Bowling Green State University Athletics
The Falcons are Going Bowling
December 16, 2004 | Football
Dec. 16, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - As the Bowling Green State University football team prepares to head to Alabama for the GMAC Bowl, head coach Gregg Brandon and players met with members of the media to discuss the trip ...
HEAD COACH Gregg Brandon
(Questions in bold italics)
What is the status of Cornelius McGrady (who was injured in the Marshall game)?
Brandon: McGrady is good to go. He's been practicing.
Any other striking changes to the two-deep?
Nope.
A lot of times in bowl games, coaches use it as an opportunity to spotlight or showcase new people. One example is Steve Sanders, who really had a big game in (last year's Motor City Bowl). Is that part of your plan for this game?
Well, with Steve, the bowl game last year was just another game in his progression. If we would have played another game after that, he probably would have played well in that one. I see the bowl game as two things. It is a reward for your seniors, to get an opportunity to play another game -- which we deserve -- and an opportunity to get a little redemption after a tough loss to the team up north. And, it's also a game for your younger players to get some extra practice. We've been experimenting with some guys in different positions. Like (Peter) Winovich; we've moved him to linebacker. He's got 15 extra practices to learn the linebacker spot, which he wouldn't have had until spring football.
Will you talk a little bit about Memphis? It seems that they mirror your team in a lot of ways.
They are a very explosive offensive team. DeAngelo Williams is an excellent back; we've got to swarm-tackle him. Their receivers; (Tavares) Gideon is a big-play guy for them. He has 11 touchdowns, and the next guy has only one or two. But 28 (Darron White) is a good receiver, too. All of their receivers are fast and catch the ball well. (Quarterback Danny) Wimprine is deceiving. He's not a flashy guy, but he's a gritty guy; he's going to make a play. He's a fifth-year senior, and he's been running that offense, playing in that system, and you can tell that he knows it, and he's running the show. Their offensive line is very quick and athletic. They're not the biggest line we've faced, but they are very quick and athletic. Defensively, they run extremely well. They will be similar to Marshall; they're quick, active and aggressive. They blitz a lot, they don't play a lot of zone coverage. So, we will have to protect (quarterback) Omar (Jacobs), and Omar will have to be sharp. We will have to make some throws against tight man coverage, and our receivers will have to separate. If we can do that, we've got a chance.
Most people who are looking at this game are expecting a shootout. Is that your expectation?
Boy, I hope not. I hope we shoot them out. But, it will be a big challenge for our defense, because of DeAngelo (Williams). He is one of the best backs in the country, in my opinion.
Is he better than (Oklahoma's Adrian) Peterson?
Well, on December 22, I hope he's not. They have different styles. Peterson will run you over, and DeAngelo will fake you out and run by you.
We haven't talked since the All-MAC teams were released. Were you surprised when none of your receivers were named?
No.
Why is that?
Well, there are some receivers in this league with better numbers than our guys. (During the voting process), we (head coaches) get a sheet with the stats, and a lot of times, the guys that catch the most balls get All-MAC. That's the way it goes.
Having said that, is that fair? Does that represent what your guys are doing on the field?
Well, yes and no. If a guy catches a lot of balls, he probably deserves to be (All-MAC), because he's a good player. But, in our system, we don't feature a guy, so a guy is not going to be quote-unquote All-MAC. Does that mean he isn't as good as an All-MAC guy? No. That's just one of the quirks of voting. That's one of the problems I've had with individuals in a team sport. As soon as you give a guy an All-MAC label in a team sport, you're going to create discussion.
Can you talk a little bit about the guys in your receiving corps, and the roles they have settled into? (Cole) Magner, for example. Is his responsibility (being) a possession receiver, or does he do something different?
Well, Cole's caught the ball deep over the middle on a number of occasions, and caught it in the seams. Cole is not the fastest receiver we have, but he is very good at separating. He can make cuts and get himself open.
(Charles) Sharon, in terms of physical ability, seems to be a guy that's hard to match anywhere.
Yeah, he has great ball skills. That's his asset. He can run away from some guys. And, so can Steve Sanders. When Steve gets going in the open field, he's a pretty good player. It's going to be fun to watch our receivers against their defensive backs. I'm looking forward to that. I wish I could sit up in the press box and watch that.
Jovon Burkes was named All-MAC, but has he gotten the praise that he deserves? What does he mean to that defense?
Well, he is our leading tackler; if you look at the tangibles, he's got great numbers. But, the intangible that you can't measure is leadership ability. I mean, he's our heart and soul, the glue of our defense. He holds them together. And, our defense; we're an attacking, aggressive style of defense. When you play that (style), sometimes it's feast or famine. We may give up some yards and some big plays, but ultimately, when (opponents) get down there in the red zone, we've been pretty salty. And, that's important. I think we were second in the league in scoring defense.
Your two cornerbacks, (Jelani) Jordan and (Terrill) Mayberry ... when they get beat, there is all kinds of attention on them, obviously. But, how would you assess their play this year?
