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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 20, 2018

Mark Dantonio

East Lansing, Michigan

HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: First of all, just looking back to last Saturday, obviously disappointing, disappointing loss. I thought that we'd come ready to play, once again.

Great environment out there. Great venue. It's amazing, 90,000 fans at 11 o'clock in the morning, pretty impressive. But a great environment. I thought our players played with a lot of energy and a lot of focus, but you've got to come away with a win in that kind of situation. Still, it's an opportunity to win seven, so we'll move forward.

When I look at this past weekend, you look at execution in certain areas, played outstanding on defense, obviously, but then execution needs to -- too many dropped passes, too many different things going on on the offensive side of the ball. Missed a couple cuts, things of that nature. I thought penalties, a couple crucial penalties in the game obviously hurt us and provided opportunities for them, whether taking points off the board for us or putting them in a position to get their field goals.

So right now, what I'm looking for is a response, a response from our players, coaches, our staff, people that are involved, and you know, when you get knocked down, you get back up, and that's the message of this football game, of the game of football, not easy. I've said that many times coming in here, it's not easy. You put a 320-pound guy on your nose and ask him to move him or ask him to get a pass rush or whatever it is on either side of the ball, you've got to be able to do those things and that comes with intensity.

So we're looking for a response. Our players have come to play every single weekend. They have been excited. Chemistry is good, and we'll come to play. Sometimes when you're facing difficult situations, you've got to move it forward and we will do that.

But it's an opportunity to win seven, as I said. Again, you look at Nebraska and what they were able to do just from a fan support standpoint, so looking for fans this weekend to come out.

We've had 50,000 fans there at a spring game. I don't ask for much times. I just keep moving in the direction forward, but you know, this is a moment for our seniors. It's Senior Day. I think our seniors really have experienced everything.

They have experienced championship moments, winning a Big 10 Championship, going to the playoff games. They have also experienced a tough 2016 followed by a ten-win season. So it's an opportunity to say good-bye to them and have a positive experience there.

Rutgers. Rutgers comes in an improved football team. I don't really look at their record as much as I look at their players and what they have been able to accomplish. They have a couple different quarterbacks playing a little bit. They have a your freshman playing in Sitkowski, and Rescigno is the fifth-year senior that has sort of played a lot lately, as well.

But three good running backs, experienced offensive line. They are young at the receiver core. Defensively, improved defensively. I think they are playing well in the back end in the secondary. A couple linebackers that will thump you. As I said, an improved football team from what I feel, when I look at them from the past year.

So with that, I'll take some questions and we'll move it forward.

Q. You had realistic, big expectations coming into this year after a ten-win season, but injuries have tested depth and revealed youth. You were a young team, last year, too. Do you feel you overachieved last year a bit, you underachieved this year, or both or neither?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I think when you have a great football team and you succeed, 13-1 at the Rose Bowl, or 12-2 in '15 or whatever it is, you over achieve. I think you have to overachieve. When you have great years, that's part of it.

I do think that you need to be fortunate from an injury standpoint. As I said, we're on our fourth punter. I mean, that's unheard of. We've got basically two players on our entire offense who have not missed games. We've gone through it in that respect, but there are other opportunities.

I think, also, every single game, if you look at it, we're right there. We're right there with an opportunity to win and I think that's what's probably frustrating to most. It's frustrating to the coaches. It's frustrating to most fans, I'm sure, because you can look and you can say, if we would have just done that, in that situation, you have a chance to win.

When you look at the Ohio State game, even the Michigan game, it's 7-7 there. So you are looking at very small margin of errors, but that's what we had last year when we won ten games. There were margins of error that were small, but still, we made it. We crossed the hump there.

So last year, we win a game 14-10 at Michigan. You win a game, I think 19-10, or what was it, it was 16-9. You win a game 17-10. You're winning close football games. This year, that hasn't happened. I think it's the inconsistencies on our offense of timing. A lot of it's timing. You have to have timing with your quarterback and your receivers and your offensive line. You know, there's a reason a guy is No. 1 and another guy is No. 2 to be quite honest with you. It is sort of what it is. You just keep playing.

