Big Ten Football Teleconference – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2001
Coach Tressel addresses the national media:
“As you all know, we had a tough battle in the Big Ten Conference here at Ohio Stadium last Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes came out and played pretty well at the beginning. But give credit where credit is due-Wisconsin made the plays they needed to make, played through the fourth quarter to come up with a 20-17 victory and we have to congratulate them for that.
“We obviously have to get back to the drawing board and become much more consistent at everything that we’re doing and as we evaluated the entire situation it obviously a total team situation where we failed somewhat in our special units, most especially our punt unit and also had some blows on our defensive side that Wisconsin took advantage of and didn’t produce enough, certainly were consistent enough on our offensive side. But that is what this is all about, getting back to work.”
Q: Even though you struggled last weekend, do you have to guard against overlooking San Diego State?
A: “Well, I would certainly hope that every time we go out there, whether it’s in practice or a game, we take it seriously. I think there is a lot of resolve from our. We want to get a lot better at anything that we’re doing, but I would be very disappointed if we took San Diego State lightly.”
Q: Can you talk about your first year at OSU so far?
A: “Well, as I’ve told the media many times, it has been as much fun as I thought it would be. It always fun and challenging to meet new people and try to put a group together and have a group the size of a football team and a coaching staff of 10 or 12 and a community that is very, very involved and very interested in their university. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I enjoy every minute.”
Q: How does it feel to play a west coast team right in the middle of the Big Ten schedule?
A: “Well, it’s a little bit unusual. It obviously wasn’t scheduled that way. We were scheduled to play the second game of the year and sort of as the three ball games leading up to the Big Ten conference we had from an independent standpoint and then head in and focus on the Big Ten from that point on. But, as we all know, circumstances have changed. We’re fortunate that San Diego State had the same open date that we do and that we’re not playing this back in December some like teams are being thrown into a situation where they’re being put back their final exams and those kind of things to play the game. So, we feel fine about it. We have a lot of work to do that really doesn’t have much to do with who we’re playing, it has to do with us, so were going to basically consider this another Big Ten game.”
Q: What are your thoughts on extending the Big Ten schedule to nine games?
A: “Well, I would think that if there was some forethought and discussion with that, that would have been a possibility. I don’t know where the discussion was, the athletic director’s level and the coaches level. I think a lot of the reason there was a 12th game legislated was so that some of the folks that do a good job hosting-like all the Big Ten schools-might end up with another home game from a revenue standpoint. And so if we went to that extra game being a Big Ten game, there would be half the people, I suppose, that could have been hosting, that would not be hosting home games. I suppose if you sit with the athletic directors, revenue, I think, had a lot to do with why a 12th game was put on the schedule. I don’t know that. I wasn’t at any of the NCAA meetings. I would imagine that most discussions get back to money and I would imagine that is why the 12th game was added.”
Q: Would you like to see the extra game be a Big Ten game?
A: “Well, as long as we get the five home games. If we’ve got five, I’m all for it.”
Q: Could you assess your quarterback situation?
A: “Well, as you know, you’ve been here for quite some time, covering us for quite a while, we have a unusual quarterback situation, one unlike anything that I’ve been apart of. It’s interesting how impactful a quarterback is on any team, and that is not a revelation. But what is really interesting in our particular situation is with the level of maturity and inexperience of our team, part of the situation is can we get along without some of things that Steve Bellisari can do for us, the plays he can make? And the answer may be no, we can’t get along with that. On the other hand, can we get along with the things that aren’t being done at the quarterback position and the mistakes that are being made? Well, the answer to that is no, we probably can’t get along if those continue. So, then it comes down to what is the best personal situation. Unfortunately, Steve has not improved as much as I would have hoped in throwing the ball away, in being okay about, you know, lets go punt. He wants to score touchdowns quite a bit and that means throwing it away and not creating, perhaps, another problem. But just as important, our other guys haven’t stepped up and demonstrated in practice or scrimmages-whether it was preseason or a spring situation-that they had been making the plays that our offense needs to make to move the football down the field. So, we have, in my mind, a pretty complex quarterback situation and one of two things has to happen if we’re going to become a great offensive football team. One: And lets make the assumption that we’re going to get better in all the other areas where we’re young and inexperienced and maybe not playing as well as we should. Lets assume that’s going to happen. Then one of two things has to happen. Steve has got to become flawless in some of those mistake-prone errors, or someone else has to step up and perhaps be given an opportunity to makes some plays or demonstrate more consistently that they can make plays so that the quarterback position could be what it needs to contribute to our team.”
