Post-Game Quotes: Eastern Michigan
9/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio
Opening Statement...
We came out and played very well. We asked our players to come game ready today and that was our theme for this week in terms of what we needed to do. We were sort of stuck in neutral for two weeks with where we were at and who is who. We needed to make a statement and were able to do that. We scored on our first five possessions and they didn't get a first down in their first nine. We were able to play 63 players in the first half, and that is very uncommon. I thought our guys came out and executed very well. In the second half, we played a lot of young players. We are always looking for growth from this football team. We had seven redshirt or true freshman playing at one point. There are some things we need to correct, but not many from that particular game. Turnovers are a big aspect of the game. Some were unforced that we came up with and some were forced by us. All-in-all I am very positive. Probably only gave up two plays defensively, and beyond that played excellent. Offensively, we got a lot of people touches and that was the goal. Macgarrett Kings and Keith Mumphery gave us a big spark, and Jeremy Langford had a big run and Tony Lippet stepped up big.
On the play of the offensive line...
Offensive line wise, we have played around with some things. I thought that offensive line played very well. Zero sacks and we ran the ball very effectively. We only passed 19 times in the game. We played three quarterbacks in the first half and protected them. We ran the ball well and I thought our offensive line was in sync.
On playing multiple quarterbacks early...
We had a package for Damion Terry that was a personnel package. We wanted to see what Tyler O'Connor could do in the first half as well. Any time you put people into pressure situations, you are going to see how they perform a little bit more clearly. With the game going in the direction it was, I didn't want to play just Connor Cook in the first half. I wanted those guys to run the offense when it was a little more open in terms of passing and running the football.
On whether or not there is still a bitter feeling from Oregon game...
We are always moving forward as a team. We have to move on. Young people are very resilient. We will take 24 hours to enjoy this win and then move on to Wyoming. The past is in the past and you have to continue to move forward. Our focus has to be on coming out every game and playing with excitement and enthusiasm. We have to take care of our job with our mind, our heart and our legs. You play them one at a time.
On play of the team...
You're always chasing perfection as a player and coach. When you see a breakdown, you try and correct that. There weren't many breakdowns in the first half. We executed well and capitalized on their mistakes.
On coaching with such a big lead...
When you turn the ball over six times, bad things are going to happen. Every player we put in there we expect to play hard, and that is what they did. You can't ask them to slow down. I don't want to run the score up on anybody, but you have to play every play to the fullest. We were limited in our passing game, but at the same time we need to provide growth for our young quarterbacks. They are very instrumental in the game and they have to be able to make decisions in the passing game and making good reads and things of that nature. The game went one-sided because of the turnovers I think.
On designed quarterback runs...
I thought we came out ready for some quarterback runs. We need to get everyone involved. Players make plays. Plays don't make players. People got touches out there and we needed to see who made the most of those opportunities. We need to be hitting on all cylinders moving forward. When we get the ball in Macgarrett Kings hands or AJ Troup's hands, sometimes that is by design. That was sort of the intent today with some of those quarterback runs.
On Tyler O'Connor...
We have three very good quarterbacks. Sometimes they don't have to opportunity to show that because they are not in rhythm in a game. Tyler O'Connor has been very good. He had a good summer camp. It is a positive when we have three guys like that. They are young players with limited amount of reps. They continue to grow as football players with every rep.
On the statement today's game made...
We made a statement in the first half in terms of how we came out with our focus, our execution and our enthusiasm. It was 28-0 in the first quarter and we ran and passed the ball effectively. The focus was there. After that, it was about maintaining that focus and not letting things slide and having attention to detail. Everybody is responsible to do their job out there. If a two or three is out there not doing their job, then they need to be held accountable for that.
Eastern Michigan University Head Football Coach Chris Creighton
Opening Statement before taking quotes... I'd like to congratulate Michigan State. Coach Dantonio was kind enough to spend some time with me this summer, and it took about four seconds to figure out that the man is just all class. You get inspired by people who are doing it right and are successful and have a phenomenal program, and you can just tell it's first class. They [Michigan State] were awesome, and obviously I got outcoached in every way.
