Press Luncheon Quotes – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 1999
Head Coach John Cooper
On UCLA’s style…
“Bob Toledo is an offensive coach, so we will not see that many changes from last year’s squad. They will still have a great offensive team. On defense, they have hired a new defensive coordinator, so we will see some changes in their defensive schemes from last year to this year’s squad.
“Their receiving core is outstanding. They are real athletic and have great agile speed. All of their offensive players are highly skilled and outstanding players. Our defense has to be ready for them to make big plays on the offense.”
On the UCLA quarterbacks…
“They have a quarterback controversy with Drew Bennett and Cory Paus. They like playing the two quarterbacks like we used to do. Paus, who is a red-shirted freshman, had a great game against Boise State. We do not know who we will be seeing in this game.”
Watching UCLA against Boise State…
“In terms of alignment of their defenses, we did see some things by watching the Boise State game. However, UCLA was up 24 points going into halftime, so we couldn’t really get that much from watching that game.”
On last week’s practices…
“Austin Moherman and Steve Bellisari practiced well last week. I have no idea who is going to start. It is too early to say, because we still have three more practices to decide.
“Everybody has practiced well and is ready for this week of practice. We have gone over the mistakes that were made during the Miami game and are now ready for UCLA. We had some contact in practice, which was great for these guys to get the intensity up and ready for some great competition.”
On the night game…
“I would rather be playing UCLA at 1 p.m. on Saturday instead of that night. If we were playing at 1 p.m., it would actually be 10 a.m. to UCLA. They now have time to wake up. With the long travel and the time change, that can wear on a team before they have even played. So this is not going to be to our advantage with the later start.
“Though our crowd will be pumped with the later start and that will be the advantage for us. Playing at night at home has always been a great experience. Many of these guys have never experienced this before, so it will be fun for them.”
Junior Defensive End Rodney Bailey
On UCLA’s Offense…
“UCLA’s offense is very solid. Both of their quarterbacks play very well with their offensive unit. We are prepared that they will be settled in their position.”
OSU’s 0-1 record…
“We are not used to being 0-1, but now we must move on. Every game is a must win here at Ohio State, because we want to win. We have worked hard in practice and I know that we are ready for UCLA. We cannot dwell on our record. There are many more games in a season.”
Sophomore Quarterback Austin Moherman
On competing against UCLA…
“Being originally from California, I know a couple of guys who play for UCLA. Blake Worley is an old high school classmate of mine and Shawn Poster is from the same area that I am from, so it will be fun to go up against them.
“Growing up in that area, I really focused in on USC and UCLA. When coming here and looking at the future game schedule, I really targeted this game to be a match up that I would play in.
“The USC and UCLA rivalry is a lot like the Michigan and Ohio State rivalry. You really hate the other guys.”
Sophomore Quarterback Steve Bellisari
On the Miami (Fla.) game…
“I learned a lot from the Miami game. I was bitter about a lot of things that didn’t go well for me. But it is important that you learn from those mistakes and move on to the next opponent. Now I am ready to get back out there.
“It is good to have a game under our belt even though it is a loss. We now know what we have to get done and keep on working on those fundamentals. This has prepared us for UCLA.”
Competing in a night game…
“I have talked to my brother (Greg), who told me that is was a great experience to play in a night game. So I am really excited. It is a great experience for players and the fans. I know everybody will be pumped up and that always is great for us.”
Junior Linebacker Na’il Diggs
On the UCLA game…
“This is a redemption for us. I don’t think we were at the emotional and intensity level that we had to be for Miami. Now our intensity and enthusiasm is there. It really changed by watching the game tape, we noticed the intensity was not there. Guys want to change that and go back to the way we are used to playing.”
On the OSU linebackers…
“Having Courtland Bullard back in the lineup is really important to us. His speed, athletic ability and just his presence alone will really help us against UCLA.
“Jason Ott did an outstanding job for being a first-time starter in a big game like that.”
Junior Split End Reggie Germany
On the UCLA game…
“It is not so much a “must win” for us, but that we want to win against UCLA. We are very dedicated to Ohio State and our fans. Now we want to show to everyone the true Ohio State Buckeyes.”
On the quarterbacks…
“With one game under their belt, they are less stressed and now more calm. They have the experience of a game after competing last week. That has helped everybody and not only just our quarterbacks. The receivers, the offensive line, all of us now know the game fundamentals and what we need to work on this week to win the game on Saturday.”
-GO BUCKS!-
