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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Gregg Brandon Press Conference Quotes
November 17, 2006 | Football
Nov. 17, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
BGSU Head Coach Gregg Brandon
On looking at the film after the Miami game
"We studied it pretty good...at least what you can get out of it. I thought the defense did a great job, but you don't know how much of that is related to the conditions because we weren't exactly a juggernaut offensively. Anthony [Turner] led all the rushers and the passers. He threw for the most yards and rushed for the most yards. The kicking game is where we lost the game and that's not all just the punter and the kicker. It's ok if the game came down to that if the conditions are such...I don't care if it is raining or snowing but at least have a place where you can spot the ball and kick up. I didn't even notice when he was kicking the ball how bad it was and then I saw the T.V. copy. It would have been a miracle if he made that kick. It's a shame that the game has to come down to that, something that the kids don't have control over. But we had a chance to win it. Right now, with this team, I think that's a step in the right direction. We've had a chance to win our last two games but we don't have enough guys that have been in the fray enough to know how to finish games right now."
With the way the past month his gone, how huge would a win at Toledo be?
"It would be huge. It's a great rival game and you always want to beat UT. Again it's like I told the team before Miami you always want to beat the team down south and the team up north. Again I don't think the younger players have grasped that yet, the magnitude of a big game, a rival game and hopefully they'll have it for Tuesday night."
Is that something that is the older players responsibility?
"Yep, they have to talk to them about it. I don't have a lot of players that played last year in the game here. There aren't a lot of guys... there were guys on the team but they weren't starters or they didn't play a lot in the game."
It's been inconceivable in August to think that both the teams playing in this game are struggling...
"It's a surprise but I think that if you look at the schedules and the youth on both sides. Toledo's a young team to and I think you can understand where we are."
Even pushing the rivalry aside, to go into the off-season with a win...
"It would be a great springboard into the winter program, no doubt."
Bullock was kind of under the radar a little bit are teams looking to stop him?
"No for whatever reason Chris, maybe it was the elements, the mud, he had a hard time getting on track and some of the things that Miami was doing defensively allowed us to run Anthony so we stuck with that because he was doing a nice job at that and that gave us our best chance to move the ball."
On Toledo's defense
"I think Toledo's one of the top three teams in the conference talent wise on both sides of the ball and it really shows up on the defense. I think they have great speed and athleticism as far as our league goes. They can cover man to man and they bring pressure. They have very active linebackers and it will be a challenge for us offensively. It always is when you play these guys, they do a good job."
As a coach do you look forward to the rivalry?
"Yeah. It's the cool thing about college football. These kind of games. Even the casual fan pays attention to the rival games."
Ruben Ruiz
What are your feelings about what happened versus Miami?
"I am going to remember this loss for the rest of my life. It was so sad to end our season here at home like that."
If you guys win up at Toledo will that help end the season?
"Of course. That's a rivalry up there, and for the seniors to have one last shot is exciting. I know they are going to be ready for us, but we are really going to go for them."
Talk about the rivalry...
"I still remember the last play last year when we lost to them in the third overtime. That's one thing that's still in my head, whenever I see that tight end who caught the ball that's all I can think about."
How much does last years overtime game motivate you?
"I have been thinking about that all season. I just keep telling myself that we do not want to experience that again. I don't want to go through that again. Things happen the way they happen and you can't complain about things, we just have to go out there and make this season different."
What does the rivalry mean to you?
"It's a huge motivation, I know we are going to their house, and that makes me want to bring it even more. I want to play harder cause we are playing at their house. They came down here and beat us at our house, so that makes me want to go show them what it feels like to lose at your own house."
Sean O'Drobinak
What are your feelings about last week versus Miami?
"We defiantly want to get past this. We need to let go of Miami and go play Toledo. Records don't matter, the season doesn't matter, and Toledo is a different mindset. It's a different game."
What are your thoughts about how the game ended last season?
"The last play of the game last year is all we can think about. That loss stung. It was a hard fought game last year, we just unfortunately came out on bottom. Plays like that should be a motivator for us to go get them this year. That game hurt, and that's the stuff that's going to get us through this week."
Talk about the rivalry
"It's 20 minuets up the road. Everyone is looking at the Ohio State Michigan game being the big rivalry, and while I know it's a big game I'm not from Ohio. I came to Bowling Green and their rivalry is Toledo. All the coaches keep telling us that Toledo is different. We are playing for I-75, for the Piece Pipe. This is the big game. When you prepare for Toledo it's a different mind set."
Toledo came down here and beat you guys, does that motivate you?
"It's motivation to me. I know its motivation for those seniors, especially the seniors. It's their last shot, so those seniors are going to go out there and play lights out. I know I am going to do everything I can to go out there and help them go out with a victory."
Talk about the 35 unanswered points in the Glass Bowl two years ago
"I know it will be brought up. The last two years we have not got it done. It should be brought up. It was painful and I don't want to feel that way again, no one does. The last two games have been painful. We owe them something. Records are out the door it's time to just go play ball."
