Michigan State vs. Oregon-Quotes
09/07/14 | Football
Mark Helfrich – Head Coach
On the game…
“Huge win. That is an outstanding team in every phase. I thought we got out to a great start offensively, defensively and on special teams. Then we did the exact opposite in the second quarter, we kind of fell behind. Our guys didn't blink and made the correction. Now, we'll go back to work and get ready for next week.”
On Marcus Mariota…
“Marcus [Mariota] and I were just in there hugging and talking. I should have to pay to watch that guy play. It's just unbelievable to watch him train, to watch him prepare, and then to see him come to fruition in this game. We think very highly of Marcus.”
On what makes Marcus Mariota so good…
“Genetics. You'd have to ask Toa and Alana Mariota that one. The guy's just special. He's in there talking about what he could've done differently and better. Going into this game, we knew a lot of it was going to be on him.”
On special teams…
“We broke down in every phase, and special teams was one of those. But we did the opposite in the second half. We did a great job in the return game, for the most part, and had a couple of big runs. I'm very happy and proud of our guys and the overall effort.”
On the defense…
“The defense played tremendously in the second half and just slowed them down. We had a couple guys jumping out of gaps, a couple of missed tackles and some opportunities to make picks that we didn't make, but we kept battling. In a game like that, there's going to be some eb and flow, and we knew that.”
“Credit to Don Pellum and our defensive staff for rallying those guys in the second half. Those guys were really good and we knew that Connor Cook made them more balanced and versatile as far as their attack. But I'm just proud of the total team effort.”
On the locker room at half time…
“Everybody's eyes were up. They were communicating well and nobody was pouting. Our guys and our coaches did a great job of 'here's what happened, here's how to fix it, and let's go.'”
On issues with the offense…
“First of all, they're excellent and have an outstanding defense, so we have to give them a ton of credit. We had some communication break-downs in the protection element.”
On preparing for Wyoming…
“I said it before the game. Whoever won this game and whoever lost it, has to flip it and rally. It's a huge win, but it's just win number two.”
Marcus Mariota - Quarterback, Junior
On the difference in the team between the first and second half…
“We didn't change anything at all. I really, truly believe the offensive line takes it upon itself in wanting to make a point. They came out and were physical, and they really started to open up lanes for running.”
On his chemistry with Devon Allen…
“It's one of those things – he was open and it was in a play. That's not to say the chemistry isn't good. I think as we continue to progress through the season, the receivers have stepped up, and we can rely on each and every one of them. They did a great job, but tonight Devon did a really good job.”
On facing the Spartan defense…
“Michigan State has a great front seven – they have a great defense altogether. We knew coming in that I was going to have to sit in the pocket a little bit, maybe take a few hits when I threw the ball. I kind of had to make plays on my own, just because of how aggressive they are. I think as a unit offensively, we did a great job to battle back and fight through some adversity.”
On what a win over Michigan St. means…
“For us, we're 2-and-0. It doesn't change our mentality at all. We wanted to build upon this win for the rest of the year, but we didn't put any more emphasis into this game than any other we've played. We're 2-0 right now and we're looking forward to next week.”
Keanon Lowe - Wide Receiver, Senior
On quarterback Marcus Mariota…
“I get the opportunity to see him every day in practice, and believe it or not, he does that every single day in practice. It's easy to have confidence out there as a receiver and as an offense and as a team in general when you have a quarterback like that.”
On Michigan State's defense…
“They were a great defense. They were very physical, which is what we expected. We expected a Big Ten team. I don't think that we were fazed by their physicality – we're a physical team, too. Outside as a receiver, we take pride that we want to be the most physical receiver corps in the nation. That's what we tried to do, and we got some great plays out of simple bubble screens on the perimeter.”
On Devon Allen…
“Devon Allen is just a great teammate. He's a great young guy to work with. I think he's probably one of the best young athletes in the country. I think his work ethic sets him apart from a lot, especially with his track accolades. He takes that same work ethic that he has in track and puts it on the football field, and I think that's why he's having so much success so early in his career.”
Arik Armstead - Defensive End, Junior
On the defense fueling the turnaround…
“That was really helpful in the game, to get off the field fast. When you get some consecutive stops, there's bodies flying around and there's energy in the stadium, and I think that's really big for us.”
Derrick Malone Jr. - Inside Linebacker, Senior
On facing Michigan State's offensive line...
“They were really big, really physical, which we expected. We had the right guys in the right places when we were supposed to be there, so things worked out pretty well.”
On what changed in the second half…
“We got into each other's heads, and we have to know we need to hold each other accountable. We need to maintain our standard, and that's what we did.”
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu – Cornerback, Senior
On Chris Seisay…
“He's a good player, I have a lot of confidence in him. I told him yesterday, 'just be ready, you never know what will happen'. I think he knew he was going to get an opportunity to play today and he was able to perform.”
On health…
“I feel pretty healthy, I need to work on my conditioning and stuff, but my ankle feels good. I'm a little sore, but there is nothing seriously wrong”
On unexpected plays…
“There wasn't really anything that we didn't expect, we were prepared for everything, it just comes down to doing your job and reading your keys.”
On the win…
“We just got confidence, whether we are winning or losing, they had a lot of momentum going into half time. We just had to come together as a team. We had the momentum and we were able to just keep putting it on.”
On Defense…
“We were able to cause a lot of chaos in the second half for the quarterback and he had to run and scramble and that is not what he wanted to do.”
