Postgame Quotes

Nov. 20, 2010

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ILLINOIS vs. RV/25/RV NORTHWESTERN
Illinois 48, Northwestern 27
Wrigley Field - Chicago, Ill.
Nov. 20, 2010

Opening statement...
"Well we're disappointed, obviously, in our performance and the outcome of the game. Our inability to stop the run and get off the field on third down ended up making it difficult for us to find a way to win. We're disappointed to say the least; now we have to make a decision on the team we want to be. You know, we were in the same position before, walking off the field not feeling good (at Penn State), and we responded by beating the No. 13 team [Iowa] in the country. That's what I talked to them about after the game. Congratulations to our opponent, they played much better than we did, and that's my responsibility."

On the performance of Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure...
"I thought he ran well and we tackled very poorly. It just came down to that; we had guys in positions to make plays and we just didn't tackle him. That epidemic popped up a couple weeks ago for some reason and we had a tough time again tonight, so we have to make up our mind on what kind of defense we want to be."

On the performance of Northwestern quarterback Evan Watkins...
"Well, I think it's too early to make an assessment on his performance, but for a redshirt freshman getting his first collegiate start I thought he handled the week very well. I think there's going to be some things he'd like to have back, but unfortunately in football that is not going to happen. He'll be better next week; he'll be better a couple months from now. I'm proud of the way he prepared. I'll look at the tape, and have a better response on Monday."

On the experience of playing in Wrigley Field...
"I thought the atmosphere was incredible. Obviously, I want to thank the Cubs and the Ricketts family, and the entire Cubs organization. They put on a great game today. It looked like it would be fun as a fan; not a great outcome as a Wildcat fan. What we thought it would be was a Chicagoland bowl game, and that's kind of what it looked like. Unfortunately, we ended up on the short end of it."

On the team's response after an early two-touchdown deficit...
"I thought we came back. We just couldn't get anything going in the second half. We made some adjustments and called some plays we thought would be successful and we didn't execute there. Then, defensively, we had some chances to get off the field and we didn't do it. That's a recipe for disaster."

On putting the game in perspective...
"We had [ESPN College] Gameday here. The atmosphere was spectacular. We were thinking outside the box, trying to have some fun. It's college football guys, it should be fun. Obviously the outcome of today's game isn't fun, there's no doubt about that. But, today Chicago embraced college football, and I think it was a good first step. Our fans have been good all year, and I can't say thank you enough to them. I thought the fans of Chicago came out today and had a great experience."

Northwestern Player Quotes

DE Vince Browne

On why the defense struggled...
"I just think it was a lack of execution. I don't think we came out as focused as we would have liked in the first quarter. I give them credit, they out-executed us on offense, we've just got to play better."

On the number of yards Mikel Leshoure rushed in the game...
"It is definitely a little embarrassing. That's not us and we're going to get better and we're going to fix it."

On his performance...
"Again, they out-executed us, but there are a lot of plays I wish I had back. Now we've just got to go forward to the next week and work on those things and correct them and come out stronger. That's all you can do."

QB Evan Watkins

On his thoughts on Wrigley's atmosphere and the distractions it caused...
"I don't think it caused a distraction, we were down here Thursday practicing. We took it all in, we saw it, we had a great week of practice. You've just got to go out there and do it and they went out and executed better than we did today."

On playing in the west end zone...
"It wasn't that big of a deal, it is what it is; once we line up, it's the same game."

RB Mike Trumpy

On his 80-yard run...
"It was inside zone play and I just read it and just kind of cut outside and the receivers did an outstanding job blocking down the field, specifically Jeremy Ebert. Without Jeremy's block, I would not have scored that touchdown."

On his thoughts on Wrigley's atmosphere...
"You could say the atmosphere was different, but I mean we came into it like it was any other game and we try to shy away from all the distractions and just focus on the game."

