TicketsDantonio Looks Foward to Debut vs. OSU
Contact: Tom Hathaway
8/31/2004
Comments from Mark Dantonio?s Media Conference - Aug. 30, 2004 ? UC vs. Ohio State
On playing Ohio State:
?I think it?s going to be a great experience. Ohio Stadium is a great place to play. The fan support is tremendous. We have a lot of Ohio players on our team. I think they are looking forward to it.?
On progress as head coach at Cincinnati:
?We need to take small steps to get to where we want to be. I think this is taking place. I see it in the attitudes of our players. I think we had our success at Ohio State because of the way we handled adversity on the football field. That has to happen here. It doesn?t happen overnight. I know that when things get into a crisis situation, Jim Tressel is at his best. Hopefully that is what I will be able to do here.?
Comparing the defenses:
?Our defenses are very similar. I won?t go into how, at this point. I think we center on the same basics. I believe in defensive football. What we do comes in part from what we did at Ohio State and Michigan State. It all comes down to the players, as far as what you can do and what you can?t do. You have to evolve as a football team.
?It all comes down to execution. Every defense is formulated to stop every play. It becomes a matter of what you can do and what you can?t. Coach Tressel once asked me, ?When do we play our best?? And I told him, ?When we play fast.? So we?ve cut out the complicated things. We play simple so our players can play fast.
?Pat Narduzzi (defensive coordinator) has done a great job of implementing some things. He?s going to call the game.?
Advantages/disadvantages as former OSU coach:
?I think it is an advantage. We know their players, and when I say that, I mean the guys who came with me from that staff. We know their capabilities. But it all comes down to execution. Turnovers, the kicking game and tackling in space are so critical to any football game now.?
About coaching his first game:
?This is the first game in which I will be a head coach. I can?t think of any better place to coach my first game. This is where I have been. I know the facility. I know the people. The fan support and the atmosphere at the game will be tremendous.
?It will be something very special for me. It will also be special for the players because of what happened two years ago. They know it will be a great experience. It was a tough loss for our (UC?s) players. They are upset with knowing how close they came. That?s not a bad thing. The know if they can overcome some little things, they can win.?
On freshman running back Jon Carpenter:
?Jon will get to play this year. I may put him in the game to cut his brother (OSU starting linebacker Bobby). He is a high-energy guy who plays with great toughness and effort. We will play that type of guy.?