Sept. 25, 2007
Head coach Joe Novak, defensive end Larry English, quarterback Dan Nicholson, and running back Justin Anderson met with the media during Tuesday's weekly press conference. The group reviewed the Huskies' first victory at Idaho and previewed NIU's trip to Central Michigan Saturday. Below are selected quotes from the media session.
Head Coach Joe Novak
Opening Statement
"Everybody is in a lot better mood this week than we have been for obvious reasons. [The Idaho game] was a win, it wasn't always pretty, but there were a lot of things in that game that us coaches were not happy about. I am certainly not crazy about getting out to huge leads and not being able to hold them like I would like to. Even the players mentioned this morning that they would like to get better at getting things done in the second half. But a win is a win and that is a heck of a trip, a heck of a place for us to play. It is different in a dome, and I still think that is still a heck of a football team and to come out of there with a win makes it's a good trip in my book. We certainly have a lot to get better at. Our players know that and our coaches know that and that is why we practice."
On CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour
"I have seen him on tape and he is quite a football player. He is a good player and I thought he was the real key to their football team last year. The thing that he does that scares you is that he not only can throw the ball well, but he will run it well on you also. The biggest play we gave up last year was with him scrambling in the pocket and it is certainly something that we have to be aware of."
On staying in contention for the MAC Title
"If we are going to stay in the league race we should win this game and if we don't we will not be in the race anymore to be realistic. You play one game at a time and all you can do is do your best. The last thing I want to see is these kids playing tight. They know and I do not have to talk about it to them. We will play our best and if it is good [enough to win], great, if not we will just move on from there to the next one."
On the offensive opportunities against Idaho
"We had three scores, two defensively and one in the kicking game. When that happens, your offense does not get on the field. The defense just goes right back on. Those are three series there where your offense just looses opportunities. You look at the yardage and say `wow.' If we average 50 yards on the three drives, that's maybe another 150 yards of offense and 150 less yards that they get. Those stats can really be deceiving. I am happy to score any way that we can. We are concerned a little bit about our performance in the second half, but we lost three offensive series there. We moved the ball fairly well. When [Idaho] made the score 35-21, we answered with a 93-yard drive that was pretty impressive to be honest with you. When your defense and kicking game is scoring for you, that is a lost opportunity for your offense."
On halftime adjustments
"I think half-time adjustments sometimes get a little overrated. Do you do some things? Sure you do. We are currently getting ready to play Central and we have four games on them. Our game plan right now is based on what they have done in those four games and in those situations. Most teams are not going to make a wholesale change in weeks five, six, and seven or whatever. I think these halftime adjustments get overblown sometimes to be honest with you. We might be doing something wrong, either we are missing it, or we are trying to correct it if we are."
On Justin Anderson
"I thought he ran the ball pretty well at Idaho. I worry about him a little bit because of the load we are putting on him. I would like to get a game where we can get him out of there a little bit more, but we haven't had the chance to do that so far. Right now he is the best that we have and it is hard to take him out of there in tight games. The difference with Justin and Garrett [Wolfe] was the fact that Garrett was a little guy. He was `rubbery' and he could take a hit, and then again he did not take a lot of great hits because he could make people miss. Justin is a straight up, straight ahead and he takes a lot more pounding than Garrett ever did. So 35 carries for Justin is a heck of a lot different than if Garrett carried the ball 35 times a game. Justin is getting beat up, not only from the running game but we also because we pass it to him as well. The big hit he took [at Idaho] was on a pass play. He has the ball under his arm about 42 or 45 times a game and that is a lot for anybody, much less a guy like him."
On the play of Larry English
"He made a lot of big plays for us [at Idaho]. Sometimes you can have five catches or five sacks and those might be at garbage time. Larry's were all big time [Saturday]. He had one or two others where the quarterback got back to the line of scrimmage so it was not a sack, but he was still trying to make a play. [Saturday] was an outstanding game for him. Playmakers need to make plays. Larry English is one of our defensive playmakers and I am not saying it is going to be five sacks every week, but he has to make plays for us, it is really important."
On Central Michigan's offense
"They are almost all spread on offense. Not much has changed. They do the spread scheme and a lot of zone. They probably use their quarterback more than some other people do because of his athleticism. We have to stop their running back (Onatrio Sneed) that is still our number one priority. Last week if I am correct, I think they ran it for 130 and threw it for 260. They are capable of doing both and doing it well. Their quarterback adds another dimension because he is a factor running the ball."
On NIU's past success against CMU
"In the early days we did not have much success against Central at all. The last nine years we have been fortunate to win. I do know this, every one of those games at Mt. Pleasant was a fight, that is not an easy place to win a football game. I know that two years ago Dan [Nicholson] stepped in after Phil Horvath got hurt and played out of sight. Sam Hurd played well also and we were able to get a win. Every one of our wins in Mt. Pleasant have been battles and I am sure this year will be the same type of thing."
On the recent rash of injuries
"We got on the bus pretty banged up after Saturday's game and I think we have been hit more at specific positions than I have ever seen. We are beat up, but then again so is everybody else. We will get through it. That is the way it is, you line up and play. You have to make the changes and suck it up. Dan Keller played very well at Idaho after switching to defensive tackle. I was hoping he would just go in there and hold his ground, but he did more than that. We probably should have been playing some of the freshmen more and sooner, but that's the thing, you only want to play them when you have to. Those kids played pretty well. That's what has got to happen and you just get through it."
Defensive End Larry English
On the game at Idaho
"I felt really good [at Idaho] and I feel a lot of that was just the defensive line as a whole helping me out get to their quarterback. I was fortunate to get some sacks last week, but it wasn't just me doing the work. I really tried as hard as possible to give it everything I had because we really needed a win. I took this game just like any other. The win is definitely a relief for us. Two of the losses are games we should have had, but we let it slip by. It is good to get this win and now it is off our back. We know we can do it and it is good to have going into Mt. Pleasant."
Quarterback Dan Nicholson
On watching the defense during the final series at Idaho
"I was definitely a cheerleader that last series. I was just hoping we would stop them and luckily Larry was able to come up with the sack at the end of the game to stop them. It felt good to get the win because we needed it."
On Central Michigan
"We know they have a lot of talent that we have to prepare for. We know that they are the MAC champs and were predicted to do really well this year, but we cannot just look at last year. We just simply need to play hard and go from there."
Running Back Justin Anderson
On his playing time and work load
"For the most part, I really enjoy being out of the field with Dan [Nicholson] and the rest of the offensive group. I do not even realize how much of the workload I have had until somebody actually brings it to my attention. Most of the time I am just thinking about the next play and it is just really a blur until they put the statistics in front of you. I really do not feel any more pressure, it is something I can handle."
