Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Football Quotes: Week Nine (Game Eight)
October 22, 2007 | Football
Oct. 22, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University football team, after three-straight games on the road, returns home for the next two contests. The Falcons of head coach Gregg Brandon host Ohio University Saturday evening (Oct. 27), with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Perry Stadium.
On Monday afternoon (Oct. 22), Brandon and several Falcon student-athletes met with the media to discuss the win at Kent State and the upcoming game with Ohio ...
It seemed that you guys wanted to be more creative, not just in the running game, but with the double pass, the onside kick and the fake field goal. Was that what you wanted to do coming into the game -- just show them some different things?
"It was no different than any game. The Miami game we had to save stuff that we had cooked up but we turned the ball over, never took advantage of field position, got behind in the game. We were trying to dig ourselves out of a hole and the tricks don't work. The window of opportunity closed pretty quickly at Miami. The window stayed open at Kent and we exploited it and did a good job of that."
It had to have been hard on Anthony (Turner) going from a starter last year to now. Has he kind of embraced his role and he knows he can still be a big part of this team?
"Yes, I really think so. He was really excited on the boundaries when we made big plays. He was halfway out on the field, jumping around being excited. For the four snaps he got, he had two touchdowns, so that's a pretty productive guy. We've worked with Anthony to try and find his niche in the offense, whether it's continue to play quarterback and being the runner that he is, or moving him to tailback like we have the last couple weeks, or maybe putting him in the slot and doing some things. That takes a season and a spring to find out, but I do know one thing about the kid -- he's a competitor and he's talented. For this stretch of games I think we're going to see more of Anthony."
How did you find Willie Geter? Did he fly under the radar of larger schools?
"Yes, he was a little guy. He didn't get recruited by the big time schools because they all said he was too small. If you look at him you say, `Yes, you are too small,' but we watched him on film in high school and we actually saw him play in person last year when we went down and played FIU. Coach (John) Hunter went and watched him play in person. I know he's small, but he's so dynamic just watching him play in a live game. That's what you saw Saturday, a kid who can make a guy miss in space, a kid that can break tackles, a kid with a good burst and all those things we recruited him for."
You have said this before, but if you need a 40-plus yard field goal to win a game you're not afraid to send [Sinisa] Vrvilo out there, are you?
"Sinisa was already halfway out on the field before I even called for the field goal. I asked him what he was doing out there and I told me he would make it."
So he's not one of those guys you have to find and tell him to get out there?
"No. When I looked for him on the boundary I was told, `Coach, he's out there on the hash mark.'"
Does that make a difference then, in your end game situations, maybe when you're running your two-minute drill, how you call things?
"Yes, and one of the things I mentioned to [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Mick] McCall when we crossed the 50 was that a field goal will make it two scores and we will win the game so make sure we keep it within field goal range. I remember the comment I made. I said, 'we are in field goal range, keep it there.' The next play was a loss so I kind of got upset there for a minute."
Is he even better than you thought he would be?
"Yes, he's more accurate than I thought he would be. He came on late in the spring and showed some things that made us think,'all right, he's the real deal.' I think it was just him being more comfortable in a new environment, getting to know his teammates -- all those things factored into him flourishing as a kicker. He's a pretty steady guy right now."
After Saturday's game [KSU head coach Doug] Martin said that they weren't really prepared for what Willie Geter did. What does this do going into the MAC, now that teams might think Bowling Green is not just a passing team, and they have to look out for Willie?
"I hope they're saying that. Early on we were throwing the ball really well and we really felt we needed to do that in that part the schedule to have a chance to win some of those games. We really wanted to get the passing game back to what we were used to. You don't just show up on Saturday and do that so we grinded through the spring and worked on it all camp. We didn't neglect the running game, but we emphasized throwing the football and it gave us a chance to beat Minnesota, it gave us a chance to hang in there against Michigan State and the Boston College game kind of set us back. It put Tyler (Sheehan) back on his heels. He's still working through that now, I think. He's still a young quarterback, and having the ability to run the football -- which we've always had -- helped him Saturday and will continue to help him."
Do you feel some of your best offenses since you've been here are when you have versatile running backs that can catch the ball?
"Yes, no question. Even early when I [was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach] I had Joe Alls and John Gibson we had an effective system there running the football. When you have a guy that can run and catch the ball out of the backfield, that's some versatility."
How does Ohio's defense look?
"They're still pretty solid defensively, even after they lost some kids in the back end that were pretty good. I think they had two senior cornerbacks last season, so there are some new kids there. We just haven't seen them on film as much as last year. I think their defensive line is the strength of their defense. I think their ends are big, strong, physical guys. Their inside guys, especially number 55, are very quick and active. We've played against him for three straight years now. He's very similar to the kid we blocked last weekend, (Colin) Farrell. They're just good. Their linebackers are very quick and active and they're a good defense."
BGSU PLAYER QUOTES
Sinisa Vrvilo
What are your thoughts on being a part of this season and trying to contend for a MAC championship?
"I've been through a lot in my life, and to be here is definitely a privilege and an advantage. This team is awesome; we are like a big family and that's what I enjoy most."
