Post Game Quotes From Ohio State vs. Bowling Green – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2003
Recap| Box Score| Notes
Maurice Hall, junior tailback
On Ohio State’s running game
“The running game was much improved from last week. We’re happy with our improvement but we still need to improve.”
On the state of the Buckeye offense
“We’re getting better, but we need to cut down on our mistakes. We have to challenge ourselves to play hard for 60 minutes every game.”
Ben Hartsock, senior tight end
On the Ohio State offensive blocking effort
“I think we did a great job blocking up front today. We did a nice job getting on our blocks. We did a nice job overpowering the opposing line, and that’s something we have to do every game.”
Will Allen, senior strong safety
On today’s game
“Bowling Green played us tough all day long. They really did a nice job hanging in there and pushing us to the limit. We really need to finish games. When we have a lead like we did today, we can’t allow our opponent to creep back into games.”
On the pressure of defending a national championship
“We know that other teams are going to bring their best every game and we have to bring our best into every game. Today I think we played our best for about 54 minutes instead of 60 minutes.”
BGSU head coach Gregg Brandon
On the loss to Ohio State:
“There’s no medal for trying. It’s a vloss. It stinks. Ultimately in sports it’s win or lose. There were a lot of positives; we’ll try to build on those. This is a great game to learn from. They are they defending national champions and we had a chance to win the game. We can learn from this to prepare for the Mid-American Conference season. “Our defense played lights out. They hung in there. Ohio State kept giving us opportunities. Our defense plays with a lot of confidence. We’ll work the kinks out offensively. Our kicking game was effective. We didn’t want to punt the ball to (Chris) Gamble.”
On BGSU’s lack of rhythm for much of the game:
“We were playing against a great defense and when we would get into a rhythm then someone would bat down a ball, or stop a run, or put pressure on (quarterback) Josh (Harris). We weren’t able to get into a rhythm in the second or third quarters, but I haven’t seen many people get into a rhythm against those guys. I credit their defense. They are aggressive and physical. When you play against a Big Ten defense you better be ready to get whacked and still hang onto the ball.”
On BGSU’s offense game plan:
“I didn’t anticipate being able to run the ball against Ohio State’s defense. I said that all week. With the weapons we have and our style of play I thought we would be able to use the short passing game.”
On Ohio State’s ability to run the ball effectively:
“They had 48 carries for 205 yards. That averages out to a little over 4 yards per carry, so it’s not like they dominated us. They had it for 32 minutes, we had it for 28. We ran more plays than they did. It would have been nice to slow them down a bit but our defense was on the field a lot. Ohio State is a good rushing football team. It was just a matter of time before that got cranked up.”
Josh Harris, BGSU senior quarterback
On Ohio State
“Ohio State is a great football team. Ohio State knows how to win. Ohio State has 18 wins in a row and you can see why. They have each other’s back, they find ways to win and that is the mark of a great team.”
On Bowling Green
“This team is very intense. We believe very strongly in the things we do. We strongly believe every week, regardless of the opponent, that we are going to be victorious. This team never gives up. There were opportunities for Bowling Green to have some success and we let it slip away. That is hard as an offensive captain, as a leader of the team and as a quarterback. It is tough when you watch your defense play the best they possibly could have played. We want to do everything we can to make sure the Bowling Green offense will never have this type of game again.”
On the Bowling Green performance today
“We just never give up, that is the bottom line. It would have been very easy to fold after they scored their last touchdown with only eight minutes left. We definitely believe until the clock runs out we have a chance. I don’t think we played a very good football game offensively. It was disgusting except for three drives. There was not enough time for us to find a rhythm.”
On the Bowling Green offensive performance
“To me it was disgusting because their defense is going to bend but they aren’t going to break. They gave us opportunities to make some plays and we didn’t make them. I didn’t make the throw, we didn’t catch the ball, we didn’t block the guy. They had a great scheme, a great coaching staff. They had a plan and they executed it, which is why they won the game. We did not make the plays, that is why we lost the game.”
Cole Magner, BGSU junior wide receiver
On the passing attack of the Bowling Green offense
“We had no other choice. We were down and we had the ball, so we had to make something happen. The defense had been making plays all game and it was our turn. We had to do something or the game was over.”
Ted Piepkow, BGSU sophomore linebacker
On OSU’s running game
“I think the tailback was just sitting behind and we didn’t know where he was going to go. We knew that they had to establish their running game especially since they start Big Ten play next week. I guess we weren’t successful enough to get the job done.”
