Post-Game Quotes: Iowa

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith

Opening statement…
Well, I'm really happy for our guys. These guys have been working and did a good job. I thought handling the bye week, we really had two weeks to prepare for this one and it showed out there. Just a team win; you can talk about all three phases contributing to this one. So I was really, really happy with them. A lot too, about the response: the first half had some opportunities, but we went in at halftime with a little bit of a lead. I knew they were gonna come out and respond with the culture and the type of team they have, and they did. They pushed us throughout the second half, got it within one score a couple of times, and the response from this group was huge. And then, I mean, Jonathan Kim, that thing is critical. First half, banging those through momentum-wise, and he had some other big kicks in the second half. Anytime you make six field goals like that, I don't think we punted the entire night, only turned it over once. The offensive efficiency was huge. Keeping the ball out of their hands, I think the time of possession was almost two to one. I'm just really proud because that's a good football team. They're well-coached. Coach Ferentz, utmost respect for him and what he does and continues to do. So happy on Homecoming, in front of another great crowd, to pull out a win.

On the performance after the bye week…
Really pleased with it on both sides. You think about defensively, that back is really good, and the front did a great job of getting off the field early. I do think it helps us defensively against a front that is that physical, that our defensive line is rotating, multiple guys are playing, staying fresh. Flip it to the offensive side, it allowed us to convert and continue to move drives, not going backwards. I was really happy for that offensive front in particular because they haven't played to a level they want to, and I thought they did tonight.

On the offensive performance…
We try to grow and improve by finishing in the red zone, and in the second half, getting touchdowns was huge. Those guys kept chipping away. And really, the balance was what I was really pleased with. Throwing it, and then running it, and being able to move the ball in both facets.

On the growth of the team…
Football is a game of development and growth, especially at the college level, and we want to be all about doing that. That doesn't mean we're sitting here without a sense of urgency or with a ton of patience. We're continuing to push these guys to gain some confidence, build some skill, over and over doing similar things. And that's why, even with the bye week, there was no panic or overreaction like, "We've got to throw out the offense and put something new in." No, we know the type of players we have. We keep pushing those guys, and they continue with the work ethic they've had. We'll find some success, and it showed up tonight.

On the response of the team after losing three straight games…
I think about the game tonight and the responses that needed to take place, especially in the second half. Going all the way back to Boston College, we had some opportunities, had some leads in Boston, and couldn't finish it. We couldn't respond the way we wanted to finish it. I think that shows some growth. You're always learning too. I think early in the season, call it the first four or five games, you're always learning about your team. That doesn't stop, but I think we've learned that we're very capable if we can play some disciplined football. There's some genuine belief in what we've got going, and that showed up tonight.

On preparing for a rivalry game…
We're gonna stay pretty consistent with our approach tomorrow because we do, we're all about learning from this, seeing what we can correct and improve. And then, yeah, we'll flip the page pretty quickly next week. One of the best things about college football is playing a rivalry game, and this game means a ton.

On playing complementary football…
By far the best across the board. I look at the six, whatever we've played now, seven games. It was complementary on both sides: getting some stops, possessing. I'd love to finish with more touchdowns, but again, credit to Iowa. Then you look at the special teams side. I mean, I know Jonathan Kim, look at all those numbers, but these guys were good. We had some issues on kickoff coverage that we've got to get better at, but all three phases, I thought, complemented each other tonight really well.

On sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles' performance…
Besides the one, again, a third down and longer where they disguised and he moved his feet, besides that one, pretty good. He got the intentional grounding; we were trying to throw a screen, and he threw it in the dirt instead of out of bounds. But outside of that, I thought he was lights out and recognized some coverages. I think it was like second and 19, and he's getting (Nick) Marsh on the sideline. He did a great job manipulating the corner, who was in a cloud picture, going low to high. He played, in my mind, his best complete game tonight.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz

Opening Statement...
First of all credit to Michigan State, they played an outstanding game. We clearly did not. We really didn't play well enough in any of the phases to expect to be victorious tonight. Again, credit to them and we make no excuses at all in this thing. One thing about it, conference play, it is a test every week, and we certainly did not pass this test. We are going to have to get back up on our feet. In a nutshell, we did not play well offensively in the first half. We really could not sustain much and get much going. And then defensively, it looked like an uncharacteristic game, it has been a while since we have played like that. We were not sharp in any phase, did not tackle well. Such is a bad combination. We came back in the second half to give ourselves a chance to get back in it, just could not respond in a real positive way. Credit to them, they did a great job and certainly deserved the win. The only positive thing I can say outside of the fact that they have a good attitude and they work hard, the kick return was a little bit of a surprise. I think Michigan State has only had four returns this year against them, and they did a good job. I thought that unit did a good job and certainly gave us a little spark out there. It was not enough, so we'll get back on our feet and get to work tomorrow.

