Post-Game Quotes: Wisconsin
9/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 24, 2016
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Michigan State head Coach Mark Dantonio
Opening Statement...
We knew what they were when we came into this football game. We talked about it this week at length, that they were a very solid football team. And they would make you beat them. Fundamentally sound. It had to get loose to beat them over the top, beat them with our wideouts. Protect the quarterback, run the football. Get off the field, stop the run. Do all the different things that you have to do to win a football game.
The bottom line is we did not do those things. If the game was a close game, it was a close game. The game was all of a sudden moving and we've got some adrenaline, it's 13-6. The tackle, which was a great tackle, the fumble recovery and they housed it, all of a sudden turns it from 13-6 to 20-6. Got to get off the field on third and long. I don't think we pressured the quarterback as well as we have. I thought we stopped the run on defense, offensively you got to protect the quarterback. Can't take sacks, can't throw interceptions, can't win a football game going basically five turnovers to basically one. You have to call the Jake Hartbarger where the ball snapped high, it's gonna fall on a turnover.
You're not going to win a football game like that. So when you look at it, we have to recollect ourselves, our destiny is still in our own hands just like the Nebraska situation last year, when we lost, we ended up playing all the people we needed to play to get that championship game, which is the Big Ten Championship game.
People have been saying a lot of good things about us lately, and now we'll take some shots. And I think that that's usually the case in these things, and we gotta regroup ourselves. Like I tell our players, you can always, always get worse. So we're going to pick ourselves up and get ready to go and play Indiana, and that's the nature of it.
On what you can learn from the fumble recovery play...
Well I think that first of all, I thought we came out second half and we were sort of energized, we were moving the football a little bit, and boom that happens, you know, we got to recollect ourselves. I've said all along, we're still developing an identify of who we are. And you know, sadly, it went in a different direction today. But that's when we find out who our leaders are. And we're going to be defined by how we handle our problems, I don't think there is any question about that. We're going to find out who those people are that step up. We gotta keep playing hard.
I mean really, they made some plays in third down, but, the reality is, they get the ball and then had one drive in the second half. The rest of them, sort of, the points were handed to them. But, you know, on the flip side of things, you have to be able to move the ball. You can't win a football game easily by scoring two field goals. That's the nature of it. Or, can you win it when you turn that ball over in the red zone? Either way, we'll end up coming. And those things happen, in both areas. I think you have to congratulate (Alex) Hornibrook, I thought he played very, very well. For a guy, his first time out, playing as a starter, big game, put the ball on the money and he made some great throws and they made some great catches.
On Tyler O'Connor being off today...
Well you know I think that it's hard to say because there's a lot of situations in the game, so you try and remember those situations as you're standing up here. But I think the combination of pressure by him and people behind the chains, the combination between good man to man coverage and good press coverage by them. And I think they did a nice job, the corners did a nice job. Always things get related to this. So you really have to watch the film to say, okay we couldn't do this and this was the reason. Or you couldn't do that and this is the reason.
But I thought every time it sort of just ended up empty. If we got down the field, across the 50, something would happen, and set us back. Whether it be a holding call, whether it be something, a pick, or something of that nature. We just couldn't get over the hump. That was frustrating.
On not having Riley Bullough on the field...
Well you know, I thought Shane Jones played pretty well. But we stopped, we played pretty well against the run. Some of the running yards came in third down, in two minute situations before the half. But, I thought we played pretty well in that area. And Riley is playing linebacker, so I think the situation is a little bit more with the corner route, and number 7 not being covered. They got around us a couple times.
I think Riley, from the sideline, did a great job. Those are the things that you have to deal with, that's all a part of this. A couple of the players have not played, and we're still good. So that's not an excuse.
On what challenges faced over the last 10 years, because this isn't normal for MSU...
"It's never as bad as you think it is and it's never as good. I think that's the nature of things. And if you look back at things today and you hold on to the football and all of the sudden we'd gone down and scored, it would have been 13 all. The game changes.
