CFP Semifinal Press Conference: Offense
12/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
DALLAS â€" Co-offensive coordinators Dave Warner and Jim Bollman, along with Jack Allen, Aaron Burbridge, Jack Conklin, Connor Cook, Gerald Holmes, Madre London and LJ Scott, had an early start on Monday with a morning press conference in downtown Dallas at the Omni Hotel.
The Spartans answered several questions about the challenge of playing against the nation's No. 1 ranked defense in the Cotton Bowl Classic. No. 2 Alabama ranks No. 1 in the NCAA FBS in rushing defense, giving up just 74.0 yards per game. The Crimson Tide has allowed just two teams to rush for more than 100 yards this season (Georgia: 193; Tennessee: 132). In addition, the Crimson Tide also rank second in the FBS in total defense (258.2 ypg.) and third in scoring defense (14.4 points per game) and sacks (3.54 per game).
Below is a complete transcript from Sunday's press conference
PART ONE
OC Jim Bollman: Certainly we're all excited to be here. Great honor for us to be back second year in a row. But to be in the Playoffs is another dimension for us and our program. And certainly proud to be here but excited, a lot of fun. The Cotton Bowl always does a great job of treating us very, very well.
Connor, on the health front, how are you feeling right now? Any lingering after-effects, anything like that? You wait for that first hit. Everybody wants to know: How are you feeling?
QB Connor Cook: I'm feeling great. I practiced yesterday and the day before. Felt really good. The time off, going back home, doing some extra rehab stuff obviously helped out a lot. But shoulder is feeling good.
100 percent?
QB Connor Cook: 100%, you got it.
Coach, you talked about how obviously you're here last year. But being in the Playoff Semifinals is just a completely different animal. Can you just talk a bit more about that and how different it feels to be here?
OC Jim Bollman: Well, you know, certainly there's a little extra excitement if there can be. You know, when you get in one of these final big six games, you know, when you're in the final 12 teams in the country, you're always playing a great opponent.
But when you're in the Final Four tournament, we all know and talk about what's in the end, the possibilities of continuing. But you got to take it one game at a time, especially now. So certainly there is a little more added excitement to the game, no question. But, again, thankful to be here. Blessed to be here. And I think our whole outfit feels that same way.
The Alabama guys were just in here and they were talking about their defensive line teammates, describing them as savages and caged animals and things like that. When you look at their defensive line on film, what's your take on those guys?
C Jack Allen: I would say up front, they rotate 11 guys. They're all very talented. They have great hand placement. They're big athletic guys. Very physical. But we rotate guys in the O-line too. So I think both units will be fresh throughout the game. But they're a very, very good football team.
QB Connor Cook: Yeah, I think they're everything you want in a D-line. They've got the depth. And obviously, the talent. The talent is there. Everyone sees that. They've got the size. They've got the speed, athleticism, everything you want. And it's, obviously, going to be a challenge, and we're ready for it.
Jack, December 20th, if I'm getting the date right, you had a really interesting day. You had to make a decision about graduation versus some other things. Can you just take us through what that day was like?
C Jack Allen: Well, Coach D gave us the option if you wanted to go walk graduation, you could. And you just have to show up a little earlier and go through everything that we went through later. But for me, I thought you only get to do something like this once, so I'd rather do that â€" or do this than go and walk at graduation.
Make practice?
C Jack Allen: Yeah.
What did you do right after that?
C Jack Allen: After, I packed up my car, drove home, and got home as fast as I could to watch my brother in a wrestling tournament.
Coach Bollman, you have three high school players from the state of Texas. Three freshmen on your team from Texas this year. Tell me a little bit about Michigan State's philosophy in recruiting Texas. And how do you cut through through all the other Texas schools down here?
OC Jim Bollman: Well, I think that most of our long-distance recruiting, not all, but most of it, there's usually been some kind of tie, whether it's a family tie or maybe a relative, neighbor, something. There has to be something to get somebody interested in us, you know?
