Michigan State 44, Montana State 3
9/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 5, 2009
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Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio
Opening Statement...
First of all what a great crowd today, we had a great attendance, I think it was 74,500 and that points to our Spartan nation and what they are able to do in terms of people coming out and supporting, and I want to thank them personally for that. As far as how we played, when you look at the stats you can see we had almost 500 yards and they had 160, so the score can get a little lopsided when that happens. I thought our guys played very well, you look at us and can say we didn't have a lot of penalties; we didn't have a lot of off-sides penalties especially. We ran the ball, and there weren't any turnovers, we blocked one punt, and on special teams we executed which was a positive. We had a lot of people involved, and we played a lot of people.
The quarterback situation I thought was very steady, and those guys made plays. We played well on third down defensively, and we played well on third down offensively. All in all I thought it was a good first step, but we are going to have to play better has we continue on.
I thought we did a nice job today running the ball, and Greg Jones had his usual 14 tackles. We played a lot of players, that was key. We wanted to do that by design and I was impressed by that. I was also impressed with the execution on a special teams basis. There were only two punts, but they were 57 yards, we also blocked a punt and got Dan Conroy involved a little bit . He is a young player and it was his first time out there kicking, which was a positive as well.
On his current quarterback assessment...
My first assessment is that they both moved the football and moved our football team. That was the biggest thing that we need to see, the kids moving our football team - whether its running the ball, what they do in the huddle, or throwing the football. We have a little different dynamic with both of them and it was important to see them both play, and play when there was something on the table a little bit, when the score wasn't too lopsided. I thought it was important also to come back in the second half and allow Keith Nichol to have an opportunity to start the second half - that gives him a little different experience when he was to pick something up. I continue to say they are very mature in how they handle this and they are very competitive. They want to be the guy and it's a good situation when they are both playing well because it gives us more opportunities.
On the wide receivers dropping passes...
It's an area of concern especially when it happens right there, but when Keshawn Martin drops those, that is not indicative on how he plays. Blair White had a nice game, and you have to give Montana State credit a couple times when they knocked the ball out a little bit. But we will go back now and look at that - but I think it's something that is easily correctable, and I think our guys had good hands today catching the ball. I'm not too concerned about it because those guys have showed the ability to catch the football.
On the playing time of some of the new players...
What we were trying to do is get those guys touches because none of those guys have ever carried the ball in a college football game. It was important to get their feet on the ground, and I think Caulton Ray did a really nice job making some plays and getting in the secondary and breaking some tackles. I though Larry Caper did, and Edwin Baker had a couple nice runs so that was good to see and they did not put the ball on the ground. There was one time they got out of bounds but other than that I thought they pass protected well. Again, we have to watch the film to see exactly when happened, but we did see a 60 yard run, and when you are able to get your feet on the ground that's a positive thing. Like I said, you did see a lot of guys today, and we have some depth on this team. We have a lot of guys that have played [before], but we also have a lot of guys that have not played like Keith Nichol, Brian Linthicum, and all three of those tailbacks. Myles White played, Jerel Worthy played, and there were a lot of guys that played for the first time today.
On how he sees the quarterback situation after the first game...
It didn't get more difficult. We dealt with this through the spring and as I continue to say, I think it's a good problem. If we only had one guy, and then when we put the second guy in and he didn't play very well, that would be a problem. So this is a good problem because it's a tough game and you never know when someone is going to get banged up a little bit. The more experience we can give our young guys the more they are going to benefit.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi
Opening comments...
A win is a win. Defensively, I thought we were okay today but we still have a ways to go. It's always good to get that first test under your belt. We had a lot of guys play out there today, which is good, and we can find out how our depth is.
On Roderick Jenrette...
I need to watch the tapes before I say a guy did good or bad, but Jenrette is as good as a starter and we expect him to make plays.
On the advantages of being able to play a lot of guys...
It's a huge deal when you get to play a lot of guys because you find out who does it in a game and who doesn't. We have a lot of young guys who got reps and I think that's a huge advantage.
On Chris Norman...
He did pretty well. I don't know what his first play was, but I know he came one time and smacked the quarterback right in the mouth. He has a huge smile on his face in the locker room right now. It's nice just to get his feet wet and we told him that he's not a freshman anymore.
