When Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel was asked what his biggest concern was right before taking the field for a game like the Rose Bowl, he said it’s the lengthy hour before he and his team go through the tunnel. And after waiting nearly a month in between games there’s no question that the last hour will be the longest of the season.
“There’s no more meetings, no more practice,” Tressel said. “And us as coaches, we’re always feeling like we can do one more thing.”
He opened the press conference similarly to Kelly by thanking the Rose Bowl committee for their hospitality and telling the filled Marriott Ballroom what a fun time he and his team have been having since they arrived in Southern California. From there the first question he had to address, and not unexpectedly, was the conditional of sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s knee.
“He’s very healthy,” Tressel said. “He can move around very, very well.”
Tressel also addressed the health of his offensive line after someone pointed out the group appears to be as healthy as they’ve been all season long, which Tressel promptly agreed with saying, “that first seven guys right now (are) as healthy as they’ve been.”
Health was a major topic throughout the morning before Tressel addressed the Oregon offense and how they match up with the Buckeyes fifth-ranked defense in the nation. He said that despite being one of the worst teams in the country in the time of possession category, Oregon undoubtedly has the ability to manage the clock when it’s necessary.
“All you have to do is go back to their last game,” he said. “And they needed to keep the ball for I don’t know how long it was, that last drive, five or six minutes.”
The drive he was referring to was the Ducks final drive against Oregon State in the Civil War when the Ducks milked the clock for the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter without giving the Beavers another opportunity to score.
He also spoke on the possible play of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount and his ability to change the tempo of the Ducks offense. While Blount does present a different style of running compared to the quick and shifty redshirt freshman LaMichael James and adds more to Oregon’s repertoire, the Ducks will still be using the same plays under the same scheme.
“They’re not going to put in a new offense because they have a different style of guy per se,” he said.
The final question of the morning Tressel fielded was about whether or not he intends to chase Penn State head coach Joe Paterno’s win total as he trails by 165 victories at this point. And while he said it’s been fun to work with Paterno within the Big Ten Conference, he doesn’t see himself coaching for another 40 seasons.
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Rose Bowl: Tressel and Buckeyes prepared for Friday
Daily Emerald
December 30, 2009
Jack Hunter
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