It's not a general philosophy that we would go real, real far from home. All recruiting can be different within a program. Sometimes a coach has been there, an assistant coach who has been â€" that's his hometown. Or like we have â€" we have a coach on our staff who's been in Texas, Terry (Terrence) Samuel. And Ron Burton has recruited Texas a long time from when he was at the Air Force.
So there's some connections that you build where you can have the common element of trust. When you just go somewhere and you don't know much about anything at all that you're getting into, I don't know that that's a great situation for you. But when you have some people there that you can trust, it can work out very well.
And that's one of the situations for us there, even though it hasn't been a frequent thing. Maybe it can be a little more than it has been. And that's kind of reflective on some of the other areas that we've gone to in the past.
I believe it was Connor who said on selection Sunday when you guys found out you were coming here that you don't really mind being the underdog. Is it possible to enjoy that, being the underdog and playing that role? And, also, how can that impact on all your mentality for preparations going into the game?
QB Connor Cook: Yeah, you know, we always like being the underdog. For as much disrespect or people always underestimating us, we embrace it. It's a role that we're pretty comfortable playing. And it's just â€" you know, it's what we are.
We've always been kind of the underdog going back to my freshman year here when I was redshirting a lot of those games even. We had guys like Kirk Cousins playing and B.J. Cunningham and Keshawn Martin, big-time guys. And, obviously, a great defense. People still underestimated us.
So it's a role we're comfortable playing. We embrace it. We enjoy it. And we just go out there and have fun.
You guys have won six games this year by a touchdown or less. What's the key to doing that?
QB Connor Cook: It's all about finishing. Coach D always talks about finishing. All the workouts we've had going back to winter conditioning, the workouts in the spring, summer, we put a big emphasis on finishing the workouts. And after every single workout, we have a thing called "the finisher." And different guys come up with something different, whatever it is. You walk in, Coach [Ken] Mannie will be like, "Hey, Burbridge, you've got the finisher today."
So Burb would come up with a workout, whatever for that. During the workout, he'd think of something. So as soon as we were done with the stuff that was required, we would do what Burb had in mind. It's all about finishing. No matter what the outcome is or the score, we could be losing, whatever it is, as long as we push forward, you know, finish the game, usually good things will happen.
WR Aaron Burbridge: Just like Connor said, it's about finishing. It's also about the chemistry we have on this team. We trust each other. I know Connor is going to make that pass and he knows I'm going to make that catch. Jack is going to get his block. We know we can trust each other to get the job done.
Coach Bollman, prior to the 2011 Capital One Bowl, Coach Saban said this â€" and you weren't here. He said this about the Michigan State offense, "They're stubborn. They'll keep trying to establish the run." How important is it in this game to not just go "back to the well" with run but for there to be balance so you have to make them guess?
OC Jim Bollman: Well, you've always heard me talk about the threat of balance, you know? I really believe that. In most games that we play, not only in a giant game like this, you have to be able to do both aspects of the game. I really think they help each other.
But the difference about this game, there's no weather factor. And you can get in some situations where like in the Ohio State game, if â€" that was difficult for both teams to throw the ball because of the weather. Well, you don't have that situation here. But, certainly, with Alabama's defensive line, they're going to affect both aspects of the game, too.
So the challenge is always beginning up front. You know, we talk a lot about the lines, really, both offensively and defensively because Jack and his compadres give everybody else a chance to do their job. So that's where things start.
And, again, you put it in perspective of if you're going to sit there and throw it all the time and those guys are going to rush every single time â€" putting it another way, you're going to run every single time, they're going to bring more guys in the box, this and that. So we have to keep doing things to counteract the other. That will be the approach as it always is.
Connor and Aaron, everybody's dissected and broken down what kind of quarterback you are, your style. What do you see yourself as a quarterback? And is there a quarterback in the NFL that you might compare yourself to as far as styles go?
