Michigan State University Athletics
Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
10/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 14, 2006
MSU Head Coach John L. Smith
Opening Statement ...
We played another awfully good football team tonight, and you've got to give them credit. We had an opportunity or two early that we needed to capitalize on, and we didn't, which made for a long day. Now that one is over and what we need to do is start focusing on next week. I told my football team we're going to pull together, we've got five games left, and five teams on our schedule. If we prepare and play right, and do what we can, and if we get a guy or two back, we're looking forward to the next five football games. We'll start tomorrow with Northwestern, so that's where we are and that's where we're going.
On the positives of today's game...
I thought defensively we started out well. I thought at times we played real good on the defensive side of the ball, we got some things going, but we couldn't sustain anything offensively. The young kids coming in late, there were some positives there. There were not a lot of positives on the offensive side of the ball, but we're going to have to get that ironed out. The kids played hard.
On losing moment with dropped passes and penalties in the first quarter...
You get that opportunity--and you're not going to get many opportunities with that good of a football team--you need something positive to happen to you, which the turnover was. We need to capitalize on it. We just lost a little wind, but we needed to have something positive.
On the next five weeks...
Sure, after any loss, you're hanging your head at the end of the game. But they're as positive as they can be, and they understand that there are five teams on the schedule. We're not going to talk about five, we're gong to talk about one, starting with Northwestern, and that's all we're going to look at.
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OSU Head Coach Jim Tressell
On the environment of the game and MSU coming out ready to play...
It was a tough environment with the wind blowing and MSU anxious to turn things around. At the beginning of the game, you could see that they came out ready to go and forced a turnover. Our defense did a great job of turning them away with nothing. From that point on we took over the tempo of the game. It wasn't picturesque playing, but looking at the statistics, we made plays and our guys played steady.
On how MSU played, and what OSU did to hold them back...
They never stopped playing; and, they went down at the end of the game and scored. Our guys did good thing so that they couldn't move the ball. Our defense did a good job, came up with new concepts, used them and got a couple of sacks. Offensively, guys like Ginn, Gonzalez, Smith, and Pitmann were making plays. I really thought MSU played the whole game though.
On Gonzalez and his awareness while playing...
Gonzo is such a heady player out there. His awareness of the whole picture is outstanding. The one touchdown he caught in the back of the end zone was actually a call made at the timeout. He called it - we had a different play in mind and he said we should do that one. He's the one up for a Rhodes scholarship so I went with his call. He is very aware out on the field.
On the win not necessarily being a picturesque one...
It was a good, solid win. We played a team with a lot of talent, at their place. It's very difficult, and if you just look at what happened with Iowa on the road at Indiana. It's what the team needed - a good decisive win. We didn't have a lot of injuries, which is good, and I hope the player, Greg Cooper, from MSU, is okay. We have felt the sting of guys with very serious injuries.
On Troy Smith under pressure...
Troy has got a lot of poise. In the red zone, the whole deal is that he has a little more pressure on him. Everything going on around him doesn't bother him. He reads what's going on, has a lot of confidence in his receivers, and has the ability to make great passes.
On Marcus Freeman's athletic ability...
He's an outstanding athlete. He has athletic ability, he's bright, and he has played a couple of different positions. He really runs and he will continue to get better and better.
On this year's defense compared to last years, and how this year's has grown so fast...
We have been watching our defense since Spring practice. They were looking solid in the spring and preseason. They haven't faced Vince Young though, like the defense last year did. It's coming along though, and we will keep getting better. This will end up being a good defense.
On whether Ginn's pass on the reverse play was intentional...
It wasn't intentional for who he threw it to. He was looking for Gonzo and Gonzo wasn't open. He started running around and he ended up throwing it to Nichols. You like getting Teddy out in the open field. We didn't rehearse that if the primary guy wasn't open that Teddy would improvise, so we didn't remind guys to never cross the line of scrimmage. If Teddy crosses the line of scrimmage, he doesn't need help so we need to stay back in case he runs around to the back and throws it somewhere else. We learned a lesson on that play.
MSU Senior Quarterback Drew Stanton
On being hit on the sideline...
He got his helmet in my right hip, it wasn't anything, my back tightened up a little bit but it ended up loosening up for me.
On physical condition heading into the game...
I felt good, fine. It was kind of cold out there today but once you got warm, there was really nothing to worry about.
On Ohio State defense...
I think they were a good defense, no doubt about that. We didn't execute like we wanted to, there were plays that we had out there and we unfortunately couldn't do it. And the offense they had put up some points for them.
On the stretch of the last four games...
Its real hard, because look, Ohio State is No. 1, Michigan is ranked fourth, Notre Dame seventh, I mean we are playing three top ten teams there, obviously Illinois, we let that one slip away. It's a pretty tough stretch we went through there. Now we just have to get prepared for the latter part of our schedule. There is still a lot of football left to be played, especially within the Big Ten, and there is still a lot to be gained.
On the remainder of the season...
We have to go down to Northwestern and just worry about that football game, and try to get a win. We've got to do everything we can this upcoming week to make sure we come out of there with a win, and try to get back on track.
MSU Junior Defensive End Justin Kershaw
On the defense of MSU...
We didn't execute the way we needed to in certain situations.
On Ohio State...
We were prepared for them. The thing that impressed me most with them is that they were really physical, they played hard and they were tough.