Q: Coach you have blocked a couple punts this season. That seems to be a trend. What is behind it?
A: “You know, I think the game of football has become a lot more aggressive, period. There seems to be a lot more aggressive play on the defensive side in the last five or six years. It’s a lot more risk-taking, aggressive style of play. I think you see some offenses have become a lot more aggressive with the spread, now in particular, and the no-huddle and trying to get more plays and so forth. And I don’t think it stops there. I think it has gone one to special teams as well. You’ve seen a lot aggressive work done and a lot of time spent by people blocking punts because I think they understand the impact of a punt block for their team. I think people are emphasizing going after punts.”
Q: Do you go after every punt?
A: “No, not really. There was a time as a young coach that I was going to rush every punt because I was going to change the world or something and then we roughed a couple of punters at dumb times, so I kind of backed off that a little bit and tried to find a balance as to when is a good time to rush and when is a good time to be a little safer. But we’ve always thought the punt block was a great weapon, but I don’t think you can do it every time.”
Tressel addresses the local media:
“I was most disappointed in the punt step back, this week, from this game. The other thing I think was disappointing was while we played solid defense, we did not play extraordinary defense. We did not create anymore than one turnover, which we always talk about at least creating three if we are going to make a huge impact on the game as a defense. And we had some blows that allowed some big passes and runs to go. The run, I think, they had over 15 yards was the touchdown run after the punt miscue and it was a misalignment. The only passes that were thrown longer than 15 yards or so where either ones we were in coverage and had a miscommunication or we were out of coverage.
“From a consistency standpoint that was disappointing. All things we have demonstrated that we can do better than that. Offensively it was disappointing that we could not adjust and do what the day needed. Wisconsin came out with a real solid plan and tried to play us straight up. They could not play us straight up. They realized that if they were going to play their normal defense, it was not going to work plus they found themselves 17 points behind. So they said, ‘Hey we got to gamble. We got to put all our guys up (on the line of scrimmage) and if they throw one over our head, so be it.’ Unfortunately the ones we threw over their head that would have been the crowning blow in their situation, we did not hit. From an ability to adjust and do what was needed at the moment and execute it at the moment-we did not come through on the offensive side of the ball.
“We can go full circle all the way back to the original thrust as we entered the week our desire was to develop consistency in the things we had demonstrated. The consistency we have shown that we can do some things in some areas. That was probably the most disappointing part of that ballgame for us-along with the obvious-being ahead and not being able to put it away is disappointing. Losing at the Horseshoe is terrible, but those are the obvious. The less obvious are the things we got to square away if we want this team to be as good as it can be. I happen to think that this can be a good football team if we do what we are more than capable of doing.”
Q: Are you more willing to take a chance with a new quarterback this weekend?
A: “San Diego State is leading their league in defense and does a good job stopping the run. It has nothing to with San Diego State. All of the decisions we have to make based on what we want to do. Are we more willing? I don’t know if we are willing. Are we disappointed that we haven’t progressed? Yes, I would like to have thought that we would have made more progress. If something breaks down that is a mistake, let’s not compound that by making another mistake. I thought one of the best things Wisconsin did, was let (Brooks) Bollinger throw the ball away. You are allowed to do that if you are out of the pocket. Do it and then go to the next play. Are we more willing to change? I don’t know. Are we more anxious? If someone gives us a reason to change, we will.”
Q: What changes need to be made?
A: “If we don’t come better at the quarterback position we won’t be as good as we can be. If we don’t become better in our punting, if we don’t get the right coverage, if we don’t have good pass protection, all of the same is true. There are a lot of things that have to get better. Sometimes people might think they are easily solvable. We have to get to point where we can make plays we can make and eliminate the plays like we had against Wisconsin.”
Q: Is there a chance that you will have a different quarterback this weekend?
