NIU-Buffalo Postgame Quotes
Oct. 22, 2016
DeKalb, Ill. (Huskie Stadium)

Buffalo Head Coach Lance Leipold

On the opening kickoff return…
It's everything you don't want. You win a toss and defer and you think if everything plays itself out, we feel each other out, then boom; they return the kickoff and get a spark they've been looking for, especially after a toss loss.

On the interceptions thrown by Buffalo…
We ran a lot of shallow crosses and (when) we throw a shallow cross and a ball gets tipped and they pick it off in the back end, it's tough. We had a chance to close it to ten at the end of the half and you throw another interception, we'd be down 10 going into the second half then with penalties and other stuff it just kind of gets away from you.

On the NIU jet/fly sweeps causing their defense troubles…
We talked about that during the week. Their athleticism between the running back and wide receiver positions makes you nervous and with a quarterback that can add to it, it's tough. This team is as good as any at the fly sweep.

On quarterback Tyree Jackson struggling…
I tell him to stay positive, he's handled things extremely well and he's frustrated but you can see he's still competing and making throws. I think he knows well enough without looking at it all on film yet.

NIU Head Coach Rod Carey

Opening Statement…
Obviously we're very happy with the result of the game. I think for the most part we put together four quarters. Some things we still need to get better at but, give Buffalo some credit. They're a well-coached football team. I thought they made some plays on us that forced us into some situations where we didn't score the way we wanted to. Overall, I'm really happy with the kicking game, defense, and offense.

On if he anticipated a big game from the guys…
I said it and I believe in these guys and we are a better team now then we were three or four weeks ago or at the start of the year. That's a credit to our coaching staff and our kids. As far as keep working and keep believing, we get 24 hours to enjoy it and we're going to enjoy it, make no mistake about that, then we're going to move on to the next one.

On creating turnovers…
Yea, when you get four picks, that's a big thing. I know we had one turnover there at the end but we didn't want to punt and we didn't want to kick a field goal, so that was disappointing that we got that one. But, the other key to that is when you get them, you don't want to give them up either. So both parts were good today.

On the defense's third down success…
Give the credit to our coaches and our players on that. That's preparation. I think that that continued preparation during the week and the process. We haven't flinched all year guys and I know that's hard to say when you're sitting here with a record like we have after eight games. But, we have not flinched we're 2-2 in this conference. There's a lot of football yet to be played. I don't know how it will all turn out but I know this group hasn't flinched and we're getting better.

NIU Player Quotes

Mayomi Olootu
 
On takeaways helping the psyche of the secondary the past two weeks…
It's just about preparing each week. We're getting better every day and we're seeing the plays. Our coaches are doing a good job of putting us in position and we're making the plays we need to make.
 
On his interception…
He tried to throw a back shoulder pass and he was already on the sideline so I just turned around and the ball was there.
 
Anthony Maddie
 
On getting a win at home during homecoming…
That's a big deal, coming home and protecting our home field. The fact that it was homecoming, had guys that have been here and played here and were in our shoes come back and watch us play, they want to see us win. That's what they come back for: the game. It's good for the mentality of the team, just getting a solid win at home and avoiding distractions that can come with homecoming. It gets tough at time for the players. Just the fact that we avoided the distractions, had a great week of preparation, I think it was the best week of preparation we've had, and to come out with a win feels good.
 
On being mentioned with Jordan Lynch…
Any time I can get mentioned in the same name as Jordan that's awesome.
 
Aregeros Turner
 
On his kickoff return…
I saw the hole open and I knew it was a touchdownfrom the beginning. It felt good to finally run one back.
 
On ever returning an opening kickoff…
In high school they didn't really kick it to me. This was my first time.