Sept. 6, 2011
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State head coach Mike Riley met with members of the media Tuesday afternoon to discuss and preview this weekend’s game with eighth-ranked Wisconsin in Madison.
The Badgers and Beavers have met just once, in 1961, with Wisconsin taking a 23-20 win.
Take a look at what Riley had to say below. A full audio version of the press conference is available on the Oregon State podcast page on osubeavers.com.
Opening Statement …
“We have obviously a big challenge and a big week ahead of us. A lot of this will be a mental factor for our team because as we all know in sports, confidence is a big deal. I think if we can, in some fashion, take that last game and learn a lot from it, and then focus on this week, then we’ll play a better football game. We play an outstanding opponent. These guys are ranked where they are for good reason. They appear to have picked up right where they left off in the Rose Bowl. And they’ve added a terrific athlete at quarterback. All the parts are there for the challenge so we need to rise to it.”
On the quarterback position …
“Right now, Ryan (Katz) is our starting quarterback. Just like you do with tight ends, wide receivers or running backs, sometimes there are different packages for different guys. So we’re putting some things together for both quarterbacks. We intend to play them both. We don’t know how exactly we’re going to do that today but we know the packages that are getting put in place. We want to keep both guys going at this time. They can both help our team.”
On Malcolm Agnew …
“He is a good example of what we did in fall camp with a large group of running backs, just how I explained with the quarterbacks. We just let those guys play a lot. Day-to-day, and of course the scrimmages for the running backs, they weigh heavily because now they’re getting tackled and you see what they can do as far as yards after the hit, balance, power and vision. He was our most productive back in fall camp so he earned the starting spot. We didn’t do a whole bunch of good stuff the other day but he ran well, and blocked pretty well. That’s a positive thing I hope we can build on.”
On Wisconsin’s running game …
“They are big and athletic up front. Their running backs are excellent players. They do a nice job of keeping the defense off balance. Utilization of the tight ends is big in what they do so they try to shift, motion and try to take advantage of your technique. And then, the other thing you always have to be ready, because off of every run that they have, there’s a real good play action pass coming. You have to play disciplined defense.”
On making the trip to Camp Randall Stadium …
“We love to embrace these venues that we get to play in. It’s part of what Oregon State does and it’s a part of college football. Frankly, as a young guy, you have to learn to handle it because we want to go in anywhere and compete and not be distracted by noise or environment. We don’t want that to be a factor. So it’s a learning process. We do have some guys who will see something like this for the first time on the road. It’s great for their growth.”
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