MSU Weekly Football Press Conference Transcript
10/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
A look at quotes from Montana State's weekly media interview sessions...
BOBCAT COACH ROB ASH
Did you get a sense of whether Dane Fletcher can play Saturday because of his injury?
RA: He’s been upgraded, he’s probably questionable. We’re expecting him to be able to play but we’re going to see what’s going to happen at practice this week, but we’re counting on him to be able to go.
You would like to have his pass rush presence I think for this opponent.
RA: They do throw the ball a lot. What was it, 50-plus pass attempts on Saturday? And so sure, anybody that we had out there that could add to the troops to rush the passer would be valuable, and of course that’s (Dane’s) specialty. So we’re glad that it looks like he’ll be able to come back.
Talk about the connection you see on film between their quarterback and Boyce, they seemed to be on a different page against the Grizzlies.
RA: You know, athletes get hot from time to time. You know, running backs get hot, they get feeling it, they can run the ball, shooters in basketball, pitchers in baseball, you just get in a groove and that’s what happened to these guys on Saturday, they just had a sort of a sixth sense about where each other was going to be. They had some excellent timing on the routes and some excellent play, I mean some good, tough catches in the crowd, I mean just a little bit of everything, really, and it resulted with a fabulous day for those two.
You’ve seen them on film all season, is that the first time they really connected that way?
RA: Well, I mean, that’s a special day, 17 catches for one player is pretty amazing and you know, they haven’t duplicated that prior to this time and hopefully won’t (this week), but you don’t know. I mean … I hope it’s an indication of just a one day, a special day as opposed to something that’s going to be a habit from now on out, but they’ve always been good, you know Nicholls has been good all year and Boyce is an outstanding receiver so it doesn’t surprise me that they had a good day, but those numbers are pretty spectacular.
They’re only sophomores, they’re going to be around for a long time.
RA: Thanks for reminding me. Yeah, reloading, and that may be part of the situation too, as sophomores just beginning to get a feel for things, you know and starting to mature and, you know get their act together as a passing tandem, and that happens, teams get better as the season goes along, connections get better as the season goes along and they may be hitting their stride.
Do you view this as your first road test?
RA: No, I thought Weber was a great road test, I mean Weber’s a good, tough team and that was a difficult place for us to play and they’ve played well since then, since we’ve played them, so I thought that was a very good test for us. Eastern is an excellent team though, they’ve had two very difficult losses, but they’re certainly an outstanding team, well coached. I know they protect their home turf well and play well there, so we’re expecting it to be an awesome game. We have great respect for what they have done and what they can do.
Is that a typical pass-run ratio, what they showed against the Grizzlies? Does the possibility exist that they’re going to throw it that much?
RA: Hey, they like to throw the ball, I mean that’s really their A-game. That’s what they like to do, but they’ll run the ball if you give them the opportunity. The game that they were in this last week they got behind and they had to catch up and it also was starting to click so they stayed with it, but I’m sure they’ll do whatever they need to do. They’ve got a multiple offense. They’ve got the opportunity to run the football. If we want to give them a real soft coverage I’m sure they would try to run the football, depending on the circumstances in the game.
They throw the football a lot, and you have a defense that has had two picks a game in the last four games, something’s got to give.
RA: Well, I won’t change my tune at all, I mean, the story of every game this year and I think most of the games in any season comes down to takeaways on defense and ball security on offense. That turnover ratio is going to be very important in this game. You’ve got to give them credit. Up to this point in time their touchdown-to-interception ratio has been exceptionally good, I think nine or 10 touchdowns to 2 picks for the season. For a sophomore quarterback and an offense that throws the ball as much as they do, that’s extremely impressive, so we’re going to have to work hard to continue to have the turnover margin that we have had and that we would like to get in any game.
You seem to have about the same turnover ratio and the same philosophy of taking care of the football, and seeing if you can’t get it away from the other guys.
RA: Absolutely. I mean, I’m not the only coach in America who has this figured out. (laughter) A lot of people do, and you know, it’s a matter of getting the guys out there on the field to execute the plan, and Eastern Washington’s done a great job with that part of the game. They’re better overall for the season on that ratio (than MSU) so it will be a huge factor for this game.
What do they do defensively that you’ve seen on film? Pressure? Play base as much as they can?
