Football Spring Game Quotes
4/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Mark Dantonio
Opening statement...
Spring is over, so we put our compass towards the future. I thought our spring game went well. Great crowd. Very excited about the crowd. I thought everyone came out and did a nice job. Had 1,700-plus kids at our Youth Clinic, so that is the biggest ever. Our players did an outstanding job trying to make it a like moment for young people. As far as the game, it is tough to say as you watch it form the field because you get a different feel for it. As you watch it on film you usually get a different feel. I thought our guys played hard. I thought the hitting was very, very good. I was impressed with Gerald Holmes ability to tough it out. He got some tough yards, very tough yards. I thought he ran pretty effectively. Madre London had the big run and showed some good speed. He played like a freshman a little bit in there at times, but he's going to be an exciting back to watch as we go forward. Everyone played. Cook was crisp, especially early. I thought the play calling was pretty good early.
On the students running out of the tunnel...
We had two student clinics and told them they would have the opportunity to run out of the tunnel in the spring game. I wanted our guys to get a little wider so they could run out, because they were trickling out because there were a lot of people back there. The excitement and enthusiasm they showed was what that smile was all about. When people do something and are excited about it, and you have the opportunity to make that happen, it gives you a lift. I love our students and their enthusiasm. They are for real with their excitement and everything.
On whether or not it was more about the defensive line being good or the offensive line being split up...
It is a combination of both probably. I think we have a very good offensive line and they do get split in these games. We have depth in our front seven and have numbers on both fronts, actually. We had a couple of players out. Shilique Calhoun very good defensive end. LT (Lawrence Thomas) and Malik (McDowell) were all on the white team. They had the starting defensive tackles, more or less. Shilique made his presence known. Should be good up front. Should, have been, should be.
On DeAnthony Arnett...
I've said all spring that he's had a good spring and been more effective. He has got to catch the ball, but he's caught the ball much better. He has great ability and we've sort of been waiting for him to take off, so 2015 might be that time. He's got to come to camp ready to go. He stayed healthy all spring, which is a plus and gotten a lot of reps. He's repped with the one's and the two's so he's in that top six. If you're in that top six at wide receiver, you are going to get some opportunities. He's had some scrimmages with some nice catches as well and I think had seven catches in the last scrimmage. He's an effective player and has big-play perspective and have to wait for him to breakout.
On the secondary...
It looked like our secondary played pretty well from ground level and were on them pretty tight. Wind was blowing down there and they got sacked on some deep shot opportunities, but until I see the film, I was behind the quarterback, so I don't really know what is going on totally. I thought they played pretty well. (Montae) Nicholson, RJ (Williamson) I think had a nice scrimmage, and I think all of our corners played pretty well.
On today's attendance...
I thought it was a great crowd, and we just keep trying to climb the ladder as we move forward. It was an excitable crowd. Very appreciative of people taking their day and coming out and doing this, and I just want to send that message out to all of our Spartans. I thought it was a great crowd, so it was impressive.
On guys playing both ways and the trick plays...
We don't have a lot of rules in these spring games, except don't breakout new concepts. Anything in the past that we've done is open and the book is open and anything that they can create that is new is open, that book is open too. I thought coach Staten did a nice job and threw some wrinkles in there, and he always has a pretty unique perspective on play calling. He did an excellent job and I thought the Green Team did a nice job as well. They had some things that didn't go as well, but we've got football players. We recruit football players. We recruit guys that can play on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We recruit guys that can play in the offensive backfield or defensive backfield, or wide receiver/DB and vice versa. I think those types of things show up, especially in spring games when you have an opportunity to get them reps, and that is what happened out there.
White Team Coach Harlon Barnett White
First reactions...
First of all, I thought Montae Nicholson, Mark Meyers and Darian Hicks did a good job. Seriously speaking I saw Demetrious Cox make a big tackle on L.T. (Lawrence Thomas), I saw R.J. Williamson make some nice plays as well. Arjen Colquhoun had a good spring too. So some guys did a good job out there. You have to watch the film before you can really say who did what and how they did it. But it felt like overall they did a decent job.
On blitzing today...
Anyone who watches us isn't going to get anything new out of it, that is Michigan State. What they did see, we haven't changed, and we are going to do what we do. Our guys believe it, they are going to play it fast and do it fast.
Thoughts on wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett
DeAnthony has really stepped up. One of the things I think the offense was looking for him to do was being more physical as a wide receiver and he has done that. He has tried to do that this spring which has allowed him to get on the field and get more reps. That has been allowing him to make some plays. They are throwing the ball to him and he is making some catches. He already had a good skill set; he has been able to show what he can do because he has been playing how the offensive staff has been wanting him to play, a little more physical and he has done that.
