Post-Game Quotes: Indiana
10/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio
Opening statement...
Big win for us. Very exciting football game, I thought. [It was] a little closer than the final score would indicate. The fourth quarter went all our way, so that's exciting. I thought big plays of the game was, obviously, how we played defensively the second half, really sort of bend a little bit but not break. Then, after that, the fourth-down stop allows us to flip the field.
We drive the length of the field a number of times offensively. A great job by Connor Cook handling pressure, he got hit. Awesome job by our guys making the catches and he threw for a ton of yards and touchdowns - obviously a big game in that record. We ran the ball effectively the fourth quarter.
I thought our special teams played better. The kickoff team [was] solid, came up with a fumble, pretty solid on the return yardage. Jake Hartbarger delivers a big punt and flips the field for us. That was huge for us. We had one mishap with the high snap on the field goal, but other than that, I thought (Michael) Geiger was good. [We had] a big kickoff return and had a 15-yard punt return as well, so we played better on special teams.
We just sort of took control of the game in the fourth quarter, defensively and offensively. We're 8-0. We've got an opportunity to stay off and not practice for a week, regain ourselves in terms of our health, and move forward.
On the worries of a "trap game"...
Well, we've been saying all week long that one of the things we try and point toward is how you play after a big moment. We make a big deal about that; we have since 2008. We're 25-4, any way you cut it. It's not always pretty. It wasn't pretty during certain points of this football game, but we've been very successful after those games, win or lose. We could've lost some of those games as well. That's been a focus of ours and I think that's something that we track. Our guys held to that. Hey, I don't know. As the game goes on, they're scoring very quickly a number of times for whatever reason, I think they're creating substitution issues and our guys had a couple things happen to us. They're good players. I've said all week long that we have a dynamic offense. They play extremely well defensively as well. Then they sort of ran out of gas in the fourth quarter as well. We had 96 plays, I think. I don't have my glasses on, but I think we have 96 plays.
On the team's current level going into the bye week...
That would be a first for us [to not practice during the bye.] First of all, we're 8-0, so I was hoping or we were working for 8-0. It hasn't gone perfectly, but we're 8-0. That's the first thing. As far as practicing, we need to heal up. We've got a lot of guys banged up. We cannot take the risk to practice this week and then, all of a sudden, have more guys hurt. Guys get hurt during practice. What we will do is lift our guys, run our guys as if it is the bottom-line summer conditioning program. We'll have guys in great shape, which is the number one reason to me that we practice. We'll also have our guys healthy. We'll get some guys back. Jack Allen should be back. Some of our guys need to heal up. I think you play that as you go. That's where we're at this year. That's what we have to do. Then, we'll be able to start on Nebraska from a coaching standpoint, this week, and from a player standpoint, on Sunday. We will be ahead going to Nebraska, but I think we just need to back off a little bit. Our practices seem to be a little competitive.
On seeing freshmen play significant minutes...
That's the beauty of our base defense really. When you install it in the summer, they may struggle a little bit initially, but they're able to execute that defense and we play it, obviously, a lot. That's the beauty of that, our freshmen are ready to play. We played Tyson Smith again today. I just said, `hey, play,' because we were going to play him, he's a good player and he didn't play much, but I wanted to get that over and done with. He's a good player, he's going to play. I thought Jermaine Edmondson went in there and played solid today. He had a big pass break-up. I thought Arjen Colquhoun played very well. Demetrious Cox in great condition. He didn't even come out of the game. We rolled our safeties out a little bit as well and I thought Montae Nicholson came in and played well. Grayson Miller and Khari Willis: solid. A lot of things happening out there at a very quick rate, that's one of those things that's an adjustment, we'll go from there.
On Connor Cook's performance...