On being an Ohio native...
I didn't play any harder today, I try to play hard every game. It might have had more to do with them being the number one ranked team in the country.
MSU Senior Cornerback Demond Williams
On Michigan State's remaining schedule...
The teams that we have coming up are going to be just like the rest of the teams we've played. They're not going to just come out and lay down. We've got to come out and be ready to play regardless of who the opponent is.
On Michigan State's injury problems...
It's something that we have to deal with. We're all strong guys that bounce back. That's football; sometimes you just get banged up.
MSU Senior Defensive Tackle Clifton Ryan
On playing through an injured calf...
We didn't even think I was going to be able to play a half. I definitely wasn't 100 percent out there. I just felt that I owed it the team, the coaching staff and the program to give them everything I had so that's what I did.
On the upcoming game against Northwestern...
We've got to prepare for them like any other team. We can't go into that game thinking that it's just Northwestern and we should be able to beat them. They're in the Big Ten and they know how to compete. I know they have a new quarterback and new coach, but their scheme is pretty much the same as last year.
On Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith...
Troy Smith is very smart, athletic, and he's very accurate with his passes. The last few times we've played them he would try and beat you with his legs - now he's going to beat you with his arm. He's an all-around great athlete that deserves to be in the Heisman race.
OSU Senior Quarterback Troy Smith
On whether it was the most complete game as an entire team by Ohio State ...
Thus far, this is definitely up there. We did a lot of productive things, offensively and defensively. The defense came out and they just showed up. Hats off to Michigan State though, it was a great, hard-fought game. They came out and did some things they wanted to do early, but our defense was very, very strong and handled their task at hand today. Offensively, we had a couple of turnovers, we have to stay away from that, but over all it was a good game.
On Anthony Gonzalez changing the play during the timeout for the touchdown reception ...
That's why we call him `The Wizard'. If you give him a chance, he is going to do things and see things that will just mesmerize you. He's a great player and is going to continue to grow as a player and as a man.
On the road-game win ...
I think any win is very, very important in the formula to become a Big Ten Champion, or a National Champion, every win is just as important. You never want to put too much emphasis on one game.
On whether there was anything he wasn't satisfied with ...
A couple of passes I threw early, the wind got a hold of, and that was because I was lazy on my follow through. I know I will hear about it tomorrow from the coaching staff and my quarterback coach. We just have to continue to get better and improve.
On whether the wind was a factor....
It was definitely there, it was something you definitely had to battle through. That's the course of the game though, and you have to go through things like that, it was Big Ten football.
On the play of Drew Stanton...
He had a rocky day, but Drew is the kind of guy - he is an optimist, rather than a pessimist. He's always positive in any circumstance. After the game, he had a smile on his face as big as the one when I met him in 2001. He's a good guy.
OSU Sophomore Linebacker Marcus Freeman
On the play of the defense...
I think it was a big confidence booster for us. Just going out there and getting quick three-and-outs on that great offense like that was a great confidence builder.
On his interception...
\ I was just out there and I saw the two linemen come out. I read the screen, and I just went out and got it.
When you're out there and you see two linemen release real fast, you know the screen's coming and I was able to get to the ball before it got there.
On Drew Stanton's hit out of bounds...
I didn't really get a clean shot on him, they said he slid into the cooler or something like that, so I hope he's getting better.
OSU Sophomore Linebacker James Laurinitis
On the defense's play early in the game...
It's huge, any time that they're thinking, `let's get some points here,' and you get them out of field goal range or do anything of that nature, and you keep them from scoring points, you knock the wind out of their sails a little bit. I think that we did that early on.
On whether this game was their best defensive effort thus far...
I think so. It's one of those things where we felt like we were in control the whole game, never having to panic. We knew that having Stanton at quarterback, he would make some plays against us, so I think as a whole we did a pretty good job.
On Quinn Pitcock and Jay Richardson's play...
\ Well they just had a tremendous game, if you look at Quinn and Jay and all of those guys, they're tremendous, and they stepped up big for us, with having Dave out. Having those guys step up when we were missing one of our seniors out there, it was huge for us.
On the weather...
It's cold, that's just it. You can't really think about the weather, you don't really think about it when you're playing. You notice it once the end of the game comes around, you start to get real cold really fast, but I don't think it was a factor in the game at all, you just have to be ready to play football whenever, especially in the Big Ten.
OSU Junior Wide Receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
One the key moment when he knew he had the punt return...
I was just happy that Gonzalez picked up that one block for me. When I looked up, I saw all of those green shirts, and knew I couldn't go that way. I cut it back, found a landing and took it.
On the feeling after the game...
I am just happy, first for the win. We came out and we took it to them and we had a great time. The coldness didn't bother us at all, we just came out and had fun.
On having a Big Ten punt- return record...
I think it is great. Records are made to be broken. Someone else will come along and break it, and that's great. You're only here for a short time in your life, so just go out and have fun with it.
OSU Junior Wide Receiver Anthony Gonzalez
On his catch from Troy Smith...
I think the big thing with that is that it was such a great throw. It was one of those things where it was in a spot that only I could get it. That's what is rewarding about playing with the best player in the country.
On Ginn's punt return...
We were sitting on the sidelines and Ted Ginn says, `I am going to score.' He got everyone up and was getting us going and excited. Sure enough, he catches the ball and goes.
