Post-game press conference notes

[lou v]

I'm in the media room in the bowels of Soldier Field, where I am waiting for Fitz and the players to meet the media. I will post summaries of their comments here....

 

[lou v]

I'm in the media room in the bowels of Soldier Field, where I am waiting for Fitz and the players to meet the media. I will post summaries of their comments here....

Fitz

Proud of our seniors. They are responsible for the season and got the program's values back. Happy for Bill Cubit getting a contract extension at Illinois. Thought the attitude and approach from his team was "spot-on" after an emotional win last week. It was a privilege to play at Soldier Field. He's been a Bears fan his whole life and was 10 years old when the Bears won the Super Bowl.

Getting 10 wins: "We talk about going 1-0 each week. " Talked about how difficult it is to focus 17 to 22 year olds. "Now they watch other games on their phones in pregame."

Best defense he's had? "I think for our ability defensively to create big plays, absolutely." "What jumps out to me is our depth." Talked about last year's game, 30-plus guys out. Felt he let the team down and didn't do enough to get the guys ready. Last month, guys stepped up and played significant time. As far as the defense goes, we gave up seven points today. "Can you guys write (Hank) in for the Broyles Award?" I don't get it. Pop on the tape and watch the film. Our kids dominated today and we don't get the credit. "Our resume speaks for itself."

What is your team's identity? "We're a Chicago football team...four yards and a cloud of dust." People think it's boring, I don't care. I'd love to have Baylor's offense, but they don't have our defense.

JJ in the second half: That's who he is. "Every game as the game goes along, he just gets stronger and stronger. It's impressive to watch.

Legacy for seniors, part of two 10-win teams: It's huge. Another huge opportunity in front of them, to win two bowl games. Said in camp that their attitude had to take the team over. "That's a strong, strong group of leaders."

Case for New Year's Day bowl: "I'd say look at the resume." Played Pac-12 team, ACC team on the road. Two losses to teams that went 21-3. And the rest of the games, we won. We have the best graduation rate in the country, if that means anything. We won the games that put us in position to be in the conversation. I would ask the committee to watch the film. I'm tired of hearing that it was 9 am (for Stanford). I'm tired of it for the kids.

Bringing Thorson along slowly: "You know, he's a freshman." He's got to learn from his experience. Matt (Alviti)'s not going to sit down. He's going to compete for the job. I'm thankful to Zack for stepping up in a couple games this year. "He's been here as long as my son Brendan's been alive."

Chance for 11 wins: Incredibly proud of them, for their sacrifice and dedication to the program. Still have a lot of room for improvement. Kickoff of a $200 million-plus facility. "It's a special time to be a part of our program."

NU player interviews will take place outside locker room, so I'll be recording but not posting those.

 

[lou v]

Fitz

Proud of our seniors. They are responsible for the season and got the program's values back. Happy for Bill Cubit getting a contract extension at Illinois. Thought the attitude and approach from his team was "spot-on" after an emotional win last week. It was a privilege to play at Soldier Field. He's been a Bears fan his whole life and was 10 years old when the Bears won the Super Bowl.

Getting 10 wins: "We talk about going 1-0 each week. " Talked about how difficult it is to focus 17 to 22 year olds. "Now they watch other games on their phones in pregame."

Best defense he's had? "I think for our ability defensively to create big plays, absolutely." "What jumps out to me is our depth." Talked about last year's game, 30-plus guys out. Felt he let the team down and didn't do enough to get the guys ready. Last month, guys stepped up and played significant time. As far as the defense goes, we gave up seven points today. "Can you guys write (Hank) in for the Broyles Award?" I don't get it. Pop on the tape and watch the film. Our kids dominated today and we don't get the credit. "Our resume speaks for itself."

What is your team's identity? "We're a Chicago football team...four yards and a cloud of dust." People think it's boring, I don't care. I'd love to have Baylor's offense, but they don't have our defense.

JJ in the second half: That's who he is. "Every game as the game goes along, he just gets stronger and stronger. It's impressive to watch.

Legacy for seniors, part of two 10-win teams: It's huge. Another huge opportunity in front of them, to win two bowl games. Said in camp that their attitude had to take the team over. "That's a strong, strong group of leaders."

Case for New Year's Day bowl: "I'd say look at the resume." Played Pac-12 team, ACC team on the road. Two losses to teams that went 21-3. And the rest of the games, we won. We have the best graduation rate in the country, if that means anything. We won the games that put us in position to be in the conversation. I would ask the committee to watch the film. I'm tired of hearing that it was 9 am (for Stanford). I'm tired of it for the kids.

Bringing Thorson along slowly: "You know, he's a freshman." He's got to learn from his experience. Matt (Alviti)'s not going to sit down. He's going to compete for the job. I'm thankful to Zack for stepping up in a couple games this year. "He's been here as long as my son Brendan's been alive."

Chance for 11 wins: Incredibly proud of them, for their sacrifice and dedication to the program. Still have a lot of room for improvement. Kickoff of a $200 million-plus facility. "It's a special time to be a part of our program."

NU player interviews will take place outside locker room, so I'll be recording but not posting those.

Here's some video from Fitz's comments from our Beth Long...