On the shortcomings on defense tonight that allowed over four hundred yards of offense...
It did not seem like we were doing very well and very sharply. It starts with the line of scrimmage, their guys did a good job there and just one general comment - we did not tackle well. Even from the sideline you can see that. It was pretty much all over the field, not just one position, but we did not tackle well. You cannot start to play good defense if you cannot do that.

On Aidan Chiles being so slippery that caused your defense to have an uncharacteristic performance...
He is a dangerous player, had one turnover tonight. Last time out, he did not have any, but one tonight. He is a really dangerous player, very poised. He can hurt you run and pass, as I said Tuesday, I think it is just everywhere. I did not see anything that was sharp or crisp from a tackling standpoint. Typically, we are a good tackling team, but it is hard to be a good defensive team if you are not. I thought that added to the yards. I thought Michigan State played sharp and crisp, starting up front, but all of their guys, backs did a good job running the football, and wide receivers looked good. Just need to give them credit.

On the offensive difference in the second half...
We made a couple of adjustments in terms of what we wanted to do. Sometimes it just goes that way, we just could not get any traction. They are an aggressive group, they are well coached, they did a good job. We really could not get much started. We had that one drive where we were moving the ball a little bit. And then coming up with nothing there, I think we punted the ball out of the endzone or maybe it was a field goal. Anyway, there was not much that looked good. In the second half, we got a little bit more traction and we made a couple of adjustments like I said. Even when we got in striking distance they always had a response and an answer. They really made it tough for us.

Graduate Kicker Jonathan Kim

On what this win mean for you...
It's an honor. I'm just happy I am able to go out and just help this team win. It's an honor to be able to set that record. It's funny because me and Caleb Coley were in the locker room singing "The Lord Will Provide" before we ran out, and he really did, being able to get that many kicks is a blessing.

When were you aware that you set the record...
I was told I don't remember when exactly during the game, but somebody came up to me, and was like, 'hey, you just set the record'. I was like 'what record', and then they ran away, so I was like 'okay, well.'

Did missing your first attempt from 55 then making your second did it feel like redemption...
I wouldn't say redemption. I would just say it was another opportunity.

Sophomore Quarterback Aidan Chiles

On your performance as well as the team performance...
I think we're still a lot better than what we showed today. We did great getting to the red zone, but we got to finish now. Kim can make his kicks, but we also want to get it into the end zone. So, it was good having Kim out there, you can't really complain about having a good kicker. I think we still did some great things moving the ball, just have to finish now. My own performance is the team's performance, so it's like, 'hey, I have to finish too'. It's especially me, I have to figure that out. We are going to work on it, and going to go out hunting next week, hungry, and try to get in the end zone as many times as we can.

On the final two drives...
Yeah, we want to drive the ball, we want to touch the ball, so yeah going in, it was about keeping your composure. And doing what you know how to do, just go out there and play football the way you know how to play football. It is what it is, we came out, did what we had to do, got the points, kept the game out of reach basically. We came out and won the game.

Freshman Wide Receiver Nick Marsh

On what this win means…
I think this is one of the best games we've had yet as a unit. Defense held their own and in the first half they held Iowa to 50 yards (in the first half). On offense every week we're getting closer and closer to perfecting our craft and executing certain plays. I think we're getting very close to where we want to be.

On feeling momentum building…
We got a mindset when we get back out on the field to just keep pushing and keep the energy up no matter what the circumstances are. Iowa scored the long run and we came back out there and hit them with the score. We keep the same mindset going into the game.

On his growth over the last year…
It's just a blessing to be in this position. Coming out of high school I would have thought it would take me a little more time to develop here and more time to get accustomed to the offense, but with God's will and his plan I'm here doing it earlier. It's just a blessing and it's been a blessing this whole time.

On what you stressed over the bye week…
Completing our passes, we had a lot of passes we could've hit in the Oregon game that we couldn't complete and with the quarterback, we had a couple missed things so during bye week we just worked on working those windows and completing those catches.

Senior Receiver Montorie Foster Jr.

On what made the team successful on the offensive side…
I felt like it was a lot of execution. We didn't have many mistakes. We made plays when we had to make plays, and it really came down to execution at the end of the day.

On the team's potential on offense and what helped close that gap…
I definitely think we have a high ceiling. We haven't hit our full potential yet, just being able to tighten up on certain plays and certain reads that we need to make. I definitely feel like we still have a lot of growth to go and I can't wait to see that happen.

On success off the bye week or growth over time…
It let a lot of guys get away from the game a little bit and get together with their families. I got to go home and see the Guardians beat the Tigers. Just being able to get away from the game and settle down to look at our mistakes definitely helped us a lot over the bye week.

Players Mentioned

Aidan Chiles

Caleb Coley

Montorie Foster Jr.

Jonathan Kim

Nick Marsh

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