Well, I think they've grown in their positions. Terrill Mayberry, in his first year starting, has really improved. Jelani has been steady out there for us. Sometimes, it looks like they have given up the touchdown, because they're the closest to the receiver, and everyone is saying, 'he can't cover.' But, that's not always the case. Maybe the safety was supposed to cover (that receiver), or something else. It's not always their fault, but that's life on the edge. It's more of a mentality than anything else. Those kids also could have benefited from a redshirt year. They will be seniors next year, and they've had three different (position) coaches. Vance (Joseph) came in this year and did a great job with them. (Steven) Wilks did a great job with them, and (Tommie) Thigpen before him. But, that's hard on kids. They've got to get used to a different coach, and it's a very technique-oriented position. I'm looking forward to those guys having a big game for us. They need to keep those Memphis guys in check.
In that regard, you also have two guys on the (defensive) ends, in (Mitch) Crossley and (Devon) Parks. It seems that they are part of this equation, too. If they can get the rush on the quarterback, then Jordan and Mayberry will have an easier time.
Absolutely. Usually, when that happens, you see good results in the back. Sometimes, the best pass defense is a good pass rush. At times, our pass rush has been good, and at times it has been nonexistent. Parks and Crossley are big in that equation. And, our inside guys up front, (Mike) Thaler and Brad Williams, have done a decent job of pushing the pocket this year.
Another All-MAC guy is Rob Warren. Can you talk a little bit about him?
Well, Rob is the left tackle, the spot that protects the quarterback's backside. He's done a tremendous job in the pass (protection) for us. We've given up very few sacks this year, and Omar's only thrown three picks. A lot of that has to do with the entire offensive line, not just Rob. But, Rob has done a really good job for us. He's been hurt, and has had to take time off during the season, especially when he has to play 80 plays in a football game. But, he's a warrior; he never complains, he just blocks.
In Alabama, what is your schedule?
Well, we will treat this just like a normal game week. Saturday is a Tuesday, Sunday's a Wednesday, Monday's a Thursday.
So, you'll take Tuesday off?
Yes, that will be the day before the game, and we will do our walk-through. Tuesday's a Friday, and Wednesday's a Saturday. But, there are a lot of nice things (other bowl-related activities) for our guys to do down there.
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"The biggest thing about getting into a bowl game is that we get to play one more time with the fellas. It's been a year where something seemed to pop up every week. From one of our teammates dying, to someone's relative dying or getting sick, we've come through a lot of adversity this year. We didn't want to go out the way we did against Toledo. We also wanted Cornelius McGrady to get one more game, because he didn't get a chance to play against Toledo in his senior year. He had to get one more game, so I'm just glad the bowl people came in and said they wanted us, so we can give Corn one more game."
FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR CENTER SCOTT MRUCZKOWSKI
"Obviously, having another opportunity to show your skills and perform in front of a national audience is great. We didn't expect (a bowl bid), after we lost to the boys up north. But, we got it, and it's a blessing that we get to play one more time as a senior class together, and we get to play one more game with our teammates."
(On the senior class, which has won at least eight games in each of the last four seasons, and is going to a bowl game for the second-straight year)
"It's been great. After we went 2-9 in my first year (when he redshirted), I never thought we would have winning seasons every year and go to back-to-back bowl games. It has definitely been a fun experience, and one that I'll never forget. We have set the bar high for the younger guys, and have given them some expectations to live up to."
"Growing up, you always watch the bowl games during the holidays. And, every college football player watches the bowl games during the holiday season. We get one more chance to perform in front of our peers and the college football world, show them what Bowling Green's about, and show them that we can play some football here."
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"We really were down after the (Toledo) loss, and guys were longing for another chance to get out there and play together, and reclaim our name as one of the top defenses in the MAC. It's big for us, and guys are going to go out there and play their hearts out."
(On the senior class)
"The senior class has done a great job these last four years. I've been honored to be a part of it, and all the winning we've done here. There's been a lot of talk about us being the winningest senior class in history - until next year. I think that's a good thing. I hope the winning just continues to build and build and build, to where BGSU and the MAC will grow into a national power. It has been great to be involved with such a great tradition as the one here in Bowling Green."
 Mike Thaler (77) |
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"This is a great opportunity, because of the way we ended against Toledo. We came out and played so well in the first half, and had a letdown in the second half. It would be a really bad way for our seniors to go out. We knew if we had won that game, we would get an automatic bowl bid. We knew if we didn't win, it might be a different story. So, it was great to hear that we another one for our seniors, and to have a chance to send them out on a good note. It's a great opportunity to play again, and a good chance to get some extra practices for some of our young guys. Plus, you want to play in December. You don't want to just be sitting around, and start lifting and running again. You've got to do that all winter anyway. So, it's good to get to practice a little more, get some reps and hopefully get a little redemption for that last game."
