Assistant Coaches Press Conference Coverage
11/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State defensive line coach Ron Burton and offensive line coach Mark Staten spoke to the media Wednesday afternoon to preview this Saturday's game against No. 7 Penn State.
Michigan State will conclude the 2016 season with a road trip to No. 7 Penn State on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3:36 p.m. in Beaver Stadium. The Spartans (3-8, 1-7 B1G) battled second-ranked Ohio State on Senior Day last weekend in Spartan Stadium, but ultimately fell to the Buckeyes, 17-16. PSU (9-2, 7-1 B1G) is still in the hunt for the Big Ten East Division title after beating Rutgers last Saturday, 39-0. The Nittany Lions, ranked seventh in this week's College Football Playoff standings and eighth in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls, are in a three-way tie for first in the division, along with Michigan and Ohio State. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN and WatchESPN.
The following is a complete transcript from Wednesday's press conference:
Michigan State defensive line coach Ron Burton
On how the defensive line has started to gel…
It all starts with practice and getting an opportunity to play. Those guys are hungry and eager and when it was time to put them out there, they were ready to go. They have shown some improvement and that is good to see on game day. We have been practicing with these guys a lot and giving them that opportunity in game-time situations. We have seen it in practice, so it is good to see some flashes of what they can do on game day.
On how much the defensive structure revolves around getting pressure up front…
It is premium, number one, because our four-man front and the ability to create pressure and that is what these guys have to have. How fast can you play? How quickly can you get off the ball? These guys are evolving, so they are continuing to grow in that role, but it is premium for us to be able to be a great defense, is for our front four to be able to apply pressure, run and pass.
On how DL Malik McDowell has been coaching since being out…
He has been involved as far as helping them on Saturdays. That has been good and during the week, also. I think it is a positive to be an example and we are very pleased that he can take some guys under his wing and let them know exactly what needs to get done. Also, it is called peer pressure. To hear it from a guy like him is strong, so that has been very positive.
On if the younger guys have embraced having to step up in McDowell's absence and if he buys into any of that…
Probably the kids do. We create the opportunities as much as we can in one-on-one situations and try to create those situations on game day. This is how this young man has done it in this situation by call, by play, by one-on-one, so yeah, those are great examples. He has shown that those kids want to be able to match and really be able to duplicate. So yeah, there is pressure on them to do that. That is for sure.
On if he is excited looking ahead to the future with the youth of the line…
That is what all is about. The future is now. Being able to have the go-ahead from coach to put those young guys on the field has been a plus for us and is only going to pay more dividends later, but it is paying benefits now, and that is what it is about.
On what DE Robert Bowers path has been…
Staying on the task, understanding the game plan and really just getting the opportunity. He is athletic. He is an AAU basketball player and a guy that can move his feet and has some twitch to him and can really cause some one-on-one matchup situations. Just us trusting him and putting him on the field has been a plus for him. I think because of what he does and what his ability to help the guys at the defensive end position is a flash because of his athleticism. Because, he can play linebacker as well, so that is what has been good for us.
On the challenges Penn State RB Saquon Barkley presents…
His ability to find the gap and good vision, good balance, a spin-runner and breaking tackles. It is a challenge and we look forward to it, because that is what it is all about. You want to play against the best, but he is one of the better backs in the country, that is for sure. We will just make sure we understand what the strengths are of this young man. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, so he is a complete back and he can make you miss.
On what Penn State QB Trace McSorley adds to their running game…
It is a triple threat. He is a young man that can run the triple option. I remember recruiting him at the Air Force Academy and we did offer that man as a triple option quarterback. He is smart, understands the game, can run and throw. That gives them that opportunity to add that dynamic up front and it has been a pleasure to see his maturation. He is a good player and he presents that problem, too.
On DT Mike Panasiuk's progress and how he fared against Ohio State…
Playing strength against strength, we all have our strengths, and yes, with his ability to make plays off of blocks and double teams that we ask in our three-technique and he showed that he can match some of the things he is going to see up front with the double teams and come off a block and make plays. So, it was great to see and he has a great future here as he continues to evolve as a run-stopper and improve as a pass-rusher.
