TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE v MIAMI

December 30, 2002

Randy Shannon

Maurice Sikes

RANDY SHANNON: No, throughout the season we have been facing the same thing. Every week people run the clock down to two seconds and snap the ball. If you get caught up with what other teams are trying to do, you get caught up and lose focus what you're trying to do as the defense and as a team. If they make a mistake, we'll capitalize on it.

RANDY SHANNON: It's the same. There is no difference. That's the one thing people forget about Ohio State. Everyone says "Clarett, Clarett." He's getting his yards, but the biggest thing is the deep pass to the receivers; that's what you have to worry about. It's the same offense. Each week it's the same running plays. They're not going to change because they're playing a different team. They may change the formation, but the same running plays.

RANDY SHANNON: I'm not saying he's not any better. You asked me about the offense. One thing about Coach Tressel and the coaching staff, because they don't have Clarett in the line-up you think they're going to change the entire offense for another guy; they're not. You're not going to change the offense for anybody.

RANDY SHANNON: Yes.

RANDY SHANNON: It's pretty good. That's what made us better as a tackling defense. Basically we became better tacklers at that time. Frank is an elusive guy, powerful guy and very strong. That makes us as a defense bear down and focus on tackling him and getting adjusted to the speed of the game.

MAURICE SIKES: You don't want to give up a big play by a mistake or not running to the ball and not tackling. That's something we try to do. Everybody gets to the ball. With Frank, he's made it so difficult for us, you have to become a great tackler, so, I think by having him help us these past weeks is doing nothing but making us better for the games.

MAURICE SIKES: I wouldn't say it's conservative. They do their plays that makes them effective. They have a big play and they go with the big play with their receivers. I wouldn't necessarily call them conservative.

MAURICE SIKES: A good football team. They do what it takes to win.

MAURICE SIKES: I put it up there with trying to beat a team altogether. He's a really good back, something that we're all excited for. You know, the guy is an awesome running back and he prepares us every week for the opposing team's running back.

RANDY SHANNON: You guys make them feel like you're overlooking them. We don't. For us as a team, the only thing we concentrate on is for us getting better. Every day we go out there and practice. It's hard to beat Ohio State. They don't make mistakes. They win games. We won some close games this year; games against Virginia Tech. When you look at Ohio State, it's the same way. To me, it's no different. Everybody says we're fast and this and that. Ohio State has great players too. It's all the same. We're confident that Ohio State is going to give us their best, and we're going to give our best.

MAURICE SIKES: I really don't get into the favorite thing. It's a football game. Do you think they take it lighter than anything else? They're going to bring their best shot. This is a one-shot playoff. Nobody is going to come here thinking about "Oh, we have tomorrow." I don't get into the favorite thing. They're going to bring their best and we're going to bring our best and the best man is going to win.

RANDY SHANNON: Vince knows we're with him all the way, but the one thing we always say is let him handle it the way he knows how. We try to keep his mind focused on what he has to do and what he wants to do in life. If you start dwelling on it, dwelling on it, he will get down. That's typical. We will always surround him with a lot of positive things, not talking about the family situation, but football and always be positive with him and focus on that.

RANDY SHANNON: He's a good receiver. All of their receivers can run. They're all big and big play receivers. We have to play those guys and make sure we don't give up the big plays. That's been our forte.

RANDY SHANNON: No. They rest him on both sides of the ball, and he's going to get his rest, get his opportunities to play both sides. He's been doing it for 12 games. He's in shape to do it.

RANDY SHANNON: I can't remember that stuff. It's been so long ago. Right now I'm worried about Ohio State at this point in time.

RANDY SHANNON: Yes. Last year we had Roscoe Parrish playing Tim Couch for us. That's positive for us right now.

MAURICE SIKES: I have mine. If things go the way I hope they do this Friday, I won't wear it anymore. A lot of guys don't wear it because for some of the young guys, myself included, we didn't feel like we earned it last year. We had our part on the special teams, but to really contribute this year will be something where we feel like we earned it. If we have an opportunity to win this game this week, we'll wear the rings with pride.

RANDY SHANNON: All quarterbacks concern me. You can't stop everybody on offense. If it's a running team, you have to stop the running game. If we go in the game and, say, we hold the running game from Ohio State down 20 yards and the quarterback gets 89 to 100 yards, I'm happy. We stopped what they do best. If you get caught up in all those different things, you've got no shot as a defense. That's what we did through the season and that's what we're going to do this week.

RANDY SHANNON: Run the ball and play action deep.

RANDY SHANNON: You're focussing on Clarett. The other running back they've got is pretty good. So don't think that it's just a one-show deal. We have to stop both backs. We just can't give up a deep pass. We have to stay focused and be disciplined as a defense and play hard.

RANDY SHANNON: More accountable. Guys are trusting each other. In the middle of the season guys were taking a chance and boom a big play hits us. We got to the point where we sat down as a defense and players and we're watching film when we played great teams and we played good and we had Florida State and West Virginia, and we told them what's the difference. It's the same defense and guys making the chance. Also if somebody screws up, I don't have to pick up the phone. They pick up the phone and say, "Coach, that was me. I screwed up." They apologize and keep playing that way. If you don't know who screwed up, that's when you get problems with the defense. Guys admit what's wrong.

RANDY SHANNON: It helps a lot. Last year he played four or five games at the end of the season. He picked up early this year. He's starting to get into his own about learning the defense and how to play linebacker. Last year he didn't have much fun but he always wanted to do better. Now he's in a comfort zone.

MAURICE SIKES: Well, I mean, whatever we can do to stop him. Would I tell you I want him to throw the ball? No. The best thing they do is play action pass and run the ball. If we can stop the running and make them pass, maybe that would be a good thing. I won't sit here and tell you we want him to throw the ball or run the ball. ^we want ^ went to win the game. Anyway we can get to that, that would be the best thing for us.