Big Ten Football Teleconference – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 2001
Big Ten Coaches Teleconference
“We had a good, hard fought victory. Anyone who has been watching the Big Ten closely knows that every ballgame goes down to the final moments as this one did. I think everyone knows that on any given day anyone in the Big Ten can beat one another. We felt very good about coming away from Minneapolis with a victory. It gave us an opportunity to grow, we think we made some strides in some areas, but we understand the road that is ahead of us.
Q: Talk about the parity in the Big Ten Conference
“I think that is what we are seeing across the nation in every conference. Look all the way out west at the PAC-10 and you see people beating one another. Look over at the Big East, people doing that and everything in between. College football has outstanding programs across the country, outstanding coaching staffs that work very, very hard. Technology has certainly helped from a coaching standpoint. We try to get an edge it just seems like we have more opportunities to study one another. As well as the scholarship reductions that took place that were eased into place going into the 1995 season. Twenty-some years what was a 130-plus scholarships at some schools to now limited at 85. All those factors have added to the parity in college football.”
Q: What did Illinois do to bottle up the Purdue offense?
“First of all Illinois is very solid on defense. They are a 7-1 football team. They are a very veteran team, and they came up with the big defensive plays. Whenever you can score 14 points with your defense that is going to be huge in a ballgame like that. Offensively, Illinois struggled a little bit running the football, but after (Kurt) Kittner got through that first quarter or so he had a tremendous day and threw for close to 300 yards, so it was a matter of a swing in the turnover margin that made a difference in the game. Purdue was up 13-0 and then things started to happen.” Q: How has Tim Anderson grown?
“Tim Anderson has done a tremendous job to become a force on the defensive front. He is a guy that was short on experience, but high on intensity and effort and trained tremendously hard. He has just grown and learned and grown and learned. He has played with Mike Collins for a couple of years, Ryan Pickett and he has had to been blocked there by LeCharles Bentley constantly in the middle and you can get better when those kinds of things happen. We’re really excited about the progress Tim Anderson has made.”
Q: Discuss the bowl situation
“I hadn’t really given much though to how many bowls were available. I don’t think anyone can start considering the bowl opportunities until they have six wins. We don’t have six wins, so our focus has been on adding another victory and then maybe we can start counting which bowls are available, which aren’t and that type of thing. I would think making a bowl is everyone’s goal at the beginning of the season. We talk a lot about our mission being one when there’s a day where were deserving on being the national champion and the outright Big Ten champions, then you don’t even have to consider what the bowl situation is. I haven’t heard our guys talking about anything as the weeks have gone by, other than about the opponent we are playing. Now maybe, when they are sitting back in their dorm or whatever, they do, but I have never heard it in our staff room and I have never heard it in the lockerroom.
Q: Talk a little about the schedule to close out the season
“I think you can look a couple of ways. You can call it bruttle because the teams we play are outstanding or you could say that we are very fortunate that the teams that are ahead of us we still have an opportunity to play. We happen to like the latter approach. We know how good the teams are, we play them year in and year out. We know their excellence, but thank goodness we have a chance to play them.”
Coach Tressel Addresses the local media:
“This weekend as we mentioned on the Big Ten conference call, anytime you can go on the road and get a victory in the Big Ten, you have to be pleased about that.
Those night games on the road, I think are even a little bit more taxing, you are sitting around in that hotel all day long, and most of our guys I think agree that they like to wake up and play and be done with it there. I have been really pleased with the way our young people travel focused and go after the task at hand.
“Minnesota had one of their largest crowds and really pleaded with their group to get behind the home team and be that devoted fan and give them an opportunity to succeed and so forth. I thought our guys did a great job of playing from start to finish. Minnesota cam out and was very solid on offense and had an outstanding receiver on returning and outstanding young people carrying the football, and I thought our defense did an outstanding job just banging in and banging in and kept playing and playing. Offensively we knew that one of our tactics at hand was to take care of every opportunity we had with the football. Very unusual scenario we came up and didn’t end up punting the football, which we think the punt, is one of the most important plays in football. We were able to keep the football for a good length of time and score enough points to win the game. It was exciting in my mind, probably the highlight of the day outside the final kick off block was when we lined up 28-20 and we needed that field goal, which was something we hadn’t done, we needed that must have field goal. When we knocked that through, from a mechanics stand point and protection standpoint, the kicker put it through the goal post, I thought that was the highlight of the game.”
