Ohio State vs. Indiana – Postgame Quotes – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2014
OHIO STATE POSTGAME QUOTES
Jalin Marshall, freshman halfback
On his performance vs. the Hoosiers
“It’s definitely a little bit of redemption. It does feel good to have it off my back and move away from all the negatives of last week. I had a lot of support from my teammates, coaching staff and family. The whole week they kept my head up.”
On his punt return touchdown changing the momentum of the game
“I felt like that was planned for me and I had to make that play. It felt good to be able to deliver for my team. I knew it changed the momentum of the game.”
Ezekiel Elliott, sophomore running back
On ball security
“It’s something we have to work on. With the one with Michael Thomas, he just hit the ball perfectly. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do when the defense makes a great play. We need to tighten up and play better if we want to be a championship-caliber team.”
On clinching a trip to the B1G title game
“It’s why we all came to Ohio State – to compete and play for championships. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have a big game this week and we have to prepare really well for the team up north.”
On quarterback J.T. Barrett’s maturity
“[Barrett] is a redshirt freshman but he is a very mature player. He never backs down and you saw that as the game went on, his game elevated after he made those mistakes.”
Michael Bennett, senior defensive tackle
On the Buckeye response when Indiana took the lead
“We knew we had to get it together. We had confidence in our team. The defense always knew the offense was going to get rolling. It was just frustrating we let them in. We’re better than how we played.”
On eliminating mental mistakes
“Every time you see a 90-yard run it’s a mental mistake. We need to get rid of those mental mistakes, since that eliminates the big plays and we can shut people down. You have to get credit to these backs who have great vision and great leg drive. I didn’t realize how fast [IU’s Tevin] Coleman was. He has some wheels on him. When you give them the opportunity to make a big play, they’ll make it.”
Jeff Heuerman, senior tight end
On Marshall’s performance
“[Marshall] is an outstanding football player. When you play a lot, bad things can happen. It’s part of playing the game. You’re not going to make every block or every catch. Having that experience, I talked to him and we got him on the right foot moving forward. He came out and showed it today.”
On reaching the B1G championship game as a senior
“It means a lot to be going back there as a senior. We have the biggest rivalry in college football next week and we’ll take care of that next week and then go to Indy.”
Tyvis Powell, sophomore safety
On his interception
“I read the quarterback’s eyes the whole time. We watched film and saw he was giving away where he was going really quickly. I read his eyes, and, boom, there it was.”
On the deep plays against the Buckeye defense
“It was just misread gaps. That’s all that was. We’ll get that corrected. I’m not worried.”
Vonn Bell, sophomore defensive back
On defensive pressure vs. the run
“They were doing a great job with the front seven. There are a lot of corrections we need to make on the running gap, but we’ll be all right.”
Adolphus Washington, junior defensive lineman
On the victory vs. the Hoosiers
“Always celebrate a victory. I’m glad we got the victory. Now, we’re on top of the Big Ten East. We’ll celebrate for a day, but now we have to get back to work to get ready for the team up north.”
INDIANA POSTGAME QUOTES
Kevin Wilson, head coach
On quarterback Zander Diamont’s play today
“They pressured him well, and made him uncomfortable in the pocket. We had a couple drops today, but he’s definitely getting better. Ohio State gets a lot of notoriety for their offense, and deservedly so, but their defense is great. They’re sixth in the country for a reason and it’s not always going to be easy. He was standing in the pocket, and he’s growing up, and I’m proud of him. Not many people understand the pressure on that position, and I appreciate the way he plays. I have a lot of respect for him.”
On the changes in momentum
“I thought Zander’s scramble play in the first half was huge. We scored there to cut it to 14-7, got a turnover, and kicked a field goal to make it 14-10. From there, we were really able to settle down, play hard and have fun without stressing. I thought we pressed a little in the third quarter, and as players and coaches we need to work through that. Then I really thought that the punt return they had in the second half was the difference maker in the game.”
On the growth of his team after today
“Both teams are very young, so I don’t think we can put much weight on that. If you’re a Division I scholarship player, you need to step up and makes some plays. We’ve been very competitive the past three games, and getting better is a part of it, but there’s a point where we need to step up, make big plays, and win some games.”
Shane Wynn, senior wide receiver
On his hard running after the catch today
“I was just trying to get the first down to keep the drive going. We knew that we needed to keep Ohio State’s offense off the field, so I just tried to pick up the first down every time I touched the ball.”
On the resilience of the team so late in the season
“This team has pride. We play for each other and we fight for each other. You can’t just come down and lay an egg. Anything can happen and we just wanted to fight today.”
On coming home to play in Ohio
“I’m just trying to play hard every game. It obviously means a lot playing here and being from Ohio, but I just don’t have that many games left, so I try to play hard and give it everything I have.”
Antonio Allen, sophomore safety
On his two interceptions today
“I felt both of the interceptions were very important. They both got our offense back on the field and in position to make a play. Our defense battled hard to keep us in the game.”
On Ohio State overlooking the game today
“I think everyone overlooks IU football. We just need to go out there and fight hard so everyone will start to believe in us. I love big games and I love playing ranked teams.”
