Mike Locksley on Northern Illinois, QB Malik Washington, return to Friday night lights

Ahmed Ghafir
Sep 2
14 min read

Everything that head coach Mike Locksley said ahead of Northern Illinois:

Opening statement

“In regards to Saturday, obviously, we had to turn the page really, really quickly. We practiced probably a little over 16 hours later, we were in the Jones-Hill House indoor facility for a Sunday night practice. As norm when you play on a Friday, everything gets shifted up a day. So this, to me, is Tuesday, I guess Wednesday. This is my Wednesday's practice that we have coming up today. Our players got back in after FAU, focused on getting better and improving that we always talk about. I've already seen some of the improvements, the energy and effort we've had the last couple of days being a short week has been really, really good.

On NIU

When you talk about NIU. It's a program that I know their head coach really well, Thomas Hammack, has been Coach of the Year, I think, a couple of years ago, big upsets, I think over Notre Dame a couple of years ago. So this is a program that's accustomed to playing these types of games where they most people outside the program don't think they have a chance, but I can tell you when you watch them on tape, which I've done the last three days, really well coached team. On defensive structure, sound, tackles well. On the offensive side of the ball, they know who they want to be. They’re a run first team and ball control, but those guys are really well coached. And on the special teams, you'll see they made a couple of plays with some additions to their program.”

On Friday Night Lights

“I'm definitely looking forward to Friday night being back home here in the shell. I know our players excited to be able to play under the lights here, and we expect it to be a great atmosphere. As we've seen over the years with having played some of these Friday games, our people tend to come out for Friday night and looking forward to our really talented group of young players making the big jump from week one to week two that we expect.”

On game captains

“Our game captains for this week are Jalen husky, Shaleak ‘Punch’ Knotts and Octavian Smith Jr represent our special teams.”

On the pass rush

“As you guys probably know, I'm pretty authentic when I come up here and speak. And the things that I think I've talked about - our kicking game, the pass rushers on the edge of being good young players, the quarterback room being a room that all three of those guys we felt we can win with. We've got a good young team and I'm excited to see this team grow. By no means have we arrived because we had some success. The good thing is we won, but there are a lot of things that could be cleaned up in that game and that's what as coaches, our jobs are to get those things cleaned up so that they don't show back up on tape. And I can tell you that our team is one of those young teams that they don't know what they don't know. They showed up Sunday, very short window for celebrating a win, the first win in The Shell for 64 of those guys and they came back with the right attitude. When you win, you're able to coach guys really hard, and the things that we need to get improved, we will.”

On where Locksley wants to see improvements from week one to week two

“There's a bunch of areas. The run game on offense is one of the areas that with the addition of what we wanted to do, I can tell you, I didn't anticipate throwing the ball 43 times, but we do run a style of offense that allows, if they're going to load the box up, we have to take advantage [of] what they give us. We had some short yardage situations that I didn't feel like we played with the right mentality. And as a group that's starting to gel and come together that [offensive] line, and having seen what we did during training camp, that's one of the areas on the defensive side of the ball, obviously, we've got two really dynamic pass rushers in number nine [Zahir Mathis] and 29 [Sidney Stewart] and they're both very young. And they both have very little experience of understanding people are going to try to take advantage of The aggressiveness. So we've got, obviously, the snap count jumps up. Sidney Stewart had two offside penalties, and I'm gonna just tell you, it bothers nobody more than Sidney. And he's a conscientious young player that's starting his first game as a Terp and played really well, but those are the areas for me, those are concentration, focus issues that young players, when they fail the way he failed, and he hates that that happened, that he'll be better for.”

What concerns Locksley about NIU’s defense

“I think the big thing is they're very sound in gaps. Defensive football is about the structure of maintaining and having gap assignments. And these guys played with great discipline and great gap control and consistency. And so for us, this is where our best players is going to have to make a guy miss maybe in the box or break a tackle, or we won't have to make a 50-50 contested catch because they'll be where they're supposed to be. And [I] always say, hopes not a game plan. They very rarely put themselves in harm's way with how they line up structurally. And then they'll play really sound, and they play really, really hard, which is the sign of a well-coached team. And as I said, Thomas Hammack does a really good job.”

What Locksley likes about Friday night games

“I think the best thing is that it gives us a chance to amplify the University of Maryland, a place I grew up loving as a kid, coming over watching those mid-80s teams. It amplifies that we're the tenth-ranked academic institution in the country on a national stage that plays in a really tough conference. And it gives us a chance to showcase that we have the ability because of where we are, the most powerful city in the world, 20 minutes away, Baltimore, another great city 25, 30 minutes up the road. Our location is second to none. So all these things, when you have a chance to play on national TV. We're, as the marketing arm for the athletic department the university at that time, have a chance to really shine a light on what the University of Maryland is all about.”

