RUTGERS HEAD COACH CHRIS ASH
CHRIS ASH: Obviously not the turnout that we wanted. You know, we got decimated with injuries in our secondary, gave up several big plays in some critical situations there in the first half where it got out of hand, and appreciate our players continuing to fight in the second half, just really feel bad for them, worked really hard, and go ahead and just open it up for questions.

Q. What happened with Saquan and --
CHRIS ASH: Shoulder. They got injured, and I'm not going to comment on what they were, but they both got injured and have to get evaluated tomorrow to see how severe they may be.

Q. How much were you able to prepare if guys got out injury wise because you're already so decimated --
CHRIS ASH: Yeah, we had a plan. You probably saw Rashad Blunt out there. We just moved him over a couple days ago from offense, and that's all we've got. So we did everything we could to try to get him ready, had put Larry Stevens out there, Larry hasn't taken a rep at safety in practice or anything all season. That's all we've got. So it is what it is, football. Injuries come up at this time of year, and we're just going to have to fight through them and coach our way through them.

Q. Why the field goal attempt at the end of the game?
CHRIS ASH: We wanted to get points on the board.

Q. No wide receivers registered a catch tonight. What was the reason behind that?
CHRIS ASH: We didn't complete any.

Q. Did it bother you the way Ohio State celebrated the missed field goal?
CHRIS ASH: I would have done the same thing.

Q. Did you think after the way you guys were able to keep it close against Washington last week, against Nebraska, were you hoping that games like this were in the rear view mirror --
CHRIS ASH: Well, yeah, but we had to stay healthy. We are down three starters in the secondary, and we were already thin in the secondary to begin with, and you know, that killed us. Obviously we gave up some really big pass plays in the first half that you just can't do against a good team, and that just got us in a hole.

We can't overcome that. We're not good enough to do that. But we'll keep fighting, and we'll hopefully get a good report tomorrow that it won't be long-term with those guys and get them back.

Q. Obviously they have the class of the conference. How do you go about closing the gap?
CHRIS ASH: Just got to keep working. I mean, there's no magic formula, guys. When you're talking about turning around a program, it's working, it's hard work, that's it. You coach your tails off every single day. You develop your players as much as you can physically, mentally, fundamentally, and you recruit. That's it. You build a culture. You have standards, and those -- I don't care where you're at. Everyone thinks there's a magic formula to win. It's not. It's the same formula everywhere you're at. It's going to take us time to do that. That's where we're at. We have to coach, we have to develop, we've got to recruit, we've got to continue to build on our culture. I love the culture that we have. I love our football team. I said that right back at the start, and I'm not going to back away from that. I love coming in here to work every single day with these guys. They've got a great attitude, they love each other, they work extremely hard. We've got to coach better, we've got to develop and continue to recruit. That's it.

Q. I know that your quarterback didn't play particularly well, but have you considered making a change?
CHRIS ASH: No, we've got a week off here this next week. Right now everything is going to be on the table. We've got to look at our personnel. We've got to evaluate injuries, we've got to evaluate what we're doing, and we'll take this next week to do that.

Q. Barrett takes a lot of criticism, but when you watch him, are you amazed at what he does?
CHRIS ASH: Say that again.

Q. Are you amazed at what he does?
CHRIS ASH: No, I'm not, no. I've know J.T. for a while, and this is no disrespect, I mean, when we've got guys wide open like we had tonight, I might be able to make them. That's just being honest. But J.T. is a great player. J.T. is a leader, and I've got nothing but respect for J.T., and he obviously makes a lot of plays for that football team.

Q. Is it discouraging to see the stadium empty like that?
CHRIS ASH: I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about getting our players better. That's it. I'm not worried about anything that is out there, anything that -- I love our fans. We had great support tonight. Our focus and my focus, it's our team, our players, and coaching them and trying to get them as good as they possibly can be. That's it.

Q. You moved Jerry upstairs. Was there a reason?
CHRIS ASH: We've been having those conversations the whole season, and just felt like this was the right time, you know, what was best for our offense and for him, so we made that decision.

Q. Just to clarify one thing, Jerry asked about the field goal, you didn't kick one when it was 42-0 and you ran a play with Kyle --
CHRIS ASH: Yeah, because we were hoping to get a 1st down. The game at the end, we wanted to get points on the board. That's it. Try to avoid the goose egg. Simple as that. When you're in that situation, that's what any coach would do, try to get points on the board, and that's what we tried to do.
 
Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer

On QB J.T. Barrett's place in history: "It's incredible when they told me he broke Art Schlichter's record as the number one quarterback in passing yardage. That was an era I remember, that I grew up watching him play. I remember there was a thought that would never be broken. I almost thought that would never be broken. So it's an awesome honor."

On being on a roll: "Yeah, we're on a roll. We're also realistic. The one thing I just appreciate our team coming out playing. We have video tape of a team that had Washington, I believe, was 10-7 in the fourth quarter. That kind of caught got our attention, especially the way they were playing on defense. They approached last week like their hair was on fire. They did a nice job."

On running back Mike Weber and getting J.K. Dobbins involved: "He was only averaging 4.4, but I thought it was more than that. You saw what I saw, he ran hard. He's got the rust knocked off him a little bit, but there's no doubt we want to get both those kids (Mike and JK) involved. Now that we know he's cleared, finally cleared, pain free. For a while there he was fighting through the scar tissue. It was a significant tear right before training camp. They almost had to do surgery on him so we were dealing with maybe a year loss right before training camp. He came back fast and had another little setback, but now it's go. It's going to be
enjoyable to have those two to work with."

