Northwestern University Athletics
Monday Press Conference: Illinois Week
11/20/2017 4:07:00 PM | Football
Opening Statement...
Players of the week. Offensively was Justin Jackson. I think his career obviously speaks for himself. Second player in Big Ten history with four straight thousand yard seasons. I think it's just him and Ron Dane. I didn't tackle Ron very well, so, that puts him in pretty rare air. I think only the ninth player all-time in FBS history to reach that milestone. Just a special day for him, one of our seniors going out on Ryan Field and having a career day was awesome. Same thing with our big play maker in Garrett Dickerson. I thought those were two big-time catches in the red zone on a wet day. I thought those were big plays by him for both of those touchdowns. Nate Hall is not only our defensive player of the week but also the Big Ten player of the week. Very active throughout the game on Saturday, and played really well. Our big play makers were our two guys in the middle, Lancaster and Thompson. Both of those guys were dominant. Lancaster was nine-of-nine at the point of attack, and Thompson was six-of-six. Pretty spectacular game by those two guys. Hunter Niswander had a great day. I thought our snaps and his holding and the punting in that type of weather I thought he handled it well. Our three practice players were Heath Reineke on offense, Mark Gooden on defense, and Joe Bergin on special teams, and then consequently Joe Bergin has a great game. During the game he had two tackles on special teams. After the game, I went back and watched the game Saturday after the seniors and their families left our reception, and I came away even more impressed by the way our guys played. I think we dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage as well as we have maybe in any game in a long time. I thought that guys prepared the right way, and then obviously started the game the way that we needed to. We were able to get a lot of guys in, and it was real neat to see some of the young men that work so hard in practice every day get a chance to go out there and reap the benefits of that investment, to go out and get on the field. Very happy for them.
First and foremost, happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We have a ton to be thankful for. Our last opportunity with our seniors to play a Big Ten game. Taking on our rival down in Champaign will be a challenge for us. I know coach Smith and his staff are doing a great job. He's a great friend, I root for him every game. Obviously except for one. He's putting together the plan to build a program, and playing a lot of young guys. As many as we've seen all year. They've stayed the course with their plan, and that's what great coaches do. He and his staff are great coaches. Obviously there's some flux at quarterback. We'll have to prepare for multiple guys there. I think they've got really good team speed, and they're really physical, they're just young. You throw the records out in a rivalry game, everybody's in that mode this week across the country. It's a fun week in college football. It's a challenging week for everybody. Hopefully we'll put together a great week and bring it with us to Champaign.
On the rivalry...
From a trophy game, this is our lone rivalry. This is the only one that matters to us. To fight for the Land of Lincoln trophy, it means the world to our program. Our guys, this is one of the games that we talk about during training camp and then we kind of put it aside, and then we bring it back up today. I think it's a rivalry built on respect. I've been a part of it now for a long time. Four as a player, now 18 on staff, that's 22 years I've been a part of it. I know both programs have a ton of respect for each other. I know some of the rivalries are a little bit different from that. I don't think it diminishes from it, I think it's something that I think both schools should take pride in, the fact that we respect each other so well. Usually you just throw the records out and it's a heck of a competition.
On having the longest win-streak in the program's last 20 years...
I'd say the guys focused on what was important and that was preparing. They shut the noise off of negativity, focused on what we could control. I think the biggest change has been our consistency up front on both sides of the ball. Especially offensively. We've played much better up front the last two months than we did in he first month. That credit obviously goes to the young men and to Cush. Those guys have really improved this year, it's been fun to watch.
On if he could wear short-sleeves (as the players do) on days like Saturday...
I'm not tough enough to do that. That's for guy's like Spanos. We've had like a head cold rolling around the house for the last two months. I'm trying to just shake it. I'm not yelling more than normal. I'm not going through puberty again. I'm just battling a head cold. Saturday I was great. I was happy. I looked at Spanos like "Man, you're an idiot. Put some clothes on man." He's got a lot of juice. Like I said after the game, he's part of our secret sauce. That group of strength coaches are phenomenal, and they do a great job.
