MSU-Penn State Postgame Report
11/20/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State head coach Nick Saban:
?Penn State?s got a great football team. I knew things were a little too easy in the first half and I told the players at halftime that they were going to have to play for 60 minutes. They have a lot of character, they have good coaches, and they have a lot of tradition in their program, and under no circumstances were those guys going to give up. I told them we were going to have to go out and play a great second half.?
?We didn?t play very well in the third quarter on either side of the ball, and thank goodness we got things turned around at the end of the game. We got some turnovers, and T.J. Duckett was outstanding in terms of the relentless competitive attitude he demonstrated when he ran the ball. The reason we went for it on fourth down is because I thought our defensive players were tired. They played a lot of plays in the second half, and I wasn?t sure with that much time to go that we would get them stopped again. I was really more worried about the clock than taking the points.? ?I can only say how proud I am of the players on his team, and of the coaches who have worked so hard with the [layers to help them be successful and accomplish what they have. We?re disappointed that we didn?t win the (Big Ten) championship, but we?re very pleased and very proud of two of the things we?ve probably accomplished, and that is being a top 25 team and going to a New Year?s Day bowl. I can?t tell you how proud I am of the players and coaches in our program, and of all the people at Michigan State University who work hard to create an environment for our players to be successful as people, students and players. They all deserve a lot of credit for what?s been accomplished here this year.?
On Bill Burke: ?We had talked about (taking Burke out) several times in the game, not really knowing how hurt Bill was. He kept telling us he was fine, that he didn?t have a problem, yet a lot of the passes he threw today were floating and he wasn?t getting a lot on them. He wasn?t as accurate as he has been, and he just wasn?t himself. We jus needed to do something to change the momentum of the game. It seemed to change the tempo for us and we caught a little spark.?
On T.J. Duckett: ?I think (his final TD run) was as fine an effort play as we?ve had all year in terms of dogged determination to score a touchdown. And it couldn?t have come at a better time because we certainly needed it. T.J is a great competitor, and I think the more he plays the more he will compete the way he?s capable of. He wants to win and that is important to him, and that was a fabulous run he made today.?
Michigan State wide receiver Gari Scott:
?I can?t believe it. I?m still in shock. We knew we had a great team at the beginning of the season and to go out like this and to win all of our home games is a good feeling.
?I tried to get everybody going and we had players on the sidelines with their head down. We had to keep playing, they kept playing. I would say we were in control of the game, but we just had to get something going ? but we got the win.?
On the bowl situation: ?Wherever we go, we want to get a win because we haven?t won a bowl game around here in awhile. It?s up for grabs now. Michigan won today, so there?s no telling where we are going.
Career summary: ?It?s been a blessing. I have no regrets coming to Michigan State. It?s a great program surrounded by some great players. We got one more game to go in and try to get that win.?
Michigan State tailback T.J. Duckett:
?We just came out and played today. We played a great Penn State defense and got the job done. All year the seniors helped me out. When you get your number called you?ve got to be ready and I just prepared myself all week to be ready for it. I am learning a lot more. I know a lot more of the offense now and it?s just the more reps I can get, the better I can be.
?Penn State played a great game. We just came out and played as hard as we could.?
On the bowl: ?Wherever we go is going to be a good one. We had to worry about this game now and we?ll enjoy this win and worry about the bowl next week.?
Michigan State quarterback Ryan Van Dyke:
?I didn?t do much, just hand off the ball. We were trying to take air out of the ball so my job was to spark the offense emotionally. I credit the offensive line, rushing backs everyone, it was really a team win. The important thing is we are 9-2, going to a New Year?s Day bowl and have accomplished our goals.?