RA: I guess they’d be a little bit like us, they’re very multiple, they’ll give you different kinds of coverage shells back there and they’ll pressure in various situations, pressure situations and different amount of distance to keep you off balance and guessing. They’re very active and athletic up front with a little bit quicker and faster type guys up front and so they move a lot and they try to angle and slant and blitz and twist and those kinds of things, and they’re good. They hustle and play hard and go to the ball and I’m real impressed with what they’ve done.
Talk about this match-up. You have 4 straight wins and they have a loss and they know they need to start winning games if they want to win the conference. How does that lead to a big clash this Saturday?
RA: I think it’s is a huge game. We have a great opportunity here, you know, to go on the road and continue to be in a position where we control our own destiny. That’s got to be motivating for our team. On the other hand, they’ve got a situation where their back’s to the wall. I mean, looking at the history of the Big Sky, I think it’s feasible in any given year to get a piece of the championship with two losses, but with three losses I would imagine that’s going to be pretty tough to do to get a piece of the title that way, so they’re at that bubble right now where they’ve got to stay, if they want to continue to have a chance at it they’ve got to knock us down and stay with two losses. So, shoot, they’re going to be highly motivated, but so will we.
It’s not your history, but the program’s history hasn’t been successful recently against the Eagles. Do you tell the guys, this is another year and we don’t worry about it? Do you worry about that getting into anybody’s head?
RA: No, this is a different team and a different year. I think our guys are very confident and very committed to what we’re doing. I think our season to this point in time has proven to our guys that we can win in different conditions. We can win home and on the road. We respect our opponent and we know it’s going to be a great football game, but we’ve got a mentality with this football team right now that’s very confident, and very poised and I think that will hold up well on Saturday.
You’ve had three weather conditions. Saturday it’s supposed to be 60 degrees and sunny.
RA: We won’t know what to do. (laughs) We’ll look for some rain or snow.
How excited are you to unleash your offense with ideal conditions?
RA: You know, I think the conditions are what they are. One thing I tried to preach to our team is all year (is that) you have a certain way you play the game. You play the game no matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing, what the conditions are. You play your best A-game and if it makes us faster it’s going to make the other team faster. If it’s better for passing for us it’s better passing for them. I mean, in the end it’s all just a stalemate and you just have to go play the game.
You said last week the offense missed some opportunities because of the conditions. Watching the tape did you find more missed opportunities?
RA: The conditions had a factor in the offensive performance I’m sure, but Southern Utah played in the same conditions and they executed fairly well, although bottom line is, they only got three points so it probably affected their offense too. We still have some inconsistencies on offense that we have to get corrected. We have three or four or five, six plays a game where we miss a coverage, we have a wrong route, we have a wrong read, we don’t pull the trigger on time, whatever it might be. It’s not one person, it’s not one phase, it’s just a whole team effort, so we’ve got to get those fixed and hopefully we’re growing each week and improving each week and we’ll put it together one of these times. If we can eliminate those mistakes, each one of those plays we had a breakdown keeps a different drive alive. That could multiply into lots of points and that’s what we’re going to, that’s what we’re hoping will happen that we’ll get that consistency.
SENIOR CORNERBACK KORY AUSTIN
Is Saturday’s game against Eastern Washington the first true test for the secondary this season?
KA: I know it’s going to be our first really big test. Not taking anything away from the other teams (MSU has played), when you see a team that does something very well, and it’s what you defend very well, your eyes kind of light up, like you know what you’re going to get. You know they’re going to come at you and they know we’re going to come at them. I welcome the challenge. Any competitor does. It’s going to be a heavyweight bout for us out there, and we’re going to enjoy (the challenge). I know me and Mike Beach, we think alike, we’re always competing out there. We compete with each other, you know, and right now he’s leading me three to one in picks. (laughter) I welcome the challenge, I hope they come at me, I hope I get some opportunities to show how well I can play.
Coach Ash talked about you wanting to be challenged and hoping the ball comes your way, is that how you like to play?
KA: I definitely do… It’s something that our whole defense prides (itself) in. We compete, like I said, who’s going to make the play? It’s not like everybody can make every play, you’ve got to make the plays that come to you, but you just want those plays to come to you. I learned a lot during this game my freshman year against Eastern Washington. I gave up three touchdowns, and I was out there thinking, I hope they don’t throw at me, I hope they don’t throw at me. I was just a freshman out there not realizing how big the whole scheme was, how big the game was, going against (Eastern’s Erik) Meyer and (Eric) Kimble, who was a great tandem. I came out my sophomore year against a tandem who’s just (as good) as this tandem is and really proved I can play. I think as we’ve matured as a team we’ve all come to be alike in a lot of different ways, and that’s what our defense is like.
