Michigan State University Athletics
Preseason Camp Update: Spartans Open Third Week Of Practice
8/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State football opened its third week of practice on Monday at the John and Becky Duffey Practice Fields under lightly cloudy skies on a warm day with a light, cool breeze.
Prior to Monday's practice, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio gave an update on the team to the media.
Opening Statement
COACH DANTONIO: We're going into our third week of practice, sort of the dog days out here a little bit, but right now I think coming off our scrimmage last Thursday I'm really impressed with how our guys competed. I think right now we've got a lot of competition at a lot of different positions. Certainly some guys have secured their positions as well. We're staying healthy which I think one of the big things you want to do at this point and time, so that's a positive for us. We're excited about the future and excited about what's going on here, and being able to continue to move forward. So I'll just take some questions.
Q. One of the Big Ten Network guys said that he was really impressed with the team chemistry and that it reminded him of those teams that went on that 36-5 run, so from what you've seen so far, how quickly are these guys bonding together in camp?
COACH DANTONIO: Well I think right now, like we've said before, we work on team chemistry, that's something that we've worked on and you can work on it, but you either have it or you don't, but I think our guys collectively have done a great job really throughout spring and now in camp, embracing our young players, our freshmen and they've done a great job as well. It all shows, these guys like each other and they enjoy coming out here and there's a lot of excitement and a lot of enthusiasm.
Q. How much can you have that gut feeling about a team this far into camp and some of the intangible things that good teams have?
COACH DANTONIO: I see us getting excited for each other. Sometimes the offense wins the drill, sometimes the defense, so you know as the head coach, you look and you're sort of stuck there in the middle sometimes, but you see a lot of guys making plays. That's what you want to see in the different drills or periodically throughout practice in team situations and you see certain guys raising up and playing at a very high level and I think that's exciting.
Q. (Offensive line coach) Coach Staten said he thought there might be a definite possibility you might play three true freshmen on the offensive line, is there anything you've seen so far that would change that outlook?
COACH DANTONIO: I think two of them are going to play, we'll see if three play, we'll see. Those guys are big, athletic guys and from a strength and physical standpoint, they're can measure up, but then it remains to be seen if they can handle all of the different nuances with offensive line play, the changes and things like that at the line of scrimmage, but they're doing a great job.
Q. You mentioned some guys solidifying positions, anybody of note who has sort of surprised you?
COACH DANTONIO: I think Brandon Randle is a guy that you look at right now and is a guy that you see doing some things at defensive end and at linebacker and that give you some indication that he's going to be a very good player for us. I could go through every position but I don't really want to do that.
Q. What were some of your biggest takeaways from the scrimmage of the defensive side of the ball, they won the scrimmage, but what did you see from them?
COACH DANTONIO: I thought defensively we were able to basically put them in long yardage situations because that probably won the scrimmage.
Q. What about from an offensive standpoint, how did Brian Lewerke look?
COACH DANTONIO: Very crisp. Brian Lewerke looked very good in the scrimmage. I thought he played with poise and he did a nice job, a very good job.
Q. Were there any of the backup quarterbacks that stood out from the others for the number two spot?
COACH DANTONIO: I think Messiah deWeaver and Damion Terry did some good things. I think with Messiah, you're really seeing him for the first time, he missed spring, doing a lot of different things that he's been coached to do. I think his level of play is being raised.
Q. With the change in the camp schedule, with it being a longer camp, do you find yourselves approaching the practices different like this week or last week?
COACH DANTONIO: Yes, practices are different, they're a little bit longer, we don't have the two-a-days but we're getting things out of walk through and I think the Sundays off have been good for them. It sort of refreshes people a little bit, so that's been a positive. Yeah, we got here a week earlier, but I think it's been advantageous for us, so we're looking forward to the next week and moving beyond.
Below are quotes from assistant coaches and select players that spoke to the media on Monday:
OFFENSE
Wide Receivers Coach Terrence Samuel:
Q. Can you talk about Laress Nelson's progress?
It's really been good. He's been the inside receiver. The way he catches the ball is really crisp. He snatches the ball out of there. He runs his routes hard. I've really been impressed with how he learns, too, picking up our offense. He looks smooth on the punt return. If he can get us a few more yards, he could be trying to win the job. It's going to be a hot contested competition trying to get that between (Brandon) Sowards, Darrell Stewart Jr. and Laress right now.