On if he's excited about seeing his young defensive line…
No doubt. They have built that over this preseason and into the season and given them the chance to be on the field a little bit. All of the sudden now, they are playing full-time snaps. It is just a test and they are starting to pass it. There is some continued growth in that, but we are overjoyed with the prospects of the future, but the future is this game this weekend.
On what DE Robert Bowers had to show to get on the field…
Number one, understanding of the game plan. Number two, being able to adjust and not only play pass-rush, but also be able to defend the run. He came in with a premium ability to rush the passer, but also the ability to stop the run and be physical. That is what he has shown to us and that is why he is on the field, because he can do both.
On how DE Dillon Alexander ended up here…
He is a young man that came here as a walk on. He showed some flashes out of Georgia. He played that flash position. His premium was pass-rush also and still is. His ability to rush the passer and he has shown that this past spring and this fall. What is really a factor for him is that he has stayed the course. A kid coming in on his own dime and staying the course of what you want to get done and not flailing from it shows you the strength of this kid mentally to stay the course and have this opportunity. He knew he could play at this level and we love kids that can do that.
On when they knew Alexander could be a guy that could play…
It starts from the spring. He did a good job and made a lot of plays in the spring scrimmages and then had an opportunity this fall, so that is where we saw it.
On what role DT Naquan Jones plays on the team…
He is a redshirt and is a kid that is working through the scout team and he will have a future. He just has to continue to grow and get stronger in the understanding of what we want him to do in our 4-3 defense. He has a future and he will work from there.
On what Monday starting the offseason means for him…
Number one, true evaluation of each and every player, from run-pass, to their understanding of the game plan, to everything from pre-snap to post-snap reads. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? Being able to evaluate and put that on paper what the kids need to do physically and mentally to get better and improve this program. They will have a true evolution from academics to athletics to the social side of what they do. So, that will be a complete evaluation.
Michigan State offensive line coach Mark Staten
On the progression of the linemen over past few weeks…
There's more consistency. If you look at their technique, you can see it has really gotten a lot better. They've been able to adjust to different things that different teams have been throwing at them, things that aren't so new to them anymore like they were before, especially for Tyler Higby and we've even been getting Cole Chewins in there quite a bit lately â€" he's been doing terrific. I'd like to keep Kodi Kieler at center if I could, but it's fitting the needs of the team right now. Really, I just think that it's belief. The right plays at the right time, and establishing the running game is always what we want to do. When you hit rock bottom, you go back to your basics and the basics have always been to run the ball.
On Kieler moving positions…
He's a very smart football player and has always done whatever we've asked. If we asked him to play guard, he'd play guard. His chance at the next level will be an interior type position from what people have told me. But he knows he has one more left here â€" 60 minutes, and he's going to give it all he has, in practice this week too.
On Cole Chewins' maturity this season…
Cole is a very, very intelligent person. By that I mean he hasn't gotten a B yet in any of his classes. So he takes things, and is able to take them and adapt, and turn his game into what works best for him. So these different things he's been exposed to on game day have been a part of that. Game one, his first reps were like ‘woah, woah, you have to do this and this,' and he sees it and lives it. So the next time he isn't going to let whatever was wrong get him. Then the third time, it's not getting him at all. For Ohio State, I'd like to say that yes, that I was pleasantly surprised by how well he played. But it goes back to me believing in all of my guys. To not believe in him and not put him out there would be a disservice to all of us Spartans. I was very happy with how he played. But it's what you see, you have to have a vision for everyone you coach â€" you know they can get there and you keep pushing them out. Coach Dantonio often talks about this with own kids â€" pushing them out. Somebody had to push them out of the football field a long time ago, even drag them out. Cole gives everything he's got and doesn't complain one bit. He leads when he can, he's just 278 pound redshirt freshman. Imagine when he's 290 and 295. He's well on his way to being a terrific football player for a long time.
On Higby's performance before injury…
The biggest thing is the understanding and learning from his circumstance. Nothing prepares you for that when you're playing. With him getting more and more snaps, he ended up having 400 snaps for us this year, which for a redshirt freshman is really good. He just understood. His biggest thing was getting to the line of scrimmage knowing that ‘this play was called, what are they in, the count is this, now it's time to go.' Well, toward the end before his injury it was clockwork for him. It wasn't asking himself questions, he had progressed to where it was natural. The biggest jump for Higs, for Cole, for (defensive end) Josh King, and others is this offseason this spring. Now they can look back at film of themselves doing it and see how it was supposed to be done or what happened when they did it right and how. You'll see the greatest improvement from them from this Saturday, to the Saturday of next season.