But I do want to say this. I believe in our guys and I'm undeterred. We will have a wall up when we come out for a homecoming game, and we'll knock it down again and run through it. I love my team, and this isn't fun, but I believe in them and I'm undeterred. We've got a lot of work to do. I've got to become a better coach, there's no question about it. I challenged them at halftime not just to win the second half, but we are not going to fold. We're not going to give in, we're not going to give up. We want to be tough. You can't be tough unless the situation presents itself in a way where it's really, really hard when you're down like that at halftime to continue to believe, to continue to fight, and our guys did. I'm proud of them for that.
On playing in a tough environment against a Big Ten team like Michigan State...
To really do something special at Eastern, it's not going to be easy, and this is as hard as it gets. I've got a lot of proud guys. The scoreboard is pretty big here. We can see it, and that's hard. For nine months I've been dreaming about winning every single game but the reality of it is that this is going to be hard. And so you have to be able to endure really, really hard times in order to achieve something special. So that's where we are undeterred. So a game like this, I'm not raising my hand and volunteering to get beat badly like that; I don't want to go through tough times. But the reality of it is, you have to go through tough times to get to where we want to be, to where it's special.
His thoughts on what's tougher to face from Michigan State - their offense or defense...
When you play a really good program, it's everything. You can tell the character in pregame warm-up. I'm serious about that. You just know when a team is disciplined and together, so I think the character comes out strong and then defensively, very, very physical and move well. And offensively, we knew we were going to get lots of power and some zone and had to be gap sound, and obviously the passing game is good. They're disciplined and first class.
His opinion of Coach Mark Dantonio after speaking with him this summer...
He is first class. I asked him "What am I in for? What do I need to do to get Eastern Michigan where they need to be?" He just was gracious with his time. He spoke to me in a place where we wouldn't be interrupted. He gave me some wise council in a cool way.
Michigan State offensive coordinator Dave Warner
Opening statement Couple of obvious positives coming out of this game, obviously we started fast. We scored five touchdowns the first five possessions. We were able to run the ball effectively which was something we wanted to do this game. We obviously won the turnover battle; I think we took advantage of most of their turnovers. So I think we did a good job there.
On sophomore quarterback Tyler O'Connor... I think it says a lot about Tyler O'Connor first of all as far as being a team guy. I think he is very important to us as an offense. Obviously, he has got some experience around here, doesn't have a ton of game experience so that's where we are trying to get him to. He has certainly been in the program a long time. So he knows what to do, and we feel pretty good about him. So it's reassuring having him on the sideline ready to step in if need be in a critical situation.
Making a statement on running the ball...
Yeah, offensive linemen always want to hang their hat on being able to run the football. With what happened in the second half of the Oregon game, not being able to run the ball as well as we needed to. Those guys wanted to bear down and re-emphasize the need to run the football. That's what we came into this game wanting to do. We still want to mix it up a little bit; we want to run a little bit of power football. It was good to be able to do that, it was good for our offensive line for us to be able to run the ball and enjoy a game like this.
Thoughts on mobility at the quarterback position...
I think it is critical that our quarterback is able to move in the pocket, drop back and pass, scramble and create; stretch plays out a little bit. Connor (Cook) has been good at that for the most part in his career. We try to implement a little more quarterback run game in here as well. It's good stuff as long as our quarterback is going north, south and getting positive yards. We are getting into it her this year, its good stuff.
On elevating running back Delton Williams on the depth chart...
I don't know; I don't think our depth chart at the running back position between two and three is really important. I think there are different types of backs. Nick Hill, obviously he isn't that big but has power. Delton is more of a bigger, banger running back. I think they both have their place. So, I do really see the reason to say he is two, he is three. They are part of us week in and week out, and they will both play.
Thoughts on Brandon Clemons playing on both sides of the ball today...
Brandon Clemons, we moved him over to provide some depth at camp and he is back and forth which is tough on him. To his credit he does a great job. So it is good for him, it is good for us to have that flexibility.
On the running backs and wide receivers...
I think they all got a chance to play. We say over and over, when you get your opportunity show what you can do. We weren't throwing the ball as much in the second half so our receivers could see how well they could block. But looking at our running backs, performed very well. Pleased overall, glad we could get those guys in and give them a chance to get out there in Spartan Stadium.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi
Opening statement
In a game where our guys played really well in the first half, we came out in the second half with a couple of lapses. Gave up a couple of plays in the second have we would have liked to not have given up. Just two little coverage things we need to clean up.
On getting a lot of guys into the game...