Does success in the red zone build on itself?
KA: A lot of the guys we have have played a lot of games. You can look at the Oklahoma State goal line stand way back a couple years ago, we had one against Colorado where we stood up in the red zone. Every game we have games that come to us and make us who we are. This year we’ve been really big at taking the ball away, we have really good intuition. We challenge the red zone, it pumps us up, it makes our heart beat, and that’s what we all live for, that adrenaline rush, that natural adrenaline rush you get. It’s in times like that we play our best.
Your defense doesn’t seem to shadow a big-time receiver, like Eastern Washington’s, with its top corner. Does it feel good that they’re not taking that type of play out of your hands?
KA: Me and Beach are two different corners, but we play the game just as well. I think it’s actually good for us to get a healthy dose of each of their wide receivers on each of us. We can’t give them the same look that they can get used to. You get out there and (during) a game playing a guy, he’s learning your moves, he’s learning how you’re playing him, he figures out how to beat you. But when you have two corners who are as good as me and Beach at doing different things well, it kind of mixes it up and I think it makes it harder on wide receivers to figure us out.
What does Mike Beach bring to the table?
KA: Mike definitely has instincts that I obviously just don’t have. He is great at jumping routes, (and) he sees body language very well. Me, I’m a guy who can get up there and throw off timing. I love to press, and I think that’s the thing you’ll see different about me and Beach, I like to press and he likes to play off. He has great instincts, (and) I cover a lot of field. We both do a lot of things well, and we both do everything that the other person doesn’t do moderately well, which makes us still (both) a good all-around player.
Do the coaches let you play the line of scrimmage the way you’re most comfortable?
KA: The coaches give us a lot of freedom. We’re seniors, we’ve played a lot of ball here. As long as we’re where we’re supposed to be and we’re guarding who we’re supposed to be guarding, as long as we get the job done our coach gives us the freedom to play how we want to play. As long as there’s technique involved and we’re not out there flying by the seat of our pants, he’s OK with it.
Talk about how the different parts of the defense complement each other?
KA: It feels good. They say the defensive back’s best friend is the pass rush, and the pass rusher’s best friend is a good secondary. Sometimes I’m out there joking with the D-linemen, (saying) just get some hurries this time, stop getting sacks, let me get some balls thrown. (Laughs) We play with each other, we’re very competitive. It’s nice knowing that every section of your defense is solid. You haven’t really seen a team attack one area of our defense, because there’s not really one weak area of our defense. It’s nice being a whole defense, and we pride ourselves in being this way.
With Eastern’s two league losses, what kind of clash does that set up, especially on the road?
KA: It’s a big clash. Playing on the road is hard enough as it is, Eastern Washington is a great team as you could see in their loss last week. They played really well, and the Griz are really good playing with good timing and doing what they need to do when they need to do it. We’re not that kind of team. We (play) good defense, and we pride ourselves in doing that. I don’t anticipate us not doing that. I anticipate Eastern Washington making some great plays, and we’ll have to come up with some good plays through some adversity. Our offense, I like to think of them as a ticking time bomb. They didn’t go off this game, so you’d better watch out next game. When they get it right, you’ve seen what happens. I like to play with a chip on our shoulder, I think our whole team does, but we still respect our opponents.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN PAUL BARTSCH
Can you talk about how the different parts of this defense complementing each other?
PB: It is nice having a good secondary back there. At the same time, I am really excited to see what they’re going to do against Eastern Washington this week, because this is the best passing team we’re going to face probably this year. I think we have a really good front downstairs, too, and we have really good depth. It is nice knowing the guy next to you is going to play really well. In my situation, playing last week, I jump into a situation where I’m just trying to fill (Dane) Fletcher’s shoes and I know the other 10 guys on the field have been doing a really good job.
Is this a statement game for you guys?
PB: I think it’s the biggest game of the year so far. I was able to see their O-line (on tape) this morning. They’re big, and they know what they’re doing. They should be hungry. I heard they’ve had some injuries, I don’t know if they could use that for their momentum or if it could take away, but it’s definitely the biggest game of the season (for MSU so far).
Does it motivate you knowing that Eastern will not give up, that they’ll play hard the whole game?
PB: I expect every team that plays us to play like that, and the same for the Griz. The way that (EWU-UM) game went, you can tell they come to play. I just hope there’s a lot of people (from Bozeman) show up.