Green Team Coach Mark Snyder
On his takeaways from today's game
"A lot of energy on our side. We challenged them with a couple sudden change situations. Held one to a field goal and got out of the half without giving up points. I've told you guys, I really don't like to talk about individuals. But I thought today, as it should be, Shilique [Calhoun] was unblockable."
On the amount of blitzing in today's game
"We felt like on our side, because we were down a defensive lineman, the only way we were going to generate any pass rush besides Shilique was to get after Connor [Cook] a little bit. That's why as the game got going, we picked it up a little bit. Like Coach Barnett said, we do what we do."
On the performances of Madre London and Gerald Holmes
"From my standpoint, I was pleased. I thought they ran hard today; kept their legs churning. We talk to our guys about drive for five and at times, they were winning those battles. I thought both those kids ran the ball tough today from what I saw."
Junior quarterback Tyler O'Connor
On his play of the game...
For our playbook being very generic and a bunch of things, we didn't really get to practice much as a team, you can't really expect things to be real fluid, but we moved the ball pretty well and got to the redzone a few times. You have got to be able to punch the ball in at the end though and run a little more effectively. Their defensive line was very good, strong in the interior. We held our own, but you've got to put the ball in the endzone.
On his play overall for the spring...
There were some ups and downs, but I think I finished well. I'm confident with where I'm at, and feel good about the offense and everything. I feel like a leader on this team.
On when he started to feel like a leader on this team...
When I was voted on to the Eagle Council, the 12 players that Coach D refers to that talk to the team. I think it was earlier in the spring, when we had that vote. I've always felt confident, but that really solidified that.
On being one play away from being the starting quarterback...
I think the coaches have confidence in (being able to insert me in any situation and not change the playbook). Not only do they have that (confidence), but the players do too. We've seen it all from our defense. Our defense is so much fine arts, with moving our secondary around and things like that. I feel very good about it. Following someone like Connor (Cook), I'm always one hit away (from playing). I'm always ready and always looking to get better.
Senior offensive lineman Jack Allen
On if his touchdown was for "every big, fat and ugly guy in America"...
It definitely shows them that they have a chance.
On how the play came about during practice...
I think we practiced it like twice on Thursday. Coach Staten was the OC for the game, and he gets pretty creative out there. We had three trick plays: Donavon (Clark's) play, my play, and then the fake field goal. I think (Coach Staten) just saw my footwork, and he just knew.
On what it was like to get the carry in front of the crowd...
It's something I'm going to hold on to forever. I'll be able to say I scored a touchdown in the spring game. But it's just surreal, really. Fat guys don't usually get to carry the ball. I get to touch it every play, but usually just for a half of a second and then it's gone.
On what he's going to do as a leader to help the offensive line improve before summer practice...
I'm just going to keep pushing the guys. We need to do some drill work. Some of the younger guys, we have new guys out there like David Beedle, I think this was his fourth or fifth practice as an offensive linemen. I think he did a good job. We are just going to help teach the young guys and help them understand our concepts a little bit more.
On Coach Staten's creativity...
That's just Coach Staten, really. He's always trying to put different stuff in and have us get a little bit of a different look. He's just creative with everything, with all the field goal fakes and stuff. Everything is him.
Senior Wide Receiver DeAnthony Arnett
On his comfort level with quarterback Connor Cook as the game progressed...
The whole spring I've been able to work with CC a lot and today it showed. It started right after winter conditioning and after winter conditioning during winter break a little bit during that time getting a chance to workout. It's been building up this whole offseason, ever since last season ended.
On what it feels like to contribute to the team...
It feels good, but it's just a spring game. Right now I have to get back in the lab and perfect my craft. Like I said before, I need to continue to build that bond with CC [Connor Cook].
On the biggest difference he sees with the wide receivers from last year to this year...
Last year the team was senior led. The team is usually senior led but last year we had Tony [Lippett], Keith [Mumphery], and those guys did their thing. Now it's our time and we need to step up.
On whether he feels like he is more physical this year...
Yes, I definitely feel that. I think I always have been physical but now I'm finally getting a chance to show it.
On whether it was frustrating having to wait this long to build a relationship with quarterback Connor Cook on the field...
Like I said, it's been a long road and of course it's been a little bit frustrating but I've always pushed to continue to work and continue to get better.