I think we've been competitive. And I've always looked at things, is the glass half-empty or is it half-full. Our defense is a top-20 defense I think in scoring defense, third down defense, total defense. I think we are No. 1 in the nation against the run, and I think that we're No. 1 in the Big 10 in terms of red zone touchdowns given up.

So we're playing well on that side of the ball and that side's got to carry us a little bit. That's just the facts. But we'll keep pushing. Like I said, I've always looked at -- I know this is a long answer, but hey, I've got time today.

But I look at it, as a whole, our program as a whole, and I ask ourselves: What kind of chemistry do we have, what are we doing in school, highest grade point average that we've ever had. What are we doing on the field. Opportunity to win. Still won six games right now. Want to win seven. Want to win eight. You know, what are we doing off the field in terms of how we're handling ourselves and in the community and are we working, and what are we doing, like I said, automatically -- I guess sort of said that.

So I have to look at things as a whole there and judge our program's attitude. Not success, attitude, in that respect and that's what I always try and do and I always try and keep things in perspective, because it's tough. These jobs are tough, and you have to be able to keep things in perspective in order to get better. If you don't, you send people south.

My job is to keep people heading this way. I think that's what we'll do.

Q. Since you came 12 years ago, you've educated the fan base that football is a game of inches and you have to look for hidden yardage. Another area is you've talked about is punt being the most important play in the game. You've not hesitated when Shakur fumbled, and he hasn't seen the field as a punt returner since.
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Yeah.

Q. But consistently, for multiple games, punts are being allowed to roll and you're losing unbelievable amounts of yardage. Because Brandon hasn't been benched, that tells us you're allowing it. Why is it that that's allowed and how do you fix that?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Well, first of all, I don't know if it's the greenhouse effect or whatever, but we've had unbelievable winds in every single game we've had: Weather, winds, snow, rain, everything. We put two returners back there at times. We put one returner back there at times.

Brandon, it's very difficult, if you've ever taken a ball off a JUGS machine, you know how difficult it is to catch a punt and you've got to be able to judge it. He does a good job of judging it. You're seeing it over-use -- not an over-use. You're seeing an explosion of rugby-style punters from Australia. Their punts go from over here to over there to straight on, based on where you're at in a lot of respects.

So you're not seeing as many punt returns across the country as you have in the past. You have gunners running -- we call them gunners but people running down on the outside that's got to be held up. So you're seeing people pressure our returners.

They have put the ball down inside the 10. That's a tough one. Nebraska did it twice on Saturday. You know, William, our punter, we're just getting it up and out. But there's a method to that and there's a technique to that, and people grow to that.

But you know, a lot of those type of things are, can we hold up the people coming down. You don't want to catch the ball inside the 10. He could have caught one, but that ball was over his head.

And I've always told those guys -- and that's me -- I always told them, the most important thing about our punt return game is: No fakes, absolutely no fakes. No penalties, and we almost jumped off-sides on fourth and four. No penalties, because that sets you back an additional 15 yards or gives them a first down; and get the ball back. Get the ball back.

So we're trying to fix it with the ten-yard rule but sometimes you have to give them credit, too. They have players on scholarship and they have a plan, too.

I remember Mike Sadler when he was here, he put 20 punts down inside the 10, and nobody had an answer for it. So sometimes the punt is going to die inside the 10, and they had two and Ohio State had five. You know, congratulations to them, but I don't think that's at norm. We need to be able to return punts and get a guy. I thought Shak maybe had something but you can't put a guy in and turn the ball over.

It's a very -- it's taken for granted, but it's a very precarious situation when you're in front of 70,000 people catching a ball hanging up in the clouds and especially in the wind. And the wind factors; I guess going back to what I tell them, if you don't get your feet square, if you don't get your shoulders square, and you're not at a stationary position to catch the ball, okay, don't try and catch it on the run over your shoulder. It's too difficult. That's what we told them.

So that's on me maybe. But I do believe that we're coaching it -- not allowing it, coaching it. But there is risk and reward there.

