Panthers' Field Questions at the Insight Bowl Player Press Conference
12/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Panthers' Field Questions at the Insight Bowl Player Press Conference
12/23/2002
Pittsburgh Panthers
Press Conference
December 23, 2002
Linebacker Brian Beinecke
On Oregon State running back Steven Jackson:
"We are not going to try and do too much. If your job is to get to the 'A' gap, then you get to the 'A' gap. You have to be really disciplined against him. He is definitely one of the toughest challenges we have faced this year. We have faced some good running backs in (Willis) McGahee from Miami and (Avon) Cobourne. He's definitely up there with the best."
On Jackson's stiff-arming technique:
"You really have to work at it. It is hard to get close to him because with his stiff-arm he will just push you away. That's hard to defend against. The easiest thing to do is just hit him from different angles. I watched him on film and he breaks a lot of big runs. The best way to beat it is to knock it down and sometimes you can use it against him and hit it back, which makes them turn their body towards you. You have to try and smack it down before he gets it out there. He's definitely a handful and he's got the size and speed."
Defensive back Shawn Robinson:
"We are very excited to play Oregon State and to play a team from the Pac-10. I know I have never played against anyone like that. I am anxious to see how we play against a different style of offense and a different style of players. It's going to be a great game. It's going to be a team battle offense, defense and special teams so we all need to come ready to play. It seems everyone on their team has both size and speed. Both teams are 8-4 and I think we are pretty evenly matched. It comes down to who executes in all three phases."
Linebacker Gerald Hayes:
"We have been underdogs almost half of the season. That just makes us play harder so I'm not really worried about the underdog part. Our coaches will give us a good game plan to work with. They don't really remind me of anyone we played this year."
On Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson:
"Everyone has their good games and bad games, but it only matters what he does against us. I just worry about what he does against us. Our defense throws a lot at the quarterback and we'll see what happens."
Running back Brandon Miree:
On where the program is right now:
"We came up short in a few games but we are just happy to be here. Every game comes down to about four or five plays and the games that we lost came down to that too. It's a big difference between winning and losing. You have to take the good with the bad. I think we look forward to next year and we can build off this year. We're pretty optimistic about this. We still have to work hard over the off-season. I think if we win we can get more national recognition. We really work hard to establish our place in the Big East. We just want to take it up to the next notch."
On Oregon State:
"Oregon State has an aggressive defense and they like to get after people. They move around a lot and do a lot of different stunts. They have really fast linebackers. When you don't see an opponent all the time, you are always in the dark on what to expect. You just have to prepare yourself a lot. We have to get out there and do what we have to do and not worry about anything else. We can't turn the ball over and we have to be effective running the ball."
Offensive lineman Chad Reed:
On the offensive line:
"The last part of the season we (offensive line) came together and played very well. It's all coming together right now for us."
On the frustration of losing close games:
"It all depends on your outlook on it. Boston College and Temple are sitting at home right now thinking they could have beat us. You can't look at it that way. You just have to realize that when you lose, you have to move on, and when you win a close one, good. I don't look back and it doesn't frustrate me that much, but it didn't happen and we are excited to be in the Insight Bowl."
On what winning the Insight Bowl can do for the Pittsburgh football team:
"We have an opportunity to do a lot more depending on how we play on Thursday night. We have come a long way and have played in three straight bowls. It's an opportunity for us to show off how hard we have worked this year. Hopefully we can impress some people on Thursday night. We are going to have to run the ball in order to be successful."
Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald:
On Rod Rutherford:
"Rod's been in the system now for four years and he knows what Coach Harris wants and what he doesn't want. We (the team) knew that Rod knew the system and he's proven that. I wasn't worried about the 'boo's' early in the season towards Rod because I was having enough trouble trying to learn my position. I didn't know everything I needed to know so I was just trying to focus on what I needed to do. I knew Coach Harris would do the things to make Rod and the rest of the team successful. I was also thinking that I could take some stress off the quarterback if I made plays for him. If Rod threw up for me, I wanted him to know that I was going to go up and get it for him."
On Oregon State's defensive backs:
"They are going to do the same thing they have done all year. They are going to play man and get after you. That's how they have played everybody so I don't think they are going to make any changes for me. I'm just going to go out and use the techniques that my coaches have taught me to do and try to beat these guys. They are very good and I can't blame those guys for being confident. We are also going to come after them just like we have come after everyone else. You have to have confidence in your abilities."