BOBCAT COACH ROB ASH
Did you get a sense of whether Dane Fletcher can play Saturday because of his injury?
RA: He’s been upgraded, he’s probably questionable. We’re expecting him to be able to play but we’re going to see what’s going to happen at practice this week, but we’re counting on him to be able to go.
You would like to have his pass rush presence I think for this opponent.
RA: They do throw the ball a lot. What was it, 50-plus pass attempts on Saturday? And so sure, anybody that we had out there that could add to the troops to rush the passer would be valuable, and of course that’s (Dane’s) specialty. So we’re glad that it looks like he’ll be able to come back.
Talk about the connection you see on film between their quarterback and Boyce, they seemed to be on a different page against the Grizzlies.
RA: You know, athletes get hot from time to time. You know, running backs get hot, they get feeling it, they can run the ball, shooters in basketball, pitchers in baseball, you just get in a groove and that’s what happened to these guys on Saturday, they just had a sort of a sixth sense about where each other was going to be. They had some excellent timing on the routes and some excellent play, I mean some good, tough catches in the crowd, I mean just a little bit of everything, really, and it resulted with a fabulous day for those two.
You’ve seen them on film all season, is that the first time they really connected that way?
RA: Well, I mean, that’s a special day, 17 catches for one player is pretty amazing and you know, they haven’t duplicated that prior to this time and hopefully won’t (this week), but you don’t know. I mean … I hope it’s an indication of just a one day, a special day as opposed to something that’s going to be a habit from now on out, but they’ve always been good, you know Nicholls has been good all year and Boyce is an outstanding receiver so it doesn’t surprise me that they had a good day, but those numbers are pretty spectacular.
They’re only sophomores, they’re going to be around for a long time.
RA: Thanks for reminding me. Yeah, reloading, and that may be part of the situation too, as sophomores just beginning to get a feel for things, you know and starting to mature and, you know get their act together as a passing tandem, and that happens, teams get better as the season goes along, connections get better as the season goes along and they may be hitting their stride.
Do you view this as your first road test?
RA: No, I thought Weber was a great road test, I mean Weber’s a good, tough team and that was a difficult place for us to play and they’ve played well since then, since we’ve played them, so I thought that was a very good test for us. Eastern is an excellent team though, they’ve had two very difficult losses, but they’re certainly an outstanding team, well coached. I know they protect their home turf well and play well there, so we’re expecting it to be an awesome game. We have great respect for what they have done and what they can do.
Is that a typical pass-run ratio, what they showed against the Grizzlies? Does the possibility exist that they’re going to throw it that much?
RA: Hey, they like to throw the ball, I mean that’s really their A-game. That’s what they like to do, but they’ll run the ball if you give them the opportunity. The game that they were in this last week they got behind and they had to catch up and it also was starting to click so they stayed with it, but I’m sure they’ll do whatever they need to do. They’ve got a multiple offense. They’ve got the opportunity to run the football. If we want to give them a real soft coverage I’m sure they would try to run the football, depending on the circumstances in the game.
They throw the football a lot, and you have a defense that has had two picks a game in the last four games, something’s got to give.
RA: Well, I won’t change my tune at all, I mean, the story of every game this year and I think most of the games in any season comes down to takeaways on defense and ball security on offense. That turnover ratio is going to be very important in this game. You’ve got to give them credit. Up to this point in time their touchdown-to-interception ratio has been exceptionally good, I think nine or 10 touchdowns to 2 picks for the season. For a sophomore quarterback and an offense that throws the ball as much as they do, that’s extremely impressive, so we’re going to have to work hard to continue to have the turnover margin that we have had and that we would like to get in any game.
You seem to have about the same turnover ratio and the same philosophy of taking care of the football, and seeing if you can’t get it away from the other guys.
RA: Absolutely. I mean, I’m not the only coach in America who has this figured out. (laughter) A lot of people do, and you know, it’s a matter of getting the guys out there on the field to execute the plan, and Eastern Washington’s done a great job with that part of the game. They’re better overall for the season on that ratio (than MSU) so it will be a huge factor for this game.
What do they do defensively that you’ve seen on film? Pressure? Play base as much as they can?
RA: I guess they’d be a little bit like us, they’re very multiple, they’ll give you different kinds of coverage shells back there and they’ll pressure in various situations, pressure situations and different amount of distance to keep you off balance and guessing. They’re very active and athletic up front with a little bit quicker and faster type guys up front and so they move a lot and they try to angle and slant and blitz and twist and those kinds of things, and they’re good. They hustle and play hard and go to the ball and I’m real impressed with what they’ve done.
