Northwestern University Athletics
Weekly News Conference Transcript
11/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 9, 2009
Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Weekly News Conference Transcript
Opening Statement...
"Before we get talking about football there are a few things I'd like to say. No. 1, one of our Wildcats, a 1991 graduate, Eric Wenzel, a former offensive lineman here is really battling right now up in Minnesota, battling cancer and I want to express our prayers and our thoughts to his wife Karen, his children Emma, Jake, Dustin and Amanda. We're doing great things in this football program and one of the things I'm most proud of is our reconnection with a lot of our Wildcats throughout the country. I've had the opportunity to get to know Eric and a lot of his teammates and I just want to lift him up as he battles. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, big guy, and keep battling.
We've also talked a lot about keeping things in perspective and with Veterans' Day coming up as well as the tragedy at Fort Hood our football program has a bit of a heavy heart when you look at those that are sacrificing for us to have a great way of life here in the United States and the freedoms that are provided by those who go into harm's way. Obviously it's a special week because we play our in-state rival but we want to keep things in perspective.
As I look back, obviously our guys battled their tails off. We looked at the video this morning with our players and we really feel like we can play a lot better than we did on Saturday. It was a great win and we did the things we needed to but there were a lot of plays out there that we feel we can work on to get better to prepare for a team that's playing very well right now. They're executing and they've got playmakers in all three phases. It's going to be a huge challenge. We're going to stay focused on what's important now and that's to get prepared for an opportunity against our rival in a hostile environment."
On NU's rivalry with Illinois...
"I think our No. 1 rival is ourselves. We have to play better and improve. What I think is neat about Big Ten football is that every game is for the championship. Every game has significance. But without a doubt battling now for the Land of Lincoln trophy, this is a huge rivalry for us and always has been. Going back to when I was a student-athlete you could always throw the records out for this game. There were a couple years there that we were trying to improve and get better and there were great football games and then in 1995 and '96 when we were competing for championships those were great games. I think one of them was when I had one of my two interceptions but I was wide open when I caught it. It's a battle for us each and every year. They've done a lot of nice things down there at Memorial Stadium and it's going to be a tough task."
On the status of Dan Persa and Mike Kafka...
"The X-rays on Danny came back clean so I feel optimistic about him. Right now we list him day-to-day and we'll be smart with him as the week goes along. I'm sure we'll have more information on Thursday. Mike feels great, he came out of the game feeling better than he did on Friday even playing as much as he did. I thought both those guys battled. They're not 100 percent but they're both giving us a chance to win. We talk a lot about picking up the flag around here and all you can control is being prepared and that's what Danny did, as he has all season. I thought he battled his tail off and thought he played well. Then when he went down, we talked about having a two-headed monster against Iowa and both guys stuck to the plan well and assumed their roles well. I'm really proud of them."
On the quarterback situation at Illinois...
"There is obviously a difference from the standpoint of experience but I was really impressed by Jacob (Charest) watching the Minnesota game and then when I went back to watch him against Purdue. He's got a lot of poise, they're still running some option and zone-read, although not as much as with Juice (Williams), but the passing game is almost identical. There are a lot of similarities other than the experience and I really saw Jacob grow up last week. I was impressed watching the video on him the last 24 hours."
On pressuring the quarterback at Iowa...
"I thought our defensive front played really well on Saturday. We played a number of different guys. You know our starters and the guys in the rotation but to see Niko Mafuli and Jack DiNardo out there inside ... I thought Jack played his best game and I thought Quentin Williams played his best game of his career, he caused a fumble just on an effort play. I'm pleased with that group. And obviously to have Corey (Wootton) back. As I said after the game, that was the first week that Corey practiced Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this season and I thought it showed up. Now it's going to be another great challenge against the Illini. They've got a very athletic skill-set on the perimeter and all three quarterbacks are very athletic. We're getting prepared for probably the most athletic team we've seen all season."
On Illinois' group of receivers...
"I see a lot of talent and I see guys that are making plays all over the place. Maybe not from a stats standpoint compared to expectations from outside of the program but I see a group that is playing well. They're deep, they play six or seven guys, and you include Michael (Hoomanawanui), who I know has been banged up at tight end and I'm not even going to try to pronounce his last name. He's as athletic of a big guy as there is in this league."
On Illinois' improved play the last two weeks...
