Coach Hill Press Conference Transcript

SIU head coach Nick Hill met with the media on Monday morning and talked about the upcoming game against Western Illinois. The Salukis and Leathernecks will close the regular season with a 2 p.m. kickoff in Saluki Stadium on Saturday, November 19.

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Opening statement

We're ready to go for our last week. Our focus is totally on Western Illinois and finding a way to get a win in our last week together as the 2016 team. I'm excited for our guys. It's always tough, especially in my first year coaching, on the senior class. We want to send them out the right way. We still have a ton to play for. This game means a lot especially to the seniors in sending them out the right way. For a lot of teams, you don't get to win your last game unless you win the National Championship. If we can get a win in the last game and go into the offseason with some momentum and send the seniors off with a win, that's our focus right now and I expect nothing less from us than to go out and have a great week of practice and play well.

Do you look at this game as your playoff game?

We talked about that. We know we're going to get Western's best shot. Their total focus is going to be to win this game to try to get into the playoffs. We're going to get a really good football game to come here and we feel like we've got one too. It's our last game. To go out and get a win is something that this group will always remember. It's sort of like our playoff game. I talked about it before. Football is crazy from year to year. A lot staffs might stay the same, but everything is always changing. It's always a different room. Seniors leave and new groups come in. There are transfers. People graduate and new coaches come in and out. It's always special for the whole group each year. This being our last week together, you'd love to go out as a winner.

How has Western Illinois differed on offense and defense from last year?

They're a different coached team so it's a different scheme. I have a ton of respect for coach Fisher. I got to spend a little time with him through our conference meetings. I think he's a good football coach and you can tell that through how his team plays. He's a genuine person. He's a great guy. They've got a lot of talent. They're different than they were last year. South Dakota is more of what Coach Nielson does. New team. New scheme. A lot of the same players obviously. The quarterback we didn't play against, but he played a lot late into the season and took them into the playoffs. He's played well all season. Lenoir has been doing it for a long time. He's the all-time leading receiver in our league. The back is doing a really good job as a sophomore. He led the country in rushing for a while. A lot of their defense is back as far as their linebackers. That's probably the strength of their defense. Their linebackers do a good job. Obviously we know coach Elson. He was our defensive coordinator last year and he is their defensive coordinator now. A lot to get ready for. This team was 6-2 a couple of weeks ago. They're a really good team. They beat an FBS school a couple of weeks ago at Northern Illinois. We've got our work cut out for us.

How much does the team want to play spoiler this week?

We've got a lot to play for, spoiler or whatever. I don't think that's the biggest thing on their mind though, it's just winning for this group is bigger than trying to knock somebody else out of the playoffs. We've played a lot of close games. Anytime you can get a win is the biggest motivating factor.

Having the familiarity with how coach Elson coaches, does that help in preparation for a game like this?

You're familiar with him as a person and a coach. Same thing with him, he's a great football coach. You've got 10 games to see what they're doing differently with new personnel. You're not looking at old film, you go off of what they've been doing this season and try to put the best game plan together based off of the last ten games they've coached at Western Illinois.

They have a pair of good receivers in Lance Lenoir and Joey Borsellino. What impresses you the most about them?

It's really remarkable when you see the numbers that those guys have, especially Lenoir. They've been doing it for a long time. This is my third season around the league, so since his sophomore year. You always get to see everybody on film throughout the year because your game planning other teams. He makes a lot of tough catches. He's tough. He's been as good as anyone ever has in our league. He wants to keep playing. We're going to get his best shot and his whole family will be here since he's playing against his little brother Landon. He's a great receiver. He'll get a shot at the next level too. He'll get a shot at the next level and he can play at that level. They've got really good athletes at the receiver spot.

What does this senior class mean to you?

I will always look back on these guys for as long as I'm fortunate enough to coach as my first team as a head coach. I hope to be in their lives for the rest of their lives. You always remember your coaches, and hopefully they've learned that about us that they're always Salukis, whether I'm here 20 years from now. I'll still keep in touch with all of them. I've said it before, the best part about coaching is the relationships you build with those guys. They've done everything I've ever asked them to do without any push back. They've been great guys. They've led. They've played as hard as they possibly can. They go out to practice each week right until the end. They mean a lot to me and I'd love to send them out as a winner so they can celebrate together one last time. They'll always be around here and welcomed back. They joined a fraternity of Saluki alumni like myself. I know what that feels like. I care a lot about them and I appreciate all of them.

What have you learned in your first year of coaching at this level?

You learn a lot. You take a lot of notes on things that you learn from and maybe will do differently in the second year. I think the biggest thing is this is the first year we've been together as a staff. You get to know the league. In general, getting to know your team. Getting in the flow. Practice schedules, schedules on the road. Recruiting. Getting know your coaches. What ticks. How we work together. I've been the first to tell you that we've all got to get better. Hopefully I'm better in year two than I was in year one and better in year five than in year two. That's what I like about these coaches is that everybody will give himself a hard look of evaluation in how we get better and go on from here. We've done that throughout the year. You've got to leave you egos behind. That's the thing about the last game. We love playing football. We've got five or six days left of the season. That's a sad time. You want to be in the season. We've played all year long to be in the season. We've got one last opportunity to play the best that we can, coach the best that we can and leave it all out on the field. I will definitely look back and grow from this season.

Have you seen what you were hoping for out of Sam Straub going into next season?

Sam has done a great job. He's done everything we've asked him to do. I wouldn't say he's exceeded our expectation because we've known that he's a good player. I look for more things as far as how he carries himself on the sideline. The moment has never been too big for him. He's settled in in practice and I think that's just the way that he's prepared all season. I think he learned a lot from sitting back and watching. When his time came, he was ready to play. He's played at a high level for two games in a row. When you go back and grade his film, he's in the right spots. His mind is in the right spots. There's a handful of plays that he wishes he could take back. I don't care if you're a 15 or 20-year vet. If you watch Tom Brady I'm sure he goes back on film and wishes he has five or six plays back. Sam has those too. He's played at a high level and done a really good job. That won't change this week. He's done a really good job and going forward as solidifying himself as the Saluki quarterback.

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