Q. On that note, Brandon was not listed on your Senior Day -- is he planning on applying for a sixth year to come back?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Yes, he is planning on applying for a sixth year and that should work out.

Q. For your senior class, their last year has a lot to do with your legacy. What is the legacy for these guys who have been part of the highs and lows?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I think college football in general is about life experiences. You're going to have some good life experiences and you're going to have some bad ones, I'm sure and that goes with everybody's experiences.

I think their legacy is hopefully they have experienced growth as a person, and that growth will make them stronger individuals as they grow older, if they have been to the height of basically college football and Big Ten, having won a championship here.

Some of our fifth-year seniors experienced the first Cotton Bowl and everything that went along with that. They experienced a 3-9 season, and they understand how quick (snapping fingers) things can flip on you, some other off the field can shake you to your core. And then they experienced an opportunity to get up off the matt, win ten games last year and a Bowl game, and I thought we had a very good year last year with a lot of players coming back.

Now they have experienced an, oh, it's about the inches, or it's about, you know, the smallest of things or injuries or people or whatever it is, all the different factors that go into that.

But this year is not done yet. I do believe that this year will still be a success. I firmly believe that it will be a success. We'll make it a success; the way we handle things and the way we handle problems.

Q. I know we talked about it after the game, but now after you were able to review the film, and with your desire to be a team that runs the ball well, have you looked back and thought, you ran for 141 yards through three quarters, and then kind of went away from it in the fourth, did you wish maybe there was a little different approach offensively now that you've had a chance to go back?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I wish for a lot of things. They don't come true. I can't turn the clock back.

I sit there and say, you know, usually, I've said on occasion, I've said, hey, we've got two downs here; we've got two downs here, run it. But on third down, on the last third down, I was busy trying to figure out, can he make the field goal from that depth.

And so, we didn't know whether we were going to go up for it on fourth down or not go for it on fourth down, because I didn't have an answer on that; the answer was slow and coming. So with third and four, it's a high percentage pass down for most teams, and so we throw it, and it was dropped. I mean, it was -- you know, it was dropped, so execution.

But yeah, when you look back at it, you look at things like that and say, wish we could have done this and wish we could have done that. But you know, I don't have an answer for you. I wish, yeah. I'm not counting -- I'm not counting in that point in time. I'm trying to listen and move the football and do everything I can do on this side as a head coach to try and give our players an opportunity to win.

So we had some drops. I think we make those catches, I don't think we're talking about it.

Q. The defense has played so well this year but if you look at the stats and numbers objectively, they are getting out-scored 94-42 in the fourth quarter and that's something you guys always point to, but how much is that the offense just not sustaining drives in the fourth quarter?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: First of all, I thought when you look at Nebraska and what transpired in that football game, which hopefully we are going to start talking about Rutgers, but hey, that's what it is.

They made a decision at the beginning of the second half to kick into the wind and play defense against the wind in the third quarter.

And so conversely, they got the wind in the fourth, and the wind, if you guys were there, you were probably snuggled up there in the press box with some hot chocolate.

But down on the field, the wind was blowing sideways, and it was cold, 11-degree wind chill, a lot of things going on, big crowd, loud crowd, energetic crowd, great music between every series -- you like that one, Fred? (Laughter).

But great environment, so, you know, tough. Got down there and had an opportunity in the second quarter against the wind and penalty moved us back and so we lost three points there.

Yeah, you know, you can look at all kinds of things, kicking the ball out of bounds, putting the ball on the 35 with a penalty, a composure penalty, puts the ball on the 50 and now they are starting from the 50. Get a switch route and we blow one coverage. They have one play over 20 yards. Switch routes, puts the ball down there and they are kicking a field goal.

Come back the next series, I believe, and again, much like the Ohio State game, things just happen boom, boom. Come back after that series and we miss the blitzing linebacker. Should be picked up. It's built in to be picked up; execution. He hits the guy flush, ball goes out, they get the ball, go down to our three, we hold them again. We stop them. Field goal. 6-6.

And then, I can't remember the third one. I think drove down. They hit a little choice route outside, and then he drove down a built and hit a 47-yarder where the ball went in, went out, went in, with the wind, if you watch the ball. It's a scientific phenomena, okay. But I'm rolling with it, you can see.

