Fiesta Bowl Notes And Quotes
Dec. 28, 2002
Comments from Miami head coach Larry Coker:
On today’s practice
“It was a very good practice. This is the last day that we will be in pads and we challenged our scout team to step up because they have to simulate what we are going to see (vs. Ohio State). The scout team did a good job today and it was a very, very good practice.”
Regarding the team’s health
“We are probably healthier now than we’ve been in a long time. The tendon tears and the fractures are pretty much healed. James Scott and Kelly Jennings are back and I think probably healthier than they have been.”
On stopping Maurice Clarett and the Ohio State offense
“It’s going to be a big challenge. Clarett is truly a great player. But the thing about it is with them (Ohio State) he is not the only great player that they have. Their offense is very solid and they have two outstanding receivers. But obviously we have to stop Clarett. He is a guy who, if he can run the ball on us and make first downs, they will be in a position to score touchdowns or score with their great field goal kicker. So stopping Ohio State running the ball successfully is going to be a key for us. He (Clarett) is very strong, not particularly big, but very physical. He just covers ground across the board. He can take a play designed to go to the left and slide it back to the right and break contain. He’s got a knack of being shifty and making the plays. If there is a crease, he can take it and take it quickly. “
On the facilities provided by the Fiesta Bowl
“I’ve been to a lot of bowls and these are the best arrangements I’ve ever seen. The resort we are staying in is tremendous. The meeting rooms are excellent and we have great proximity to the practice facility. And the attitude of the Fiesta Bowl people is tremendous. The practice facility itself and especially the fields and the grass itself are tremendous, the people take a lot of pride in caring for it.”
On the color jerseys that Miami will wear
“We chose to wear white jerseys last year even though we were the home team. This year we will wear dark jerseys.” (Coker declined to say whether Miami would wear green or orange jerseys.)
On the vulnerability of the Miami offense or defense vs. Ohio State
“I don’t anticipate any of our units being more vulnerable than the other, but obviously we are playing a great team so any of the units can be vulnerable. The thing we have to do is be consistent and play through any downers that we might have, which is going to happen in the course of a game. We are not going to expect any unit to win this game or any player to win this game. It will have to be a team effort.”
On the difficultly of a Big Ten team winning a national championship
“Obviously it is a competitive league with lots of great teams. There have been a lot of very good teams in the league and it’s become difficult to go through undefeated or have that one loss early that allows you to play for the national championship.”
On Miami being a “national” team
“As far as a national team is concerned, other than perhaps Notre Dame, we are as ‘national’ as anybody playing football. I think that the ‘U’ on the side our helmet is as recognizable as symbol in college sport. Sometimes we have great players who want to come (to Miami). We have to do well recruiting in Florida, or we are not going to be a nationally competitive team. We are always going to open it up to great players out there across the country. Quarterback is a great example. Of all the great quarterbacks there has been only one from Miami and the rest have been from all over the country.”
On recruiting at Miami
“Jeremy Shockey never visited the campus before he came here and had to pay for six hours on his own to even qualify to get in school. He had never visited the campus, shows up in August and is a great player for us. I think we are unique in some ways in Miami. We’ve won five national championships, we graduate our players and our players are successful in the National Football League. We’ve had nine first round draft choices. So if I am a kid I’d say ‘Let’s see, I’ve got great weather, great facilities, I’ve got a chance to play in the NFL and I am going to graduate and I’ve got a chance to play for the national championship. Yeah, that kind of excites me, I think I might visit that school.'”
On the team’s schedule
“We have a curfew at 1:30 a.m., which is late. But after tonight it will be significantly earlier. But we are starting practice later and we are letting them (players) sleep in a little bit, which is working out well for us.”
On Ohio State middle linebacker Matt Wilhelm
“He is tough and makes a lot of plays. He is an Ohio state type of player – he just makes plays, is a tough guy and knows how to win. I don’t know what type of talent he is – if he ran, jumped, and all that stuff if he would be faster than any other linebacker in the country. But he is productive.”
Miami Defensive Tackle Matt Walters
Regarding bowl week
“Bowl weeks are kind of crazy. You kind of get stretched in all directions. You have to wake up and do this and do that and you can wear yourself out if you are not careful. Coach let us know last year that we had to get off of our feet whenever we got a chance, to get our legs right. We went through it last year so we know what to expect this year.”
Regarding the Ohio State offense
“We don’t worry as much about the other team, we worry about ourselves. We practice to get ourselves better and if we do that, it always shows on Saturdays.”
On Miami defensive speed vs. Ohio State size
They are a typical Big Ten offense with huge guys up front that try to influence block you and get in front of you and use their body to get in the way. We will have to play well to beat them.”
Regarding how close the game will be
“It will be a lot closer than 13 or 14 points. They are an undefeated team and they have a lot of character and they play hard. To be undefeated at the end of a 13-game season, they are doing something right. They’ve got good players and they are making plays when they need to make plays. If they need to make a play next Friday, they will make a play. I don’t see the game getting out of hand. I think it’s going to come down to late in the fourth quarter.”
On defending UM’s national championship
“Every year is a new year. It really doesn’t matter what you did last year, if you won a national championship or not. People are not going to bow down and give you a game just because you won it last year – you have to go out and earn it every year.”
On today’s two-hour practice in full equipment
“We practiced hard, we always practice harder than anybody in the nation. We go hard, we hit each other hard and that is the way that we practiced all year. It wasn’t any different than any other practice.”
Miami Practice Notes
Miami practiced two hours in full equipment on Saturday.Miami is scheduled to practice 3:15-5:15 p.m. Sunday in shorts and shoulder pads. Practice will be closed to the media. Coach Coker and players will be available for interviews after practice as they leave the field.
Ohio State Post Practice Report
Comments from Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel:
“We had a good tempo today. It was a first practice in full pads since we have been back from Christmas. We’ve got to get used to carrying the armor. We’re getting to the point now where we have looked at about everything we are going to and we’re going to start thinning the things that we need to work on. Overall, they are working hard. They are doing a good job of watching film and doing the things they need to do.”
Ohio State Practice Notes
The Buckeyes practiced Saturday for 2 hours, 20 minutes at Pinnacle High School.
Shane Olivea rejoined the team today after his travel plans delayed his arrival to the Phoenix area. Olivea, a junior offensive tackle from Cedarhurst, N.Y., was snowed in after the team’s holiday layoff and did not arrive Arizona until late Friday night.
Photo Opportunity: Ohio State football players will gather tonight from 5 to 6 p.m. at the team hotel for a team meal sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Photos and video highlights may be shot, however, no interviews will be permitted.
Additional Interview Opportunity: Coach Jim Tressel will be made available to the media Monday, Dec. 30 at the conclusion of practice. The Buckeyes are scheduled to practice at Pinnacle High School from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Media wishing to interview coach Tressel should be at the location no later than 12:15 p.m.
