Northwestern University Athletics
Pat Fitzgerald Weekly News Conference Transcript
9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 26, 2011
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Weekly News Conference
Opening Statement...
"Last week, it was great to have Al Netter named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. That's the sixth-straight year that we've had a young man named to that team, and the credit goes to Al. From an alternative spring break he had a couple of years ago, to his unselfish and kind acts that he's done at Northwestern and in the greater Chicagoland community. The player that he is, the level of play that he is at, to give back to the community like he does is something pretty special, and I think, what college football is all about, so we'd like to congratulate him.
"Obviously our thoughts and prayers are to Coach (Jerry) Kill (of Minnesota). He's a great friend of mine, just a tremendous person. You hate to see anything negative happen to anyone. Coach (Kill) is battling some stuff right now, and he may be the toughest guy in college coaching. Our thoughts and prayers of our entire football program are with Coach and his family, for a speedy recovery.
"Looking ahead, it's the Big Ten opener. It's against our rival. They're a darn good football team, they're ranked and it's going to be a great challenge, so our guys are excited to get back into the gameweek routine and get some things going. I thought we had a productive week last week. Early, our coaches hit the country and our coordinators worked with our young players. As the week moved along, we shifted focus to getting better fundamentally and doing what we need to do and also getting a little jumpstart on our opponent and getting healthy. So it's been a productive week; productive at recruiting, too."
On beginning Big Ten play this weekend...
"Every game still counts so it's important to get off to a quick start. When I talked with the leadership council this morning, you could kind of see the gleam in their eye. It's why you go to Northwestern: to get a great education at a world-class university like ours and then compete and play in the Big Ten. We kick it off right now, with the excitement of playing a ranked team on the road -- and our rival -- you got a lot riding on the game, so it's a pretty special opportunity."
On the new divisions potentially affecting the Illinois rivalry...
"It was my understanding from the get-go that one of the key components from the divisional play was to keep the protected rivalries. And even if you're not in the same division, those rivalry games would be protected. I felt confident, after hearing that, that that would be the direction the conference would head, and rightfully so. Not only with us and Illinois, but then as you look at most of the other main rivalries. One of our protected rivalries was Purdue, and we aren't playing them this year. So I don't think the conference could get all of the rivalries in.
On quarterback Dan Persa playing against Illinois...
"I fully anticipate that Dan (Persa) will play. How much and all those things are to be determined in how the week goes. He's had a good five-week period, he's just continuing to get stronger and stronger, and that's why I've listed him as day-to-day. I thought he was close against Army, and we decided not to play him, and that was our decision as coaches. He practiced well last week.
"He's not only mentally ready, he's chomping at the bit to play. For a young man like Dan, the work ethic that he's been committed to, no disrespect to any other player in college football, but no one's had to go through what he's gone through this offseason. He's handled it as well as anybody could. As a college football player, your reward is Saturday. (It's) the opportunity to go out in the arena and compete with your teammates in the game that you love. He's going to get that back and I couldn't be happier for him. He's been incredibly unselfish and it's been a hard road, but I look forward to watching him play and have some fun if that's the opportunity he has this weekend."
On facing Illinois' run game...
"You have to play the plays properly and you've got to coach the guys to fit in the right gaps. They ran a couple of variations in formation last year and we just did a bad job at coaching our guys. We said that after the game. What we saw on tape was what we were trying to communicate on the boundary and we just didn't get it articulated well enough, and we learned from that. Coach (Paul) Petrino and his offensive staff do a great job. They play to their players' strengths -- they're going to have enough formation variations. (If) you watched the game on Saturday, Western (Michigan) did a nice job, and then they went to the option game to try and get around them and outflanked in a couple formation variations; putting formation on the boundary. They do a great job and it's going to be a great challenge.
On quarterback Kain Colter's reaction to the loss to Army...
"He's done well. We got together last Sunday after the game. I read his comments and I said, at the end of the day, the reason that we're in a position to win every game is because of you. I don't mind you being hard on yourself, but there's also a point of being overly critical. That's part of the maturation of a quarterback: you're going to have some great experiences and you're going to have some experiences that you'd like to have back. That's part of growing up in that position. He's played outstanding. He's given us a chance to win all three football games. He's a very talented young man who has a bright, bright future."
On former quarterback Mike Kafka's play with the Philadelphia Eagles...
"No. 1, everyone's really proud of Mike. I think his play here speaks for itself: his leadership, the way that he was committed to being the best player individually, but also leading this football team. He's a spectacular player, but I think what's been most impressive out of the comments from Coach (Marty) Mornhinweg and Coach (Andy) Reid is Mike's work ethic. He's probably the first guy to show up to the facility and the last guy to go. He's put himself in position. We talk to our guys a lot, I spoke with Michael during training camp, he can't control when the opportunity happens, he can control just whether or not he's prepared. He's put himself in the position have that opportunity present itself through injury and now he's in that environment. To have Coach Reid, who's one of the top offensive minds in football, have that kind of confidence in him... I think (first) of the preparation he had here and the job that Mick (McCall) did helping him get there, and most importantly the job Michael's done."
On the play of Illinois quarterback Nate Scheelhaase...
"All you had to do is see one game tape to know he's going to be a dynamic playmaker, you know, he's a great player. He's fun to watch as a fan, so I'll be rooting for him in every game but this one. He just makes a lot of plays, he understands what Coach Petrino's trying to do schematically, he stays within the framework of the offense and then he's dangerous when the play breaks down. When you've got some coverage, but you're not rush-lane disciplined, he can make you miss; he's a great athlete and a really great football player."