"But, it sort of is what it is. I don't think that the game flip flopped drastically because of our abilities. I think we made mistakes. They forced us into mistakes, and they should be congratulated for that. The mistakes were made, and you can't overcome those types of mistakes. Some of it, you've gotta snap down. Things happen.
What Dantonio saw from Shane Jones and Byron Bullough...
"I thought Shane played pretty well at the end. I thought we stopped the run effectively, we got into third long yardage numerous times. We either stopped them or they hit one. But I thought Shane played pretty well, but again, you have to watch the film really to really see. But I thought he played solid.
On what Wisconsin did that Notre Dame did not...
"Well I wouldn't even bring up the Notre Dame situation, I would say more or less that Wisconsin played good, fundamental football. They come in to the football game, we talked about that all week, how they've got both hands on you up front. They know what they're doing, and they do it very, very well. They have a system, and they do it very well.
"They were first in the nation, in some certain defensive categories last year, were up in the top five. But they have a system, and they played it. I thought their corners played very well, I thought their whole secondary played pretty well. Again, you gotta go watch the film but that's what they did. You know, I think they're a good football team.
On QB competition with Lewerke/O'Connor still in front?...
"I don't think that all of the sudden we say because these things happen we go against that. I do think it was important that we see the work he played, I thought that we needed to get him in there and watch him get his feet on the ground a little bit, so we wanted to do that. Did not play Damion, but he was a little banged up so he didn't play.
On the defensive front...
I think we needed to play those guys on defense, and we wanted to play them earlier. You're always going to be hesitant to play them, but they're good players. If they are going to go out and gain game experience, then we need to play those guys. With our situation, with bringing some graduate transfers in here, we are going to lose those guys. We need to have guys with game experience coming back. They're outstanding athletes, and they're big and physical and had game experience, so they could get their feet on the ground. We should have played them earlier, but the way the game was going there were a lot of quick defensive series. Our defense would go on and then our offense would be right back out. We took the step across the line so now I think the idea of "okay let's play them" is off the table. We're going to play them.
On players holding fists up during national anthem...
I've said all along and talked to our players, that to me, we talked about this three or four weeks ago, your patriotism and faith are sort of the same thing. That's your choice, and it's influenced by what you have experienced in this world. So whether someone salutes, puts their hand over their heart or does something else, everyone has a choice to make. We're in college, our young people are in college and I promise you one thing - that when the flag is presented in some respect, I guess it becomes much more important now. It's not just, "oh by the way here is the Star Spangled Banner." There are decisions that people have to make and as long as it's done in a peaceful way, this is America. That's what the flag stands for. You get to do what you need to do and that's the beautiful thing about this country. At this point in time when the true enemy comes I guess we will all stand together, but I can't make assumptions for our players on what they've gone through in their lives. All I can do is try to lead the best way I can and be positive and accepting to our football team and our players. And when we come together after the national anthem, we come together in solidarity.
On switching quarterbacks ...
I don't know. Things were coming pretty fast. We were down there and I told him we were going to kick a field goal and an onside kick. We were up 36-7 last week in the same situation. Four minutes to go in the third quarter. All of a sudden the complexion of the football game completely changed. We kicked a field goal, we were down by 21. Throw the pick, try to go on first down. Go for two, probably and then try to get it to a one score game. We were just thinking positively at that point. I don't think you abandon somebody when they are having a tough day. I didn't want to do that. This hasn't become a quarterback race. That is not the issue. We will play through the pain a little bit here and see what happens.
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst
Opening statement...
Very proud today of how the kids played and battled, and so often we talk about it, it's never perfect and you just got to keep playing and I thought they did that and did it together. We also talk a lot about opportunity and we knew today was an opportunity and the kids did a great job all week of preparing for it, and what I'm proudest of was them going out and playing. I think the game was one of those of opportunities, you know. We turned the ball over, a sudden change for our defense, and there was a big stop right there and thought Sojourn's [Shelton] play, an interception where Sojourn got it and the offense was able to capitalize. We had a couple where in the first half we struggled, we had holding on the kickoff return and we went three-and-out and we gave the ball to them on the fifty and we end up getting a big play. It was just one of those where guys kept playing and it was a team effort and I appreciate that a ton from these kids. There's still room, a lot of room for growth, and yet I want them to appreciate, appreciate today.
