Bowling Green State University Athletics
Urban Meyer Press Conference Quotes
October 09, 2002 | Football
Oct. 9, 2002
Urban Meyer's Opening Statement:
"Just some quick comments about what's coming up. You know the team that we're getting ready to play was my pick as a surprise team in the west. You look at who's returning and how they played last year and they reminded me of the team that we took over here in 2001. You're playing a true freshman who is gonna start at tailback, and that should never happen. You have other than Robert Redd , all freshmen receivers or true sophomores, and you look at your secondary, it's extremely depleted right now to the point where you just don't know who's gonna go in next should something happen to a safety. And our defensive line, we'd love to play four down linemen, but we have six, maybe seven defensive lineman and that's not even a backup for each position. So our depth is a concern, it's a reality, we're playing on artificial turf against a very big, physical team, so that gives us all kinds of concerns."
Do you see differences in them from this year than last year in kind of the little things the subtleties the kind of make up that thin line between winning and losing.
"We really didn't study them last year. I see a good team. I see a team that beat Akron, and Akron, they're struggling now, but at that point, that was a good football game and they won the game. You know they came out and should have beat Indiana. The first half they did beat Indiana and lost the second half and then they ran into a buzzsaw. I think Boston College, I've coached against teams like Boston College, they are big, physical and they are better than Central and they turn over the ball the first two times they touch the ball. It's their Homecoming and I understand it's a great environment. It's going to be packed and its their chance to take a shot at Bowling Green, an injured Bowling Green, which is not good."
Have you talked to your kids at all about the kind of the tradeoff of where you are, 4-0 and starting to get some recognition and people starting to talk about the program about the team and Josh Harris and so on, and how that translates in the other locker room, it kind of ups the ante for them?
"Not yet, I will, I think, as the week progresses. We're kind of in that mode. We've got smart players. How many teams in the country had a tryout yesterday for special teams. We did. You know we don't have enough guys. We're taking walk ons and trying And so, the polls and all of that, I love thatI mean the fact that we're 26th that is all going to recruits."
How is Joe Alls shoulder?
"He has a bad shoulder. He is trying and wants to play! Joe Alls has a history of not being very tough through injuries. He doesn't come back from injuries very quickly, but he's doing everything he can. He wants to play this next game, obviously he is not, however he wants to play in the Western Michigan game. Mike Malone, you would imagine he is a tough kid and he is. He is doing everything he can."
On freshman Matt Leininger?
"Matt Leininger is a one, a true freshman starting on defensive line. Think about that, evaluate the hundred-seventeen D-1A schools that have a true- freshman starting as an inside line depth player. Matt Leininger is going to be a fantastic player."
The kids are going to the coaches house for Thursday night dinner? Are the coaches wives ready for this?
"It's not dinner, just snacks and deserts. It's a Thursday night in Bowling Green there is only so much T.V. to watch, and kids will be kids. What does a kid do when there is no Friday classes? I want these kids to be around each other, P.J. Pope is going to start his first college football game. I do not want P.J. sitting in his dorm room, I want him with Coach Brandon and his wife, talking with them meeting Brandon's son. I just want these kids around. What makes Bowling Green unique is the relationships with the coaches and players."
On Central Michigan having a bye week?
"The thing that scares me about Central Michigan is that they have had a lot of time. We basically have two days to prepare, between Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday you better not add anything. My concern is that they have been working on this since last week. So I anticipate several new things."
