Sept. 9, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Opening Statement...
I have to give all the credit to the New Hampshire Wildcats for the way they performed and played today. There was no question they were hungry and they wanted it. They went out and executed their game plan extremely well. We had our chances, we shot ourselves in the foot. We played a football team that had a lot of confidence and the things that we did are going to get you beat week-in and week-out. It's not the way we wanted to start our home campaign, but at the same time, I've been here before. I look forward to getting back to practice tomorrow night.
On preparing for next week's home game versus Eastern Michigan...
It's about how we respond. We need to find a way to get one week better and to get our attitude fixed. If we come out and fight I think we have a chance against anyone. At the same time, if we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot and not execute on all phases, it's going to be a tough week and we need to find a way to get better.
On the pregame, Walk with Us tribute to Coach Randy Walker...
I thought the pregrame was excellent. I thought it was a real special moment and obviously a great tribute and a tradition we look forward to carrying on each week. It was electric out there, it got me ready to play. Obviously, it didn't get us to the right place, but I don't think it had any role in it. I just think New Hampshire executed well. We got on our heels a little bit and tried to come back and make some plays, but we didn't execute well.
On the importance of strong senior leadership...
I think we have a lot of great leaders in our program. I believe in our seniors, I believe in our captains. I'm really happy with where our seniors are and now they are really going to be challenged. They are going to be challenged to see if we can respond and come out of this valley. We've come out of one already this year and now we are back into another one. But we will come out fighting.
On the play of quarterback Mike Kafka...
This was a learning experience. There is a tendency after a strong opener to feel like you have everything figured out. That's never really the case.
On the loss as a letdown after an emotional first win...
I think it was more about execution and the way they executed than it was about a letdown. I thought the entire week of practice we had leading in that we were going to come out and play physical. It's my fault we did not. It starts and ends with me.
Northwestern Players
On the defense's performance...
They came out and knew our schemes a lot better than we knew theirs. They were helping a lot with the guards and the ends when we moved to a three-man rush. They came out and played really well and were smart with the football.
On the 3-4 defense...
It enables us to do a lot of things. It allows us to bring four or five guys if we want to. It usually keeps the offense guessing. New Hampshire did a good job scouting us and we need to do a better job mixing up our looks.
On the pass rush...
We got them into some third-and-long situations today, but we didn't get off the field like we should have. They were running their routes really well and we weren't getting to the quarterback. Give credit to them because they kept their drives going... They played really well-as well as any Big Ten team I've played against.
Marquice Cole
On David Ball...
We knew that they were going to get the ball to him. That's what we saw on film and that's what they did in the game. Everything to get him the ball, even short passes.
Tyrell Sutton
On New Hampshire's adjustments in the second half...
I don't know what happened. We botched some snaps and a couple turnovers and there it was-a momentum swing.
On the lack of getting into an offensive rhythm...
We definitely need to play a lot more consistent. The drives we scored on, we didn't have any penalties. We definitely have to play with a sense of urgency and with more consistency. All of our mistakes were caused by ourselves but the credit goes out to New Hampshire for doing things right.
On pre-game jitters...
I don't think there were any. We came in confident. We need to give credit to New Hampshire. They played a great game.
On the offense in the second half:
In the first half we were moving up and down the field. In the second half we just weren't clicking. I feel that is partly my fault but we are going to get a lot better this week. Coach Fitzgerald talks a lot about responding and that is what we are going to do.
Nick Roach
On the defense...
We didn't have any turnovers or big plays at all. New Hampshire executed and did not make many mistakes on the offensive side of the ball. It came down to not doing that well on defense.
New Hampshire Postgame Quotes
New Hampshire Head Coach Sean McDonnell
Opening statement...
"Obviously for our program this is a great win. The kids did the things they needed to do. They played hard. They played smart. We made some plays that we talk about all the time on special teams. We had the kickoff fumble recovery and we jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Then we weathered the storm. Then we executed a great play - Corey's (Graham) strip early in the third quarter. Then Ricky (Santos) hits David (Ball) on an unbelievable throw and tremendous catch. Our guys understood that in a game like this you do have to play special; you do not have to play perfect. We really did the things we needed to do. Our defense settled in. They kept the ball in front of them after the 61-yard run early in the game. They did a good job of stepping up and making tackles. There are a lot of things we need to work on and get better at, but for our first game it was a tremendous win for this football program."
On what this victory means for the rest of the season...
"Everybody is going to enjoy this win, but the next game on our schedule - against Stony Brook - is the most important game we are going to play all year. I told someone before kickoff that whether we win or lose this game, our next 10 games against I-AA opponents are the most important for our goal. This game will help us in a lot of ways. I think it is a great teaching tool. We have to learn and there will be a message from the head coach and the whole coaching staff about what we have to do in the coming weeks."
