Post-Game Quotes: Minnesota

Michigan State Head Coach Mel Tucker

Opening statement…
I give Minnesota credit. They have a really good football team, and they play to their strengths and do a very good job. They're very well coached. For us, we're not good enough on either side of the ball to not play complementary football. We have to get stops on defense. We were terrible on third down defense. You give these teams a third and long, you have to get off the field. You cannot stay out there, and you have to get the ball to the offense. We also have to play tighter coverage. Offensively, we need to get the ball and do something with it. I'm really not happy with what I'm seeing, I don't accept it, but I see our team and I do understand what our issues are.

On making adjustments for the Spartans' defensive backs…
I just had a talk with some of the staff. I'm going to watch the film to get the total picture.

On the Spartans' slow offensive starts…
It's going to come down to execution. Everything we do is designed to work. If it's not working, I'll have to watch the film. But obviously we have to start faster on both sides of the ball. But I'm not going to break this thing down until after I see it.

On the Spartans' rushing…
From where I am, I'm just looking for push and surge. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. I'm going to look and see where we're not stout enough, where we're not strong enough. In the run game, it's not just the line, it's the line, the tight ends, and the receivers.

On keeping the team mentally and emotionally in the second half after slow starts…
That's up to individuals. You're getting beat, what are you going to do about it? You can't ever be in a situation where you feel like you're beaten down. If you feel like you're being beat, how do you respond to that? I can't say whether guys felt like they were beaten or not. I saw guys continue to play, but the execution wasn't there. I don't sense any lack of motivation from them.

On junior quarterback Payton Thorne's confidence following the loss…
I don't know what he was – 17-for-24 or something like that – I didn't see a lack of confidence from him in the game. We were moving it down the field and it looked like we were about to go in and score in the second half, and I don't know what happened, I didn't see the replay (on the fumble). There was no time during the game, though, where I felt like he wasn't confident in what he was doing. I talked to him when we were on the sideline, and when he stepped out of the press room just now. I wasn't sensing a lack of confidence from him. Disappointment, yes, but not a lack of confidence.

On evaluating the players and scheme from Saturday's performance…
All of the above. We look at the scheme and we look at the players. We are going to find out what we can do with the players that we have out there. That's really what it comes down to.

On his confidence level in members of his coaching staff…
I'm very confident in the coaching staff. I'm confident the types of guys that they are. We're just going through a tough stretch right now. I don't have a lack of confidence in any one of our coaches on either side of the ball or on special teams. One of the things that gives me confidence is that we will figure a lot of these things out because we have this staff. This is a really good staff with a lot of smart guys that care, and will do whatever it takes to find a solution.

On whether he was blindsided by the team's lack of execution…
I'm not blindsided. We knew what the game plan was. Their plan was to run the ball and control the clock and time of possession. That's what they do. We knew how to stop that. I'm not going to on and on about a lack of execution. There's really nothing that happens out there that blindsides me, just because I've seen too much football. I'm never really shocked. I may be disappointed, I may be angry, I may be frustrated at times, which I do because I'm competitive and we weren't winning. I'm rarely shocked by something that happens on a football field.

On the energy from the sideline at the end of the game…
I felt like our guys were still playing hard. The offense was still going out to make plays. You saw that at the end when we kept our guys in the game. I saw guys that were both in and out of the game, and those guys were still focused on playing hard. That's a tough situation, when you're out there and you see the score, and the game is pretty much over. It's pretty dead in the stadium, and you get some boos. That's when it's the toughest. That's when you have to show some character. I think I saw that from our guys. There were a lot of disappointed faces from our guys. It's really bothering those guys in there. I've been in situations where it didn't bother guys. I could tell right away after the game. They would be in there on their phones, maybe laughing and joking in the locker room. Not paying attention when the coaches are talking to them. I've never seen that in any of our guys. I don't see that with these guys. We will get it figured out.

Minnesota Head Coach P.J. Fleck

Opening statement...
First and foremost, give Michigan State a lot of credit. We knew this was going to be a very physical football game. Very tough. Very well-coached. Front seven is as physical as we have seen. I have a lot of respect for him (Mel Tucker). Got a chance to talk with (Mark) Dantonio and Coach (Tom) Izzo, I thought they were going to whisk me off the field like I did something wrong. They are really special people to this place and you can tell how they run with their administration and how they run with their former coaches and what they do. It truly is a connection and a family. I've got a lot of respect for that, especially coaching in this state for as long as we did.

I have to give our players a ton of credit. They played incredibly hard tonight, we talked about total consistency across the board. And total consistency by executing the game plan, not perfect just consistent and that's what we are going to have to continue to be… We always talk about there is always a difference between a group and a team. There have been times where I have been a part of groups. You've got to give Michigan State a lot of credit. This win means a lot to us because we are 1-0 in the Michigan State season period. But there is a lot of connections to Michigan State a lot of people in our locker room. A lot of people who have paid tuition, a lot of people who have worked here before. This is where my first head coaching game was, Coach (Kirk) Ciarrocca's first calling plays at Western Michigan and our culture together, Coach (Brian) Callahan, and Danny Collins, and guys like that. I know we are in the same conference, the longer you go there is a lot of places that mean a lot to you, special places, and this is one of them.