Q. Shakur (Brown) was player of the year for punt returns. Are you looking at him for that?
It's been early and I've just been working on his rhythm. Once I see his rhythm get a little bit crisper, getting his speed up underneath him. Young punt returners have a tendency to reach. I want him to get that ball placement right there on top of his number. He's been working on that and it's coming along.
Q. How many true freshmen do you think will play?
I have two or three that are possible. Definitely Hunter Rison, he's in the mix. You've got Cody White, and Laress Nelson. You're looking at those guys right now.
Q. For the other guys, what did you see in the scrimmage that you liked?
I like a lot of the things we're doing. I don't think that was our best scrimmage. We've been playing a lot better and catching balls a lot cleaner. Assignment-wise, we were a lot better. We've just got to continue to grow. They're getting better but we've still got things to work on.
Sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke:
Q. A big part of last year was the Spartans kind of faltering, especially down the stretch. Do you kind of take that personal this year as the leader?
Yes, I do. Our offense really wasn't the greatest, actually our team kind of overall wasn't the best in the fourth quarter so I kind of take that upon myself to be sure that doesn't happen again and to make sure that I'm getting the guys going the same way at the end of the game that we were at the beginning of the game no matter what the score or situation is.
Q. How is team chemistry this year?
Coach D has been saying this and all the guys have been too, the chemistry is definitely the best that it's been especially since I have been here.
Q. What have you been able to take away from your injury last year?
I feel like I can prove a lot more to the fans and help the season a lot more than finishing how we did last year. I was just disappointed because I couldn't show people what I could do. I think I've grown so much more both physically and mentally since then, I'm just excited to see what I can do.
Junior wide receiver Felton Davis:
Q. Starting off the third week, how does it feel and how did practice go today?
Practice was good today. We had a lot of work with special teams so not a lot of offense but when we were on the field for offense we did pretty good.
Q. Starting off the third week, like I said, how do you stay so focused both mentally and physically?
We have a job to do. Coming in and staying focused really isn't that hard, it's football 24/7 so it's really not that hard to stay focused. The main thing is just to stay focused on the details and about the little things to fix our game as a whole.
Q. You guys had the scrimmage last Thursday, what were some of your takeaways and what did you learn that you can take into practice now?
The scrimmage went great. We had plays on both sides of the ball, offense and defense, that were great. The biggest takeaway was minimizing our mistakes, the small mistakes, the false starts and the holds and penalties and that sort of thing.
Q. We saw you had a nice one-handed grab in the scrimmage, have your hands really improved throughout this summer?
Coach really stressed that a lot, catch it with your hands. I have big hands so it's easy to grab those one-handed catches and he really stressed that, using your hands instead of using your body.
Q. We were also talking to Darrell Stewart about the secondary because you guys go head-to-head with them all summer long. How have they been looking throughout the summer?
Good. We make each other better. Some days we win, some days they win, but as a whole we know that we got better together.
DEFENSE
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Mike Tressel:
Q. What did you see from the defense in terms of winning on scrimmage?
I feel good about our depth. If you look at the defensive end compared to last year or defensive tackle compared to last year, we can roll two and even three deep and stay fresh. Part of our pressure issue last year was guys got tired. The leadership at the linebacker level feels like there are three guys in there that can do it. It's the numbers of guys you can roll through and keep them fresh and know that they'll go 100 miles per hour in play. That's the best part.
Q. Is Brandon Randle still an end to end linebacker at this point?
We're moving him around. The thing I see about him that I'm most excited about is that he seems to have grown up in terms of his importance, the importance of Spartan football and his attention to detail on and off the field. He's not just floating around excited to be a part of it anymore. He's like a different person in terms of focus and attention to detail. We know there's a skill set.
Q. Where is T.J. Harrell at right now this fall and how has he progressed?
He does a good job. He needs to understand that at corner you need to be locked in for 10 straight plays or 12 straight plays. It doesn't matter how many. If you're out there, you need to assume it's coming at you. He's growing in that regard because there's a lot more running at corner than there was at linebacker but certainly when you put him in there for a few plays he does a great job.