He's a gamer. He's able to put the ball right on the money. I was impressed with his running ability today. He had a couple big, good, solid runs. He hurdled a guy. I keep telling you, he's a good runner. He's got that X-factor a little bit. The biggest thing is, when there's something that goes wrong, he's sacked or doesn't make the throw, he's able to bounce back and make the plays, make the throws. That's a credit to him, purely to him. You're being coached, but everything doesn't go perfectly. He's able to counter that and regain his footing and composure and play through it. Again, I thought our wide receivers made great catches, outstanding. (Aaron) Burbridge, R.J. Shelton had a big night. I think Macgarrett Kings has a big catch as well. Josiah (Price) has a big catch as well. Paul Lang [had] a big catch. Really big catch by Gerald Holmes on a quarterback scramble to take us down the field on a long drive. I think we were only up by two at that time.
On the wide receiving corp...
They're very confident players. They feel they can make a play with people hanging all over them and that's obviously a big deal for everybody. (Connor) Cook puts the ball on the money the majority of the time. I think that we do what we do and we are who we are. I want to run the ball more effectively than we did the first half. Really, we didn't run it until the fourth quarter effectively. We're banged up in there. We've got a lot of different guys playing. Brandon Clemons was playing, David Beedle played a lot today. Brian Allen is playing center as well as (Benny) McGowan. Kodi Kieler was in and out. We played a lot of guys.
On Connor Cook's unique traits as an MSU quarterback...
I keep saying, I think I've been saying it over and over throughout the fall, he's got a great deal of experience, he's won at a very high level. The guy is 31-3 as a quarterback right now. That's unbelievable. There can't be too many people out there that have that type of record. He's used to being successful, so he has confidence. He's able to take a bad play and flip it, play through it and come out the back end playing very well. He could have a poor first quarter and play lights out three quarters in a row. It's not going to bother him. He's got a lot of control of the offense. He's shown great leadership in the huddle and great leadership on the field. I think he's got his coaches' back. The coaches believe in him and he believes in the coaches. I think Brad Salem has done a tremendous job with him.
[His skills] are NFL-type level from what I know. The NFL quarterbacks that we've had here, I would say he's right there with those guys. He's got a great touch, he's got great arm strength, he's got a very quick release, and he's big.
On the team's ability to finish with a win when the game is on the line...
We know how to win. The bottom line is we know how to win; we've learned how to win here. We've learned how to win close games. We've learned how to take a game, in this case, and sort of distance ourselves. We've learned how to win. The culture exists that we expect to win and somehow, someway, we've got to regain our composure and do pretty well. I think that's the biggest thing. We expect how to win and there's a confidence level. We certainly didn't play our best football, but we've got enough players playing extremely good football to stay in the game with everybody. Then, make enough plays to win a football game. I don't know if that sounds right, but that's what seems is happening to me. We've got a lot of guys banged up. We brought Mark Meyers back, but other than that, we were out five of our eight top defensive backs from August. We need eight defensive backs, we have five. Today we had four gone, so the same thing is happening on our offensive line. Our tight ends are healthy and everything, but our offensive line - that's a lot of people. I will say that in the end that will become a strength for us because guys are getting game experience. There's nothing like having game experience. Even those three plays that Tyson Smith went in or whatever he was in, there's nothing like game experience.
On utilizing the pass game more...
I want to run the football, but we've got to get the ball down the field. Coach Warner did a great job calling. I guess I ultimately make the decision, but he's calling it. Those plays have to be called like that [immediately]. You don't see us taking delay of game penalties or things of that nature. There's a rhythm to it both defensively with Coach Barnett and offensively with Coach Warner. That's in their hands. I'll sit there and interject, but I try not to be disruptive. I ask questions between series and things of that nature, but I try to manage the game and manage our players.
We're going to do what Connor feels comfortable with, there's no question about that.
On the running back game...
I don't think we need a number one running back, first of all. I think there are three or four guys who make plays for us. You could make a case for Gerald Holmes to be the number one guy, you could say Madre London is the number one and you could certainly say LJ Scott is number one. Delton Williams, because of his past too, you could sit there and say he deserves the opportunity to play and get back in. We're going to always ride the hot guy. I made the decision to put LJ in there at this point and time and he got some yards. You just sort of feel at that point, but I wouldn't say we have a number one. We need to have guys that are going to play hard, bring their A-game to every single football game and bring their competitive nature. Holmes had two huge plays in the game, so we just sort of roll from there.