On young guys balancing the workload and growing as players...
They are all going to have to grow up real fast and get out there and play. There is no balance there. You throw them out there into the fire and let them play and I think they did a pretty good job.
On Greg Jones...
He should be active and we expect him to be active. He's a great player and competitor.
On Johnathan Strayhorn...
He has done a good job in practice and we'll find out how he does in the game. He has a high motor and plays with good leverage. He is powerful and strong and he has done a good job. We'll find out what he's got when we watch the tape.
On Adam Decker...
He is playing in that third down package and I think he did a good job. He showed during practice that he can rush the quarterback and give us speed off the edge in a spot that maybe we were a little deficient. I think he did a pretty solid job.
On the play of the defensive line...
I'm not really pleased. We've got a ways to go. I'm not happy with the yardage we gave up at times, like three or four yards. In my opinion, it just shouldn't happen and we'll fix those things.
On players being nervous...
They were there, no question about it. Coaches get jitters. The game is a game and they better be nervous but you expect them to play through it.
Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell
Opening comments...
One of the things that try to do is focus on being balanced. We want to mix in the run and the pass as much as we can and keep the defense off balance. Through the course of the game, they loaded the box a little bit against the run which we kind of anticipated, so they gave us a few things with the throw game which we tried to execute and I think our guys did a pretty good job with that. Like on defense, as Coach Narduzzi said, we had a lot of young players who kind of got their feet wet for the first time. Obviously at running back, those three guys all had first-game experience. Dion Sims had a touchdown today. So it was really nice to be able to do that, but that was already the game plan.
On the play of both Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol...
The nice thing about the situation that we have there is that we don't have to change gears with the play calling. The same offense that we run with one is the one we are going to run with the other. We will reserve a little more judgment for when we see the tape, as far as execution. As far as results, there were some good ones with both of them out there. Some of those passes were tightly spiraled in there, so from what we saw, both guys did a good job of moving the team at quarterback.
On the shuffling of running backs...
In this game, we did want to get guys in the flow during the first half. We didn't want to make it so that they each had their own quarter. Coach Enos does a great job with those guys, so he had them focused on when they were going in and they could pretty much anticipate when it was going to happen. Will that be the case down the road? We'll have to see.
On the play of the offensive line...
It's good just to get some of their feet wet for the first time. For instance, John Deyo got in and his eyes with huge with excitement. You need to get them on the field to get that experience and we're going to need those guys to do well.
On depth at tight end...
We don't have a feature player like Javon Ringer this year and we lost Brian Hoyer, but we anticipated all things being well and equal because the experience overall would help us with the receivers and tight ends. They did produce today, so that was very nice to see.
On the potential loss of Joel Nitchman...
Any time you lose a starter, it will make a difference. I'm sure those things are day-to-day, but other guys rolled in there and did a really good job through pre-season. You have to play with what you have and we have to keep moving in that direction.
On the differences between Cousins and Nichol...
They were pretty equal in production. I won't change my story because we don't change things with them. We're happy with both of them. They both did some very good things today.
On Blair White...
He is a captain and he just kind of keeps everybody composed on the sidelines. He's like Javon Ringer in the sense that he's a great leader by example. He doesn't always have to say a lot, but you can't out-work him. He brings a peace and calmness to the huddle. When he's making plays like he does, that's going to ignite the offense.
Michigan State sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins
On today's experience...
It was exciting. It was a dream come true and a great opportunity - it was a lot of fun.
On fellow quarterback Keith Nichol's performance ...
I don't really think that's my job--that's the coaches' job. Keith played a great game, did a great job and (I) thought he showed what he's capable of.
On Blair White's performance...
Blair did a great job. Obviously he's a guy you count on and hang your hat on. Our other receivers stepped up--B.J. Cunningham did a great job in place of Mark Dell. (Cunningham) has a lot of ability and showed he can step up to that ability.
On the underclassmen getting playing time today ...
We've worked so hard, all year long. I remember telling guys this morning, `Don't forget about the 4:30 wake-up calls we had last February.' They guys who haven't played as much, they've put in all the work that the guys standing here in front of the mic put in. It was great to see those guys play. They've worked as hard as anybody.
Michigan State sophomore quarterback Keith Nichol
On getting back into the game...
