Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 2008
Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Opening Statement...
"I'm disappointed with our performance. Our preparation was solid. Obviously our poise, our focus and our execution in the first half, despite a very good Michigan State football team, the field position and the points that we allowed really put us in a hole. As I look at the stats and my notes as we go through the game, first and foremost, the credit goes to Michigan State. They played well. They took care of the football and won the turnover battle. Number two, in the field position battle, we were playing a long field and gave them a short field all day and put our defense in a tough spot. Number three, our lack and inability to make big plays and their ability to make big plays was the difference. We'll get right back to work. We're back to 0-0. We're a good football team and so are they. Like I said, the credit goes to Michigan State. They played well and we'll get ready to go right away tomorrow and try to find a way to get back to 1-0."
Ever experienced a game like this, with regard to field position, and the team's execution...
"I've seen it, but I don't like to experience it. When you do and you give a good football team a short field, time is not on your side. Your defense's back is against the wall. The kicking game came out and was not very good today. We got killed in the field position battle. Credit goes to them and we're taking a look at what we failed in and why it went the way it did. It looked like to me it just was execution. We didn't execute very well and we're better than that. We need to be better than that. It's our responsibility to get that fixed."
On the decision to kick a field goal rather than go for it on fourth-and-one ...
"Well if it was fourth and inches, it would have been a different decision. When I asked up top, it was fourth and closer to two than fourth and closer to nothing. It's a three-score game, we're taking the points. You go and you get a stop, and score and then it's a one-score game. No matter what, you're down three scores and we needed to get points on that drive. It felt like you know what, we had points on the board, we were in the red zone, let's go kick it. Hope our defense gets a stop and get it back."
On whether the team was nervous entering the game...
"I don't think we were nervous. I just don't think we were poised and focused to come out and do our jobs. It starts with me. It's my job as a football coach. It's my responsibility. When your team doesn't come out and play with poise and focus and discipline, you get what you deserve and that's what we got today."
Northwestern Player Quotes
Safety Brendan Smith
On containing MSU running back Javon Ringer...
"We just had to contain him. The defensive line had to come off the ball and try to keep it in the backfield. The linebackers and everyone else just swarmed the ball and gang tackled and put a fence around him. We just went with a normal game plan. At times we would bring a safety into the box. It's the Big Ten. You face a lot of great backs. Javon Ringer is a really great back but we just had to go out and play and execute the game plan and take it one play at a time."
On whether the poor field position was frustrating ...
"You can't go out there frustrated. It's never good to be backed up but it's our job to stop them. No matter where it is on the field, it's our job to limit their points. We didn't do that. We didn't get the ball back for our offense. We kept letting them put up points and that's not what we're supposed to do."
On whether there was a lack of poise and where to attribute it...
"I can't attribute that to anything but I would agree. Maybe we needed it. We've got to get a greater sense of urgency. Some of the young guys and everyone included, we have got to mature and grow from this. You never want to lose but we've got to take it on the positive side and work harder and try to get another edge."
Running back Tyrell Sutton
On the first half of the game...
"It was very frustrating. In the Big Ten, you can't spot a team 17 points and expect to win. We made some costly mistakes that they capitalized on. You can't sleepwalk through the first quarter, first half and expect to come out and play one half of football and win."
On Coach Fitzgerald's decision to go for a field goal at fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter...
"He just told me that he was playing the percentages. He didn't want to take points off the board and me being a running back, anywhere between two or less yards, we feel as if we can get that on our own. We always say 'excuse my passion.' The thing that I said to him was 'I just want to win'."
On whether the loss was affected by the bye week...
"I'm not sure. I can't really pinpoint. We felt that the bye week was a chance to revamp ourselves and get back to full strength and get back to our fundamentals. I guess you could say not being able to play a game on Saturday really takes a toll more than actually playing a game and getting more beat up, but I really can't attribute it to that bye week."
Quarterback C.J. Bachér
On the biggest burden in the game...