On the o-line...
I really don't care about grades. I'm not one of those head coaches that "you have to have this grade to have a good game." Because every coach grades it differently. I'm more concerned about point of attack grades. It was one of our better days across the board with that group. I think that group has improved. I think they've taken it upon themselves to work really hard, and its been fun to watch. I'm really happy for them. They were inconsistent early, but I think they've settled down and played pretty well.
On players owning the locker room...
It's critically important. Any time the young men own the squad, that's what we try to build here. A program that's run from the locker room out. Every team is different. It's not I wish I had this magic wand and if we do this it works. In some years, like this year, we've had phenomenal leadership. Other years, we get some injuries with some older guys, and it's been good. Not one time have I felt like it's been bad, but it's been good. Terrific job, it's been really fun to watch. I think it starts in two rooms this year. I think it starts in the d-line room. That group comes every day ready to rock, ready to get better, ready to improve. I also feel that way about the running back room. I've been really impressed with that room the whole offseason. I thought they had a great offseason, and it's carried over. Maybe Johnny and Jesse and Corey and Austin aren't getting a ton of touches, per se, but that whole group is involved heavily in the kicking game. Lark and JJ are getting most of the touches, and that whole group has been highly productive this year. It's been fun to watch.
Peer pressure is probably in our feeling society today something that I shouldn't talk about. It's not nice now. I know. I get all these emails, so I got to make sure I follow the proper protocols. Hell yeah it's important. It's the only thing that matters. If you can hold your teammate accountable by doing the right things yourself you've got a strong squad. You've got an opportunity to go battle, and when you don't have it you don't have a chance. It's critically, critically important. Those are the types of guys that we try to recruit. We try to recruit leaders in high school, and my hope is that we can recruit multi-sport leaders. I really like it when we have guys who obviously are great football players that we think are going to come here to help compete, to help us win championships. But then they may be roll players in other sports, and learn what it's like to be the sixth or seventh guy on the basketball team, or maybe be a rotational baseball player, or a track guy that's not the 100 meter dash winner. Obviously I'd love to have more of those, but I think the more that you have to be an all-around athlete and an all-around teammate, when you get to this level, it gets hard. Guaranteed, it's going to get hard. For some guys it's early in their career, where this is the first time they've been in a competitive situation. We were just talking in our leadership council meeting. I go "what did you learn this year?" Paddy Fisher goes "Man, this is a grind. You know, my high school, I only played two or three, maybe four in a given year, full games. We're usually done at half-time." Look at the year that he is having. This is the first time that he's had to play every game for four quarters. I mean Saturday he didn't play the fourth quarter, but that to me is what we're looking for is what we're looking for. That type of attitude. That type of work ethic. That type of demeanor. I think if you get a collection of those type of guys, you've got a chance to go far.
On if having that type of guy helps with coaching and discipline...
I wish it were that easy. They're doing a great job. The other aspects are always going to be there because I'm dealing with 112 17-22 year-olds. It's a joy. It's a privilige.
On Kyle Quiero and Godwin Igwebuike's leadership...
You've been seeing it all year. We've had a lot of different substitutions and different guys playing in the back end. I think the two constants have been Kyle and Godwin. We don't have Godwin to start the Maryland game, and we lose him a little bit for the Penn State game. They both have been phenomenal. They have come a long way from a standpoint of learning to be the leaders that they're capable of. Both I think were very well prepared in high school, but more lead by example guys. Now, as they've gotten older, they've seen that they have to be more than that for us to be consistent in the back end. I think they've done a phenomenal job.
On the conditions on Saturday...
I thought the field played great. I looked at some tape, I do some studies on Mondays, around the league, and I thought our field, of the grass fields, held up as well as anybody's. With the weather that we had, I thought it was great. I thought it was a factor just because you're playing in that type of weather, it's tough to do anything, let alone have proper footing on grass.
