Post-Game Quotes: Bowling Green
9/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | USATSI Gallery 
| Photo Gallery
Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio
Opening statement...
First off, 1-0, that's the major goal here as we go forward and we have accomplished that so that's a big lift for our football team as we move forward. I want to thank our fan base. I thought they showed up today, especially our students. It's a noon game and some people stay up late on Friday nights around here. I want to thank them as well. I thought they came out, and it was a great day to be a Spartan.
As far as the game, when you look at the football game it was a close football game as I said earlier. Everybody competes. Everybody's got a plan when they come in and everybody competes and you have to credit Bowling Green with that. The fumble at the beginning of the game hurts you, but I thought our defense played outstanding. I think they were two out of 15 on third or fourth downs which is huge. They couldn't run the football, and had about 45 yards rushing until the last series and had about 100 yards passing. We played extremely well on defense. I thought we played well defending the ball down the field. I thought our corners played very well.
On the offensive side of the ball, we got a lot of production and big plays, but you had some other things going on that you want to clean up. Obviously the turnovers you need to clean up. We did stop two fourth-down plays which sort of evens that out on the defensive side of the ball. When you look at it, you can't turn the ball over very many times to win football games. Again, it just shows you how dominant we were running the football with big plays. I thought Lewerke got out, and made some plays with his feet. You could see that he can create. It was a big game by Darrell Stewart. I thought he was very effective catching the ball, running the ball and returning kicks and punts. Obviously, we had some guys with big plays around. The strength for [Bowling Green's] football team is their tailbacks, and we ran the ball pretty effectively but we can't turn it over. Again, going back to what I said, 1-0. Special teams-wise, Jake Hartbarger was outstanding. Protection and coverage was great. Kickoff coverage was great as well.
On the team's emotions in the locker room celebrating a win...
We're all chasing perfection. When you're a head coach and you have a turnover, that can fry you out on the sidelines a little bit. I thought our guys played extremely hard. You saw a lot of excitement in the locker room after the game, singing the fight song, turning up the music. A lot of the guys were extremely happy. Like I said earlier, we needed to get out from underneath that rock and I thought we did that. You look around the country today, or this past week, a lot of close games and things of that nature. We were able to pull away and sort of separate and we did that effectively because we were dominant in terms of what we needed to do. Again, credit to BG, they kept it close in the first half, and got a big two-minute drive. Again, the first half is obviously huge. They made some plays in that drive and obviously coming out of the third quarter. Cam Chambers had a catch for probably about 30 or 35 yards on the slant, and we went in on that touchdown I believe. Our guys are excited. I'm happy for them and we'll take the next step.
On the enthusiasm and emotions after Tyson Smith's pick-six...
Tyson has a huge pick in the game and it's so good to see. Here's a guy that was basically ruled out and kept getting better and finally found people that said "Okay, you can play." So he really never got back with us until August so he's really just starting to get back into the rhythm. He's a good football player. I thought he played well not just on that play, but in others. I really think our corners played very effectively. They really cut the deep ball off and made plays down the field so that was a positive.
On hearing the fight song for first time in awhile...
It seemed like forever. It's been challenging. You know, you go through things. Like I said, you persevere. Our football team has done that for quite awhile. It was a good thing for us and I think it can bring us a little bit higher.
On feeling relief to start the redemption after last season...
Well, there's always a relief. When you're a coach, you just want to see things done right, performed well and performed to perfection. First game was tough. We had some low balls thrown and we had some high balls thrown. I thought protection was pretty good. I don't think we had a sack, although we scrambled out of it a number of times. It's not perfect but I thought what we did was handle our situation and handle adversity. I knew there would be some adversity. I thought we did that and handled that. We kept playing and planned for the next play. I thought our guys competed. That's all I ever ask them to do - play with enthusiasm and compete. I get frustrated when things aren't done exactly right but everybody is, including them. We'll press on.
On Brian Lewerke's calmness after the first turnover...
