Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame quotes from the Illinois game
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 3, 1998
NORTHWESTERN QUOTES Oct. 3, 1998 Illinois 13, NU 10
HEAD COACH GARY BARNETT on Illinois QB Kurt Kittner
"He held the ball well and we couldn't do that. They made yards when they had to make yards."
On the offensive line
"That's a real Achilles heel for us and it's a hard place to have it. There's not enough older guys on offense. When you lose your starting center and starting tight guard, it's tough playing guys in there for the first time. Our defense played well enough to win. We're playing with a bunch of guys who are playing before they should be playing."
On NU's final drive
"It was uplifting. We did a good job in the shotgun. Maybe that's the way to go. We've got to do something to find a way to move the ball."
Illinois head coach Ron Turner
"Hopefully the win will be something we can build upon. It's a big confidence boost for us. We know we can get in a tight ballgame on the road or at home and we know now that we can win it."
"Obviously, we have a way to go. We can play better. I believe in these guys and they believe in the program. Every practice is critical for us because we're so young. We have an opportunity to get a little bit better."
"We were proud of our defense for not getting discouraged when the offense wasn't doing anything and proud of the offense for just keep going and keep plugging along."
"The offense got some confidence when we had the ball on the four yard line and moved it out. We didn't score, but we got it across midfield and changed the field position game. We got the ball back, went out and scored. That was huge. It was a confidence booster and something we needed at that point."
On Kittner and Willis
"(Kittner) put the ball up to Lenny and gave Lenny a chance to make a couple of plays and that's the job of a quarterback."
On Rocky Harvey
"He carried the ball 40 times, caught a couple of passes and intercepted a pass. He was doing a little bit of everything; he's a football player."
ILLINOIS PLAYER QUOTES
Junior defensive tackle Mike McGee
"This game has different meanings. It was a big confidence booster, gives us bragging rights in the state and brings home the Sweet Sioux. The D-line did a good job of putting pressure on the quarterback."
Freshman quarterback Kurt Kittner
"This game helps us out a lot. People are more confident and more pumped up. Rocky Harveys doing great."
Freshman tailback Rocky Harvey on catching NU's fake punt and the game in general
"The coaches told me to bat the ball down next time. I never imagined to have 40 carries in a Big Ten game as a freshman. We proved that we are not the same team as last year."
Junior offense lineman Chip Nicastro
"We wanted to take the ball at (NU linebacker Barry) Gardner. He is a good athlete, but we didn't worry about him. It is a line's dream to have a back that hits the hole quick."
Freshman cornerback Muhammad Abdullah
"We didn't have a plan against Bates, but we had a plan against the passing game. They like the quick stuff so we moved the cornerbacks up. We kept them from going up top."