A: “We are going to go into the game this weekend with a basic premise like we always do. Our basic premise is that practice is important. We can polish in practice and that is why John Doe is starting at this position, but we have to see what someone can do in practice to see what they will be able to do on the field. If No. 8 is behind center we are fixing the mistakes. If No. 15 or 16 is behind center we have to make some plays. Steve (Bellisari) is going to make some plays. I am asked all of the time what are Steve’s greatest strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, they are the same thing. He is greatest strength is his competitiveness and his greatest weakness is his competitiveness. We have got to get those separated.”
Q: Who is the No. 2 quarterback?
A: “Two weeks ago I though Craig (Krenzel) was really coming along and challenging (Scott) McMullen. This past week McMullen emerged. Sitting here today, I would have to say Scott McMullen is our No. 2 quarterback.”
Q: Have you talked to Steve about his performance and the pressure?
A: “I was talking to Steve yesterday, like you do with anything that is difficult you ask questions. I asked him ‘Outside of the bad play calling, how can we help you?’ We discussed the situation at North Carolina. There we losing so they decided to take some pressure off of Ronald Curry. They took some of the pressure off him by playing someone different every third or fourth series. All of a sudden Curry is playing well and they beat Florida State, they beat North Carolina State, they beat Virginia and all they did was took a little pressure off. Would that be something that would help you get better, would it help you take in the game a little bit better, or would that bother you?
Q: Have you ever had a player be better in games than in practice?
A: “I can’t remember one. I remember Coach Bruce telling me one time about one of our better players was not having a good spring practice. He said ‘I’ve never seen a player have a great season after having bad spring.’ I can’t remember too many players having a great game that had a poor week.”
Q: Talk about the crowd and your feelings about booing?
A: “They were extraordinary for the Northwestern game and I thought they were good against Wisconsin. I was disappointed in the play of the crowd at all. I am disappointed every time I hear our crowd boo the opposing team when they come out onto the field. Booing to me does not make much sense. People are going to show their disgust in different ways and people want to boo that is up to them. I would never boo an individual. I have been to a lot of bad fourth grade orchestra concerts, but I didn’t get up and say ‘The string section was terrible’. But this is a free country and you are allowed to voice your opinion.”
Q: Is there anything that stands out that makes you say we need to make a change?
A: “From the time we’re out there, until the time we go in, we’re nervous. There are so many plays run. And that’s just when we’re 11 on 11. You would like to grade every moment, but really that’s hard to do. Sometimes you have to make some subjective decisions. We need to see everyone getting better. Steve and the things he’s been doing. Scott and the things he’s been doing. But is there one thing I could put my finger on that tells me I need to make a change? No.”
Q: When is it a good time in the game to let someone else show what they can do?
A: “You run the plays that you plan on running and you see who runs them the best and that’s who you put in the game. Is the game different than practice? Absolutely. It’s different for Bryce Bishop at right guard. I think it comes down to a subjective decision. You wish this was the NFL and you had four exhibition games or high school where you have three scrimmages. We do the best we can without those. We have intrasquad scrimmages and we like to get after it. The results have been what the results have been.”
Q: Have you progressed the way you would have liked to this season so far?
A: “Have we progressed from what I simply saw on game film? Not as much as we need to. I would have to say no.
Q: Does too much of the blame fall on the Steve and the quarterback position in general?
A: “I would say this. So often does the quarterback get too much credit for when we do well. When no one stands near you and you’re passing the football to a guy wide open and all of the sudden you throw a 70-yard touchdown, you’re a hero. You give the ball to a running back and no one tackles him. You get way too much credit and you get way too much blame. The one thing that I would never question is Steve Bellisari’s heart. There’s not one person on our football team that wouldn’t go to war for him because they’ve seen him day in and day out. The people that show up six Saturday’s a year and watch the rest on TV that don’t know the person I can excuse that. But do I think that he gets too much blame and people are too hard on him, yeah I think so. The only ones who take things too far are the ones who have a little bit of overblown importance on what they’re talking about. I can’t worry about that.”
Q: Coach, what has happened to make you think that Steve can turn it around after being so inconsistent for three years now?
A: “The only reason I think it can happen is because I saw it happen one time. I thought I’ve shared that with you before. I had a fifth year quarterback and we had just came back from a loss where he threw three interceptions and I said to him that I may have to give the next guy a chance because he’s demonstrated in practice that he can make plays too. So I told him that we can’t turn it over anymore or that’s what’s going to happen. He then went eight games in a row without an interception and we won the national championship. I’m not sure you could ever effect Steve’s desire to win a football game.”