I think he showed that in scramble situations. We scrambled four times, I believe, for significant yards. He ended up having 70 yards rushing, so that's pretty significant for our quarterback and they were big plays. The other things will come. It's not indicative of putting the ball in the ground two times with our tailbacks. Good players are going to get their touches. We will continue to have faith in them and play them. You know, LJ [Scott], I feel bad for him because he's a very good player. I thought the other two guys ran effectively.
On the three running back situation...
I think all three of those guys are Big Ten running backs and all three of them have had a lot of success. I still think LJ [Scott] is an outstanding running back and we're going to give him the ball. I don't think there's any separation. I wouldn't look for any separation throughout the whole season because I think all three of those guys can carry the load at one point in time or another. They all have shown that they can be effective, regular running backs.
On the true freshman that played today...
I think you might see even more get on the field because we've got some guys that can play on special teams that I think will show themselves. For our wide receivers, you saw Cody White make a nice catch. [Hunter] Rison made a couple catches. You got Laress Nelson with a catch. Matt Dotson played in there. We played Kevin Jarvis at the offensive line position. Josiah Scott played. I can't remember who else. Jacub Panasiuk played. We've got some young players playing and that's does not include redshirt freshman out there. That's exciting because they get their first taste of what it's like to play in Spartan Stadium and they've been looking forward to that opportunity.
On what he learned about his team today...
I think we're pretty resilient, so far. When something bad happened, we didn't suffer through that moment. We bounced back. Defense came in and stopped them, and made them kick a field goal on one. They got four downs and out on another one, I believe. We're pretty resilient. We continue to play hard. We made some plays down the field on third down when we needed to. They saw some guys make plays with people around and made some 50-50 catches. That's all positive and you try and build on those things.
On the players looking more seasoned for their age...
Felton had two touchdown catches. I didn't mention that. He's still relatively young in terms of how many plays he has played. I do think that young players are playing, and they catch the ball very effectively. They can make plays and runs after catch. That's something we build on as well.
On Joe Bachie's play...
It's tough to say, but they couldn't run the football. Usually the linebackers have the field, especially on RPO type things. I thought he played probably pretty effectively. I'm not sure how many tackles everybody had and all that kind of stuff, but I thought he played pretty well. I thought we stopped the runs. We must have played pretty well up front and on the perimeter because they tried to get the ball on the perimeter.
On the alternating captains...
With the two captains, we pick two others and they systematically do that to make sure that everybody gets two opportunities. In fact, two times they will step back and not walk out at midfield so that three guys can walk out. I think that's great. They wanted to make sure everybody was represented and and they will do that twice. That's the way we will do it.
On what he liked best about Brian Lewerke's performance...
I think he's a gamer. He can make plays. He can create. He's got a loose play ability. When things break down around him, he can get out of trouble. He can take a bad play and make it a good one. I thought some of his throws were a little low and some were a little high. I was nervous a little bit but some were right on the money, too. He had some huge scrambles out there. I think he scrambled three times for first downs, probably. That's tough to defend. You add that into an offensive team and you have an extra weapon and that's something he can do. He has proven that.
On the offensive linemen...
I could just tell, could you run the football effectively? I thought we did to a point. I thought we were good, because some of it was scored by scrambles. I thought we protected the quarterback pretty well. I thought the protection was there. Those are the two things that I would say. I think we can run it a little better, maybe. There are a lot of people up there, and with the pass protection it's very good.
Bowling Green head coach Mike Jinks
On the Bowling Green defense's performance...
The defense did everything that we asked them to do. Proud of that defensive unit. We ask them to be tough, we ask them to be physical, we ask them to swarm to the ball. They did those things. We got to clean up some of the silly penalties. I think as time goes on, you know they were trying to disconnect ball and man, which is what we teach, but those are the plays that as we get going we want to see them play that ball and make that pick. Proud as ever, if we can help them out a little bit offensively, who knows what would happen.
On the defense being on the field for so long...
It's tough. You can't put your defense in that situation. As we talk about wanting to protect the defense and kind of slow the game down and not play with much tempo, in order to do that, it makes no difference if you're not converting first downs. It is what is, we'll learn from it, and move forward.
On the run defense against Lewerke...
