Northwestern University Athletics
Post Game Quotes
10/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 17, 2009
Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
On if his team can win without a conventional running attack...
It obviously needs to be improved. As ugly as I am, I'm not the smartest guy in the shed right now. So if we can't run it then I'm not going to keep running it and just say "Gosh darnit I'm going to run the ball." I want to win, so we're going to do whatever we have to do to find a way to win. If that means we have to throw it 175 times in a game, then that's what we'll do.
On the difference between the first half and the second...
They made plays. We didn't.
On the play of wide receiver Zeke Markshausen...
I thought Zeke (Markshausen) played well. I thought he gave us a chance. He's got great hands and finds a way to get open, and he continues to work his tail off to help us win.
On what he told kick returner Jeravin Matthews after he fumbled a fourth quarter kickoff...
Flush it. And then he comes back with a good return, so obviously he listened. Jeravin (Matthews) has been a very productive player for us and he's done so many good things for us in the kicking game, and that one play doesn't define his game or doesn't define his career. It just happens and you've got to squeeze it up. And as a defense you have to go out and put the fire out and not give up a touchdown, give up three. It's a different ballgame if it's a six-point game, not a two-score game.
On how he sees his team at this juncture in the season...
I see a team right now that's not in a very good mood. We come on the road, we start the right way, we give ourselves a chance to be in a football game against a very good team, and we didn't get the job done. So what are you going to do about it? That's what I asked them. Are we going to be a team that's going to respond like the way we did at times throughout the course of this game and work to improve and get better in practice next week and get ready for a big homecoming game.
There's five weeks left in the season, we've put ourselves in a position to have a significant last month and a half. And you've got to go and take it in a Big Ten game, no one is going to give it to you. You've got to go make things happen to win. And that's what we need to focus on and improve. We've got so many young guys out there right now, that's the only option we have. We have so many young players playing. They just need to keep working their tails off to get better and that's what we're going to do to try to coach them; keep having fun and keep improving.
Northwestern Sophomore Superback Drake Dunsmore
On fighting for the extra play...
We were just fighting for extra yards and trying to make an extra play. I probably should have gone down a little earlier, once I felt the defensemen ripping away at the ball. It was just a tough break.
On if he thought Michigan State played a more physical game...
I felt we were pretty evenly matched teams. This game really just came down to a few plays, like my turnover and the turnover on special teams. Those were huge. When two teams that are evenly matched like this come together, those plays count.
On Michigan State's fast scoring...
It felt like Michigan State made those plays in a finger-snap. It was kind of heartbreaking, but we are a team that doesn't stop fighting and we played until the end.
On establishing a running game...
I felt like we had our chances, and we just missed them. Like I said, with two evenly matched teams, those plays make a difference.
Northwestern Senior Defensive Tackle Adam Hahn
On the first play, stopping the Michigan State touchdown...
It is a great way to start off the game. We got put in a hard situation with them getting the ball close to the 50, and to come out and stop them there, which was a good way to start the game and get momentum on our side.
On what he thinks changed in the third quarter...
I think just little mishaps and guys not filling the gaps. Just one guy out of position can turn things around, so we just have a couple things we need to fix at practice.
On Northwestern's penetrations...
Definitely in the first half we were playing well and penetrating. We were getting off blocks and making plays in the backfield. We just had the momentum on our side and we kept it on our side.
On playing a physical game...
We definitely played a physical game. We were coming off the ball, we were attacking, we were shutting them down at the line of scrimmage and forcing them to pass the ball. Then in the second half we just got away from that a little bit. Not a lot, but it was just a play here and a play there, but in the long run those things add up.
Northwestern Senior Quarterback Mike Kafka
On if he felt he was under a lot of pressure...
No. I felt the line played really well. We just have to execute a little more and put some more points on the board.
On his connection with Zeke Markshausen...
Zeke's a big time player. He goes out there and plays every week; it's nothing new to us. We just have to keep on giving him the ball because he's making plays. He has done a great job so far.
