Post-Game Quotes: Spring Game
4/7/2018 12:00:00 AM | Football
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio
Opening statement...
Spring game is in the books. I thought we got a lot of plays in. It was about 21 degree wind chill out there, so it was cold, so I'm still warming up, obviously. Anyway, I thought Lewerke played very well at the beginning of the game. We pulled him out after a quarter and a half or so, but he was crisp. He was on target. He played very effectively.
Defensively, I thought we played pretty well as well. It was tough to figure it out just watching the game. I've got to watch the film and see how we played, but I thought everybody had an opportunity to play in the game and that's important all the time, that everybody gets an opportunity to show something. The fan support was great. I appreciate the fans coming out. It was a good crowd. They got into it a little bit.
The offense came back at the end, but I'm always going to make that game tight, try and put pressure on people to make a play at the end of the football game, so that's what we try to do.
On Connor Heyward playing running back...
Yeah, he really can play a lot of positions for us. He can play on the defensive side of the ball, outside back, and probably is about 225 pounds. He catches the ball very effectively, can be a return guy. He does a lot of different things in the back field for us. He played quarterback in high school. He does a lot of things, he's a very good football player and he's only a freshman. We've got some help coming at that position. We held LJ (Scott) out early, about the same quarter and a half or so, so I feel good about that position and with a couple younger guys coming. Alante Thomas had a big run in the game, had a run with the football. We'll be okay there.
On what he is most pleasantly surprised by...
Well, we have about 13 players out of the game that did not play. Some could've played, some could not have. That's usually the norm coming out of spring, but I think that we have a good foundation where we're at. We've got experience coming back. We've got guys who have played in football games and have played at a high level and played in pressure games with big crowds around them and on TV, et cetera. From that standpoint, I feel very positive. We've just got to keep getting better. The ball's on the ground too much sometimes. There were too many unforced errors, whether it's a practice or whether
it's a great game. I don't think there were that many penalties out there but just some missed opportunities and things like that. I like our chemistry again. That's always good to feel.
On his questions answered and questions he still has...
Those are good questions. Biggest I question I think that we still got to answer right now is who's going to kick off for us, because that's got to be something. We lose our kicker, and it was windy out there and situations weren't really good but that's the way it is sometimes in November, so you got to kick the ball a little more effectively in that situation. Things that I think that we've found - center's going to always be a thing. I think Matt Allen's doing pretty well but that's something that he's got to continue to work towards, kind of figuring out that position, but I think that what we've found is that we've got depth at wide receiver. I thought Cam Chambers, I think he had maybe five catches maybe today. That was good to see. We've got three guys that can play that are coming back, so that's a positive. Those are tough questions when I don't know what you're asking. I'm just trying to respond.
On managing the running back spot...
Yeah, you don't want to get guys hurt so you don't want to give them 30 carries, that type
of thing, so we just tried to manage the situation. We played Collin Lucas a little bit at tailback as well. We just tried to manage it. We practice it. We go live some, but not live all the time. We've gotten through the situation healthy with our two tailbacks.
We've got two other guys coming that are highly recruited guys, adding needed depth to that position and who will have an opportunity to play. We've just managed our situations and our problems just like any other football team would. We do that by sharing reps and taking it easy with them.
On seeing the depth without Cole Chewins...
David Beedle didn't play. Cole Chewins didn't play. So, we've been able to work those other five guys in there that start in the football game. They're playing different positions. Coach Staten has a guy playing over here on the left side, then the right side, so they're becoming a little bit more versatile and broadening the scope of what they can do, which is a positive at the end of the day.
On the difference in this group with the momentum from the Holiday Bowl and winter workouts...
There's very good carryover from last season. There's a lot of confidence. We played a very tough leg, the Big Ten Conference in the East division. There's no "gimmes" out there. Everybody prepares. We'll prepare for Utah State number one and we'll sort of move from there, but I think we have confidence as a group and I think we have a good mindset and good chemistry as I said earlier. That's always fun to coach people like that. It's a fun team to coach and you get around guys that, it just makes it more fun, especially when you're winning.
On if he feels the program has re-centered itself...
I don't know. We won 10 football games, but the chemistry's right. I think we're doing things well in the classroom and off the field. I think that's an ongoing process all the time. I think what you have to figure out is you can be up here and you can drop very quickly, so we've just got to continue to push forward and make sure we're doing things right, to the best of our abilities. I like our football team and I like our young people.
On players from central Ohio being ready to play right away...
We recruit level one players. When you look our offense and defensive lines, there's a lot of guys from Chicago that have played very, very well, Mike Panasiuk. You know, I could go on. All those guys, but you got guys from Michigan, certainly, that are playing extremely well and I can point to those guys and you've got guys from Ohio. So, people from three and a half hours away, I don't know, they come up here, they feel comfortable. There's good high school coaching in all three of those areas that I just talked about, and guys get an opportunity to play and they get pressure put on them and they push through it. Xavier Henderson is a guy. Kalon Gervin was out there as well, played well, he's has a great spring. But X has been very, very good. Both those guys have put themselves in position that if they can play at this level, they'll be in games next year.
