Michigan State - Michigan Post-Game Quotes
10/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 9, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - MICHIGAN STATE HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
?It was obviously a great football game today. There were a lot of great football players on both sides of the ball and a lot of guys made plays. Offensively we did an outstanding job. I think our offensive coaching staff did an outstanding job of being able to mix and balance the run and pass and make big plays. It hurt us a little in the first half that we couldn?t get the ball through the red area and score touchdowns. I was especially proud of the way our players competed in the game today. I thought when they hit that 80-yard touchdown pass, for our offense to answer the bell and drive for a field goal was a real key. Those are the kinds of things good football teams do, and when I say we compete well in the game, that?s the kind of stuff I?m talking about.
Defensively, they couldn?t run the ball against us. In the end of the game our defense didn?t play as well as we needed to. I think we got a little tired. They have a lot of good players. They can throw the ball, they have a lot of good skill players, and you just need to make some plays in those situations. I?m just thankful that our offense was able to take the air out of the ball at the end of the game. We made a big play passing for a first down that was the difference in the game.
I feel fabulous, not just for me personally, but for our players. That is as happy as I?ve ever seen them. I know how much this game means to our fans and I?m happy for them.
(On Plaxico Burress) ?Plaxico made as many big plays as I ever remember a player making in a big game. It was our plan to try to use him vertically down the field, because of his size in relation to the matchup he was going to get. Bill Burke laid them up there and Plaxico certainly made some plays.?
Bill Burke ?There?s nothing like this. Coach has been telling us all week that if you experience something like this you will remember it for the rest of your life, that is what I plan to do. I think we?re confident, but we?re not overconfident. We realize that this is the same as any other win. We are going to celebrate for 24 hours and then we are going to move onto the next one.
I think we?ve just come to a point where we?ve expected to win close games and we?ve expected to compete with the best teams in the country. We are going to move one step at a time. As everyone knows when you look too far ahead you kind of press upon it, so we?re just going to guard against that.?
Gari Scott ?We finally beat them. This is by far the best we?ve played as a team. With big game like this, to execute like we did, you can?t ask for anything else. We didn?t really care about what team we were playing ? we just wanted to go out there and play the best we could. We tried to say it was just another game. We just need to think it?s just another game. That?s how we?ve been getting by so far this year just taking it game by game, and it?s worked for us."
Plaxico Burress ?I was telling the coach to just put the ball in my range and I?m going to go there and get it. I?m out there to make plays. It?s the biggest game of this program and I?m so glad to come out with a double. I was feeling like nobody out here was going to stop me today. That?s the attitude I need to have coming into every game.?
On his last catch: ?It was a comeback route and when I came back bringing the ball it was drifting to the left. I was thinking to myself that I?ve got to go haul this keeping my feet in bounds and I pulled it down. I just got up and seen the ref marking the spot ? it just put a big smile on my face.?
Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr ?First of all, give credit to Michigan State. They are an outstanding football team. I think that the game was won up front, and Michigan State controlled that aspect of the game all game long on both sides of the ball.
?Michigan State is a well-coached, physical team, and that was evident with their play today. Both the offense and the defense had excellent game plans. On offense, they mixed the run and the pass very efficiently, and made the big plays when they had to. Defensively, they stopped our run and switched up well enough to throw us off.?
On Plaxico Burress: ?Burress had a great game today, and is an excellent receiver. He is so hard to match up against, there really isn?t anything you can do to stop him. We tried to apply more pressure on him, but again, he is an incredible receiver that is tough to contain.?
On using both Tom Brady and Drew Henson: ?I started Henson in the third quarter because he played well in the second, and I thought we could use some of his mobility. I am not going to change what we?ve been doing all season, and I do not feel that is why we lost the game today.?
On kicking the onside kick: ?We just simply did not have enough time to kick the ball away to them that late in the game. Their offense had been playing well all game, and we did not want to give them the ball again, especially since our defense was struggling. I feel that if we could have recovered the ball, we would have been in a great situation to win the game.?
On the upcoming weeks: ?There is no quit in these kids, and there is no doubt we will be ready for our next game. It is nice to have a bye week coming up. We had six tough weeks of football against six tough teams, and it?s nice to get a break. Even though we lost this game, we will back. In the Big Ten, no one is out of the race yet, and there are still several big games to play.?