On if the separation of the running backs is tied to offensive line injuries...
I'm not sure. We'll find out here in the future. Credit to Indiana, they've got players too. At the end of the day, we sort of wore them out.
On the reaction when his players had found out they had the bye week off...
Well I told them this past week on Tuesday, that one of two things are going to happen. We're not practicing next week, we're going to work. Our work time will still be the same; we're just not throwing on helmets and shoulder pads. Our coaches will be out recruiting. So one of two things are going to happen, we're either going to win the game, and I'll give you a week off or we'll lose the game and I'm not going to want to see you.
On how stressful have the last eight games have been...
It's been stressful out there but it's what you do. You get upset about this call or that call, an offensive play or a defensive play, or a technique, but you just try and win. You try and do everything in your mind that you can do to possibly help us win. That's all I've ever asked anybody and that's all we'll try to do.
On whether he feels like this is a statement win going into the first College Football Playoff polls...
I think Indiana has a good football team. They were missing Sudfeld and their running back when they played Penn State. Every other game has been extremely competitive and went down to the very end. They're very well coached - I said that last Tuesday. They find a way and just have guys that can make plays. Sudfeld steps up in the pocket and made some clutch throws. The concepts that they use causes problems. In the end, if you get a stop and you can control the ball down the field you start to wear out a little bit. It worked in our advantage.
On whether he was aware that Connor Cook was close to breaking the school record for passing yards in a game and whether he thought to let him throw late to break it...
Yes, he was two shy. I don't think I could do that. You just don't do those things when you're up like that. At the time, the game was still in question and we were going to play to win the football games - that was the most important thing. There are other days, and we expect big things.
Indiana Head Coach Kevin Wilson
Opening Statement
It was a decent game for a while. Our guys played really hard and had a few big plays. At the end we kind of just let it get away, which was pretty disappointing. I was really proud of the energy and the effort and the way the guys played. A lot of credit should go to Michigan State - they're a tremendous team. They're really good in all phases, so congrats to their team.
On the struggles of sophomore kicker Griffin Oakes today...
Griffin is a really good kicker. He missed a couple, but if he makes those couple extra points and a field goal its 31-26. I didn't like his body language after a few of the misses, so I just told him that he was a great kicker, so go out there and make the next one. He's human, so I think it got to him a little bit.
On the low percentage passes that Connor Cook was throwing, yet completing ...
Burbridge has made a bunch of great plays for him and a couple of plays to Shelton in the past few weeks have been very much covered. He throws to covered receivers in reasonably tight coverage, but he puts the ball where he gives his guy a chance. If you were to talk to a pro scout or coach they would talk about challenged throws. When the guy is really getting challenged he throws it at his player where he can make a play on the ball. I think one of the differences in the game is that he's got some guys that made one-on-one plays. We couldn't quite come down with those plays. We had a few passing plays that were good but the maturity of their receivers and the physical strength allowed them to make a few more competitive plays. Connor puts in a certain place, but his receivers have also done a great job for him.
On the amount of close games they have been in this year where they are on the losing end ...
We've had the No. 1 team and the No. 4 team in the fourth quarter, and played pretty good football. You're seeing a lot of good football, but the defense finally wore down. Our no huddle offense had nothing to do with them being 7-10 on third downs in the first half. We had to deal with the monsoon in the first half and I thought we managed that well, because that was hard. Our defense wears down because we don't get stops. I don't like moral victories, but it shows we're going toe-to-toe with some pretty good teams. I'm not into moral victories and I'm not trying to justify anything because we need to win. That's what we talked about after the game. We need to learn to close games.
On the return of junior running back Jordan Howard...
He did pretty well. It's hard to run on these guys. The way they work their backers and edge players it always feels like they have hats in there. That is why you have to throw on these guys one-on-one sometimes. I thought he did well. It was good to have him back.
