Post-Game Quotes
10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 29, 2005
No. 21 Northwestern vs. No. 25 Michigan
Oct. 29, 2005
Post-game Quotes
Northwestern Head Coach Randy Walker
Opening Statement...
"When you play a good football team, you need to execute and play well. You have to take the self-inflicted wounds out of your game and find a way to make special plays. Obviously that wasn't the case tonight, we did not play as well as we needed to against a good, talented football team. I give credit to Michigan, I thought they played an exceptional game. We did not play as well as we needed to play. I thought there were some positives that came out of our effort tonight, but it's pretty disappointing. All I know how to do is go back to get a little bit better-to work to execute, to do the things we need to do to be a good football team. I thought we got away from that a little bit last week. I was worried-with as many young football players as we have on this team-about the distractions that come that were evident during our week. I worried about our ability to work through that and get to the right place. Obviously we did not. I'll take some responsibility, certainly, for that. But hopefully these young guys will get to that point again-where there's a lot of attention and a lot of hype and things. I think that's good, but only if you can manage it the right way, channel it the right way, and I'm not sure we did that last week. We go back to the things we know how to do here, and that is to work hard and try to get one game better. We're going to do that tomorrow and we've got a big challenge with Iowa this week."
(Northwestern running back) Tyrell Sutton only had 10 carries...
"Like I said, when it's 1st-and-20, it's hard to run the ball. We had him out of the game for a little bit, and obviously the Michigan fumble return for a touchdown was a huge play. That isn't the way you want to start out the game against a Michigan football team. We did a lot of things tonight that you can't do against a good football team. I think they're good, and I have a lot of respect for their football team, but we did some things to help them. Those penalties were big and gave their defense a chance to rally. So I don't know if Tyrell really had the opportunity to get that many carries tonight in a game like this."
On the week's practice leading up to the game...
"I think we had a lot of distractions. We spent more time on TV and talking to reporters than I've seen in a long time here. And that's good for your program, but it's only good if you remember you have to get ready to play a football game. I'm not sure that's the case, maybe Michigan just outplayed us."
On Northwestern's defensive effort...
"I thought they had a pretty good night for what they got thrown into. They didn't get a lot of help tonight. I just thought they played hard and continued to get better. I'm not disappointed in their effort at all. Again, they had a lot of bad situations out there. But I thought they battled, played hard and had one of their best nights."
On the team's offense in the second half...
"We need to come out of the blocks in the second half and make some plays. Again, it just seemed like every time we looked up, it was 1st-and-20 after another hold. It's just hard. You just cannot overcome that. So in addition to self-inflicted wounds, I don't think we executed well as an offense. We're going to have to play a lot better to be a good football team. In this league you have to bring you're A-game every week, and we didn't have our A-game tonight."
What do you have to change for next week...
" We don't have to do anything differently. We just have to do what we do. We have to get ready for one moment, one team and one opportunity-and that's to get ready for Iowa. That's what you have to do every week. If you have the right approach and do the right things, you just have to get ready to play the next game. It sounds like I'm selling Michigan short, but I think Michigan played a great football game. I knew they would, they're well-coached. But for us, you would have a hard time watching it and saying it was one of our best efforts. I think we're better than that, and we need to be better than that."
Northwestern Player Quotes
Defensive Tackle Trevor Schultz
On preparation for Michigan game...
"Everyday throughout the season we come in here and study film at seven in the morning and we give it our all, I believe we are coming together."
On team's post-game attitude...
"It's definitely a disappointment, but it's not like were holding our heads down. We have Iowa next week and we'll get after it."
On performance of Kevin Grady and Jerome Jackson...
"They're both excellent backs, they run hard and they are tough to take down."
On impact of national spotlight...
"There was an awareness of what was up for grabs, Personally, I don't feel there was any extra pressure on me or the defensive line."
Wide Receiver Mark Philmore
On Northwestern's performance...
"We kept shooting ourselves in the foot. Our defense went out and played great in the second half. They kept giving us opportunities but we couldn't take advantage of them. We kept getting behind the chains, unfortunately. We just couldn't get it going."
On the impact of Tyrell Sutton's fumble...
"We feel we can score any time we touch the ball. It just so happens especially in the third quarter, we kept having mental breakdowns. It's ourselves that stop us and it showed in the second half."
On attitude going into this highly anticipated game...
"I don't think we could have handled it any differently. I thought we did a pretty good job, we just didn't come away with the victory. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. I thought the defense played great in the third quarter. I think all the problems are definitely things we can fix to get ready for Iowa."
