Post-Game Quotes: Minnesota
11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 1, 2009
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Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio
Opening Statement...
"It was a tough loss and we didn't play well enough to win. (We were) out-coached and they had their guys ready to play. We came up here thinking we were ready but obviously we were not. Coming right out of the gate they score and we fumble and we were down 14-0 with 13 minutes left in the first. We battled back but we lacked a consistency in our play, both offensively and defensively."
On factors in the loss...
"We got hurt in every phase of the game, probably. We had a big kickoff return, big reverse by Keshawn (Martin), our offense was characterized by big plays. Turnovers hurt us in the first half, when you have three turnovers it's very difficult to win. But we battled back...We came out in the second half and every time we were about to come back, they hit us with the deep play."
On Minnesota's offense...
"Their quarterback (Adam) Weber played great. He did an outstanding job and they protected him well with play action. We never got the pressure that we'd been getting in previous games, consistent pressure. We did not play the deep ball well enough and (Minnesota's) deep plays ran away from our corner to the back half of the field and what they did schematically was able to keep the front-side safety from helping out."
On the game-changing plays...
"The big plays in the game were when the ball popped back up to (Duane Bennett) and (Minnesota's) response to every one of our big plays. They had a measured response every time we got back in it and I think that's good coaching and good execution. We stopped the run but we couldn't stop the pass. (Minnesota) made some great catches."
On the end of the game...
"It was disappointing at the end of the game how it all fell out. We were driving and they shoot a blitz at us and we jump offside. We get a delay of game and all of a sudden it's fourth and long. We were trying to make a run and get the two-point conversion. Again the reason I feel we lost the football game was the inability to score inside the 5-yard line. Inability to get in, inconsistency running the football, and too many turnovers. That's what I would say our offense is, too many missed opportunities and too many unforced errors. Errors like taking the delay of game after taking a timeout in a critical situation like that and it's coaching too. Look at the defensive side of the ball, we had no consistency getting off the field and gave up too many big plays."
On looking forward to next week...
"I would say we took a step back, not a step forward obviously. We're a 4-5 football team and facing Western Michigan next week and we certainly have to be ready to play. There are three games left in this football season, we'll work hard and our players play hard but we need to execute. We didn't quit on the field or anything like that, so that's a positive we can build off. But obviously it's a disappointing loss. Compliment Minnesota, give them credit, they made some plays."
Sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins
On preparing for this week's game and the team's performance...
"It's frustrating when you prepare and you feel like you are ready to go and it doesn't happen. We just need to start faster. This is the third straight week we haven't gotten off to a great start. We need to do that because it's tough when you don't start fast."
On being down 14-0 before the offense stepped on the field...
"We would like it to be zero-zero on our first snap, but you have to adjust to that situation. We knew [Minnesota] was going to score points and we felt like we were going to score points. It's not easy when you are down 14 early but you have to keep fighting."
