Postgame Quotes vs. Illinois (11-26-16)
Northwestern vs. Illinois
Ryan Field
November 26th, 2016
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Opening Statement
“It was a great team win, especially for our seniors. It is always great to win your last at home for them, and with everything riding on it -- the rivalry, the Land of Lincoln Trophy, the ability to get ourselves into the postseason -- all those things make it extra special. I am incredibly thankful for a great group of seniors, amazing families and a terrific group of young men, and I am excited I get to spend one more opportunity with them on the field and have a month to be a part of their lives.”
On John Moten’s big day on the ground…
“We talked about it after the Purdue game: he is a guy who has been developing. He reminds me a lot of Justin [Jackson] as a young player. He has a lot of room for growth and is becoming a complete back. I think we had a pretty good one-two punch with those guys today. “
On getting the sixth win and becoming bowl eligible…
“I feel great for our seniors. You talk a lot of about legacy, impact, things of that nature, and the first couple weeks of the season did not look very good. To their credit they were the ones who kept it together and responded. This is the hardest we have practiced in-season in my career here in 11 years just because of the amount of growth that we needed to have happen each week. I am fired up for this opportunity that we have in front of us. I am absolutely ecstatic to beat our rival, to finish off the right way and to keep the Land of Lincoln in Evanston.
On Justin Jackson’s long touchdown run…
“I thought on the run he had great patience. Everything just washed by and he did a terrific job of allowing the offensive line to go work and then stick his foot in the ground and make a spectacular run. He’s been a special player for us for three years.”
On Justin Jackson passing Darnell Aughtry and Tyrell Sutton on the all-time rushing list…
“He’s right up there, there is no question about that. He’s second all time now? Wow. I think that just goes to show his durability, his toughness, and his consistency. When you think about our program, Justin Jackson is the guy on Mount Rushmore. He has got great football toughness and also has great life toughness. He is a guy that shows up every day ready to go, he has great grit, great focus, and he loves the game and this place. He’s a joy to be around every day.”
Northwestern Player Quotes
Junior running back Justin Jackson
On his big game…
“I think, obviously with John back there too, we were just able to run the ball real well today. O-line was opening up pretty big gaps for us. I always say if you get to a second level, pretty dangerous. It was fun out there. I’m just glad we could get this win because I really wanted to have another month with the seniors, and so that pretty important for us.”
On how Moten’s performance influenced his…
“It’s always nice seeing another one of our RBs in there doing well. Sometimes you can see stuff from the sideline. I kind of just took what I saw from his long runs and applied it to when I was in there too. It’s cool. John’s come a long way and he’s obviously shown how good of a player he can be right now.”
On moving up to second on the all-time rushing list…
“It’s pretty cool. There’s obviously been some great running backs come through here, you know with Damian Anderson and Darnell Tree. The list goes on and on. I’m just glad we could get a win on a day like this.”
Redshirt freshman running back John Moten IV
On the mood of the locker room after the game…
“It was definitely a great feeling and it’s always a good feeling to win with your teammates and celebrate in the locker room. But we have another game and we have more goals to accomplish.”
On his first touchdown…
“It was a experience like no other. It’s a great feeling.”
Sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson
On what it’s like playing with Austin Carr…
“It’s awesome to play with him. Obviously on the field you see what he can do. He’s one of the best receivers in the country, and that’s being recognized so it’s great to see that. Off the field, he’s even better person.
On what it means to go to a bowl after the rough start…
“We’ve responded to a lot of adversity throughout the year. I think pretty much everyone counted us out after those first four games, starting 1-3, thinking here we go again. That’s not how we wanted the season to go. I think offensively we picked it up and same defensively. We came together as a team. It’s interesting. When everyone else from the outside is doubting you, everyone on the inside kind of comes together even more and that’s what’s cool about this team. We didn’t just throw in the towel like a lot of other teams would.”
Senior defensive end C.J. Robbins
On getting a sack in his last game…
“It always feels good to get a sack, so I was real happy about that. It was just good to see the d-line get active in the game. It was real cool to see the two seniors go out with sacks.”
