Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Question and Answer with head coach Jerry Kill
10/14/2005 | 12:00:00 | Football
Oct. 14, 2005
By Beth Miller
www.SIUSalukis.com
How did the team feel about getting two days off after beating Western Illinois?
JK: I think they've been practicing better. This is a long season. It's like a marathon race right now. We've got a lot of football to be played. Academically, I want to make sure we're staying on top of things. It gave those kids a couple of days to get situated, and I think they needed it. We had a good practice today, so I think it was a good move on our part.
With close games the last two weeks, do you see a more competitive race for the Gateway Conference Championship this season?
JK: The biggest thing with that is, every game we play this year is going to be close because everybody in our conference is much better than they were a year ago. Year to year, nobody likes to get beat by the same team all the time. We're the hunted right now. It doesn't matter if it's Indiana State playing Western Kentucky or us playing Illinois State Saturday, every game is going to be close in the Gateway this year. It's going to come down to who makes the least mistakes and who can make some plays down the stretch.
How does this year's Illinois State team compare to previous years?
JK: Oh, there's no comparison. They played Western Kentucky, had the game won with 10 seconds to go , and a guy made a deep pass and kicked a field goal to beat them. Then they lost to Youngstown on a last second field goal. I think they're much better, and according to other coaches in the conference that have played them, think they are one of the top two or three teams in our conference right now.
Were you pleased to see the defense come up with 9 sacks against Western Illinois, and do you now expect that kind of performance each week?
JK: I think it's one of those things where we played in spurts like we did on offense. We played, at times, with enthusiasm and aggressiveness and smarts. Then there's times we'll have a little off period, but I think we're getting better defensively. It was a big step forward on Saturday, the way they played.
To what do you attribute the offense's success at scoring in the Red Zone?
JK: I think a lot of it has to do with our quarterback being so smart and making correct decisions down there and not turning over the football. We work at it a lot. We worked at it during two-a-day camp and in the summer. We spend a lot of time working in those situations, so I think it's paid off for us.
What is the injury status of running back Arkee Whitlock for this weekend?
JK: Arkee practiced today and did a lot of things, so we feel like he'll be ready for this weekend.