On Mariota…
“I'm happy he's my teammate, I wouldn't want to go against a quarterback like that. If you have everybody covered, he is able to run the ball. He helps us. You have to stay on your man because Marcus is able to make that throw. He is able to improvise, he's a good guy to have on the team”
On the punt returns…
“I think I could have made some better plays, better decisions”
On next week…
“Just keeping your teammates accountable. We had better practice this week than we did last week and you just have to feed off of that. How you practice is how you play and that is how it is going to come off next week.
Devon Allen – Wide Receiver, Freshman
-On first touchdown…
“That first touchdown, just as an athlete, it gives you confidence and the ability to get into a rhythm and a flow. But it felt kind of good, my first touchdown in an official game in Autzen.
On track translating to football…
“It is a lot different, but I just try to focus on my preparation,”
On getting open for touchdowns…
“We schemed it so I could cut across the safety's face and the safety just jumped on that bubble motion so I just ran straight, so it was pretty easy, I was wide open. Hopefully every time I can be wide open to make it easy for Marcus.”
On the first few games…
“I'm excited. I feel blessed and lucky to be able to be out there and play every day. Whenever we get the ball, we want to score. Hopefully I will continue to play and keep getting better.”
Erick Dargan – Safety, Senior
On what worked overall…
“Preparation and coming together. We have an all American corner, but also have other corners that can play. Everyone comes up to the Ifo level and it makes everyone better.”
On overcoming a physical team…
“At the end of the day you look at who won and I think our defense stepped up and our offense fought through some things. We are fast but we are also physical.”
Troy Hill – Cornerback, Senior
On coming out to play after a physical first half…
“I was banged up, but I didn't want to let my teammates down at all. I see them out there with so much energy so I had to overcome it.”
On the defense…
“We have an all American corner and everyone wants to play at that level. He sets the tone, everyone wants to play to that standard and everyone wants to be the best.”
Royce Freeman – Running Back, Freshman
On his opportunities in the second half…
“I stay tuned in the game, ready to go at all times. Whenever coach calls my number I am ready.”
On his first touchdown…
“It felt amazing. They were crashing in on the end so they kept telling us to look for the bounce out, so when I felt the pressure I bounced out to the corner.”
On the pitch from Marcus…
“I was looking for him to run it so I was ready to block for him but he pitched it and told me to get the first down. I've heard from multiple people that that was a momentum changer.”
Tony Washington – Outside Linebacker, Senior
On the defensive strategy…
“We didn't change anything up. We were calling the same plays, but DP [Don Pellum] was just telling us we've got to get after these guys. That's a great quarterback with great receivers.”
On his performance…
“I'm excited. To see how hard I worked this week and that it actually gave me some production… that was good to see.”
On Joe Walker…
“I think he played great for us right out of the gates. He started for us for the first time, and he didn't look nervous. He came out ready to play. He was playing hard, and that's what we need for the defense. He stepped up when we needed him.”
Mark Dantonio – Michigan State Head Coach
On what his team takes away from this loss…
“We need to take the week and learn from it and learn from the experience and make sure that we have growth from this experience. It's a great environment to play in and a great opportunity to play away.”
“We'll bounce back. There is no question that we'll bounce back.”
On losing the turnover battle…
“When you end up minus two in the turnover column, it's tough to win, and in both of those cases they led to scores. The last one took away our points and the first score that they got came off of a turnover.”
On the play of his defense…
“We gave up too many big plays and too many explosive plays, but that's Oregon and we understood that coming into this.”
On the conditioning of his defense…
“We didn't lose the game because we were out of condition. We lost the game because we did not contain the quarterback in the third and fourth quarters, mainly in the fourth quarter.”
On Oregon's offense…
“For the most part, they were who they were and you saw what you expected to see. You saw a quarterback making plays and a quarterback who was dynamic.”
On Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota…
“Mariota leads. He's tough, he leads and he creates. That's the difference in the football game. He created and we let him get out of it numerous times.”
Connor Cook – Michigan State Quarterback, Junior
On second half Oregon defense adjustments…
“They went a lot more cover two in the second half. They had a lot of cover three and cover four in the first half, but they came out with the cover two and made it really difficult for our offense.”
On defense giving up points…
“You know our defense was really hanging in there. They (Oregon) scored that last touchdown late in the fourth, but I thought they played great. It's a great offense, Oregon's fast paced and a fast tempo team.”
On playing the game for their conference (Big Ten)…
“Obviously, you want to win for your conference, but we just looked at it as another game. You know, coming out here to Oregon is a great experience and not a lot of people can say they played in a stadium like that.”
Tony Lippett – Michigan State Wide Receiver, Senior
On the offensive struggles in the second half…
“They adjusted to us really well in the second half. They started putting us in some long yardage plays where we had to execute and we came up short.”
On the team's mindset while holding an eight point lead…
“It was early in the game and anything can happen, there was still like 25 minutes left on the clock. It's a long game. It's a game of ups and downs and a game of many obstacles.”
On what's next…
“We're going to go back and watch the film and try to figure out what went wrong and learn from it.”
Kurtis Drummond – Michigan State Safety, Senior
On blown coverage…
“That was from a little miscommunication. I mean their tempo is their tempo, and we practiced with a quicker tempo this week because of it, but the miscommunication got us. We gave up a lot of plays due to miscommunication, so we just have to get better on our part.”
On Marcus Mariota…
“I mean he's a great quarterback and he knows defense as much as he knows offense. Marcus played a great game today.”
On the mood in the locker room after game…
“I mean we've been here before, but we have a long season ahead of us and we all understand that this doesn't make our season. We have a bye week coming up next week, so we need to put this behind us and use next week to get focused.”