So anyway, yeah, I can't turn back the clock. We can't turn back the clock. All we can do is go forward. Life is going to present problems to all of us in our ways of life, and I know I'm being philosophical, but along the way, you find a way to correct things and to move forward.

Along the way, you just get back up and you just keep going and that's what I've tried to do and that's what our players have tried to do.

I think you can not say that we've ever come out flat and we haven't been prepared to play, and that's what I said when I talked to our players. I said, hey, the wolf is at the door. You know, we're looking for a response. Get yourself ready and that's what we will do.

Q. Will Felton Davis take part in Senior Day? Is he around?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Yeah, he's here. He's here.

Q. He'll be a part of it then Saturday?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Yes.

Q. What will be your mixed emotions as he comes out there?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Well, wish he had another year left. He was an outstanding player for us. He's been an outstanding leader for us. He speaks to football ending for someone very, very quickly like that, how things can change in your life very quickly and about not taking things for granted and pressing forward, so he speaks to that.

I also think that he got himself ready to play and he was very positive. He was a very positive leader for us throughout his time playing, and he remained positive. His message to our football team on our Friday night video last week was emotional, was strong, very strong.

Q. In your math I can years, you've had, I won't call it luck but incredible good fortunate to have a lot of injuries and this year it's been incredible. Sometimes injuries are an excuse and sometimes they are a reason you don't live up to expectations. Is it fair to say that in this year's case so far, it's been a reason?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I don't know that we've lost these games because of injuries. But I also don't know that we couldn't have played better. You know, had we not had them, we could have played better.

We could have played more consistently. I just think that's the way it's gone, you know. You know, we've got our quarterback situation with I think Brian injured, lost confidence some. I don't know if you guys noticed it but the social media out there is vicious, okay, and it can destroy a person to some degree; not destroy, but they can rattle somebody.

So you've got different things going on in that capacity when you ask people to play in timing, on timing. The quarterback position, wide receiver position, is so much I think on timing, route running, separation, things of that nature.

I just think that, yeah, injuries have entered into it. I think Jay Hartbarger obviously is an outstanding punter. Makes a big difference. I do think we have gotten good punting from the most part for these guys that have punted in the past. I would go through all of them but it would take too long.

I do think we have gotten good punting from them, but there are things, you know, offensive line, same thing. Just it's the game chemistry and timing of an offensive line working together day-in, day-out. We've had a lot of different pieces in there.

Q. Would you mind sharing what Felton said to the team in that video that you said was emotional?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: He talked about how things can change on him quickly, just what he experienced and about how -- the need to play and sort of respect; the respect of being able to play the game, and how things can turn on you and it can be taken away from you very quickly. And he pressed a little bit on their competitive emotions.

Q. The other thing, you've got Rutgers at the end here. You used to have Penn State in this game all the time. It's Rutgers and Maryland next year and a few years you end with Purdue, Indiana, Rutgers, Maryland. Some of those big games out of November, would you rather have sort of the traditional divisional rivals that you've had, sort of the crescendo at the end of the year, or do you care one way or another?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: You know, some things you can control and some things you can not. We've played Penn State at the end of the year since '95, I believe that was the last game, so you sort of got used to it.

But I think the main thing I want to focus on is do we want to be playing for a championship in our last game and I don't care who it's against. You know, so we'll get ready to play. We played Rutgers last year. It was a huge win for us, huge win.

I think this opportunity will be just as big a win for us, I really do, because it's now, because it's in the present. As I said earlier, they are an improved football team. They have played people tough. They have been in every game, just like last week, they were in the game very much against Penn State. So they will come ready to play.

Q. You mentioned game of inches, but last week, very uncharacteristic of your team, you had multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Was it a culmination of frustration, youth, how the game was being called? How would you explain that?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Two of them, I would say they are honest mistakes, pulling a guy off a pile when there's a penalty. He should know better, but he's pulling a guy up. He's not trying to start a fight or anything like that.