We were playing a lot of cover two, and a little Tampa, and he was able to find some lanes in the running game. If there was one area that I feel like that we need to clean up, we need an answer there. Because the kid next week will do the same thing, he's really good with his feet. We fit up well. Third down, you look at how many third-and-longs we gave up, we've got to fix that.
On what the defense did to stop the run game...
You know, we're a work in progress, we're not where we want to be, but I assure you things are moving in the right direction.
On what the offense struggles...
Well [Michigan State] played well up front. We were going to commit to the run or pay for it, and they stopped it. When they do that, we got to take our shots and came up with a couple big plays early to do some making up. Really the only thing that really kind of got at me a little bit was the jet call and we'll talk about that later on. Other than that [James Morgan] gave the guys a chance to make plays, and we got to make them.
On emotion of struggling day for Morgan...
I also played quarterback and I'll tell you it sucks. That's how he feels. We'll go back to work, and he'll play better next week, period.
On time of possession of offense hurting their defense...
It's huge. I thought [Michigan State] matched our physicality defensively today, and I think you go ask the guys in that locker room and they'll tell you the same thing. We converted some third downs, we were still on the field, and by a third I think you got a different ball game. We took [Michigan State] out of what they wanted to do and the quarterback and the running game in that first half really gave them life, because they were looking for answers, they were looking for answers. And [Lewerke], hats off to him, he made some plays.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Mike Tressel
On the defense's performance...
I was excited that we got probably six or seven defensive ends, six defensive tackles', seven linebackers, probably eight defensive backs' all in, in early time, first three quarters. We were hoping we had a lot of guys that would be able to help us in critical situations, and we got to play a lot. Our guys didn't panic against the no-huddle offense, even after a sudden-change situation or something like that; they remained calm. We gave up a couple plays, which will happen obviously when you're going against any offense who are going to make a couple plays. Everybody remained calm, there was no panic, they stayed together, that's what I was most excited to see.
On Tyson Smith's interception return for a touchdown...
It was great to see him make a play. He's a great story to begin with and to step up and get a pick-six. The emotion that brings the whole team is absolutely amazing. I'm real happy for him, individually. You can see our guys on the sideline when we get a turnover, getting excited, they got a little something they do on the sideline after a turnover because we know those change games, but great for Tyson.
On the playing of nine true freshmen...
I would say we definitely knew. Those guys you saw on the field today; they were going to play. That was the plan, and there will be a couple more you'll see over the course of the next couple weeks, I believe. They were ready. What we were able to do this year for the first time, bring them in a little bit earlier and teach them a little bit more, do a little bit more football during the summer. They were ready to go but it's also a special group of kids, so that was the plan.
On the pressure of the defense...
I thought we had a couple more opportunities to have a few more sacks, but the motor was good. The pressure was much better; no doubt about it is improved. We'd like to get that quarterback on the ground a few more times no doubt about it.
Michigan State offensive coordinator Dave Warner
On LJ Scott's fumble on the 1-yard line...
Obviously, I am very disappointed. It was a good hit by the defensive guy, but there's no excuse for putting the ball on the ground and LJ knows that and feels bad about it. We drove the length of the field; I felt like we were able to consistently move the ball along and figured we'd have many chances to bounce back. Left seven points off the board right there, and that's unacceptable.
On Brian Lewerke's performance...
Like I've been saying all along, he's probably the most athletic quarterback we've had, going on 11 years here and he showed it today. I think that's the biggest threat as a quarterback his having legs like that. It's not necessarily a quarterback run game. I'm not sure how many yards he got scrambling. We called a couple quarterback runs, but when he takes off running after a drop back pass and there are wide open spaces there; he's a threat. Very happy to see that and pleased with the performance.
On Darrell Stewart Jr.'s play...
He had a great camp and going into this game we felt like he could be that guy that we could get the ball to numerous times, various ways, in the run game and pass game. It wasn't a surprise, we had some plays laying for him and he performed well. He did a great job, happy for him.
On how Lewerke should balance running himself and staying in the pocket...
