Right: Coach Tressel speaking to reporters and other bar patrons at The O Patio & Pub, Tuesday afternoon. (Photo via Crackberry)
It’s that time of the week during football season where I disguise myself as a sports reporter dressed up in a dorky golf shirt and Dockers to crash Jim Tressel’s weekly press conference at The O Patio & Pub at 15th Ave. and High St.
This week, Senator Sweater Vest does not mention the player awards for the past game, though he does talk about the New Mexico State before elaborating on State Penn. Shortly thereafter the media butt-kissers get a chance to ask him questions.
First, “The Vest” talks about the New Mexico State game…
A question was asked last week, often would you rather have a game or an open date. I fell on the side of thinking what we needed was a game and I think that was the case. I thought our guys did a good job preparing this past week. I thought they came out with the idea they knew what they needed to do. They prepared, they went out and the good news was a bunch of our guys got significant snaps. We probably had more people get 20 or more snaps than we’ve had in a game that I can remember and we’d like to think that will pay dividends down the road because as the grind gets tougher and the battles get harder, more and more people are called upon sometimes when they least expect it, so it was a good opportunity for our guys to have that opportunity.”
Jimmy T. then talks about the New Mexico State player who was involved in the play that knocked kicker Aaron Pettrey out for the season…
It was interesting after the ball game, as the two teams were congratulating one another and so forth, the young man that actually was involved in the play where Aaron got injured sought me out and said, please tell your kicker I apologize, I didn’t mean to block him below the waist, I just was trying to go make a play and you could just tell the young man was distraught.”
Now for some “coach-speak” on State Penn:
Penn State is solid Penn State. If you turned film on and didn’t have a program in front of you you could guess which year it is because they’ve been doing the same things very well and adding new wrinkles, of course, based upon their personnel and what people do better and so forth and so on. But their general philosophy defensively is much the same, very strong up front, very difficult to run on much they don’t give away easy plays in their secondary. Their linebackers are very, very disciplined and run extremely well.”
What’s your scouting report on State Penn’s offense?
Offensively they have the blessing of having a very veteran quarterback who you’ve seen grow as each year’s gone on, I think this might be Daryll’s sixth year because I think he spent a year at prep school and then redshirted and so forth. He’s a good player. He’s a physical player. Hasn’t run as much this year. I would expect him to run a little bit more in this game because they’re going to do whatever it takes to do in this battle, but he’s making great decisions. He leads our conference in passing efficiency and he’s very much in command and when you have a guy in command there, along with a good back like Royster and his change-up guy Stephfon Green and excellent fullbacks, their tight ends have always been very versatile in both the run and the pass game, their receivers are younger, probably the youngest part of their team along with a couple of their linemen.”
Coach, what do the Shittany Lions like to do on defense?
Their general philosophy defensively is much the same, very strong up front, very difficult to run on much they don’t give away easy plays in their secondary. Their linebackers are very, very disciplined and run extremely well.”
Coach, T-Pry didn’t play in the second half against New Mexico State, how’s he doing? Did he get a little dinged up?
He has ice bags everywhere. He’s got one on his — one of those fingers here all the way down his body with his knees and his ankles and foot and so forth. And we thought that he had been banged around enough and even when you don’t design things for him to get banged around, he likes to make plays and he attracts a crowd, but he’ll be ready to go today.”
Any of your playas that won’t play against State Penn?
Outside of the ones that have been out, Moeller and Aaron Gant and…(Andrew) Sweat, Mike Adams. I would expect everyone else would be ready to go, Dexter (Larimore) included. So who have we been missing lately? Dexter, he’ll be back. Boren, he’ll be back. Nate Oliver, we’re still waiting. He won’t work today. Kind of expecting him to be back though. Those other guys will all work today. “
So with Pettrey out for the season, will that (hopefully) change they way to make decisions on offense, like going for it on fourth-and-short, etc?
Yeah, Devin or Ben, I don’t think, are going to be your 57-yard kind of guys. Not that that has everything to do with it much if you’re kicking a 57-yarder, that means the ball’s on, what, the 40? And we don’t want to give Penn State the ball on the 40, so it wouldn’t be all about Devin because if Aaron was the kicker, I can’t promise you you’d try 57 with the percent chance that we might give Penn State the ball back on the 40. So it might change it a little bit, just have to see how Devin and Ben are looking and the conditions, the wind, the footing, and all those different things, but, yeah, it does. I mean, we were very comfortable with Aaron from anywhere. He had a great leg. I’ve seen him hit 63, 64-yard field goals in practice, not just standing there alone, I mean with a rush coming and the whole deal, so these guys aren’t quite there.”
Coach, how feelin’ about your running backs? Feelin’ good?
Well, with getting Boom back, that helps, and with Brandon and Boom and we’re very comfortable with Jordan, Jermil now has played a little bit, so absolutely. We’re — knock on wood, we’re pretty healthy there and we weren’t for a bit and I thought Boom was probably 90% Saturday, he didn’t have quite that burst, but now he’s been through it, he’s been out in a game and had a couple days rest and November practices won’t wear you out, they’re not quite as long, hopefully you don’t get someone stepping on someone’s foot and rolling an ankle or whatever, but, yeah, I feel like we’re as good as we could be right now.”
Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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