Quotebook: Purdue 24, Ohio State 17
Following is a collection of comments from Purdue and Ohio State coaches a players following the Boilermakers’ 24-17 victory over the Buckeyes to snap a four-game losing streak.
Coach Joe Tiller
"This was a great team win for us. We did some good things offensively and were able to put together some nice drives, and we did some impressive things defensively, with the turnovers. Our kicking game was also superb. This was just a complete team win."
On Becoming Bowl Eligible For Eighth-Straight Season
"Any time you can get to the post-season on a consistent basis, it’s certainly a boost."
On Kyle Orton’s Play Off The Bench
"He played like a veteran quarterback. During pregame he said he was ready to go. We planned to use him today. (We almost played) him in the third series, to maybe try some hurry-up, no-huddle offense with him. However, that’s when the offense broke out with (Brandon) Kirsch, so we stayed with Brandon. Late in the game, we went to Kyle because we thought he was more experienced and more capable of running our two-minute offense."
Linebacker Stanford Keglar
On Saving A Touchdown With Tackle Of Santonio Holmes
"We always make good pursuit a priority in practice. Basically, I ran as fast as I could and when I had an angle, I dove for his ankles."
Tight End Dustin Keller
On His Game-Winning Touchdown Catch
"I swear that ball seemed to take forever to get to me. All I can say is it doesn’t get any better than this — that’s really the only thing I can say."
Quarterback Kyle Orton
On Game-Winning Touchdown Toss
"I was really excited. I had been real anxious to get healthy and play again. I felt good during warm-ups, so I told coach (Tiller) that if they needed me, I was ready to go. I just threw the ball on that drive — the other guys made the plays."
Quarterback Brandon Kirsch
On Snapping Losing Streak
"The pressure is off as far as getting to a bowl game. However, we have a lot on the line next week against Indiana. We have a chance to keep the bucket and a shot at a top-tier bowl game. It seems like the last four weeks, the ball had been bouncing the other way. Today it bounced our way."
Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel
On Purdue’s Defense
"Purdue’s defensive front was very good. They put a lot of pressure on us and forced errors. When you play tough folks on the road, you can’t afford errors. Purdue is a very good football team. You can’t expect to be an upper-echelon team like they are without a good defense."
Ohio State Quarterback Troy Smith
On Losing To Purdue
"It was a typical Big Ten battle and it was a tough loss. Purdue was on a skid and they wanted this game. They did a great job of applying pressure. Hats off to Purdue. They came out and played a great game defensively."
Ohio State Linebacker A.J. Hawk
On The Play Of Purdue’s Quarterbacks
"They are similar-type quarterbacks. They both have great arms. It didn’t matter that Orton was in. Orton has been running the offense for a while and knew what he was doing. You have to give him credit. He played well. We have known for a while that he was a great quarterback."