Temple University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
10.6.07 | Football
Oct. 6, 2007
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Al Golden, Temple head coach
Coach, Jake had missed a couple field goals coming into this game and missed the first one today. If he had missed that second one, is it his job still?
Oh yeah. Jake is our kicker, and I'm as surprised as anybody that he missed the earlier one today and that he was in a little rut. He had so much power and lift in pregame. I thought he was going to have a great day, and again that's why you don't belittle kickers when they miss a kick in the first quarter. You stay with them, because they come back and win the game for you. He's just a tremendous kid, so I'm very happy for him, and I know he's very emotional right now. And that was good. It's kind of a microcosm of our day that we came full circle with Jake. So it's exciting.
Coach, that first win of the season is always important. What is the value right now, where you sit?
It just means number one, that we can't be a one-hit wonder. I think they have to understand that. But when you're trying to build a program, the first thing you have to do is learn how to do is compete, and we've done that in all but one game this year. We've competed. And even today, there's a different look right now with the guys. There's a good look, and they're learning how to compete, and they understand that games have ebb and flow, and the other guys are on scholarship, too, and they're trying to score and trying to sack people and trying to make plays. So the value is that they learn how to win today. And the biggest challenge from this moment on is can they learn how to handle winning. That's the next phase. They usually butt up against each other. Learning how to win and learning how to handle winning come hand-in-hand. So will they, like after Navy, allow everybody pat them on the back and run around and get big heads and all that, I certainly hope not. But that's what happens when you're building a program. So will they stay focused and will they understand what allowed them to win, do they understand that they have to play better and eliminate these penalties, or we can't win in games like that. That's the challenge for the staff and obviously for the team, but I'm positive as I leave here today that we have some leadership that's going to try to police that tonight.
This game was a blessing for our program in that we didn't just win the game easily. The guys had a closed door meeting on Tuesday, and you can have a closed door meeting, and everything can be great, and you can come out here and win by 15, and no one would really attest to what happened on Tuesday, but something happened with the team and they decided that they were going to do all the little things right. Hopefully they will continue to do that and that's about all I know about that meeting. But I know they made a commitment to each other to do things right.
Jake Brownell, Temple kicker
What were your emotions when they called time out on you twice? How much was your confidence shaken?
My main thing during the game was, after I missed that first field goal, I knew I had to focus, because I knew it was going to be a battle throughout the game. I knew there was a possibility that I needed to kick some more field goals and put some points on the board. For a confidence level, I know I'm not going to make every kick, so I try not to overemphasize and just kind of forget about it and not worry about that play. So I just try to stay focused throughout the game. I know I can kick the field goals; it's just a matter of being focused.
It's been a tough road for me since high school, so it's overwhelming. The guys work really hard in the off-season. All of that emotion trapped inside kind of just came out. It's fitting for this week though, because throughout the week, we were kind of saying this is the day were going to change everything around and win.
What's it like for a kicker when the other team calls a time out then another time out?
I had a feeling they were going to do that, but I was just trying to stay focused. You know just believe in myself with the Lord's prayer and everything so I just tried to stay focused.
Joe Novak, Northern Illinois head coach
Obviously this was a tough game for you here. Walk me through that last possession, Temple had when they went 59 yards and made 11 plays and set up the game-winning field goal.
The quarterback made a couple crucial plays here today, a couple passes, a couple scrambles. He's a good football player. You know we didn't do a terrible job today against them, but he got them when he needed them. He's a good football player.
You mentioned to me on Wednesday, you thought he was one of the best, if not the best in the MAC and really that quarterback draw play really kind of hurt you today.
Yeah it does. They get you spread out, you drop back and they run it slow. He's back there for a count or two. Then he gives you the pass look then he comes out of there you end up doubling the middle linebacker. You can't make a play. You've got to get your two outside guys and their spread out by the formation. It's a good play. He's a good kid to run it, and they do a good job with it.
A 96-yard drive to take the lead, Dan went out with an injury you put it mostly on the ground and Anderson did a really good job for you in that drive he got the touchdown:
He did and you've got to credit the offensive line it took us over 90 yards in that play. Too bad it just couldn't ----
Another bright spot I thought was the play by Marcus Perez on the return game. I thought he did a real nice job for you both on kickoff and punt returns.
He gives a little something back there. He's got the ability to break the thing all the way if he gets a chance, so he's good to have back in there. He's good to have back, and we hope we can keep him healthy.
What about on the extra points it looked like the first snap was a little high, and I know you had a new holder today with the injury to Greg Turner. How did you see those two missed extra points?
The first one was a high snap, a real high snap, Fontana did a great job getting it down and Chris just couldn't get a really good kick on it. The second one I don't know what happened. It looked good, but I don't know what happened. It's a shame two missed extra points were the difference in the game.
You told me as well on Wednesday two of the best defensive tackles from Temple, some of the best in the MAC if not the best in the MAC, Terrance Knighton really the play of the game on that scoop fumble recovery and the score.
You tell me that our defense doesn't give up a touchdown, I'm feeling real good and that's what they did today. You know they got the one touchdown. It was enough for me, but we couldn't generate enough on offense. I said it last year, these guys are the future of this league. Their defense, they got everybody back and a lot of them are back for two more years. They're going to be a good football team.
