Oct. 22, 2005

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes

Ohio Head Coach Frank Solich
On Ohio's playmakers and shutting down opposing team big plays:
"There were some things we felt we needed to do. Number one, we needed to be more physical than Ball State. We needed to be the most physical football team on the field. If we did that, we knew that there were going to be some good things. We also set a goal of trying to win the turnover ratio. If you're more physical, generally that plays out in your favor. If you win those battles, then you're going to win the football game. We had some goals that we had set and some things we wanted to accomplish, and I think we took a pretty good step in getting some of those done today."

On Kalvin McRae's 260 rushing yards:
"He did a lot of good things one-on-one. He made people miss. He ran hard after contact. He's got really good vision, really good quickness, and all of that comes into play."

On rotating quarterbacks Brandon Jones and Austen Everson:
"We were close to getting a lead that would allow us to play Brandon more and get him a lot more experience, and we definitely wanted to do that. But all of a sudden, that lead shrunk up a little bit. Generally speaking, when the momentum shifts, you go back to your starters. And the momentum was shifting a little bit there, so that's why Brandon didn't get as much playing time as we had hoped that he would get today."\

Wide Receiver Scott Mayle
On his injury:
"It's my shin. I got hit last week, and it's been swollen up all week. It got hit once in the game today, but it's alright. It's not as swollen as it was."

On the kickoff return:
"It felt really good because we've been close a few times this year. I just set it up like coach told me. There was a big seam and I ran through. It was just two guys to beat right there on the sideline, and I just outran them."

On his streak of games with at least one catch ending:
"I thought about it, but it's not a big deal. We got the win so I wasn't really worried about the streak for me."

Punter/Kicker Matt Miller
On his new job as Ohio's placekicker:
"It's a lot of fun. It feels good to put points on the board after a long drive like the one today."

Running Back Kalvin McRae
On being tired after the game:
"No, I'm feeling good, just happy we got a victory. We came here with a two-game losing streak, and it was important for us to get out there and get a win. Having an undefeated home streak going is really a good thing. We came out and played hard to keep that going"

On playing at home:
"It's always good to play at home. You have the home field advantage, the crowd, everyone here supporting you. With us having an undefeated home streak it made us come out and player harder."

On if he knew how many yards he had:
"No, I didn't. My main goal is to go out and make plays for the offense and for this team. I knew the yardage would come because our offensive line did a great job. The receivers did a good job on the edge as well. I didn't really keep track of it, I was just focused and making the best out of opportunities that I could."

On his increased number of carries with two reserve running backs injured:
"I won't complain about it because as a football player you want to be out on the field. It's been a little harder because you get used more, and your body takes more of a beating, and wears you down a bit. It's always good to have another back to come in and give you a break. I think James Magee did a good job of that today."

Linebacker Matt Muncy
On the defense stopping the big play:
"That was a major factor because, in the last two games, we've give up way too many explosive plays that really just hurt us. We hadn't really done too bad against the other two teams, they just hit big plays on us. We knew we had to stop the big plays, and get them more offensively then we had."

On being a "ball hawk":
"It just seems like everyone is dying to get to the ball and that's the way you've got to play on defense. Everyone just has to want to be that guy to make the play. You've got to do your job and make sure you're sound and everything. Once you can get to the ball that's a great feeling. It's just great as a whole team, we play well together and everyone is out there making plays."

Quarterback Austen Everson
On rotation with Jones:
"It's worked out well. Brandon does some really good things. He does things well that sometimes I don't do well, and vice versa. I think we compliment each other. He's a good young player and we're trying to get him some experience. We're both trying to help each other out, so thus far it's been good."

On how big it is to have "home-run plays" on the ground:
"I think it's good that we can score points from anywhere, whether it's a kick-off return from Scott, or Justin carrying the ball 80 yards down the sideline. I think it's good. It helps everyone mentally and gives them an edge."

On the offensive line:
"They did a great job. Coach Lightner really has those guys in tune with what they're doing. They're starting to gel and play well as a unit. That's comforting to know when you're behind them all day."

Ball State Head Coach Brady Hoke
On the game...
"We didn't block things well, we didn't stop the run very well, and we didn't tackle very well. We gave the ball up. We would score on a kickoff return, they'd score a kickoff return. There were too many big plays. We couldn't protect the passer. We got out-physicalled, we got out-manned, and we got out-coached."

Was this, on technical and fundamental terms, your worst performance of the season?
"I don't think there's any question. I thought Louis Johnson played a good game. It's hard to compete when you're on your back."

Were the guys still into it?
"They were with me. When you're down, you have to make a comeback. We went out in the third quarter, and they got a long sustaining drive. We were very much out-matched."

On Ohio's 80-yard drive, was the defense beaten down?
"I disagree with that. Some guys played that whole drive and were a little tired but I didn't see them just quit."

On Kalvin McRae rushing 260 yards today:
"I'm not happy about that at all. Our rush defense did terrible. He didn't look like the kind of back we would have had trouble with. They blocked well and we didn't play well. I think we played the worst defense that we've played."

Ball State Player Quotes
BLAIR KRAMER
Will this loss affect the teams attitude for next week's game? "Hindsight is 20/20. It doesn't matter, we lost the game."

Were you expecting Kalvin McRae to be so explosive?
"No. We knew he was a great back, I means he's fifth or sixth in the MAC. He's a tough runner, a tough kid."

What happened on defense?
"They were really creative with their play calling, looking at how our defense was and exploiting our weaknesses there. Guys didn't come to play today."

"I put it on the players. It's our legacy here. We are the ones that are supposed to come out and win."

"I can't put a finger on it, because if I could, something like this wouldn't be happening"

JUSTIN SCHNEIDER
What's wrong with the offense?
"We've got to be consistent. It all comes back to consistency and the techniques we need to use. We can't use the excuse of being young because we are halfway through the season. It comes down to playing hard, too. We've got to play hard every play."

Is it the offensive lines fault?
"It all starts with the offensive line. If we win, we like to take the credit. If we lose, we have to take that credit, too."

On the losses during the past two seasons:
"You have to keep your head up, put those losses behind you, and prepare for every week. Everyone wants to win, it doesn't matter what your record is. It might wear on you mentally a little bit, but you've got to just move on and keep fighting."