Post Game Quotes: Prairie View A&M
9/14/2024 7:59:00 PM | Football
Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith
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Opening statement…
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Always good to win a game. I was very pleased with the approach this week. In practice this week I thought we had very good Tuesday and Wednesday work leading into Thursday and Friday. Obviously it started on defense, those guys were lights out making it physical. Had an opportunity to respond, ball got down there in the end zone a couple of times, pushed them back. Had some big time plays, obviously Chuck [Brantley], that was exciting and fun. I thought offensively, there's a lot to like especially on third down. I thought in the first half, third down conversions, these things aren't just third and ones, we converted multiple times to come up with points. I think there was some balance in the offense with the run game and pass game. Special teams was pretty solid. Kicking the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs and we didn't punt the ball much but I did see [Ryan] Eckley with a big one. We were backed up with some bad field position so it was nice to see him get some hang time on that one, he's been working on that. Kaden Schickel had been sick the last couple days, a long snapper. He didn't practice Thursday or Friday and comes out here and battles it out in the first half. Definitely some things to clean up. You go double digits again in penalties, that's gonna catch up to us. We gotta find a way to coach it better starting with us. That will be a point of emphasis again because these guys don't want to have penalties and all that. We had some extended drives on defense and offensively in the red zone had some hiccups there.Â
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On getting to know Spartan Stadium …
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It's been great. The energy, the Spartan walk again, there was just a buzz around the place. The student section was packed and the atmosphere was great. I know our guys like playing in front of it, and hopefully we can continue to build on it being a huge home field advantage.
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On senior defensive back Charles Brantley's interception …
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Those things aren't simple, he's got a decision to make when he picks the ball in the end zone. Sometimes it's best to go down and we'll bring it out from the 20. Guys did great effort defensively getting some blocks for him. Great finish there by Chuck landing in the end zone. I was really excited for him, especially since he just picked one earlier that was a lot easier.Â
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On junior offensive lineman Gavin Broscious' injury …
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I don't have an update on Gavin, but that didn't look good and now it is next man up. We have some younger guys that got in the game for the first time with an opportunity. We'll get you an update on that when we know.
On applying a "trap game" approach to the game…Â
We want our approach to be pretty consistent. Understanding that there's an urgency to improve every week, whoever we're playing on Saturday, and I thought that they did a good job with it this week.Â
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On Tommy transferring into MSU and being the backup…
I mean, we've had deep conversations, I mean through the recruiting process he knew what he was signing up for in regards to a quarterback coming over here, I was very insistent on that. He's been an awesome teammate, at practice, helping out, suggestions, his experience, when he's gone in he's been really effective in practice and in scrimmages and he played today and it was not surprising to me for him to see the ball going where it's supposed to be, operating, getting us in the right flight, so I guess all I can say is I'm really glad he's here.Â
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On Nate Carter…
He opens up things. When we need a close runner too like that, because Nate's skill set he brought it to the second level and you're not going to catch the guy that often. It was well blocked, he really had a nice vision, because I think he cuts the ball back and then outruns one defender. He's got that skill set and I go back and I have both him and Kay'ron, good carries, kind of complimenting each other. We've got to clean up some efficiency issues and a little bit up front, but Nate's an explosive player.Â
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On Tommy being the backup and the process of recruiting him…Â
Well, he knows he's one step away. I mean I was watching him at the hotel and I can't remember exactly it might have been Alabama where the quarterback's helmet came off in the first drive and this guy needs to be able to get in the game and go. We got confidence that he'd be able to go out there and that he keeps working and it's a long season. Just like we're dealing with a lot of different injuries in different spots, and he needs to be ready and he will be.
Prairie View A&M Head Coach Bubba McDowell
On his message to the team after the game...
I haven't talked to them yet, but the message is going to be 'hey, we just need to make sure that we take care of our business.' Our responsibilities are to always give our one hundred, which is our job. We had some gap issues, some D-line read, trying to make plays but then not being in the gap we're supposed to. More importantly, with them using the backs, we have guys out of place. We have a secondary in the spots where they needed to be with the backs coming out of the back field. They just have to go out, as we always say, just do their job and we'll be okay.
