COACH TRESSEL: I promised myself I would remember to talk about the Indiana game, although we're pretty full of Wisconsin in our minds right now, but we went on the road in the Big Ten and those of you who had a chance to be there, I'm sure could tell that they've done a heck of a job with their facility and their environment and so forth and that being the case, we felt as if we needed to go out and come out of the gate pretty quickly and if you looked at them and studied them through their first four games, their first halves, they came out of the gate, I think, probably 60 to 70% of their production going into our game was in the first half of their games and so we felt good about the fact that we went out and were able to come out of the gate and get a lead. We were obviously disappointed that we left some points on the field, especially in the field goal area early on, and didn't take full advantage of a quick start.
Defensively we had seven three and outs, which the impact of a three and out is tremendous. Our goal for a game is to get five, and if you happen to get seven three and outs -- you get five, you have a heck of a game. If you get seven, you're probably in a situation where your defense is controlling the tempo of the game. And so I thought our defense came out and was flying around. Offensively we did a good job moving the chains, I think 29 or something first downs, which is a good thing.
It was good to see
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059439http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059439Brandon Saine step up and he's going to get called upon a little more with Boom not being in the game and
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660857http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660857Jordan Hall had a lot of input. I'm not sure the last three minutes of the game are exactly what we'd hope for as we complete a game, but we got a road win. We got a conference win. We had, I think on defense, only about three guys grade winning performance although we didn't have as many defensive plays. So sometimes when you don't have as many plays, it's harder to grade as well.
Offensively, I think we had five guys grade winning performance. Our special units player of the week, which we didn't think that our special units were the highlight of the day certainly, but
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Anderson Russell stepped in and had to kind of run the show on the back end and along with that had good productivity with an interception, a fumble recovery, significant tackles and was our defensive player.
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059439http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059439Brandon Saine was the offensive player of the game, did a good job breaking the century mark rushing and made a spectacular catch on a ball that appeared to me to be up in the air about five seconds and he made a heck of a catch there and won our offensive player of the game.
Our Jim Parker offensive lineman was
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059476http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059476Bryant Browning, and BB did a good job, was well over 80%, and had a youngster next to him part of the game in
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858Marcus Hall and not only had the responsibility of doing his job, but also making sure Marcus was not hyperventilating and so forth in his first opportunity to get in there to play that right tackle position a little bit, so Bryant did an excellent job there.
Our attack force player of the week was
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059336http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059336Austin Spitler. Austin continues to do a good job from a leadership and a production standpoint. His huge challenge comes this week, though. When you're playing the position he does and facing the offense that Wisconsin has, this is going to be a huge opportunity for him to step up and see if he can handle the edge there and handle that tough running game that they have.
From a scout teams standpoint, we thought our guys did a heck of a job.
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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660740http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660740Jamie Wood, we think is going to be a good safety, from Pickerington Central, a bright young man, focused on what he needs to do to get better, was the scout team defensive player.
And
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...3&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=204773791http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...3&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=204773791James Georgiades, who plays on a couple special teams is our number-three fullback, willing to play any position that you could possibly need played and he was the scout offensive player of the week.
That's about as long as I can go on Indiana here because we've got the Badgers coming to town and all of you that have been around for Ohio State/Wisconsin games in the last couple decades know that they are extremely physical affairs. It's been a tough, tough series. It's come down to the big things in the game of football, who handles the line of scrimmage, who takes care of the football. Ultimately if you look at a lot of games, I know over the last few years that we've studied them hard, there's typically been a special units play that has really made a difference in the flow of the game and so it's a 5-0 team coming in here that's had a significant number of dog fights and I think anytime you have battles like the ones they've had, especially with a young team as they have, you do nothing but improve and so it's going to be a heck of a challenge. I love the way their quarterback's playing. He's been very, very efficient, done exactly what they need to do behind that big offensive line and the big running backs. Their tight ends have really been excellent blockers and receivers. In fact, their tight ends have played so well, they don't play as many wideouts as they used to. There's a whole bunch of guys that had a whole bunch of snaps as wideouts years ago that haven't had as many snaps because those two tight ends have done a heck of a job.