QB Connor Cook: Obviously, I'm not a dual threat by any means. But a quarterback that I admire a lot is Tom Brady, even though he went to Michigan. (laughter)
I like the way he plays. He's a winner, too. He's always accurate and no matter what is going on in the game, I think he always puts his team in the right situation to go out there and win and be successful. And I think he makes the guys around him better. There's times where guys get hurt and he doesn't have all the weapons, but he brings guys together and leads them to victory.
Connor, Alabama had said you never â€" there's no defense you had never seen in all of your years starting here. Question for all three of you, is that the mentality you have? You've seen every defense, or does Alabama bring something different?
QB Connor Cook: Obviously, we have seen a lot of defenses. We've gone up against a lot of great opponents, great defenses.
Alabama, obviously, we haven't faced them yet. But just watching them on film, they look like an NFL defense in size, speed, the hits that they put on their opponents.
So, really, the thing that really stands out, obviously, I was walking in here and walked past some of their defensive linemen, there's some big guys. Like I said earlier, they're everything you want in a D-line. Very talented. They do some things a little different than opponents that we've faced. We'll be ready for it. But, I mean, they have great players, and it's going to be a challenge.
WR Aaron Burbridge: Like Connor said, we played a lot of good defenses. Alabama, they're a good defense. But we're up for the challenge. I feel like we match up well against them.
C Jack Allen: Yeah, they have a couple different wrinkles on defense, and they do stuff a little differently. But at the same time, each team has had a couple of weeks to prepare now. So I think both teams will be prepared for the game and the little wrinkles that each team has.
Guys, yesterday Darien Harris talked about how the senior classes before you kind of set the precedent with the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl win last year. Now you guys are back in the Cotton Bowl with a chance to win in the College Football Playoff. How much has all the buildup to this game been? What you guys have been able to accomplish, but also looking back in hindsight what the seniors, classes, before you taught you guys coming into your senior year.
C Jack Allen: There's been four great senior classes ahead of us. And I think all of us seniors have taken something from all those guys that were leaders. And I think another big thing is they started and created a great culture and each year I think has just improved and gotten better and better. And that's why I think we're so good, because of our chemistry.
QB Connor Cook: Yeah. To pick off right where Jack was saying, it's about the chemistry. And I remember when I was a redshirt sophomore, playing for the first time when we won the Rose Bowl, I mean, the seniors would just take everyone in. And it didn't matter if you were a sophomore, freshman, whatever. Everyone in the senior class, they were always â€" they always had open arms to everyone. And I think that's a big reason why we've been so successful, is the chemistry.
And then the next year the same thing. Everyone is so close, so tight. It provides us to go out there and play at the highest level just because everyone is unselfish and wants everyone else to be successful. So, really, that's the main thing I think, is like Jack said, the culture. And that means just the chemistry. That's been a big reason for our success.
As you well know, to Coach D football is important but it's not bigger than life. How has that rubbed off on this program? And how does it help you in moments like this when it's probably not as big a deal as we all even make it? Does it affect you positively in how you perform?
C Jack Allen: Yeah, definitely. He always kind of puts stuff in perspective. Yes, it's a very important football game. It's on a huge stage, possibility to play for a national championship. But at the same time, there's bigger things in life. And you just have to make sure you have your priorities set.
QB Connor Cook: Yeah. When we first got down here, Coach D obviously said the main priority is to win but also enjoy yourself. Take everything in. Take a moment at practice to look around, soak everything in, whether if it's at practice or whether it's at the hotel or an activity that we're doing, to just enjoy it.
Obviously it's a business trip. And it's a really, really big game. But, also, at the same time, he wants us to have fun, to take it all in and smell the roses, I guess.
You all have the rhetoric of finishing. Walk me through how you start. What do you do before a game as a team to mentally prepare, relax, and just get ready?
QB Connor Cook: Listen to John Mayer radio.
C Jack Allen: Everybody has their own little way of getting ready. But before the game, we usually watch a highlight tape as a team. But before that, everybody has their own different routine. That's kind of what everyone does.
