Inside The Lockerroom
9/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 11, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State vs. Central Michigan
Post-Game Quotes - East Lansing, Mich.
September 11, 2004
Michigan State head coach John L. Smith
Opening Statement:
"It was a win, it was a `w,' that is one good thing about it. It wasn't the prettiest `w' in the world, but a win is a win. It was good to get a win after the week that we went through. It was a gut check for us and, this week, we are going to have to gut check again. I don't think that we checked deep enough, we are going to have to keep looking and we are going to have to keep growing. But there was something in there that we can build on. There were a lot of positives and a lot of negatives, but at least there were some positives."
On preparing to face Central Michigan after having been defeated by Rutgers last week:
"We didn't have a stellar week of practice by any means. It was a tail-chewing week. There weren't a lot of positives, but at least we can look at the game and say that the win was a positive."
On Spartan participation:
"One really positive thing was that a lot of young kids got in there today. We still want to play more of them and we will gradually work them in, but they are going to have to back up before the year is out. It was good to see some young guys get some playing time."
On areas in which MSU will look to improve:
"For the most part, as I look at it, we have to do a better job at third down. We were conservative and it showed that we need to open it up a little bit more as time goes by. We just have to convert on third down situations. Our defense played pretty well, except for giving up one big one. That was embarrassing and it was ridiculous for us to have done something like that."
On how the coaching staff determined which quarterback to use and when:
"You know, Drew Stanton came up to me today and said, `Coach, if you don't use me today, I am going to kick you in the butt.' What he was doing was letting me know that he is ready, so I made an effort to play Drew because I wanted to see how he would do. So, it wasn't necessarily that I was displeased with Stephen (Reaves), but at that point in time, it was like, let's get Drew in there, let's go. I thought that Stephen did some good things. At times, he threw the ball well and he will grow, so this was a good opener for him. Stanton is more comfortable with everything, so he gives you that. And it was good to see him running."
On State's style of play:
"We are going to have to be able to do more. Given all of that pressure, we are going to have to be able to run some options from time to time. It's simple. A lot of times, they aren't sound option attacks, so we have to be able to do that."
CMU Head Coach Brian Kelly
On RB Jerry Seymour's performance:
"The good part is Jerry (Seymour) is on our team. The bad part is we've only got one of him. We need more playmakers on offense and I think you saw that today. If we can find a passing game, if we can find a quarterback that can give us some consistent play; not that Kent (Smith) did not do some good things for us today, but we have a chance to be a pretty good football team if we can find some playmakers on the edge. That's been a struggle for our football team right now; finding some playmakers to compliment what Jerry Seymour can give us."
Comparing this week's performance to last week's game vs. Indiana:
"We have improved, but it's still not good enough. A game worth playing is worth winning. We came in here wanting a win and to upset Michigan State, so anything less is unacceptable from that standpoint. But I was proud that our football team competed. They're well conditioned; we showed that for four quarters. There are some positive things but I certainly would rather be here talking about a win than the positives we got from the loss."
In reference to the play of MSU quarterback Stephen Reaves:
"I have enough problems worrying about my own quarterback. I'm not going to have the chance to sit back and watch. To me, the two quarterbacks they had in there look athletic to me. (Drew) Stanton made some good plays late athletically. They've got a pretty good situation in terms of depth."
About the touchdown that was called out of bounds:
"We took a shot downfield; we had to. They were in man coverage all day. They were doubling up pretty much, so we ran some play-action. Their safeties were coming down pretty hard. We got one-on-one and its one of those things: you have to make a play. Playing hard is not good enough in this business. You have to play hard and make some football plays. We didn't make enough plays to win that football game."
Reactions to how CMU quarterback Kent Smith played:
"He didn't finish the way I wanted him to finish, but I thought he did some good things for us. We're trying to muck out a win. We're trying to find a way to get first downs. We've got to take time off the clock, shorten the game. It's not pretty now. We want our quarterback to stand back there and throw the football and mix it up, and we're not able to do that. We're going to have to do what we can do offensively. By and large he did what we asked him to do, we've just got a ways to go."
How pleased were you with your defense?
"I was pleased. The last drive leaves a sour taste in your mouth. I was pleased that we showed that we could match up physically with anybody in the country. And clearly we take that now into a MAC schedule that's going to require you to play tough defense. If you want to win football games, you better be able to stop the run. Michigan State is a physical football team. Our kids were equal to the test, there's no question about it."
Kaleb Thornhill, LB, R-FR
On playing at home:
"I felt good. I was excited to be out there in front of the home fans. I think I need to work on getting used to the tempo. I made a few mistakes but they are things I can learn from, and improve on for next week."
On Central Michigan RB Jerry Seymour:,BR> "He was quick and small so it was hard to find him. He could sneak around behind the line and you wouldn't know where he was coming from because he runs so low to the ground."
On the MSU defense:
"We made a few mistakes, like their 90-yard touchdown run. Aside from a few plays, though, I though we played very well. We are improving every week."
