Oct. 13, 2015 Jason Cabinda | So. | LB
Q. I think the team that's controlled the run, that's won the run game, has won like 20 of 22 in this series. Talk about the need for you guys to stuff the run.
JC: It's [stopping the run] always huge. One of our main goals as a defense every week is to stop the run. It's always our number one goal because when a team is able to establish the run that allows them to be able to take more shots down the field, and with a team like Ohio State who has the speed that they have at the receiver position, it is something that they do well. They're able to throw the ball over a lot of guys' heads. We haven't really seen a team this year who's really tried to throw the ball over our heads, so it's going to be a unique challenge this week, so stopping the run, and Ezekiel Elliott and Curtis Samuel, is going to be huge this week.
Q. What do you do to prepare for a guy that Braxton Miller, someone you think that you have and suddenly he's somewhere else?
JC: Braxton is a guy who's slippery. He's very dynamic. We saw what he was able to do just a couple years ago. He is definitely a guy you have to kind of track to hit. He's slippery. He's a guy who [team] pursuit is going to help; getting five, six, seven, all 11 defenders to the ball. When he has the ball [team pursuit] is going to be huge, make him make drastic cuts and all that kind of stuff. it's going to take a lot of effort, as it always does, and pursuit from the rest of the guys to kind of contain a guy like that.
Q. Ohio State right now is the No. 1 team in the nation. How much do you relish that, and what kind of statement you'll maybe be able to make this weekend?
JC: It's awesome. It's a unique challenge. That's why we came here, to be in big games against the No. 1 team in the nation. I think it's a unique challenge. It's something we're very excited about. It's going to be a great environment over there, and it's something we're going to be have to overcome and be 1-0 this week, and that's what we're going to try and do. We're going to prepare this week as hard as we can so we can be 1-0 at the end of the week. We're very excited.
Q. After the game Saturday, James said he wanted three hours of sanity before he started talking about Ohio State. When did you guys as a team, coaches, start really putting the focus on the Buckeyes this week? Was it Saturday night?
JC: No, I would say it was probably Sunday towards the end of practice. Sundays we come in and we watch our film, make our corrections and all that kind of stuff. Then we really put that aside, put the win aside and kind of focus on the next team. That's kind of what we did with Indiana-Ohio State, we made our corrections, watched [the Indiana] film, then turned our focus to Ohio State, and Indiana became the past.
Q. Have teammates told you anything about playing in the Horseshoe? Have you talked to them about it or what the atmosphere is like?
JC: I hear the atmosphere is awesome. I personally have never been there, but I hear the environment there is really cool.
I think playing in Beaver Stadium five weeks in a row really prepares us for that because our environment is awesome, as well. It's going to be a great challenge. I think playing in Beaver Stadium all these weeks has made our communication what it needs to be for those kind of environments, so I think we'll be ready in that aspect.
Q. Getting Brandon Bell back last week, how much did that help, and how important is he against these types of athletes that you'll be playing this week?
JC: Brandon Bell is a guy who really elevates his game, especially in big games like this. He makes a ton of plays. He's a guy who's a high-energy guy. I think the energy he brings to the defense is very crucial. He's a guy who's very comfortable and relaxed. I think that kind of is attributed to his experience on the field. He's very relaxed. He's been in that big game a lot of times. So I think he's never scared of the big stage, so that helps with the confidence of the guys around him, especially the younger guys who really haven't been in these big games just yet.
So it's very crucial getting a guy like Brandon Bell back.
Q. James talked about some similarities between preparing for Indiana and preparing for Ohio State in terms of their quarterbacks and their offense. What does that mean to you guys and how can that help you guys moving forward?
JC: I think they're similar in the sense of their tempo. I think both offenses are pretty fast offenses and they both run a lot of plays. I think at the quarterback position both teams have [runiing quarterbacks]. Cardale [Jones] is a runner, J.T. [Barrett] can run. J.T. is kind of beginning to establish himself as a red zone threat there. I think they definitely have a lot of similarities, and that can transfer over to this week and our preparation, as well, and kind of help us out there.
Q. I think Ohio State was your third game last year if I remember right. What do you remember from that?
JC: Yeah, it was an awesome game. It was a White Out, a 7 o'clock, primetime, national television game. Just like what we're going to have this week.
I mean, it was an awesome game. It was really exciting. It was sold out and all that stuff. It was exciting. It was really exciting. We had a lot of fun that game. We didn't come out on the right side of the ball like we had wanted, but I think it's going to be that kind of game again. It's going to be a fight. It's going to be a battle of the fronts and it's going to be a physical game. I think we're ready and we're really excited about it.
Q. James mentioned this is a great year for the Big Ten. Are you a Big Ten football fan? Do you watch other games? Have you seen some of the other games, just watching them on TV, not the films?
JC: A lot of the Big Ten teams this year are faring pretty well so far. To be honest, I just like watching good football. I love watching good defensive football, kind of seeing what other teams are doing, as well. I'll sometimes relay that over to Coach Shoop and talk to him about it. The Big Ten teams are doing pretty well this year. We have maybe four teams that are in the top 25 right now and I think they're doing a good job, and a lot of those teams are teams we're going to be facing down the road, so we're excited for all that.
Q. Going off what you just said about watching good defensive football, maybe talking to Coach Shoop about it a little bit, if you couldn't pick yourselves, which team in the nation do you think is playing the best defense?
JC: Wow, good question there. I mean, Michigan is playing pretty good defense right now. I think they have a lot of good athletes on that side of the ball. But I wouldn't pick any of them. Our guys are -- I would die for the guys that play to my left and to my right, and I think everyone on our defense would say the same.