Talk about this match-up. You have 4 straight wins and they have a loss and they know they need to start winning games if they want to win the conference. How does that lead to a big clash this Saturday?
RA: I think it’s is a huge game. We have a great opportunity here, you know, to go on the road and continue to be in a position where we control our own destiny. That’s got to be motivating for our team. On the other hand, they’ve got a situation where their back’s to the wall. I mean, looking at the history of the Big Sky, I think it’s feasible in any given year to get a piece of the championship with two losses, but with three losses I would imagine that’s going to be pretty tough to do to get a piece of the title that way, so they’re at that bubble right now where they’ve got to stay, if they want to continue to have a chance at it they’ve got to knock us down and stay with two losses. So, shoot, they’re going to be highly motivated, but so will we.
It’s not your history, but the program’s history hasn’t been successful recently against the Eagles. Do you tell the guys, this is another year and we don’t worry about it? Do you worry about that getting into anybody’s head?
RA: No, this is a different team and a different year. I think our guys are very confident and very committed to what we’re doing. I think our season to this point in time has proven to our guys that we can win in different conditions. We can win home and on the road. We respect our opponent and we know it’s going to be a great football game, but we’ve got a mentality with this football team right now that’s very confident, and very poised and I think that will hold up well on Saturday.
You’ve had three weather conditions. Saturday it’s supposed to be 60 degrees and sunny.
RA: We won’t know what to do. (laughs) We’ll look for some rain or snow.
How excited are you to unleash your offense with ideal conditions?
RA: You know, I think the conditions are what they are. One thing I tried to preach to our team is all year (is that) you have a certain way you play the game. You play the game no matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing, what the conditions are. You play your best A-game and if it makes us faster it’s going to make the other team faster. If it’s better for passing for us it’s better passing for them. I mean, in the end it’s all just a stalemate and you just have to go play the game.
You said last week the offense missed some opportunities because of the conditions. Watching the tape did you find more missed opportunities?
RA: The conditions had a factor in the offensive performance I’m sure, but Southern Utah played in the same conditions and they executed fairly well, although bottom line is, they only got three points so it probably affected their offense too. We still have some inconsistencies on offense that we have to get corrected. We have three or four or five, six plays a game where we miss a coverage, we have a wrong route, we have a wrong read, we don’t pull the trigger on time, whatever it might be. It’s not one person, it’s not one phase, it’s just a whole team effort, so we’ve got to get those fixed and hopefully we’re growing each week and improving each week and we’ll put it together one of these times. If we can eliminate those mistakes, each one of those plays we had a breakdown keeps a different drive alive. That could multiply into lots of points and that’s what we’re going to, that’s what we’re hoping will happen that we’ll get that consistency.
SENIOR CORNERBACK KORY AUSTIN
Is Saturday’s game against Eastern Washington the first true test for the secondary this season?
KA: I know it’s going to be our first really big test. Not taking anything away from the other teams (MSU has played), when you see a team that does something very well, and it’s what you defend very well, your eyes kind of light up, like you know what you’re going to get. You know they’re going to come at you and they know we’re going to come at them. I welcome the challenge. Any competitor does. It’s going to be a heavyweight bout for us out there, and we’re going to enjoy (the challenge). I know me and Mike Beach, we think alike, we’re always competing out there. We compete with each other, you know, and right now he’s leading me three to one in picks. (laughter) I welcome the challenge, I hope they come at me, I hope I get some opportunities to show how well I can play.
Coach Ash talked about you wanting to be challenged and hoping the ball comes your way, is that how you like to play?
KA: I definitely do… It’s something that our whole defense prides (itself) in. We compete, like I said, who’s going to make the play? It’s not like everybody can make every play, you’ve got to make the plays that come to you, but you just want those plays to come to you. I learned a lot during this game my freshman year against Eastern Washington. I gave up three touchdowns, and I was out there thinking, I hope they don’t throw at me, I hope they don’t throw at me. I was just a freshman out there not realizing how big the whole scheme was, how big the game was, going against (Eastern’s Erik) Meyer and (Eric) Kimble, who was a great tandem. I came out my sophomore year against a tandem who’s just (as good) as this tandem is and really proved I can play. I think as we’ve matured as a team we’ve all come to be alike in a lot of different ways, and that’s what our defense is like.