Michigan State co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner
On Connor Cook...
Obviously, Connor has done great things for us throughout the years. What it does for us it gives us, it gives us a chance for big plays all the time. On a day like today, when we were not running the ball obviously as well as we would like to, we were able to sort of ask him to put the team on his shoulders and carry us really for three quarters, and he had help from the wide receiver position. Connor has been money. He's played good for years around here, but the last two weeks, I think he's been phenomenal.
On the play call to pass to RJ Shelton with five minutes left...
I believe the pass play was the same one that we scored on in the first half, that play was a go to play for us, we vary it and camouflage it a little bit, but it's a go to play when you get down in the red zone and have to throw the football. We always talk about who your go-to guys are and we're fortunate to have a handful of go-to receivers and a go-to tight end. It's just a staple of our offense down there. It was right there in front of them, knew what we were going to go with in that situation.
On the run game...
Referring to the run game, it's frustrating not being able to run the ball better early on, but they had a game plan to pack the box, more so, or as much as anybody else has done against us this year on us. We made the decision really quick to throw it around a little bit, and try to get outside in the run game. We had some big plays on the perimeter in the run game throughout the course of the game, not so much early on, but we had some success as the game went on. We just need to get our guys healthy and get everybody back and I think that will help our run game too.
Michigan State co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel
On the offense controlling the ball...
I was most happy that our offense had the ball for 96 plays and 39 minutes, and that's how you beat a team like Indiana, so thank (the offense) for that.
On the young players stepping up...
In reality on what is happening with the defense is we have a lot of young guys stepping up and the other players are confident. We felt like we have some veterans on the d-line in particular, and some of the linebackers. But the players in the secondary, they're young. And we know they're players but it's them having confidence and the players around them and that confidence grows and we play better and better, and you could see that in the second half.
On rotating many players on defense...
This was the game we were planning on playing a lot of safeties, a lot of corners, a lot of people period because of the tempo of the game. So we're fortunate that this week we practiced rolling all those guys in there, but there's no doubt that when you turned around there were different players on the field. And then you get an idea on who's hot, and who's confident, and who's recognizing formations with the plays going as fast as they are, but we can walk out of this game, and ok we're a little banged up in the secondary, but we still have eight-plus players that can play.
On Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld...
Nate Sudfeld is very, very good. He can make all the throws. What you see on film is he that he knows where he's going with that ball very quickly.
On playing tentative early on...
I think we went out there in the first half, we were probably a little tentative, everybody just trying to do their job as opposed to selling out and being reckless. In the second half, especially up front the defensive line cut it loose a little more, but the confidence was gained in the secondary, they recognized the fact that this might be the fastest or one of the fastest offenses, but you know what, we can handle this, especially with young kids. Once you start to believe, you can make some things.
Michigan State senior quarterback Connor Cook
On throwing the ball effectively...
I don't think I have thrown as many as I have today. But in my mind I felt like I was on the money and felt like the ball was coming out of my hand well. In the Rutgers game, I felt like I was throwing the ball differently. I don't know what it was, the ball was just coming out better (today). I just gotta continue what I'm doing and I think you saw what we can do through the air. Obviously, we need to improve on the run game, but the last two drives, that's how we got 142 yards on the ground, but I just felt like I was in the zone.
On junior receiver RJ Shelton stepping up...
I think going back to Rutgers we had that play on third and long that got us in field goal range and ended up scoring on the last drive, I think that was just a huge confidence booster. Ever since he made that play, (he made) that toe-dragging catch against Michigan, he's doing things that he doesn't usually do, not just in games, but not even in practice. Obviously, we know how talented the guys are that we have.
On a variety of receivers making plays...
I said that it was going to be like 2013. All you guys were asking about (Aaron Burbridge) this (Aaron Burbridge) that, and I said there is no reason why Burb can't have two touchdowns in one game, and all of sudden it's RJ Shelton or it's Macgarrett Kings. It just depends on when the guys want to come out and make certain plays. There's no denying that we know the kind of plays RJ can make, it's just a matter of time.