Quarterback Brett Basanez
On effect of pre-game hype...
"I don't think we played well enough. I don't think it was anything outside of us coming out and not executing our game plan. We want to be in the national spotlight and take what comes with it. It's not that we thought we were better than we were, we saw the rankings and saw the publicity. It's just that we came out and made some costly turnovers which hurt us in the end."
On his two intercepted passes...
"It had nothing to do with the routes and stuff like that, I just made two bad reads, two bad throws and obviously it cost me."
On Michigan defense...
"Their defense is pretty good, they are very athletic and we needed to play well. Earlier we said that if we beat ourselves it will be difficult to beat Michigan, and that's what happened. "
On movement of the backs and wide receivers...
"We just wanted to change it up. We needed to break some tendencies and move around to get them confused. We want to take what they give us, and by doing that and causing confusion we can beat guys off the line."
Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr
Opening Statement...
"I think our defense was outstanding today. I think they were the difference. If you look at the time of possession, 38 minutes, I credit that to our defense. Our kicking game was good, but offensively we struggled at times. The big story of this game is what our defense did. If you take two plays out of there, -which you can't-but the big play they got at the start of the game after we had taken a 14-0 lead, we made a mistake there on a check. We weren't coordinated. We had no one on the deep man down the field and gave them seven points. At the end of the half when we really had taken control of the game, we gave up a big play. But against an outstanding deep ball offensive football team, which Northwestern is-a very talented team and a team that knows what they are doing-I think our defense came up with their best performance of the year."
On the effects of injuries...
"When you look at Adam Kraus going out early and Mike Hart not playing, you never have the same chemistry in there. Jerome Jackson gave us a big lift. I think that says a lot for the kind of guys we have here."
On the effort of his young defense ...
"I think our defense, when you look at the entire season, they have improved and they are playing with passion. They have gained confidence in the last few weeks because a lot of them are young players. We are a very, very young team in a lot of ways, so I think when you look ahead there are some bright things. But certainly I think that is a big part of what's happening. We gained confidence as we've won some tight ball games. Then to come in here today, to play this well, no question it helps your confidence."
On Northwestern's offensive line play...
"Northwestern has a big, strong offensive line. Sometimes guys quit rushing because there is no payoff most of the time. We try to convince our guys that if they could play with great effort and intensity every down, then eventually it makes it easier to see the holding calls."
Michigan Player Quotes
Defensive Tackle Gabe Watson
Northwestern looking like a different team in the second half...
"As the game started to get more out of reach and confidence started to be a factor, teams start to pass the ball more. You know a team is going to do that you can protect better."
On the holding calls...
"It does not mean that the team can't stop us, but if they are inside and they are moving, they ref won't call it; but if you continue to fight, the ref will see the pulling of the jersey. It does not mean that they cannot stop us, but it says a lot when a team has to hold us."
On the running game...
"We knew if we stopped the running game we could stop their defense. They are 5-0 when they rush more than their opponent and 0-3 when the rush is contained. We knew if we could stop the rush, we could win the game."
Dominate today?
"We are starting to come together as a team. It is sad that it took this long, but we are coming together slowly, but surely."
On the Big Ten championship race...
"We know that we are still in it. Crazy things happen in the Big Ten, there is a lot of big competition and anything can happen. Guys are starting to take practice a lot more serious and we are taking advantage of every practice."
Defensive Tackle Alan Branch
Defensive line performance...
"The D-line played awesome. They went out there and put a lot of pressure on Basanez. Basanez is a great quarterback, so we tried to put him under distress while he is throwing the ball."
On the holding penalties...
"It is part of the game, but they saw a lot more today then they saw in other games."
On (Michigan linebacker LaMarr Woodley)...
"It does not change anything. LaMarr is a great player, but we are such a deep defensive line; so someone else is just going to step-up."
What changed at the half? Where you more intense...
"I felt that we were the same team as we were in the first half. We saw what they had in the first half and stopped them in the second half."
Bye week...
"It is awesome. My legs are tired and it cannot come at a better time than this."
Team coming together...
"Maybe it is the time we are spending off the field together. We are bonding and right now it seems like things are just clicking."
Running Back Kevin Grady
More pitch outs...
"I am not asking for them, but I go in and do what the coaches ask."
Controlling the Ball...
"Our offensive line played a great game up front that that is what started everything for us."
Best Game of the Year?...
"I can play a lot better of a game; but so far this is my best game."
