Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Football Quotes: Week 11 (Game 10)
November 05, 2007 | Football
Nov. 5, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team is preparing for a Friday (Nov. 9) game at Eastern Michigan University. On Monday afternoon (Nov. 5), Falcon head coach Gregg Brandon and selected players met with the media to discuss the team's win over Akron and the upcoming EMU game ...
HEAD COACH Gregg Brandon
What can you learn from watching what Toledo did to Eastern Michigan?
"Toledo has been real good the last couple of games. As far as looking at Eastern [Michigan], their defensive line is real good. We are going to have to block them. That might be one of the best defensive lines that we have faced. Their inside guys are hard to block. It will be a great challenge for our offensive line."
Can you talk about the depth that your team showed last Friday?
"All the kids have been practicing hard all season. They have just been waiting for their opportunity. Injuries do occur and those backup kids have to come in and do the job. Without Partridge and Geter in the game that is a huge impact offensively. We were still able to crank out 500 yards of offense. The backup kids were able to step in and do a nice job.
"Defensively, it is the same situation. Glen Stanley has been a backup all season. We have been bringing him along and he has been getting reps and now it is his time. You just hope when those kids get in and get their opportunities they perform."
What have you seen about Stanley to say this true freshman can play?
"He is a very explosive and an instinctive player and instincts are important. To have those instincts along with his speed and quickness makes him that much better. Glen just needs to get in and see more live reps. He will get better and better."
How much were you expecting Anthony Turner to play at the beginning of the year compared to now?
"There was a lot of discussion to if he was not our starting quarterback, was he the backup quarterback, which would limit what we could do with him. The development of Anthony Glaud allowed us to move Turner around and give him the ball, which you saw last Friday night. He is a guy we can hand the ball to, a guy we can snap the ball to and run and he is a guy that can catch passes."
Was the move of Freddie Barnes to wide receiver and how well he has done there a factor in the Turner decision?
"No, not really. It was just his pure athletic ability. He is just to good of a football player to be standing next to me. We just had to find ways to work him in. With Willie [Geter] and [Corey] Partridge going down we had to get him involved. He is such a good athlete and you saw that on Friday night."
Does this show a player's character when he changes positions like that?
"He is a kid that has accepted his role. It was hard on him being the starter last year and not being the guy this year. We talked over the summer about that and all through camp and said that you have to be a team guy and appreciate your role and help the team win. I am really proud of him for that."
Can you talk about the extended role of Chris Wright?
"He keeps getting better and better. He just had to learn the position. Some people learn and adjust faster than others. As coaches we have no patience. In Chris' case we wish he would have matured quicker, but hey, better late than never. He has three games left this year and two more years at wide receiver. He is going to be a good player for us."
And Jermiah Kelley?
"He is a tough kid. He will get out there and block. He can catch the ball and is a physical guy. He is a player that did not have spring football. He comes in and has to learn the system in camp. It takes a while for those guys to learn to play at this level. It was good to see him emerge."
Can you talk about preparing for Eastern not knowing who their QB will be?
"Friday night surprised me. I did not know until after the game that he was suspended. Eastern started a true freshman last week -- he is a good player. I have watched him on film and he is a talented player. They moved the ball on Toledo. The other quarterback we have seen before as he played against us last year."
Do you have any thoughts on the EMU and Toledo games only counting in the MAC standings as a tie-breaker?
"To win the East you have to beat the teams in the East. To have a shot at that we are going to need some help. It is still out there. One thing I noticed is that there are only two teams in the league that can win eight games and only four teams that can win seven and we are one of those two (with a chance to win eight). If we can get that done we will have something to say. We are still fighting to win the East and still fighting to get a bowl game. Our program goals are still out there and going into November with three weeks left, that is nice to be able to say that right now."
What does EMU do well offensively?
