Postgame Quotes From Ohio State vs. Northwestern – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
No. 8/9 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) 58, Northwestern (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) 7
Ohio Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
Sept. 22, 2007
Attendance: 105,178
Maurice Wells, junior running back
On the offensive execution
“We wanted to establish ourselves on the first drive and set the tone early. That is exactly what we did and we are really happy that we could do that early.”
On the defensive performance
“They were amazing today. Their big hits and big plays help get the offense fired up. It makes us want to do the same.”
On diving in the endzone
“I really wanted to get the ball in and when you can do something like that, you have to go for it.”
On the confidence of the team going into the Big Ten season
“A game like this and like the one against Washington will really get us going. We went out and executed well. We are hitting on all cylinders and our offense is really clicking. Wins like this feel good and it felt good to play so well.”
Todd Boeckman, junior quarterback
On Ohio State’s strong start
“The last few weeks we did not come out as strong as we wanted to. Today we had a good game plan and we came out and executed.”
On Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton’s performance
“It was nice to go in the game and get the lead and then sit back and watch Rob and Antonio get a few reps. The offense did a great job all day and it was great to see them in there.”
On his interception
“You are going to make mistakes. The defensive back was right on it and made a great play. You just have to keep pushing through.”
Vernon Gholston, junior defensive end
On scoring his first career collegiate touchdown
“It was my first touchdown ever. It was definitely a great feeling, but at the same time I like going out and hitting guys. It was a really good feeling though.”
On the defense’s performance
“We played with a lot of intensity today. We obviously made a couple mistakes, but we played hard and we played tough.”
On the attitude of the defense
“After four games we are starting to find out what we are capable of. We have a great defensive line and are really starting to find out who we are.”
Anderson Russell, sophomore defensive back
On the hit that forced the fumble
“Their defense let me go free and the quarterback wasn’t looking so I just wanted to make the big play. Our goal is to make big plays on every drive and that one was the one for me.”
On the hard hits by the defense
“We were flying around and making big plays. We are a defense that wants to fly and hit people. That is what makes us the defense we are.”
On attacking the opposing quarterback
“One of our goals as a defense is to keep attacking the quarterback and forcing him to make plays that he doesn’t feel comfortable making. We did a great job of doing that today.”
Chris Wells, sophomore running back
On the offense and his touchdown run
“We really stressed coming out and playing well. The offensive line did awesome for us today. They created a big hole for me and I went with it. Scoring early gave us a lot of big energy that carried throughout the game.”
On his ankle injury
“It is fine. I just rolled it on the first play in the second half. I’ll be back in full swing and ready to go.”
On his performance so far
“I’m getting comfortable with how I play. I still have a lot to work on to be a great running back. I have to focus and keep my discipline.”
On stepping his game up
“I’m starting to look at making the big jump in my game and get to where I want to be as a player. We came out and scored our points early today, which is always good for our confidence. If you don’t perform to your own standards, it’s very disappointing.”
Marcus Freeman, junior linebacker
On Vernon Gholston’s touchdown
“It is fun to see a big guy like that running with the ball. It was a great thing for us.”
Dionte Johnson, senior fullback
On the Northwestern defense
“They came out fired up and ready to play. We made some adjustments early on and were able to capitalize on some of their mistakes. The crowd was really into it early on and that helped to confuse them in their matchups.”
Ryan Pretorius, junior placekicker
On missing the tackle on the opening kickoff of the second half
“I hit it pretty deep and was surprised when he slipped through our coverage. He got on top of me really quick and I wasn’t able to make the play. I’m probably going to get some harassment from my friends who play rugby on that one.”
Ray Small, sophomore wide receiver
On the progress of his offensive game
“I did a lot of things today moving the ball for our offense. I’m pretty happy with flying under the radar for now and just doing what I can do for our offense.”
On catching the deep touchdown pass from quarterback Todd Boeckman
“I saw them in a Cover 2 and the corner jumped onto Brian’s (Hartline) route. Todd threw a pretty ball but it just seemed to hang up there forever. When I came down with it was really exciting.”
Brian Rolle, freshman linebacker
On his knack for big hits on kickoff coverage
“It’s getting to the point where I’m expecting to really hit a guy and if I don’t, I’m a little disappointed. I have to get better at a lot of little things but I feel I can really contribute to that squad.”
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern head coach
On the game
“This is not the way that we wanted to start Big Ten play. Now we have the opportunity to change things and get back to work on Monday.”
On Ohio State
“Ohio State’s offense is always going to come after you with a balanced attack. On defense, it is not like they are reinventing of the wheel but for some reason we were just not ready for it.”
On Ohio State
“Ohio State came out and looked like a championship team. They have won two Big Ten championships so they know how to win Big Ten games.”
Eric Peterman, junior wide receiver
On Ohio State’s speed on defense
“You can’t simulate speed on film or in practice, especially to play out to game day. They just confused our offense and their speed really helped that. They have very fast defense.”
Adam Kadela, senior linebacker
On Northwestern
“The great thing about Northwestern is we have a lot of guys with a lot of character. I know they learned a lot of lessons today and I know my teammates will work harder. On Monday they will watch film then go work-out and be hungry to work to go out and win.”
On today’s game
“What happened is basically they made big plays and we gave away big plays. I give all the credit to Ohio State today. They came out and saw openings and made plays when they needed to. It was just a lot easier when we gave them a three touchdown cushion.”
