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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 16, 2015

Tony Alford

Columbus, Ohio

Q. (Inaudible) he was a running backs coach, what did you see that stands out about him more than anything else? What sets him apart?
COACH ALFORD: Well, I've said this before, I think that his complete game. His ability and what he does when the ball's not in his hands. If you watch him go and block on the perimeter, you watch the pass protect, he's a force to be reckoned with out there too. I think the thing that stands out the most, like I said, is his entire game. He's playing at a high level.

Q. Was Saturday as big a -- I mean, five carries in a row. Seven carries of 11 plays on that one drive, was that just a challenge to him too? I mean, how did you approach that from the standpoint of putting the team on your back?
COACH ALFORD: Well, that wasn't the deal to say, hey, let's put it on your back. That was the flow of what we were doing, and again, he's a highly competitive guy. I mean, he's always asking for the ball. Don't get me wrong. He's always asking for it. But I think the same could be said true for TD and Taylor Decker and the offensive line. This is what your job is. This is what we call, go execute the plays that we've called, and he does that.

He is, again, a highly competitive player, highly competitive individual. So to give him the ball that many times, it's not like we're asking him to do something out of the Norm of something that he'd want to do.

Q. As Zeke continues his climb up the record books, have you noticed a difference in attitude as far as him running the football and has that changed your guys mentality as far as the game?
COACH ALFORD: No, Zeke's pretty consistent. I think that's the one thing that really makes him special. I think if you were to go through the course of time and if you had looked at players, if you want to use the term great players, there is a consistency about them. It's not the ebb and flows and the highs and lows and on the roller coaster, if you will. He's a consistent guy. Whether it's game one against Virginia Tech to game ten, he's been pretty consistent in how his approach has been.

But, that's again what makes him different than a lot of people. There aren't the highs and the lows. When he comes to play, he comes to play, no matter who it is and where it's at.

Q. I think Zeke's averaging 22 carries per game. Workload for any running back but specifically with him, how much do you monitor that? How much does that impact the back through the course of the season? And do you like where you're at with Zeke's workload going into these last couple games here?
COACH ALFORD: Yeah, knock on wood, that's a good question. He's still probably playing a few more reps than I would like him to play. And that's on me. That's strictly on me, not Coach Meyer or Ed or anybody else. It's hard to pull him out of a game though. When you're looking at a guy that -- I'm biased, mind you, but you're looking at a guy that I believe is the best player in the country, it's hard for me to pull him out because I'm like I've got to keep him in the game because he has to be accounted for wherever he's at.

What you do, we have to be cognizant of what's going on with him as far as his body and his health, and particularly throughout the body of practices and throughout the course of the week, had to be very cognizant of how we're using him, how much I'm running him. But he's pretty good about telling me how he feels, especially throughout the week, how he's feeling and things of that nature. So if we get to back some things off of him and limit some things that he does throughout the course of the week, we do. But, yeah, that's definitely something we've got to continue to keep ahold on.

Q. I know you've called it Tote Nation since the start, right?
COACH ALFORD: I called it?

Q. Isn't Tote Nation --
COACH ALFORD: The guys came up with that.

Q. Yeah, what is Tote Nation?
COACH ALFORD: Carrying the ball, tote. Carrying the football, Ohio State Nation, Buckeye Nation. So that's something that I think actually our intern Sean Buckley was talking about it to our players and they got these wrist bands made up that we wear. I actually think Mike Weber came up with it and the guys kind of took to it, and that's something they've kind of taken to. So I've let them run with it. I'm not that -- I don't have that much creativity in my mind.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
COACH ALFORD: Yeah, those are creative guys. I'm boring.

Q. Speaking of Mike Weber, how is his health? At this point in the season, given not wanting to pull a red-shirt at this point, how lucky would you be to play him?
COACH ALFORD: His health is good. He's fine. He's at a hundred percent. He's looked really good running around throughout the course of the past few weeks. I don't want to say who we would pull a red-shirt. That's not completely my call. I know this, if Mike Weber's ever needed to help us win a football game, he's there to do that. He's capable and willing to do that, if need be.

So we'll cross those bridges when we get there. But if need be, to win a game, we'd definitely use him as we use anybody else.

Q. What are your general impressions of the Michigan State defense?
COACH ALFORD: Extremely well coached, really good players. They play at a high rate and they have for a long time. It's not like it's new to them to have the success that they've had. They've been good for many, many years and this is the same type of defense once again. They're a very, very good football team and a really good defensive unit.

Q. You talked about how Zeke in your opinion is the best player in the country and you have all this talent. With how many carries he's getting, is there a balance to get some of these young guys touches to prepare for next year in case Zeke goes to the NFL? How difficult is that balance?
COACH ALFORD: When you're 10-0, it is what it is. Again, we're here to win football games by any means necessary. Our guys in that room, they know that. So we do have those conversations. Here's what we're doing, here's why we're doing it and guys have bought in.

I think that's what you get when you have an unselfish football team and a culture that's been built where guys know their roles. They accept the roles that they're in at that time. Doesn't mean they're not striving to get better. But everyone's got a role. At this juncture, ten weeks in, as we get to week 11, they know what their roles are. Again, if need be, we'll do what we need to do to win football games. So the guys in my room, and I'd like to say it across the football team, they've kind of taken -- okay, here's what I've got to go do. When I'm called upon to do something different, and my job description changes, then I'll change accordingly.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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