On Dave Warner "handing him the keys to the car"...
(He said) go out and make plays. Don't focus on anything else. Just visualize yourself making plays and take it one step at a time, one play at a time. Like Coach Salem says to me all the time, no matter what the situation is in the game, just one play at a time. You don't want to look past a play like the pass to Josiah Price, I missed him wide open in the end zone. The timing was kind of messed up, I didn't have my feet set. But then we played R.J. Shelton for a touchdown. You can't focus on past things, just focus on the present.
On getting hit in the ribs...
He just got me. The initial play hurt, but when he drove me to the concrete it was even worse. Knocked the wind out of me and my ribs were a little sore so it didn't affect me on what went on in the game, but it was just a little sore, but other than that I'm good.
On being near the top of several career record lists...
The things that I've been able to accomplish while playing here, I would've never been able to imagine if you would've told me coming out of high school. If you would've told me in my true freshman year, my red-shirt freshman year, I would've said that you're crazy. I am so blessed, so fortunate to have played on such great teams. If you go back to 2013, the Rose Bowl team, had the No. 1 defense, it allowed me to accomplish things, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish with out that. Then the 2014 team, having guys like Tony Lippett and (Jeremy Langford) with such a potent offense and having a great defense as well. Allowing us to accomplish so many great things. It's just a whole team effort, it's not just me.
On heading into the bye week with an 8-0 record...
We're right where we need to be, we're going into a bye. Guys are going to get healthy, guys are going to get back, but to just finish the way we did. We hadn't scored 40 points in a game yet this year, but we scored 52.
Being able to finish the way we did, pounding it in the end, and to run for that many yards, and to execute the way we did in the pass game. And the way our defense played, holding it together, only 26 points. Obviously (Indiana) is more than capable to put up 40-50 points against any defense in the country. So our defense to play the way they did against a great offense and a great quarterback in Nate Sudfeld, it's awesome. So, to answer your question, we're right where we need to be.
Michigan State wide receiver Aaron Burbridge
On the passing game today...
The running game wasn't there today, so we had to go to the passing game. Coach (Dave) Warner was dialing up the play calls and we got it done, all of us as a unit. We all sensed it (about the need to be successful in the passing game). We believe in our ability to get the job done.
On the fourth-quarter offense...
We always hold our composure. When things are tight and getting tough, and when we have to score, we tell ourselves we have to get this in the end zone. And that's what we did in the fourth quarter.
On Connor Cook...
He's a fantastic player. I love playing with guys like that. He takes risks, takes chances, and makes plays.
Michigan State senior wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr.
On competition between wide receivers...
We just like to hold each other accountable. That's our biggest thing. I feed off of RJ (Shelton). We all just feed off of each other. We go out there, make plays and make Connor (Cook) look good. He throws great balls, but we make some tough catches sometimes. We just hold each other accountable and we're going to be that next receiver to make the play. We like to challenge each other.
On the flow of the game...
With the timing, with the summer workouts and things of that nature, we know where Connor goes and where he rolls out, where he is. He likes to take chances, he likes to scramble, so we know we've got to work on our scramble rules. Coach Samuel is always talking about our scramble rules. When Connor rolls out of the pocket, we scramble along with him, so we work on that in practice every day. With the timing, the summer played a big part for us, the receivers and the quarterbacks.
On teammates having your back...
My guys know me. I don't usually drop the ball and when I do, I'm mad about it. But, I'll move it for them. Not remembering bad plays, I'm pretty good at that. I was just really eager, ready to get back out there and make a catch for my team.
On if the passing game needed to step up as a substitute for the run game...
Give credit to Indiana. Indiana did a great job trying to stop the run. When they did stop [us], we had to find another way, so give credit to them. Connor was hot. Man was slinging, that's how we were feeling. On if Connor Cook performs at a high level during practice...
We see him play like this everyday. Connor is a great quarterback, man. Some of the throws he makes in practice are incredible, so this is just going up like practice for us.