On quarterback Alex Hornibrook...
He wasn't happy with himself and yet, what can you learn from it. I thought we did a nice job protecting. A lot of those were a few key third-down conversions and too many of them were in long situations, but I thought guys did a great job of protecting and made some plays and he made some plays to give guys a chance to make a play. He is consistent, and today he was what he's been since he's come here and there will be room for growth certainly, but I appreciate what he did. It was good to see.
On how players reacted to offensive changes...
Hats off to the kids for being able to take whatever the situation is. Those are opportunities; an opportunity for Brett Connors. You appreciate Michael Deiter sliding over from center to guard. I think what it says about the kids is they're unselfish and they'll do whatever they can to help this team, and you appreciate that. I thought the coaches did a really nice job of prepping the kids, and most of all the players. They bought into it, and we had a good work week for preparation and they prepared and they played, which was fun to see.
On the team's defensive performance...
Well, I've been lucky. I've been around some really good defenses, and yet today, it was big and I thought again it was a good plan by our defensive coaches because our kids understood it and they were able to execute it and they were opportunistic. When some things, you know, opportunities presented themselves, turnovers we were able to capitalize on. Obviously we think it's a really good Michigan State team and a good offense, and we respect their running game, but guys were doing their assignments and they were finishing and that certainly gave us a chance.
On the key to the team's offensive performance...
I think it comes back to execution and pass protection. Then you have to be able to throw it to the right spot and the guy has to finish it. I thought in the run game we were inconsistent, but we had some big runs and we did a good job there. You know guys took advantage of the first drive we had. We had fourth down and we were able to get that, and then we were on the goal line and we were able to finish. There's no magic to this. If it goes well, it's because all 11 guys were executing and doing their part. Really, I'm proud of what this group did and they put themselves in the situation today to be able to go out and play. I thought they played. It certainly wasn't a perfect game, but our guys kept competing and did it together. That was fun to be a part of.
Michigan State Offensive Coordinator Dave Warner
Opening statements...
Going to get started, really simple - we did not run the ball well. That's always what we want to do going into a football game. We did not do that. We had trouble protecting the quarterback, especially early on. Third down situations - they got pressure. Had guys coming free. Makes it hard to stay on the field. And we turned the football over. Really simple, real simple.
On Tyler O'Connor's play...
I think he was put in some tough situations - had some pressure on him. I think he needs to handle the pressure better. He threw off of his back foot a couple times and got the ball picked. I'm sure he's going to be hard on himself and wish that he had played better, as well.
He scrambled around a little bit and kept his eyes down field and completed a few. I think that's what he's got to be able to do, is keep his focus downfield if he's moving in the pocket.
On if the staff thought about benching O'Connor...
No. No we did not.
On how the Wisconsin fumble return for a TD affected the team...
Yeah, it did (affect us negatively). But we still need to be able to respond. There was a lot of football left to be played right there. It was unfortunate. We were moving the football. Things were going well, and all of a sudden the momentum changes. That's a test. That's where we need to understand that there is plenty of time left. I'm not sure that we were able to respond very well to that.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett
On Wisconsin's success on late downs...
Third downs were the thing today, for us. We have to get off the field on third down. We contained the run well on first and second down. We have to be able to get off of the field. That's where our issues were. Credit to (Alex) Hornibrook. Credit to the young man starting his first game in a hostile environment. He threw some good balls out there today. Give him credit.
On Wisconsin freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook...
He was just on fire. We had guys right there. He was putting the ball on the money. Like I said, give him credit. We still have to make plays, though. From our perspective we're looking at it like `man, we still should make the play'. But I'm trying to give him credit as well, because he threw some good balls out there. He was making the plays that his team needed for them to win the game. But we still have some things that we can tweak and improve on.
On Riley Bullough's absence...
Well you always miss a leader, and really good football player, obviously. But the way we stopped the run and held up in that way, I don't think we missed him as much as I thought we would have. You miss the leadership and things like that more than anything. When things really start to go haywire and you need guys to step up and lead. As far as his timetable, I'm really not sure - it's probably a weekly thing. But he will be back.
