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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCE


September 6, 2011


Joe Bauserman


Q. Joe, how are you dealing with your instant celebrity? And what's it been like? Who have you heard from that caught you by surprise after your game on Saturday?
JOE BAUSERMAN: Just a few friends from back home saying congrats on the game. Other than that, just moving forward.

Q. First time you started a game in quite a while. As you've had a chance to look at the tape, how do you assess how you did in your first really extended minutes since high school?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I felt good. Looking at the tape, it looked pretty good. We had some good timing. I think the offense as a whole did pretty well. And we're just going to move forward.

Q. Does this feel like it's been kind of a long journey for you, to play Minor League Baseball, and now here you find yourself before 105,000 people on a Saturday?
JOE BAUSERMAN: Not about a long a journey, just enjoying it, taking it all in. And just taking it one day at a time.

Q. Did you have any extra nerves on Saturday morning?
JOE BAUSERMAN: No. Just waiting around. That was the worst part. Other than that, just want to get on the field.

Q. When you look back, Joe, at the way you performed, not just you, but as an offense, what do you see going forward in terms of what can you guys do better? Obviously things went pretty well, but what jumps out at you like if things could be better?
JOE BAUSERMAN: Just better consistency. Probably just all togetherness, just a little bit of getting the little things hashed out.

Q. This is probably improbable, the way it's all shaken out for you. Are you able to appreciate? You're sitting here a Buckeye captain, the starting quarterback. Six months ago who would have thunk it. So many years ago who would have thunk it. Are you able to at all appreciate what's going on in your career as here you sit?
JOE BAUSERMAN: Definitely appreciate it. It's been a great ride. And right now I'm just trying to do the best thing for the team and be the best leader I can.

Q. (Question off microphone).
JOE BAUSERMAN: You just don't know. You take it one day at a time and take it as it comes.

Q. Luke was asked before if you feel -- if you seem to be a lot older than the other players or whatever. Do you feel like just like you're all pretty much the same age?
JOE BAUSERMAN: Yeah, I feel like I'm one of the guys. Try to go in there, try to mix it up with the guys and have a good time.

Q. Were you given a grade for your performance on Saturday? And what did you think of the way the rotation went?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I'm sure I was given a grade. I don't know what it was. But rotation was fine. Braxton got in there, got some good snaps, and a good time.

Q. Have they given you any indication about as far as whether they're going to be hard on you in the grading?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I mean, the grading is probably going to be the same as it's always been. 85 percent passes and less than that, you don't --

Q. Do you feel like you've got to be in some ways a mentor towards Braxton or just two guys playing?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I try to help him out, try to make it more simple, try to help him, especially when he's in the game, just trying to simplify things and take the easy things and not try to force stuff.

Q. Two things, first of all, you've talked about leadership in the past. And I wonder how that turned up on the field. Were there moments where you find yourself tapping into that a little bit more maybe than you would have in the past, qualities of leadership that maybe you found yourself trying to exhibit? And secondly, tell us about your home. You have a house. Apparently you live solo at the house. Tell us about that.
JOE BAUSERMAN: The first part, just probably mostly sense of urgency out there, getting everybody going and just showing it's time for us to get moving and get the offense going.
And the house is going great, I guess. I don't know. Mowing and not as fun as it seems. (Laughter) But I have to do it, I guess. Built the fence a couple of months ago. It was fun. But I won't do it again.

Q. Can you talk about your transition from baseball to football, just recount a little bit of the history that maybe we're not as familiar with?
JOE BAUSERMAN: You know, baseball, it's a different lifestyle. You don't have as much structure. And switching over to football and the classes and the time schedules we have here, it really -- it's really two different lifestyles. And having the structure and everything here, it's been great. And I wouldn't change it.

Q. You talk about coming out of high school, you were a pretty dang big high school football recruit in your own right and played for a really good team down in Tallahassee at Lincoln. Do you ever second-guess your choice to go baseball route? I guess the reason I'm asking is sometimes people around here maybe forget how a big deal you were coming out of high school. Do you ever second-guess the path you took?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I mean, you could sit there and say what-if and everything. And I try not to do that, because you just worry yourself.
I enjoyed the ride it's been. So I wouldn't change it for anything.

Q. Joe, it seemed like on Saturday, the offense moved a little more smoother than at times last year. At times last year it took extra seconds for the play to get in. Seemed like guys standing around watching the sideline. What was the difference on Saturday?
JOE BAUSERMAN: We just wanted to get the play in there. We had some checks in there. We wanted to get the play in and just be able to get in -- it was hot out there for one. We wanted to get going and just wear them down and just try to get everything going a little bit faster.

Q. I want to go back to '07. You had given the Pirates organization three years. Did you just feel at the end of that you weren't going to make a move up, or was it a health issue? What were the things that kind of went through your mind at that point? What was Coach Tressel's first reaction when you got ahold of Ohio State and said: I want to take you guys up on this now? What were their thoughts, those two things?
JOE BAUSERMAN: The whole quitting baseball thing was a little combination of getting hurt a little bit and then just getting an education. I wanted to get back and get my education. I wanted to be able to take advantage of coming here and playing football before I got hurt.
If I would have stuck it out, who knows what would have happened. I might have made it. Might have had shoulder problems. Might not have. Whatever, but....

Q. What was Coach Tressel's reaction?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I sent him an e-mail. They had just signed their class, so they didn't really have any -- they weren't, I guess, ready for it.
But other than that he said: Yeah, come on out, take some classes, see how it goes and we'll go from there.

Q. Obviously you had played here before. You're familiar with the whole game setting. But you hadn't been a starter before. You hadn't had the attention you have now. How will that first week help you in week two and beyond given that you're changing in status, if you will?
JOE BAUSERMAN: Just getting in the film room. I want to get in the film room and start studying the opponents a little bit more. Because the first week we didn't really have a chance to do that because we didn't really know what they were going to do.
We have a little better feeling. The teams will come out and throw curveballs at you, but I like to get out there and understand and see what they're going to try to do.

Q. Speaking of curveballs, do you still goof around, throw your changeup and your curveball, or are you afraid it might not be good for your throwing motion if you do something like that?
JOE BAUSERMAN: I tried it with a football one time. It didn't really work out. (Laughter) I probably haven't picked up a baseball probably since I played. I haven't been spinning any off.

Q. Could you clarify once and for all, the Bauserman/Bauserman thing. A lot of the talking heads still were calling you Bauserman. I thought we covered this last year.
JOE BAUSERMAN: It's Bauserman. Bauserman.

Q. Do you find it funny that people still don't seem to know that or get that right? Does it bother you?
JOE BAUSERMAN: No, they just don't take the time to figure it out, I guess.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports



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