Andrew Nelson | So. | OL
Q. I'm sure you addressed this after the game on Saturday, but how did it feel to get back out there again?
AN: It felt amazing. I like to pride myself on being a team player; just doing everything I can to help the team be successful. Obviously there's a slight role of that on the sideline, but there's nothing like being out there and really feeling like you're contributing to the team's victory. On the sideline it's frustrating. Not feeling like you're doing everything you can do to help the team be successful. So being out there on Saturday and really feeling like I was a part of the victory felt great.
Q. Is part of that coming to the realization that you healthier is better for the team so maybe you have to get it in your mind that sitting out is the best thing?
AN: Exactly. Unfortunately at that point Coach Hand was putting the five best guys out there, and I understood that, and I understood that he kept saying, `don't get frustrated, this is what we have to do right now and you'll be back in no time.' He told me not to focus on that right now and to just focus on getting healthy and getting back out there. I was definitely pleased when I could come back and Coach Hand felt like I was one of the five best to be out there.
Q. So it looks like you and Mangiro have switched roles a little bit. Did you talk him through things and tell him this is what I had to do, this is how I kept my mental sanity while out on the sideline? Have you bounced any advice off of each other?
AN: You know, I actually think Angelo handled it very well. I think probably better than I handled it in the beginning, and that just comes with his experience. He's an older guy. He's been through a lot, and obviously he said it was difficult for him to miss one of his last games here in Beaver Stadium, but you know, I think he's doing a great job handling it, and I think he was enjoying being able to understand the calls and being able to help from a different perspective.
Q. When you first went down, did you fear that it was going to be worse and miss more time than it was because it looked pretty serious when it happened?
AN: I was just upset at the fact that we didn't have the opportunity to score there at the end [of the half vs. Buffalo], more than anything. But, no, I didn't have any real fears. Obviously at that point I knew I had done something, and from there on out, it was just working to get back.
Q. James mentioned the game at Ohio State two years ago. What impact, if any, does the recent history against Ohio State the last two years play into this game?
AN: Well, the game two years ago, I was there. I didn't play, but I traveled. It just -- and if you talk to Hack he'll say the same thing -- If you talk to anybody who played then, it's a very hostile environment, much like Beaver Stadium probably is for our opponents. But that's something that going in, we really understand that. This is a very hostile environment. It's going to be loud. It's going to be an awesome atmosphere, under the lights. It's going to be a packed house. So I think just understanding that helps us, especially this week in practice, understanding that communication is going to be even more key this week than it ever has been.
Q. Herb and a lot of your teammates have described you as a very nice guy, how do you embrace maybe being the bad guy and being hated? Can you use that to your advantage?
AN: Yeah, absolutely. I think that stems from Coach Hand. Coach Hand, he really engrains that in the offensive line, to just play nasty and like you said, be the bad guy out there. I think that's definitely something that we're all embracing. You can be the nicest guy in the world off the field, but once you get on the field, you have to do whatever it takes to make your team succeed. Obviously, we know we're [not liked much] by the Ohio State community, but we have a great opportunity this weekend to go in there and play to the best of your ability.
Q. You talked about that opportunity. How much do you look at the opportunity of playing a No. 1 team? Is it any different than any other game you're playing?
AN: You know, obviously each week we're just focused on being 1-0 that week. After this game is over, we'll be focused on being 1-0 the next week. But obviously it's just -- it's even more of an opportunity because you're playing the No. 1 ranked team in the nation at their place, under the lights, 8 o'clock start. So the opportunity obviously is huge, but every win is just as important as the last one.
Q. The last two games Ohio State has really allowed pretty much every team to hang in there. When you guys see that, does that give you more confidence? Does that give you a boost, or is that something that you just don't pay attention to?
AN: I think obviously there's a part of that that -- looking at their film and watching them, we understand that we can move the ball on them offensively and we can definitely stick with them. We don't fear anybody, and the Big Ten is full of great teams this year. So that's what really makes the opportunity special. They're a great team, but we know if we play to the best of our ability, we can be successful.
Q. James talked a lot last week about behind-the-scenes stuff that we don't see that you guys do and those kinds of things. What can you tell us about Christian Hackenberg behind the scenes that maybe we don't see as far as competitor, leader, those types of things?
AN: Christian, number one, is an unbelievable competitor. Everything he's ever done, I'm pretty sure he's always wanted to be the best at it, from what I can see. But he takes on that role as an offensive leader and as a team leader very well. You always see the guy after practice working with people and just putting extra [time] in, whether it's film study or on the field. That's something that makes him a special player, and that's true about our entire team. We have a lot of guys on this team doing everything they possibly can to be the best.
You talk about a guy like Carl Nassib. I think that guy is in the weight room more than anybody I've ever met, especially on this team, the last couple years. That's definitely something that's kind of a driving force of our team is just doing extra.
Q. Talking about Nassib, he's a guy that's gone through a big-time physical transformation since he's been here. Can you remember the first time you lined up against him?
AN: Absolutely. The first time I went against Carl was obviously my freshman year, and the year previously he had redshirted so he was on scout team and stuff like that, and no one really had much to say about Carl at that point. I remember thinking, this guy is pretty hard to block and no one is really talking about him or anything but he's a pretty good player, and you just saw that development continue each year. A lot comes from Carl's mentality. Carl literally does everything he can to be the best, and that's paid off for him, and you can see that transformation year to year, to the point now where you're in practice and you're going up against Carl, you're going, `oh, no, I have to block Carl now. He's a great player, and it's a credit to his mentality.