You said you have been through a lot in your life, can you elaborate?
"I first lived in the former Yugoslavia. My family and I lived there for four years during the civil war. My dad decided to move us to Germany and we lived there for a while. Then we moved here [the United States] and at first I just played soccer. My sophomore year in high school the head football coach asked me to come out and try [football] and I loved it. I went to junior college and did a pretty good job; now here I am at Bowling Green. I never would have thought [about playing] Division I football. It's awesome!"
Is it [being at Bowling Green] everything you expected?
"It's definitely more than I expected. One thing is the meal plan that we get, I get three meals a day and I don't have to pay for anything [because of my scholarship], the school pays for it. It's awesome! It's definitely a privilege. During the war it was tough, there were some days when we didn't have anything to eat. It was difficult but it was a hard time for everybody, my whole family. Right now it is good; everybody has food."
Kicking a football has to be one of the easiest things in your life compared to what you had to deal with back home. Is your mind clear when you are called on to kick?
"Definitely. When I go up there and it is the game winning field goal or something like that, I think to myself, 'I have been through a lot more, a lot worse' -- life threatening type of stuff -- this is `just have fun and kick a ball.' It was the same mindset in the Minnesota game."
Tyler Sheehan
Things can really change from one week to the next in college football. [This past weekend,] BGSU had a big win and Miami lost.
"It's huge. We were kind of down thinking we lost an opportunity, big time, with the loss to Miami. We thought they could run the table pretty easily, and with them losing and us winning it gives us a chance now. Everybody's confidence is up; I think it will help us a lot. Establishing the run game a little bit will definitely help us. It will take some pressure off the receivers and the line. The offensive line loves run blocking, and they don't have to worry about giving up sacks and stuff like that. I think it will help us out big time."
What do you think about Willie Geter's performance at KSU?
"It's awesome. He had a great game. Willie is a good guy, he has been one of my favorite guys since he has come here. He worked his butt off since the summer and it has really shown. Coaches were kind of hesitant to give him the ball that much at the beginning of year with the running game, but he showed he can do it, and did a great job."
How much easier does it make your job as the quarterback with a running game?
"The safeties fly up and stuff starts opening up. They try not to blitz as much because we can just run away from the blitz. It is going to be a lot easier to game plan with a solid running game like we have now."
Did you know going into the Kent State game that you guys would emphasize the run like you did?
"We worked a lot on the running game all week. Last week was actually the first week where I went down with the linemen and the running backs and worked on ball handling and stuff like that. I definitely knew it was going to be an effective part of our game plan -- if we could establish a run we would have a really good chance of winning the game."
What are you going to have to do to beat Ohio?
"I think we are just going to have to play like we play. They turned the ball over eight times last week against Toledo, so we will definitely have to force some turnovers on the defensive side. On the offensive side we just have to keep rolling from last week, keep running and when it comes time to pass, I have to put the ball on the money and everything has to work like it has so far. We know what type of team they are. They have a lot of people returning from last year's team. They have a great running back. Their defense is pretty solid. They were just put in some tough situations lately with the turnovers. We know the type of team they are, they have had some tough breaks. We know if they come out and play they can beat almost anybody."
Is it going to be nice to play a home game?
"It seems like we have been on the road since the beginning of the season, so it's going be nice to settle down a little bit. We have a nice little stretch of home games and then we have to go away a couple more times. It will be nice coming home not having to worry about traveling and all that type of stuff."
Does Coach Brandon give you any sort of perks when you reach all of your team goals in a game?
"No, we just handle ourselves the way we have all year. He always talks about if we get the team goals we win the game. Obviously if you look at them, it is blatantly obvious whether we win the game or not just by looking at the goals."
Willie Geter
You had a breakout game and earned MAC honors this week. How have these last few days been for you?
"I'm happy; I'm elated. I didn't think I would do anything like that. This (203 yards at KSU) is the most yards I've ever had in a game."
Even in high school?
"Yes. I think maybe once during my JV year, I had 190 yards."
Did you know that you were going to run the ball more at Kent State?
"(The coaches) told us that we were going to put it on the ground more, but I didn't think they were going to give me 22 carries. That's way more than we have been running it."
What was it about your preparation or about Kent State's defense that enabled you to run for so many yards?
"We made a few adjustments on the sidelines, because a couple of the plays didn't work like they should. (Assistant) coach (Matt) Campbell did a good job of telling us what (KSU's defensive) look would be like. He told me I was going to pop one, and on the next series, I was out in the open. The offensive line played great, and I had my fullback (Pete Winovich) as my lead blocker, so I just followed them."
Did you realize that you had as many yards as you did?
"No, I was just running. When they told me I had 200 yards, I couldn't believe it."
Eric Ransom went down in the first game with an injury. How did that change things?
"When E-Ram went down, it was a big loss for our team. He and I had a good rotation going, and I wasn't sure how things would change."
Do you feel like you now are the top running back for the Falcons?
"No, we all share the role. It just depends on who is clicking that day. We all play our roles in the offense. Sometimes I line up at receiver, sometimes they bring AT (Anthony Turner) or Dan Macon in, or sometimes it's Chris Bullock. We all play our roles within the offense."
