On his approach to coaching: "Every athletic contest is a separate entity. There's no blueprint. The next game is usually going to be a totally different set of circumstances. Sometimes, it's when things aren't going well when you do your best job of coaching. That's the time when you're needed more and when your decisions become more scrutinized. You have more responsibility on your shoulders when it's not going well."Â
On Illinois' 28-18 season-opening loss to Missouri: "We came in with great hype for our defense. Maybe our defense read too many press clippings."
On shutting out unbeaten Iowa, 33-0: "The way our defense kept the pressure on them in the goal-line stand is indicative of the super performance we had today. They set up the rest of the game for everybody else."Â Â
On escaping host Wisconsin, 27-15: "This game scared me from the beginning of the season because I knew that they felt they deserved to win last year (referring to Illinois' 29-28 victory over the Badgers in 1982). Wisconsin was well-prepared, and they had us totally befuddled in the first half. I feel just as good after this one as I did last year."Â
On Illinois' first victory over Ohio State in 16 years, 17-13: "It was one of the great college games of all time. We figured the game was going to go down to the fourth quarter, but I just wish it hadn't gone down that far. Ohio State did what it had to do, but we just did it a little bit better. Today was a day for the Illini defense."Â
On Illinois' game-winning touchdown against the Buckeyes: "We went 83 yards in 37 seconds. Credit Jack Trudeau for calling an audible on the play, changing the play at the line to take advantage of Ohio State's defensive alignment. Credit the offensive line for their blocking, and, finally, credit Thomas Rooks for an outstanding run. I'm calling this one our drive of the decade."Â
On quarterback Jack Trudeau: "Already, as a sophomore, Jack Trudeau is about 75% effective. As a junior, we expect him to be 80-85% and then as a senior, 90-95% perfection. Let me tell you this, if he ever gets to 100%, just send that Heisman Trophy to him."Â
On beating Michigan, 16-6: "We got the job done today. This thing right here (holding up a rose) is a pretty good deal. We want it (a Rose Bowl appearance) badly, but we'd better play the rest of them one at a time."Â
On the Illini fans at Memorial Stadium: "Bo (Schembechler) has been quoted as saying that playing at Memorial Stadium is the worst place to play in the United States. He's doing us a heckuva favor. That's just what we want to hear. If he's saying it's the worst place, that's just like saying we're the best. We've come a long way if people feel that way. I can't say enough about how the crowd helped us against Michigan."Â
On fans taking down the goal posts: "I don't think it's bad at all. It's just a reflection of our fans' enthusiasm."Â
On his assistant coaches: "For me, the key group is my assistant coaches. You're only as strong as your assistants, and the harmony with which they work is super. I'm so proud of the defensive effort of (coordinator) Max McCartney's guys. Bill Callahan's done a super job with our special teams. All of them should receive a lot of credit for our success."Â
On winning at Northwestern, 56-24, and securing a perfect 9-0 Big Ten record: "This final result meant an awful lot to us. This was the conclusion of the season that we're all very proud of. To go through nine weeks of conference games and not stub our toe is a tremendous accomplishment. Wasn't that great with our fans here in Evanston? Maybe we should open a branch school here. Their support is something I'll never forget."
On Illinois' loss to UCLA in the 1984 Rose Bowl: "UCLA had a definite game plan to take away our run and implemented an alignment that gave us the forward pass. Even though we did intend to balance our offense, UCLA allowed us to be successful in passing the ball, but we didn't take advantage of it. As the game went along and, of course, as the score got further and further out of hand, then it became an aerial circus. We couldn't bail ourselves out of it. We had to try to get 10, 15, 20 yards with a pass rather than three or four yards with a run. If we had to do it over, we would attempt to run the ball as much as we could. That game, those situations, and what UCLA did to not allow us to run the ball, it put us in the situation where we really had no choice. Had we not dropped some passes and had we not executed so poorly with the pass, I think the pass would have bailed us out of an unfortunate emotional game."Â
Summarizing Illinois' season: "Those games at Wisconsin and at Purdue were so important to our success. The Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa games took care of themselves because of the emotion and because of everything that surrounded those games."Â
On Fighting Illini fans: "I appreciate the Illinois fans because they're genuine. For me, personally, one of the toughest things after our Rose Bowl loss was that the fans didn't know what to say. I think that shows the impact that the disaster at the Rose Bowl had. People were looking for answers, just as I was. Fortunately, our community made it possible for us to move on from a difficult situation."
