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Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Football Press Conference Quotes
September 27, 2005 | Football
Sept. 27, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team finally opens the home portion of the 2005 schedule, facing Temple University on Saturday (Oct. 1) at Perry Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. for this Homecoming contest. On Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 27), Falcon head coach Gregg Brandon and several of his players sat down with members of the media at the weekly press conference...
Q: Are there any changes to the two-deep roster?
GB: Erique Dozier is a kid who we are going to move to linebacker. He will play at the Sam position. Terrel White is playing at the Will position, and Teddy (Piepkow) and Jamien (Johnson) are splitting time. Neither of them have been 100 percent healthy, so we have been reluctant to have a starter, per se, at that (middle linebacker) position. Teddy was pretty banged up, but I think he's over that, and it appears to be the same deal with Jamien. Edwin Hood is going to run second-team safety, slipping into Dozier's spot, and Mike Crumpler is going to be in that mix, too. We're trying to redshirt Calvin Wiley. We've got him listed as the backup (at strong safety), but if we can make it through, we'll make it through.
Q: What about the kicking game?
GB: Well, (Nate) Fry, other than missing the extra point, was OK. He and Joe (Timchenko) are still competing at the field goal/PAT spot. We're going to work Nate a little bit more on kickoffs. You might see Fry doing it all on Saturday. I don't know yet, because we're going to do the competition with him and Joe.
Q: You mentioned the linebackers. Terrel White has been the one constant and probably the top performer there so far. Has he been a surprise?
GB: No. He's a good football player.
Q: What does he give you?
GB: He's very active. He's hard to block. He's one of our guys on defense who has been able to get off blocks, which is what we have struggled to do against better running teams. He uses his hands well, and is a very instinctive player.
Q: What did you see on the films of the Boise State game?
GB: It was a game where we just got out-hit, in all phases. So, we got after it pretty aggressively on the weekend. Saturday, we did a three-on-three `hamburger' drill where we just blocked and tackled; basically pounded on each other for an hour, to send a message that `hey, that's not Bowling Green football.' When we go into any place, especially on national TV, we need to be the hitters, not the hittees. That was the thing that really showed up, I thought, after watching the Boise film a couple times. We are not anticipating defensively. We're catching too many guys, and not striking. Offensively, we were not sharp, for whatever reason. I mean, we can analyze it until we're blue in the face, but Omar Jacobs has had 14 or 15 starts here, and he's had one bad game. If I can get 14 or 15 more, with one bad start, I'll take it. He'll be the first to tell you that it was by far his worst game. You're dealing with 18- to 22-year-old kids, and they're going to have a bad day. It's hard to win every game in college football; you only see a handful of teams run the table. Where we are right now is about where we were last year. You look at the stats; we went into Oklahoma (last year) and gave up 500 yards and 40 points, and we went to Wisconsin and gave up 56 (points) and 500 yards. We went to Northern (Illinois in 2004), and Garrett Wolfe rushed all over the field against us. We went to Boise, and couldn't stop the run. The one huge difference is that we are 1-0 in the MAC East, and now, we finally get a home game. It's Homecoming, too, which is nice, and hopefully our players will respond. This is a Temple team that, if you look at them on paper, is a good football team. But, when you look at them on film, they are turning the ball over and making mistakes. We need to make sure that we are contributing to that on Saturday.
Q: How did Omar respond after the game? What did he have to say?
GB: He couldn't really put his finger on it. It was just one of those nights, I think.
Q: Are you concerned about any confidence issues with him, or is he still the same?
GB: He's the same. We haven't really gotten into the Temple game plan, but we'll do that today and see how he handles it. I'm not anticipating (any confidence issues) at all.
Q: Have the injuries to P.J. Pope and B.J. Lane been a big part of the problems with establishing the running game?
GB: Absolutely. That's where we're struggling right now; we're missing the one-two punch together. P.J. has not been himself, and we are struggling to run the football. Bobby Thomas has given us a boost, but he's a young guy. But, he is going to be a great player for us before he is through.
Q: How has the offensive line, especially the new guys, graded out?
GB: They are doing a nice job. Jon Culp is really playing well at center. He's a fifth-year kid, who has never really had an opportunity to start, and he is stepping up and doing a good job. (Derrick) Markray is a beast in there at right guard. He's doing a heck of a job, and Drew (Nystrom) keeps getting better and better. We're protecting Omar, the problem is not protection. I think Omar is overanalyzing a little bit, instead of taking what they are giving us. I told him after the (Boise State) game that it was the first game where he didn't manage our offense. That's the number-one thing we talk about with our quarterbacks, manage the offense. Omar has put a lot of pressure on himself, and that's natural. He has gotten a lot of pub and a lot of hype, and he's got to deal with the good and the bad. Right now, he's dealing with the bad.
Q: You talked about Omar's confidence; how about the confidence of the team? Are they doubting themselves?
