Nov. 25, 2008

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes

Northern Illinois vs. Navy
November 25, 2008
DeKalb, IL
Navy 16 Northern Illinois 0

NIU Head Coach, Jerry Kill:

On the offensive performance of NIU:
"We moved the ball pretty well, but couldn't finish. Overall our offense played well tonight. We did good things but didn't finish. We turned it over a couple of times and didn't get it back and you can't do that against Navy."

On the disappointment for NIU and their bowl chances:
"Any time you lose a game you will be disappointed. If you are a competitor, you're disappointed. You can't control everything that happens. You just try to get better every week. That is all you can ask for."

On the time of possession, does it change your strategy?:
"It does, and I started off in this business running split back option football back at the high school level. When I was at Pittsburgh State we had a very similar offense. It makes you can't miss. You can't miss with that offense. Besides that, we moved the ball on offense, we just didn't finish. They were able to finish and that's what made the difference. Once they [Navy] had control of the ball, it's very hard to catch up."

On the defense:
"Our defense played outstanding tonight. With four or five days to prepare for that, they did a heck of a job."

NIU Quarterback Chandler Harnish

On the Navy Defense:
"They rally to the ball every play and have great team speed. A couple times I thought I broke the play open, but then I'd get caught from behind. The entire game they didn't let us finish, they are a really disciplined team."

On his interceptions:
"I can't blame anyone else besides me. It was a dumb read, I should've made a play with my feet instead. But I'll learn from it. On the second interception I didn't have a wide enough view of the field and made another bad read."

On the season:
"We believe we are a bowl team and played like it throughout the season. It's a big disappointment anytime you lose. We have to wait to see what happens. This team would not have succeeded without the leadership of the seniors. Dan Nicholson had my back the entire year and was always there for me. This team put NIU back on the map."

NIU Defensive End Larry English

On defending the option:
"We knew that it was important to hold Navy to one or two yards on first down but they were usually getting around four. That made it real hard on the defense especially since they were eating the clock. The coaches and scout team did a great job preparing us. As a defense, you have to play real disciplined ball and try to force them to pitch. Their offense did a great job finding the crease."

On the importance of the game:
"We came in knowing what was on the line. But we had the same mentality we do every game. We can't control whether or not we get a bowl game anymore, all we control is the play on the field."

On playing his possible last game as a Huskie:
"It really has started to set in. It was a great season playing under coach Kill. But we're still bowl eligible. All we can do is sit back and wait to see what happens."

Navy Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo:

Opening Statement:
"Tonight's game was a hard fought affair on both sides. NIU plays the same brand of football we do - hardnosed and pounding on the ground - and we knew we were in for a battle."

On the performance of the defense:
"The Huskies were moving the ball pretty effectively against us early in the game, but our first interception helped the defense settle down and focus."

"Our defense has been playing on the `bend don't break' principle all year, but we were able to make some big fourth down stops that helped bolster our confidence. I am very proud of our shut-out effort tonight."

On the performance of the offense:
"We got an impressive individual effort from our Sophomore Quarterback Ricky Dobbs in his first start. But overall, I think our offense did a great job of controlling the ball and making the best of all out possessions."

Navy Linebacker Emmett Merchant

On interception:
"We have been practicing against the NIU offensive sets all week and I was able to just read the play and step in for the interception."

On shut-out:
"We feel very confident as a defensive unit especially in the red zone and that translated into key stops."

Navy Quarterback Ricky Dobbs

On Navy's performance
"I think you have to give our defense credit for some of our offensive performance. The key stops allowed us to settle down and take our time to score."