Defensively, that Schofield, he makes plays. He's all over the field and flies around and he's the emotional leader of that team. And they have a good sprinkling of youth with a lot of energy and effort and also those veteran guys that can keep them calmed down. And they're very aggressive on defense, fly around. And special units-wise, their kicker and punter are very, very good. Their return man, Number 85, he's a darn good one, and he's a long one waiting to happen. He hasn't had quite as many snaps on offense, which I think has kept him a little bit fresher on those return things and so he's a tremendous threat.
So all in all, there's no surprise to us that they're 5-0 and I think our players, especially the ones that have played against Wisconsin here in the last two years understand the difficulty of the challenge. We've got to get a little bit healthy. We've got a number of guys that are banging around with that flu.
From a structural standpoint, I think we're fairly healthy. We won't have
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059292http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059292Dexter Larimore, which is a guy that you hate to not have, but he's a little bit of a sprain that just won't be ready for a week or two. And hopefully Boom Herron will be back. Jimmy Cordle is probably two games from now, but starting to do some land running and cutting and a little bit ahead of schedule, so we feel good about that. Boom, I hope, is a hundred percent. He's about 85% and if we had to have him last Saturday and we just had to have him, you know, take a deep breath and hurt for a little bit, we could have, but we thought Brandon and Jordan could handle the carries and they did and hopefully Boom now will have had those three or four extra days and he'll be a hundred percent. But we've got too many guys missing with the flu and so forth.
Andrew Miller, I haven't seen since Wednesday's practice. He's been fighting it hard and we've got two or three others that are fighting the flu a little bit and we're not the lone rangers, everyone around the country and the community have the same issues.
We need to have a great week of preparation and understand that this is going to be one of those battles that's going to last three hours, three and a half hours, and we need our crowd to be like they've been. Our crowd has come to play. You think about the way they were for the Navy game and I thought they were extraordinary and then the USC game was beyond and then they braved that ugly rain day and were with us every step of the way against Illinois and we need them to have grown hopefully like our team has grown and have a great day on Saturday afternoon as well.
REPORTER: Coach, what do you think about Cincinnati kind of jumping you guys in the rankings with another in-state power emerging and does that have any tangible effect in the recruiting wars and whatnot?
COACH TRESSEL: Well, it reminds you that there's good players in Ohio. We played Illinois the other week, had 17, Indiana had a number of Ohio guys, Wisconsin's got 10 or 11 Ohio guys, Cincinnati's got however many they have. Outside of our conference, they're probably our next favorite group and so, you know, the good news we have is we've got the Badgers coming in and the rest of the Big Ten, so whatever happens down the road is up to us and whatever happens down the road for the Bearcats, shoot, we hope that they're roaring as well.
REPORTER: Jim, you talked about Terrelle delivering the football a little bit high, you were concerned a little bit about that through the first game and obviously on Saturday he had a few deliveries that were a tick high or a tick off.
COACH TRESSEL: A tick?
REPORTER: Yeah, maybe a few more.
COACH TRESSEL: Are we live? Okay.
REPORTER: How are you working with him to get him to deliver it more in the shoulders area you were talking about?
COACH TRESSEL: We like the ball thrown numbers or lower, especially if a defender is behind our receiver. Sometimes you put it where you think it's safe and I don't know if you're talking about the one he hit to Duron which was -- he put it away from the defender and Duron's got -- he's got those long arms and good hands and that was not a bad thing. There were one or two that I thought a little bit later -- I think what we talked about a few weeks ago that you might be referring to is that we were having a little bit too much air on our deep balls.
Now that, you know, is something we've got to make sure -- but I think -- I'm trying to remember. Again, that game seems so far along. Didn't he stick a post right in there to DeVier? I mean, that was shot out of a cannon. The right trajectory, the right time, those kinds of things. So the more you throw, the chances are you're going to have a couple that don't go exactly where you want them, but it's something we'll keep working on.
REPORTER: Jim, there's been a numbers of clubs hit hard by the flu, Florida had a bunch of guys, Wisconsin had 40 guys at one point.
COACH TRESSEL: Is that right?
