Post-Game Quotes: Maryland

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith

Opening statement…
Really happy and proud of that locker room. We've been through a lot. Long season, some downs, some disappointment, definitely frustration, but really proud of them as they continued to battle. They went to work, played and practiced with the energy and so I'm happy for them to come out with a win like they did. I thought the game had some back and forth. Obviously, the first half, fourth down stop defensively, I thought the first half, that separator at the end of the half – Alessio (Milivojevic) executed in the two minute drive, so you go in, I think it's 24-7 at halftime. And then I talked to them at halftime saying we're going to still need to score. These guys are explosive, the quarterback (Malik Washington) was in a nice rhythm and that played out in the third quarter. It was moving for our sideline when (Alante Brown) Cadillac takes that back to the house on kickoff return. I mean, for what he has continued to battle, overcome setbacks early, physically, he couldn't play, off the field, all of it. And for him to not go down and take that back, that was a huge lift for our sideline. And then we just kind of continued to hold on. Again, fourth down stop defensively, and then fourth down for us offensively to be able to separate the thing to two scores was huge. And so just really happy and proud for that locker room.

On the message to the Michigan State fanbase…
Look, I'd say – proud of the group, like I said, happy for these guys to go through tough times, short on the scoreboard repeatedly, I think the group shows that they continue to play hard and all that. Yeah, there's going to be conversation because the season now is over. We got to do it better than we've done it this year without question. And we're ready to work to do that.

On if he has talked to Vice President/Director of Athletics J Batt about his future as Head Coach…
We continued to conversate through the week. I'm sure we'll be talking again in the coming days.

On if he knows if he will be back or not next season…
Don't have that.

On the message to the team in the locker room after the game…
Yeah, kind of what I'm telling you - proud, happy for them. The game ball went to (Alante Brown) Cadillac. I mean, I thought he spoke really well to the group, talking about the adversity, and yeah, this game is really important, but you can overcome it in life. Again, I continue to credit the leadership on this. Sam (Edwards) takes over, leads us through the fight song. The reason these guys continue to play and work was the leadership. I've been saying it from this locker room. I think about guys like Sam, Jordan Hall, Quindarius Dunnigan, Matt Gulbin, who couldn't go tonight, but he was still locked in and helping us.

On if it is fair to be at the end of the season and not know his future as Head Coach…
I don't know what's fair too; I think that you evaluate it, a complete year, as you look at things. And so in this day and age – look, the guys continue to go and we came out on top tonight.

On keeping the main thing the main thing throughout the losing streak…
Yeah, you do. You continue the main thing of going to work and all that. It's still deep respect and locked in on the group around, right? And so we're doing the scouting, I credit the staff and the professionalism as they've approached things. And again, the leadership. This is still the game of football. It is such a team game, the group of them staying together, fighting through, coming up short, and we come out on top tonight.

On what it meant for him to hear the fight song after the win…
It was great. I especially go back to these players, but it was great because we practiced that thing weekly on Fridays, preparing to be able to sing it on Saturdays, so it was great.

On the progress redshirt freshman QB Alessio Milvojevic has made as a starter…
I think he showed progression over his starts. I think he showed his toughness and I think he earned respect in the locker room. Each week, I thought he was in total command tonight in regards to where the ball needed to be going. You didn't see a lot of forced throws. He did get protected better tonight and he can be dangerous. I think it showed we can be dangerous at receiver and some of these guys in space with the ball.

On going for the late fourth down as opposed to kicking a field goal…
No, I was a little back and forth because it turned into fourth-and-7, the play previous to it, you guys saw us, we ran the ball to try to get it to a bit more favorable fourth down because we wanted to be able to separate it to two scores. I mean, these guys had thrown for 400 whatever yards at that moment, two scores felt strongly that that was our best avenue to win the game. And then we get stuffed on the run, so it turns into about fourth-and-7. That's a tough one to swallow. But at the same time, you give them the ball at the 10. If we don't get it, the ball's about the 10, they got to go 90 and at field goal, you still got a chance to win the thing in overtime, but obviously, I was pleased it worked out.

On his case to continue as Head Coach…
I think we got a group that continues to work and stays on task when it's not always easy. We can do hard things. Not (trying to be) overdramatic, but I tell you, we're pretty tough as a group looking at this year.

On which young players fans can look forward to next season…
Well, I do think we've got some young players that are contributing in a big way, and they've got a bright future. We've talked about Alessio (Milivojevic), I look at the starting lineup on the offensive line tonight, again, redshirt freshmen (Rakeem Johnson and Rustin Young), there's body blows there, flip it on the other side (defense), Aydan West is a true freshman making plays. Brandon Tullis had another good game of tough carries, the guys a true sophomore. So, there's some young good talent on this team.