On clinching a bowl appearance…
“It was really nice. It was a must-win game. We were focusing on it all week, knowing that we wanted to extend our season, and be a family that extra month. Everybody was real happy to get that last win.”
Sophomore cornerback Montre Hartage
On finishing the season strong…
“I think it says a lot about our team. Even when things go down, we still fought. When our backs were against the wall, we still fought. It was good to see something good come out of the season and get to that last game so we could make a statement.”
On his development throughout the season…
“It’s been a roller coaster for me. A corner is not a easy position. Basically you’re on an island. You just got to have tough motivation, trust in yourself, and prepare in every way to come out and compete. It’s been a good journey.
Junior linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.
On his forced fumble…
“Just a regular inside zone by them. Filled my gap. I think Jared came in and filled his gap and actually made the stop. I just came around, reached around, and I got my hand on the ball, knocked it out, and Godwin makes a play. We have not a smart decision on the play that calls the touchdown back, but the offense were able to punch it in. That’s what good teams do. They capitalize when the other team makes a mistake.”
Illinois Head Coach Lovie Smith
“For Seniors, once it’s down to your last game you want it to end a certain way -- for guys like Wes Lunt with a lot of yards today, Justin Hardee, Joe Spencer fighting hard, and Austin Schmidt. On the defensive side of the football, Dawuane Smoot, Carroll Phillips, Hardy Nickerson... there were so many seniors. Taylor Barton, playing hard -- they wanted their last game in the Fighting Illini uniform to go a certain way, but it didn’t work that way.”
“When you commit that many turnovers, it’s pretty hard to win -- simple as that when you’re playing against a good team like Northwestern. The penalties of course hurt us too. We did a lot of things that teams that lose do in the end. Getting down 21-0 the guys fought back. It’s been that way throughout the year. It has been a little shorthanded, but it’s a process. You build a foundation first and then you start working from there. So, I have to give Northwestern a lot of credit. I thought they fought hard and you know, with any team that Pat Fitzgerald is coaching you know what type of effort they’re going to give and what type of game they’re going to play.”
On what comes next..
“We’re going to transition into recruiting immediately. We’ll all of course stay in Chicago and start working for that change. We need to have our roster have a different look. That’s what you do every year, but this is our first recruiting class coming in, so we’re excited about that.”
What the team has shown him this year…
“I’ve really just learned about where we are, as much as anything. We as a staff got here a little bit late but you have an idea -- you need to go through a season to see where you are. Not just as a football team on the field but just how we do everything. We know that. We have an idea of what we need to do and what direction we need to go in all areas. This is a start. You don’t like to be in this situation, but that’s normally how it happens initially wherever you go. We realized that as we came in.”
On the performance of the seniors...
“Down 21-0 we needed to put points on the board, we needed to move the ball. Takeaways really kind of took away from what might have been a great finish for the guys to really remember. I mentioned a lot of the seniors and probably didn’t get them all but that’s what they’ve done throughout. They’re invested in our program.”
On what he’s proudest of…
“It’d be hard to say just one thing. I can’t say I was really disappointed in anything that the team did. Yeah, we wanted to play better, but they did everything we asked them to do. We’re not as good of a football team as we need to be to really compete at the level we want to. They just showed up and continued, right up until, to do everything we asked them to do.
Ryan Field
November 26th, 2016
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Opening Statement
“It was a great team win, especially for our seniors. It is always great to win your last at home for them, and with everything riding on it -- the rivalry, the Land of Lincoln Trophy, the ability to get ourselves into the postseason -- all those things make it extra special. I am incredibly thankful for a great group of seniors, amazing families and a terrific group of young men, and I am excited I get to spend one more opportunity with them on the field and have a month to be a part of their lives.”