REPORTER: Do you have like a total number now of guys that have got it and do you think it's under control with your club?
COACH TRESSEL: I don't think it's under control because the problem is it's not under control with the general population and you're sitting in a lecture hall and the class before that someone, you know -- that's just part of the deal, so you try to get your rest and try to take care of yourself and wash your hands as much as you can and they didn't take my elbow bump thing, I mean, they must have been shaking hands too much. Clay, did you get that on the air?
REPORTER: Many times.
COACH TRESSEL: Okay. So I'll blame our flu problems on Clay, how's that? We'll just keep trying to be healthy.
REPORTER: Do you have a number though, Jim?
COACH TRESSEL: I have no idea. Let's go with Clay since he needs a follow-up.
REPORTER: I need a follow-up since you hatcheted me. Does Wisconsin's attitude right now even precede Alvarez when they come in and think they're the baddest man on the block, is that a persona that began with him? I've heard many players talk about that's the most physical game, one of the most that you'll play.
COACH TRESSEL: I know when I was here with Coach Bruce in the early '80s, it was a physical game and to be honest with you, I can't even remember who the coach was. Was it Dave McLean? And he's a good Ohio boy that likes to play physical football and so prior to that, I can't -- Alan Ameche is he from there? Yeah, I think. That's about as physical I can get. I'm dating myself. Lori, do you know who Alan Ameche is?
REPORTER: I do now.
COACH TRESSEL: They've been physical as long as I can remember and they continue to be so.
REPORTER: When you're evaluating quarterbacks, what's the most important stat that you look at?
COACH TRESSEL: Most important stat. Their win/loss record.
REPORTER: I know in the past you talked about Troy passing their passing efficiency ranking, how big is that for a quarterback when you're trying to figure out how effective they can be for you?
COACH TRESSEL: That's the one that from a production standpoint it is the best indicator because it includes your turnovers, it includes your touchdowns, it includes in a big way your yards per attempt. That's one of the hugest things, your completion percentage, so all of the things that are important for a quarterback, statistically, it doesn't necessarily factor in maybe some of the things you do with your feet and decision-making, play checking, you know, those kinds of things, but from a -- whenever you're called on to throw the ball standpoint and you do throw it, then that's the best indicator there is.
REPORTER: Terrelle's ranking is 10 points lower than it was last year, what does that say about where he is right now?
COACH TRESSEL: 10 points lower than he was last year. You know. I don't know if there's a relevance to why is that or I suppose we could get a panel up and someone might say, well, maybe we protected better or maybe we ran better or maybe the routes were run better or maybe he threw it better, but I don't think there's any relevance in terms of his development, if that's your question.
REPORTER: Jim, with John Clay and what he brings to their running game, obviously you've had big backs here, Beanie, guys like that, but he has like 10 or 15 pounds even on a guy like Beanie, what's hard about trying to defend a guy that size?
COACH TRESSEL: You're going to think I'm stupid, but it's hard to tackle him. We've known John Clay since he was, I don't know, 10th or 11th grade and tried to recruit him and had him on campus and all the rest, he's a good back. He's tough. He's got good patience. One guy is not going to stop him cold. He's a good one. He's all everyone thought he would be.
REPORTER: Recruiting a guy like that, I mean, do you come across guys like that very often, guys that size who also are quick enough to be a Big Ten running back?
COACH TRESSEL: No, he's special and unusual and, like I told someone on the Big Ten call, someone asked about recruiting him and he stayed at home which is hard to, you know, hard to question why a guy would do that. It's a good decision. He's at a good place that utilizes him well and we've got to tackle him.
REPORTER: Jim, after last year's game, did you guys as a team complain about the hits that Jay Valai made on Dane and Boom Herron after that game? Basically knocked both of them out of the game.
COACH TRESSEL: No different than what we -- normally we have an official's report and those kinds of things, but, no, we didn't -- the game is made to be played physical and I like the way that kid plays. I mean, he plays physical and he'll come to hit you and that's his secondary, if you come in his secondary, that's what secondary guy's supposed to do. He didn't have any Tuesday before the game saying, hmm, I think I'm going to get this guy. You know, he plays football. So, no, other than -- we always evaluate the officiating privately.