You know, obviously there are some guys who are going to look good and some guys that didn't look as good as you wanted; we are going to watch the tape. The most important things are the ones that went out there and played really good in the first half. That's what you want to see. The guys played as a unit; I don't know if they got a first down in the first half. They had a lot of three and outs, our guys played really hard and were in the right spots.
Possible concerns in the secondary
Not really, people are going to get loose all of the time. It happens sometimes based on how aggressive you are. We hope we will win it at the line of scrimmage, whether it's a corner, we hope there is pressure. But a lot of times some guys are going to get loose when we are messing up timing at the line of scrimmage. So with what we are doing at the line of scrimmage changes things and we expect to disrupt the timing of the quarterback and the wide receiver. They have to run around people, we talk about taking away corners cutting away with our feet, hips and hands. When we do that hopefully they get a step on things, they are covered.
Thoughts on freshman defensive lineman Malik McDowell...
It's hard to really see those interior guys. He had a great Thursday practice I know that. I was excited with what he did Thursday. It's hard to see those things out there. Really during the game I am watching the offense, really not watching our guys. I'm watching their guys and seeing how our guys react off that. It's hard to pick a guy and say he did this or that. But we will figure it out on Sunday.
On looking at all areas on the defense...
You want to look at all areas. Just like Jacksonville State, I would have liked to have them line up in a two back set, you just want to see your guys get a chance to defend some two back runs. That's one thing you really want to see is someone try to run the ball, in a lot of one back sets in the first half. We didn't practice as many of those and we should have figured. I thought they would come out and do what they normally do. So that's one thing I wanted to see and I didn't get to see that.
Improving from Oregon...
Yeah, we were happy about that. Certainly you are happy anytime you get a win. We still have to clean things up. There is still a little communication that needs to be corrected. There are young guys out there now going in. We still have ways to go here.
Junior defensive end Shilique Calhoun
On staying focused despite an uneven matchup...
I want to make plays on defense. I've always felt that I have to be the aggressor. You have to be aggressive, especially in our style of defense. You have to be aggressive to make these types of plays. I feel like it's not hard for us to come out and try to be aggressive, try to stay focused and try to be positive. No matter what the score is, come out and try to create turnovers and create three-and-outs.
On the forced turnovers...
I feel like we could have done a lot better job of forcing turnovers. There was a sack I could have had, but I gave him the opportunity to throw the ball. It was bad decision-making on my end. Obviously, we could have created more turnovers, but we are pleased with what we had. We're going to try and improve upon it next week.
On his personal growth...
I feel like I'm fairly focused. I still have a lot of room for improvement, of course. You can improve upon something each and every game, each and every year. I am improving in the way I wanted to, but I feel as though I still have a long way to go.
Junior defensive tackle Brandon Clemons
On playing a dynamic game from both sides of the ball...
It's important. It's great. When people have the experience to be here at all and the fact I have the opportunity to play both ways, it's an amazing experience.
On his performance today...
I feel like I could do better. I'm critical of myself and I know I messed up on a few plays on offense. I have to get better and I have to get inside that playbook. Physically and emotionally, there was no lack of effort. I was definitely in there on defense and offense, but it's the mental aspect right now.
On the team's performance...
I feel like everyone had a good day. I feel like Shilique (Calhoun) had a good day, Connor (Cook) did really well passing. R.J. (Shelton) had that one interception for a touchdown. That was great too. I feel like everyone played around.
On looking forward to homecoming...
It'll be good to see all the players come back. For everything else, it's just another game. I think we just need to correct ourselves without worrying about our other opponents. It's about making sure we limit our own mistakes. We had a few penalties out there. There were a bunch of penalties actually, so if we limit that, I feel like we'll be a great team.
Junior Quarterback Connor Cook
On Cook not playing as much as usual after coming out of the last two weeks... Oh, I understood the situation. I think we had a bad taste in our mouth coming back from Oregon, and we wanted to take our anger out on whoever it was we played next; whether it was Eastern, Nebraska, Wyoming, or whoever. We wanted to come out here, make this a statement game, and put up some points.
On this success coming off of a difficult last two weeks...
I guess so. Like I said before, we were all really disappointed about what happened out in Oregon, and we made it a point with captains, with junior leaders, and pretty much everyone within the team that we were going to put up a lot of points and take out our anger.
