Nov. 6, 2007

Head coach Joe Novak, quarterback Dan Nicholson, linebacker Zach Larsen, and running back Justin Anderson met with the media during Tuesday's weekly press conference to preview NIU's matchup with Kent State on Saturday. Below are selected quotes from the media session.

Head coach Joe Novak
Opening Statement
"We had a good week off. We got some work done and had workouts Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We were off on Saturday and we had a light workout Sunday night. We are ready to play again."

On looking at building momentum for next season
"Our focus is on trying to do the best we can for the last three games of this season. I know we would like to finish strong and give the seniors a good taste before they leave the team. We are just focusing on taking one game at a time and trying to finish this season out right. Any time you finish off the year on a high note, it makes the winter seem better, it makes the spring program better, and it makes the summer program better as well. It makes the whole program feel better. So it is important to finish the season strong."

On the bye week
"I think it came at the right time. Anytime that you play nine games in a row at any point in a season it is tough. I think having a break like we had is good no matter if you are winning or losing. It gives teams a chance to heal up a little bit because everybody is banged up. I don't care who you are, even if you are playing, you are hurting. When you are preparing for a game every week you never get a chance to say `hey, this is something that we are not doing fundamentally, we need to spend some practice time on fundamentals' and try to get that in the game plan. I think this off week was great for us. Two weeks is a long time."

On facing Kent State
"They lead the conference in rushing offense and rushing defense, so that is a pretty good start. They have a running back [Eugene Jarvis] that reminds you of Garrett Wolfe, and I am not exaggerating. He is smaller than Garrett [Wolfe] at about 5'5" but he's a good football player, fast, and leads our conference in rushing. Their quarterback got hurt two weeks ago, so they have a true freshman [Giorgio Morgan] playing in there now that he is a big rangy kid. He has a good arm, is athletic, and can make you miss as well. He has not played much, but he is going to be a talented player down the road. Their best player on defense is [Jack] Williams, a cornerback. He makes a ton of plays for them on defense. He leads the team in tackles, which from a corner position is hard to do. They also do a lot of blitzing as well. They are a good overall football team. They started the year beating Iowa State on the road. They have had a lot of ups and downs of late losing their last four games and losing their quarterback. They are a good young football team, though. Their coach has done a real good job bringing young skilled players into the program. He has players from all over the country."

On similarities between Kent State and NIU
"We are both just trying to finish off the season strong. They have most of their guys coming back as do we. I think in both cases we just want to continue to get these kids better, to finish off strong, and to try to improve for next season."

Quarterback Dan Nicholson
On the importance of finishing strong
"That is our main focus right now. We are just going to take one game at a time and go from there. We want to send the seniors out on a good note. They have done a lot for this program and have been around for five years now. We want to get them a win, but most importantly a home win. It's been a long time since this program went winless at home in a season. Getting a home win is our focus right now."

Linebacker Zach Larsen
On the bye week
"I think [having the bye] definitely helps to get a few players back during the break. That should help us against the Kent State rushing game. Getting away from football in general will help the whole team and the atmosphere around us. It's not a case of just going through the motions. We are trying to get better for ourselves."

On facing Kent State
"I think we are definitely ready for the challenge this week. Getting that second week off to help us game plan for the rushing offense that KSU has is helpful for our preparation."

Running back Justin Anderson
On having a bye week
"I enjoyed the week off. Sometimes you can get tired of seeing the same people for fifteen weeks straight. I mean, I love these guys, but everyone needs a week off from time to time. We were able to get out minds together and come together physically to prepare for Kent State."