Michigan State junior linebacker Shane Jones...
On Riley Bullough not being able to play today...
I didn't know until right before the game. Don't know exactly what happened, but I was just trying to step in and show some leadership for the defense. The way we look at it, it's always the next man up. There should be no drop off. That's the way I looked at it, and that's the way the defense looked at it. They had confidence in me, and I had confidence in them.
On Wisconsin's success against the MSU defense...
It was everything that we expected. It just came down to us getting stops. Especially on third down, that was our biggest thing. We needed to get off the field on third down. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn't. That kept their drives going, that gave them the time of possession, and that kept our defense on the field.
Michigan State senior safety Demetrious Cox On how to bounce back after this game...
Well really it is just a mindset. We have to fight through the adversity. It's what we do. We will be alright. We will watch the film tomorrow, go over all of our mistakes and see the little things we did wrong. We'll get a lift in, work out and we will get our swagger back. We'll be alright.
On what happened after Wisconsin's fumble recovery...
I mean, obviously it was huge. We had come out all fired up, and we were ready to make a statement out there and then that happened. It's unfortunate. You can't lose the turnover battle. That's one thing that Coach [Mark] Dantonio stresses. It's the truth. I had an opportunity to have an interception and there was a whole bunch of stuff. We had to capitalize on that stuff and the offense has to have better control of the ball, too.
On how tough it will be for them to get their swagger back...
It depends on the type of person you are. If you played well or you played bad, there's always the next play and the next game. We're looking to move forward. Our goals are still in front of us, though. There's no reason to hang back and hang our heads on this game.
On if the team is shell shocked...
I wouldn't say we are shell shocked. I just feel there are little things. The inches did not go our way today. We just have to play better as a whole and come out with more of a chip next week.
On what is his responsibility as a leader now...
Myself, Riley [Bullough] and a whole bunch of leaders on the team are going to be ready to come back and get everyone focused. We have to remain confident as well. We lost a game, suck it up. We have to get ready to play next week.
Michigan State senior cornerback Darian Hicks
On takeaways from this game...
This game is a learning experience and obviously defense. The defense knows how to get better and so does the offense ... I mean it's urgencies, and we still have our bills set in front of us. That's not going to stop us from doing that, so we'll just re-group, come together, just fix the mistakes and then we'll be fine.
On how this game represents Big Ten play...
I mean the Big Ten is a great conference and obviously there's great competition on the East and the West side. And you know, that's what happened. They (Wisconsin) were a great competition for us, and you know we'll be fine. It's just a learning experience.
On how the defense can improve...
We just you know just eliminate the explosive plays. That's all we ask for, and you know we pride our ourselves on trying to eliminate and have no explosive plays, and things happen in the game, and no play's perfect, no team is perfect. And obviously, we know what we have to do now, and we come back and watch film, and just learn from everything that happened today.
On losing in this fashion/blowout...
I mean it's a game, but it's credit to Wisconsin. They came out and were fired up, and played great ball, and I mean there's nothing much you can really say about it. We just you know it's a game. Things happened. It's always not going to go how you planned but we just have to play better. We didn't lose our edge at all. Like I said, nobody's perfect and no team is perfect. We're just all going to all stay positive and come back and regroup. We are a team, we win together and lose together.
Michigan State senior quarterback Tyler O'Connor
What was the difference between last week and today...
There was definitely more pressure. Obviously, they blitzed more than Notre Dame. That was the biggest thing. It was hard for us to call some plays with that pressure.
On how he feels...
That's the thing. We haven't lost here in a few years, and it's tough. It's my first loss as the starter so that's definitely tough and eats at you. It's still early in the season, and we can still control our own destiny. We still control that. It's tough to swallow, but we have a lot of guys and we will get better.
On if he felt like he had things figured out after Notre Dame...
It helps when you have 15 days to prepare for a team, and we thought we knew what we were going to get and I think you saw early that it was different than what we expected.
Michigan State senior wide receiver R.J. Shelton
On takeaways from this loss...