On QB Malik Washington’s debut

“I think you may have been the one that asked the one that asked the question when you said, what's one thing about each quarterback? And with Malik, I think the answer was maturity. And I think what you guys saw is what I said to you guys is that this kid is a little more mature beyond the years. Very similar to some other quarterbacks that I've had a chance to work with and be around. And you know that maturity showed up when you start off 1-for-8 but you had three drops too. So we got to help him. A run game would help him as well. And I saw a young quarterback really put it on himself to deliver some great throws. Did he play perfect? No, not at all. There was a lot of improvement. But he's also a guy that I know missed some time doing training camp and he's really just starting to maybe get to two to three weeks in of actually having an opportunity to go compete. And that's where, I think, much like every piece of this program, you'll see him get better from week one to week two. But I also think because of what he's been able to do, you'll see defenses now try to do some things knowing who our quarterback is to take advantage of the inexperience that he may have.”

On working with young players after celebrating wins

“Our process doesn't allow that to happen. I mean, we're all allowed. And in this instance, it was a shorter window, because Sunday is typically their day off, and we actually worked. And so again, the way we are operating, the type of coaching staff we have, this isn't our first rodeo with a young quarterback that won his first game. We can rely on the experience of there's a lot of things to get cleaned up from the game Saturday that we had to put the attention to. That's where, again, his maturity really jumps out because he's a kid that won a lot at Spalding, where he played for former Terp, Kyle Schmitt, and really helped put that program on the map here, locally and nationally. So it's not really his first go around with it, and I feel really comfortable with how he has approached it because of it.”

On the impact of Malik Washington picking up a win in his debut

“I told you guys, we don't ease into anything in our program. When a gun goes off, we're off and running. Like today's first day of school. We've already been checking classes. We've got great attendance, which is a big, big thing for us. But with Malik, there's no doubt in my mind that to get off to a fast start is igniting, and we had to start. To elevate, you have to at least hit the button to start where you want to go, and we've pushed the button down. And now what we got to do is try to create a little momentum this week.”

On the 14 penalties in week one

“Well, let me turn it to the positive side because we had eight in the first quarter. So that means we improved as the game went along. And that's kind of what I expect when you have a team of guys that are playing in their first game, at least here in The Shell. The pre snap ones are the ones that kind of, as a coach, gets under my skin, because those are focus issues. I always use this word discipline, but guys, let's not misconstrue - it's a focus issue, because when you say discipline, there's very few parts of my program that players aren't disciplined. And you look at how we dress, we don't come out with T-shirts hanging out of our jerseys. We don't have a bunch of guys with different colors socks and stuff on. So I'm gonna stop using discipline and it's a focus issue. Typically, when you deal with 18- to 22-year-old males with a lot of testosterone, focus is a hard thing to coach but we've gone about getting it corrected this week. And as I've said before, it's a lot like raising kids. And if I were to follow you guys around as parents with a camera and check and see how many times your kid missed homework or didn't get to bed on time or didn't get the car back. I mean, I wouldn't think you don't have discipline. So let's get to the end of the season, add it up and see how we play. But I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it. We will get it corrected.”

On K Sean O’Haire going 3-for-3 vs. FAU

“Didn’t I tell you about our kicker I think in couple of these press conferences. I said that one, probably the best portal guy we got, was this kicker. And to go in and kick a 49 yarder with the wind in his face. And he's one of those guys, confidence-wise, that there's not a kick he doesn't think he can make. And it really helps as a play caller to know that once you cross the plus 35 that you'll have a chance to come away with points. And Sean's got a strong leg. I wish he could kick off for us. I mean, that's the one area that we do have to, from a kicking game standpoint, we've got to get the ball down in the end zone, not have those drive starts the way they were on Saturday.”

On LB Mike Harris

“Is that surprising to you? Because it wasn't surprising to us.”

“But that was surprising to you, but not to us. So we have things and standards, and Michael understands them, really did a good job on special teams. I don't know if you track those reps, but was one of our better special teams players on Saturday. As he continues to improve, you'll continue to see Mike play more because He is a talented player that we expect to create value for our program this year.”

On the strength of the specialists

“That's complimentary football. That's what all three phases, jobs are to be complimentary. [There are] going to be three and outs. That happens. And I one of the best quotes I've ever heard was every drive should end with a kick. And they did, because we had zero turnovers, which not one person has said, You guys talk about these penalties but we got out with a freshman quarterback with no turnovers and we created six and that's a really big deal. But having special teams guys, they get one shot, one kill. And Bryce has been as good as any punter in the country. Surprised he wasn't on the Ray Guy early watch list, which I'm putting it out there now, he's a guy that should be based on what he's been able to do. And then the addition of Sean, and then don't leave out Ethan Gough, who really has been consistent. And when you don't hear the long snappers name, that's a big deal.”