GB: No, I don't think so. The way they responded over the weekend to the practices, and the way we got after it ... I think if you asked the players about Saturday's practice, they had a blast. They ran around and smacked people, and played football. That's what we needed to do after that loss; just to hit, and get it out of our system. Hopefully we've done that, and in the next two or three days, we'll have the Temple plan ready.
Q: You mentioned after the game that the coaches were not prepared, either. Can you talk a little bit about that?
GB: We wanted to be able to keep the ball like they did, to keep their offense off the field like they did to us. So, we wanted to run the clock a little bit. I think that was mistake number one, because, when we have been successful over the past couple years, we're moving at a fast tempo. That's a double-edged sword, because if you are moving at a fast tempo and you are not having success, your defense is back out on the field. So, my whole thing was, `let's use the clock; let's settle in there.' Everybody that we talked to said that, when you go to Boise, you have got to survive the first quarter. If you can survive the first quarter, you'll be all right. Well, we did survive the first quarter, but we didn't survive the rest of the game. We used that information, and it backfired, and it was my mistake. We should have gone in there and used what we call `fastball,' our up-tempo offense, and tried to tire them out. They did get tired when we went to some fastball later in the game, to try to get back in it. But, none of that matters if we aren't sharp. We were dropping passes, we weren't throwing to the right guy, and we were struggling to run the football when we lost P.J.
Q: Charles Sharon broke another school record at Boise State, but he just seems like a guy who is always there. Can you talk about his play over the past few years?
GB: He has been a great receiver for us, and had a great career. He is a big-play kid who has great work ethic. Coach (Zach) Azzanni will tell you that he brings his lunch pail every day. He is very disciplined, runs great routes, catches the ball consistently, and can make the big play. That's what I like about Chuck.
Q: You mentioned Temple earlier. Has that been their problem, a lack of consistency?
GB: Look at their schedule. I would be inconsistent against those people. Our early schedule is like that, and we've been inconsistent.
Q: So what you're saying is, maybe we don't know how good Temple can be?
GB: Yeah. They've got some talent on that team. They were in the Big East, so they were recruiting at that level, and they've got some guys who can play at that level. It's tough; when you don't have a conference, you can't tell a recruit that `we're going to compete for this bowl or that bowl,' and it's very tough. I know what (Temple coach) Bobby (Wallace) is going through. Now, they are joining the MAC, there's some continuity there, and I think that will help.
Q: You are one of the last teams in the country to play a home game. Is it nice just to have a schedule where you don't have to travel this week?
GB: Absolutely. Especially for our younger kids. When's the bus coming? What's the itinerary? What plane are we getting on? Where are the meals in the hotel? All of the little things that you don't have to worry about at home ... Our younger players need to play a home game. Our older players and our coaches need to play a home game.
BGSU PLAYER QUOTES
Senior LT Rob Warren
Q: How excited are you to be back at home?
RW: It's great. Everybody is pumped up and can't wait. After three games on the road its great to get back to the Doyt.
Q: Will it make a difference?
RW: Definitely. You can already tell with the guys during practice, everybody is really excited, pumped up and ready to go.
Q: What is your confidence like right now?
RW: We struggled there for a minute. But you can see the older guys and seniors picking everybody up and everybody is coming around.
Q: Is it easy to overlook a team like Temple?
RW: They are a good team with good players. You have to approach every team with the mindset that they can come back on you.
Q: Is this a case of, it doesn't matter who your opponent is, you just want to get out there and hit someone?
RW: We just want to go out and set a new slate which will erase the memory (of Boise State).
Junior DE Devon Parks
Q: Every week it seems as if defense has its `bumps.'
DP: You can focus on the defense but it all comes down to, it is a team game. If we step it up then the offense steps up and it all comes back to being a team. We all know what we are capable of; team defense is something we can do and have done in the past. In the next few weeks you will see this.
Q: How nice will it be to play at home?
DP: It will be really good to see Orange instead of red, purple and all those other colors. It will be good to make a tackle or a sack and hear the cheers to get pumped up. As a team, playing in front of a home crowd, where 30,000 people are on your side, is something you look forward to as a football player.
Junior QB Omar Jacobs
Q: What is your assessment of the Boise State game?
OJ: Everyone has bad games, but great quarterbacks come back and bounce back. You still have to move on and lead your team to the next game. We have put it behind us and are now preparing for the Temple Owls.
Q: How is it to be at home?
OJ: It's a sound relief to be at home. To get out of the hostile environments and to play in our own environment, we can relax and focus on us, instead of what is happening around us. Temple has that to worry about; we can just have fun.
Q: Have you heard the buzz on campus about people wanting to come support you guys?
OJ: People in class have said, `finally, it's about time we get to watch you at home. We try to watch on TV to support you, but we want to be at the game and hoot and holler.'
Q: Do you have anything to tell the fans?
OJ: We need your support. We are going to go out and do our best to put on a great show for you guys. It's great to come back home and give them something to cheer about. It's Homecoming, come out have fun and enjoy the festivities. We are going to go out, have fun, play football and perform.