Jehuu Caulcrick, RB, R-FR
On his game and MSU running backs:
"It felt good to get out there and earn some carries. I don't know that I'm satisfied with splitting the time, and I work hard to improve my game, but with guys like Jason (Teague) and DeAndra (Cobb) I understand I'm not going to get every carry. We are working well right now as a three-man unit."
On his playing style:
"I'd like to think I'm the type of back who is going to run hard. I can be a goal line back, but my goal right now is to be well-rounded. I know I am more than just a goal line back."
On splitting carries:
"I think it's to our advantage to have us three, who are all capable of running in a game situation. We can always have fresh legs in the game."
Stephen Reaves, QB, R-FR
On playing at Spartan Stadium:
"Starting the game was awesome at home. The fans create such a great atmosphere."
On the offense:
"I felt good the whole time I was in there. I think our offense was moving the ball well, and we put some points on the board. At times we were really clicking out there."
On the speed of the game:
"The speed of the game is a lot different in a game than in practice of course. Once I took the first few hits, I really settled down and was able to get into a rhythm."
On improving his game:
"I think that I just need to get my reads a little bit faster and that will help me out in the long run. I felt great. Now that I've seen game action I will know a few things to look for in practice."
On his touchdown pass:
"I was waiting for Kyle (Brown) to get open. I just kept standing in, the line held the defense off just long enough. He popped open, and I didn't care whether I was going to take the hit or not, I just threw it. I didn't get to see it, but I heard the crowd yell. I was pretty happy about that play."
On WR, Kyle Brown:
"You can't ask more than for your receivers to catch the ball. Kyle was great today. We were really reading each other well."
Kyle Brown, WR, JR
On his game and the offense:
"I just went out there, and I knew I had to make plays. When the ball was thrown to me I had to hang on. I felt very comfortable out there. I think our offense was on and off but we showed our potential. When we get rolling we can put some points up."
On his touchdown catch:
"The touchdown was just a read route, the safety wasn't playing me, so I just went up the seam and Stephen (Reaves) found me."
On adjusting to the CMU defense:
"Last week we saw a lot of man-to-man coverage and this week they showed a lot of zones and cover twos. A lot of the stuff we worked on in practice wasn't working. When we found routes that worked, and executed, good things happened. The coaching staff did a great job making changes to get us open."
On his role as punt returner:
"I just need to work on it in practice more. I think it's something I could excel at. It happens very fast. Now that I have seen it I understand it better."
Eric Smith, S, JR
On the CMU offense:
"Central had a lot of different formations and they did a lot of motion so we worked on keys all week and it helped."
On his injury from last season:
"It was just a bruise, nothing serious. I felt good out there. Coming off an injury like I had, the pain just scared me for a minute more than anything."
On the MSU defense:
"The defense was good but we need to improve. We can always improve. Central threw a lot of things at us and I though we adjusted very well. I thought the win today was a good win, and now we have one under our belt. However, we all know there is plenty of work to be done."
On CMU RB, Jerry Seymour:
"Seymore was very difficult to handle. You'd think you have him down and he would just bounce back and break the tackle. He's so small you would lose him in the play, but for his size he runs with power."
Brandon McKinney, DT, JR
On preparing defensively for Central Michigan:
"The coaches prepared us really well for the game. We worked on our formations in practice all week so it came natural for us."
On containing CMU's offense:
"I think we did a pretty good job of containing their offense today. Everybody was swarming to the ball and getting there to stop their ballcarriers."
Drew Stanton, QB, SO
On the 38-yard run on 4th and inches late in the fourth quarter:
"I figured that if I can't get myself an inch or whatever we needed to get the first down, then I shouldn't be out there in the first place. I was pretty confident since we had the lead late in the game and the momentum was in our favor."
On coming in late into the game:
"I didn't know when I would be able to come into the game, but I got the chance and made some plays."
On the possibility of two or three MSU quarterbacks being shuffled in plays:
"Stephen (Reaves) didn't have a bad game at all and he did some really good things today. The same can be said the week before about Damon (Dowdell against Rutgers) and you never know what might happen."
Tyrell Dortch, BANDIT, SR
On thinking about next week's game against Notre Dame:
"We're thinking about the game right now because it is a big game for us. We need to win the game and we need to have."
On the defensive effort this season:
"We've got to get better on that and we've got to stop those long runs or Coach will go crazy. This game showed more improvement than last week."
Jason Harmon, FS, SR
On today's win being a building block for the season:
"It was a big win for us today and we needed some momentum going into the next game in the regular season. We didn't win like we wanted to, but it was a good win nonetheless. It feels good to get a win after the disappointing loss we had in our opener last week."
On the performance of Central Michigan running back Jerry Seymour:
"The guy (Seymour) is tough. I kind of underestimated him going in to the game because of his size and everything like that. He is a tough guy to tackle once he gets behind his big linemen. He can move, break tackles and get a lot of guys off balance with his moves. I give him a lot of credit and he will produce during the season."