"Well it looks like from an execution standpoint they've really done quite well, they've played very physical and very fast in all three phases. It's a credit to Ron (Zook), to his seniors and to their program. Maybe it didn't start the way they wanted it to just as we didn't start some games the way we wanted to but they just kept on battling and getting better each week so we're playing a team that's playing its best football of the year right now. Couple that with being on the road and it's going to be a huge, huge challenge for us."
On when he'll know if Mike Kafka is 100 percent healthy...
"You probably already answered your own question. We fully expect Mike to be able to run our offense. Some of the things we're going to do with him and Danny will be determined No. 1 by health and also by what we believe we can do to take advantage of what we see on video. I guess we'll see Saturday, that's the short answer."
On Dan Persa...
"I guess Danny has played a game and a half if you add up all his plays against Towson. I'm just impressed by his overall development. He's a very confident athlete. He walked into as hostile an environment as there is in the country for a quarterback and I thought he was very poised. He took care of the ball well other than one throw he'd like to have back. Outside of that he really made good decisions with the ball and read his options well. He was our Ironcat for a reason. He's tough, he works as hard as anyone in our football program. He'd be the first to say he wants to be the starting quarterback, that's why he came here and that's why we recruited him. But he's embraced his role as a backup and he's done nothing but lift Mike up each week. He was prepared for his opportunity and took advantage of it."
On avoiding a letdown after a big win at Iowa...
"It goes back to what Coach Walker used to say about eating the Snickers bar, you should never be satisfied. We're not satisfied, we believe we can and we will play better. You worry about that every week as a head coach, that's why you go gray at 34 years old. At the end of the day you trust your players and your coaches and you trust your plan. We're not going to change anything from what we do, we're just going to try to keep our guys mentally focused and prepare the way we do on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We'll travel down there Friday and try to lock it down to stay focused in a hostile environment. As I talked to other coaches that have played there, they've said it's going to be loud, it's going to be raucous, but we're prepared for that. We played in tough environments in Syracuse, at Michigan State and on Saturday so our guys are prepared. Tuesday and Wednesday we'll go inside at least for a portion of practice to pump some crowd noise through practice, we'll get a migraine headache and we'll be good to go."
On DT Corbin Bryant...
"I think Corbin is playing the best football of his career. He's been through so much since he's been here. He started his first game as a true freshman, and Tuesday after we played Miami (Ohio) in the opener his freshman year he dislocates his ankle. Then the ACL last year. His attitude has been so unbelievable. Similar to Corey this year, he's battled through it, he hasn't been able to practice everyday but he's such a tough kid. He'll go out there, he'll tell our trainers, `I'm practicing.' We have to back him down. He's from a tremendous family right around where both my sisters live in Beverly on the South Side of Chicago from Morgan Park. Coach Spurlock is one of the best high school football coaches in the nation and I remember when he called Jerry Brown and said, `I got a guy who has only played one year of high school football but I think he's pretty good.' He couldn't be more right on. He's done tremendous in the classroom, one of our best students. To have a kid from the Chicago public school system come to Northwestern is something we try to have every year as we recruit the best and brightest in the country. Corbin is one of those guys who is just carrying on a great tradition of guys from the Chicago Public League. He's been starting for three years but I couldn't be more proud of him. He's part of our Leadership Council and he's what we're looking for in a student-athlete. He played tight end and linebacker in high school so we saw a very talented, athletic kid, we never knew how big he would get. He's really earned it because of hard work and dedication."
On Brian Peters...
"He just has to execute the fundamentals and trust in the coverage concepts. He was in position to make both plays, he just needs to trust his technique a little more and he will. He's as critical on himself as anyone can be on him so I firmly believe he'll work hard to fix those things."
On being an underdog at Illinois despite having a better record...
"If I were to use that as motivation I'd have to probably use it every week so I'd be beating a dead horse. At the end of the day it has nothing to do with that, it has everything to do with both of our teams preparing. I know Coach will do a great job preparing the Illini and hopefully we do the same. It will be a great football game, it always is and it's going to be a challenge for both of us. We'll put the focus on us and get ready to play in a hostile environment."
On the running game vs. Iowa...
"I thought we had a really good plan, I thought we adjusted in-game and I thought our guys went out and executed the plan. That's one of those areas where there are still some yards to be had and plays to be made. I felt like there was a lot of room for improvement. That's encouraging to see because we're getting there and we're getting closer and closer to getting the running game we want. We'll keep working at it.'
