Anthony Schlegel Quotations

We're smelling blood, too. They lost to Michigan. We're all the same right now.

What a crazy, exciting time it is. Since my wife told me the Monday before Michigan she was pregnant, it's been crazy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm trying to live in the moment and do everything I can to get prepared.

We feed off of each other, always know what the others are doing.

Last year was a dogfight. A.J. had a big pick at the end. It was a tough, physical Big Ten game right down to the wire, and should be this year too.

Last year was a dogfight, ... A.J. had a big pick at the end. It was a tough, physical Big Ten game right down to the wire, and should be this year too.

Oh yeah. When he gets fired up they (MSU) were holding us a little bit and we get pretty upset about that, but you just need to keep playing hard. And that's the thing: everyone on defense is playing hard and A.J. is no exception. He plays hard every play. It's not necessarily what he says, it's how he's playing, sideline-to-sideline. Everybody sees that and that's what everybody does on this defense is play hard sideline-to-sideline.

I don't care. We're a team. We went 10-2, were No. 4 in the country. They're my best friends, and we played well together. I couldn't ask for a better college experience. It's an honor to play at Ohio State.

I can fit in any defense. I have a lot of football smarts and knowledge of the game. That's what people want. It's about playing. Flip on the film and see who hits people.

God gave him a lot of talent. The next guy in line got nothing. That guy can't even tie his shoes.

I think it's that time right now where we know every game is crucial and we're trying to win the Big Ten here. You can't win it with two losses and fortunately everyone has a loss now. So, every week is for the Big Ten championship and you can't take anyone lightly and you just got to keep playing hard.

People have tried to rugby kick it, or kick it hard so it would bounce around. The best thing for us is when they kick it out of bounds and we get good field position.

Looking at what Notre Dame does, I think they have the complete package. They have everything: They have the run game, they have the offensive line, they have the tight ends, and if you're not doing your assignment on one, they're going to beat you.

I was tired of being miserable. I've got so much free time now, it's ridiculous.

We've done it for a while. We're just going to keep it rolling. There's nothing wrong with that -- just have a little fun.

With Butch every little thing like bending your arm 90 degrees, he's filming it. We're trying to soak him in like a sponge. He has so much knowledge and passion for teaching people to run properly.

You got to hit the guy with the ball. Honestly, that's it.

I still can't believe that. I've watched A.J. Hawk every day, and there's no one better. He practices as hard as he plays, and nobody plays the game harder than A.J.

I've talked to guys who are going to start tailgating at 8 o'clock in the morning. I said, 'Wow, I hope you make it to the game.'

The thing with Texas is they have so many weapons, but I really think the speed of our defense will help us.

Comparing themselves to the Yankees, that's a pretty big statement. The Yankees have won how many World Series titles? How many national championships has Notre Dame won?

That's why it's football and you have to play with your eyes. All that window dressing, they're still going to run the same basic stuff. They can run it out of different things, but you just have to play with your eyes.

That sign is up there every week. Every week it's the same thing. If you affect the quarterback they can't throw the deep ball.

This goes to show how many people support and love the Buckeyes. You can't find this somewhere else.

They throw so much at you, a lot like San Diego State did against us. You don't know what they're doing.

You don't want to say that a national championship is at stake so early in the season but, yeah. And it definitely means a lot to both teams so far as where they go for the rest of the season.

You can't let that happen. They're tall, big guys. You've got to be physical.

It was an awesome experience being together. We knew what each other was doing and we were able to feed off each other.

It's not necessarily revenge. But it's in the back of your mind.

It just looks like everybody's comfortable. I think they really feel confident and you can see that. That's the difference this year, I think.

That first play was a shock but we just kind of said, 'OK, let's play.' It's that old saying that the next play is the most important one. We really took them out of their game plan.

It kind of makes me upset that people would do that to him. I don't see them out there.

Any time you get that depth back, it's a bonus, ... especially when you're facing a team like Michigan State with so many weapons on offense.

I know A.J. and he wanted to play (at Ohio State) this year. He didn't think anything about it. We just have a great time playing together. That's what your senior year's all about: being with your teammates, being with your brothers, going on the field and having fun.

I just like running into people. When you see us blitzing, I really enjoy going first and getting penetration. I like that. So sometimes I'm not going to be in the mix, because I'm going to be hitting an offensive lineman to try and make the ball (carrier) go a certain way.

Ah, man, I can't tell you enough about Nate.