It was really exciting. It was everything I had envisioned and more. It was just crazy to be out there and hear the student section. I had my family out there--my entire hometown pretty much came out. It's nice instead of just having my mom and dad. It was awesome to be out there and I had a lot of fun.
On the `waiting game' he had to play on the sideline...
I was really anxious not knowing when I was going to take the first snap. I knew my time was coming, second by second, minute by minute. It was a little nerve-wrecking to get that first play out of the way. After that it was alright.
On the play of fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins...
He did what he's always done. He made his reads, he played his game well, and he gets the ball downfield. He's a great leader and I know he's a great player. I don't really feel like we're competing against each other. When we get our opportunities, we do what we do best.
On the ongoing comparison of the two sophomore quarterbacks ...
I think we really came out and showed everybody why this competition was so tough. It's hard for anybody to really decide right now. I think what to expect, until somebody pulls away, is to keep doing what we just did.
Michigan State senior Wide Receiver Blair White
His thoughts on the two quarterbacks ...
I thought they did great. I was telling one of the reporters over there that I wasn't sure who threw the touchdowns to me because, you know, I'm just not really concerned about that. I have so much confidence in both of them. It's nice to have great leaders like them, but also great quarterbacks.
On whether he felt as if he was always open ...
I don't think it was so much me, more of the offense and the plays we called.
On setting the tone early in the season ...
I think it's important. Last year we knew we played well (against California), but not getting that win set us back a little. I think Cal is a little better than Montana State, but at the same time it's nice to get a win and to get a feel for the game.
Michigan State Defensive End Trevor Anderson
On having Rose Bowl reps at the game against a I-AA Team...
We have to take every game seriously. When you go out there and play teams lightly that everyone thinks you're supposed to beat, either you lose, or somebody gets hurt for the season.
On how much it means to have guys from MSU's last Rose Bowl team here watching the game ...
It really does mean so much; I really can't wait for the 99' team to come back. There's a lot of guys that come back from that year because it's the 10th anniversary for their bowl game. Any time you have former players come back and talk to you it really means a lot, especially as a senior.
On how well he thought the team played ...
I think we played pretty solidly, couple of plays we have to go over. It could have been better. We held through the weather, it was a pretty hot game.
Michigan State Redshirt Freshman Running Back Caulton Ray...
On getting his first start......
It was really intense. The game speed was fast but I felt good out there. I had a lot of good runs.I was a little nervous but after I got the ball a few times I felt really good.
On the play of the offensive line......
The offensive line did very well. It always starts up front. I think they played well and they came hard off the ball.
On the experience of the first game......
It was great. We haven't done it in a while. Coming out of the smoke was nice, we've never done that before. It was intense just to see the crowd and see my mom in the stands.
On whether it was hard for him to settle down......
Oh yeah, the adrenaline was pumping. We got to the sidelines and the Star Spangled Banner started and I felt good.
On using a lot of running backs......
It's ok as long as we win. We have to get in the rotation and we're starting to see more guys that can do more things.
Michigan State Freshman Tight End Dion Sims...
On dropping his first pass...
The nervousness kind of went away after it. From that point on I just knew that I had to make up for it.
On how nervous he was...
I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be - I was really, really nervous before the game. But after the first snap, everything was alright.
On what was going through his mind on his touchdown catch...
I was just thinking about catching the ball. I can't actually remember the catch. I remember the ball in the air and me hitting the ground and that was it.
On whether receiving was easier than blocking today...
It was pretty much the same. I think today wasn't as fast as practice. Practice seemed faster.
On what he learns from the other tight ends...
I've learned a lot from them - footwork, technique, staying focused.
Michigan State Senior center John Stipek
On game preparation as a non-starter ...
It's my job as a second-teamer to come in and be able to play. I have to be just as fundamentally sound, if not more, as anyone else. If I can't get the job done, how will we perform well?
On preparation when so many players get into the game ...
There are definitely some new kids today trying to figure things out. There are people vying for jobs, but we are all here to play our guts out.
On the play of J'Michael Deane ....
His transition has been pretty superb; I think he did an outstanding job. He comes off the ball really well, hits the opponent really hard.
Michigan State freshman running back Edwin Baker
On the locker room after the game...
We were pumped. We pounded 44 points, and then we sang the victory song.