On offensive lineman Cooper Terpstra…
Again, I didn't digest the tape yet, but I was really happy for him. I think it was another story we talked about on Friday night as a team of guys signing up, working, wasn't starting and continued to stay consistent. I think about Aveon Grose, seals the game with the interception, similar story. And we actually highlighted a couple of those guys Friday night and a lot of them came through today, and Coop (Cooper Terpstra) did.

On Gavin Broscious playing the entire game…
Yeah, (Gavin) Broscious did, Caleb (Carter) was down and wasn't able to make it. We worked through some kinks. I mean we had too many false starts up front and all of that, but I thought the front five, the o-line battled throughout the night.

On if this win makes a 'difference' on the season…
It does. Let face it, 0-fer in the league versus one, there's a difference.

On if he feels this team is better than its record…
I think the record is factual in regard to you won or you lost the game. I think there's plenty of coaches that get up here and say 'we could've won if this would have taken place, right?' And we did, we were up two of the last three games under two minutes. Could we have won those games? Yeah, but I think the record is what the record is.
On how he will remember this season…

Durability. I go back to leadership when things are hard. Displayed some character and sticking together type-thing. I think again, go back to this leadership of Sam Edwards, and I mentioned Cadillac's (Alante Brown) story. Elijah Tau-Toliver played his best football at the end of the year, and started off as a third-stringer, working through it, Oline, multiple guys trying to contribute, I think about the character displayed by the group.

On freshmen Braylon Collier and Bryson Williams…
Yeah, (Braylon) Collier intentional on that one. I think he's a natural punt returner. True freshman, but we wanted to give him a chance. Voss (Carson Voss) got in there, the punt we had to redo and whatnot, there was a couple of guys that did that. Bryson's (Williams) is going to be a really good player, mentioning back to some of the younger talent on the team. We thought he had good contributions, again, played in four games so he can redshirt and stuff, but there's some guys that went through a redshirt year, you didn't see much of them. I think Bryson (Williams), and Charles Taplin had a catch against Minnesota, but he's going to have a chance to be a good player.

On the emotions after Omari Kelly's helmet was pulled off…
It was emotional, chippy, I think both sides played pretty hard. And yet, sometimes these games, especially two teams, got some built up frustration, let's face it, I thought the officials actually controlled it pretty well. There was definitely some talk going on, all that. I think about Omari (Kelly) too, he can make some plays, had a huge catch, made a guy miss, and able to finish the thing. But it was not flat-out intentional right after that play.

On Alante Brown's journey…
He's always had a strong voice in the locker room, especially in that receiver room, not about himself, competitive, talented, even special teams tonight. It wasn't about a kickoff return; he's running down trying to cover punts and all that. He's always been a great team player.

On Jordan Hall's leadership…
Jordan Hall throughout the year, battling injury, strong voice, really good player and person.

Michigan State graduate sixth-year senior WR Alante Brown

What does it mean to return that touchdown after missing the last nine games?
Yeah, I just want to start off by giving all glory to God. First of all, without Him, I wouldn't be in the position. Especially where I'm from, from Southside, Chicago, we don't really get that many opportunities. But from day one, it hasn't been easy. I just try to keep faith, continue to have a relationship with the Lord, continue to have a relationship with my brothers, my teammates. Without them, I probably wouldn't be able to be in the position that I am in.

What were you thinking during that return?
We were discussing on the sideline if I get my opportunity, that I knew it would be a good one for me. Especially getting closer to me, knowing if I was going to play or not this week. So I was watching a lot of film on the guys, and I knew that they had some vulnerable areas on the kickoff unit, and I just was waiting for my opportunity.

Have you kind of processed how this season has gone?
Yeah, definitely it didn't really hit me. I sprinted to my family. I've been having a lot of things going outside, a lot off field things going on with my fiancee. So it just meant a lot for me and my family at that moment, and for her family as well. So I dedicate that to her, God, and my family.

Michigan State junior linebacker Jordan Hall

How do you feel after this win?
Yeah, I can't even describe how I'm feeling. I'm so proud of this team and the way we fought. We made a good point in the locker room, this game was like the season. Started off strong, getting whooped in the middle, but we found a way to rally at the end and finish strong, offensively, defensively, and I'm just so glad that we could send those seniors off the right way and finish the season on the right end.

After the Alessio interception, did you get Washington's arm on that third down? And the sack with Ayden?
I think I hit him right as he was getting rid of the ball. We knew that where they were on the field, 20 yards was in field-goal range, so we knew we kind of needed to knock it out, and we just, the protection lined up with the blitz, they tried to pass it off, they got back to it late, and it worked out in our favor, we were able to get home.