WR Aaron Burbridge: Yeah. Like they said, everybody got their own little routine. I like to listen to music.
Obviously, Aaron, you've had kind of a breakout season, a bunch of catches in the Big Ten Championship game as well. What went into the chemistry that you two have developed in the passing game?
QB Connor Cook: Well, I think the best thing a quarterback and receiver can do to develop chemistry is just throw. Really go out there, throw routes on air. And that all started since Burb and I were freshmen here.
I was a redshirt freshman; he was a true freshman. We were working with the 2s a little bit. And Burb obviously started working with the 1s and has been playing ever since.
We developed chemistry right away. And it's all the time we spent after practice, before practice, during the summer doing seven-on-seven, just throwing routes. Showing up on a Saturday, on an off-day, or Sunday whatever it is, climbing the fence to get in when all the doors were locked to get out there and throw and get better and just try and develop that chemistry.
You said you enjoy being the underdogs. Yet all the winning this program has enjoyed over the last three years especially, how is that possible? Why are you always the underdog? And were you to beat Alabama, wouldn't that finally put it to bed?
QB Connor Cook: Well, I don't know why we're the underdog. I think you guys probably know the answer to that better than us.
Maybe it would. Obviously, playing a team like Alabama, a team in the SEC, you look at the teams in the SEC and they've pretty much owned it the last decade it seems like. Beating them hopefully would put it to rest.
But even if it didn't, we just go out there and we play. Doesn't matter if we're the underdog or not realistically. Even though we do like being the underdog and we embrace it and stuff, it gives us that extra edge. We're going to go out there and give it our all no matter what.
I know you compared yourself a little bit to Tom Brady. But in the other room, one of the defenders said they've been referring to you as Peyton Manning. What's your thought about that comparison? And, Aaron, this is your quarterback. What's your analysis? Do you feel like he's a Tom Brady/Peyton Manning-type?
QB Connor Cook: I don't know if I was comparing myself to Tom Brady. I was saying a quarterback that I admire. Tom Brady is obviously very, very good.
That's a great compliment. Peyton Manning is obviously a very good quarterback. And really the only thing I've got to say to that is just appreciate it.
WR Aaron Burbridge: Connor is the best quarterback in the nation in my eyes. He's a competitor. He'll go out there and make a mistake and bounce right back, you know? So I don't know if I compare him to Tom or Peyton. But, yeah, like he said, that's a good compliment.
You guys are going to go visit the children's hospital (Texas Scottish Rite Hospital) in a couple hours. Just for how much you get out of the game of football and being able to play it, what does it mean to each of you to just be able to give back and bring a smile to these kids' faces? And how much enjoyment do you take out of that?
QB Connor Cook: It's really good. We just go out there and we play a game that we love. And it's amazing the things that â€" how other people view it and how you can impact someone just by playing a sport that you love, you've been playing ever since you were a little kid.
But any time we can go to a hospital or any time we can go meet kids, the youth camps we've had over the summer, just working with kids that are 10 to 12 to 13 years old, whatever, and just to see how pumped they get to be around us. Especially going to a hospital and someone who is sick or injured, whoever, to see a smile light up on their face and to see how excited they get just to see us, it's a humbling feeling. And we embrace it, and we enjoy it for sure.
C Jack Allen: I would say people that are going through a rough time or things aren't going their way, just to make them feel better for five minutes, 10 minutes, an hour, that's worth it.
But at the same time, too, it kind of puts things in perspective like the question we had before. Yeah, you go through tough times during football and this is a huge college football game. But there's bigger, more important things going on out there than football. So it kind of keeps everything in line.
WR Aaron Burbridge: It's crazy how, like, just by playing football and just going to a children's hospital how you can impact somebody's life. That puts a smile on my face, too. So I embrace it and I love it.
You know what Connor can do as a quarterback. He's proven himself. But with them coming after him and you needing his arm, how much do you as the leader of that offensive line talk about this game coming down to you guys giving him time to throw?
