Michigan State vs. Notre Dame: Nick Saban Quotes
9/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 1999
Michigan State head football coach Nick Saban:
"I was proud of the way our players competed in the game. The execution wasn't always what we need it to be for us to be a really good football team. Notre Dame has an outstanding team. I thought their players made some good plays today but they weren't as fortunate as we were.
"For our offense to take the ball at the end of the game when we needed to take the air out of it and take it down the field put us in the position to get 10 points ahead in the game was really the difference because with Notre Dame's skill players in a two-minute situation who knows what would have happened. The offense won the football game today by being able to drive the ball in the fourth quarter. That was the real key. We had several players who had outstanding performances today but it was a great team win for us.
(On Paul Edinger's TD-saving tackle on Tony Driver's 41-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter)
"Paul Edinger normally kicks the ball out of the end zone. Our kickoff coverage was not what it needs to be today. Notre Dame got tremendous field position after Tony Driver ran over, or tripped over Paul - whatever you want to call it. Paul is a tough guy - a former soccer player - and a real competitor. He was three-for-three on field goals today and that was a real key in the game. Paul has been perfect on his placekicks this year. The rest of our kicking game wasn't what it needs to be."
(On Gari Scott's 80-yard TD catch and run)
"I thought that we needed to try to win the game on offense. We were just trying to just get a first down in the instance but Gari Scott made a big play. I don't know what coverage Notre Dame was in, or playing, but there was nobody rolling off in that half of the field. I don't know if they had a coverage bust but we threw a flat at the flag. Bill Burke did a nice job of delivering the ball and Gari turned the play into a score. We were just trying to drive the ball. We did a better job in the second half of mixing up our plays and kept Notre Dame off balance a little, especially with play-action passes on running downs. And help us control the football and move it down the field.
(On Notre Dame's decision to punt with three minutes left)
"No, I wasn't really surprised. Notre Dame had all three of its timeouts and its defense had played well all day. Notre Dame made a decision based on field position. They wanted to put us in a hole and we took over on our own 15. If Notre Dame had gone for it on fourth down and we had stopped them then they would have given us great field position (ND 45) and a chance to go further ahead in the game. Notre Dame played field position but the problem was they didn't get us stopped. I've made a lot of those decisions in my time too. If you make a decision and it doesn't work out, it's the wrong decision."
(On Notre Dame's five turnovers)
"Turnovers were really important in the game. We were fortunate because we gave up some big plays and gave Notre Dame great field position in the first half. Notre Dame had the ball down in there but we got out of some bad situations. We intercepted a pass in the end zone, a fumble recovery on a sack that saved at least three points and stripped a ball after Notre Dame completed a deep pass in the red area. We also gave away a touchdown on a turnover too. Notre Dame's only touchdown on the day came on one of our turnovers. Turnover ratio has a lot to do with the outcome of every game. It certainly was a significant factor in today's game as well."
(On MSU's tight ends Chris Baker and Ivory McCoy)
"They're both good pass receivers. In a play-action game, the tight ends are the most difficult guys to find and cover. Those two guys made some key plays today. They weren't big plays but short passes that kept the defense off balance."
(On MSU's turnover late in the first half)
"We were trying to burn the clock. Notre Dame had timeouts and we were trying to get out of a hole. We really didn't want to punt the ball back to them but we would have. We couldn't kneel down and get out of it because there was too much time on the clock. You can't fault us for what we were trying to do there.
(T.J. Duckett's expanded role on offense)
"How much we use T.J. Duckett on offense will be determined by how well he runs the ball. He has tremendous ability and should be a factor for us in some kind a way. If he doesn't have a role on defense, we'll play him on offense. He's learning more and more about our offense and can play in more and more situations. We'll continue to use him on offense regardless of what the other backs do."
(On being 3-0 vs. Notre Dame)
"It's great for our program and our players. Notre Dame has great tradition and we have great respect for it. We feel fortunate for the success we've had in the last three games. These wins should say a lot about Michigan State and its commitment to helping our players be successful as both students and players. We have invested a lot to have a great program. We have overcome a lot and there are a lot of people responsible for that including our University and athletics administration plus our coaching staff. It's good but I hope somebody recognizes the fact that we do have a program that deserves some national credit for this accomplishment."
(On holding Notre Dame to a field goal midway through the fourth quarter)
"You have to play good in the red area to be a good defensive team. You have to be difficult to score on. I knew we wouldn't play a perfect game today because Notre Dame has a lot of good football players and they're going to make some plays. It was important that we got out of there with just a field goal. Any time you get a stop in the red area it's a bonus. Three points don't add up nearly as quickly as the sevens do."