Does a win like this validate the toughness you guys went through physically to get to this point?
Yeah, I mean, everybody's banged up, but something that I accepted weeks ago, and I think a lot of the guys in that locker room accepted a few weeks ago, we don't care what our bodies are feeling like, we don't care what our record is, we're going to show up every week, and I've said this after every presser, we're going to show back up on Sunday and get ready to work, and after eight straight losses, we were able to do that today, and that's a major reason why I'm so proud of this team.

What has this week been like for you guys inside the program/inside the locker room?
Yeah, this week, we knew what we needed to do to win the game, and we knew it wasn't going to be easy, we knew it was going to take four quarters, and that was our approach during the week, we practiced hard, we didn't look at our record, we didn't look at, you know, we didn't care about playing inside, we didn't care about how many people were going to be here, we were just focused on getting better, and preparing to win the game, and I think it showed in the game. In the locker room, I mean, just amazing energy, I mean, something, just being real with something that we haven't felt in a long time, and being able, like I said, to send the seniors out the right way, I mean, that's just an amazing feeling, and something I'll never forget. I said this in my last presser, to get a win for him in this fashion, it means a lot to me, to be able to do it for Coach Smith. I think a lot of the guys feel the same way, we have a lot of respect for Coach Smith, and we'll go out there and run through a wall for him, and he continues to, I got a question last week about, you know, is it hard as a leader to motivate your players? I think he does it the best way, and is an amazing leader, and finds a way each week to motivate us, even when things aren't going our way, so I'm glad we were all able to come together today and get that done.

What was Coach Smith's message to you guys in the locker room after the game?
Yeah, just that he was proud of us, but a lot of the attention went to Alante, the play that he had to go along with his story this season, some troubles in the offseason before the season even started, and then breaking his foot, and then to come back in this game and make a big play like that, that was so emotional. And we're just proud to have him on our team. Yeah, he deserves the attention that he got, and we love that guy.

Describe that feeling on the sideline, the energy when he returned that one for you guys?
I mean, yeah, during the return, God is so good. I mean, the energy was amazing. It couldn't have happened to any better guy to come back like that. And honestly, that was the turning point of the game. Defense, we were having trouble getting off the field, offense was having a little bit of trouble moving the ball down the field, so we needed that jump, and that was huge in that course of the game.

What was happening in the third when they scored 21 points?
Yeah, I mean, it turned into a passing game. I think they ran the ball maybe three times in the second half. And I'll take a lot of the blame. I mean, some drops in the middle I could have been better at. Zone distribution wasn't at its best. But I mean, when they run a whole second half of passing plays, that's kind of difficult to kind of stop. But I think ultimately we were able to respond well, and when it mattered most, and get off the field, those last two drives and win the game.

Maryland head coach Michael Locksley

Opening Statement...
I'll start, number one, about giving credit to Michigan State. Hard-fought game; did the necessary things to find a way to win. And then I want to start off by thanking my seniors. This year wasn't good enough. Let's start with that. Did not meet expectations that any of us have inside of Jones-Hill House. Not good enough, not coached good enough, not played well enough. That starts with me, and it's my job to quality control this season and make any and every necessary change for us to get this program back to where we all need it to be. This has been a tough two-year stretch, and as I told those guys in the locker room, the seniors, this one doesn't feel like last year. I know for our fans it doesn't feel any better for them, but I can tell you inside of Jones-Hill House, the group of seniors did a tremendous job of keeping this thing together through a really tough eight-week stretch that has all of us not in a good space. But guess what? We'll start back up now. The clocks hit zero, our '26 season starts today. Obviously, we've got a lot of things to get corrected, a lot of things to get evaluated. We've got recruiting coming up, which we need to maintain that momentum there. We've got to retain this roster, which I expect us to be able to do. I'm confident that we'll get this program bounced back the way we all want it to be. Again, it starts with me looking at every aspect of it, including what can I do? I always start with that.

On locker room beliefs for success next season after comeback in third quarter...

Well, first of all, it wasn't a clean game at all, but here's what I've learned about this team: they don't quit. One of our pillar words is relentless, and this team, for four quarters, they returned a kick, so what? They got a big play, so what? These guys continue to fight. So to have that foundation gives me the hope that if we keep the right guys and we bring the right guys in, and we do a better job of coaching, leading, giving them the ability to play to their abilities, we'll see this program transformed.

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Players Mentioned

Gavin Broscious

Alante Brown

Braylon Collier

Quindarius Dunnigan

Sam Edwards

Aveon Grose

Matt Gulbin

Jordan Hall

Rakeem Johnson

Omari Kelly

Charles Taplin

Cooper Terpstra

Brandon Tullis

Carson Voss

Aydan West

Bryson Williams

Rustin Young

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