Q: Are you glad not having this bye week or would you rather have a week to get better and prepare?
A: “I know this. We’ve all lost games before bye weeks and that is miserable sitting around for two weeks. In this particular case I’m excited that the chips have fallen where they have because we want to out and play.”
Q: How did Wendell Byrant affect your offense on Saturday?
A: “I think he hurt us a little bit on pass rush. We blocked the first eight guys very well. But he’s a good player. Wendell Bryant had a very poor performance against Indiana. Tim Spencer said, hey, I’ve coached against him for two years in a row. He’s going to play like crazy. He wasn’t exactly dominating, but he did hurt us pretty bad.”
Q: What stands out in your mind as the one thing that has seen the most improvement from the start of the season?
A: “The one silver lining in the game was Chris Vance. He stepped up and showed us that he can help us win games. He’s been through some tough times with his ankle and losing some teeth. Michael Jenkins continues to show also that he can get out there, he can catch it and get open. Those two are a real plus when it comes to how you can help your quarterback.”
Q: Did it ever cross your mind to throw on that second and one late in the game?
A: “No. Right or wrong. If we can’t get one yard we’re not going to win the game. In fact I got a letter from Fred Martinelli about a month or so ago and you know Fred coached for sixty years and says it all comes down to one thing: when you need a yard, you better get it and when they need a yard you better be able to stop them. So no, it didn’t cross my mind for one instant. On second and one we need to be able to move the chains.”
Q: Jim you obviously had overwhelming support over the spring and summer and now that you’ve lost a couple of games, have you seen a different side of the people in Columbus?
A: “The only place I’ve been is the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Nothing has really changed that much. I don’t think anyone has gone into coaching because their seeking support.”
Q: Can you talk a little bit about San Diego State, their running back and what you expect from them on Saturday?
A: “He was banged up last year. Larry Ned is the tailback at San Diego State and they’ve got high expectations for him. He’s dangerous and they want to run the football first and throw the ball second. We’re going to have to do a great job against them in order to keep them a little behind in the count because they want to run the football. I haven’t studied their offense enough to know what they do outside. What they did against Colorado State is play great defense and they didn’t play very good offense. They put a lot of pressure on Colorado State. They did not look like the team against (Nevada) Las Vegas as they were in their previous games. They had a punt blocked and the punt is the most important play in football. When you have a punt block go for a touchdown, you’re going to have some problems. They also had a 61-yard punt return against them. I just think they played a bad game. As you watch them on film, there are key points in the game where they play very well.”
Q: Jim, after UCLA you led us to believe that there would be a big announcement on Thursday regarding the quarterback. Should we expect the same thing this week?
A: “No. I wouldn’t put yourself through that. But let me tell why these guys are here. Jamar Martin is representing our offense once again and he graded a winning performance. He just does an outstanding job, not just playing fullback but also being a leader for a young offensive football team. Maurice Hall was our special units player of the week. The last two weeks in a row, Maurice has come up with some outstanding plays. His kick returns that went out to the 41 and 39 were huge. He looks as if he is going to be a very, very special kickoff returner. Tim Anderson had a winning performance and was our defensive player of the week. Tim graded 81 percent, made three tackles and assisted in a couple of others. He just gave tremendous pressure throughout the entire ball game.”
Q: Tim, where do you see yourself fitting in on the defense?
A: (Tim Anderson) “Right now I’m just doing my responsibilities as far as the defense goes. If we have to put some more defensive ends in to give other guys a break in certain situations then I’m all for that.”
Q: Jamar, how do feel about playing this week? Do the guys look forward to that week off to rest?
A: (Jamar Marin) “I would much rather play than have a week off. After a loss you’re real eager to get out there and play. We’re disappointed about the loss and we want to get out there and play again as soon as possible.”
Q: “Can you think of any quarterback situations in the past like the one you have now?
A: “I’ve had quarterback situations where guys weren’t making plays and he was making mistakes. I’ve had quarterback that make plays and no mistakes and the press conference was short. It is a unique situation. Does it mean that it’s not going to work out? No. That’s not the way we approach things.”
