Randy Walker Quotes

"Playing a top-15 football team in the country, not a small achievement. But we do have a way of making it interesting. 'Why can't we do this easy?' I kept saying in the fourth quarter."

"If you're prone to losing your focus, you can lose it fast in an environment like that."

"I believe it's gonna be one of those years where you could be 6-2 and be the Big Ten champion. I've said this since August at the Big Ten media luncheon. I think it's gonna be a very balanced, competitive year."

"We had expectations, we had high belief in ourselves. But [prior to Saturday], there was nothing to confirm it."

"Defenses love preparation, they love repetition. I've said from the beginning, I think this game will surprise some people. I think it's going to be a better display than what people might think."

"I've made clear my commitment to Northwestern. I'm not a 1-800 guy, calling everybody. Does everybody have a price? Sure. But there's a value in the kind of kids I get to coach, the institution I represent, where I live. I don't know if there's a better job."

"The Big Ten is probably too strong. College football has a certain amount of variability when it comes to who plays for the national championship, but if you look at the Big Ten and the quality of football, it is as good as it has ever been. The trouble is, you show up every week, and it's tough."

"My understanding is things haven't changed with him. It's out of our control as a football program. I don't anticipate having him."

"Give a defense three or four weeks to prepare. Normally, we get two or three days. The defense loves preparation. I think this game will surprise some people. Our defense has been maligned, but they've made plays when they had to."

"I couldn't ask for more from our defense. They scored a couple more touchdowns, they forced them to kick and gave us the ball back. Fifty points looks bad and they got some yards, but we've been in that game all year and we were today."

"You're not sleeping in your own bed. You have some typical logistical issues that are gonna take you out of your normal routine. We have a young football team and I've tried to explain to them how important it is to be able to handle these 'adjustments' the right way."

"I feel really sold on these guys. We've been rated pretty low before, but I like the class we have. Those people pick us low every year."

"After two years of working with Garrick, I truly believe he has a great future and can be a special coach. He has an impressive background, as a coach and a player, and he will be committed to excellence with our offense and quarterbacks. I'm excited about this move for Garrick and our football team."

"I reminded them in the locker room, there's still a lot of football left in the season. This thing is going to be a wild race to the end, and hopefully we can keep getting better as a football team."

"I've been coaching football for 30 years. I've seen a lot of good football players -- but I haven't seen any better than A.J. Hawk."

"There's a lot of football left. We're just one game out."

"I'll say what I say on the sidelines: There's a lot of football left, ... There's a lot of football left in this season a lot. We need a great off week."

"I said it is going to be a crazy year and there are a lot of football teams that could win this league. I don't think that's changed. A lot of people can win the Big Ten, including the team we're playing this week and including us. Maybe I'm nuts, but I believe it."

"It's tough to lose a game like that."

"I don't know if I've ever had a game quite like that one. We've played a lot of games like that, so I guess I should learn to expect things like that."