REPORTER: Follow up on that, Kurt's back this week, what did he get out
of the week off? What's the benefit of --
COACH TRESSEL: You know I didn't ask him that. I'm sure it was miserable. Now, he didn't say that because I didn't ask him and you're used to playing, you're used to being with your teammates and having that excitement and the knot in your stomach and all those things and all of a sudden you're sitting wherever he was sitting. So I'm sure he'll be very hungry to get on the field this afternoon.
REPORTER: In other words, you don't think it will affect his aggressiveness?
COACH TRESSEL: I don't think so because he's going to play the game hard and just like the youngster from Wisconsin you talked about, this game is a physical game.
REPORTER: Jim, could you talk a little bit about
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COACH TRESSEL: Sorry, Ken. This is a nice bunch.
REPORTER: Could you talk a little bit about
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COACH TRESSEL: You know, they asked me that on the Big Ten call. To me, the thing that that demonstrated his performance on Saturday was everything we know about
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059435http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059435Anderson Russell. He's going to do everything he can for the team. Some things, maybe he'd rather not do which move out of the rotation a little bit for some reps when we're in base defense and those kinds of things, but whatever the team needs. If he moves out of the reps there, he wants to increase his reps on special teams and whatever it happens to be. He's a smart player. He's a team guy. He, I thought, did a good job knowing he kind of had to run the show back there and you need guys like
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REPORTER: Jim, it seems like the last two weeks the offensive line has really grown a lot, can you talk about, have they grown as a unit these last two weeks a great deal?
COACH TRESSEL: You know, I think they've done a good job of gaining some consistency. Now, they're going to take the next challenge as they take on Wisconsin and if we can grow again, it's really going to be a plus for us. But I think just from a belief in playing together and, you know, we haven't had a whole bunch of guys in an out. You know, we had Andrew out a decent amount and we stuck
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858Marcus Hall in there a little bit and we're trying to get ourselves to the point where we've got seven or eight guys playing, when we get Jimmy Cordle back we could be at eight or nine which is huge because in the Big Ten you're going to have ankles and bruises and flu and everything else, but, yeah, I think they have come along, but I think they know that if they're in the midst of celebration that they've come along, they're going to have a rude awakening because the next group we play is a notch up. Yeah, Ken, sorry, Ken.
REPORTER: Is this a good a team as you've had playing run defense, and
if so, what are you seeing out of that that's making them good?
COACH TRESSEL: Well, as we've -- I don't know if evaded or avoided or whatever those kind of questions in the past, until your full body of work is in, it's hard to make those comparisons. We're facing the most difficult run challenge that we've had. Do I believe they can rise to the occasion? Absolutely. We have to do it. Could this end up being one of the better groups against the rush? I hope so, but --
REPORTER: What are you seeing out of them that they're playing well right now at least? Is there something?
COACH TRESSEL: Yeah, I think it goes -- and I hate to beat a dead horse like I always do, but they prepare like crazy. I mean, those kids are in that film room, they're in that weight room, they go hard in practice, and they don't get flustered if someone gains some yards and so forth. They don't all of a sudden drop their head and then really lose their edge and then someone really starts rolling on them. They have to continue that this weekend against an even more difficult run and play action pass situation, but again, I have a lot of confidence in them and that's why Saturday afternoon to me is going to be an exciting thing is to -- Wisconsin can run it and they've demonstrated that. We've demonstrated that we can play the run, so now what a great challenge.
REPORTER: Jim, you mentioned
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858Marcus Hall. How did you think he played against Indiana and taking a redshirt off a guy in the fifth game of the year, I guess is that an indication that we should expect to see him on the field going forward as well?
COACH TRESSEL: Oh, yeah. We just think he's come along and he really does some things very naturally, but all of a sudden you get into those, well, he doesn't know this or doesn't know that. Well, it got to the point where he got enough reps where he does know this and he does know that. Yeah, he's a guy that is going to be in our rotation. Probably not a 40-snaps-a-game guy, but he's probably going to be in that 20-snaps-type range and then who knows if someone gets banged up or if all of a sudden he competes and earns more than the every third or fourth series type thing, so we've been very pleased with him.
