Postgame Press Conference Transcript (No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 25 Wisconsin) – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
No. 9/8 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) 31, No. RV/25 Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) 13
Ohio Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 10, 2009
Attendance: 105,301
OHIO STATE POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
COACH TRESSEL: Love to hear that bell ringing. That’s my opening statement. That’s it. Well, it was obviously a different type football game. Our defense came after them and they’re good on offense, but our defense just kept coming. And when you get two defensive touchdowns and then a kickoff return touchdown, that’s more than you could ever wish for. And I thought those three moments were critical. I thought the moment at the end of the first half where we went down and scored was very critical. It gave us the lead back and seized the momentum as we went into the half.
And then I thought it was very important that three points we got at the end to put it to 18 which all of a sudden it became a three score game and that made it look a lot more difficult for them thinking they could score on our guys three times.
So unfortunately we set them up with a scoring drive with our turnover, but obviously we won the turnover margin and we always say if you can do something special on the special teams and win the turnover margin, you’re going to have a chance to win a tough game.
REPORTER: I can’t take credit for this line, but would you revise your theory that maybe the pick six is the most important play in football?
COACH TRESSEL: As long as you’re the one picking it.
REPORTER: And how much does the pressure that you got on them today, six sacks, I think they’ve given up two in five games, how much does that weigh heavy on them?
COACH TRESSEL: Their quarterback does a good job standing in there. There was some times where he was under amazing duress and he still delivered the ball. There were also some times where he didn’t have a chance and our guys were relentless. I think part of it was they weren’t going to be able to sustain their run quite like they had in other games. They had their moments where they ran a little bit but I’m not sure it was the numbers of yards per carry that they’re accustomed to so they got behind the count. They had to hold a couple times to try to keep us out and now they’re way behind the count.
Our guys did a good job. Our defensive staff got it schemed up well and our defensive players executed and played a lot of plays. I think first time we touched the ball in the third quarter there was about a minute and a half to go and at a time where you’re trying to get better, you’re standing on the sideline, which is a little bit different. And then of course when you get up on them like we did, it changes the nature of what you do. So, yeah, the pick six is the most important play in football, it’s yours.
REPORTER: That’s Rob Oller who gets credit for that.
COACH TRESSEL: Rob gets credit for a lot of things.
REPORTER: Coach, have you ever been in a game where, it was like almost 3-1 and how does that affect how you look at your offense and can you judge — you had the good drive before the half which was so important but can you get a judge with that short amount of time on the offense?
COACH TRESSEL: You evaluate every play, so I think we had 40 plays and typically you might have 70, but you evaluate those 40 plays and what occurred within each of them and I think you do it within the confines of what was going on in the game and probably the last 15 plays were ones that you there were going to be nine guys up there and we knew we weren’t going to stop the clock by throwing it and we had a three-score lead, but you look at every play individually.
REPORTER: And also the defensive unit did not allow a touchdown today as a defensive unit. Talk about the brilliance of that unit as a whole today.
COACH TRESSEL: They came to play. They always do. We knew they had an excellent challenge. Wisconsin’s running game was excellent. Their be quarterback was the highest-rated passer in the conference coming in. They’re the leading scorers in the conference coming in. Our guys knew it was going to be a challenge and what I like about them is they prepare extremely hard. If things are going well, they keep digging in. If things happen to go the wrong way, they dig in and they’ve got good leadership over there and good veterans to kind of run the show and if they keep getting better, they’re going to be tough to deal with.
REPORTER: Jim, would you talk about Small’s kickoff return and any flashbacks to Ted Ginn and it’s been a long road for him before he delivered something like that.
COACH TRESSEL: Yeah, it was almost like he was shot out of a gun. I saw him take that thing and he downshifted and he was gone. It did look a little bit like Teddy and I was teasing him in the locker room, I said, you got one, he said, yeah, it took till I’m awfully old, but it was a great thing for him and just a great lesson on perseverance and hanging in there and figuring it out and he made a nice play last week on a little reverse on the kickoff and has been doing a good job at receiver as well and you hope if you keep working, good things will happen.
REPORTER: Before that last drive at the end of the first half, I think you had one first down, first nine tenths, what was the feedback you were getting, what was the problem?
COACH TRESSEL: We probably were not blocking guys and not asking them to run the right plays. I mean, I don’t think you could point to one particular thing like everyone always tries to, it’s were we asking them to do the right things? Were they executing what we were asking them to do? What was Wisconsin doing that we needed to adjust to? It makes it hard when you’re three and out to figure it out because there’s not that much data there to say, okay, here’s what they’re doing and then all of a sudden the defense is scoring and so you’re not going back out there. That’s why that drive at the end of the first half when it was a 10-7 game and our defense was playing like crazy but didn’t have all that much to show for it in terms of a lead and when the offense went down boom, boom, boom, and scored, that was huge and then they didn’t get back on the field again until 1:30 to go in the quarter, so it was hard.