On John Moten’s big day on the ground…
“We talked about it after the Purdue game: he is a guy who has been developing. He reminds me a lot of Justin [Jackson] as a young player. He has a lot of room for growth and is becoming a complete back. I think we had a pretty good one-two punch with those guys today. “
On getting the sixth win and becoming bowl eligible…
“I feel great for our seniors. You talk a lot of about legacy, impact, things of that nature, and the first couple weeks of the season did not look very good. To their credit they were the ones who kept it together and responded. This is the hardest we have practiced in-season in my career here in 11 years just because of the amount of growth that we needed to have happen each week. I am fired up for this opportunity that we have in front of us. I am absolutely ecstatic to beat our rival, to finish off the right way and to keep the Land of Lincoln in Evanston.
On Justin Jackson’s long touchdown run…
“I thought on the run he had great patience. Everything just washed by and he did a terrific job of allowing the offensive line to go work and then stick his foot in the ground and make a spectacular run. He’s been a special player for us for three years.”
On Justin Jackson passing Darnell Aughtry and Tyrell Sutton on the all-time rushing list…
“He’s right up there, there is no question about that. He’s second all time now? Wow. I think that just goes to show his durability, his toughness, and his consistency. When you think about our program, Justin Jackson is the guy on Mount Rushmore. He has got great football toughness and also has great life toughness. He is a guy that shows up every day ready to go, he has great grit, great focus, and he loves the game and this place. He’s a joy to be around every day.”
Northwestern Player Quotes
Junior running back Justin Jackson
On his big game…
“I think, obviously with John back there too, we were just able to run the ball real well today. O-line was opening up pretty big gaps for us. I always say if you get to a second level, pretty dangerous. It was fun out there. I’m just glad we could get this win because I really wanted to have another month with the seniors, and so that pretty important for us.”
On how Moten’s performance influenced his…
“It’s always nice seeing another one of our RBs in there doing well. Sometimes you can see stuff from the sideline. I kind of just took what I saw from his long runs and applied it to when I was in there too. It’s cool. John’s come a long way and he’s obviously shown how good of a player he can be right now.”
On moving up to second on the all-time rushing list…
“It’s pretty cool. There’s obviously been some great running backs come through here, you know with Damian Anderson and Darnell Tree. The list goes on and on. I’m just glad we could get a win on a day like this.”
Redshirt freshman running back John Moten IV
On the mood of the locker room after the game…
“It was definitely a great feeling and it’s always a good feeling to win with your teammates and celebrate in the locker room. But we have another game and we have more goals to accomplish.”
On his first touchdown…
“It was a experience like no other. It’s a great feeling.”
Sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson
On what it’s like playing with Austin Carr…
“It’s awesome to play with him. Obviously on the field you see what he can do. He’s one of the best receivers in the country, and that’s being recognized so it’s great to see that. Off the field, he’s even better person.
On what it means to go to a bowl after the rough start…
“We’ve responded to a lot of adversity throughout the year. I think pretty much everyone counted us out after those first four games, starting 1-3, thinking here we go again. That’s not how we wanted the season to go. I think offensively we picked it up and same defensively. We came together as a team. It’s interesting. When everyone else from the outside is doubting you, everyone on the inside kind of comes together even more and that’s what’s cool about this team. We didn’t just throw in the towel like a lot of other teams would.”
Senior defensive end C.J. Robbins
On getting a sack in his last game…
“It always feels good to get a sack, so I was real happy about that. It was just good to see the d-line get active in the game. It was real cool to see the two seniors go out with sacks.”
On clinching a bowl appearance…
“It was really nice. It was a must-win game. We were focusing on it all week, knowing that we wanted to extend our season, and be a family that extra month. Everybody was real happy to get that last win.”
Sophomore cornerback Montre Hartage
On finishing the season strong…
“I think it says a lot about our team. Even when things go down, we still fought. When our backs were against the wall, we still fought. It was good to see something good come out of the season and get to that last game so we could make a statement.”
On his development throughout the season…
“It’s been a roller coaster for me. A corner is not a easy position. Basically you’re on an island. You just got to have tough motivation, trust in yourself, and prepare in every way to come out and compete. It’s been a good journey.
Junior linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.
On his forced fumble…
“Just a regular inside zone by them. Filled my gap. I think Jared came in and filled his gap and actually made the stop. I just came around, reached around, and I got my hand on the ball, knocked it out, and Godwin makes a play. We have not a smart decision on the play that calls the touchdown back, but the offense were able to punch it in. That’s what good teams do. They capitalize when the other team makes a mistake.”
