Interviews: OC Cubit | DC Banks | QB O'Toole | STAR Thomas III | CB Bentley

Head coach Tim Beckman met with the media at his weekly press conference on Monday. Selected quotes are below.

Opening statement:
"Just to start off, I would like to congratulate this senior class. That's the first and foremost thing about being able to go out your senior year and go to a Homecoming football game that is so important. After three losses back-to-back to some good football teams, I thought their resiliency, their effort and the way we responded to adversity is as good as I've seen us have in three years. The credit goes to those football players. The credit goes to the seniors. The credit goes to them believing in what the plan was and following through with it. Not being corny or anything, but to be able to run into that locker room after that football game and see the face of a Ralph Cooper or a Reilly O'Toole or whoever the senior was at that time, and see the expression they had after working so hard for the last four weeks - three games and the open week - I was proud of them. I was really proud of them. Coaching staff-wise, I thought we had a great game plan other than my mistake in the third quarter with the officials. I think that that was as well of a coached football team as we've had. I think the extra week definitely paid off for us, not just as a coaching staff but also as a football team. The second thing, I always bring this up and I want to make sure everyone understands either win or loss, there were still probably about six plays in that football game that we on defense didn't take care of. I always say that and if we take care of those six plays we end up having possibly close to a shutout. Offensively, we had some mistakes that almost cost us. A turnover on an opportunity to put the game up 21-3 with the ball on the other side of the 50 and we didn't capitalize on it. Those are the things that we've got to continue to do in these next four games to be successful and that's exactly what we'll be talking about as a football team today. But, again, I'm thankful for a great crowd, a great atmosphere and just thankful for the players and the fight to the end."

On enthusiasm:
"They asked me about that (Saturday) on the radio and I said I'm not going to bottle up any of that [momentum], we're going to keep it. To me, that's the way you play football. You play with great enthusiasm and I saw that. We made a tape just of our sidelines. I think that's important for a young football team, because I think at times we look at things and we're more reactionary instead of being proactive with it all, including that stuff on the sidelines. The eruptions that we had on the sidelines were unbelievable after a big play. After Mason Monheim's interception, there was about four coaches that almost got trampled on by the players jumping up. Even Carroll Phillips, who wasn't even suited up, but he's jumping all over the pile and getting excited. That's what the game football is about. We're going to show this football team that's the way you need to be if you're playing or if you're not."

How do you continue to make strides defensively?
"Tackling and execution. You can call any play - and there's not a perfect play but you're going to call what you want to get accomplished - and I thought our team tackled extremely well. I thought we gang tackled. It wasn't just up to one guy to make those tackles. We can all draw up great game plans, supposedly, but it's still the 11 out there on the football field that are making the plays; it's not a play that's making it."

On the difference for this team during the Minnesota game:
"Again, I hope it had a little bit to do with them being fresh from the week off. But this football team is buying into what we're doing to try to do to get ourselves better. If it means lining up and practicing in full pads and having live tackling drills, or whatever it is, they're going to believe in what we're doing. The more and more experience we get out there, the better we're going to be with the fundamentals."

On Wes Lunt's recovery:
"We feel like there's a great possibility for him to be back after the (upcoming) open week. Our doctors are stating that he's making great progress. We'll sprinkle in and do some things throwing the ball, but, of course, not in a competitive atmosphere. I know our players will be excited about that, and the coaches, and I'm sure Wes [Lunt] will be, too."

On Reilly O'Toole's performance:
"I thought Reilly [was] efficient in what we asked him to do. He didn't hurt us and he made some important plays for us that gave us opportunities to move the chains and score some points."

On Earnest Thomas III's season:
"You're asking a person to move from a position he started at for two years and now he comes down to a position that I really feel is his position, the type of player you're looking for to play that position. He has great speed for that position and he can utilize his coverage skills, plus his intensity to play the run. I think, again, him as a football player, it's a great fit. But his belief in `How can I help this football team?' speaks very highly for what type of young man he is."

"He's the one that's speaking to the team prior to the game, at halftime. He's the energetic one. He's the one that's a little bit like me: he's loud, he's very, very enthusiastic. When Earnest speaks, our players listen."

On Justin DuVernois' performance:
"Unbelievable. I think that's the easiest way to say it about Justin [DuVernois]. I've been around some very good punters [at] Oklahoma State, winning big trophies and kicking in the NFL. He's been really phenomenal in what we've asked him to do. I think he's found his niche of the way he's kicking the football. I can't speak enough and he's working really hard to fine-tune his skill and you can see the change in feel the last two football games. We just need him to do it for the next four, also."

On facing Ohio State this Saturday:
"[It's a] typical Urban [Meyer] football team. A lot of the same things he's done throughout a lot of his years as a head football coach: very talented, a lot of speed. Defensively, Luke (Fickell) and Chris (Ash) are doing a great job right now with that football team. They're very, very athletic on defense, more than I've seen them. They probably have one of the top players in the country on defense, one of the best I've seen. No question it'll be a challenge, but we're used to challenges. We've played the likes of a Nebraska team that I think is good, a Wisconsin team that is very, very good. I think Minnesota is a very good team. All of these teams we play, [like] Purdue, are all good football teams and we know it'll be a challenge and we look forward to it."