About the offense...
Would I say we were an efficient offense? We were good enough for today, and that's all that matters. We are going to get better; there's a lot to get better from. We can't put the ball on the ground. We've got to finish a drive. Not have a penalty. We have got to stop people at the end no matter who is in the game. Again, I think it is just the balance of the offense. You would love to have a mixture if you can. I thought tonight we had a really good balance.

About wearing Michigan State down...
I think they are a really hard unit to wear out. I just think that we just converted some third downs that were huge for us. I thought we did a really good job of taking what the defense gave us. And then putting our players in the most advantageous positions to be themselves. I have got a lot of respect for Michigan State, I'll never say that. Because I don't know, I don't know what a normal day looks like for them. But I just know that they are very good, they are very strong, they are long, they are big. Incredibly physical group. Again, just a lot of respect for the program.

Senior LB Jacoby Windmon

On what the end goal is…
One game at a time. After learning from this film, we gotta turn it into a win whatever the case may be, however we got to do it. We gotta get back to that, and today we were too casual on the field.

On if the game was surprising…
It is. I thought we had a good week of practice and preparation. We have to translate what we are doing in the practice field to the game field.

On if it feels like a repeat of the game last week…
It definitely felt different being in front of our home crowd. We felt like we let you guys down. We never want to come home and lose, especially a blowout that's a great disappointment internally, and I know for the fans.

On how hard it is to get into a rhythm if you aren't out there a lot…
It can be tough, especially in games like this in the Big Ten where teams know how to manage the ball so well. But just being engaged when the defense is on the field is probably the best way to stay engaged.

On the vibe in the locker room…
The guys are still coming together, keeping our heads up. That's the only way you can do it, because if you don't, your season will go down the drain quickly. The leaders on the team have done a great job of making sure everyone has fallen in line, and still remembering what we need to do as a team.

On what the leaders need to do the next couple weeks…
First, we have to watch the film tonight before we come in and watch it with the staff. Being able to see it by yourself and being critical with yourself first goes a long way.

On if this game can cause overreactions…
Absolutely, you never want to be on this side of the stage. It can be frustrating, but it takes maturity to know and experience to know that it was a bad day, but don't throw everything down the drain because it was a bad day.

Michigan State redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne

On the message in the locker room after the game…
For us, we have to come together to move forward. Teams are families and during tough times they move forward together, so that's what our plan is.

On the play of the offense…
We didn't do enough with the ball tonight when we had it. We need to do a better job on 3rd down. We weren't good enough through the air, I don't know what the stats were officially but it doesn't matter we need to get the ball in the end zone and that starts with me, and we all have to come together and move the ball down the field.

On the play of the run game…
I don't have a level of concern, if I had a level it would be very low. I have confidence in our offensive line, confidence in our running backs, and it all goes hand in hand and we are looking to get better in every area of our offense.

On how it feels when things aren't clicking offensively…
Not good at all, after a game like this there isn't much to say, it feels terrible.

On starting off the game slow…
I feel like I say it every week, but we just have to execute. I'm sure we'll look at the film and there will be one thing here, one thing there and that's what held us back. It's really just execution and us going out there and executing the plays called and putting ourselves in a good situation on 3rd down, and like you said we haven't done a very good job of that these last two games.

Minnesota redshirt senior QB Tanner Morgan

On how his wide receivers were able to step up in the wake of star receiver, Chris-Autman Bell's injury...
I've been saying it for a long time now, we have a lot of guys that can go make plays for us. I think we saw that today. A lot of guys that were involved in the game plan made plays. That makes my job a lot easier. Like I say during the media sessions on Tuesdays, I just try to execute the play that's called, and whoever is open, that's where I throw the ball. Whether it's a tight end, a receiver or a running back on a check down in the flat. That's all there is to it.

On go through his progressions during the game...
When you know what you're looking for and you're confident in the play that's called. Good looks for it, bad looks for it, spacial awareness. It allows you to move through the progression faster, and know when to maybe hold on to a progression a little bit longer. It is still something I need to show improvement on, but I'm definitely confident running the play that's called and going through my progressions.

On how the two long drives to start the game (77 and 75 yards respectively)...
I think we were operating fantastic today. I think we were executing, but I definitely think we stopped ourselves a lot though. We have to fix that. Too many penalties, we have to clean that up. Again, we just have to continue to get better, but I was really proud of how hard our guys played and went out there and executed.

On his improved mobility and the ability to pick up first downs with his feet...
Our strength and conditioning staff is awesome. However, I think too, playing the quarterback position, it's all about advancing the sticks. Getting us in great situations, keeping us on the field, moving the ball, and knowing when the progression doesn't look great, to find a running lane and know when to take off. You don't want to be a guy that takes off right away always, but when an opportunity presents itself, it's a great opportunity to go out there and do it. I love it cause it's fun, it's football. I love the opportunity to show my guys that I'm going to lay my body put on the line to get a first down, and do whatever it takes, just like they do every single play.

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Payton Thorne

Jacoby Windmon

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