MasterCard Alamo Bowl Press Conference Transcript
12/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 7, 2003
Michigan State head football coach John L. Smith:
Opening statement . . .
"On behalf of our football team and our program, I just want to thank the Alamo Bowl, the city of San Antonio and MasterCard for extending an invitation to us. We feel honored to represent the Big Ten and have the opportunity to play in a great football game. It can't get any better than to be able to play a team of Nebraska's caliber and tradition. It's an honor for us as well. We're thrilled to death about the invitation. When this team started this year, again, you want to reward your guys for how hard they've worked. These guys have done a tremendous job. This is a great, great reward for those kids, it's a reward for our program, and it's a reward for our fans. We need all the fans in the world to follow us down there and support us in that game."
On Nebraska . . .
"We had a little bit of a chance to look at them on film, and they have a tremendous defense. They really do. Those guys in the secondary can really fly around. They'll come and get you. They're not afraid to gamble, either; similar to some of the things that we'll do. They're good and they're physical and they can run defensively. I've not seen as much offense, but everything I've understood is that they're going to be Nebraska. They're going to run the football, and off that, I'm sure will come the play-action passing game.
"I know they have a great athlete at quarterback in Jammal Lord, and I understand their three running backs are really good. From that standpoint, Nebraska is a little bit like Minnesota where they have a stable of running backs. And you know they're going to be physical up front. They have a great punter in Kyle Larson, and they have a return guy in Josh Davis, who is supposed to be really special. But again, I haven't seen that part of it yet. I've just kind of looked at what they have defensively out there, and they can really fly around out there. They're physical on offense and control the football; if they turn it over, they go out and rely on that defense to get the ball back for them. We just wanted to take a look a little bit and see what we could match up against."
On whether it was the win against Minnesota or Penn State that led to the MasterCard Alamo Bowl bid . . .
"I would hope it was a combination of everything. Certainly, we had to finish strong against Penn State to even be in the hunt, which we did, and that's a credit to our kids. But again, bottom line, it probably comes down to that if you have two teams tied for the bid, you have to take the team that won, head-to-head. That would be my assumption."
On an interim or new head coach at Nebraska at the time of the bowl game . . .
"They're going to do what they do and they're going to do what they've done all year long. They're going to go out and they're going to play for this guy. We don't think about that; we'll just go out and prepare for what we see on film."
On what the MasterCard Alamo Bowl bid means to the Michigan State football program . . .<>< "we've="" talked="" about="" this="" before="" with="" the="" administration.="" we="" look="" at="" this="" as="" a="" program="" builder,="" and="" it="" has="" to="" be="" a="" step="" in="" the="" right="" direction.="" what="" this="" football="" team="" has="" done="" to="" lay="" a="" foundation="" for="" the="" future="" is="" a="" tremendous="" credit="" to="" those="" kids="" and="" this="" team.="" but="" from="" here="" on="" out,="" it's="" a="" window="" of="" opportunity="" for="" us="" to="" build="" upon="" and="" it's="" a="" great="" recruiting="" tool.="" and="" now,="" we="" just="" have="" to="" carry="" it="" on="" from="" here.="">
"Again, had you imagined this when we started off? I didn't imagine it, but it's tremendous."
On injuries (defensive tackle Brandon McKinney) . . .
"At this point, we're going to have to go fix Brandon McKinney's foot (stress reaction), at least we're thinking that. We have one final diagnosis to get here and it looks like we're going to have to go put a screw in that. It looks like he's out for sure. Now, Stefon Wheeler will be back; he'll be fine and ready to go, and Smitty's (Eric Smith) out, but we all knew that. Other than that, everyone should be healthy."
On USC finishing first in the polls, but not playing in the National Championship game . . .
"Well, I think you do have to take a look at that and ask, 'Gosh, is that fair?' But the thing I can say is that the Rose Bowl is what the Rose Bowl should be with the Pac-10 and Big Ten champions. Now, USC is in a great situation; you get to play in your traditional bowl game and you still have a chance to win the National Championship. So let two and three go fight it out."
On the BCS vs. playoffs . . .
"I've said all along I think there's going to be a playoff of a sort eventually. The only thing I can relate to is when I was in I-AA, and we started with four, it went to eight and to 16. It became too big. If you don't let it get out of hand and keep it realistic, maybe a playoff is a good deal. But when you get 16 teams in there, it becomes drudgery. It's a penalty for your kids instead of a reward. So that's why I'm a proponent of the bowl system and giving the kids rewards. They've earned it."
