38 Quotes by Joe Novak

We didn't think he had capped out yet. We knew he could play in the NFL, but we didn't know if he'd have that extra oomph he'd need.

Like having your first baby, right. He's like an expectant father.

Phil's been doing a great job of getting the ball to the right guy this season. He's playing within himself, not trying to do too much. I'm real pleased with what he's been able to do so far.

He showed me something. Not too many guys can go 70 yards on Michigan.

I think back then, the coaches kind of looked out for each other. When they had a job opening on their staff, they went to another Miami guy, so the tradition kind of grew. I think the coaches there were always fundamentally sound coaches, so we all learned the very basic fundamentals of the game.

I think a couple of things showed today. I think our defense is gonna be much improved. And offensively, we didn't play well, but we played without a lot of kids.

Our biggest question mark might be our interior offensive line. We also have to get the linebackers sorted out. Decide who will step in at wide receiver, and the quarterback situation will work itself out. In my opinion, we have two really good ones (senior Phil Horvath and sophomore Dan Nicholson) who could both be considered starters.

Sure, winning is important. Recruits want to go where they know they can win. For some out-of-state recruits, it was a factor in their decision. I believe people in the Chicago area and in-state know what we've done in recent years.

Marquis is a good, young coach with a great future. I'm sure he will do a wonderful job at Miami. Not to brag, but our wide receiving corps blocked pretty well and that's key in our running game. Marcus motivated our kids to do something they didn't want to do. Blocking is dirty work. Marcus got them to excel at blocking and that's good coaching.