Nov. 1, 2005

Ohio Football Gameday Central

ATHENS, Ohio - The eyes of the nation will once again be focused on Peden Stadium this Friday as the Bobcat football team hosts Toledo at 8 p.m. The game will be televised live by ESPN2.

The Bobcats (4-4, 3-2) have won two straight games to pull into a first-place tie in the MAC East Division with Akron, Bowling Green and Miami. The Rockets (6-2, 4-1) are coming off a loss at Central Michigan and are tied for first in the West Division with the Chippewas.

Ohio University head coach Frank Solich and the Ohio football squad are asking all Bobcat fans to get their green on at Peden Stadium Friday night.

For the contest, Ohio Athletics is offering a special "2 for 22" promotion: two tickets, two hotdogs and two Pepsis for only $22.

For more information on this "2 for 22" offer, please contact the Ohio Athletics Ticket Office at 740-593-1300 or 1-800-575-CATS (2287).

Solich spoke with members of the local media on Tuesday about the upcoming matchup.

On the crowd support for the Toledo game:
"It should be a great atmosphere. I think we've had a great response from students and people in the community in terms of being part of our home games. Of course, we're hoping for that same kind of response and just a great crowd here. We're going to need all the help we can get. They're an excellent football team."

On the Bobcats being tied for first in the MAC East Division:
"We just kind of looked around and found ourselves where we're at. I'm not sure how we got to this point. I think normally there haven't been many seasons where this has been the case - where's there's been about four teams tied for first with a 3-2 record in the conference, but that's what it is. It's certainly an opportunity for us and everybody that's in this position. We want to try and take advantage of it."

On facing Toledo:
"I think Toledo is an excellent football team. They were probably picked as the top team in the conference early on, and I think there's good reason for that. They're very athletic. They have excellent team speed. They're a physical football team. You turn on tape and you don't see weaknesses in any of the areas. They're about a complete of football team we'll play. It's obvious they've earned the reputation of being an excellent program. What we want to do is get our program to that level so we're continuing to work at things. We're taking the same approach as we've always taken. This is the next game. We want to play better than we played before. We still haven't put together four complete quarters. That's what we want to attempt to do. Play our best football, and see where that takes us."

On Toledo's offense:
"They're averaging well over 200 yards in both their passing attack and rushing attack so it's obvious they're a very balanced football team. I think that's what a lot of teams strive to be, but a lot of teams can't get there. They've got an excellent quarterback, an excellent running back, the people up front are very physical players. They get good movement up front, and they've got excellent receivers. They'll pose problems for really any defensive football team. You look at the number of points they're able to produce, and they're able to do it making big plays or by taking you on long drives and wearing you down with their running game. It certainly will be a challenge to slow them down some, but if we want to win this football game, we've got to do that."

On potentially getting the team's fifth win for the first time since 2000 and playing on national TV again:
"All those things come into play to make it exciting for us and to make it important for us. It's not a situation that if we don't get it done, our program is going to spiral. We think we're making moves to continue to take the program forward. We'll continue to make moves to do that through the rest of the season. We'll see where we end up. So far, I've been pleased with the fact that they've (the team) played hard. They've accepted the challenges in front of them. They've come out after each game, whether it's a win or a loss, with the idea of wanting to get better and continuing to work hard. I think that's all you can ask of your football team. If you keep an attitude that's right throughout the course of the year, your program will start to show improvement. If the attitude part of it goes haywire on you some, then you're stalemating yourself in terms of any kind of improvement. I like the fact that our players are continuing to give their best effort. A lot of them are playing with bumps and bruises that you need to play with if you're going to have any kind of success. I like the fact they've done all they can to make this thing work. There is no one game that is make or break us in terms of building this program."

On his approach to the team about being tied for first:
"We've touched on it, but we didn't spend a lot of time on it. They're aware of what's happening record wise and what's happening within the conference. I really didn't have to stand up in front of them and tell them we were tied for first. It's good for us to mention it as coaches, but then not just take that and build everything off of that. They're excited about playing this game, excited about being at home in front of the crowd. We're coming off two wins so that's a little momentum for us. There's a lot of things that are important in this ball game, but again, it's not a game is going to take this program to the top or bring this program to the bottom."

On Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski:
"He's really got a strong arm, and he's really accurate. He runs really well. He's the kind of quarterback that you really worry about because not only can he beat you with his arm, but now he can beat you with his legs. He can beat you on scrambles, pick up an important first down and make the big play that way. They can build in some runs with him if they want. To me, that kind of a quarterback is a complete quarterback. He has excellent movement, a very good arm and he's accurate. He seems like he really knows his offense and I'm sure he's a great leader for them. One of the games they lost, he was out. Really, statistically, Toledo did outplay Fresno State. Fresno State had a fumble recovery they scored on and maybe a punt return they scored on. All of a sudden, you're away from home and don't have your quarterback. They lost momentum and that game turned out the way it did. When you look at the stats, the wrong team won. They're able to beat you in a lot of ways."

On Kalvin McRae's recent performances:
"He's having a great season. You look not only at the yardage he's getting, but his average per carry. That's something that I think becomes very important. You can be a back that carries the ball 40 times a game and gets 200 yards, but your average per carry is not really all that high. You're just a durable back that they keep giving the ball to, but his average per carry is really very good. Not only is he getting things done hitting the creases that his linemen are giving him, but then he's getting things done when he gets in the linebacker area and the secondary. I've been real pleased with the fact that he's turning into a real good slashing type of runner. He's not wasting time with unnecessary moves in the hole, but he's making the quick cuts and accelerating up the field. He looked about as quick as he's ever looked in this past ball game. You're seeing more of a burst from him and more acceleration from him."

On his expectations of Kalvin McRae:
"Kalvin has become the kind of back I'd hoped he'd become. When we had spring ball, it was obvious that he had excellent quickness, but sometimes he'd make too many moves, sometimes he'd spin too much. He was not utilizing his quickness. When you're playing good football teams, you can not be that kind of running back that hesitates and sets up moves and spins. The pursuit is going to get you. Now, I think he's cutting really well, making sharp, crisp cuts and then accelerating off those cuts. He's playing like I hoped he'd be playing."

On Brandon Jones' performance at Buffalo:
"I think he showed some improvement there in this past game. I think Brandon is still throwing the ball high on some occasions, but he was 4-for-5, and that one throw in the corner of the endzone for the touchdown - there was only one place to put that ball. That was a great throw. He laid it right in where he had to put it. He's capable of being that kind of a thrower. The one he didn't complete, he tried to put way too much touch on it. That's all a learning process for him. He seems to be the kind of guy, that when he makes a mistake, he learns from it and doesn't seem to repeat that mistake too often."

On Brandon Jones' progression:
"I think he's coming at a good pace. I think that showed this last game. I think he can develop into an outstanding throwing quarterback for us. He's showing that he has leadership ability, and he's a quarterback that won't get rattled and all of a sudden be taken out of the game by being flustered. That's good to see. I think he's coming at about the level we expected him to. We would've liked to get him more reps earlier in the season, but it didn't play out that way."

On his confidence in Ohio's passing game:
"They've showed improvement. We're hoping last week was a big step where we'll be able to have a passing game and we'll keep getting better each game with it. If we can throw at the level that we were throwing this last game, make the kind of catches we were making, if we can perform at that level than that will give us a passing attack. That is something we need. You're not just going to run up and down the field on Toledo. That's just not how it's going to work. If we're going to have a chance in this game, we're going to have to throw and throw well."

On Toledo's defense:
"They'll pressure you a lot. They don't necessarily line up in conventional fronts. They do so many different things that you're not able to set up plays to catch them in the defense you want to catch them in. You have no better than a 50-50 shot at getting the right defense for the play called if you're trying to set something up. As an offensive coordinator, you don't like those odds. You don't want a second-and-10. They make it difficult for you along those lines. They've got really good team speed. Anytime you have team speed on defense, you're going to cause some problems."