On going to Texas . . .
"We're going to Texas and you know, I've heard they make cowboy boots in Texas. I told the team and the captains, 'This is a great deal. We get to go horseback riding, we get to get new boots, what more could we ask for?' Now we just hope that no one falls off the horse and breaks a leg before the game. I've never been to the Alamo before. It's going to be exciting and it's going to be fun. We've heard nothing but positive things about San Antonio. I've not spent any time there, and I assume that most of our football team has not, so this should be a great experience for us. It will be something they remember all their lives, and that's what it's all about. That's what the bowl system is for; reward them with something that they will remember forever."
On bowl practice schedule . . .
"We'll start again Sunday. I think our travel day is Dec. 22. If that is the case, I would anticipate that we'd practice here and go late in the day on the 22nd. I would assume they'd have an activity for us on Dec. 23. I've not looked at all the activities and events they have planned for us, but I know the bowls usually have certain activities that the team will go to and is required to participate in. And then hopefully, we'll make it a great, great event. We'd like to do some special things for our guys. We're going to check into some things and some activities. If it is going out and getting everybody on a horse, we'll do that. Some of our guys have never had that experience. Who knows what we might do.
"I won't dress up as Santa Claus, but we will have a Santa Claus. We will spend Christmas together down there. It's an awesome deal. I've had the opportunity to do this in the past with our football team, and as a football team and as a family, spending Christmas together is a neat experience. Of course, Christmas is not a total holiday. We'll have to practice that morning, and bring Santa Claus in at night. The team will get their bowl gifts and it will be a special deal. We get to have the travel party there, and they're our extended family, which is great."
 Senior offensive guard Paul Harker talks about the Spartans' turnaround in 2003.  | |
Offensive guard Paul Harker:
"Going into this season, there weren't too many expectations put on us. The fact that we were able to end the year 8-4, heading to the Alamo Bowl to play a great Nebraska team speaks volumes to the character of the team and the great job the coaching staff has done. We're all just tremendously excited to have this opportunity."
On being away at Christmas . . .
"It's not a problem. I remember when we went away to the Citrus Bowl it was the same situation. But you're doing so many other activities outside of football with your team, and that's your second family, that it really helps to make things more comfortable. Christmas Day, you might think about how usually your at home with your parents and your brothers and sisters, but you look around and see all your teammates and you don't mind it too much."
Quarterback Jeff Smoker:
"This is the kind of ending we were looking for after a good season. This is a great bowl game, a great opportunity for us and a great opponent."
On playing a team with Nebraska's tradition . . .
"We play teams like Michigan and Ohio State who have that kind of tradition, so that's not going to affect us at all. It's Nebraska and they have great tradition, but we're trying to build a great tradition, too. We're trying to make some building blocks for the future for some of the younger kids. Winning against Nebraska would be a great start."
On what he knows about Nebraska . . .
"I know they've traditionally had a great defense and a great running game. They're as tough of guys as we are going to see defensively, so we're going to have to get ready."
 Senior offensive guard Joe Tate is excited about MSU's Alamo Bowl matchup against Nebraska. | |
Offensive guard Joe Tate:
"It's going to be a great match-up. Growing up and watching Nebraska football, knowing that these are hard-nosed, tough guys, it's going to be a great challenge. Like coach has been saying, laying the foundation for Michigan State and continuing our tradition is what we want to do."
On getting a ninth win . . .
"Finishing the way we want to finish, with a win, would be special. Knowing that you prepared and worked hard and winning is always a great feeling."
MSU Athletics Director Ron Mason:
"We're truly elated to have an opportunity to return to San Antonio where our men's basketball team played in the NCAA South Regional last March. Our fans had a great time and they're even more excited about making the trip with our football team. Everybody is caught up in the excitement of the football team's turnaround this season.
"San Antonio is a great destination, and we're looking forward to bringing a lot of Spartans to the MasterCard Alamo Bowl."
On playing in San Antonio . . . "San Antonio is a great destination. It's easy to get to, you can fly direct out of Detroit or leave from here (Lansing), and it's not that costly. You can drive to it just like you would drive to Orlando or Tampa in Florida - it's about the same amount of time. I think you'll see a lot of our people make this trip, because it's good weather and it's a neat city to be in, which I only know because I was there last year with basketball and everyone had a great time."