On the quarterbacks playing...
Yeah, I thought Lewerke was very spot on. Really the only thing that happened to him was he had some drops. It's a difficult situation out there, wind and things of that nature. I thought he was crisp. He knew where to go with the ball, did the things he had to do. The other two guys had some great moments and had some other moments that were tough. You know, it's the first time that Theo Day had an opportunity and (Rocky Lombardi) had an opportunity to play in spring games, play in front of a crowd of people and on TV and things of that nature, so they had some moments. I thought Rocky played pretty well as the game progressed on. I thought Theo came in in the second half and threw some good balls, just got to get the ball out a little quicker at times. It's not a pass-fail type situation, it's just a higher level of football being played than it is in high school. Remember, he should probably be going to the prom about today, so he's got progress, too. He's made a lot of progress. So both those guys have the ability and they have good arms and they're major college quarterbacks and you're going to see them continue to develop.
On the defense in quick-change situations...
It's sort of tough. I'm sitting there talking to the crowd, listening to the coaches and trying to put them in situations and it's sort of hard the way we have to scrimmage to go if they drove the ball and then they punted the ball from the 40, then the same team had to come out and try to go 90 yards. When you're playing in an offense-defense type situation, you've got to flip the field on them sometimes. That's what we did, try and equate that. I thought our defense played very well early in the game, and then a couple scores at the end of the game, but we were playing a lot of different people in there, too, so that had something to do with it. We've been good defensively all spring-long, so I expect us to be good. Again, we held out some players, really our starting three linebackers weren't playing and Byron (Bullough) was nicked up so he was out after the first series as well, and he's had a great spring. I thought we played pretty effectively.
On if he manages the team differently with higher expectations for the team...
No, we've always had the same goals. Our goals are always to win a championship here. Regardless
of what the outcome of the season is, that's our goal when we come into the season. The first thing we have to do is compete in the East side and win that. We were able to do that. Legends or East, however you shake it out, three times in the last six or seven years. That's the bar. The bar has been set around here. The standard has been set. This is what you have to do. We've won Big Ten Championships. The bar is set. That's where our focus is at all times, and whether we get there or not depends on a lot of different things and a lot of different people in this conference. Everybody competes. At the same time, there's a standard set and we're going to try and hold to that standard and I think we have players that understand that and that's exciting. That's exciting for everybody and for Spartan Nation as well.
On Edward Warinner's progress...
A lot of progress from the beginning of the spring to now. He's a quick learner. He understands the game. He's been around good football. His dad's a coach obviously, so I think he progresses well. You know, Byron got nicked up so he played even more and we'll have to see how he played in the game but he's progressed. He's still probably, he's certainly behind Joe Bachie and Byron but we played Tyriq (Thompson) in there at mike too, I think, today. For a guy who's just coming in off of high school football being thrown in to this, in a situation where he's got to come in and lift and then workout go through spring practice and there's no ramp to get on, it's just, let's go, he's done a great job.
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On Mike Panasiuk coming together...
He's had a great spring. Mike's had a tremendous spring. He understands leverage better.
He's always been a very powerful guy. I think he's in shape. He's leaner. He should have a great future ahead of him. He's played very, very well as well as Raequan (Williams)'s played much better as he's gotten older. These guys are playing young. 2016, he was a freshman and Raequan was a redshirt freshman. These guys are now getting ready to go into their third year and they understand things and are playing at a much higher level.
On Brandon Randle and Tyriq Thompson...
Brandon Randle is a guy that's very athletic, as everybody knows, and can make plays. As
I said, we moved Tyriq in there to mike and that's the first time he's ever taken a rep at mike this spring, so we'll see how he did, but both those guys have had good, solid springs. They're competing on a daily basis and we'll see how it shakes out, but good football players.
On getting a few extra practices...
I did, because in the past, we finish spring - you know, last year, I think we were all outside and it was warm and it was a week earlier. This year, it was just a little bit different, but I do think have practice afterwards, you know, spring practice hasn't concluded for us. We have a chance to evaluate the spring game. We made the spring game more of a scrimmage-type situation, so there's more value I think there for our players. We get to clean it up rather than just say `Okay, spring ball is done and let's go on our way.' We'll continue here for throughout the next couple days and I think that's a positive for the learning environment for our players.
On Rocky Lombardi in the last drive...
I thought he got better as the scrimmage went on. He made a couple nice throws to take them
down there, and then I think he just winged it out there on the last one, personally, but he made plays to get them down there. That was a positive to see, and he was crisp.