On LB Daniel Wingate’s ceiling

“I heard President Pines say something about limitless in one of the videos he put out. And so I would think for number one, Daniel Wingate, it's limitless of the heights he can reach. And he's one of those guys that's been that guy as a young player. I mean, even when he wasn't playing very much, he was a guy that was on our leadership council because he kind of – not kind of - he's made up of the right stuff. And very similar, I was here doing EJ’s years, very similar to EJ. He's not a man of a lot of words. Just goes about doing his business. Players in that locker room really respect him and with some of the subtractions of guys that have left this program, it's allowed him to become the leader. He became kind of the face. We took him to Vegas with us and I really like the way he's trending.”

On Sidney Stewart’s leadership in the locker room

“This freshman group is different and they come in with a lot of leadership qualities, because a lot of these guys were guys that could have went anywhere in the country, and very few in this generation of kids, very few players like a Sidney, like a Malik that have maybe the ability to go to some places that you guys would deem better places, per se. When they come here and decide to come here, it shows that they got great leadership, because they don't follow. Because the normal great recruits going to go to the top ten team, not the team that won four games a year ago. And so when you look at these guys and decisions they made, I think they started showing early the type of character they had by just making a decision to come here and help us get this program back to where we all wanted to be.”

On the status of OT Jaylen Gilchrist and QB Justyn Martin

“They both are out this week. We have some more medical things to do here the next couple of days to be able to determine we'll know a lot more. Friday night, we'll put out our report but we haven't had all the conclusive evidence yet to know what, but I do know they're out for this game coming up Friday.”

On the impact of Gilchrist’s injury on the OL

“He's a good player, a young player that really was playing well in that game, we forced him in there I think the third series of the game. Our goal was to play him because much like some of these other guys we talked about the success they had, he was having some quiet success, rotating in as a guy that added tremendous depth. How does it affect us? It affects us a little bit in that we lose an offensive lineman, which we were already thin at that position group coming into it with the loss of Mike McMonigle for the year and his ACL but you know what, this opportunity, this unfortunate opportunity, also gives an opportunity to guys like Davon Watkins and [Anthony] Robsock and some of those younger players to have opportunities now to develop. We'll get those guys ready to play.”

On the starting CB tandem

“We talked about a position group a year ago that was tough. We added those two guys from the portal and both those guys are played really well early for us. And the good thing is that we kind of saw that in practice and those guys really did a great job all camp and in the spring, contesting the balls in the air and coming up with their hands on balls. And Dontay, I call him the little reservation dog. He's like he's doesn’t try to look pretty in his uniform. He just loves playing football. You can tell with the energy and passion he plays with. Jamare is more of a thinker, the quiet guy, the guy that's the silent kind of killer. I really like his mental makeup of how he plays the position. And the guy you did mention was Kerm, Kerm in the nickel slot, did a tremendous job for us a couple of fourth down tackles, which are like turnovers. And that was a big step for us in the right direction with this secondary, especially with how many new bodies we have over there. They coming along well. Great job by coach Ted and Aazaar getting those guys ready to play.

On the run game

“If there was a position or area the run game because of what I saw us doing during camp, because I know of Pep’s philosophy as a coordinator and how important the run game is to all of us. It was below par for me. It was an area where there were some yards left on the field. We had a coming out situation where if we just bang the ball out of the backside A-gap, it's a huge, huge gain for us. And so good thing is these are all things, now that we have them on tape against an opponent, as opposed to just the everyday grind of practice film. I think you'll see us get better at that position group because they're talented. Between DeJuan and Nolan, both guys have triple threats - can run, block and catch. I expect those guys to play better. There two guys that are playmakers that we've got to get them going. DeJuan had a few runs in there. But all in all, I'd say that that's the one area going in, as I talked about in the beginning part of the conference, that we've got to get the run game going this week.”

On returners who impressed in week one

“[Aliou] Bah, 66. He had a holding a holding call that I won't even get into right now, but Lou Bah has played really, really well. Octavian Smith Jr, maybe not had the production, but if you watch the way Oct effort in the run game, this was where you wanted it to be. 22, [Jalen] Huskey again, another guy that returning, kind of quarterbacked us back there on the defensive side, got guys lined up the right way. Dillan Fontus is another one up front, didn't start last year, but played some meaningful reps, and he was really consistent for so a few of those returning guys that we think really did a good job coach.”

On DC Ted Monachino’s impact on the defense

“We have some talented players on defense and Ted has done a tremendous job of - and your job as a coach is to put your best your players in the best position to have success. And I think Ted and has done that with what we do on defense. Structurally, we're doing some things a little bit different to where we’re contesting balls on the outside, meaning we’re pressing a little bit more, playing a little more man coverage, keeping the middle part of the field closed up. And Ted really does a really good job. You really see his impact is on the third down stuff. In the NFL, that third down package is a big, big deal, and we've got some multi skilled players like Trey Redick, who can be a down rusher, can be a second level spin guy, and Ted is using all those pieces and putting them in the right place so far. And I've been excited with what I've seen out of our defense, and not just in this game, but you guys don't get to see the practices and from spring to now, having to put this many new players together and getting them to play under you know in alignment, kudos to all of our coaches for what they've been able to get done in one game. And now let's make the improvements we need to make going into week two.”

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