On whether the team can build off of today's energy ...
Oh yeah. We are going to go back, work out what we need to do, and come out even stronger next week.
On whether he had trouble focusing due to his excitement ...
I did, but just needed to calm myself down.
Montana State Head Coach Rob Ash
Opening remarks ...
I'd just like to say first that we've had a great trip. Coach Dantonio and the Michigan State administration and everyone that's been associated has really made it first-class for us to be here, and we sure appreciate that. They've got a good, good football team and I think they'll do well in the Big Ten. We've played several of these types of games and I was real impressed with what I saw today.
On his expectations going into the game...
I was very concerned about our secondary being able to match-up. We had three senior starters that were unable to play today so we were extremely young in the secondary. Going into the game today, seven guys that were scheduled to play had never started a college football game. That was a concern I had, and Michigan State I thought did a good job of taking advantage of that situation.
On Michigan State's diversity on offense...
They were more diverse and I thought they executed extremely well. Believe me I'm not critical of our guys, I think our secondary guys are going to be good, we're going to play fine in our conference. It was just a tough way for us to start. I know they played as hard as they could and they're going to be just fine; they're all good players.
On the performance of Montana State quarterback Mark Iddins...
I thought our quarterbacks did fine. Mark Iddens is still the starter, his job is not in jeopardy. We put Cody [Kempt] in just to give him a chance to get a few reps and try a few more things in the offense. Mark Iddens led our team very well, very capably. I thought there were a couple plays there where the guy was open and the protection broke down, and a couple others where the quarterback had time and we didn't execute the catch. I think if a couple of plays went differently in the first half we might have had a little better production and it would have helped us stay in the game.
On the struggles of the Montana State wide-receiver corps...
We had not had any trouble catching the ball in preseason. I give a little credit obviously to the coverage of Michigan State, they did a good job, they were there. We expect our guys to make plays and we will make more plays in the course of the season, we just weren't as productive in the passing game as we need to be.
On the performance of the defensive line...
Michigan State has got a good [offensive] line. I thought we did a good job against the run especially, we just couldn't put pressure on the quarterback.
On the positives his team can take from the game...
I thought we played a solid game. We didn't have any turnovers, we had minimal number of penalties of procedure and things like that--unfortunately a couple of them were pretty important in the second half. But we played a solid game. I thought assignment-wise we were there, we ran our stuff, got lined up and got into the right place and so forth. I think we're going to be a disciplined, solid team. We just have to execute better and create situations and make those plays to sustain our drives on offense.
On the importance of his secondary getting experience against Big Ten wide receivers...
Michigan State receivers are very good, but we have good receivers in the Big Sky [Conference] also. We have to learn from this. Our guys are talented enough to play. We're also going to get Cory Nicol back, who is a very good corner, he didn't play in this game. Sometimes when guys were wide open it wasn't because he was just faster it was because weren't in the right coverage maybe or that we bit on a play-action fake and he got five yards ahead of us. So improved technique and better assignments and more experience will help us get into position to make those plays later. We'll just have to coach them better.
On the offensive struggles early in the game...
We weren't able to conclude drives on either side of the ball today like we expect to do later on. Again we've got to give credit to the opponent we are playing. After a couple first downs they raised their level. I thought they blitzed well and made big plays in crucial situations with their defense and I thought they converted their drives nicely with good fast plays, good play-action. They just did a better job at the end of the drive than we did.
On handling the Michigan State blitzes...
I thought we picked up the blitzes well. We were there and had our protections right and I think that bodes well for the future. We need to step up and finish the play. I thought Mark Iddens had a fine day and was very poised and I thought he led the team extremely well.
On escaping this game injury-free...
We were pretty good injury-wise. You always worry about that--I worry about it when I go to practice--so I was pretty happy and I think we'll be O.K. [Running back] Aaron Mason did not play in the second half, he got a little banged up. We'll get a more detailed report later but I don't think we'll have any major issues. We should be pretty healthy.
Montana State Junior Safety Anthony Cosme-Peko
On the game ...
I thought we came out and played hard, we could've played harder. We just have to make plays and finish.
On Michigan State supposed to be a running team ...
They opened up a little bit on us. We've got to respond to that next week, come out as a group and play harder and forget this loss.
On the team dealing with new players and having to play Michigan State ...
