NIU Football Post Game Press Conference, Western Illinois.

we sharing a mic the Huskies sing yeah no uh certainly proud of of our players um the maturity of the group uh how they prepared um all throughout fall Camp uh I think this this was the commas I've been for game and really because of based on what I've seen from these guys they checked every box up until this point and uh you know obviously that performance today was one that you know um we haven't done here uh in a while and uh proud of them proud of the effort we said we played a lot of guys a lot of guys went out there and executed and uh you know we we we certainly have a lot to build off of uh put the ball on the ground a couple times uh missed a couple extra points um had some substitution things from a procedural thing but it's a lot that we can improve upon from week one to week two and uh I'm excited to get back to work um and and and get back next week and watch the film and how can we get better um but I think these guys have the right mindset uh I don't think they'll they'll get too high after this game and they understand you know we got a big one coming next week yeah I know I mean uh you know I talked to the guys last night um about fleas in the jar and sometime you know they jump they jump and then they realize when take the jaw off they stop jumping uh and so I told them you know we have to be able to take the lid off uh and be able to play up into a standard and and I know I say it all the time but it it needs to look a certain way if we going to have these many seniors on our football team uh and and not only did they play that way they show young guys on the sideline how important it is to continue uh to take it one snap at a time and not get ahead of yourself and I think that's what they did all night today and uh you know we got to continue to build upon that because uh that's what we're going to need throughout these games throughout the season what was working out there for you guys offensively today uh you know a lot working obviously um from the score but you know just our base game plan we had all week going you know we didn't do anything crazy anything special um we stuck to our plan uh plan worked well coach put together um you know something really good for us so um really excited to you know see where we C cook up next week and see how we attack what was it like for you being a part of offense that put up the numbers that did you know in your I know you started before but you know in your first start since winning the job is the everyday starter what was that like for you yeah I mean it was great um but you know that's something that I know we could do you know it's not it doesn't come to a surprise for me or you know for any of these people up here um you know we go against a really tough defense one of the best defenses in the Mac every day um you know so when we do that we stress ourselves out in practice uh games become you know a little easier and um obviously we have a whole week to prepare versus you know one night versus our guys uh becomes easier but like I said I couldn't be prouder of you know what these guys have done um to help me out one I have a lot of great players around me so um you know it's not all me it's it's mainly than other 10 guys around me coach did you get a feeling this could possibly happen here today against West Illinois considering what they did last year and what you got coming back no I mean uh I think uh Georgia has a great uh model this year it's assume nothing and I thought that was phenomenal and I told our players that assume it don't assume anything uh all we all we're guaranteed is the next snap uh to play as hard as we can play and I think that's important I'm not trying to be cliche I'm trying to be serious and real uh we got a bunch of guys and I said you got 12 guaranteed games so if you go out there and think it's going to be easy and then all of a sudden you in a fist fight uh then how you going to respond so we're going to go out there and try to play as hard as we can play uh try to practice as hard as we can play and then let our performance show um but we going to trust our Technique we going to trust the coaching and go out and execute and tray what was it like seeing the offense perform at this level today um like coach said like since summer since Spring ball really you know better team we knew what our goal was so you know coming together everybody doing their job their role so we all could succeed and you know make plays uh coach one of the biggest things you were talking you talk about this offseason is just the amount of depth you have on this team and the fact you're able to get you know so many so many of your more your reserve players in action tonight what does that mean to kind of get them ready for like you know in game yeah no we were able to play three quarterbacks um you know we played a young wide receiver George demopoulos um you know I think he's going to be a phenomenal player but we were able to get a lot of different guys involved uh and I think that's going to suit us well right there's nothing that motivates you more in practice than having a chance to play and so I think these guys should be extremely motivated uh to continue to work and continue to build the trust of the coaches and build confidence in themselves that they can go execute in critical moments coach a few years ago you had the third youngest team in all of college football and this year you have 21 returning seniors that have spent their entire time here in deel what's it like being able to do that in the current landscape of college football uh just being able to keep your players at home and now you're seeing the fruits of your labor paying off here in week one yeah I'm just I'm just proud of these guys uh we've been through a lot um you know Co and winning and losing and everything in between um I'm just proud of their perseverance uh if I was their parents I would be extremely proud because these guys have grown up and matured uh and done things the right way uh not always the easy way sometimes but uh we got a lot of guys graduated already a lot of guys graduated in December and if you're a head coach in college football you still have to be able to develop young