On how this game prepares the team for their upcoming game with Southern University...
Well, it's still a different game. We look at things from last year and we'll look at them again this year. I think more importantly we just have to go out in the game. I said it again, if we go out and just do what we're supposed to do offensively and defensively. Meaning we just need to do our job, do our responsibility and not give up penalties and plays when we have these guys stopping third downs, or when we have chance to move the ball offensively. Something goes wrong and usually it comes back on us. We just need to figure out a way to stop that from hurting ourselves. Going into Southern, we have to regroup and get to go play a good team at home.
On the whole experience playing at Michigan State...
Oh yeah, it's big time. Especially when we got here, and Coach Smith let us use the stadium as a walk through. They got the chance to take pictures, have a quick walk through and walk around and just see what this type of atmosphere is about and like. Again, I had the privilege of playing in stadiums like this throughout my career. To see the expression of these guys in these places was even more ecstatic, and when they came out to see the crowd it was all shaping the atmosphere. Again, we prepared all week just in case the crowd was going to be loud and turned that system up so we could execute. For the most part, I think they had a great time, of course it's not the way we wanted to end, and I really don't think they are 40 points better than us right now. They just do the things that we are supposed to do and anytime we don't do what we're supposed to do against a good team like that, they are going to score on us.
Sophomore Quarterback Aidan Chiles
On the team's performance today…
There's still room to improve but we put up points today and I can't complain about it. I feel like offensively we had a lot of self-inflected wounds, but overall, we can move the ball and we know we can move the ball.
On his thoughts on the team's growth and his…
There is no trap game. We talked about, everybody is going to come out and play their hardest. They came out and played, we just played better today, and it wasn't a trap game. We came out, did we what had to do, got off the field, and that's what it is. Individually, I mean you also need to have that same mindset of no trap games. Don't come here through the week not preparing how you would for every week.
On what the offense needs to do to take it to that next level…
We talked about it before but penalties, we need to get rid of those. Being able to just finish drives in the red zone, that's one of the things that really happened today. We had penalties in the red zone that hurt us a little bit, couldn't score. Came out at half and had a few penalties inside the 25, and that's going to hurt us when we play bigger games, so finishing up on penalties and finish drives.
Redshirt Junior Defensive Back Charles Brantley
On the drive where he had his pick-six…
I was just more focused on responding on the penalty that we had. I'm like, 'Okay we got a pick six, they called a flag, we got to respond.' Then they drove us down and tried to run a fake play, I seen it, read it, then they threw it up and I caught it.
On if he was thinking of taking a knee after the interception…
I was thinking about putting a knee down because just yesterday we were in a meeting and Coach Rossi was saying like 'If you get an interception in the end zone and your first progression is back, take a knee.' So, I took a look to my left and right and didn't see anyone, so I was like 'I'm going to take this out.'
On the team's defense…
We play with 'howl,' which means run till everyone gets to the ball, play with toughness and play with technique.
On adjusting and getting acclimated to the new defense…
The way our coaches coach, they coach us to, I don't really know how to word it but, they say if we mess up, we mess up with 1000 percent basically, so eventually you're going to catch on, keep on running the same thing, keep going over the plays, and we are going to catch on basically. That's what we do, we play with 'howl,' toughness, and technique. Technique sets you free.
Sixth-year Quarterback Tommy Schuster
On what he wanted to accomplish when he stepped onto the field…
I want to do my job and execute on a high level. It doesn't matter who is on the field on offense 1s, 2s or 3s, that is our goal. We try not to miss a beat, do the assignment sound, execute and try to move the ball down the field to get points. Overall, that is our goal, to play clean and try to put the ball in the end zone.
On executing role of mentor for the younger players…
It is a little different. I am a little older than the rest of the guys that I am out there with at that point. I think communication is big and making sure everyone is on the same page. You never want to get out there and have it be a big mess. So, good communication and making sure everyone is on the same page and then just going out and executing. We prepared well during the week so we just had to go out and do our job.
On scoring his first touchdown at MSU…
We were at the 1-yard line and they had double A gaps so it was pretty much just about finding a way to get it in. It went right initially and it kind of just played out on the right side. So I just kind of bounced off left and pushed it in. It felt good.
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