Michigan State University Athletics
Grid Insider: Player One-on-Ones
10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2007
Listen to Spartan Sports Podcasts:
Travis Key Interview
Brian Hoyer Interview
Joel Nitchman Interview
Senior safety Travis Key and junior quarterback Brian Hoyer met with the media this week in the LaSalle Bank Club at Spartan Stadium to talk about Saturday's home Big Ten opener vs. Northwestern. After Tuesday's practice, msuspartans.com caught up with sophomore center Joel Nitchman.
Senior safety Travis Key:
On staying focused after hard-fought game at Wisconsin:
We know that we did some good things in that game. We played pretty well, especially in the second half. At the same time, when somebody taps you on the back sometimes you can tend to get a little comfortable with the situation. But we've got to come back this week and focus, try to get better, and not be satisfied with what we did in the Wisconsin game. We've got to improve, and come out and beat Northwestern.
On sadness or anger after the game Saturday:
We knew that we had a chance to win that game. We were in the position to win that game, and we all felt like we let it slip away. So it was definitely more anger than sadness I would say.
On not letting the season slip away now:
Like I said before, we're pretty focused right now. We watched some film on Northwestern already. We know their historical tendencies. We know that we're going to have to defend the pass this week. And we're confident that the coaches are going to put forth a game plan to come out and shut them down.
On Northwestern being a different team to defend:
Well, they're going to spread the ball out. I guess I could say they're going to be a little more like Bowling Green was. They spread the ball out a lot and definitely get a lot of pass attempts. They also try to sneak a few runs in here and there. The passing defense is going to be key this week.
On T.J.'s (Williams) ability to make the conversion to cornerback from wide receiver:
He's an athlete. He's one of our best athletes overall offensively and defensively. He's done a good job stepping up and playing his role. He did a good job for us on Saturday. I guess his role is going to be even bigger in the future.
On playing a spread against Northwestern:
This week is going to be real key to paying close attention to details. Coach Dantonio talks about that a lot. When you play a team that throws the ball a lot, any wrong movement, any false steps can give up a big play. It's going to be very important for us to pay attention to our keys and know what we have to do to stop what they're trying.
On the emphasis of the passing game:
As a DB, it's always good to know that a team is going to come in and challenge you. I look at that as more of an opportunity to make plays. The more chances we get the more opportunities there are to make big plays and help our team to victory.
On his role as a captain and leader after a loss:
I know that this is going to be crucial for us to stay grounded and stay focused. My job as a captain is to get that done and make sure that's squared away come Saturday.
On the captains making sure they keep it together:
Kaleb (Thornhill), Jehuu (Caulcrick), Pete (Clifford), and I talked about it yesterday. We talked about making sure everybody is keeping their heads up and staying focused on the goal at hand. We're just letting everybody know that our long-term goals as far as winning a championship and getting bowl games are not out of question. It's definitely time to step our game up and pay more attention to what we have to do.
On what Coach does at halftime to make the second half better:
It's just testament to the type of coaches they are and the game plan that they do. Coach Narduzzi has been doing a great job of coming in and making great adjustments. With offenses that have been thrown at us, we just go out and do what he tells us to do. We try to get fired up at halftime, and come out and respond to adversity from the first half. We just try to come out and play better than we were before.
On the momentum of the game last year at Northwestern:
I've never been a part of anything like that. But it was definitely a great feeling. During that time last year we were pretty down in the dumps I guess you could say. We hadn't won a game in a while, and it felt good to get that victory in the way that we did it. It was a good feeling.
On feeling a surge during the game:
You could definitely feel a momentum change. Some guys on the offense made big plays. Special teams were making big plays. We scored on the blocked punt. You can feel the sideline beginning to pick up and the whole atmosphere beginning to change. The momentum just swung our way.
On establishing himself in that game last year:
That was my first start. So I was focused all week and I knew I had to step up big. I just try to stay focused and try to fly around and make plays. I feel that I helped the team out a lot. I feel that a lot of guys stepped up and made big plays. It was a great feeling to be on the winning hand of it.
Junior quarterback Brian Hoyer
On handling the game and not letting the season get out of hand:
I think with the way we played this last game we didn't lose any confidence, if anything I think we built confidence, even though we lost. If anybody thought we couldn't compete with teams in this conference, I think we put that to rest. We showed that even though we came out and lost, people on this team realize that if we go out and play our best that there isn't anybody we can't beat.
On emotions after first 2007 loss compared to first 2006 loss:
When we lost last year people were down, this year people were upset. Nobody was really sad, just angry that we didn't come through. There was no sadness, I didn't feel any of that, I felt more anger and regret. I think that fuels that hunger to come out and play better next week and for the weeks to come.
On keeping morale up:
When you lose, any time you can feel confidence in that loss that obviously is going to help. I think the team built some confidence knowing that we could go out and play with anybody; we just didn't capitalize on some things. Also, (it's important) going out and making sure everybody is fired up this week at practice and making sure we don't let anything negative come from the loss. It's over with, and there's nothing we can do to go back and change it now. We watched the film, we learned from out mistakes, and that stuff is gone. But it's going to leave a sour feeling in our stomach and give us a little bit of an incentive this week back at Spartan Stadium.
On what he didn't like about his performance against Wisconsin:
I felt like I was a little inconsistent. Working on consistency is something I need to build on this week. It's something that I think the more experience you get, the more you will start building on things. That's definitely something I saw in the film that I need to work on.
On the game slowing down:
I'm starting to see the field a little better too. I think that has something to do with the preparation we do throughout the week. I watched extra film of Wisconsin and I think that helped me out on the field. A couple of times I saw some blitzes that they were bringing that I recognized, that I saw in the film. It's helping to slow the game down.
On Devin Thomas:
I've been saying all the time, I always knew he was going to be that go-to-guy, that big time player. You have to remember last year we had Matt Trannon, Jerramy Scott, and we had Kerry Reed, so there was a lot of depth there last year. Not to say that Devin wasn't doing something to beat them out but they weren't doing anything to lose their jobs. There was a lot of talent at the position and it was a matter of time before Devin would break out.
On how new coaching staff changed team attitude:
I think since the moment they got here it's been about handling the adversity, handing the tough times, handling the tough loss and bouncing back, so that's definitely a testament to those guys.