On the meaning of potentially getting to ten wins for the second time in three years...
Let's talk about that down the road. I think our focus right now is the task at hand, and that's to go 1-0 Saturday, and to get going on our process and getting prepared for that. That's where our focus is going to be. For us, where we're at right now, to have to take on a rival is a great motivator for our guys, and I think they'll be very focused. They'll be disciplined throughout their preparation this week. When you're in season mode, you're like a horse in a race. You've just got your blinders on. You're not looking to the right or to the left, but just looking ahead, and hopefully sticking to your process.
On Illinois' struggles...
When you start your preparation on film study, you don't look at problems. You look at the issues you've got to do to stop them, and then be able to gain a yard, and then what you've got to do in the kicking game. I see really good team speed, I see a very physical defense that's well coordinated. Offensively they've had a lot of injuries. Coach McGee has had to have multiple quarterback, kind of an amorphous system to that position, because it's really important that you play to that position's strength. They've had a lot of injuries outside, in the backfield. You see a lot of young talent. you see their seniors and their older guys playing hard. They ran into a buzz saw last week. Ohio State played unbelievably in the first quarter. They played just incredible football. I think it was 21-0 and Illinois only had like seven or eight plays. They ran into a tough situation there. We've kind of followed them a little bit in the schedule, so when you're getting your cut-ups ready you see a team, I've seen a team that even though it hasn't shown up in the win-loss column that's definitely improved, from a standpoint of there's just a lot of new faces out there every game. I thought they had an opportunity to win the Minnesota game, they had an opportunity to win the Rutgers game, the Indiana game, they've just fallen on the short end.
On preparing for multiple quarterbacks...
Cam's a true dual-threat young man they can do a lot of things with. Being the first quarterback they recruited as a staff you get a pretty good inclination that's the direction they want to go for the future. Really impressed, and I saw coach Smith's comments about Chase, lost the battle, moved to superback we call it, their h-back position, and because of injuries went back last week. What a great teammate. Jeff has played a lot throughout the year too. Been really impressed with his throws. Reminded me last year of getting ready for Wes. Wes had a big arm and I think Jeff does too. Then Ricky Smalling is a great player. We knew about Ricky when he was a freshman at Brother Rice. A dynamic player, very talented young man. They've got a lot of different weapons. The Dorsey kid, tight end, has made a lot of big plays too. He's a really impressive athlete.
On Nate Hall's performance...
Kind of a garbage man. Two of the three sacks it was scheme, he was unblocked. Congratulations, thanks Hank, that worked out pretty well. Interception was a garbage pick. It was a tip ball that fell into his hands. He should've taken a knee instead of losing two yards. Yeah, it's all right. I played with a great player named Barry Gardener that was a garbage man too. He had all kinds of plays that were just nothing other than "Hey, congratulations, look what just fell into your lap." No, he played great. He played real physical. He was real active. He's having a great year. Those three guys are having an outstanding year. Randy Bates has done a great job with those backers. Paddy's a pup. Warren moving over, I thought Warren played his best game of the year on defense on Saturday. Nate gets player of the week. I really think the guy that's had a phenomenal season is Brett Walsh, a Senior that is playing the best football of his career. He didn't practice last week so he was very limited. He got better mid-day Thursday, and Friday I asked how he's doing and he said "I'm starting." So I said ok, I guess you're starting. He was not going to be denied playing on Senior Day. He played, like most of our starters, three quarters. I thought he played another outstanding game.
On J.R. Pace...
Well he's had opportunity because of injury first of all. I think he's played pretty solid in the kicking game all season. Like a lot of our young players, is learning to become a Big Ten football player. I think the sky is the limit for J.R. Pace. He can run. He's athletic. He's got a high football IQ. He's got great ball skills, as we've all already seen. The reason why he's playing is injury, but the positive biproduct for the future is the experience that he's getting, especially with us graduating Godwin and Kyle. It's going to be important for the future, no doubt.