Freshman quarterback Theo Day
On something that stood out today for him to work on...
I mean probably just getting the ball out as quick as you can. Especially when you see blitz you know you got to get it out.
On what his spring has been like for him...
Oh it's been awesome. I mean I've learned a whole lot about football that I mean I wouldn't have been able to learn just chilling in high school. So, I've definitely learned a lot, and it's been real fun.
On what Brian (Lewerke) has taught him...
He's taught me everything. All of them Mickey (Macius), Rocky (Lombardi), Brian all of them. They teach me everything about defense, our offense all that stuff.
On how he plans using off time until fall practice...
Definitely try to get just like the two common ones that everyone say, like bigger faster or whatever, but like just work on timing with the receivers you know. I didn't get a lot of that before this Spring practice so definitely want to use that time in the summer to get a better timing with the receivers.
Sophomore cornerback Josiah Scott
On Connor Heyward being different than other backs last year...
I feel like he fits right in honestly. You know like he's not like as tall as them or everything like that, but he's just as hard to break down as LJ (Scott) or Gerald (Holmes) was last year or Madre (London), so I feel like he's kinda like the same as them too. But you know he's very quick on his feet so that's one thing.
On when running backs have a knack for patience and blocks...
Yeah you can definitely see it on the film. You know he's sitting there being patient looking for the hole you know, just like LJ is too. Like you know it just comes from a lot of film studies cause you know I know those guys sit down and watch a lot of film all the time so I feel like he (Connor Heyward) has that thing for being a running back.
On what he saw from Rocky (Lombardi) today...
Rocky, first of all he's a great leader you know. A lot of people look up to him on the team like in our freshmen class. You know he does the right thing all the time and also you know, the team is confident in him. So you know when he gets in the huddle those guys are going to follow him you know, know what he's going to do feel like he's confident in what he can do and bring to the table. He can run, he can throw the ball so he has a lot of materials just like Lewerke does. He's just not as positive as Lewerke, but he'll get there.
On what he saw from Xavier Simpson today...
He's a competitor. He's going to bring it every single down you know. In practice, he goes rep after rep after rep you know not getting breaks, so I feel like he really brought it to show today, just competing you know with the 1's and 2's. Just showing everything he's got.
Junior quarterback Brian Lewerke
On what he feels the offense most accomplished this spring...
Overall, I think we came together and kind of established our front five, established who the guys are that are going to be big for us this year. Obviously things to switch around but I think we came together as an offense pretty well so far.
On what the difference was between the first and second halves...
Maybe getting us better field position. For the younger guys as the game goes on, as they get more comfortable. It's Rocky (Lombardi) and Theo (Day's) first spring game. Even for me it's kind of my first time doing something like this in a while so it takes a little bit to get comfortable but once you do, it starts flowing.
On how he sees Rocky and Theo developing so far...
I think they're both growing very well, knowing the offense. They're both natural leaders too. I think Rocky's a guy that people respect and they look up to even for his young age. He's done a great job of... He's a very vocal guy and he's obviously a tough kid too. People see that and they respect him for sure.
On how the team responded to the changing offensive line...
I think they did a great job. I think almost every guy's played almost every position by now. It's crazy - we've switched up a ton of guys but I think they did a great job today. Matt (Bullough) did a great job at center. That's still a guy that I'm still learning how he works and how he operates but I do think he did a great job personally.
On how much a difference this spring was for him compared to last year...
Preparation-wise it's not much different, you got to prepare the same way no matter what your position is. For me, I was able to kind of analyze situations, more game-like, during practice and kind of using my game experience and pretend like everything going on in practice is a game and it kind of helps you develop yourself once the game time comes.
On the momentum carrying over from the season into spring ball...
I think it carried over a lot. You get a bowl win, get a good feeling to end your season. We definitely rolled with that, even with the winter conditioning onto now. With the amount of guys we have back, our team being young, I think it bodes well for us.
Junior defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk
On the mentality of being a dominating defense...
Coming off of last season, we were one of the better defenses in the country, I personally think and we just wanted to keep dominating and keep dominating and just build off of what we had last year. We're trying to spread it from the younger guys to the older guys and we just got to have leadership and it's going to come.
On his offseason conditioning...
Yeah, definitely. That was one of the focusing factors that I had this offseason was conditioning wise and try to get my body ready for this long spring because I know that we're going to have some tough games where I'm going to have to be there, in longer, for more drives and stuff like that. I feel like this offseason I really focused on that and it really worked out for me.
On his pass reps getting a lot better...
I think so, I think so. I'm still bringing that power but, you know, I got a couple tricks up my sleeve now so it will be a good season.
Senior Safety Khari Willis
On what he feels the defense has accomplished this spring...
