Tillett quarterbacked the Ponies to a 21-7 victory over Cretin-Derham Hall on national television (ESPN2) on Sept. 13.

Were you concerned about being on the big stage? Our emphasis all week was to take things like we have every week and not focus on the cameras and the hype. We wanted it to be just like another game.

Any pregame butterflies? You know, when we got there, a lot of the team was saying they had no idea there was the extra presence there.

When did it hit you that you won a game on ESPN2? On the bus ride home. We were all happy and celebrating, and we realized we were going to be able to go home and watch ourselves on TV. That was really cool. I know a lot of guys watched the game over the weekend. I watched it a couple of times.

What was different about watching yourself? Not too much. We see ourselves play on film every day. It was kind of like watching football on Sunday, with the announcers and the extra time and everything.

You had to be proud of how your team played. It was great. We had our best week of practice that week. We came in knowing the coaches had us very well-prepared. Things clicked.

Jim Paulsen