Northwestern vs. Indiana - Postgame Quotes

10/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football

Oct. 29, 2011

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Northwestern at Indiana
Oct. 29, 2011
Memorial Stadium
Postgame Quotes

Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald

On breaking a five-game losing streak...
"I don't think we focus on the negative. I think, more importantly, we focus more on how close we've been and the things that we need to do and that winners need to do to win. Outside of the punt return we put on the ground, not to turn the ball over, the offense did flawlessly there today. We had our hand on a ball there we could have had another interception. So, we continue to win the turnover ratio, we can't give up those kind of yards rushing. We're going to see a dynamic runner next week so we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to give ourselves a chance to compete. But, I think the team's excited. I think they understand that everything's in our control, but there's still a huge mountain to climb. We just need to take it one step at a time."

On running backs...
"I thought it was huge. Mick [McCall], Adam [Cushing], Matt [MacPherson] and myself are really happy for Dennis Springer. Really, really happy for him and Bobby [Heffner]. I'm really happy for [Springer] to put together a plan like they did. I thought we had a great plan and the credit goes to the young men. They went out there and executed it and I thought they played pretty well."

On offense...
"I'd like to reserve a little bit without watching the tape. I thought from a plan stand point we had a pretty good match. We thought schematically we could take advantage of some things if we executed. We needed to protect because we knew there was going to be pressure at certain times and again, I thought Mick [McCall] and the offensive staff came up with a good plan and the guys went out and executed it."

On defense...
"There were times when we did it right and the ball went for one or two yards and then when we don't - when one guy breaks down - we've got two guys in the same gap and things of that nature. Tre [Roberson] is going to be a great player. He's dynamic and I've got a ton of respect for Kevin Wilson and his staff. Wilson and I have worked with each other and he's one of the best offensive minds in the country. He's one of the best. He's been that way for over a decade. To see that happen to us is disappointing from a yards standpoint, but we've got to find a way to win. So, we found a way to win that's all that matters."

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