On improvement of both the offense and defensive lines over past week weeks…
I don't know if it's pushing each other, because we always push. Sometimes we get pushed back, sometimes we don't. I don't know if there's been much a correlation between the two improving, I haven't had much time to think about it either. They do share things, we've always been good about getting those guys to talk together. Things like, ‘this is why I hit you with this move,' or ‘this is how I stopped you'- that's always been there so I don't know if that's changed at all.
On OL Thiyo Lukusa
He was doing really well. He got that holding call against Illinois that they came back and said it wasn't a holding call, but it was at an inopportune time. You know, it kind of set him back and made him a little more wide-eyed than he had to be at that time. He had just come back from being sick anyway at that point in time. He's back now at 100 percent and I can't wait to see what he does on Saturday.
On recruiting heavily in Pennsylvania…
It's the toughness. There's something about them. In my mind maybe, me being me, but it's that Western Michigan thinking of ‘we're going to do everything we can to be everything we can be. And if you don't like it, we may be going out in the alley and exchange some blows, then tomorrow be best buddies again.' That toughness mentality helps in football, obviously.
On the offseason starting so quickly…
A lot of us are leaving on Sunday for recruiting, but we are allowed so many hours during the offseason that we are allowed to spend it with them. It hurts because we lose the practices that we would have had for the bowl games. So that aspect isn't too adequate for us, but we are going to sit down and watch film with them. They better be ready, because our fourth quarter program is going to get revved up and it's going to be old school. It'll be tough.
On hopes for staff to grow together…
You have too. You absolutely have to. The hardest part is that you learn a lot more in loss than you do victory. You learn more about the character of people, what they're about and what they can give, and how they're going to give it to you and this team. Are they going to move forward or shy back? We have learned a lot about our guys, old and young, coach to manager that we never would have learned last year. It's easy to win, and it's easy to handle the things that come with wins. It's harder to handle losses.
On future for OT David Beedle…
He is an inside player. He has to learn that when he's on, he's what you want. But when he's off, he has to learn how to turn that switch back on. In any position in football, in anything in life you have to be able to digest what you were fed and go on to the next meal. Well, sometimes with him it takes him longer for that ‘digestion' you say. He needs to mentally strengthen up in the offseason. He needs to want it again and trust. Those are the three biggest things and without any one of those it's hard to play this game.
On improvement of tight ends and offensive lineman…
Noah [Davis] has been doing a great job. Most of the time he's with the scout team, but even with the young guys I get to coach up some of them. He's going to be a terrific player. Him and Matt Sokol will be on point, what we'll be missing is the experience. They are two tough want-to guys that are just a little bit technique inefficient. When they do have it, they are spot on with their technique. Luke (Campbell) is a tough Joel Forman kind of brawler. Going back a few years, athletic like a Chris McDonald, that kind of athlete. It's funny, he wears Chris' number 62 and sometimes I look at him and go, ‘Oh man that's something Chris would do.' Tough, quiet, not a guy who is going to say a lot, but when he does people are listening. AJ (Arcuri), the sky is the limit on that cat. He is 260-270 pounds, runs like a deer, and just doesn't know. I mean he played zero snaps of offense during high school, but he is a sponge. He soaks it up. He knows what he did wrong. They both have their own style, their own sense of humor. Actually I just found out, I sat down with them just the other day to chat, and they're rooming together next year too so that'll be an interesting room.
On OL Matt Allen…
Matt is doing great. He is actually traveling with us. He has been up with us for about six weeks running the number two center. If push comes to shove you have Kodi (Kieler) to put in there, you have Brian (Allen) to put in there so you're not going to burn a redshirt on him. Being able to have him up there and coach him, and talk to him and that has been so valuable. I can learn little things that maybe I don't see when they are on the scout team.
On Devyn Salmon and his contributions over the last couple weeks…
Devyn changed his want to. Devyn changed his attitude and he became part of the team. That has shown with the defense primarily. It's just a testament to who we are, what we are, and what the team needs.
