Postgame Quotes From No. 12/11 Ohio State vs. Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
No. 11/12 Ohio State (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) 16, vs. Purdue (2-4, 0-2 Big Ten) 3
Ohio Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 11, 2008
Attendance: 105,378
Ohio State Postgame Quotes
Steve Rehring, senior offensive lineman
On the switch to right guard
“I’m getting used to it. It’s just kind of weird because everything is backward. It’s slowly starting to get easier each week.”
On the Purdue defense shadowing Terrelle Pryor
“They definitely had a great game plan and did a nice job of keeping him in the box. We didn’t execute as well as we could have and I think that had a lot to do with how well their defense played.”
Lamaar Thomas, freshman wide receiver
On the extra playing time
“This was definitely one of the best games I’ve played this season. I think I did a good job of taking advantage of the opportunities I was given. I thought I played well though.”
On what he brings to the team
“I think the main thing I bring to the table is speed. I can really hit the hole and go.”
On realizing he would be playing more this week
“I got a text message from coach Hazell Monday saying I was taking kickoffs this week. It felt good to be given the opportunity. At first I was like Me?’ It took awhile to sink in, but I think I did a pretty good job.”
On Ohio State’s offense in the red zone
“It has been frustrating all year not to score when we are in the red zone. We just need to put more work in at practice. Everyone needs to work hard and we will get better.”
On his collegiate football expectations
“I expect to help the team out anyway I can. I will do whatever I can even if it is just on the kick-off. All week the coaches were talking to me and they told me it was my time to shine.”
Aaron Pettrey, junior kicker
On kicking his field goal
“I’m just really happy that coach had the confidence in me to send me out there. We try really hard in practice and always do what we can, so it’s nice to be rewarded like that.”
On playing time
“It’s really nice to get back out there and put the ball through the uprights. I’ve been having trouble helping the team on kickoffs and so I’m always looking for anything to help.”
Jake Ballard, junior tight end
On looking ahead to Michigan State
“The Spartans are a good team and we really have to try hard to keep their offense off the field. The more time we keep them off, the more time we have to work the ball on offense.”
On the offense’s play in the red zone
“Well we get close to the end zone and then we relax too much so we don’t make it and then when we don’t make it we get frustrated and it’s downhill from there. We need to put out the effort that we show during the drive before the red zone once we get there.”
Etienne Sabino, freshman linebacker
On the blocked punt
“Well we called it earlier this week that we were going to come after the ball if they had it on the left hash mark; it just happened to be the first punt of the game.”
On returning the blocked punt
“I felt like the ball was never going to come down. It was in the air forever and it finally fell into my hands. After that I just remember running as hard as I could to get into the end zone.”
On making a big play
“It really is wonderful. You come to a school like this so that you can have a chance to make a difference and make an impact. It’s really great to be able to do that and hear all the fans after the play.”
On scoring his first touchdown
“It was crazy and loud. I can’t explain the feeling. I got the ball and ran into the endzone. It was a really good feeling. There has not been many times in my life that I have had that feeling. It was unbelievable.”
On playing as a team
“Football is a team game. It was my only touchdown, but it is a team effort. It takes the defense, offense and special teams to win.”
Todd Denlinger, junior defensive lineman
On Michigan State
“They are a great team. Mark Dantonio and those guys are really good. We just need to take it one step at a time to get this Big Ten championship.
Purdue Post-Game Quotes
Joe Tiller, Head coach
On the game
“I think the defense played well. There was a high energy level and a high intensity level. We were well prepared and played well. We played as well as we could, defending as good as any running back in the country. They were strong and have a lot of speed. They have a physical secondary and have the most athletic linebackers who can run and get underneath.”
On Curtis Painter
“I think he played better this week than last week. He wasn’t flustered and he received a lot of good feedback from the sideline. He made some good throw-away decisions. I wasn’t pleased with the deep throw at the end of the game, but overall I think he played better this week.”
On Terrelle Pryor
“We knew that we had to contain him somehow. We didn’t want him to get on the perimeter. We tried to get him in a position and pull him up and hopefully tag him on the backside to try to make a good play and maybe get a fumble.”
On Ryan Kerrigan
“I think today was his best game. He is a hard playing guy and he’s improving. I think he and Gerald Gooden are the two defensive lineman that are improving most as the season goes on. I think we’ve had a solid defense all year.”
Ryan Kerrigan, sophomore defensive end
On play in the second half
“We came out to play. We wanted to take the momentum from the first half into the second. I think we came out with more intensity.”
On turnovers
“We would like to force more turnovers. We’ve emphasized it in practice but we haven’t been executing it in games.”
On playing Ohio State
“This was a big game. There was way more pressure on Ohio State, so we were fired up.”
On his performance
“You could say that this has been my best game so far. But I’d like to say that my best game came with a win. It’s hard to be happy after a loss.”
Mike Neal, senior defensive tackle
On coming to Ohio Stadium
“We played inspired today. We came out with enthusiasm and emotion.”
Curtis Painter, senior quarterback
On Ohio State defense and their performance
“They are fast, talented guys and getting someone open is tough. We need to keep on going and try to finish drives and not beat ourselves. When you play a team with this type of athletes, it’s difficult. The better team you play the smaller margin of error. You can’t be a step behind.”
Carson Wiggs, freshman placekicker
On his 53-yard field goal
“I had no idea it was a school record. I just lined up like I normally do and really relied on my technique.”
Ryan Baker, senior defensive tackle
On Purdue’s defense
“We improved in certain areas today, but I think it is obvious that there are other areas that definitely need improvement. In general, we knew we needed to stop the run. Our goal was to play aggressively and I think there were moments when we were too passive.”
On Terrelle Pryor and Chris “Beanie” Wells
“We were able to get Terrelle Pryor out of his comfort zone today so that was good. We wanted to play hard against those two.”
Anthony Heywood, senior linebacker
On Purdue’s defense
“We played well today. The defensive line played exceptionally well for us and really contained Terrelle Pryor.”
On Pryor
“The defensive line really got after him. We knew he was athletic, but we also knew he was a freshman with limited experience. We wanted to get in his face and the defensive line accomplished that today.”
Kory Sheets, senior running back
On Ohio State’s defense
“Not many teams can play mistake-free football and this defense definitely plays that way. The inability to score is baffling for us, but it’s because they are that good.”
On the loss
“As a team, we want to learn from everything whether it is a win or a loss. We just want to take what we can from each game. We will learn from our mistakes and grow.”
