Bowling Green State University Athletics
Gregg Brandon Press Conference Quotes
November 18, 2003 | Football
Nov. 18, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team will complete the road portion of the 2003 regular-season schedule with Saturday's (Nov. 22) game at Ball State University. Head coach Gregg Brandon sat down with members of the media Tuesday afternoon, to discuss the BSU game, last Saturday's (Nov. 15) 42-33 win over Kent State University, and other football-related matters...
Are there any changes to the two-deep roster for Saturday?
"Mitch Hewitt sprained his ankle (vs. KSU). It's a pretty significant sprain. He won't play this week, and we'll see if he's ready for the Rockets (on Nov. 28)."
How do you approach this weekend's game, with people (outside the program) saying this game isn't important?
"Well, our goal is to try to win the MAC West (Division), and the last time I checked, Ball State was in the MAC West. It's an important game from the standpoint that we want to win every game. It's a late-season game, and you like to be playing your best this time of year. We need to go over there and play well, for the confidence of the team."
Playing devil's advocate, though, to win the MAC West, you don't have to win this game. Is there a temptation to rest some people or do things differently?
"We are going to play our best players and do what we have to do to win the football game. We'll make decisions as the game progresses, obviously, but we're going in there with our guns loaded, or as loaded as they can be.
"Mitch Hewitt is a big loss. The two games where we struggled defensively -- the Eastern Michigan game and the second half of the Kent State game -- Mitch Hewitt was not in. That's the only thing I can see that is a constant. That's the only consistent variable as to why we didn't play well defensively. The kid at Eastern Michigan is proving to be a great back, and of course (KSU's Joshua) Cribbs is a phenom, but we didn't have Hewitt both of those games. We'll have to adjust.
"Jovon Burkes has been a good leader and a good captain, but now he has to be a guy on the field for us. Some of the seniors -- the (Will) Teagues, the (Rick) Mauers, (Janssen) Pattons, (Michael) Malones, the (Jason) Mortons -- they have to (say), 'Let's go, guys,' and rally the team."
Is that leadership the primary thing that Mitch brings?
"Well, he's such a great leader, aside from being an outstanding football player. You know Mitch Hewitt's gonna be in the right place, you know Mitch Hewitt's not gonna miss many tackles, and you know Mitch Hewitt knows the defense and can help guys get lined up ... he's a middle linebacker, and that's what we're gonna miss."
You said that one of the goals is to be playing well as a team this time of year. Do you feel like the team is playing well?
"We're playing well enough to win. The Miami game set us back, in that we just didn't get it done down there. Turning the ball over is why we lost that game. We've said all along that turnovers will get you; they got us at Ohio State. The two games we've lost, we've turned the ball over. Against Kent, with 600 yards of offense, I'd like to say we're playing well. But, we turned the ball over, we couldn't score in the red zone, and we gave up 500 yards, so in that regard we're not playing well.
"I guess, right now, all I can say is that we're 8-2 and in a position to win a championship. In college football, dealing with 18- and 20-year-old guys, and trying to keep them focused and on track, that's what you get paid for."
If you're not playing your best, yet you're in a position to play for a championship, is that a positive or a negative?
"It lets us say, 'Hey, guys; if we don't shore up this area, it's gonna bite us.' It bit us at Miami. When you continue to win, and the turnover margin isn't where it should be ... I don't know how many teams with (records similar to) 8-2 are minus in the turnover margin area, and that's a concern. We're not getting turnovers on defense or in the kicking game, we're not making those plays like we have in the past, and we're fumbling the ball too much. We've got to do a better job of taking care of the football."
On the right side of the offensive line, it seemed like Andrew Hart played pretty well.
"Yeah, Hart did a nice job. We moved him out to right tackle, and Andrew's a smart football player. He just wants to play football, and that was the first heavy action since his injury two years ago at Missouri (in the 2001 opener). Hart's a great success story. I mean, that kid's been through so much with his knee; it's phenomenal to me that he's even walking, let alone playing football. He did a good job out there on the edge for us. (Robert) Haley was out, and we should get him back this week. But, if we don't, we know Andrew Hart can do the job, and that's encouraging, for me and 'Stud' (offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa) and for Josh Harris."
What do you look for from Ball State?
"I told the team Sunday night that here's what you've got. You've got a team that's lost three in a row, that struggled up at Eastern Michigan, yet put up 500 yards of offense against Toledo. You'd better prepare for that team, the one that beat Toledo, because they're capable of doing that. It's their seniors' last game, the last game of the season, and they'll be all juiced up. Our kids know that, and we'll be ready to play."
"They've got some weapons. This isn't a game where we can just show up ... we've got to be ready to play these people. It's a MAC game. There are no dogs in this conference any more, and we have to line up and play. That's what I love about this conference. You can say what you want about an Eastern Michigan, but they've won two games in a row. You've got to be ready to play week-in and week-out in this league."
QB Josh Harris
"You get up for a game like this because we at Bowling Green hate losing. Ball State is a dangerous team. They beat Toledo pretty bad."
"We're just preparing to play a MAC West game. It's a road game, so that always is different when you play a MAC game on the road."
"We just want to follow through with another good performance. We want to make sure we work on technique and fundamentals, and execute our offense, defense and special teams. Games like these we want to minimize the amount of mistakes we make."
"We're playing a one-game season right now and Ball State's next on the menu."
Defensive Back Jason Morton
"I think that this whole season's been special for me. Last game, when Mitch Hewitt got hurt, it brought some things back home that it could be over soon."
"Josh Cribbs is an excellent player. But not to take anything away from him, we missed a lot of tackles. And on defense you have to tackle. If you watch that first half of the game we pretty much dominated in tackling and running to the ball. It's like a different defense came out in the second half."
"We need to step up the intensity. To win these next two games we have to step up the intensity of defense and tackling is going to be key."