On teaching open field tackling...
Credit goes to Hank and the defensive staff for planning. We tackle every day. There's certain things that we talk about every day as a defense, one's tackling. The other is creating turnovers. The tackling circuit we go through every day in practice. Our guys are expected to thud the ball carrier on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The ball is not to run through our defense. I just think you have to teach the skill of tackling every day. It doesn't mean there has to be contact every day. We teach it every day in the offseason with the footwork drills that we do. It's an attitude first, but more importantly, fundamentally taking the right angles, having the right body position, putting your eyes and putting your upper body in the right position to make sure you're staying safe. And then wrapping and running your feet on contact. That's something we've done a real good job of this year, is we've been really good in our lower body tackling. We've had great base, we've been really aggressive. When we've missed, and you're going to miss if you're aggressive, we've had great population to the ball. We've had great effort to the ball. We haven't given up a lot of explosive plays because of missed tackles.
On bowl games...
Jim [Phillips] and I talk daily. Every other hour? It might not be daily but it's frequently during the week, about a lot of things. He's all in, he's heavily invested in our program, as all of our administrators are, but especially him. He's all in. Have we talked about that [bowls] yet? No. In our time together that's something that usually something that we have not discussed until after the last game. He is relentless. I'll just put it to you that way. I'm sure you could talk to any of the folks that we've gone to from a bowl standpoint. Mr. Holtzman last year and his staff, to you name it. Jim McVay. He's relentless, and we're very thankful for that support.
On if they look for potential bowl match ups, or the best possible bowl...
For me personally, I only care about the players. I truly only care about the experience that our guys are going to have. The better we can make it for them, the better off their motivation is going to be to play in that game. And then their motivation is going to be to want to go back to bowl games. I expect it to be fun. I want it to be fun. I want it to be rewarding. I want them to feel like they've accomplished something special. I was in this program for two years as a player, and then obviously the generations have guys before me that didn't have the privilege to go play in the post season. It's hard earned, and I want it to be fun. That's why we do a bowl week here for the guys, and then obviously we do the bowl week festivities at the site. We've got a great week planned for them already. Last year it was tough, because it took us all the way until the end of the year. Being done prior to November 1, I think Cody, Jada, and our staff there have done a great job putting together a great deal for them that he's showed me. But it's just been "hey coach here's what we're thinking," and then I look at it starting next week.
On potential draft picks sitting out bowls...
I deal with all of those on a case by case basis with the guys. I would give them perspective. I would give them just some wisdom. You get very few opportunities to play this game, and very few if any are guaranteed. When you get to be my age there's no going back. There's no, "yeah I guess I got one more season in the NFL, but I missed whatever bowl, or I missed whatever postseason game." I can say that, sitting where I'm at. That's why I say I take it on a case by case basis, because, you guys know me. I would fully support our guys. If that was the decision he and his family made, I would be disappointed for him because he would lose an opportunity to play with his teammates, but I would respect it because I'm sure that they've fully vetted it from a standpoint of that's what they feel is right for his future and for their family. And then I'd get the next guy ready to go kick some ass. And I wouldn't bat an eye about it. If that young man wanted to go on the trip, I'd let him go on the trip. And I'd tell him "Guess what you get to do now. You get to come sit up here, and talk to the media, and explain why you decided not to play, because that's part of this growing up process too. You guys have made your decision, and I'm going to support you, but you better be ready to explain why you're doing it. And then you've got to go look at your teammates eye-to-eye, and say this is the decision that I've made and why I've made it." I know our guys in the locker room would support him. Would they be disappointed? Yeah, because he is usually going to be a really good player. At the same time I think our guys would respect the decision.
On how close the team is to winning a division, and how to get there...