From a defensive perspective, we developed leaders, and I feel like we brought our young guys along as far as knowledge, things of that nature. I feel that we took steps in the right direction with our new coaches. We adapted to what they brought to the table. It's a process still, but I feel like we had success with it and that we are headed in the right direction.
On Coach Dantonio putting them in adverse situations and how it prepares them...
I feel like they are all realistic situations, whenever you come off a turnover or maybe a not so good play on special teams, or something like that. I feel that we are to thrive in those situations its going to help us. So, if you throw more at us now, I think maybe more than we would expect in a game, but you never know. I feel like we bowed up sometimes and other times the offense commanded us.
On having the role of a leader this off-season and coming season...
I feel like I had to step up as a player and be more vocal. Younger guys coming in, it's my last year I'm the older guy, the other older guys looking for me to step up. I feel like I have the characteristics they were looking for. It was really just getting on my teammates was my biggest thing outside of football, coming out of the shell or whatever, each and every one of us. There are other guys stepping up as well, it's not just me. I feel like them putting their trust in me, looking to me and me being able to have that trust is just a blessing.
On what he sees in Xavier Henderson...
I think he's athletically gifted, there's no secret about that. He's big, he can run he can get physical. I think what he's been doing this spring has been sensational at the nickel position, at the safety position with his knowledge, he's been learning and putting in extra time in the film room, asking questions, getting an understanding of where he fits. I feel that he's going to fit well here and that he's going to have a great career.
On the secondary being difficult to get guys playing time and the depth...
I think it's an advantage to us because it's a long season. Obviously, Coach D (Mark Dantonio) is going to recruit Defensive backs and we have to have guys that are ready to go. I feel that being able to compete with each other, but were also brothers, that's the main thing. We stick together, we trust whoever we can put in the game, I feel like that's just going to help us because it's a long season. Guys could get dinged up or maybe somebody could get in a playing stump, so being able to have that much of a drop off is going to help us in the long run.
Senior linebacker Grayson Miller
On playing linebacker in front of a crowd...
I thought it was different today for sure, it was definitely my first time playing linebacker in front of a crowd, game like situation. It was definitely, with everything, thing that go well and things that go bad. I think it was a positive experience and something I'm excited about taking momentum into the fall.
On what he thinks went well for him and things he can improve upon...
I think I played well in space today. I think it's kind of the reason I play linebacker and why they brought me down and why I'm doing the things I do. I think I made some open field tackles and ran some guys down and playing 1 on 1. In terms of things I need to improve on, just more reps in the box, I need to get a little bit stronger, use my hands better, that kind of thing. But, that just comes with more reps and something I'll continue to work on all summer and take it into the fall.
On trying to get into the starting rotation...
I think it's just having the opportunity this spring, getting my foot in the door and like I said just taking that momentum. Our thing is here that the best players will play and if on a certain day or certain practice I'm the best player, I'm going to have my opportunity to play. I think if you just take that mindset only good things can happen.
Sophomore running back Connor Heyward
On watching old film of his dad...
I watched a little bit over the last couple years. The NFL sent my brother some clips of my dad and I didn't really study them, but it was just cool to look at your dad, because I was too young to watch my dad play.
On how much he is throwing the ball...
Recently I've been throwing the ball a little bit more and know trying different things, Wildcat-things like that with me and Cody (White). But we put that play in today. There were technical difficulties when we were trying to watch it on film, and we were going to use it if we got to and we obviously had to to win the game.
On the amount of work and reps put he's put in...
It's definitely been a lot, but I think it helps also because it helped prepare me for today and obviously LJ (Scott), he's played a lot in his career, so he doesn't really need all those reps, but I think it helped me tremendously and I think it helped LJ too. I think it helped us get in to shape a little bit more and just you know learning everything, not from only the running back perspective but everything.
On gaining confidence the more he plays...
For sure. I think you just get confidence just being on the field and getting reps, not particular on just third and short plays, but just everything as a whole.
Redshirt freshman Rocky Lombardi
On his comfortability in his position...
Yeah, I think I just got a little bit more comfortable. You know sometimes it's just how things go, sometimes you play a little bit better in the beginning.
On the moment of his first pass...
It was good, but to me you know I try to play every play the same. I try to think of every play as just another play throwing the ball in the backyard to whoever.
On his focus as a young quarterback...
As a young quarterback I'm trying to focus on hitting the guy that's most open to be honest with you. Dotson made a good catch over the middle I think twice and then I hit Sokol also, so they both had good catches. I just happened to be my first read tonight.
On where he has made the most progress...
Comfort level for sure. When I started last year, I ran a lot of scout team, so I didn't get to run our offense and when I first started you know you really feel that you're behind. You have not had the experience that those other players had, but now you know practice fourteen or spring game I feel like I'm way more comfortable and I feel like I've gotten better with the chemistry with my teammates also.
