Quotes From The Ohio State Football Media Luncheon – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 9, 2003
Ohio State junior tailback Maurice Hall
On the possibility of increases carries with the injury to fellow tailback Lydell Ross
“I know I am going to get more playing time with Lydell hurting. I just know I have to step up and continue to improve my game and try to help this team as much as I can. I have to work hard in practice and stay focused and work toward performing well this week against a very good NC State defense this week.”
On gaining more confidence and becoming more comfortable with the offense
“I definitely started feeling more comfortable Saturday after getting as many carries as I did. The more carries I get, the more in tune I will become with the offense and our offensive line.”
On the Ohio State rushing offense so far this season
“We definitely look to gain at least 200 yards on the ground every week. That is our goal and we fell short Saturday. It means so much to our success. As an offense, we know that we need to improve and reach that goal.”
Senior Strong Safety Will Allen
On being recognized for good special teams play…
“Our coaches stress special teams tremendously. Most defensive guys are on special teams. We need to step that up and be more competitive on special teams because that’s going to win us a game sooner or later.”
On practicing in pads on Monday
“It’s a little change-up, but we needed the extra work. We needed to get out and do something different. It helped us.”
On making plays at crucial times…
“It is just about playing hard, just wanting it. You play hard and big things will happen. As you see, Rob Reynolds had an interception just playing hard. I had an interception. We caused fumbles, and that’s just us flying around and moving around, and once that happens, you start flying around the ball, good things will happen for you.”
On getting back on the field…
“I can’t wait. I’m ready to get started, to see what NC State does and be ready to stop them.”
On each team coming off lackluster performances…
“We have to improve effort. It’s imperative that we do that. It’s not something we can take lightly. This is a great team, and we’re trying to win football games. Our huge goal is to make it back to the national championship game, but our small goal right now is NC State. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
On being a starter and a leader…
“My confidence is definite. I have to have confidence out there for my teammates. We’ve got guys around us who really don’t know what to do at certain times so they have to have faith in me. I’m just out there trying to be a leader and playing with confidence, going hard all the time.”
Senior Offensive Guard Adrien Clarke
On the North Carolina State game:
“As the week progresses we are going to be looking at the (N.C. State) blitz and defensive fronts. We had a walk through practice (Monday) and sometimes we just need to do that. We will learn from our mistakes and improve our game. We want to go in and be prepared.”
On the San Diego State game:
“Naturally we were not proud of our performance last week (San Diego State game) but we just need to put that behind us and learn from it. Any time there is room for improvement it is a good thing. It was a stepping stone for the team. We have a lot to prove to ourselves this week.”
On the offensive struggles against San Diego State:
“It was more of an eye-opener and reiterated the fact that teams are shooting at us. We need to treat every game like it is a national championship game. Individual statistics don’t mean anything. The production of the whole team is what matters.”
On the distractions surrounding the team:
“We haven’t been thinking much about it. We have had so much else to work on. Our mind set is on North Carolina State.”