ILLINOIS QUOTES

Illinois head coach Ron Zook

Opening Statement...
"Obviously, I'm very proud of our football team and the way they played tonight. I think it was a great atmosphere. I think they enjoyed this opportunity to play at Wrigley Field and I think it was something that they'll remember for the rest of their lives. So, I'm happy with the way we played. I'm happy with the way we came out and attacked this game. We've had a couple of bumps over the last couple of weeks and these guys, and in particular [Mikel Leshoure], did a great job, so I'm very happy."

On gaining bowl eligibility...
"Well, we've got an opportunity, we're bowl eligible. So, hopefully we'll gain that opportunity."

On the offensive running game and schemes that allowed running space...
"If you go back, we've been pretty fortunate in what our coaches and players have done all year long. We've run the ball fairly well. I think once again we had a great scheme. As Mikel [Leshoure] mentioned, [Northwestern's] linebackers are very fast guys and they play with extreme energy and do a great job. I think Joe [Gilbert] and coach Paul [Petrino] put a lot of things together that worked. And the players executed."

On Leshoure's performance and overall running game...
"Mike [Leshoure] is, and I said this the other day, he really started in the last half of last season in the spring and then in the off season this summer. He really matured, not only on the football field, but off the field. We're proud of how he's doing in school. And I've always told him `How you live your life off the field is how you're going to live your life on the field.' And he's doing that. He's a team guy. He's going to be the first to tell you that the offensive line blocked extremely well and that the receivers did a great job. Mikel's got a lot of God-given ability...I think Mikel is as good of a running back as there is in the league."

On the atmosphere of Wrigley Field...
"Absolutely I'd like to do it again. I know this--we walked on the field last night, and we walked around, and we've got a bunch of players on our team that are Cubs fans and we've got some on our team who are South-siders and White Sox fans and so right away they started talking back and forth, in a nice way. I said to Corey Liuget, `Have you ever been to Wrigley?' He said `No, but this is awesome'. Our guys were excited about Wrigley. It was just a great venue. I think that it was exciting. If you think about all the great players that have played here, gone through here, I think it is something that our guys are going to remember for the rest of their lives."

On improvements to the coaching staff and reaching six wins...
"Well, we have still got one more to go. Obviously, I am a little more optimistic than others, but I never thought that we would. I think guys that are there everyday know that our coaching staff has done a great job. The way that we have bonded, the way that they have made changes to our players, our players have bought in, and I just think that the whole atmosphere has been good...I am just very proud of the way everyone has worked."

On how not having Persa affected Northwestern's game...
"How much do you think not having Martez Wilson last year affected our defense? It probably did affect them a lot, but unfortunately, that's part of the game."

On preparing for Evan Watkins today...
"We didn't know for sure if it would be him, but we really felt like it would be somebody because of what they've done in the past with backup quarterbacks. We went through the whole roster and anyone who had played quarterback, and we felt like they would have a guy who would run the football. I thought Evan did a great job, I really did, and I'll tell you, I was really impressed in the second half, especially when he outran Martez [Wilson]. I thought for his first game, he played extremely well, and we expected him to. They do a great job with their quarterbacks, and I thought it was a great opportunity for him and he handled it extremely well."

RB Mikel Leshoure

On his thoughts about breaking a school record...
"The record definitely wasn't on my mind going into the game. The number one thing was to get the win, help my team out, and get to that bowl game. I'm happy that the stats were the way they were but that definitely wasn't on my mind going into the game."

On the execution of the running game for the day...
"Pretty much everything we were calling, we executed and that's why they were working. We were coached really well. Coach had a really good game plan and we executed our jobs the whole game."

On his thoughts on Wrigley' s atmosphere and the end zone confusion...
"Coming into the game we knew what type of stage we were on and what type of atmosphere we were going to be in. To do well in front of millions of people on national TV feels good. Coach told us before the game not to worry about what's going on as far as the field and the direction we would be going, to just go out and play football. That was the number on goal for us--to go out and play, not think about the little things, and not worry about the things we can't control."

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Vince Browne

Jeremy Ebert

Mike Trumpy

Evan Watkins

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