Illinois place kicker Jason Reda was the first Illini football player named the Big Ten player of the week since 2004. Reda was instrumental in Illinois’ 23-20 victory at Michigan State, where he kicked three successful field goals and two PATs.

Reda sat down with the Daily Illini on Tuesday to talk about how the season is going and how the team is preparing for Indiana this week.

Reda sat down with the Daily Illini on Tuesday to talk about how the season is going and how the team is preparing for Indiana this week.

Question: How exciting was Saturday’s win for the team?

Answer: Oh, it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. It’s a lot of things, a road win, that sense of accomplishment.

Everyone here works extremely hard, so when we get something we want to happen, it feels really good.

There was a lot of emotion coming out, knowing we finally achieved one of our goals.

Q: Do you feel like there’s more excitement on campus surrounding the football team now?

A: We might look at things a little differently, our spirits are high so it seems like everyone’s spirits are high.

I’d say more people are talking about it now, people are asking questions like ‘How are you guys looking for Indiana?’

Q: Have you taken on more of a leadership role among the specialists this year, now that you’ve added kickoffs to your responsibilities and you’ve become one of the more seasoned players?

A: Yes, especially now that we have five or six freshman.

I took a little more of a leadership role because Steve Weatherford left, and he was our leader, and because we have a lot of freshmen who need some guidance.

Q: How well are the freshmen adjusting to the college game?

A: They’re all good at their own certain thing. They’re adjusting very well, they have the routine down, know what’s expected of them.

Q: How is a kickoff different from a punt, a field goal, or a point-after?

A: A field goal and PAT are the same thing, they should be kicked the same way.

A kickoff is basically everything you’ve got going one direction and swinging as hard and you can. Punting has a lot of fundamentals, technique you have to use.

Q: Do you like having kickoff responsibilities?

A: Yeah, I have no problem with that, I think it’s a fun experience.

I get a lot of adrenaline doing it, going out there. It usually means we just scored, so the crowd’s really excited.

Q: Can you hear the thing they do when the students jingle their keys?

A: Yeah, I do hear the keys. I hear it when I’m doing my steps, but then when I’m approaching the ball, I can’t hear anything. I block it all out.

Q: Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals?

A: I don’t think I do, but I’m sure I do something every time.

I don’t pay attention to it. I know there’s something, but I try and make sure there’s no rituals, just so I can’t blame that. I don’t do any of that.

Q: How is game day different when you’re a specialist? Is it hard to worry about warming up and following the game when you’re behind the bench?

A: At first it takes a little adjusting, when to warm up, but now it’s kind of instinct. After a while you get used to how the game flows.

Q: What’s the No. 1 reason fans should come to Saturday’s game?

A: We will do everything it takes to win.

We will work extremely hard and they will leave the game knowing they just saw a team having fun.