Winning? I think we're really close. We don't hide away from what our goals are, and that's to win the Big Ten West and win the Big Ten. It's right there to your guys' left. It's posted everywhere. I think we're in the conversation, we've got to knock the door down. We obviously didn't do that to start the year. We didn't feel sorry for ourselves. Guys got banged up, we didn't look at each other like oh no, the sky is falling. The leadership on this team took it upon themselves to go out and practice and get better and improve. What's it going to take? Coaching the guys better, playing better. Continue to recruit and get competitive depth. That competition is what makes guys better. And then when you do have injuries, you've got enough guys to plug guys in. The amount of injuries we've got in our secondary right now, if I go back to when I got here 18 years ago as an assistant we would've been in big trouble. Big trouble. Where we're at now, next man up, and the next man goes and he plays his heart out. I think we're close, but close isn't good enough, and we've just got to keep grinding.
I'm going to assume every team in our league is going to do every thing they can to win a championship. I assume that we're going to play everybody and we're going to get their A-game. I assume we're going to play in a hostile environment everywhere we play. You take those assumptions and you put them over there and you focus on yourself, and what we can control. We've got a lot of excitement going on right now. We're recruiting great. We've got the #1 graduation rate in the country. Our guys are killing it academically and I'm very proud of them for that. One of our bowl week plans, we'll go down to Catholic charities and help Father Watts and everyone down there to feed the homeless. It's one of our traditions. They're incredibly generous with their time. We're trying to win the canned food drive here in the athletic department. They're awesome guys, doing an amazing job, and we're winning football games. We're about to go into you could argue the best facility in the country. We'll get Welsh-Ryan done and get going on Ryan Field. There's a lot of momentum and a lot of excitement. I'm fired up for this game, and I'm incredibly motivated for the future.
On Fitz's favorite holiday movie...
Holiday movie? That's easy man. It's Home Alone. I mean, right? C'mon. I mean, that's it.
Students
Tommy Doles, OL
On the significance of the Northwestern-Illinois rivalry game…
"Yeah, I think having been here for a few years now, I understand that it's an important game, and a lot of my teammates are local guys. I think we have a lot to play for, no matter what color jersey the other team's wearing, when you think about our seniors' last game of the season, playing for a great bowl, so we've got every motivation we need and we're gonna attack the preparation, but it's a big game.
What is Coach Alex Spanos yelling to you during the game?
"It's like, you ever see that Shia LaBeouf video? "Just do it! Just do it!" It's like if you put anchor arms on Shia LaBeouf and kept up the energy. That's sorta what you got with Coach Spanos. And on other thing with that is it's not just this act that he puts on on game day. That's who he is all the time. It's genuine. There's a fire inside of him. It's pretty cool."
On the team's biggest improvement from being a 2-3 team to being a 8-3 team...
"Along with what Nate said, it's fun when they make a pick, make a big play. We get so excited that the offense get on their hats as they come off the field with the confidence that we're going to, in turn, make a big play too. Everyone's playing together, I think it's an attitude. Up front, we've seen improvement because we've had this attitude that we're gonna finish every play, that we're gonna do our job and do it to the best of our ability. And with that, I think we've been able to raise our standard every week, knowing that we improved a little bit in the Maryland game, but that's not good enough. What's the next step that week have to take? So continuous improvement and not getting bored with that. I think we've been having a lot of fun doing it.
On the fun in playing in Saturday's ideal O-line weather against Minnesota...
"Yeah, absolutely. On Monday, we were already looking at the forecast, and we knew last Monday, it was like "we're gonna run the ball this week." Offensive line, when you hear power inside zone, that's what you want. The Big Ten, it's a ground game, and the guys we have behind us, it's great. I've said it before: We know if we do our jobs, they're gonna make someone miss, and it's fun watching the tape, watching what Jeremy and Justin do to guys. And then we just love embracing the elements. It's kind of like when you first fell in love with football, it was probably one of those games for me - fifth, sixth grade, rain's pouring down, we all jump in the puddle after the win. And then you walk out there, no sleeves, linemen don't wear sleeves, Coach Spanos doesn't wear sleeves, and you just have this mentality that we're here to work and we'll be able to handle whatever comes our way.