Sophomore running back Gerald Holmes
On the run game...
Early in the game, I felt like we were coming out flat at times. I think the main thing was -- they were actually flying around pretty well. That was a good thing about the linebackers. We were just kind of getting adjusted to what they were doing. When halftime came, we had our talk. The coaches kind of put emphasis on establishing our run game. We've been kind of soft on the run game for the past couple of weeks, so coming out that second half we wanted to make a statement about our run game.
On skillsets that allow running backs to shine...
I said back in the summer, we're trying to have one of the best backfields in the country, so whoever is in the game can get the job done. We look at it as that friendly competition. At the end of the day Coach D is going to find whoever is the hot back, like he said earlier in the year. So, we're going to run with them. We just keep doing all of those different skillsets whether it's catching, blocking, picking up -- just doing our job.
On the influence of the injured offense on the slower running game...
It plays a part, but we have a pretty good offensive line. It's basically about just getting the reps behind it. Getting used to it. We have a lot of new guys in there. At the end of the day, we have a pretty good o-line.
Junior offensive guard Benny McGowan
On the upcoming bye week...
I think it will help the o-line a lot. I think healing up will be a big thing. We've gone eight-weeks straight constantly practicing. I think a week off will really do us a lot of good. It will help us recover and we'll be able to come back strong for November, which, as we all know, is a very important part of the season.
On practicing without helmets and pads this week...
It was a good feeling. He did tell us that at the beginning of the week, but we always had to make sure we weren't looking past this week to that. We had to make sure we took care of business this week. Coach Warner, I remember him saying, we'll feel a whole lot better going into the bye week 8-0.
On Jack Allen's leadership abilities from the sideline...
Jack [Allen] is just a natural leader. He is a great football player, and he can help get the guys going. He watches us every play and he can tell when we did something wrong, what we need to fix. He's basically like, since he's been out, a second coach. It's someone who is in there with us, so it's more relatable to him. He's just a great leader and a great player. I can take his advice and his criticisms to help me for the next series.
Senior defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas
On getting the job done
We talked as a team during halftime. Coach made adjustments so we went out there and executed those adjustments. We got the job done.
On how the defense has performed well together
We are just coming in every week trying to get better. Each and every practice we come together and take one game at a time. We build off of our mistakes. We come together as a defensive unit and get the job done.
On shutting down the Indiana offense
This team is based on toughness. We really just go off of our offseason workouts. When the fourth quarter comes around, we just really put a fork in the other team.
On how it feels to be 8-0 coming into the bye week
It feels great. There's nothing like being undefeated. We have to keep on going one game at a time.
Junior offensive tackle Jack Conklin
On rotations...
With Indiana being such a fast-paced team, we have a lot of guys that created that depth in our ability, even with the injuries we've had. We had guys that can step into the game and make an impact. They had to give guys a break here and there, but that's more what you saw. Just picking up the different blitzes and things they brought. Each different guy came in and did a great job with that.
On showing emotions in today's game
A lot of it comes down to getting everybody going. It was a trap game coming off of the Michigan game the way that game went. Trying to get everybody's head in the game and get that crowd factor. That's a big factor, especially when you're playing a team like Indiana who are making a lot of calls at the line. If they can't hear what's going on, that's a major plus for our defense. I just wanted to be able to step in for Jack Allen and be that guy on the field that the guys can look to and have confidence in- get the guys going.
On looking forward to the bye week
It couldn't have come at a better time. We are beat up. We're getting healthy. We've gotten almost everybody back. Hopefully, we'll have everybody back for the Nebraska game. I'm excited. With the depth we've created because of the injuries, we're going to have that 9-to-10 man rotation back that we've had in the past years. That's exciting. Those young guys have stepped up in a time of need and were able to get the job done and get those wins, putting us in the place of being 8-0.