REPORTER: Did you think since Jim was hurt and J.B. had been playing there that you needed the right tackle spot? You could just have J.B. out there every snap.
COACH TRESSEL: Yeah, you could. We thought Marcus deserved the opportunity. He demonstrated that he could help us. You don't know what was going to happen and we didn't know we were going to be without Andrew Miller. You don't know who's going to turn an ankle. I think two of the offensive linemen tonight won't be at practice because of the flu. So you just don't know. And you don't want to be too bare bones. And the other thing that I think is a reality is if we can get Jimmy back quickly, who knows what our needs at that moment are going to be when he becomes healthy. Could be inside. You never know according to health and those kinds of things. So we just thought it was at that moment that he was the guy that we probably needed to put in the game and we decided at that moment
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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660822http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660822Corey Linsley probably weren't, in fact we didn't even take them. So as we sit here this moment, those two will probably redshirt. Now, things can change through injury, but we felt that we needed to make those decisions.
REPORTER: Jim, how big was last year's game for Terrelle from the standpoint a young quarterback and the way he was able to lead you guys back against Wisconsin that winning drive and what did that do for him at that point?
COACH TRESSEL: I thought it was a big thing, especially for the moment and I have no idea who we played the next week, but as soon as we got done looking at the film on Sunday, it stopped being a big thing because we had to get ready for Purdue, but you added that to his things that he experienced and things that he could learn from. And now as we go play -- this will be, what, the second team that he's played a full game against for two years in a row, Illinois and now these folks, so could there be some carryover knowledge-wise and expectation-wise, sometimes one of the most difficult things for a player is if they don't know what to expect. Well, he knows what to expect against Wisconsin. Every yard you're going to earn. So I think it was a huge thing.
REPORTER: How about Jamaal Berry's availability, and has your thought changed on him now that we're in week six?
COACH TRESSEL: He was probably at 90, 95% and we took him, and had we gotten banged a little bit at tailback in the course of the game, he was probably the next guy to go in the game. Didn't have to, which meant he got another day and then he got Sunday where we worked out a little, and he looked pretty good. He got yesterday off, so I'm hoping that he's above 95% today. As far as our thinking with him from a redshirting and all that standpoint, we try not to think about that a whole bunch with tailbacks because you can be thinking for a moment that you're just fine and two turned ankles later, you're not so fine, so we want him preparing as if he's got to be ready to play.
REPORTER: Is Saine now your number one running back?
COACH TRESSEL: Saine, Herron, however you want to call it, Herron/Saine, doesn't matter.
REPORTER: Is that going to change based on last week?
COACH TRESSEL: No.
REPORTER: The three offensive linemen came in together last year, Brewster, Adams, Shugarts are getting their first opportunity to play together, are they becoming the players that you thought they could become.
COACH TRESSEL: I think they're coming along, Michael obviously -- Brewster has had a lot more reps. He's in a position that we always say the closer you are to the football, things happen so much quicker and so if you're the center or you're the quarterback, things happen in a hurry, so he's got a degree of difficulty in some phases of the game that are tough. Now, go up and line up against Schofield and you're the left or right tackle, you've got some challenges, but I think the three names you bring up, I think all three of them are coming along and have a chance to be very good, if they'll keep the trend that they're going from an improvement standpoint I think they all three could be very good.
REPORTER: Who are the three that are sick, is Brewster one of them?
COACH TRESSEL: Brewster was out for two days last week. Adams, I think, has got the flu, I think. Miller's out. I don't have that report with me, but there are at least five or six names and I remember a couple offensive linemen and the reason I'm thinking it might be Adams is because I'm thinking, okay, left tackle we'll go unbalanced, we'll go without one.
REPORTER: When you play a team like Wisconsin with their style, does mentality have to change? You play teams that show a lot of different formations, particularly for your defensive guys, that spread the field, not so much this week, does it change the way you approach a game?