C Jack Allen: I think most games come down to the trenches, and it's one up front usually. If we're not blocking or not protecting, they can't make plays and vice versa. But it's going to be huge. And it's definitely going to be a big challenge for us. But we've faced a lot of big challenges this year. And I think we're ready to take it head on.
PART TWO
OC Dave Warner: Always start off with what an honor it is to be here representing, first and foremost, Michigan State and the Big Ten Conference. As we prepare for this game, we know what a great challenge Alabama presents for us. But we feel like we've stepped up to most challenges throughout this season and even previous to this season. But we feel like we've had great preparation, and we're going to need it come Thursday night.
Jack, Alabama's defensive line were in here earlier talking about how they call themselves the savages, things like that. You've already taken on great defensive ends. Joey Bosa comes to mind. How are you looking forward to that? And does your guys' offensive line have kind of a nickname like Alabama's does, or is it just kind of "do your job" type deal?
OT Jack Conklin: We're excited to play against Alabama, the defensive line especially. The big thing for them is how much depth they have. They'll play about 11 defensive linemen throughout the game, which is huge. You don't see that in college football. That's three deep playing.
As nickname-wise, no, we don't really have much. I mean, we're all just pretty goofy and weird as it is. But no. Left side of the line, me and Brian [Allen] sort of call ourselves the wolf pack.
But Jack Allen sort of cancelled that one out and didn't want everybody else to be part of that. So it was just sort of to hold it down on the left side.
LJ, earlier in the press conference, a media member asked the Alabama coach about them getting every recruit that they want, which clearly they don't know there's several of you that had Alabama offers and picked Michigan State. You being one. Would you discuss your decision making that went into picking Michigan State?
TB LJ Scott: Like I said earlier, Michigan State was all about a family thing for me. The coach was always 100% during my recruiting process, and this is just where it touched home for me.
LJ and Madre, you were running in high school, like, yesterday. And here you are in Texas preparing for the final four in college football. How overwhelming is this for both of you?
TB LJ Scott: It's a blessing, man. You know, I'm just trying to take everything in, experience everything but at the same time stay focused and be humble. But like I said, it's a blessing.
TB Madre London: Piggyback on what he said. It is a blessing. It's a goal that's been accomplished or about to be accomplished. And we're just excited to do this in the playoffs. We always dreamed of being in the playoffs when it came out and be in the BCS (CFP) Championship game. So we're just excited. Just do it for your family, seeing them â€" have them watch you on TV.
OC Dave Warner: I guess, that makes you, Gerald, the old man in the group right there. Old man as a sophomore. (laughter)
OT Jack Conklin: Jack Allen is the old man in the running back room.
OC Dave Warner: That's right. Forgot about him (he got a carry on Senior Day).
Madre, speaking of high school, do you recall playing against Eddie Jackson when he played for Boyd Anderson in Florida?
TB Madre London: Of course. He bound us in the playoff game. We ended up winning that game. But I do remember, he was playing wide receiver at the time, not safety.
Jack, you've got three freshmen from the state of Texas on your team this year. Talk a little bit about them. And how have you been trying to get those guys acclimated to the great weather in Michigan?
OT Jack Conklin: It's always fun to see, especially the freshmen from the South see their first snow. As a kid growing up in Michigan, I'm used to it all the time. But they all think they're tough when it starts to get cold. "Oh, 50 degrees. This isn't bad". "Well, get ready. It's about to be minus zero here pretty quick." Then the first day of snow hits, and they're walking around in big jackets and coats. Not real used to it.
But those guys are doing a great job. Coming from Texas, I think the past few years how we've played, it's allowed us to extend our reach recruiting-wise. And you've seen Tyler Higby and Josh Butler and Darrell Stewart. All three of those guys are going to be great players at Michigan State. And you see them starting to acclimate well with us northern guys.
You guys are off to go visit a local children's hospital in a couple hours. Just being able to play the game that you love in college, what does it mean to be able to kind of go and spread some of that goodwill back to kids who are kind of struggling with conditions, things that like that? And how does that make you guys feel just being able to bring a smile to their faces?
