Michigan State University Athletics
Q & A With Aric Morris
8/11/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 11, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Are you ready for preseason camp?
Yep. There?s a great sense of anticipation heading into this season. The players have worked hard throughout the summer and now camp is finally here. We?re ready to start preparing for Oregon.
What goals have been established for the 1999 season?
The potential is there for us to finish in the top three in the Big Ten, but our goal is to be Big Ten champs and to play in a New Year?s Day bowl. As a senior co-captain, anything else is unacceptable to me.
By Michigan State standards, the defense had an off year in 1998. What is the outlook for ?99?
You can?t blame what happened last year on injuries. We did have a lot of key players out of the lineup but that?s no excuse. A lot of young guys were forced to play and played pretty well late in the year. The experience they gained should pay off this season. This fall, I think you?ll see a defensive unit that plays up to MSU standards.
How do you like your role as co-captain?
I really enjoy the role. A lot of guys joke about how I had to stuff the ballot box to get elected but captain isn?t just a title to me. I have assumed a greater role of responsibility but I also like the fact that more seniors have taken ownership in the team. The players know I?m the same guy but I?m going to be a lot more demanding and they respect me for that. It?s a great honor to be elected captain and I look forward to the challenges that go along with serving in that capacity.
What is the strength of this year?s defensive unit?
I really like our linebackers. It?s a strong group and I think it ranks as one of the best in the nation. T.J. Turner and Josh Thornhill played well during the second half of last season and Julian Peterson is a proven playmaker. There?s tremendous depth at that position as well.
What is the top priority for the defense this season?
The key to our success on defense is stopping the run because we?re one of the top pass defense teams in the country. It?s to our advantage to make teams throw the ball more than run it because that allows the defense to make more plays. You can sack the quarterback or hurry throws and it?s a lot easier to force interceptions than it is to cause fumbles.
Has the defense?s mentality changed from last season?
We have a more aggressive mentality and it all started during spring ball. We want to improve our turnover ratio. We want to create more interceptions and fumbles to give our offense more opportunities to put points on the scoreboard. The real key is getting all 11 players around the football and getting guys to put forth the effort to finish plays because that?s when good things happen and the turnovers come.