“We did have four guys from the defensive side with a game winning performance. Tim Anderson, Cie Grant, Darrion Scott and Matt Wilhelm all had game winning performances on defense. Mike Jacobs continues to be a solid snapper and the only way to grade a game winning performance as a specialist is to have three straight games and then you get a Buckeye leaf on your helmet and Mike Jacobs has done that.
“Offensively, when you don’t punt and score 31 points there is going to be a number of guys with a game winning performance. It was exciting to see after the game the pride the offensive line felt about the fact that we didn’t get sacked which is a huge thing and confidence builder, and all five guys up front along with both tight ends, starting receivers, full back and tailback, Lydell Ross and the quarterback, we had a number of guys that all had game winning performances.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
“Our special units player of the game, there wasn’t that many special plays as a typical game. But we felt Mike Nugent was the special units player of the game, he was 4 for 4 on extra points. And when we talk that every point is crucial, he hit the all-important point, what turned out to be the game winner at the point and time when we needed it. We really feel good that he stepped it up and took that task.
“Our defensive player of the game is Tim Anderson, he had an outstanding game with 7 tackles, 2 assists causing fumbles and had a couple of sacks. Tim Anderson continues to be an outstanding player on defense.
“Steve Bellisari was our offensive player of the week. Steve was 12 for 17 with 203 yards and rushed for 66 yards. And most importantly, we had zero interceptions. I really felt great that he ended up with an 86 percent grade, which is a winning performance for a quarterback. I thought he only had one error in the passing game, that could us hurt us. I thought he threw one down the middle deep that could have been intercepted. And he had one mistake in the running game at a crucial game, where he went one way and Lydell Ross went the other way, and Lydell happened to be right. Outside of those two plays I thought Steve had a very solid performance and if we can get that down to zero plays, I think we have a chance to keep going as an offensive team.
“Our offensive lineman of the week was Darnell Sanders. Darnell graded 92 percent at the tight end position. We thought he had his best blocking day so far in the season and he also had a couple of catches one of which was a touchdown. I think Darnell did an excellent job.
“Our defensive tackle force player of the week was Darrion Scott. Darrion continues to make plays, tackles and sacks and so forth.
“The Jack Tatum player of the week was executed by an offensive player Darnell Sanders, who had a little counter coming around the corner and really put a big hit on a DB or linebacker down the field.
“Our Scout Key player of the week, who we say almost every week and these players prepare and do a great job early in the week, was Thomas Matthews for special units, on defensive side it was Marcus Green, on the offensive side was Rick McFadden. All three guys continue to do a great job week after week.
PURDUE
“We all know Purdue has an outstanding football program. Their goal and mine is to get to their fifth or sixth straight bowl game, and they know they just need one more victory for that to be possible. We also know that they had a tough game at home against Illinois this past weekend. Illinois is an outstanding team, and Purdue knows they did they a little bit to make them more outstanding with some of their errors. With their continunity in their program and system and they believe in what they are doing, we know they will be a difficult group to face on Saturday. Offensively, I think if their system that is unique, and I don’t know anyone that runs the system the same way they do it. I don’t know if anyone knows the system like they do and attack like they do, with 5 wide receivers or 4 wades and 1 tight end, they do it as well as you could do it.
“I think they are one of the top defenses in the Big Ten, they have a tremendous experience, and their defensive ends are outstanding, their two down ends are like playing against Tim Anderson and Mike Collins, they both are big strong physical players that are unselfish guys that are willing to take on two blockers so the linebackers can make plays. I think their middle linebacker, No. 51 runs as well as any linebacker we have seen this year. Their safety is a big play guy and has 5-6 interceptions and is a makes play after play. Their corner, No. 7 has played a lot and played bit against us last year, and No. 8 is solid player. Their outside linebacker, No. 47 he is one of the guys for a will linebacker is a great diagnosis guy, he might get blocked on a play one time, he is always a step ahead of the offense. They have done a great job in holding people, very low rush yards, held Iowa under 50 and held Michigan right around 50, and Illinois in the neighborhood of 60 rushing yards, they are a great defense. Then when you look at their special units, (Dorshe?) has done a great job on their field goals and is over 75 percent and it seems like he steps up for important field goals. He is a veteran and a senior, he’s been there and made a lot more then he missed—he is a tremendous weapon. We were watching him punt this morning in the Iowa game, and may have been the turning point in the whole game. Purdue was on their own 15 punting, Iowa was taking charge of the game a little bit, and he punted to the other team’s field goal line, and field position line swing was 70 something yards, he is a weapon.
“We are excited about being home and want to get back in the Horseshoe and want to demonstrate we are becoming better and better football team. November is what football is all about and we are looking forward to playing in November.”
