Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Football Quotes: Week Six (Game Five)
October 01, 2007 | Football
Oct. 1, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University football team will head to Boston this weekend, taking on #6/7 ranked Boston College on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 6). On Monday, Falcon head coach Gregg Brandon and several of his players met with members of the media to discuss the BC game, the win over Western Kentucky and other matters ... here are their stories ...
BGSU HEAD COACH Gregg Brandon
How do you prepare for a quarterback like Matt Ryan that's considered a Heisman candidate?
"I think our defense is in great shape because we have a quarterback (Tyler Sheehan) that is pretty good. We throw the ball effectively and we practice against it all the time. We need to take some things from previous games and mix things up on him, get some pressure on him [Matt Ryan], get some guys in his face and try to get him out of rhythm - all those things you try to do to great quarterbacks. The thing about him is he can make all the throws, and he is very accurate."
Do they run the spread offense also?
"No, they are primarily a two-back team and they get in some one back. They use their tight end very well; they play with a fullback and they run their tailback very effectively. They have a good mix on offense to keep people off balance."
How do you feel playing the number-six team in the nation?
"It's a great opportunity and the kids will be excited. If we're fortunate enough to go in and get a win it will be the first time in school history that we've beaten a top-10 opponent."
"You have to feel that if UMass could play with Boston College that you guys can also do the same, especially the way you're playing right now, right?
"I think college football is such a level field now -- anybody can beat anybody. Just last Saturday, we saw a bunch of teams that won that weren't supposed to win."
All the focus is on Boston College's offense. What about their defense?
"Their defense is pretty salty. Their nose tackle is a rock in there and he's hard to knock off the ball. He's just a strong, physical kid. Their defensive ends are rangy guys with long arms that get their hands up. Their linebackers run well and are physical. They remind me of Wisconsin on film a little bit. They can just overpower you."
Looking back at last year, did you know all along that Freddie Barnes wasn't best suited for quarterback?
"When we recruited Freddie from high schoolm we wanted to take him as an athlete and it was just a matter of where he was going to end up playing. ... Our defensive players want him at safety. They all think he can play there. He's a strong 210-pound kid that can run. He's picking up on the little subtleties of the wide receiver position. He knows that his strength and size are something he can use to his advantage."
Since moving Loren Hargove to linebacker, do you like what you are seeing from him?
Definitely. He's a guy that has had ups and downs in his career and he's fought through them. He's just fought through some tough times for a college kid. He's had more heartache and grief than most of the guys. To see him elected as team captain speaks volumes of him. He's playing well and that's the bottom line -- you have to produce. He's been performing, and it's great not only for him, but also for our team and defense.
Did you expect that from him, to be able to persevere through all the hard times?
"He has a resolve about him, a determination about him, that helped him mature and didn't shake his character. I think that's why the kids voted him captain, to be honest with you."
Will P.J. Mahone play more this week after last week's game? "Yes. He's playing a lot now so it's nice to have three guys that you can play - Jahmal [Brown], P.J. and Jerett [Sanderson]. I don't know if it's a starting thing, but he will definitely play a lot. We're going to need him throughout the season. It's still a long haul."
BGSU PLAYER QUOTES
LB Loren Hargrove
What are your thoughts on facing nationally ranked [No. 6] Boston College?
"It's another big thrill for us to be able to take on that type of an opponent, just like it was taking on Minnesota and Michigan State. It's a big game for us. It's not a game we need to get to our final goal, which is to win the MAC, but like Coach [Gregg Brandon] said, `this is a game that we're capable of winning and we can go on the road and surprise the nation once again.' We can prove to everyone that we aren't just a MAC opponent you put on your schedule to play with."
What are your thoughts on the talk surrounding this stretch of Boston College's schedule as the easiest portion?
"We like to hear that. Most of the time we're going in as underdogs and like coach says, there aren't really any upsets to us. We want our opponents to take us lightly because we're bringing things that they haven't seen before, and we're coming to play and coming to win."
How much did the previous two road trips prepare you for this game?
"Those games got us acclimated with the crowd, with the different settings and just being on the road. We are not as nervous coming into this game; we're a confident group and our coaches have a great game plan ready for those guys."
How does a defense prepare to face a Heisman-caliber quarterback such as Matt Ryan?
"We really focus in on certain tendencies and what the line shows us. Every quarterback has tendencies that show you where the ball is going, what he's doing on his checks and different motion routes. We just have to hone in and have very good film studies this week."
How have you as a defense been able to keep up the consistent play this season?
"Well, each weekend we take each game one game at a time, one play at a time. We as a defense know we want to be the best defense in the MAC and to do that you have to swarm to the ball, eliminate the big plays and take away the long passes. The defensive line then needs to get to the quarterback and rush the quarterback. These are all things we preach in practice and we know that we can be one of the best defenses in the MAC if we continue to work harder."
QB Tyler Sheehan
How are you approaching this week with the huge test you're facing on Saturday?
"We're approaching it like we do any other week. We know they are a good team and that it's going to be another good test. It'll also be another good chance for us to get on the national map again like we've been in the past, but though they are a solid team, they do have weaknesses like everybody else so we're just going to have to go in there with the mindset that we can win just like every other week."
Are you approaching this like this could be your biggest test of the season?
"Oh yeah, no doubt. This is probably our biggest test of the year so far and could be our biggest test of the entire season. We're going to have a solid game plan and it'll be up to us to execute it better than we have all season."
What impresses you about Boston College as a team?
"They're a big, physical team that looks like they're coached very well, and they don't seem to make too many assignment mistakes on defense. They have an excellent quarterback up there then in Matt Ryan, who is an All-American type of player. Overall they have a lot of good athletes. They'll be a tough team to beat, but I think we very capable of doing that."
How are you feeling right now?
"I'm feeling pretty good. I mean I got dinged up a bit on Saturday, but I'll be fine. I should be as good to go as I normally would be."
Could this game become a shootout on Saturday with these two offenses going head-to-head?
"Potentially, but I think our defense is good enough not to allow that to happen. We, as an offense then, are just going to try as hard as we can to keep them [BC's offense] off the field. We'll try to move the ball, sustain some drives and help keep our defense fresh so that it won't become a shootout."