We prepared for it, everyone should've been ready to step up. I think we did a pretty good job today. Everybody has only been here for a month, so I think we stepped up and did pretty good today. We can do better but the biggest improvement is from week one to week two.
On playing at Spartan Stadium ...
I loved it. I like playing in front of a lot of people My uncle said enjoy it, so I did.
On if Michigan State receivers were tough to handle for him and his team ...
Not really. I expected more, I thought they were going to be a lot faster. They weren't overly difficult to defend.
On the secondary making it out of the game uninjured ...
It's good. We're a little hurt back there right now so hopefully next week we'll come back and be ready.
On the defense being in a trial by fire situation and how the team responded to Michigan State's speed ...
The speed of the game is a lot different than it is in practice. I think that was the tough part getting used to the game speed.
On what he feels he can do better ...
I just need to make a couple of more plays. I'm right there in position, I just need to finish. On his near interception ...
I tried to play safe and bat it down because I saw that Zach was in coverage too. So I tried to bat it down and missed, I should've got it though.
On how facing Big Ten receivers will help the defense throughout Big Sky play ...
The Big Sky's not that fast. They were fast today, not too fast, but I don't expect anyone in the Big Sky to be any faster or more talented than the team we faced today. So we should be good.
On what you take from the game ...
That's good practice for us. By the time we're ready for the Big Sky we'll be a step faster than the receivers, so that should be good for us.
Montana State Senior Linebacker Jeff Price
On the game ...
It's a tough loss obviously. You never want to lose a game in a fashion like that. But, it's the first game and we've got a lot of young players that are still emerging and learned a lot from today's experience. I think that all we can do from here is go back watch the film, correct our mistakes and come back and get ready for our next game.
On not being able to get pressure on Michigan State quarterbacks ...
A lot of our defensive scheme involves getting teams into passing situations and then honing in on the quarterback and forcing quick throws and disrupting his timing. You have to credit Michigan State they did a good job of keeping us off balance and picking up blitzes when we came. You just have to learn from it and try to get better.
On it seeming like Montana State was just a step or two away on a number of plays ...
It's always promising when you see the guys are getting the reads and are right there to make a play. There are a lot of guys in the secondary especially who will eventually get there that step quicker and make that play. Obviously, a big part of the game is getting those momentum plays on defense and getting the offense the ball back. It's not like we didn't have chances, we just needed to make the most of them and that's something we need to improve on.
On positives he can take from the game ...
I thought that as far as effort was concerned, especially on the defensive side, everyone was trying as hard as they could. It was a hot day out there and we aren't used to playing in that kind of humidity. But I thought that everybody went out and played as hard as they could and that's a big plus when you have all 11 guys on the field out there busting.
On how facing a Big Ten team will prepare them for league play ...
I think it helps a lot. When you play against better teams it's going to make you better and help you pick your level of play up. The biggest thing that you need to take away from that is not coming out the next week and playing down to another team or adjusting your tempo to a different team. You have to keep that intensity level the same week in and week out and build off the previous week.
On Michigan State having success through the air ...
It threw us off guard a little bit. I thought we were preparing for a three yards and a cloud of dust type game and when they were able to come out and throw the ball and keep us off balance on those second and third down situations it was frustrating. Again, we just need to build off that. Our young secondary will come along and we have a lot of room for improvement.
On his cuts and bruises being a sign of football season ...
Yes definitely. Everyone calls me the bleeder on the team because I always, even in warm-ups, seem to just start bleeding.
Montana State Sophomore Wide Receiver Elvis Akpla
On his first game as a Montana State Bobcat...
It was pretty good. Our team played well together. We didn't make any mistakes. I had a decent game. I have a lot to work on but it was a good feeling, a good game.
On having the speed to compete with the Big Ten...
Yeah, I thought I did. It's just the way their corners play, their technique, they eliminate a lot of routes that you can run and I didn't hit any but I ran a couple posts and had a couple feet on them and if I had taken a shot I could have scored. I didn't think they were terribly fast they just had solid technique.
On what he learned going up against the Big Ten ...
Just our timing, and our team's toughness. That's pretty much it, just the feel of the game. We are not going to play anyone faster than them. And I felt like our field position players held up with them. I feel like we are going to be a really good team after that.
