Comments From Terry Hoeppner's Nov. 16 Press Conference

Nov. 16, 2004

Head Coach Terry Hoeppner
Weekly Press Conference
November 16, 2004

On this week's game with Akron...

"They talk about playoff games and championship weeks. That's what we've got this week for the MAC East Championship. We knew Bowling Green had a big lead over Marshall before our game last week, and it gave us a lift. We don't view it as a second chance. We're 6-1, Akron is 6-1, no one else is. That's the nature of the game."

"We're faced with having to win the East on the road. What we said seconds after the Marshall loss has become a reality. We had to keep the faith and keep improving as a team after that game. We've done that."

"Akron is a team that has gotten better as the season's progressed, and they've won five in a row. Charlie Frye is the real deal. You can see he's grown more comfortable in that offense. Offensively they're efficient and they don't turn the ball over. Defensively, they play hard and they make big plays, including a couple last week. They've also played very well at home."

"Coach Brookhart and his staff have done a great job in their first season. They got hammered a couple times early in the season, but the Kent State win helped get them rolling. Then, of course, they came up with a big win against Marshall. It was one of the great comebacks I've seen."

"This is the biggest game of the year. Just like last week and the week before and the week before that. If we lose any of those games, we're not in this position."

On the Western Michigan Game...

"We got a great shot from Western Michigan, and I told Gary Darnell so after the game. They've got some talented players. Their wide receiver Greg Jennings is as good as anyone we've seen all year, and that includes Michigan's receivers. It's significant to win a game on the road. From top to bottom this league has really improved, and it's a very fine line between winning and not being successful."

"With the exception of one play, we were efficient on offense. Josh (Betts) had another very solid game. Our receivers also stepped up and not just Larkin and Robinson. Josh Williams made some big plays for us and R.J. Corbin also had a big touchdown catch. Getting production from those inside receivers takes some of the pressure off the guys on the outside."

"Our patched up offensive line did a good job. Dave Rehker sprained his ankle during the second touchdown and was unable to finish the game. It's a big part of our offense, so we moved Todd Londot back from right tackle to center and brought Chris Fessel in at tackle. Charlie Norden also got dinged during the game, so we brought in Steve Meister to finish the game. We always talk about having quality depth, and we needed it last week."

"Defensively we were pretty solid. We gave up a couple of big pass plays, but when you leave your corner backs out on an island by themselves, it's going to happen once in awhile. We contained their run and, overall, made them work for it."

"Their punter did a great job of really hanging his punts up there. When I was out watching Mike Wafzig warm up during the game, their punter was warming up about 15 feet away. He really boomed a punt, and I heard him saying to himself `I just out-punted my coverage and Ryne Robinson is running it back for a touchdown.' He did a great job during the game of putting plenty of hang time on his punts."

Injury Report ...

"Dave Rehker should be able to go this week. He's a tough guy, and he told me after the Western Michigan game that there's no way I'm keeping him off the field this week. Charlie Norden is also fine. He could have played last week if we'd have needed him to, but Meister was doing a good job."

"Mike Smith didn't make the trip last week. He's had a slow healing process, but this week we're playing back in his hometown area, and I'm confident he'll be there to give us depth. Luke Clemens will still get the majority of the carries, and Brandon Murphy also will continue to see time."

"We lost Jarrod Rich, one of our starting defensive ends, before last week's game with back spasms. Craig Mester was going to play some, but at the last minute we had to start him and play him most of the game. He did a great job for us. Jarrod was feeling better on Sunday and we expect him to be back in the starting lineup Saturday."

State of the Team...

"Are seniors are excited and so is the coaching staff and the rest of the team. We're not doing anything different this week. Our practices are going to be the same, but it's a lot easier to get their attention when the importance of this game is realized. There are a lot of chips on the table."

"We're confident going into this game. We're playing very well right now. Mike Larkin is playing some of his best football, and Josh Betts is doing a good job of getting him the ball. Luke Clemens is running hard and our offensive line is playing well. If we win this, we're playing in the first MAC Championship game at Ford Field."

Reflections on the Marshall Loss on Sept. 29 ...

"My mood after that game was one of hope. I had this strange sensation, and maybe I was just looking for a positive, but I kept thinking back to 1997 when we beat the Marshall team with Randy Moss and Chad Pennington and didn't win the East. You know who beat us that year? Akron and Bowling Green...just like Marshall this year."

"There were long faces in the locker room after the game. I'd built it as a must-win game if we were going to control our own destiny. I'm an eternal optimist, and I imposed my hope on them. If we didn't quit and continued to improve, we still had a chance. I credit our coaching staff for keeping their enthusiasm. Sometimes its more what you do than what you say. The players feed off the coaches."