OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
9/17/05
9/17/05
Sept. 17, 2005
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TRESSEL:
I think obviously after the first play of the game, our defense dominated the football game and they created field position for us and made for some short fields for the offensive team and came up with a turnover on the one and just really was in total control of the football game. First play went out and that happens sometimes, but what you do after you're startled a little bit, I think, talks a lot about who you are and our defense just decided, no more of that, and they shut them down.
REPORTER:
Jim, also the offense, three touchdowns today, talk about the offensive performance by the Buckeyes.
TRESSEL:
I thought we did some good things. We had decent balance. I don't know what the final numbers ended up, but we had decent balance. We probably had way too many mistakes, but I thought we played decent from the standpoint they just pinned their ears back and they were not going to let us outside the edges. They were not going to let Teddy run reverses or those kind of things, which gave us an opportunity to hit up in a little bit and do some other things, but I'm sure when we watch the film, it will be one of those days where we say this looked good and that didn't look so hot and we better get better to get ready for Iowa.
REPORTER:
Coach, a lot of dropped passes today and at times obviously when you didn't want them, but not that you ever do want them. More quarterback/receiver or guys just not in sync or just one of those days? TRESSEL:
Well, I guess you'd have to look at each one of them. There were a time or two that I thought Troy could have taken a little off the ball on a couple of those. I'm sure there were times when our guys should have done a better job of hanging on to the ball. Like in most things when you evaluate, you'll find a little bit of this guy and a little bit of that guy and -- but again, as I said, I'm sure as we study this video, we're going to find a lot of things that we have to do better, and it's September.
<!-- STORY AD BEGINS HERE -->REPORTER:
Coach, you scored three touchdowns when you started in San Diego State's territory, you kind of talked about that a little bit, how important is it to start with good field position?
TRESSEL:
Obviously it helps tremendously. The way our punt return game has been, I thought our guys did a great job, the guys up front plus Tone and Teddy back in the back. Tim Beckman brought a new little return scheme this week that brought a few plays for us. Someone told me our defense had nine three and out and when they're starting with the ball on the 11 and they're three and out and our punt returners are catching the ball around mid field, we're going to have good field position and that's huge for the offense.
REPORTER:
I'm wondering, you started with five defensive backs and Bobby at the defensive end, is that something you saw in them that made you go to that or is that a new package you think you'll go to?
TRESSEL:
We play a lot of Nickel against one back sets. They're a team that threw it 47 times the last couple weeks or something, so very normal for us to start Nickel.
REPORTER:
Would you say defense is ahead of the offense and are you comfortable with that? Your teams have played that way early, it seems like, each year.
TRESSEL:
I'm comfortable with the fact that after the first play we played dominant defense. I'm not comfortable with the fact that we're not playing as well as we'd like to across the board offensively, I thought, special teams-wise, with some penalties and so forth, but that's not to say the defense doesn't have some things to do. I'm not sure that San Diego State was as good as the last two offenses we've played, just from where I was standing, but I'm pleased with the defense after the first one and obviously we'll study everyone, though.
REPORTER:
Coach, you always want to have weapons on offense and defense, but is there also a challenge sometimes when you have a lot of weapons and trying to incorporate all of them into an offense, get them coordinated and stuff like that? Can that also be as challenging as not having a lot of weapons at all?
TRESSEL:
I suppose, if you feel like you've got two guys capable of winning your conference championship and you're going to focus on that, that's what you'll do. We think we have a lot of guys from an offensive standpoint, as you speak, that can help us win, and as we grow to understand how we can attack and when they do this, we can do that and so forth, I'd like to think we could become a dangerous offense.
REPORTER:
Troy played every meaningful snap today; can you assess how he played today?
TRESSEL:
I thought Troy did some real good things. We'll go back and watch the film and I'm sure there will be lots of things that we say we need to do a little bit better, and maybe a ball or two we'd like to take a little off of or maybe not make that throw or whatever it happens to be, but I don't know how many times he got to throw it, but I think every time you're out there making decisions, you learn a little bit more, and I thought Troy progressed and that's what we hope for.
