Boston College Athletics
O'Brien Looks Ahead To Northeastern
September 29, 1999 | Football
Sept. 29, 1999
Q: Please assess your team's game vs. Rutgers this past Saturday.
A: I thought we had a good effort on both sides of the football. We were able to create some turnovers on defense, which is positive for the defense, and when we got down there on offense and had our scoring opportunities, we were able to convert. That's something we have improved upon our first two games and continued to get better this week.
Q: Now that you won the first three games, now comes what appears to be the trickiest part of the season, just winning a game in October. Can you talk about what this game represents in terms of getting that monkey off your back?
A: Well, I think that's important and we talked to the team about that. It's obviously a game in October and it's also the fourth game of the season. In the past two years, we played Cincinnati (in the fourth game) and didn't play all that well and a year ago we played Louisville (in the fourth game) and didn't play all that well, so we're aware of the fourth-game trap and that fact that we haven't won in October.
Q: Emotionally, it is going to be a big game for Northeastern and maybe even more so for Barry Gallup, who is going to be coming back to his alma mater. It seems like you have a great appreciation of that after winning at Navy.
A: You're right on that. It's one that we will work on. I could sense from the team (Sunday) even after practice how serious they were for the game. You can look around college football and you can cite examples week in and week out of teams that supposedly are better football teams that don't win the football game. A great example could have been Memphis-Tennessee. Troy State beat Cincinnati and then Cincinnati a week later beats Wisconsin. If you're not ready to play today, it doesn't matter who you are. You've got to be ready to play.
Q: Last Saturday, after Rutgers cut it down to 13-7, the next drive was obviously all passing. Was that by design?
A: I think he (Tim Hasselbeck) got off to a good start and we basically ran the same pass twice in a row. The first time we did it they covered the four wide receivers, so we dumped the ball off to (Ryan) Burch and got 15 and came back and ran it again and caught them (Rutgers) in a blitz and got a big play to (Dedrick) Dewalt. The third pass was one that we talked about at halftime because of what they were doing to us. It would've been a good pass for us in that situation and Dana called that one the third time. It was obviously was a good decision at halftime and (DuJuan) Daniels caught the ball. He's showing the ability that, once he catches it, he turns into a pretty good runner with the ball.
Q: What did you say to (Jonathan) Ordway after his second interception?
A: I just told him that it was a tremendous interception and a great effort, and that was the good part. The bad part, at that time of the game in that situation, if you've got a clear path, take off and run, but if you don't, which he didn't, you get on the ground. We don't want any chance of a fumble or anything silly like he did by trying to lateral the football. That could cost you a football game. He did a great job intercepting the ball but he didn't follow through with the play the way he should.
Q: Can you comment on the play of John Richardson and the rest of the offensive line?
A: He (Richardson) did an excellent job. He has been playing both guards because we have a freshmen (Mark Parenteau) in there practicing, but we're trying to redshirt him, so Richardson winds up playing both guards. He has been in a rotation with Butch Palaza, Zukauskas and Mark Colombo, and has played a good amount at tackle as we try to rotate (tackles). Zukauskas has played at center, by playing those guys we try to create depth.
Q: Any thought of moving DuJuan (Daniels) to a starting wideout spot?
A: We are going to stay with Dedrick (Dewalt), he's (Daniels) got too much to learn.
Q: It seemed like William Green got a little more time. I know you don't want to classify anybody as a one, two or three running back but are you starting to feel more comfortable putting him in passing situations?
A: It just kind of worked that way in the rotation. The one thing we have decided to do with him (Green) is that he is going to be our short yardage and goal-line back because he has much more power running the football. That's one way we can get him in the game, in those third-and-short situations and those goal-line situations. He'll stay in the rotation as the third tailback for now.