Does success in the red zone build on itself?
KA: A lot of the guys we have have played a lot of games. You can look at the Oklahoma State goal line stand way back a couple years ago, we had one against Colorado where we stood up in the red zone. Every game we have games that come to us and make us who we are. This year we’ve been really big at taking the ball away, we have really good intuition. We challenge the red zone, it pumps us up, it makes our heart beat, and that’s what we all live for, that adrenaline rush, that natural adrenaline rush you get. It’s in times like that we play our best.
Your defense doesn’t seem to shadow a big-time receiver, like Eastern Washington’s, with its top corner. Does it feel good that they’re not taking that type of play out of your hands?
KA: Me and Beach are two different corners, but we play the game just as well. I think it’s actually good for us to get a healthy dose of each of their wide receivers on each of us. We can’t give them the same look that they can get used to. You get out there and (during) a game playing a guy, he’s learning your moves, he’s learning how you’re playing him, he figures out how to beat you. But when you have two corners who are as good as me and Beach at doing different things well, it kind of mixes it up and I think it makes it harder on wide receivers to figure us out.
What does Mike Beach bring to the table?
KA: Mike definitely has instincts that I obviously just don’t have. He is great at jumping routes, (and) he sees body language very well. Me, I’m a guy who can get up there and throw off timing. I love to press, and I think that’s the thing you’ll see different about me and Beach, I like to press and he likes to play off. He has great instincts, (and) I cover a lot of field. We both do a lot of things well, and we both do everything that the other person doesn’t do moderately well, which makes us still (both) a good all-around player.
Do the coaches let you play the line of scrimmage the way you’re most comfortable?
KA: The coaches give us a lot of freedom. We’re seniors, we’ve played a lot of ball here. As long as we’re where we’re supposed to be and we’re guarding who we’re supposed to be guarding, as long as we get the job done our coach gives us the freedom to play how we want to play. As long as there’s technique involved and we’re not out there flying by the seat of our pants, he’s OK with it.
Talk about how the different parts of the defense complement each other?
KA: It feels good. They say the defensive back’s best friend is the pass rush, and the pass rusher’s best friend is a good secondary. Sometimes I’m out there joking with the D-linemen, (saying) just get some hurries this time, stop getting sacks, let me get some balls thrown. (Laughs) We play with each other, we’re very competitive. It’s nice knowing that every section of your defense is solid. You haven’t really seen a team attack one area of our defense, because there’s not really one weak area of our defense. It’s nice being a whole defense, and we pride ourselves in being this way.
With Eastern’s two league losses, what kind of clash does that set up, especially on the road?
KA: It’s a big clash. Playing on the road is hard enough as it is, Eastern Washington is a great team as you could see in their loss last week. They played really well, and the Griz are really good playing with good timing and doing what they need to do when they need to do it. We’re not that kind of team. We (play) good defense, and we pride ourselves in doing that. I don’t anticipate us not doing that. I anticipate Eastern Washington making some great plays, and we’ll have to come up with some good plays through some adversity. Our offense, I like to think of them as a ticking time bomb. They didn’t go off this game, so you’d better watch out next game. When they get it right, you’ve seen what happens. I like to play with a chip on our shoulder, I think our whole team does, but we still respect our opponents.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN PAUL BARTSCH
Can you talk about how the different parts of this defense complementing each other?
PB: It is nice having a good secondary back there. At the same time, I am really excited to see what they’re going to do against Eastern Washington this week, because this is the best passing team we’re going to face probably this year. I think we have a really good front downstairs, too, and we have really good depth. It is nice knowing the guy next to you is going to play really well. In my situation, playing last week, I jump into a situation where I’m just trying to fill (Dane) Fletcher’s shoes and I know the other 10 guys on the field have been doing a really good job.
Is this a statement game for you guys?
PB: I think it’s the biggest game of the year so far. I was able to see their O-line (on tape) this morning. They’re big, and they know what they’re doing. They should be hungry. I heard they’ve had some injuries, I don’t know if they could use that for their momentum or if it could take away, but it’s definitely the biggest game of the season (for MSU so far).
Does it motivate you knowing that Eastern will not give up, that they’ll play hard the whole game?
PB: I expect every team that plays us to play like that, and the same for the Griz. The way that (EWU-UM) game went, you can tell they come to play. I just hope there’s a lot of people (from Bozeman) show up.
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, June 10
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