"Offensively they are very similar to us in style of offense. They use the shotgun run game. They have been explosive at times. They have searched for answers with different players and you can see that with the quarterback situation. They have speed and quickness and anytime you play a team like that you have to have your defenders in position. We have to be sound in our assignments defensively."
FALCON PLAYER QUOTES
Defensive Back P.J. Mahone
What was the key to your big performance on Saturday with the two interceptions that earned you MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors?
"Our defensive coaches came into the game with a great scheme and they had us in good positions to make plays and I just took advantage of it. The interceptions were just a result of me being where I needed to be."
Do you find yourself scoreboard watching now with Miami and Buffalo both in position to win the MAC East?
"Yeah, I do that a lot. I don't know about the rest of the team, but I do that quite a bit myself. In my mind, I don't we should've let our circumstance get out of our hands. I think we should've kept it our own hands and now we have to see what happens each week."
Do you expect Eastern to come into this game with a little more fire after losing to Toledo?
"I think so. I believe they're 3-7 right now, so really all they have to play for is to be a spoiler now. With that said, I think they'll come into this game aggressive and playing hard."
Quarterback Tyler Sheehan
How big was the win this past weekend?
"It was huge. I think we dominated the game in all phases and just had a great team game. Offensively, we only had to punt the ball once and good things are usually happening for you when that occurs. Our line did great. We had receivers step up and make plays - Chris Wright did a great job of stepping up and showing the defense some new things and Freddie [Barnes] played his usual game. We had a lot of younger guys step up big time as well."
How different was it for you not having Willie Geter in the backfield with you?
"It was a little different because we're just use to having him back there, but I got comfortable with AT [Anthony Turner], Dan [Macon] and Chris [Bullock] back there all week. Anthony has always joked around that he could play running back and I think he's proven that he can. But all three are doing a good job right now. Anthony played great, Dan has really been stepping into his new role and Chris did a great job as well."
How important was it for you guys to make a statement this week?
"It was big in my mind because I feel the Ohio loss was a very sluggish loss on our part, on the offensive side of the ball. I personally took it as a challenge because I wasn't playing good enough for the team to win and I wanted to go out and make a statement that when I can play at a high level, we can be a dominant team. So I took it upon myself to go out there and lead the offense and get us to execute everything as good as we could."
What do you know about Eastern Michigan's defense?
"They've got a very athletic group. They've got a good defensive lineman and their safety has been MAC Player of the Week one or two times, so they've got some playmakers on that unit. We'll have to have a similar type of offensive game and just continue to execute. It'd be nice to get a little win streak going here to finish the season."
Did coach tell you anything leading up to the Akron game that really got you prepared to play?
"Yeah, he came up to me and told me leading up to the game during the week that I just needed to play a little better and prepare a little better. I've been nagging with injuries a little here and there, but I can't use that as an excuse anymore. I really just took it upon myself this past week to do just a little bit extra each day and prepare as much as I could. In the past I was worried about making mistakes, but I came out much looser in that game and wasn't afraid to go out and make those mistakes. The Boston College game kind of hurt my confidence a bit and I feel I got that back this past weekend with that performance I had."
Anthony Turner
What was it like getting 100 yards as a running back this past weekend, as opposed to getting that as a quarterback?
"It's definitely different, but at the same time it's fun. I'm just glad I can be on the field with my teammates and help the team win."
How did you playing running back come about?
"Well I've been practicing as a running back for some time now, but to tell you the truth, it just kind of happened. The coaches felt they needed me in that role this past week and that's how it worked."
What goes through your mind as a running back compared to when you're asked to be a quarterback?
"Basically you just play each play as its own play and kind of just go with the flow. Whatever happens happens and you've just got to find ways to make plays."
How nice is it to know that you enter week 10 and still have a chance to go to a bowl game?
"It's a great feeling. I haven't been to a bowl game since my freshman year and that was an amazing time. They had an all-you-can-eat ice cream bar in the meeting room -- that was pretty sweet."
