TicketsSept. 19, 2006
On Ohio State:
We went (to Columbus) with an idea that we would need to have things go well for us to win the game. They would have to present some opportunities for us and we would have to believe in ourselves. We went up there not in awe of the situation.
We had some opportunities in the first half. We were leading 7-6 in the second quarter. After their second field goal, we had a 53-yard kickoff return. We were on the 47 yard line. Later in the half, it was 13-7 and if the pass (by Dustin Grutza) to Brent Celek is up a couple more inches, we have a touchdown, instead it was intercepted.
They had to make mistakes and we needed to be perfect. We were unable to do that. They distanced themselves in the second half when we made turnovers.
I am very proud of our football team. The way we presented ourselves and attacked the situation, but we need to play better.
I give Ohio State a lot of credit. They are the No. 1 football team in the nation and they will continue to do well, I'm sure.
Looking ahead to Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech is an outstanding football team. I can't tell you the difference in the No. 10 team and the No. 1 football team in the country, other than the breaks and how they play out the season.
They hang their hat on defense. They are leading the nation in scoring defense and are in the top 10 in total defense.
Offensively, they are a little bit younger.
Virginia Tech has excellent special teams. They have already scored on a blocked punt this year.
We will look to go to Blacksburg. It's a very difficult place to play, but we are looking forward to the challenge. We will have opportunities. We need to play perfect and have to capitalize on the mistakes that they make.
What would a win at Virginia Tech mean?
I think it will take something like that to catapult us forward. We need to be able measure ourselves against the best football teams in the nation. We are getting the opportunities to do that.
In some cases we can see how close we are. In other aspects, we can see how far we have to go. You see both ends of the spectrum. I think that is where we are at right now.
I like the attitude of our football team. We will not be intimidated by anybody. We will come ready to play. I will hang my hat on that.
There is no doubt our schedule is tough. When you are in the BIG EAST you are playing tough football teams. The BIG EAST is a pretty powerful conference and we have a challenging out of conference schedule.