TB Madre London: It makes us feel good, you know? When I was a kid, I wanted to meet those type of players also that were in college. And just to see us putting a smile on their faces is just a blessing really.
OT Jack Conklin: I mean, it's crazy to see. We're just some kids, too. But we're playing a sport and to see these kids who are really fighting a real battle so excited to see us, it's nuts. And for us to be able to do something like that and make these kids' day, it's special.
TB Gerald Holmes: I feel like we do it for the kids. As we play a sport, we are kids. We grew up wanting to meet guys like us. So being those guys for those kids is awesome.
TB LJ Scott: Just to take time out of our day, just to go over there and put smiles on their face and everything, you know, is something special to be a part of.
Gerald, Madre and LJ, you guys developed into quite the running back core. You guys are pretty young as well. What's the relationship like between you guys? Are you guys tight-knit?
TB Gerald Holmes: Those are my brothers. They call me the old head now, I guess. We keep everybody on their toes. We grind in our room. We are brothers and be fighting for a bigger purpose.
TB Madre London: Like he said, we're all brothers. We love each other. We all got the same goal in mind, and that's to be playmakers and make it to the next level and win games for Michigan State. So we are all close, and we compete together.
TB LJ Scott: Yeah, feed from what they said, we are tight and we support each other through everything. We always pushing one another to work hard, you know what I'm saying, to be better each day, to get better each day. And we always competing. We always arguing at some point, too. But it's just brothers. It's what we do.
Dave, I'm going to be a bad guy today. A couple weeks ago you were asked about your memory of the Alabama game in '11. And you never got a chance to answer that.
OC Dave Warner: No, I didn't. I got cut off.
Here's your chance. And more than the memory of it, how you've seen this program grow since that game.
OC Dave Warner: When I asked that question, I was kidding around, saying "You going to go there?" But that's the first game I watched when the Semifinal game was announced. That's the first game I went back and watched that bowl game. And it was â€" I knew that they beat us handily.
But until you go back and watch that game, you don't realize how much they dominated. And they did. They totally dominated us on both sides of the ball and special teams.
But I think we're a totally different football team right now, not just from a personnel standpoint or scheme standpoint but we're a totally different team from a mental standpoint. And I think we've been â€" through the years we've been battle tested. We've gone against excellent football teams.
So I think it's night and day. Still going to be a great challenge for us, but it's one that I think our guys are confident in as we move forward.
For you Coach Warner, prior to the 2011 Cap One (Capital One) Bowl in preparation for it, Nick Saban said this â€" and you were not the offensive coordinator but he said, "They're stubborn. They're just going to keep trying to establish the run." You can't win a game like this being either one-sided, either passing or running. How important is balance come Thursday night?
OC Dave Warner: I think it's important Thursday. I think it's important every week. I mean, I say this all the time. We're going to try and establish a run. And if you're able to do that, it might not happen right away. It might take a quarter or two quarters for us to get some running game going. But when you're able to get that going, that opens other things up.
So we're going to be stubborn maybe again and try and keep running in there. But I think we've got a quarterback that can do some good things in the pass game as well. So we're going to try and establish a run, but we're going to try to be balanced, too. So that's always the trick. Trying to find that happy medium.
Especially when you've got offensive linemen like this always saying, "Let's run the football. Let's run the football. Let's run the football," that's all I hear in the headsets from State. These guys want to run the football.
You're talking about how it's kind of the three of you are like brothers in the huddle at practice, et cetera. What does it mean to you guys to be able to really have a bar to reach for in the sense that Le'Veon has gone on to have massive success in the pros. Jeremy [Langford] had himself a solid rookie year. And, Gerald, I know you were teammates with Jeremy. What's it like having those guys kind of set the standard for you as Michigan State running backs?
TB Gerald Holmes: It's awesome. They set a standard. Being us the new guys now, we want to work to that standard and make a new standard for the young guys coming in. So playing with those guys just made us better. Still, having them in the pros, making Michigan State better, just watching them perform on a higher level.