On the 4th-and-10 play...
We just needed to create a little more space. They did a great job of defending it but I think that we can make that play a lot more often than we did. Zeke (Markshausen) was a little bit short so we just have to throw it a little more out there and let him make a play.
On if the team is upset after the loss...
It's frustrating but you've got to have a short memory. You have to go back and get back after it because it's a long season and the next game up is the most important one.
On Eric Gordon and Greg Jones making plays for Michigan State...
They're definitely athletic guys. They're good players, real good players. I think that our offensive line handled them pretty well for the most part but they're good players so they're going to make plays.
On if he saw the Michigan State defense make adjustments after halftime...
Not really. They ran most of their base stuff, we ran most of our base stuff. We just didn't execute and we have to make plays when plays are out there to be made. We just have to go out and make more plays than they do if we want to get the win.
Northwestern Senior Wide Receiver Zeke Markshausen
On the game being a game of two halves...
It's tough. I really don't know what to say. It is a tale of two halves, it's a full game, it's 60 minutes. We've got to come in there and realize that it's going to be a full game. We have to take advantage of all of the opportunities that we have and try to minimize the mistakes that lead to points. We're disappointed, that's kind of assumed when you lose, but we're going to come back. We've got Indiana next week and we're going to be ready for them.
On the 4th-and-10 pass to him near the end of the game being drawn up for him...
Yes. We saw what they were doing all game and thought we could win against that. I need to push that route a little bit deeper on a 4th-and-10. It was a tough one to pick up and they were bringing some heat too so Mike (Kafka) had to get rid of it pretty soon. The guy made a nice play. He was sitting on it, and you have to give him credit.
On if on the 4th-and-10 he knew that he was a little bit short of the first down...
Yeah I could feel that I was a little bit short of it.
On if he felt quarterback Mike Kafka was on the money...
Mike's doing what he always does. He played real well. He was using his feet today, which is good to see. He was making plays when the pocket breaks and that's a bonus for us. All I can do is run and try to block for him.
On if it felt like all of (Mike) Kafka's completions were going to him...
Not really. You kind of get lost in the game. That's one of the fun things that I enjoy, that you don't really realize what's going on. You're in the moment, you're realizing its second or third down but you're not realizing that I have so many catches or whatever. It really doesn't matter, what matters is wins and losses and we didn't get a win today.
On if he felt like the team could have won the game...
For sure. We walk into every game realizing that "Hey, we can win this game." We have that attitude and that's a credit to the coaches and how they prepare us. Of course the locker room is down a little bit but I guess something that we always say is "flush it". There's nothing that we can do about it now, it's over with all we can do is go 1-0 next week against Indiana. We'll be ready.
On if he saw the Michigan State defense doing anything differently in the second half...
Yeah, I think they made some adjustments. They were playing more man defense against us. It was just something that they saw and we tried to take advantage of but we just ran out of time I guess you'd say.
On what he saw when Drake Dunsmore fumbled...
I guess I didn't see that play because I was trying to get a block for him. I just heard the crowd's reaction to it. Drake's a big guy, he stays up and can take some hits and unfortunately they got in there. He'll make that play 100 times out of 101, so I'm not worried about him. He's going to come back and have a great game next week.
Northwestern Junior Linebacker Nate Williams
On the defense being strong in the first half and then Michigan State getting momentum at the start of the third quarter...
We came out with a bang with that fourth down stop on the goalline. We really had some momentum going. The defense was playing phenomenally in the first half making some stops. We were just kind of stagnant in the third quarter and that cost us.
On why he thinks Blair White was open so often...
I don't know I'd have to see the film on it. We had some coverages in to minimize the gains but I guess we just didn't execute.
On if the team is upset after the loss...
It stings a little bit but it goes away quick now. We have a quick turnaround; get the film going on Monday and get ready for Indiana next weekend.