REPORTER:
Second half also, Coach, Antonio Pittman seemed to get in a pretty good groove and Maurice Wells had a few flashes there, so running game-wise second half, pretty good?
TRESSEL:
That's something when we came out the second half, we really have got to work hard to be a balanced football team, and if we can do that, there's so much more that we can accomplish. And I'm with you, I think Antonio ran better the second half and Mo Wells showed some things that he's going to be able to help us.
REPORTER:
How about Erik Haw getting on the field? You said he had a ways to go to get back to that level, were you encouraged he worked his way on the field?
TRESSEL:
Yeah, I thought Erik did a pretty good job. He got a chance to handle the ball a few times and I'll have to watch it and grade it, but it was good to see him. The more guys you have at that position -- you never have enough tailbacks, that's a truism.
REPORTER:
Jim, what did they change defensively a little bit? You did seem a little bit out of sync, it appeared that way from where we were looking.
TRESSEL:
They came out, lined up five DBs, spun into a three deep for a two deep or whatever, and some things that we really hadn't seen. Their opening game was against a two-back team, UCLA, who I thought was very good and their next game was against Air Force, who was a flex bone or whatever, so we didn't have a clear picture of what they might do against us. I thought our guys adjusted when we got a feel for what they might do.
REPORTER:
Coach, last few weeks, you had some problems inside the 20 hammering the ball down, would you assess the performance today with the running game inside the 20s and short-yard situations?
TRESSEL:
I thought we did a little better today. I don't know that we're anywhere near where we need to be in the red zone but, I thought we did a little better.
REPORTER:
Jim, last week after the game, lost in the shuffle was the performance of Josh Huston and he kicked two more today, would you talk about the outstanding start he's got this year.
TRESSEL:
Josh has done an excellent job. I don't know -- how many field goals has he got now, nine? Is that right, Steve?
SNAPP:
Nine out of 10.
TRESSEL:
90% is pretty good, and he's 100% inside 50, which you can't beat that, and kickoffs have been solid. And he's been everything we believed he could be and now he has to continue it.
REPORTER:
That first play of the fourth quarter, they turned it over, Schlegel recovers on the half yard line, is that what put it away or did you feel safe at that point anyway?
TRESSEL:
Well, you never feel safe when you're a coach, you know how that is, but that certainly was nice to start a drive on that half yard line and start the quarter that way. That was huge. And again, our defense came up with the play and our defense controlled the tempo of this game after play number one.
REPORTER:
Coach, had you planned on playing Zwick a little more in this game or was it the situation of the game, you wanted to keep Troy in there since it was so nip and tuck?
TRESSEL:
Not necessarily. We didn't have a plan at a certain point to have Justin go in. I expected a battle. We've played San Diego State three times and it's been a battle all along, so I was expecting the game to go down to the wire because that's what you always expect of your opponent and expect to have to play 60 minutes, so we really didn't have a plan from that standpoint.
REPORTER:
How about Bobby's play? You asked him to do, it seems, like a lot of things out there.
TRESSEL:
Which play?
REPORTER:
Mr. Carpenter.
TRESSEL:
Oh, how he played. I thought you said the play I asked him to do. Bobby Carpenter makes things happen. He's a nightmare for those tackles when he's rushing. He's got tremendous range as a linebacker and covers so much ground. I don't see him get blocked very often. He makes plays. Good there, Steve?
REPORTER:
Jim, I don't remember where it was about the first half --
SNAPP:
You don't need a mike obviously.
REPORTER:
The only change on your offensive line was Nick, was that a shake-up?
TRESSEL:
Early in the game? REPORTER:
Yeah.
TRESSEL:
You know, we planned on doing that. Early in the second quarter, I believe. We planned on doing that. In fact, that group as a whole new offensive line practically did a great job with the football down there and that was the one where we fumbled on the one or something, which obviously you can't do, but we were really committed to making sure that we could get eight and nine guys playing on the offensive line. As we evaluated ourselves from a week ago, we thought maybe that would have been a positive had we done a little bit more rotation last week, so we were committed to that.
