John Cooper Press Luncheon Quotes – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 1999
Head Coach John Cooper
On the Ohio University game
“Last season, they were ranked No. 2 in the nation in running yards, which is outstanding. They do a great job on the option offense. It is very hard to defend against their offense. We do not see it much in our conference, so our defense has to make sure they are ready against Ohio’s style and we will work on this in practice.”
Competing against Ohio schools
I like competing against the Ohio schools. It is a great way to bring in a new rivalry against the top schools in Ohio. We will be doing it next year too with us going against Miami (O.) next season.”
On quarterback Steve Bellisari
“Steve Bellisari played a solid game for us. Not only throwing the ball for us, but running the offense and running the ball himself. He will be our starting quarterback this week.”
On the two quarterback system
“As you know, I have always liked the two quarterback system and have done it for years. It is great, because both quarterbacks get experience in game situations in these early games. If someone would go down, you can rely on one of them and not a back-up that has never started in a game.”
On team improvements
“We made improvements this past Saturday, however we still have a lot of room to improve. What is nice is that even with them playing so well on Saturday, the players realize that there is more to improve on…the mental mistakes, turnovers and working on our blocks. They want to come out strong all four quarters.”
Jr. Defensive End Rodney Bailey
On Ohio University
“You have to be up every week. They are going to come out hard against us and you can’t just sit back. What we learned, especially watching the Penn State highlights, is you can’t take anyone lightly. We have to stay focused and be ready to play Ohio on Saturday.”
So. Fullback Jamar Martin
On Ohio University
“We are going to play with the same intensity as we would with anyone that is coming into Ohio Stadium. They will be ready and we have to go into this like any game. We want to stay focused and in control of the game.”
Sr. Offensive Guard Ben Gilbert
On the offensive line
“We showed a lot of character coming back after being down ten points against UCLA. We are confident in our abilities now. We didn’t make as many mental mistakes and turnovers against them. Now, heading into the Ohio game, we want to improve on getting our jobs done all four quarters.”
“We showed a lot more intensity this past game. We didn’t prove to ourselves or anyone else the dominant force that we are supposed to be in the first game. Now we have established ourselves and are ready to take on our next opponent.”
On non-conference opponents
“This is another game. You can’t take a step back in college football. We have to keep on improving and can’t take anyone lightly. They are a solid team and we have to keep that focus through the week.”
Sr. Defensive End James Cotton
“We have to show every week that we can play consistently and with intensity. Right now a lot of people question if we can do this in every game. So we must prove to them that we are a solid team.”
“Everybody will be talking about the fact that we are suppose to beat Ohio by 40 points. But we can’t get into all the hype. We have to stay focused, because they will be fired up and ready to play.”