We didn’t do as well as we need to do. We’ve got to get better. We have to work at it to get better, but only 40 snaps, probably 30 of them significant, if you know what I mean, we’ll have to figure it out.
REPORTER: Coach, some of the critics in our profession have been talking negatively about the play of Terrelle Pryor recently and after today’s game and you can see some weaknesses in his game, what are your thoughts on his progression this season?
COACH TRESSEL: I think you always evaluate every play individually. Do what the critics say have much credence? I don’t know, I guess it’s their opinion. I think you have to go watch a guy’s footwork, go watch a guy’s decision-making, watch a guy’s — what he does in the aspect of the play that you’re asking him to do, but again, I go back to that last drive of the first half and he was storming down the field whether it was run, pass or whatever and what we need to do is do that every drive, and less critics, I guess.
REPORTER: What was it there? You went 88 yards in 1:12 after really —
COACH TRESSEL: We hit some plays. They overpursued on the one play and he cut back and made, I don’t know, 20 plus yards. Then we hit a couple plays that were somewhat misdirectioned, because they were fine with the ball and they overran some things and he threw a dig backside and they were kind of crowding our receivers a little bit and threw one over top of them. So I mean, we happened to kind of hit where they were kind of pushing the envelope a little bit in what they were doing, we found a way to get after that a little bit.
REPORTER: Can you describe how that felt to run that interception back for a touchdown and follow that up by talking about the entire defensive unit was on the field so long today.
COLEMAN: The interception, it really started with the D line, I knew they had a great rush which is why they kind of forced the high throw on the wide receiver and for the pick, it was just an easy pick for me, I just was standing right there, happened to be in the right spot and I had great blockers, my team led me all the way down the field, I did the easy part, they did all the work, so I give all the credit to them. And this defense, I’m just so excited, it was so much fun out there and I think we brought it for the whole game and that’s what we have to do. We were ready to rise to the challenge because we knew it was going to be a physical game.
REPORTER: A lot of base defense for you guys today. I think the most we’ve seen out of you this season. What was that like being on the field as much as you were?
SPITLER: We knew coming into the game Wisconsin’s always a real physical game, they try to set the tone with the run, always have a big back, they have a good back in John Clay. It was exciting out there. I was really — we were flying around and that’s why I think we were successful, we always have seven or eight guys to the football and we just had fun out there today and that’s why we were successful.
REPORTER: Kurt, is there a better way to come back from one game off than to have a pick six like that and it must have been a thrill for you.
COLEMAN: You know, really, I don’t want to take much of the credit for it, it was the whole defense that really helped me out with that pick, but it’s definitely a great feeling for me to come back after a week off and really help this team out as much as I can, that’s really all I’ve been asked to do and that’s all I do.
REPORTER: Doug, can you talk about what it’s like for a defense to be on the field that much? I know you obviously rotate on the D line or do you wear down at all or do you see their offense wear down at all?
WORTHINGTON: Well, much credit to the staff and the conditioning we do during practice and it was a long game. Like you said, we got a lot of D linemen and we rotate very well. We try to stay fresh. The atmosphere, how much fun it was, it was something that adrenaline was pumping and we were going out there and not worrying about the amount of plays you play, you just go out there and do your job. When you see the time of possession up on the clock, it was kind of surprising because it didn’t feel like it and I guess the bodies went out and the rotation was great.
REPORTER: Kurt, how tough was last week on you, not getting to play? What did you learn, I guess, from that episode?
COLEMAN: I learned don’t hit the QB helmet to helmet. No, but it was — I really can’t describe it, it was so tough because I’m used to being out with the team at practice and especially for when they travel, I’ve never experienced it so I had to do a lot of things to get my mind off it. I watched a lot of football. I sent Austin and a lot a guys a text telling them I was there for them and come back with a win.
REPORTER: Did you think it was fair or unfair?
COLEMAN: It’s not my decision so, you know, I’ll leave it at that.
REPORTER: Jake, can you just talk from an offensive standpoint being on the sideline that much, are you bored or what are you doing?
BALLARD: It was getting frustrating, we were all getting cold and we had to keep our legs fresh, but defense played a heck of a game, they kept us in the game, scored two touchdowns like they did, it’s really exciting to watch but we have to go back to the bench and watch them go back on the field. Offensively the first half we started off slowly and did what we really wanted to, I don’t think we liked it, but I think we picked it up as the game went on.