On Cook running the ball...
Yeah, I think last year I only had one rushing touchdown. I wouldn't even call it a rushing touchdown because I think Fou Fonoti kind of pushed me in. I want to get in the end zone and I want to be a legitimate rushing scorer. When you're that close, you have to give it 150 percent and that's what I try to do.
On the overall running game...
I saw some big holes [in Eastern's defense]. I think our offensive line did a great job creating some holes for Jeremy [Langford]. Also, great vision by our running backs. I think on the touchdown Jeremy [Langford] scored, the hole that he was supposed to take wasn't even there and he cut all the way back, was in the open field in the corner, and made a good move on him. Nick [Hill] ran the ball hard, Delton [Williams] ran the ball exceptionally well, and Gerald [Holmes] did when he was in, but that's another step we have to take in the running game.
On the progression of Cook's performance in the past year...
Yeah, I was talking about this last night with all of my friends and it's just crazy to think people are talking about me even being able to play in the NFL, let alone first round draft pick or whatever you want to say. Last year, fighting for the spot, making the transition to starter, winning the Big Ten Championship, winning the Rose Bowl, it's crazy to be saying the stuff we're saying now. When I came to Michigan State I thought I'd be lucky to play. Watching Kirk [Cousins], seeing him play every single day when I was a freshman, I remember thinking he's so accurate, he's perfect in everything he does. I remember thinking "I have so much work to do". [Andrew] Maxwell, when he was in front of me, he had a strong arm, accurate, good decision-making. I'd look at myself and think about how many areas I had to improve on and I thought I'd be lucky to even play here for a year. If I have a good enough year, we'll talk about that [the NFL] later. I'm just going with the flow right now. My main focus is leading the Spartans to victory every single week and everything else will take care of itself.
On this victory eliminating the sour taste after last game...
Most definitely, letting that loss kind of sit with you and stir for two weeks was really bad. I think that's why we came out here so hungry. We were angry. To go out there and put up 70+ points, to try and pitch a shutout. Not playing for two weeks leaves a sour taste in your mouth and you just want to come out and play the best football you can possibly play.
On the relationship and success with fifth year senior running back Tony Lippett...
I think it starts off with our relationship off the field. He is a guy I can call up anytime of the day or night and I can always count on him for something. He's just a good guy. He's a hard worker; we put in so many hours in the offseason and in the summer trying to get our timing down. As soon as the season ended last year, we had two weeks off after the Rose Bowl, but after that we were in the indoor throwing. Leading up to spring ball we were throwing. After spring ball ended, we were throwing. In the summer, constantly throwing. We put in so much work this offseason and now we get to see how much it's paying off. He's a great guy. He's a big target. He has great hands and he can go up and make a play. He pays so much attention to every little detail: the right amount of steps, steps in the right spots, aim at the defensive back to get leverage. I'm just so lucky and so fortunate to have Tony [Lippett] as my target.
On sophomore quarterback Tyler O'Connor...
Well, first off, Tyler is a smart kid. He's been in the system for a while. He's got a great arm, he's accurate, and he can run the ball if he has to. Obviously, it's great having him as a backup. He knows the plays, he's in there, and, as he showed today, he can make the throws and hang in the pocket longer. He hit [AJ] Troup on the backside in that corner for a touchdown. He's just a great guy, super nice, just another great kid. The relationship I have with him off the field is awesome. He's a hard worker, too. You can call him up whenever. He'll always be down to throw and put in the extra work. He's just a good quarterback.
On disappointments about the game...
I should've been perfect. I'm disappointed I wasn't perfect. The one look I had to [Aaron]Burbridge kind of messed up our timing a little bit. The one third down I had, the play kind of broke down and I tried to scramble and I got my foot a little bit caught up underneath me a little bit. There are areas that I need to improve on, obviously.
Red-shirt freshman quarterback Damion Terry
On the significance of getting quality snaps in the first half...
It's huge, the difference of high school to college is crazy. We can scrimmage all we want but there's still something different about being out there during a game, especially because a lot of young guys got out there in the first half. Going against their first team defense, that's really big for us and just with that experience we get that comfort level.
On how long he's been waiting for his designed package...
I was getting antsy over the first two weeks but I'm glad it's in and hopefully it rides out and does really well the rest of the year.