Freshman defensive tackle Jacub Panasiuk:
Q. What were some of the biggest takeaways for you from today?
I think just getting inside of the stadium and seeing that atmosphere just changed some things and put me under a little bit of pressure. I think overall it was a really good experience just to get in there.
Q. What has your brother told you about coming to camp?
Like I said before, he just told me to get a solid mindset on trying to play and trying to get ahead of everybody coming into camp. He told me to do a lot of studying and that was my main concern was coming in here and learning the playbook.
Junior safety Grayson Miller:
Q. What did you take away from the scrimmage?
I think we played with a lot of intensity and a lot of confidence. A lot of people, freshmen included, know what they're doing. We have a lot of people who play fast and we all just played with enthusiasm which is our main goal.
Q. Did it feel good wearing those green jerseys?
Yeah absolutely! I think every year, spring ball and fall camp since I've been here the defense has won the first scrimmage and we earned the green jerseys for the second week so it is a good feeling.
Q. What are a couple of things after the scrimmage you saw that you guys could work on for the next couple of weeks?
I think the main thing that jumped out to me was that we played with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of confidence. I think sometimes consistency is a factor at all three levels because we are very inexperienced on game day. Not a lot of guys even have 10 starts under their belts, maybe one or two guys on the whole team. So I think just consistency and going out every day for the next couple of weeks will be huge.
Q. What was your vantage point on the offense, some of the receivers that you guys were going up against?
Our receivers are extremely athletic. Felton Davis can go up and get the ball at any point; Trishton Jackson is a very shifty guy. I have never been around receivers that block this well. These are guys who will come and get you and sometimes that's frustrating as a defensive guy but you know that on game day those guys are going to be going after the other team and that makes it difficult for the other team. They are extremely athletic, extremely hardworking and we have a lot of faith in them.
Q. You and Khari (Willis) have been in the same boat. Do you guys bounce stuff off each other, being in similar positions?
All the time. For a lot of players, you don't get that one guy who knows exactly what you've gone through but he does, and vice versa. From being benched to back in the starting role to a leadership position, we both know it. We definitely talk about that stuff all the time and it helps us play together on the field. We have very good chemistry.
Senior linebacker Chris Frey:
Q. You are the unquestioned leader of this defense, it's your defense. I am curious, what is the spirit and attitude like now that you are their leader?
I feel like we have the same mood and mentality that we have had in past years; 2014 and 2015 and even last year going into the season. The guys are coming in to work every single day and are really working hard. Our mindset is not changing but we just have to bring that mindset into every single practice. When it gets tough, practice 13, practice 14, and you're dead tired you just have to keep pushing through and keep that mentality and that's something we're doing really well with.
Junior safety Khari Willis:
Q. You're going into your third year. How important is it for you to get the guys on the same page?
It's very important to reiterate what Coach is saying and try to say it in a way that people can understand it. We try to relate to people and make sure they're growing every day. We're bringing energy. That's the biggest thing. We've got the ability but we just need to bring the energy and bring the smarts and put it all together. I feel like we're doing a great job of that right now.
Q. Do you envision leadership for yourself and what's the different mindset this year?
The longer you're here the more the games slow down for you. I feel like I'm playing a lot faster this camp. This is probably the better camp I've had since I've been here. Like Coach (Barnett) said, our third year you know what to do and you've been in the system. Now it's just about going out there and making plays, being comfortable and having fun. I'm really confident not only in myself but in our defense.
Redshirt freshman defensive end Brandon Randle:
Q. How has your transition been from linebacker to defensive end?
For me, the transition wasn't that much of a change because I played defensive end and linebacker in high school. The position switch wasn't that hard, just a few things, but it was pretty natural.
Q. A lot of freshmen hit the wall around this time in camp. Is there a wall like last year or is it different?
I don't think I've hit a wall. Going through spring and winter workouts it was all pretty good for developing as a player and learning more about what it is to be a Spartan. I just want to do my best, come out here and try to make plays for MSU this year.
Q. Is there anyone that has taken you under their wing in transition?
Definitely Demetrius Cooper. He's a vet, so we talk a lot. Coach Snyder has given me some coaching points on things I can do better. I'm ready to get rolling.
