Oct. 29, 2009

Player Interviews

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Members of the Michigan State football team met with the media after Tuesday's practice to talk about this week's game at Minnesota. The Spartans (4-4, 3-2 Big Ten) and Gophers (4-4, 2-3) will meet Saturday, Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. ET in TCF Bank Stadium; the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins

On Michigan State being number one in the Big Ten in passing...
I think that says something about the way coaches are calling plays and the way the guys around me are playing. A quarterback is only as good as the guys around him. So if your offensive line is protecting, your receivers are getting open and your coaches are calling good plays then you are going to have success no matter what you do.

On Michigan State's young offense...
There is a lot of young talent and guys who are still trying to learn. I think that showed in some early losses, where we should have won if we had more experience. But, we are getting on the job training and we just need to keep learning because we have some tough games coming up.

On MSU needs to do to win this Saturday...
Minnesota's defense gives us a lot of looks, which is very different from Iowa, so we just need to execute. We each need to do our job and trust the guys around us. Our defense is playing excellent right now, so as long as we put a few points on the board, I think we will do all right.

On what fans can expect for the game against Minnesota...
I think they can expect a great Big Ten football game. Anytime you play at night, it is going to be exciting, especially in Minnesota's new stadium. We are excited for the challenge and I know Minnesota will be ready. It will be a hard-fought, tough football game.

On balancing school and football...
It is tough sometimes. I am taking some hard classes, I have an exam in organic chemistry this Thursday and it's pushing me. You just have to understand the importance of your school work and know your priorities. It is definitely a challenge being a student-athlete.

Junior linebacker Greg Jones

On being the 16th Spartan to get 300 career tackles...
It feels great, but I think I owe a lot of that to the defensive line. Those guys give everything and a lot of credit should go to them. My teammates always keep me calm and keep me humble, so I want to thank them. I'm just doing my job out there.

On what it means to be nominated for so many awards...
It means a lot to me. At the beginning of the season I didn't think about winning awards, I just wanted to improve. If I don't win any awards or if I win them all, all that matters is that I made myself better.

On what the defense has been doing differently...
I think everyone has just been taking accountability for their mistakes. We don't put anyone down on our defense; all we do is pick each other up. We also communicate very well and our awareness has improved. Everyone is just playing to the best of their ability right now.

Sophomore wide receiver B.J. Cunningham

On coming off a tough loss to Iowa...
All we need to do is come out to practice and play hard. We also need to get our mindset right and look at the film to see what we did wrong. We have to reconstruct ourselves and come back out here on Saturday to get a win.

On what the team has done to prepare for the game against Minnesota...
Everyone is mentally and physically ready. We are all flying around, hitting each other and catching everything. Everyone seems like they are ready to go. We have that loss behind us and we are ready to move on.

On playing at night...
It's exciting playing at prime time. We can't wait to get back out there. At night, everybody is going to be watching. So we have to get out there and get a win this time.

On Michigan State leading the Big Ten in passing...
As a wide receiver, it feels great to be a part of that. Just to know that we are airing the ball out a little bit and running it at the same time, feels good that we can stay balanced.

On Michigan State's young offense...
I think we have been doing really well. We are young, but we've played eight games since the season started, and we feel like veterans now. Most of us have played in those games, so we are getting a lot better and feeling more comfortable.

On playing against Minnesota's defense...
We are just going to take what we learned from Iowa and use it against Minnesota because Iowa was really tough and Minnesota will be too. We need to come out physically ready and be ready to hit and be hit.

Junior tight end Charlie Gantt

On how Michigan State will respond to the loss to Iowa...
Just like every week, we have to come out hard at practice and prepare. We just need to work hard, forget about that game and move on. We have Minnesota this week and four games left; we can still make a good run this season and go to a bowl game.

On Minnesota's defense...
Minnesota has a great defense. They are really big up front, they have typical Big Ten linebackers that will come up and hit you in the mouth and they also have speed in the back.

On playing on Minnesota's new field for the first time...
Well I love night games and this past night game was amazing. We are going into their new stadium, which I haven't been to yet, so it's going to be really exciting.

Red-shirt freshman defensive tackle Jerel Worthy

On what the defense is doing differently...
We just have a little nastier attitude lately. We struggled earlier in the year, but have started to buckle down and become better as a unit. Guys are starting to do their jobs a little better and that has worked out for us the last few weeks.

On the defense's plan for Minnesota...
Our defensive plan is the same every week. We want to play fast and we want to attack. We also want to get the offense on their heels and force them to make choices they aren't comfortable making. Play our game, that's pretty much the plan.

On the key to a Spartan victory this weekend...
Minnesota has a big offensive line, so I think the key is to control up front. It all starts at the front and ends in the back end. So, if we get a pass or stop the run, it makes the guys behind us jobs a little easier.

On Michigan State's progress...
I think we are becoming closer as a unit; we always hang out outside of football. Getting to know each other off the field builds trust and friendships that we can use on the field.

Senior cornerback Ross Weaver

On Michigan State's response to the loss against Iowa...
Our response is to keep moving forward. We are going to come and play our game and not let the past creep up on us. Basically, it's about forgetting the past but remembering how we are capable of playing.

On the atmosphere of a night game...
We were surprised that we were going to play another night game, but playing at night is always exciting. It's at Minnesota and a lot of us haven't ever played there, so emotions will be high.

On how the team has been preparing this week...
Coach Dantonio has been stressing for us to just have fun. I think that's why both sides of the ball have been making plays, because the team and the coaches have been having fun.

Sophomore tight end Brian Linthicum

On Michigan State leading the Big Ten in passing...
It is really nice to be a part of that. It just shows that we have a good quarterback, good receivers and good linemen giving the quarterback time to throw the ball. I think Kirk and Keith are two of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and that statistics show it.

On last week's hook and lateral play...
That play was pretty awesome; I was pretty excited running down the field. Initially, the crowd was so loud that I thought he was going to take it all the way. So I was little disappointed when he didn't, but I knew it was going to get us at least in field-goal range. I was completely surprised that it worked, just because it seems so simple, but I'm really glad it did.