Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Offensive Press Conference Quotes – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 30, 2003
Ohio State University Split End Michael Jenkins
On Kansas State Defense: “They are a physical and fast defense. Josh Buhl is tops in the nation in tackles. Their secondary makes plays and defensive line does an outstanding job at pass rush and stopping the run.”
On what has to happen offensively: “We have to eliminate turnovers and penalties. We need to move the ball efficiently both by the run and pass.”
On Ohio States motivation: “For the seniors and our school to get started on a good foot for next year. To be able to only lose 2 games with everything we have been through would be an amazing feet. This last game is very big for the seniors to go out with a win.”
On what the perfect game for you (Michael Jenkins): “I don’t know, I guess 7 or 8 balls, over 100 yards, couple touchdowns and most importantly to win.”
On the comparison to last year with stakes not being as high: “Pretty much the same. Yesterday was a real good practice with a lot of enthusiasm. It is not a national championship game. That is about the only thing you can say different. It is still a very big game for us, especially for the seniors.”
Ohio State University Tight End Ben Hartsock
On comparing the team to last year: “That is a pretty broad question…Just like last year, this team has a ‘don’t quit’ attitude. At no point during any game this year did anyone think the game was over. That ‘don’t quit’ attitude is something that is getting ingrained in this program. There are obviously different personnel; there is a different set of leaders. The team has a different identity in the sense that we don’t have a vocal leader like Mike Doss. You don’t have a big linebacker like Matt Wilhelm that was always running things. Its just a different feel and different personalities.” On the program’s strength, now versus when you arrived at Ohio State: “Yea, I think so. The year I was recruited was the year they went to the Sugar Bowl and finished up second and had one of the most talented teams in Ohio State history. I came in as a true freshman, expecting to shoot for the stars. To go 6-6 that first year was a really strange experience. Growing up in Ohio, you come to Columbus thinking you are heading to Mecca. You get there and it was not what you thought it would be. Some of the personalities weren’t there, you did not feel as welcome as you wanted to. I think everybody that came into that freshman class; we have a lot of those guys here today. We were all really affected by that. In response to that, we developed the identity that we have today. Nobody wanted to be remembered as one of the poorer teams in Ohio State history. I think everybody realized that if we wanted to do something, we had to do it ourselves.”
On being a senior leader and how to put the loss to Michigan behind them: “It was not a huge issue for me. It was a tough game. It seemed the defensive guys struggled a little bit more with the loss. They always were our anchor and they struggled during that game.
As an offense or as a senior, I don’t question any of the play of those guys on defense. I know they played their hearts out. I think we just got beat by a great team. I can sleep a little better at night that we played our hardest. It was not as if we went out and blew it.”
Ohio State University Offensive Guard Adrien Clarke
On what he thinks of the Big 12: “I just think of great teams. They have really, really good teams. They have Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State. You can’t look at it as smash mouth football, its just very versatile football. You have teams like Texas Tech that air it out. You have teams like Kansas State that run the option. You have Oklahoma that can air it out and run as well. This is a versatile conference; you never know what you are going to get.”
On Kansas State defense: “I guess they are regarded as on of the top defenses in the country. I think they are in the top 10 against the run.”
On Kansas State defensive line: “Their front 4 is probably the best front 4 we have seen this year. Their 2 inside guys are great technicians. They come off the ball; they are good with their hands. Their defensive ends are probably the best we have seen this year. They are quick and they like to get after people.”
Ohio State University Offensive Tackle Shane Olivea
On the legacy of the senior class: “This game is important to us. It is always nice to be remembered in high regard, especially at Ohio State. It is frustrating because we felt we should have had a better season. We are still very proud of the season we have had. There are many teams that would switch positions with us to be 10-2. We set the bar so high, that not playing for the national championship, in some instances, would be considered a down year. But I think, that is a good thing because it has taken this program to a different level.”
Ohio State University Quarterback Craig Krenzel
On his personal legacy at Ohio State and what he brought to the team: “I don’t think I brought anything different than any of these other guys on the team bring to the field, which is a sacrifice to put whatever they have on the field at any cost to win a football game.
The reason we have had the success we had the last 2 years is because we have guys that will do whatever they are asked to do, to go out and win football games.”
On teammates talking about his toughness: “It is just the way I play. There are certain things that won’t take me out of the game. Mentally you can get your body to do a lot more than you think you can. That is something that spawns off all the conditioning and running we do.”
On this year preparing him for the next level and was the elbow injury a setback: “It may have, but I am healthy now. I have one more game to go out and do that. I have a whole winter worth of workouts to have that ability. Really right now, none of that matters. My focus is on Friday night. I do whatever I am asked to do to win football games. That is the number one thing you can do no matter what your position is. With the winter ahead of me there will be ample opportunity to do the latter.”
On his play this year versus last: “Really not a whole lot different. If you look at my numbers, they are close to the same. My completion percentage may be down a little bit. I had a very similar year. If you look at numbers per game they might have been a bit better, if you take the injuries into account that I missed 2 ? games. If I were to evaluate myself, I would say I may have played a little bit better last year. Maybe I was a little more consistent, but I still don’t feel I had a bad year. I had a lot of ups and downs dealing with some injuries. That’s part of the game, that’s part of life.”
Ohio State University Offensive Coordinator Jim Bollman
On Kansas State defense: “They are really, really good. Real fast. They will run to the ball and their upfront guys are all outstanding. They are outstanding pass rushers and they really, really do a good job on passing situations. They tee off and get going. The linebackers run really well. Everybody is experienced. They run so well they don’t have to do a lot of nickel things. The challenge will be to get a real good balance against them. Not many teams can run the ball against them consistently. They are going to make you throw the ball. They are really tough to pass block. It is not necessarily blitzing, its just that their 4 man pass rush is really good.”
On whether they were they playing above their heads against Oklahoma: “No I don’t think they were playing above their head. I think they knew what they were doing. They played a great ballgame. They deserve all the credit. They did a great job. They did not play above their heads.
On offensive keys for the game Friday: “I think we could help ourselves if we could get a little better balance going. I think it would be difficult for us to have to throw the ball every play. When I say balance, you have to be able to throw some on normal situations. You have to be able to execute on third down. They are going to do everything they can do to stop the run. If we can get a bit of run going we can help ourselves in the passing game. You are going to have to throw the ball against them; you just have to. Then the challenge is, how much time you give your quarterback.”
On what Craig Krenzel means to the offense: “He is a guy who has made a lot of plays over the last couple of years. He is a really tough competitor. He runs the team well. He gets things in gear. He makes sure the operation is correct. He is a timely effective runner for us. Last year for us here, he was the leading rusher. He has a lot of the intangibles you need.”