Sophomore linebacker Jon Reschke
On shutting the defense down
That's how it was. We stepped up. We knew we had to. We knew the fate of the game was on the defense because we were winning going into halftime. We really had to step up and make plays. The defensive backs did a great job this game. They played great against the deep ball and, in my opinion, did a great job.
On the defensive backs
They're working. We're rolling a lot of guys at the cornerback position, at the safety position, trying to find combinations of guys who are comfortable playing with each other. I think we found two good safeties in Grayson Miller and Khari Willis. They're doing great. With a team like Indiana, we need to have a lot of guys rotating in, especially at the defensive back position where they're taking shots deep and wearing guys out. We had a lot of guys come in and play and do a good job.
On Connor Cook
It's relieving. It's very comforting having a quarterback like that and a leader like that in Connor Cook. He really helps out on defense because we can always rely on him making big plays, making those third down conversions. I think he did a great job today.
Freshman safety Khari Willis
On how he prepared for today's game
I watched my film, put my time in. I practiced hard. I just did all the little things that Coach tells me to do. I played the way I was coached to play. I didn't overthink or overreact.
On what was done to prepare for Indiana's tempo
It's definitely similar [to what was done to prepare for the game against Oregon]. Everybody was getting reps. Practice was going real, real, real fast. Throwing a lot of different huddles at us, some fast balls. We just had to be able to adjust, and I think we were able to do that pretty well tonight for the most part.
On the team's performance and sticking to the game plan
I don't know if we were getting tired or what. We might have had a couple of missed assignments and misalignments and things like that which put us a step or two behind of where we were supposed to be. Coach always says about the inches, if we don't line up to the almost inches then that's what it's going to look like. I felt like our conditioning helped us. Sticking to the game plan- coaches made adjustments with the things they were doing, and we were able to get some turnovers.
Junior defensive back Demetrious Cox
On the advantage of a bye week
It's good that we can get a week off and get guys back. Get fresh. Get level-headed and ready for the next game.
On the mood in the locker room after being told about no practice
It was a pretty loud roar. A lot of guys kind of need it, kind of want it. You have to do what you have to do.
On the difference between the ending of the two halves and making a statement as a team
I wouldn't say it was a statement. We just continued to play hard as we always do for 60 minutes. That's something that I feel we pride ourselves on, and we've done. I don't feel like we proved anything, but we stuck to the game.
On opinions about the team struggling to win games
Is it momentum- sure. It was great that we doubled [Indiana's] points with eight minutes left or whatever. We just went out and played. Special teams came up big at the end. Everybody played their role and played for 60 minutes.
Indiana Senior Quarterback Nate Sudfeld
On being close once again to beating a highly-ranked opponent...
It's frustrating because close has been our word for what it seems like the last two years. We have to make those plays to get over that hump. That word close is really driving me nuts nowadays but it's what we are. We need to keep battling, have a great bye week, stick together and keep fighting.
On how tough it was to play in during the heavy downpour in the first quarter...
I've never experienced anything like that. It was like I was showering out there. No excuse, I need to hang onto the ball better. I'm just glad there were no turnovers in that situation. I've never experienced anything like that. It was like trying to catch a bar of soap.
On whether it is a good time for a bye week ...
I think it is a good time. It would have been a better time if we would have won today though, we would have had some better vibes going in. Those guys with little injuries, it'll be good to let them recover a little bit. Again, we just need to link arms at this point and fight for each other and continue to keep battling.
Indiana Junior Linebacker T.J. Simmons
On the younger players hitting a wall in their development...
I just feel like we have to step up and make our plays. It doesn't matter what wall they hit - it's inexcusable. We need to step up and make plays.
On whether the bye week is coming at a good time ...
Definitely. We need to take time to get right mentally, physically and refresh, recharge-up and come back at it.
On whether he felt like the defense was out on the field a lot today ...
We're used to it. Our offense moves the ball fast, so we're used to that. It wasn't that big of a deal.
On Michigan State's efficiency on third downs...
We need to do better on our third downs. We put a lot of emphasis on it so it's inexcusable. We knew what they were going to do, but we still let them do it.
