© Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Tre Tucker, Ty Van Fossen Meet With Media Following Bye Week
CINCINNATI — UC football stalwarts Tre Tucker and Ty Van Fossen are ready to get after it following a mid-season bye week.
The wide receiver and linebacker spoke with the media on Tuesday about facing SMU, resting up during the bye, and much more.
Check out some of their best quotes below.
Tre Tucker
On UC's Wide Receiver Depth:
“One thing I talked about before this season is the depth we have at receiver. I have to make sure it's business. Those guys are ready, they stepped up. How about Blue [Smith]’s first catch since my freshman year? I remember it was at Marshall. Just to see how far he came; the turnaround is crazy. I’m excited for him to go on for the rest of the season. He’s one of those guys that are plugged in, and I think you’ll be seeing Drew Donley here soon too.”
On This Big Road Stretch To Close The Month:
“I think the good thing is you have two good road games back-to-back. I don’t think we can get caught slipping in the next week because we have to get this week done. I like that. That happens everywhere, not just here. Obviously, you have a bye week, you watch some of the teams. I don’t think we’ll get caught slipping. We know SMU is a really good team. We played them here last year on our Senior Day and it went really well for us. I’m sure they have us targeted. I heard it’s their Homecoming. I know they’re going to come out firing and they just got a win last week against Navy so it’ll be a good game.”
On The Post-Bye Mentality:
“It’s tough when you have a bye week and people are dinged up. It’s easy to say, ‘let’s take it off and rest’. That’s not how you get better. Coach Fickell always says in this game you have to play it to get better. You actually have to go out there and get the rep. The biggest thing is understanding that we might not practice every day but when we’re out there, you have to go, whether it’s for 50 reps or 10. That’s the approach I took being an older guy and leader. I wasn’t going to be out there a ton, but when I was, I was giving everything that I had for those reps. That way I could look at the end of the day and say I got better.”
Ty Van Fossen
On Bye Week Recovery:
“Yeah, I wouldn’t say I had any big injuries or anything, but it was nice to have a full week to be able to focus on your body, and make sure that you get your body right. There are a bunch of guys on the team, six weeks into the season, who have nicks and bruises, so it is good for them to be able to heal up.”
On How The Defense Has Morphed Since Last Season:
“Yeah, the team, the defense, every week we are always changing if we see something new or when we are put in different situations where we find out who we really are. We have a lot of new guys in different spots on the defense, so finding a way and continuing to work together to get better.”
On Keeping His Momentum Rolling From a Career-Best Outing Against South Florida:
“Yeah, you definitely want to keep the momentum going, but we don’t take the bye week off...we are still out there practicing and aren’t slowing down. We are just continuing to do what we do and keep getting better.”
Check out the full press conference. Van Fossen and Tucker get started at the 18-minute mark.
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