Illinois Head Coach Lovie Smith
“For Seniors, once it’s down to your last game you want it to end a certain way -- for guys like Wes Lunt with a lot of yards today, Justin Hardee, Joe Spencer fighting hard, and Austin Schmidt. On the defensive side of the football, Dawuane Smoot, Carroll Phillips, Hardy Nickerson... there were so many seniors. Taylor Barton, playing hard -- they wanted their last game in the Fighting Illini uniform to go a certain way, but it didn’t work that way.”
“When you commit that many turnovers, it’s pretty hard to win -- simple as that when you’re playing against a good team like Northwestern. The penalties of course hurt us too. We did a lot of things that teams that lose do in the end. Getting down 21-0 the guys fought back. It’s been that way throughout the year. It has been a little shorthanded, but it’s a process. You build a foundation first and then you start working from there. So, I have to give Northwestern a lot of credit. I thought they fought hard and you know, with any team that Pat Fitzgerald is coaching you know what type of effort they’re going to give and what type of game they’re going to play.”
On what comes next..
“We’re going to transition into recruiting immediately. We’ll all of course stay in Chicago and start working for that change. We need to have our roster have a different look. That’s what you do every year, but this is our first recruiting class coming in, so we’re excited about that.”
What the team has shown him this year…
“I’ve really just learned about where we are, as much as anything. We as a staff got here a little bit late but you have an idea -- you need to go through a season to see where you are. Not just as a football team on the field but just how we do everything. We know that. We have an idea of what we need to do and what direction we need to go in all areas. This is a start. You don’t like to be in this situation, but that’s normally how it happens initially wherever you go. We realized that as we came in.”
On the performance of the seniors...
“Down 21-0 we needed to put points on the board, we needed to move the ball. Takeaways really kind of took away from what might have been a great finish for the guys to really remember. I mentioned a lot of the seniors and probably didn’t get them all but that’s what they’ve done throughout. They’re invested in our program.”
On what he’s proudest of…
“It’d be hard to say just one thing. I can’t say I was really disappointed in anything that the team did. Yeah, we wanted to play better, but they did everything we asked them to do. We’re not as good of a football team as we need to be to really compete at the level we want to. They just showed up and continued, right up until, to do everything we asked them to do.
Illinois Players
Quarterback Wes Lunt:
On what worked for them as a team...
“It was about getting into a rhythm throughout the day. Taking what the defense has given us, just taking those easy inches to the field and letting guys work. That’s been successful for the most part for us.”
On the offensive rhythm...
“Third down is kind of a completely different world. They can run a lot of man to man and that’s what we’re not great at. Whenever we can keep them in coverage -- I think that’s where you saw that success.”
What he remembers most about this year...
“I remember all of the adversity that we went through. Just personally. The seniors and the whole team just never gave up. We just kept fighting every week, coming to practice just grinding every day no matter win or lose on Saturday.”
On what kept them from giving up...
“I think it’s just a testament to our character. We’ve been through a ton of adversity with a lot of coaching changes in the past five years… I’m just really proud to be a part of this team.”
Offensive Lineman Christian DiLauro
On the legacy of the seniors...
“The seniors really laid a foundation for us to build off of next year. We can just carry off or pick up where we left off. “
On the coaching staff...
“It’s great knowing them, and coming back I know who my coaches are going to be. Having the same system it really just comes down to spending less time trying to focus on learning a new playbook and learning about how the coaches want to make plays, it’s more about zoning our technique. We need to be able to execute better for next year.”
On his expectations for next year...
“I think we’re going to be able to come in next year and be alright. We’re losing Joe Spencer and we’re losing Austin Schmidt, so we’re going to have two spots next year that are going to need to be filled. Those are going to be big spots -- center and tackle. Offensive line wise, we’re going to have a little bit of work trying to gel all five of us back together, especially coming in losing those two guys. They were great for us, so it just comes down to really that right there.”