TB Madre London: We just want to keep the ball rolling. Tremendous running backs came before us. And we want to â€" came in after them, we want to keep it going. And then when we leave, we want other running backs, younger running backs keeping it going also.
TB LJ Scott: It's motivation. It's something we feed off of just to get to the level they're at. But sometimes you got to stay focused and humble. And it is just something Michigan State always had, a tradition of running backs and great running backs to run the ball, pound the football. That's something that we'll always do.
Jack, clearly you don't have to throw the ball 50 times to win this game, but you do have to be able to throw down field. How critical is that? And what are you saying to the offensive line about protecting Connor? And second question for the three running backs, it's been amazing to watch all three of you competing for that number one job but yet staying and remaining so close. Cheering each other on when the others are playing. Would you talk about that tight-knit relationship the three of you have after Jack addresses the offensive line?
OT Jack Conklin: First of all, it goes back to being able to run the ball. Being able to run the ball sets up the play action. Makes it easier for Connor to throw even when we're just sitting back because it keeps the defense thinking.
So I think really, it's just focusing in right now on being able to handle these guys up front. Being able to handle their hands. They're really good with their hands. We've really been focusing on taking away their hands. And getting up to the second level, if we can get to our running backs one-on-one with their secondary, I we know we're going to have a good chance of winning this game.
All three of you at times this year have been the hot hand. And the interesting thing to watch is how the three of you, when someone else was getting the carries, have been so supportive. You've been friends. Obviously all competing for a limited number of carries. You've remain tight-knit. Would you talk about that relationship?
TB Madre London: This game is all about brotherhood and winning football games, you know? And building relationships outside of football, you know? We want to just stay close because we are all doing our thing. So we want to â€" like I said, we all got the same goal. So whoever is making the play, whoever's number is called, we got to make the play.
So we just like seeing our brothers making plays to help us win games. That's all it's about, is winning the games.
TB Gerald Holmes: And it's motivation. When you see your brother putting in the work, you want to do the same thing. You want to grind with them and have the same success. That keeps us on our toes on the sideline. We stay in each other's ear to keep the ball and keep pushing forward. So when one person scores a touchdown, now it's my turn. It's like a friendly competition.
TB LJ Scott: Yeah, the kids stay together, man. You know, you can't be arguing or anything that something will definitely bring you apart. But the key is to stay together and remain close â€" together and remain close.
You have quite a contrast in the running games. You have Derrick Henry who has had 90 carries in the past two games and you have these three guys kind of running back by committee. How does that kind of work in your favor that you have three guys who are fresh all the time?
OC Dave Warner: I think you can even throw in Delton Williams there as a fourth guy who has played for us some significant snaps throughout the year.
I think it's a plus in certain ways simply because, as you mentioned, I think we stay fresh. I think we've been through the season. Madre missed a couple games with an injury. But other than that, these guys have stayed healthy. And, hopefully, at this point in time in the year, these guys are a little bit more healthy than their guys.
So it's not the ideal situation as I said. But they've all earned the right to play football here for Michigan State. So we try and give those guys reps.
Coach, looking and breaking down a game tape, I know you looked at that Ole Miss tape, Ole Miss-Bama about a thousand times probably by now. Where do you see this game coming down? That gap integrity doesn't break. I know you're going to be stubborn, trying to pound. But where do attack them as far as going to the deep ball? They have a problem sometimes in coverages when things get hot. Down the lanes they've shown they can be affected in those areas. But the problem for you is keeping Connor upright because of that D-line. Talk about that measurement. What you've weighed, what game tapes you've looked at, that kind of thing, what tendencies you've seen.
OC Dave Warner: At this point in time, we've seen about every game, certainly every game they played this year and even gone back prior to that. The Ole Miss game, if you look at that, obviously that was a big victory for Ole Miss. There are some plays in there you can't duplicate. A ball bounces off one guy to [Laquon] Treadwell running down the sideline. Plays like that happen throughout the course of a game.
