Rose Bowl Quotebook: Jim Tressel Talks About Facing the Oregon Ducks

On playing in the Rose Bowl Game: I think they are anxious to play in the Rose Bowl. They have heard about the Rose Bowl their entire lives, or at least certainly their entire playing lives. Here at Ohio State is one of the goals that you have and now they are here and they have worked extremely hard. They know they have a very, very good opponent that they are being matched up with on the first and they are just anxious to get to game day.

On the attention and stage of this game: It is very exciting. To have this many cameras and to have this many people interested, you can see the look in our players' eyes that this is so much fun. We haven't had this experience. This isn't old hat to us at all and we are excited to be here. I think the kids just want to get out there and play and the coaches want to get out there and coach and see how we do.

On having played other top teams: We have had the opportunity to play two of the last three national champions and a team that ended up second and I think right now we are facing as good a team as anyone in Oregon.

On Oregon: Oregon does a nice job of understanding who they are. Obviously they bring great tempo. They don't make many mistakes and they create great pressure with their offense. What you strive to do with your team on offense, defense and special teams is to be the one that applies the pressure – that is what I like about their whole team. Everyone talks about their offense and how they apply pressure but they do that with their special units and their defense. To me that is what the game of football is. You are either the one applying the pressure or having the pressure applied on. They do a great job.

On simulating Oregon's offense in practice: It's difficult because someone can have much better tempo when they know what they are doing. Sometimes your demonstration teams want to give you as good a tempo as possible but they haven't run their plays 9,000 times like your opponent has. I have been very impressed with how our look teams though. They have given great effort at home and here and I think we are as prepared as we possibly could be.

On Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount: I like the tempo change that he gives with 21. He is a great player. He is a physical player. You know he will be anxious to play because he hasn't played as much. Anytime you can add a great player to an already great outfit it's a good thing.

On running quarterbacks Masoli and Pryor: I think both (Jeremiah) Masoli and (Terrelle) Pryor can make something big happen even when it doesn't look like it will. They can make plays out of adverse situations. They can both hurt you with their feet and their arms. Sometimes you face a quarterback that can hurt you with his precision passing, another guy may simply be able to hurt you with his feet. Both these guys can hurt you both ways and I think they are up-and-coming quarterbacks.

On Oregon's defense: Just like they do offensively, they apply pressure. They do a good job coming off the edges and make you show your hand. They have had to move around some people in the secondary and they haven't missed a beat. Those edge players can make some big plays. To me the strength of their group are those two guys in the middle. They are serious football players. When you are strong there and you can disrupt and make people change, I think those guys are underrated.

On Pryor's injury: It is not an issue. He has looked as quick and explosive as ever. I think it was an issue in early November, but I haven't seen it be an issue in December and beyond.

On first-year head coach Chip Kelly: very day is a new experience for you. I happen to know Mike Bellotti very well and I know the kind of organization that Chip (Kelly) was able to step into and he has done a marvelous job handling high expectations. When you follow a legend you are expected to do great things especially when they leave you a great outfit. I think he brings a great even keel and I think he has kept a great base and he knows what he believes in and what he expects on and off the field. This isn't just about football and that is the way Mike (Bellotti) did it. I think he has just stepped in and has done a miraculous job for a guy who hasn't had to do it before. The results speak for themselves.