I'm a result-oriented guy and when he scrambles and picks up first downs... Biggest thing is him staying healthy and when he does that, sliding or whatever he needs to do. I'm not sure there's a magic formula to that, but he made plays today and that's a great thing, we'll take it.
On the wide receiver group...
We had high expectations coming into today and we felt like we had not just a group of three, four receivers, we felt like we had six or seven to play for us. Obviously Darrell [Stewart Jr.] did what we hoped he would do today. I think a lot of those guys performed well. So many of those guys, even Darrell, Felton Davis, you put them together and they had a few catches last year. It's not like they came in with a lot of experience so the bottom line is that I thought they performed well, had some good stats, but hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg for them because first time out of the box you're going to have some mistakes, as many guys did, but I think those guys will continue to grow and be a very good group.
On Lewerke taking on a role as a playmaker by going into the middle of the field...
He's done that, I'm not sure if he's done it in a game before but at practice he's got a little bit of that mentality. He's going to be a little bit of a risktaker, yes. I thought that was a great play by him, I didn't think so at the time when I saw him do it but it worked out good. As I said, I'm a result-oriented guy. We're happy with the way he played and again, same thing I said about wide receivers, he's just getting started.
Michigan State linebacker Chris Frey
On assessing the defense with so many young players
I think we came out and played really well. A lot of the young guys stepped up and made big plays. I think collectively on defense, we've struggled in the past, but we really came out and balled today. We talked about it all offseason that we were going to bring back that Spartan Dawg mentality, and I think the defense stepped up and made a name for themselves today. I think at one point they (Bowling Green) had 28 rushing yards in the third or fourth quarter. You know one of our goals every week is to keep them under 100 yards, and I think we did a really good job of that today and we're going to continue to improve.
On relief after winning today...
Honestly, I'm just excited. After today, what happened in the past doesn't matter anymore. We are a new team. We've got new guys, and we're going to focus on the next game and after that we're going to focus on the next game. The past doesn't matter, and there is a sign of relief, but we're just excited. It's been a long time coming since we sang the fight song, and we just celebrated hard in the locker room. We had a really good time and that's what it's all about. You get a victory and you celebrate with your brothers and that's what we're going to do; that's what we did.
On seeing Tyson (Smith) return and get a pick six
Oh yeah, Tyson plays a huge role in our defense and he has in the past, too. We're excited to have him back on the field with us. He went through a really tough time and he stuck with it. You know he could have very easily have taken that injury and said you know what I just want to focus on school and get my degree. He loves this game - just like every one of us does. He did he best to get out there on the field with us today and he made a huge play. We're really excited for him and it's really emotional for a guy like that to come up in a big game and make a big play.
On what it took to calm the team down early on...
Yeah it's something we've really been working on from last year. In games when we would give up a long pass or a long run, we struggled to get our momentum back. This offseason we really focused on - if there's a big play, we're going to rebound and we're going to stop them. That's something that we did really well in fall camp and we continued to do that today. Early in the game, the first series when they hit that deep ball; as we were running down the field I just said okay, let's go, it's time to focus in. We've been in situations like that and we've done really well with those situations and we're just going to continue to get better. We've got to get that mindset right - that mindset in our heads that you know a big play doesn't ruin a drive. We can come back and we can stop them. That's what we did and they got a field goal out of it.
Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie
Joe, first start, 10 tackles?? How much different was it going out there today versus last season?
Yeah it's definitely different; getting the start my first game and being a captain - it was an honor even to do that. My mentality was the same; we knew what we were going to do. We had a great game plan - the coaches put together and we just went out there and executed it.
On assessing the defense with so many young players
I think we did a great job as young guys stepping up. Obviously we've got a lot to learn from. There were plays that stuff could have happened, but it didn't, so we're grateful for that. Our young guys are going to step up and they're going to continue to learn, including me and including Chris; older guys have to learn too. I thought for game one, we got the win and that's all that matters.
On not getting to excited after winning the first game of the season
Our memory is gone. We don't remember last year; we don't talk about last year. Now it's a new season and we've got Western Michigan now on our minds so that's all that matters.
Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke
On his comfort level both mentally and physically returning to the field
I think personally I did a lot better with staying in the pocket. Obviously I got out of the pocket a few times and my leg felt fine. I tried to get down if I had to.
On mentality while scrambling...
I think when I escape the pocket I'm looking mostly to throw the ball, but if no one is open I'm going to run it. All of the flip plays, it's just kind of instinct - trying to get the ball somewhere and I wasn't in position to get my arm all the way around. It's kind of just going with whatever the defense gives you.
On whether or not the coaches discourage sliding...
Mostly if I'm running , they just want me to slide and not take too many big hits. But they definitely don't discourage me from running.
On the fumble on the first drive
I think the offense was doing well, it was just an LJ fumble, and I came up to him and said `hey we still need you for the rest of the game, so don't get your head in a circle'. Obviously that sucks, but I just kind of talked to LJ and made sure he was alright.
On the message to the young players in the locker room...
We just celebrated for sure. We definitely got as much out of it as we could; but like Joe (Bachie) said, it's on to Western now. The young guys know that winning is not easy in the Big Ten or college football at all - we learned that last year. We're just trying to take it day by day now and focus on Western.
On if there were jitters before the game
I got a couple of starts last year so that helped with the jitters. Obviously yeah, I had a little bit with the first game but I kind of tried to push them down and tried to turn it into a play on the field.
Michigan State Cornerback Tyson Smith
On his mental state during his pick 6...
When the quarterback lifted his elbow my way I knew it was coming. So when the ball got there, it kind of smacked me in the face and I didn't realize I caught it for a second. When I caught it I was like, `ahh okay.' I looked to my right and my teammate David (Dowell), our safety, got my block and I just looked back and made sure there were no flags on the play.
On how it felt to hit the field...
The feeling when I stepped on the field it was more than football, it was a blessing. I'm still me and I felt normal, but I didn't know for sure if I was normal. It's just a blessing that's all.
On his thoughts about possibly not coming back to football...
Everybody was behind me, but I thought it was a low chance of me coming back.
On the emotion on the sideline during the interception...
It meant everything in the world. Those guys were behind me when I was out. To see that they were behind me, that meant a lot.
On what it felt like to cross the goal line...
I was kind of in shock still, like `whoa you just scored a touchdown.' It was a great feeling and I just had to soak it all in for a moment.
On his last touchdown...
This is my first one in college, my first pick in college. My last one was probably in high school some years ago.
Michigan State Wide Receiver Felton Davis
Using his size in the red-zone...
That's what Coach Samuel and I work on a lot, is me using my size. Being able to jump over guys, play above people. That's what I tried to do a lot today, by just playing above people, where they can't touch the ball.
On Brian Lewerke getting `loose'...
We keep moving. Brian is capable of getting us the ball in open space. So we try to keep moving so we can get into open areas where he's trying to run or you turn around and block. It's just depending on how far he's gotten, or if he decided to tuck and run or he still got the ball and he's about to throw.
On first throw of the game almost being a touchdown...
Oh yeah, we drew it up from the beginning. Coach told me that was going to be the play, I told him I'd score for him. You know, just first game jitters. We had to we had to wait for Brian (Lewerke) to get settled so we could have a good day.
On when he found out about first play of the season...
Yesterday, found out yesterday.
On what the team found out about themselves at the end of the game...
That we have a lot of playmakers. On the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side. We young though, but you can tell there's a lot of talent on both sides of the ball that's ready to play.
Michigan State Running Back Madre London
On MSU getting recognition for having playmakers...
We got a lot of playmakers on the team. This year we always said that coming out of the spring game camp that we got a lot of playmakers. More than other teams that we've had. It's just a matter of time until we show the world and Spartan Nation that we have got a lot of playmakers, and it should be a good year.
On how it feels to win...
It feels good. Coming from 3-9 and just getting our first win. It's not the last. We're just looking forward to Western Michigan now. You just have to start strong and finish strong.
On getting settled in and scoring the touchdown right before half-time...
It was good. It was the deciding factor of the game, whether it was going to be a close game or a blow-out or whatever you want to call it. But that's what we need, young players making plays, people that never played before, they found their way out there. They just stayed calm and let the game come to them; that's what we did and we were able to score.