On the mentality going into this week's game against Illinois...
A Big Ten football game, these are Big Ten football players. We absolutely respect the guys that are across from us. A lot of them we played against last year, we got Ifeadi's brother, great guy. But it used to be the brothers clashing. They have a lot of great players, and again, we know we're gonna get their best shot, and they're gonna get our best shot, because it's the game we're playing that day."
On Justin Jackson...
"As long as we're telling Justin stories... On our official visit back in, what, 2013, Clayton, Justin, and I were hanging out in the hotel. And we found a newspaper, and there's this full page story about Justin Jackson, Gatorade Player of the Year. And Clayton and I are laughing about it - 'oh Justin Jackson, big time.' And he's like 'I don't care about any of that stuff. I just want to win a state championship.' And I think that shows as cool as the individual accolade he's attained are, he's a team guy, he cares about the success of our team. And that same attitude he had with the high school - Glenbard North - he has brought here. He cares about the success of our team."
Coach Fitzgerald says that Home Alone is his favorite holiday movie. What's yours?
"As funny as Home Alone is, oh' there's a few. I was born on Christmas, I love Christmas. There's a movie called Joyeux Noël that looks at the small temporary armistice between the German and French lines [during] World War I, how they kind of get together for Christmas Day. There are some bagpipes. It's a really cool scene. I think they were reprimanded after that - it was illegal. ... Either that or The Nativity. I think that shows the real reason behind this Christmas season. I'm a Christian, that's the most important thing to be, and I think that's just a story that never gets old.
Nate Hall, S
On his breakout season this year...
"I'm just out there having fun. I'm just having more fun than I've ever playing this game. I improved in the offseason obviously with my technique, and then getting stronger physically, and then a lotta credit goes to the whole defense, especially those guys up front. They're allowing the linebackers and the back seven to play more free. You can see that on Saturday. Making plays is easier when those guys are up there playing as hard as they are.
What is Coach Alex Spanos yelling to you during the game?
"Alex played the same position as me when he played his ball at Robert Morris, and I can hear him yelling from the sideline when I'm on the opposite side of the field (laughs). He says something like, "I see this play about to happen toward you!" He just screams random stuff to me all the time, and his energy is contagious throughout the program, not just our team, just the program, everybody around him. In academic services, someone was just asking me about him. His energy is contagious, and we love him to death." .... "He just tells me he sees the game happening through my eyes 'cause he was in my shoes in his career."
On the opportunity to win out and get 10 wins in two of three years...
"Well first off, it would mean a lot to our seniors to be one of the only teams to do that. It's a special thing just to look back on your football career and your time here at Northwestern, to be able to say you were one of the teams to do something that's rarely done here. Especially us younger guys, we're focusing on doing that for the guys that are headed out this year."
On Coach Fitzgerald calling him a "garbage man" for his play against Minnesota...
"Yeah, whatever. Just doing my job out there. But again, credit to the guys up front that made everything possible. The fumble recovery doesn't happen without a forced fumble. Sacks don't happen without four or five guys rushing along with me. Credit to those guys. I guess I'm okay with being a garbage man for the rest of my career if that means accolades, I guess.
On the mentality going into this week's game against Illinois...
"It's a rivalry game. Illinois is a good team, they play hard, and you know they're gonna fight through four quarters. So that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go out there and fight like we have been the past - how many weeks we played - eleven. They fight hard and they have some talented guys. They have guys that can make plays, so we just have to counteract that with our play."
On Justin Jackson...
