Interviews: OC Cubit | DC Banks | QB Lunt | WR Hardee | FS Barton

Head coach Tim Beckman met with the media at his weekly press conference on Monday. Selected quotes are below.

Opening statement:
"I want to congratulate Wes and Mike Dudek. I think if you brought them in here right now, they would both say it was a team effort. I want to congratulate their parents, because both are outstanding young men. They had outstanding football games, no question about that, but they would be the first to tell you that it was a team effort that created their opportunity to reap those rewards. I'm happy for them. As we talk about the football game this last week, I think the first thing that you bring up is the way that the team played for four quarters. I'm proud of that. We fell behind again in a football game and we had enough leadership, enough fight, to continue to do what we believed in instead of trying to kick ourselves in the butt for not doing the things right. We ended up pulling together as a unit and did exactly what we needed to do.

"We know the challenge that's in front of us. I think the biggest thing that a lot of people, including myself, did not realize this, but this team has the opportunity to be only the fifth team in the last 25 years at the University of Illinois to win three games in a row in the first three games. Our motto this week will be fight for five, because we could be the fifth team (in the last 25 years) that's reached a 3-0 start in their football season here with the Fighting Illini. Our players are focused in on how we're going to get ourselves better, how we're going to travel out to the west coast and play a very good Washington football team."

On playing Washington:
"I think we worry about who we are, what we are and the strides that we have to make offensively and defensively. It was a great atmosphere last year playing at Soldier Field and our players enjoyed that, there's no question about that. But it's our opportunity to go on the road. I always say that championships are won on the road. You have to be able to take advantage of how you play on the road. So we'll worry about ourselves right now, we'll worry about 2014 and we'll go from there."

On Washington's offense:
"They're huge up front. Their offensive line is huge, as big as we'll probably face. Reminds me a lot of a Wisconsin offensive line, size-wise. (Cyler) Miles came in at quarterback and had a good football game last week running that offense. They have numerous running backs. They're going to play with four or five running backs in that football game. You can see the depth, you can see that the program is heading in the right direction and they've got some great depth."

On Taylor Barton:
"I can't be more impressed. Probably the biggest strides on our football team have been Taylor's. He's worked tremendously hard on trying to become a full player. He studies the game extremely hard. You see him in our office all the time studying the game. He's now been able to take his body, create himself to be a faster football player and he's become more physical as his body has gotten stronger. It's good to know that he's only a sophomore, a redshirt-sophomore, because we really have three more football seasons with him."

On Illinois' defense:
"Our secondary continues to play better. I was happy to see, for a change, an interception and to return it. We haven't had those types of numbers last year at all, so we've got to continue to do that. Our defensive front with the pass rush and the pressure we're putting on quarterbacks, I hadn't seen that at all last year. I think credit goes to those young guys that have stepped up their game. Jihad Ward coming in, (Dawuane) Smoot and (DeJazz) Woods, who's an older guy, are guys that have been putting some pressure on the quarterback with four-man rushes."