But we always use teams that are somewhat similar to us as far as pro-style attack that we pay more attention to. So we've gone that route.
But we've looked at everything and tried to find ways to exploit Alabama. And I'm not sure we found any. I think you have to again try and run the football. But in the pass game, they play great man-to-man coverage in third down as well. They play a little bit 2 and two-man, and they're hard to shake.
So our receivers â€" bottom line is our receivers have to do a great job of beating man coverage in certain situations, first, second down, expect to get more zone.
But when it comes down to man coverage, which we've seen a fair amount of this year, our receivers have got to win on the outside. And that's a challenge to them. Just like it's a challenge to Jack and his guys up front to protect, it's a challenge to Connor to find the right guy and put it on the money.
So we're all going to be challenged out there, but I think in the pass game for us to put points on the board, we've got to win on the outside.
These three to your left are all kids, two freshmen and a sophomore. What's it like to see them have an impact like they have as young players? Jack, do you feel like grandpa up there?
OT Jack Conklin: Maybe not quite yet. I mean, I'm still a redshirt junior but definitely feeling older. The biggest thing for me is just the maturity these guys have shown. all three of them are huge competitors.
And it's frustrating sometimes when one of them isn't the hot hand at times. It's been impressive for me to see how into it they've stayed and how no matter what, they're right by the guy who is out there telling them what they see and telling them they're doing a good job. And that's been real impressive to me.
OC Dave Warner: It's been a pleasure from my standpoint to be able to coach them, first of all. They've all done a great job of learning our offense and done so quickly.
Obviously, LJ did it as soon as he got here basically. But it's great to have a meeting room with these guys in here not because they're great players and talented. But what you say about them, what they say about it being a brotherhood and all being brothers isn't just window dressing. It's legit. They actually are team players first. And, yeah, they want to be in there. They want to be carrying the rock, but they're interested in winning football games. And that's what makes it a great group to be able to coach.
To have a 22-play drive to win the Big Ten Championship, what did that say about this football team?
OC Dave Warner: I'll just say something real quick. It was â€" you didn't start off the drive expecting it to be 22 plays in nine minutes. But you just keep your head down and keep pounding away and thinking about the next play.
But these guys â€" and it's been them â€" they've done things like that throughout their time here. And Jack's obviously been here longer. But we've put together some pretty good performances, and it's been those guys doing it.
So it's something you hold your head high and be proud about but these guys have gotten it done over and over. But bottom line it wasn't a big surprise. Happy it happened. But wasn't a big surprise from our standpoint.
OT Jack Conklin: That's what Michigan State football is built on. We're going to hold the ball, and we're going to pound you.
You didn't see it all the way at the beginning from the Iowa game, but that's what we do. We wear people down and we're going to keep pounding and we're going to keep going after you. You saw at the end we weren't about to give up. And we saw our chance and we knew we had to take advantage of the possession right there. And we took it into our hands and drove it down there and LJ put it in.
TB LJ Scott: It was â€" first off, it was just something â€" it was something special to be a part of. And I'd like to give all my credit to the linemen. They were pushing me the whole entire game, the whole entire last drive. It was just able to take me all the way to get in. And we definitely celebrated after. We was definitely victorious.
Dave, one person older than Jack, game was on this weekend. Kirk Cousins won the division title. You were his quarterback's coach. How much do you like that, that he's playing as well as he is?
OC Dave Warner: Very proud of Kirk. And, again, not surprised. But we have had a string of some quarterbacks in our time here at Michigan State that have gone on to some great things.
Brian Hoyer is doing well himself. But very proud of Kirk. He's a guy that you expect great things out of him. Things were a little bit up and down there initially maybe. in that situation with the Redskins. But you knew given the opportunity â€" like took place at Michigan State, once given the opportunity able to take the reins and do his deal and give him a chance, you felt like he was going to get the job done and couldn't be any more proud of him right now.
