Post-Game Quotes: Maryland
10/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio:
Opening statement...
"Disappointing outcome. I thought we came into this game prepared. The reality of the situation is that we made too many mistakes on offense and too many penalties on defense that really hurt us in the first half that set the tone on the first drive. We lost Riley Bullough in the game. Congratulate Maryland, I thought their running backs did an outstanding job. It's tough to win a football game when two guys rush for over 100 yards on you. We ran the ball effectively but had too many missed opportunities in the passing game. Inexperience shows at times and obviously the fumble at the five yard line was guys trying to make a play. Monty Madaris is trying to make a play and the ball pops out but it's first and goal on the five in a tie game. The blown coverage in the second quarter results in a touchdown but you have to play the game. There is no going back and there's no hitting reset. This is not a computer game, this is real life. It's real tackling, real blocking, and real catching the ball. We have Michigan coming in next weekend and we have to get ourselves ready to play. It should be an outstanding football game if we're afforded to have a chance. Our guys are motivated and they will be motivated but you have to make things happen on the field."
On the fake field goal attempt at the end of the first half...
"I'm not sure if it was blocked correctly. I thought it was a good play and I thought they were set up for it. I thought with one second left and it being a 45-yard field goal and we were running the ball well enough and passing the ball well enough that I thought points would come. I was looking for a big payoff. That was the gamble we took and that's on me."
On the three penalties and ejection of Riley Bullough...
"It's disappointing. It's tough to say on the helmet-to-helmet contact, some people say it was with the shoulder but they make the call. I'm sure he's not trying to create these penalties. Again, the hit out of bounds was hard for me to see. There were too many penalties in the first half. There were four on defense and then a fifth one on our offense so right there you have issues.
On if he's playing for the future...
"I'm not. We're playing to win football games. Everything that we can do to win a football game is what we're going to do. We're playing for the future in terms of the next game."
On Michigan State's defensive issues in the fourth quarter...
"You just keep working at it and practicing it. You establish where the breakdowns are and the issues and try to define them and get them fixed. Some is talking, some is gap control with what they were doing. I thought we had it fixed but they creased us again."
On the current state of his defense...
"When you talk about how to fix it you think that you can't give up the deep ball and you can't blow coverages. They were up by four points and we jumped offside and they hit the deep one. They put you in situations where it's almost like basketball in a way. You're playing zone coverages but they're matched up in man coverages of that nature. You have to be able to make plays in space. Tackling in space and keeping the ball off the perimeter is major and you can't let them gas you up the middle. You have to be able to make adjustments and that's coaches and players. I get it and it's all inclusive. I'm not pointing fingers nor will I point fingers at players and say this is their fault. We had enough opportunities at both end of the stick whether it was coaching and calling that fake field goal or it's players playing. There's enough opportunities to win a football game."
On his players pressing to make plays...
"I'm sure that's part of it â€" guys trying to make a play. Sometimes you get put out of position. Give Maryland credit, too. Those running backs made people miss. We had them dead a couple of times and they snuck out and got first downs or got the edge and we just have to be better in that regard."
On how playing up-tempo teams impacts their lack of depth defensively...
"We're playing with three true freshmen on our defensive front at times because you're having to rotate people so that takes its toll. But those freshmen are getting better and they're big, athletic guys and they're going to be big players for us. They're young and sometimes you make an adjustment and they see a different play and they just don't have as much experience. But that's not the end all. We've got a lot of guys with experience."
On the big picture of this season...
"I've been though these situations before. Not in a while, but we have. These are things where life's experiences will play dividends later on. I said it when I came into summer camp that some of our younger guys haven't experienced this. Now they're experiencing it and they'll understand how hard they have to work and what they have to do to play more successfully at a later time. This is all part of a process whether you're winning or losing. I think that everything that happens here is an experience and a life experience for them. I think like that and the only way to go is to get better and to keep working at it, so that's what we'll do."
On the struggles of the senior class after having historically good seasons...
"We lost some very good players and we're playing today with a redshirt quarterback, so things happen. I'm not going to sit here and say our seniors aren't very good players because we have some very good players in our senior class. We have some other guys who haven't played as much and are taking on new roles. They have to gain experience as well but they have the background and knowledge base, but not the experience. This is a team game so you have a lot of players and it takes about 40 or 50 guys to play. You look at this football game and you had opportunities. Did we play hard? I think we played hard. Did we play smart? I think not at times for sure. Did we play well? At times, but not at times as well. There's some inconsistencies there and when you're inconsistent at anything we do, it catches up with you."