On if he was surprised to see younger receivers making plays/going from the practice field to playing at Spartan Stadium...
No, I'm not surprised. I feel like they do it in practice, they should do it in the game. The game speed doesn't change or anything like that. We all moving around in practice also, and in camp. So if you can make plays out there in practice, I feel like the game is easier so I was expecting it.
Michigan State Wide Receiver Darrell Stewart
On Brian Lewerke being calm..
Brian came back to the side-line, always being as poised as he always is, just told us `Come on, let's get the ball rolling. Things happen but let's go.' He gave me that motivation and it's time to go out here and make plays.
On the young receivers...
Those guys, for their short time at this program they have learned so much. Those guys give it their all, and they paid their dues. I'm proud of what they did today.
On if he felts like he showed what he can do...
I feel like I showed a little bit of what I can do. I mean it's always better, it's never enough. So I feel like whoever is next, which is Western Michigan, it's almost time to get better.
On almost scoring at the end of the first half...
Bowling Green senior linebacker Nate Locke
On the defending against both Lewerke's arm and legs...
Like Coach Jinks said, a lot of cover two, which we just lacked in blocks down field so it's all going to happen at the mike, in the middle, to try to play the quarterback's mind. We're going to have answers this week and I have faith in Coach Eliano and this entire staff that we'll put things into place to control quarterbacks in the future and we're going to be successful in that. We're going to learn from it, grow from it, and move on.
On what the defense did to stop the run game...
In the first half I felt like we were having some great success, I felt as an entire defensive unit had success. We were fitting it right, the D-line was hitting their gaps hard, keeping the offensive line back. The linebackers were hitting downhill, the safeties were doing what we needed them to do. I felt like we were playing with them right there in the first half, then in the second half we started making some mental mistakes here and there, we didn't get off the field on third down which really killed us, which made us even more tired as the game went on. What comes to mind was that third-and-seventeen that we didn't get off the field then, and that's what we have to be able to do. Great defenses, they get off on third downs. We're getting there, we're not there yet.
Bowling Green sophomore quarterback James Morgan
On his performance...
Not where it needed to be. I think that our guys fought, our line was fighting, our receivers were fighting to get open, make catches, and that's my job to put it to them. And I need to improve that, and I'll come back better there. Everybody fought today, very proud of that.
On emotions of struggling day...
Unsatisfied, it's tough because you really believe you can do a lot of good stuff and when it's not coming it's tough.
On disconnect with receivers...
We had a good game plan in place, we were running some good stuff. Just something we're going to look at the film, see what we can do, and get better for next week. I'm not sure if it was [physical or mental], I'm going to have to look at it. Like I said, I felt very confident in our game plan, and it's just the execution. We just got to execute it, and that's a lot on me. I'll go on watch the film, and get better.
On offense failing to capitalize on turnovers...
It's something where [our defense] did an excellent job doing that, and that's where we got to convert. That's what separates a good team from a great team, something we need to take advantage of, and we'll look at that opportunities we had there, I know I missed a couple of them, so we'll go back in, look at that, and get that straightened out, but [the defense] did a great job getting [the turnovers] for us.
Michigan State linebacker Andrew Dowell
On Joe Bachie's leadership...
Joe did good. Joe is the leader of our defense. He has a lot of respect on the field and that's something we need. Michigan State requires that from our linebackers and he did that today.
On returning to the field after a long offseason...
We were just champing at the bit. We couldn't wait to get back on the field and today we had that opportunity.
On what he liked about the team's abilities...
We got after it. A bunch of guys, everybody played as one. We were fired up and kept our energy high throughout the game. We shut down their run, which is what Michigan State football does.
On his thoughts of what the defense had to bring...
We are at Michigan State and we are going to play Michigan State football on defense. Just getting after it, press corners, lock things up, no fly zone and I think we did that.
On recovering from adversity...
We practice sudden changes. That's one of Coach D's biggest things is sudden changes. Our defense had to step up to that challenge a bunch of times today and we got it done.