We got one when we were too close to the punt returner when because he bobbled the ball. Now, if he had never bobbled the ball, then it was no penalty. But because he bobbled the ball and he hit him between the bobble, it was a penalty.

And then there's two that are lack of composure. You know, coming out of the end zone, moved the ball back where they subsequently missed a field goal and then the one on the kickoff.

Yeah, they are tangled up in all that kind of stuff. People are jawing at each other, but you can't react. Maybe the other guy took a swing but you can't react, because it cost us, not them.

You know, those are the things that we have to learn, and as I said, you know, you learn the hard way because not only does that impact the football game; that impacts maybe where you go as a team in the Bowl structure. That impact is a long-lasting impact, and our players need to see that and understand that and see that on the video, and they saw it. They visually saw it and heard about it yesterday.

And that's the message to everybody. They are not bad people. They are not bad kids. But we're going to make mistakes, and we're all going to pay for those mistakes. You've just got to continue to educate.

Q. You mentioned Brian and his confidence being chipped away, playing hurt and not being as effective as he would like. How much does that play into the decision on when you send him back out there and maybe not wanting to put him out there when he's not 100 percent and letting him get a chance to get healthy and not struggle again?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I think first of all, playing in that position is a struggle in itself, it really is. Second of all, he'll be able to play when he says he's able to play and he's able to play effectively.

Now is it this week? We'll see, because I think it's a game-to-game thing. And relative to that, I think Rocky Lombardi had his first experience at an away game with a loud, hostile environment when the chips sort of stacked against him a little bit as it came down the stretch.

He had to make plays down the stretch, and I think that's a tremendous learning environment for him. I think he's a competitor. I think he's got great leadership skills and he made plays in the game, as well, so he'll be better this in this matter opportunity out.

Q. Kenny Willekes has really developed. What did you and your staff see in him, and what has it been like to watch him develop?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: You know, when he came here, we couldn't decide whether to use him at the F position or linebacker position. We had him at linebacker, and then as he was red-shirted that first year we put him at defensive end a little bit.

What you see in him is relentlessness: Relentless attitude, effort, toughness and it rubs off on everybody else, and I think that's the best thing you could say about him.

Q. We've talked so much about your quarterback situation. Rutgers is in a similar situation where they are in-between quarterbacks. How do you prepare for that when you do have two guys to prepare for on the other side?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I think we look at everything that they do and ask, does their offense change, regardless of who is the quarterback, and even if it doesn't change, what do they do a little bit more when so-and-so is the quarterback. Like Rescigno probably scrambles a little bit more than Sitkowski, or something to that effect.

I think they are going to play the guy that gives them the best chance to win, and that's what they are going to do. I've been impressed with their running backs. Blackshear is a dynamic receiver, two leads, rushing and receiving. Playing better on the defensive side of the ball.

Again, they are an improved football team. I would not play into what their record is right now. They are an improved football team, and it should be recognized that Coach Ash, I believe, got an extension, I believe, and should be congratulated for that.

Q. You talked about Felton. I'm wondering about Tyson Smith and what impact he's been able to have behind the scenes this year. You mentioned that at least initially you wanted to let him touch multiple aspects of the program sort of behind the scenes, wondering what he's been able to do this year and your memory of him as he moves on?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: Tyson played for us as a true freshman in the 2015 season, and you know, was what I considered a starting defensive back corner here. He regained his health and was able to play last year and had a big first game and played in the season when he was injured a little bit.

What he's doing now, is he's worked in the secondary and he's concentrating on his graduation, and then after that, if he still has not graduated next year, which I believe could be the case because he's four years in, that he would start to touch other aspects and be a little bit more of a student assistant.

Right now he is a student assistant but we allow him to sort of work within the team. You know, not, saying, hey, you're a coach over here. I think he's had a great experience and there's always strength through adversity and I see that strength in him daily. He's been a very, very positive person for us, and energetic guy for us on the field.

Q. Does he want to be a coach?
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO: I said if he wants to. I told him it's tough. I told him, a lot of things you've got to deal with, but that's what he wants to do. It's what he says he wants to do.

You guys good? Thank you.

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