COACH TRESSEL: Yeah, absolutely. To me, that's the difficult thing about
playing college defense. In the NFL, nearly everyone's similar. It becomes a match-up deal. But conceptually, not much difference. College, you go from an option to a spread to this team's power, you know, whatever. I think college defensive coaches and college defensive players have great learning challenges, just like our guys went from the triple option to the power-boot-naked-roll-pass-type thing with SC to spread-no-huddle-flying-at-you Toledo to Illinois being option and quarterback runs and so forth and Indiana being unbalanced and three tight ends. They haven't looked at same thing twice. And now they're going to line up and Wisconsin does a great job of trading tight ends and motioning and you bet they're going to get you out of position if you're not focused in and pound it at you. And so, yeah, to me it's a big, big challenge.
REPORTER: What you just mentioned about left tackle, who's your first team left tackle in practice today if Miller and Adams are both sick? Would J.B. go to tackle and Marcus at right?
COACH TRESSEL: That's a good idea.
REPORTER: Just throwing it out there, trying to help.
COACH TRESSEL: That's a good thought. I'll let you know. I mean, it's going to be somebody, but Bolls will figure that one out. Now, whatever I would suggest, Bolls will go with the other so I'll say you suggested that.
REPORTER: Seriously, does that make it more difficult than an outright injury where you figure a guy is going to improve as the week goes on? The flu, you're not sure who's in or out all week.
COACH TRESSEL: Or longer. Andrew, I really thought was going to be fine not practicing Thursday, shoot, they wouldn't even let him get on the bus and they wouldn't even let him come in the building Sunday. I don't know if he came in the building yesterday, I didn't see him. He wasn't in our academic check, and he's a guy with a 3.6 average, he doesn't shy away from academic checks. So you're right, you don't know with the flu. That's why you've got to play the
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3660858Marcus Halls and this and that because you've got to be ready just in case.
REPORTER: In your sport, the coaches poll matter is a great deal of importance for the BCS, Iowa's still ranked behind Penn State for the second straight week despite winning in Happy Valley. How do you evaluate your top 25 and how does that seem right to you?
COACH TRESSEL: How do I evaluate it? I sit down Sunday with
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059318http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059318Stan Jefferson who has all the stuff mapped out and we go over the whys and the wherefors and why we think someone should be where and we send it in. The beauty of it is is everyone's going to end up playing everyone, so if you win all your games you're going to be in the top two or three. If you lose one, you're going to be in the next eight to 12. If you lose two or three, you might not even be on the list, so it's the way it's going to be, so I don't give it a whole bunch of thought. Lori, last question.
REPORTER: Would you say that
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059293http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059293Aaron Pettrey is a better kicker from distance than in close and would that cause you to consider using Devin or Ben on the closer field goals?
COACH TRESSEL: I told the QB Club over at Woody Hayes that I talked to earlier today, if the ball's inside the 20, we're going to take three delay of games. I've figured it out. I mean, I've never seen anything -- how many kicks does he have over 45? Got to be, what, six or seven? I don't know. And we've missed an extra point and two chip shots. Do I have an explanation for that? I don't
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1151187http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1151187Devin Barclay has been a little bit banged up. Do I think that all of a sudden we would put someone else in in place of Aaron? No, Aaron's a good kicker and he's going to be fine, I hope.
I mean, he's a good kicker and just you hit the right upright, so then the next time you go left because, you know, you're thinking about it, trying too hard, whatever. The thing I haven't seen from a consistency standpoint, on our shorter ones is the same consistency in our operation time. Our operation time on the longer ones has all been in the one-three-six to one-three-eight area. Our ones inside have been -- he had one that was one-five-three and one that was one-, you know, three-two.
So we've got to get our operation -- and it isn't all the kicker, know, it's the snap, the hold, the whole thing. And we've just got to be -- we always say if we're one three five every time and we hit the flag pole, you get a plus grade. If there's anything that's not true in that formula, that wasn't as good a kick as it needed to be even if it scored three points. But Aaron's a good kicker and he'll be fine and when you miss one, it's like when Coach Bruce misses a putt occasionally, it rattles him for the next hole.
COACH BRUCE: Always.
COACH TRESSEL: Always, okay.