"I think the real burden was spotting them 17 points. You can't give a team like Michigan State 17 points. They're a good football team and every week in the Big Ten, you're playing a good opponent. You just can't do that. We were struggling and we tried to come back on them all day. It was really where our fault was."
On how the first loss of the season will affect the team...
"This is a mature football team and we were able to flush our five wins and get on with it each week. We're going to look at the film tomorrow and then flush it and get on with Purdue. The biggest game of the year is always your next game. That's what our mindset is. We're 5-1, but we're 0-0. That's the mindset that we're taking into each week. We weren't able to go 1-0 this week but we'll try again next week."
On whether the bye week affected the outcome of the game...
"I don't think it was the bye week. I think our coaches handled the bye week great. I think we were prepared. You have to give Michigan State credit. They were very opportunistic and made a lot of plays. But when you spot a team 17 points in the Big Ten, it's an uphill climb the rest of the game and we weren't able to overcome that deficit."
Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio
Opening statement...
I'm very proud of our football team. Mentally we were prepared, and that was basically the focus. We knew it would be a tough football game. A lot of credit to Northwestern, they played extremely hard and there is no quit in Northwestern ever. And that's what we saw last year and that's what I've seen in watching them, really since coach Fitzgerald has come back and everything. We felt like what we had to do was be able to respond to things with that force. We had to mentally stay on top of things. What ever happened, our offense was going to have to respond and our special teams were going to have to respond."
On injuries entering the game...
"We were going to have to play a lot of players, we had some guys that were hurt. We knew that they would play some but we didn't know if they would be able to play the entire game, so all 12 of them needed to make sure we out played them mentally first and then the physical part tends to take care of itself. And I think that is what we did."
On five more minutes of possession time but NU ran 30 more plays...
"Our offense, every time we need them to respond they responded. I think the last drive when they kicked the field goal took five minutes off (the clock), but you know there was great play-calling by Coach (Don) Treadwell. The guys just kept making plays. The guys just kept responding. That's what we felt like we had to do. We had to respond mentally before we could respond physically. You have to respond mentally."
Michigan State Player Quotes
Quarterback Brian Hoyer
On the success of the day...
"I felt that I played well and Javon [Ringer] was getting a big workload. They were bringing a lot of guys up, so we had to take advantage of it. That's how this offense is. We came out, got hot quick, and we were able to move the ball. I think what really helped us out were the turnovers. We had great field position all day. Glenn Winston did a great job returning that kick. I felt comfortable out there, and we came in knowing they would try to take away Javon, so there were some holes there for us to hit."
On finding a balance on offense...
"I think it kind of started at Indiana, and it has just been carrying on. Whether it's me making a pass play or Javon running the ball for some first downs, it starts with the guys up front. They've been doing a great job. The difference between this year and last year is people are making plays when they have to. When we have to convert a third down pass, we do. When Javon needs to pound the ball at the end, we do. When the defense makes a stop, they did a great job. I think we are coming together as a whole."
On adjusting to Northwestern's pass rush...
"For their pass rush, they were getting their ends real wide and high, and then up the field very fast. We tried to step up, but couldn't always get a clean shot. We were able to move the pocket a little bit, and even then with [Corey] Wootton at 6'7," having to throw over his hands. But I think we did a good job in the second half adjusting and going to some more secure protections where they couldn't rush as wide up the field."
Running Back Javon Ringer
On overcoming a solid Northwestern defense...
"First off, Northwestern has definitely been playing tremendous defense this year. They have been playing with a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. My offensive line and I knew we had our work cut out for us, and knew they would bring a lot of guys into the box. All the credit goes to my offensive line, they were able to continue to produce and created the holes I needed to keep moving the ball down the field.
On becoming bowl eligible...
"It means a lot; it is definitely a big step for our program and our team. We see how things are falling into place on how our season is going thus far. We aren't complacent; we aren't settling or relaxing at all because we are bowl eligible. We know we have some big tests left throughout the season. Now we are really going to start testing the team we have, but we are expecting big things."