"Did you want a funny story about Justin Jackson? I was his roommate the first two years, so I have some funny stories. It's a quick one. I walked into our room - we lived in Bobb, which is like the party dorm, so it's always loud. So I walk in there, I lay on my bed, and I'm thinking I'm in there alone, and I'm laying there for like 30-45 minutes, and I see some movement in his bed, and I'm like "what the hell?". So I look over there, and it's Justin. I like to keep the room cold, so probably between 65 and 70 degrees in there, and he has a wool hat on down to his eyebrows, the cover pulled up to his mouth so the only thing showing is his nose, his headphones on. And so I tap him - well I took a Snapchat of him first - and then I tapped him, and he just like - whom - whips up - like, 'bro, don't ever do that again.' But yeah, Justin's a fun guy to be around, period. He's just a joy to have on the football team, and then to be his roommate for two years was just amazing."
"He would watch The Office every night."
Brett Walsh, LB
What is Coach Alex Spanos yelling to you during the game?
"From what I hear, I just think he's screaming. He's just saying whatever. Yeah, he's just trying to bring some energy. So sometimes he'll say something funny to lift the mood. Like he'll stuff, like Nate was saying, he played linebacker, and just reminds you to play physical. Just a little bit of everything. He always seems to say the right thing in every situation. He mixes it up for sure.
On the team's biggest improvement from being a 2-3 team to being a 8-3 team...
"What I see is just energy level and people are having a lot of fun now. It seems like everybody's playing together. I don't see anybody pointing fingers or anything like that. We're out there having a good time and just playing football. We're doing that, it seems like we're doing pretty well. That's where I see the biggest shift, and definitely the energy level too - all the time in practice, meetings, and obviously during the game.
You weren't expected to play in the game against Minnesota due to injury, but you ended up playing. What was the game like?
"I guess adrenaline just kicks in on game day, and you just get ready to go regardless of how you're feeling. For me, it's not really like Senior Day that got me going, it's just - we're playing. Minnesota was a big game. We're playing in the Big Ten, every game is very important, so [I] just wanted to go out there and help my team out. That's it."
What do Godwin and Kyle mean to the team?
"They're great leaders on our team, and great playmakers. Those are guys that I think a lot of offenses fear, and they're gonna make you pay if you make a mistake. I'm just glad they're on our team, you know? They're great players and great guys, I mean they help with the chemistry as well on our team. They're just great people to have in our program.
Coach Fitzgerald says that Home Alone is his favorite holiday movie. What's yours?
"Yeah, I just like A Christmas Story. The one with the lamp [the room erupts into laughter]. That's just a classic."
Jeremy Larkin, RB
What is Coach Alex Spanos yelling to you during the game?
"From a standpoint of what he's saying, he's just really good, he's very passionate about what he's doing, he's always the younger guys in the juice squad juiced up, saying "do it again" or some other chant cheering on the defense. And he just brings a ton of energy to the program, and you can see it on the field and in the weight room.
On the playing in Saturday's inclement weather against Minnesota...
"When you a see a forecast of a lot of rain and win, you know it's gonna be put in the running back's hands. So whenever we get the chance to get the ball, we take that to heart, that this is our chance to make a play or do whatever it is to contribute.
On Justin Jackson...
"From the beginning, I was well aware of who he was and what he was doing. I guess when I got here was really [when] how aware I became of how good he actually was. And just seeing what he does and the work that he puts in to get to where he is, and how his game is I guess. So from that standpoint, I was really well aware of [that]. ... In the future, when I look back in the past, I should be able to say "I was close." Because I don't think anyone will be able to touch those records that he has up there, because it's phenomenal what he's done so far.
More on Justin Jackson...
"Most days he's chill, and then most days he is trying to get his best out of us. Whether if he's not practicing or he's practicing, if he's in a bigger role or whatever it is, he's always trying to get us going. You definitely game day, he's always in a different type of mood where he's ready to go, fired up, ready to go. Even in workouts in the summer, he seems like he's calm throughout the day, but once it's time to work, his intensity goes up."
Do you still feel like a freshman this late in the season?
"At times, but mostly no. Not when it comes to football. Just some of the things I do are still kinda silly as a freshman.
Coach Fitzgerald says that Home Alone is his favorite holiday movie. What's yours?
"My favorite Christmas movie is Elf with Will Ferrell."
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