Senior Defensive End Shilique Calhoun
On infuriating Connor Cook so much to the point that he heaved the ball down the field in frustration...
I did not witness that but I'm happy that you told me that because I'm happy to cause havoc. If I can do that to my quarterback imagine what I can do to other teams quarterbacks. So that just shows I'm coming, I'm on my way.
On his thoughts regarding his time playing on offense...
I'm not going to lie, I was horrible. I tried but it's a different ball game when you have to take on a man running at you opposed to you getting off the ball and you running at someone else. It was tough and I would love to try that again but it's going to take a lot more practice.
On the defensive line's mindset going into next season...
We need to progress everyday. The biggest thing is don't get complacent. People want to talk about you when you're doing well but we need to keep them talking. You're constantly trying to do well and constantly trying to improve. It's not just the defensive line either, it's the whole defense as a unit. We want to go full-speed in practice too and show the offense what we got. We want to improve as a whole team.
On his overall thoughts of the Green Team and White Team...
The first thing that I thought is maybe we should give Jack Allen the ball a lot more. It was his first time touching it and he scored. Also, Donavon Clark showed that our big guys have versatility up front. I saw a lot of guys step up and we showed that not just our defensive line but also our offensive line is a powerhouse.
Sophomore safety Montae Nicholson
Thoughts on today...
We went out there and handled our business. We had a group of guys that we came in thinking we need to communicate and we need to do what we need to do. I felt like we did that today. We know there is room for improvement but we feel we did well today.
On playing receiver today...
I guess they wanted me to play some receiver...I don't know if it is because we split the receivers up and there were four receivers on each team or they are just getting me reps, I am not sure.
Progression made this spring...
Coach D has been talking about this spring of getting better each day. I think that as far as knowledge and just ability out there on the field, our coaches take experience over talent and I understand why. Somebody has been there making those plays. Once I get the knowledge and everything down, and the experience (I gained) from last year, I feel that will make me a better player.
Senior quarterback Connor Cook
On overall spring game performance...
We were pretty generic, pretty basic throughout the whole game by design. We just wanted to establish a run game early on, which I think we did. And then just try to move the ball, and I think we kind of got in a funk where penalties - I was missing guys and things were just breaking down. Really, our main goal was to go out and run the ball.
On what you were most pleased today...
I was very happy with how we ran the ball. I think our offensive line on the White team did great. I thought Gerald Holmes ran very hard and wide outs made some plays downfield. Obviously, I would have liked to throw the ball a little bit better, put the ball in spots where guys can go get it and make plays, but we were very generic by design with a lot of the play calls that we had. A lot of new plays that we ran, that we put in for the spring game. Early on, a lot of guys were pretty confused as to what we were running because we never really talked about some of the plays that we were running. Overall, guys had fun and that's the main thing.
On spring improvements...
I think accuracy. Looking back at all of the practices that we've had, the scrimmages, the main thing that I improved on was accuracy and really making the balls easier for the wide outs to catch.
Junior linebacker Riley Bullough
On spring game results...
It's hard to say. I think our defense did well on both sides, the Green and White team. It's hard at a spring game, you've got so many guys that haven't played together. In the end, I think it's good for us to get in there and get guys some playing time in front of a crowd. It just makes us want fall to come even faster, just going out there and playing in front of 50,000 people.
On spring game leadership...
I felt comfortable. I thought we did a pretty good job on that front. It's always difficult with guys who maybe don't know the defense as well, so you end up in their ear a little bit more. Overall, it was great. We didn't have that many busts. Our defense was playing fast and physical. That's really what you want in a spring game.
On conclusions from the spring game...
I don't look at the score too much. As a defensive guy, I think that if guys are playing fast and if guys are playing physical then it's a win for us. A win for the defense. Overall, I think the coaches are happy and I think the players are happy. The spring game is a little bit different, you kind of want to put on a show for the fans that come out. Obviously we don't have our first defense against our first offense, so it's kind of hard to tell what's going on at some points. Overall, I think today was a successful day.
Freshman running back Madre London
On spring game performance...
I was being patient and letting the game come to me as you can see. It didn't come when I was supposed to score the touchdown. I just want to thank my O [offensive] line for blocking me, and Josiah [Price] for coming through also. I was just surprised that I broke because it was a busted play and it was all crowded. Next thing you know, I was in open space.
On the start to his freshman season...
It just felt like a regular game. Coming from high school, we had a good amount of fans out there. It was just a regular game and I had to be patient and let the game come to me and not let myself get overwhelmed in the situation.