people right I know there's a lot of craziness going on in college but I still enjoy the development and seeing these guys develop and grow into men and then they come back and they want to help your program uh and be a part of the program that helped them grow and develop and I think that's what college sports is all about and then for you guys on the defensive side of the ball you guys didn't give up a touchdown until the very end of the game what was working so well for you guys over there uh I'm being honest like all week we've been working on just based stuff and just coming out and executing truly like like we said before like it's a really mature group so our own job is to execute we we had all this time to to come in and play so it's time to really show what we can do next week uh yeah I mean they got a game tonight um so we'll watch I'm sure all these guys will be watching the game here in a minute um but we excited about the opportunity and uh what a great atmosphere I'm sure a lot of people done ask me that question are you ready for Notre Dame uh now I'm ready because now it's the next game on the schedule uh so I'm excited I think our players will be excited I don't think I have to motivate them too much this week it's a national National TV game NBC right National so first time National game I'm sure they going to be at warm ups extremely early they going to have all type of different drip uh so you know all those things you got to make sure you you stay on top of uh but I'm I'm sure they're going to be excited we'll be excited and uh happy about the opportunity into a place like this yeah I have no idea it's my first time going there uh so I know we play Michigan we play some big teams we're not going to be enamored uh but we we know what it is going be a physical battle um and we got to get ourselves ready this week uh to try to play our best but I am happy that we have a a by week afterwards so we gonna give it everything we got for four quarters and uh try to play our best football Ethan and I guess I Tron too just uh it was kind of a close game you the turnover um um things are getting close you guys scor on like three or four drives after that in a row just how big was it to respond in the way you guys did at that point uh sorry say that last one more time just how big was it to uh respond in the way you guys did it was huge I mean um you know we always talk about the next play on offense right and you know this play is the play and then next play it'll be that play So I think staying locked in one play at a time is huge you can't ride the wave of Mo motion as coach ham always says um you know as a as a great football team you got to you know you get high in a touchdown you get back down to your mid level and that's kind of you know I think where we did well this uh this week um yes Trey got anything of that I was um what was it like seeing you guys do that you know responding the way you guys did what was it like seeing that uh response it was amazing you know some some would say like you know e and Roy probably a couple years ago people get down talk you know I I'm saying we very uh you know older group so it's like you know just get to the next play we know what you're going to do when you get back in you going to make up for it and we going to help you make up for that's all that matter Ethan I know these last three seasons you H Rocky and now this year he enters qb1 with an offense till to you just what what did that dude help you have the performance you had today uh yeah I mean you know sitting behind a quarterback commit to the NFL is huge right he's been um one of my best friends we lived together for a couple years so um he actually you know was already texting me so one of my biggest supporters and also one of my biggest mentors right you know you come in as a 17-year-old kid you have this guy who's maybe 31 32 I'm joking but you know you have an older veteran guy he's been around the block been you know big teams um you know it's great and for my development you know he was instrumental in that and um you know I'll be forever grateful for him and then speaking on the offense coach Bashan has done a great job um you know we play to what our strengths are um and minimize our weaknesses and that's huge let you have walk through on Friday yeah we're going to walk through uh you know take our guys over there we I think we got to be off the field by 4:00 so we'll get over there early and and at least uh you know get let them see it um um and and have their moment and then obviously we'll be ready to play at 2:30 on Saturday this one's for Roy Roy what's it like to play on such a deep defensive line where even when you guys make substitutions there's not really any drop off as far as skill goes it's really great it's it's just honestly attachment to our coaching staff honestly like like they gring and like building the guys up to to play at such a high level and then Trayvon this one's for you I know at the be or at the end of last season you entered the port but after one game and a very good game are you happy you came back uh yeah like I said on every uh like uh podcast I talked on you know me and ham had our sit down it was never no hard feelings or about it know we just needed our sit down to talk about everything and I'm glad I didn't transfer I'm glad I did I'm doing my last year here me too uh so Ethan know your experience in the offense um do you think helped today with like that you connecting with the five different receivers for all your touchdowns today yeah um I think that just pays test to what we can do offensively uh we have a deep receiver group a lot of guys can play um similar to how you're talking about the D line right I think that's gets a little overlooked uh just because we have such a um older team who has a lot of depth in other positions as well um you know but don't sleep on our receivers they're they're dogs they work hard um they've been working hard since January coming in extra getting throws in um um you know especially with some new offensive stuff getting in you know really spending the time meeting a couple times a week um and that's just Testament to their character and their maturity level go thanks everybody than thank you guys through