Well first off, you got to tip your hat off to Wisconsin. They played well today. They played a tremendous game. They came in here and knew what they needed to do. Bring their enthusiasm, and had a game plan and executed it. On our side, we came out flat. We needed to come out and match their energy, but this is a lesson game. We are going to learn from it tomorrow on film, there's some goods and bads on both sides of the ball. We should have come out and flushed it. We play Indiana in the next coming week, so obviously it didn't go our way.
On why the team felt flat with their play...
I mean it's on us. The players play and the coaches coach, and we have to get ourselves ready, meaning the players. We came out flat and you know that won't happen again. You know you just got to, again like I said earlier, just have to flush it, learn from it and move on to the next game. We still have our goals in front of us, and we have the whole East side, and take care of that and we'll still have our goal in front of us.
On quarterback, Tyler O'Connor's, play...
You know every quarterback has their ups and downs, and we still believe in Tyler. You know it's nothing to be where he should be down on himself. It's a learning curve and everyone learns.
On bouncing back in past seasons after an early loss...
On bouncing back in the season after an early loss in past seasons. I just think it's the norm. I mean you want to back bounce from any loss to get you back in control and control your destiny. I think it's just the norm that when you lose a game, you work hard and come back the next day and come out fast.
On being a Wisconsin native
It was a good game, overall it was a great game. I was, you know, excited to play my hometown.
University of Wisconsin Outside Linebacker T.J. Watt
On Wisconsin's total team effort and new kicker, quarterback and center...
"Next men up mentality, lunch pale mentality, guys are going to go down. The next guy has got to step up, and we can't skip a beat. That's been our mentality all year so far, and will be as we keep going on throughout the season."
On Wisconsin's team defense...
"Obviously an A right now, but we'll go back and look at the film and find plenty of stuff to correct. We're just always encouraging even though we played really well, there'll be stuff to correct and move on to Michigan."
On Wisconsin's team chemistry...
"We love to be around each other, honestly. It surprises me that other places aren't like that. Our coach always tells us it's not always like that. But, for us we honestly love being around each other. We're always laughing and having a great time and that makes it so much easier for us on and off of the field."
On Wisconsin beating two top 10 teams for the first time in 50+ years...
"I don't know, and I don't care to be honest with you. At the end of the day we play Wisconsin football -- smart, tough and dependable."
On play by Wisconsin's D'Cota Dixon and Jack Cichy...
"It was huge, anytime we can get a turnover and then also score on defense is huge. We're trying to flip the turnover margin in our favor and when you score on defense, obviously that's a huge play, and we were just happy to switch the momentum a little bit for us."
University of Wisconsin Defensive End Alec James
On Wisconsin's execution...
"We played real well today, there's definitely some stuff we have to learn from. But we just trusted our preparation, our coaches had us in the right spots, and we were able to make plays."
On handling their schedule...
"It's one game at a time, that's all you can do. Every time I get on ESPN there's all this talk about this stretch of three games. We've played two before this, and we got more after. So you just have to take one game at a time and now we have to get ready for Michigan."
University of Wisconsin running back, Corey Clement
On playing with pain...
"What is pain? Sometimes you have to ask yourself that and just keep playing."
On Wisconsin team making a statement...
"I think we make a statement every game. Besides coming off of last week at Georgia State, I think this is the game that we kind of woke people up a little more. We're contenders every time we come out here on this field. We want respect, but sometimes we're not going to get it. And that's going to be the fuel to our fire."
On Wisconsin's red zone efficiency...
"When you get down in the red zone, you know, our defense does a great job of putting us in great touchdown positions, and we have to execute, and Sojourn (Shelton) did a great job of executing the ball and getting an interception and putting us in a great area to score the touchdown. The linemen did a great job of identifying key match-ups and getting us into the end zone."
On Alex Hornibrook...
"I saw a lot, very poised back there. Didn't really get shaken up at all, he probably got sacked a few times but, you have to have respect for a guy whose first start is against a Michigan State defense. We're going to keep bonding with him and keep letting him know we're out here with him as well."