On what the team takes away from tonight's game: "Guys came out like pros and beat a team, like I said, had Washington 10-7. We understand there are a lot of good players playing that have to get better. That's how you get better.
"When you ask that question 'what do we get out of this'. We came into a Big Ten opponent, that has played some pretty good football in the past, and won a game. The guys were pros. We got a lot out of it. We got a win. We got some young guys playing and some guys some game experience."

On the defensive effort: "Defense was very good. We shut out a Big Ten opponent. I think the pass defense is getting better and moving forward it's going to have to get better."

On the play of WR Johnnie Dixon: "I want to point out one guy Marcus Baugh only had three catches. The whole principle of straining and selflessness, he's the one that got Johnnie loose on that one. I haven't see it, but they were saying upstairs you could see it, he was the one who set him free. He hasn't been that kind of player, the strain and knock your teammate in end zone like he did. Johnnie caught the ball and ran fast. People blocked for him."

On the growth of the receivers: "I was actually disappointed in the first quarter tonight. I was really disappointed when we didn't hit the plays we have to hit early on. But we came back and started hitting them. I don't know if our receivers played like I expected them to play. I think we expect more out of them."

On Rutgers coach Chris Ash: "I love Chris. Chris is a friend. I think they are getting better. I think this is a great state to recruit in. I know they respect Chris. I see his feel on that defense. I think offense, they have a ways to go. Much respect, I think they have the right coach. It's going to take time to build."

On Greg Schiano's return to Rutgers: "I kind of brought it up a few times. We used to talk all the time. I remember when they lit up the Manhattan skyline scarlet. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I think that was when they beat Louisville. I think that also helped the Gators get into the national championship. I really appreciate that."
 
Ohio State Players

#16 QB J.T. Barrett

 On having Mike Webber on the field: "I think J.K. (Dobbins) loves it because now he gets a little break every now and then. But, those guys going back and forth are going to create a little havoc for the defense. They're top running backs in the country."

On the offensive performance: "We made some good plays down-field. I think there was too much miscommunication on my part with some of the protection stuff and getting our guys into positions to make plays. Other than that, I think the receivers did a good job of running down-field. There are some things we can clean up for sure. I feel good about it, I absolutely enjoyed the win but we have to get back to work tomorrow."

On the team's performance improving along with his individual performances: "Everybody has a job to do. I have to do my job and play well each and every Saturday. The defense is going to do their part. Everybody is going to have to chip in and do their part. I just have to focus on getting the offense going and do my job at a high level."
 

#7 S Damon Webb
On the biggest difference this year compared to last: "There's more confidence out there on the field. I'm the veteran back there, so the young guys feed off me. So, I provide energy and you could definitely see it in my play."

On being on a roll following the last three games: "Yeah, we're definitely on a roll. You know, the defense, I feel like this is a huge game for us. It's our first shutout and, like I said last week, we're getting better and better each week. So, next week we're back to the drawing board and getting ready for Maryland."
 
On whether he felt people were dissatisfied with the secondary during the first portion of the season: "We really don't look at people looking from the outside, in. We always focus on us and getting better each and every week. So, we don't really pay attention to people on the outside looking in, at us."
 
On the importance of the shutout: "We're all competitors and we want to compete at the highest level. We've been looking for a shutout and we finally got it."  
 
#1 WR Johnnie Dixon
On his performance: "It felt great. I'm still a little mad about the one they called back, but you can't do anything about it. I was slapping his hand down, he was trying to hold me, but that's the game."
 
On the team being on a roll: "Yeah, we're finally connecting. We're getting our communication and things down. We're getting on a roll for sure."
 
On being part of J.T. Barrett's record: "It's very, very special. When you've got a guy like J.T. who does everything right, he's just a program guy, he's selfless. It's great being a part of that."
On J.T.'s reaction to receiving the game ball: "He was hype, but he gave recognition to everyone else. That's the kind of guy he is."
 
On J.T.'s throwing: "I think he threw them well today. We need to come down and make some of those plays. Sometimes, it's not always on the QB. If you give us a 50/50 ball, we've got to make the play."
 
On being overly calm after a great personal Performance: "I'm just ready to get back to my girlfriend. It was great, but now it's just onto the next week."
 
#54 C Billy Price
On the team building momentum: "I think we're building a lot of momentum on offense. We're figuring out what's good for us and what's not so good for us, given the different defensive looks that they're giving us up front. So, we've just got to continue building momentum, that's what it's about right now. Taking every game one snap at a time and continue to build momentum, especially on the offensive line."
 
On being part of J.T. Barrett's record: "It's huge. I give a lot of credit to him as a leader, as a worker, and as a fifth year senior out of that 2013 recruiting class. There have been a lot of positive things that have come from that class. As J.T. continues to write his own legacy within the Ohio State University record books, it's just unbelievable and I'm glad to be part of it."
 
On J.T. Barrett's performance: "He felt confident back there. Again, he's under a lot of scrutiny but when he's throwing the ball like that, everybody loves him."
 
On J.T. Barrett gaining confidence: "Absolutely. If we're confident up front, he doesn't have to worry so much. There are things that we can handle up front for him and that's one thing off his plate so he can continue to make sure his receivers, tight ends, and running backs are all on the same page. If you take the offensive line out of the equation, we're in good shape."