays here and there. If we start making those plays, we're going to be a pretty good team."

On his fumble:
"It was just one of those things that can't happen. I tried to get a little too stylish, I guess. I spun, and I was running high. It was one of those things that can't happen but we're going to improve on it. You can't hang your head. We're going to come back next week even better."

DE Jake Coffman
On Coach Kill coming back:
"It was good for us. He's our captain, so if he's out on the field, it helps us out. It was really a big boost for us. Our coaching staff did a great job of preparing us, and we have complete trust in them, but it's always good to have your captain back."

On the defense:
"I think for the most part, we played well. We missed some tackles here and there, but we definitely improved from last week, so I'm definitely excited about that. I'm proud of the guys I play next to. We stuck in there and gave our team a chance to win."

On the close losses in recent years:
"I'm not happy right now. I'm definitely frustrated. We lost, but, like coach said, we're getting better every week, so that's got to be our mindset. I don't really think about last year and the year before. I think about today and tomorrow. But we're definitely getting better, and we're definitely looking forward to Minnesota next week."

On Scheelhaase:
"He ran just like a back did. He's a scrambler. He's a good kid. He got out of the pocket, and he made things happen. He had his springs on today, too, so he was jumping around. He gave us some problems, but I think, for the most part, we did a good job containing him."