Posted by: Josh Kendall on December 7, 2012

Rod Carey has been the head coach at Northern Illinois for less than a week, but he seems to be getting the hang of it.

Carey sounded all the right head coaching notes this week when he represented the team at an Orange Bowl press conference in Miami.

"It's been a crazy four days for me personally and our team and really this is about our team and not about me," said Carey, who was promoted to replace Dave Doeren on Sunday. "Our team has earned this by doing what they did on the field."

The Huskies will play Florida State in the school's first BCS bowl in January.

"I'm up here today on the shoulders of a lot of great men before me at Northern Illinois and in my life," Carey said. "Dave Doeren would lead the charge in that. I owe a lot to him, and what I have learned from him."

In fact, Carey still is adjusting to the fact that he and not Doeren is in charge now.

"I haven't coached a practice yet with this team as the head coach," he said. "This is still Dave's team even though we are moving forward with us. I owe him a lot."

The other coach who gets a lot of the credit for Carey's development is former Indiana coach Bill Mallory, Carey's college coach.

"He does things a certain way," Carey said. "I still tremble a little bit when I go to call him. You're a product of where you grow up."

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Josh Kendall is a staff writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered the SEC for more than 15 years for papers such as the Athens Banner-Herald, Macon Telegraph, and The State. He’s the father of two boys who he’s hoping don’t inherit his wide receiver frame and offensive guard feet. Follow @EyeOnCoaches on twitter and send your feedback to josh@coachingsearch.com