On staying focused during a game like this...
It's really good when guys in the three-deeps get in there and make big plays. That's huge for us, I know all of us get really pumped up and excited, but every game...we know what we have to do and we're focused.
Sophomore running back Delton Williams
On his play making a statement...
Yeah I showed that when I do get in the game, when I get that opportunity, I'm going to do what I can to make this team win. It's about the team, it's not about me. It's bigger than me.
On playing with Damion Terry and being on the field at the same time...
I was thinking about that when it was happening. When I punched my second touchdown in, I looked over to (Damion Terry) and it was just good to be here with someone who is from the same place I'm coming from; I know people back at home are watching me.
On the closeness of the running backs group...
We're very close, we're like brothers. If somebody messes up, you know how your brother is. If you do something bad, he'll chew you out about it, and then the next day we forget about it and just move on. We all want each other to do good. Like (Jeremy) Langford, we bring him out in big games and we need him to play in. This is one of those games where he wasn't going to get a lot of reps, and we could see what type of things I could do, and what type of things I can do, and what type of things Gerald (Holmes) and Nick (Hill) can do. I knew they wanted to see that, so I had to step up and show them that they could count on me too. But Jeremy Langford he's a big leader for us at the running back spot.
On his 80-yard touchdown run
Yeah, it felt good. Last time we played Indiana, I went down the sideline 60, 64 yards and I got caught. This time I wasn't going to let that happen. This time I had to get into the end zone.
Senior running back Nick Hill
On the backup quarterbacks getting playing time
I think when you get your top three quarterbacks in there, and they make plays and are productive, it shows that you have depth in that position. I'm excited and I'm happy for Tyler (O'Connor) and Damion (Terry) to get in there and be productive.
On the emphasis placed on the rushing attack before the game
It didn't need to be said, but it's something we wanted to do. We didn't run the ball well against Oregon in the second half. In the first half we did some things, but in the second half we didn't run it very well. We wanted to get to where we are a dominant football team running the ball. I think we needed to get back to that, and I think that's what we did in this game. The offensive linemen did a great job from the starters to the backups to the third-stringers. I think moving forward it's a positive but we've got to keep doing the same thing week in and week out.
On keeping an aggressive mindset in a game where the team appears outmatched
Well, when you have younger players get in there, they want to make a statement and that helps. When you get guys in there that haven't been playing a whole lot, then they want to get in there and make a statement. You have receivers that want to make catches and make their yards. You have quarterbacks that want to get in there and throw the ball. You have running backs that want to get noticed out there by the coaches. I think that getting younger players in makes them hungry and makes our offense better.
Sophomore quarterback Tyler O'Connor
On the importance of gaining game experience...
It's huge. Coach (Brad) Salem preaches the value in reps and the importance of learning as much as you can from each snap. It was great to get snaps at the end of the first quarter and then put together a great drive in the second quarter with the ones. When our offensive line plays like it does, the playbook is wide open. The first-team offense certainly did more than hold its own in the first quarter and gave us a nice cushion.
There's nothing like getting `live' reps. Today was a lot of fun, and I thought I played pretty well.
On his first career TD pass to AJ Troup...
It was a post-corner route to AJ (Troup). I didn't skip my reads, but pre-snap I really like the matchup because he had a height advantage and a lot of room to work with. AJ also had a great play after the catch, extending the ball over the goal line. It was exciting to lead the ones to a score. AJ was my (preseason) camp roommate, so it was a lot of fun connecting with him for my first career touchdown pass. I'll always remember that throw.
On Delton Williams' performance...
Delton (Williams) did very well. He really understands the offense and has a high football IQ. Delton does all of the little things well. Obviously, he also took to heart the concept of value in reps. He had 10 touches for 103 yards, averaging more than 10 yards per carry. Hopefully, his performance will boost his confidence. We're fortunate to have four really strong running backs.
On building a 49-0 halftime lead...
Coach (Dantonio) D preached all week about being game ready. We had to sit with the Oregon loss for two weeks, so we were game ready and proved it in the first half today. That's something good teams do. If we want to be in the four-team playoff at the end of the season, we have to dominate teams. Our first-half performance was a testament to our focus. After the loss to Oregon, we knew there was plenty of room for improvement and we knew that we could get better in all three phases of the game. We came out and dominated early today and it continued on into the second half.