On Northwestern retaking the lead...
"I knew they were going to score points. The physical running worked against us. We had some new kids in there playing for the first time. I also felt good because we could move the ball. Ricky (Santos) was making tremendous decisions and David (Ball) was getting open. Then we started spreading the ball around a little bit. Keith LeVan made a couple of catches. Evan Loring made a nice catch before the half. A lot of people touched the ball, and I think we are at our best when a lot of people touch the ball. I did not think we would stop them from that point on, but I knew that if we could keep them in front of us we would make it a lot harder for them to score."
On trying to run out the clock at the end of the first half...
"That is exactly what we were trying to do. The referee, and I had a discussion about this, ruled that, under the new clock rules, (our penalty) was something that was planned. If it had not happened, we probably would have run the clock out. We had the third down where Ricky (Santos) sticks the ball to Keith (LeVan) and all of a sudden we are at midfield. Now we are able to open up and go after people. Again, a lot of people touched the ball. It was a tremendous catch by Evan Loring, a person who has not played a lot of football but stuck with the program and worked his tail off. I am really happy for a kid like that."
On what impressed him the most about his team...
"How hard we played. That is what we have to do in order to be successful. We are no better or worse than anybody in football. I think it gives you a chance to win and I think our kids did that today."
On the defense in the second half...
"Our whole thing on defense is stopping the run, making sure we cause turnovers, and then making sure the kid does not go the distance. We do not talk about statistics like scoring defense. The one thing we understand is that we have to correct some simple mistakes that we are making. Like Corey (Graham) said, we had trouble with assignments, and tackling and running to the football better. You look at the clock and say, 'Now it is a three-possession game, and they are going to have to get three scores.' They did something very well last week, running the ball. Now they had to figure out if they could drop back and throw the ball on us. We were soft in coverage, we did not take a lot of chances, and kept the ball in front of us. Corey Graham made a great pick. Chris Callison, a kid that had his first start, made an unbelievable play on fourth down. We played cover-two and all we really preached to them was to get to the sticks and make the tackle. He made the tackle on Sutton. I was just happy for kids like that, kids that have not done it in this program. They went out there and did it today."
On what he felt like after the game...
"My very first thought was, 'How am I going to get this team back on the ground?' We will enjoy this because it was a great win. Starting at noon tomorrow, we have to get ready for another football team. These guys do not like doing that, but that is what we have to believe in."
On Division I-AA teams beating I-A teams...
"I think that you can spread people out an awful lot. I think most teams have talented kids who can get you something on the offensive side. Defensively, if you can keep kids in front of you you have a chance. Also, the clock is important now. I do not think you will see any explosions this year like a 70-point win. You can manage the game a little bit better. The kids at this level want to prove that they can play Division I-A guys. (Corey Graham, Ricky Santos, David Ball) all have the talent to play at this level. Unfortunately they did not get to, but fortunately for us they are making us look like good coaches."
New Hampshire Players
New Hampshire defensive back Corey Graham
On Tyrell Sutton's 61-yard run...
"We had a few guys out of their gaps and I got cut. We just had to stay on our feet, stay in our gaps, and make plays. We could not miss tackles, and I could not get cut. In the second half we did that."
New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos
On their opening scoring drive...
"We always talk about here the battle of the fast starts. When they deferred, we talked and said, 'We have got to get a score and that will be big for us.'" It kind of put them on the back of their heels for the rest of the game. Our offensive line did an outstanding job the entire game. We had three offensive linemen who made their first starts in a Big Ten stadium. For them to play the way they did is a credit to Coach Devine and them. They played incredible."
On how they played in their opening game...
"We felt that we could compete at this level and we could play. To start the way we did is just amazing. I am happy for our team. It was a great win for us."
New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball
On how he felt as the game was winding down...
"A lot of things can happen in a football game. For us it was not over until the clock stuck zero. We had a lot of excited people. We were playing football the right way, the way we know how. We managed the clock, played fast to start the game, and were smart with the ball toward the end of the game. That helped us and was to our advantage. All through camp we did every situation we thought we would see here and throughout the season."
On how he felt when the game was over...
"It was an unbelievable feeling. I am still in shock actually. Our guys have been working so hard. Like Ricky (Santos) said, we had three new guys on the offensive line. Then our defense, stepping up and doing the things they did out there today. We had turnovers at big points. Corey's (Graham) interception, the fumble recovery, it was just unbelievable to be a part of it all."