CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: PITT VS MICHIGAN STATE

December 30, 2021

Jayden Reed

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Michigan State Spartans

Press Conference

Michigan State - 31, Pitt - 21

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Jayden Reed.

Q. Could you walk us through that last touchdown drive you guys had? What did you see from Payton, and going into that final play, the touchdown catch, was the call, kind of your mindset going after that ball (indiscernible)?

JAYDEN REED: I love 50/50 balls because I believe they're 100 percent balls coming towards my way. And Payton Thorne threw a great ball. He gave me opportunity to put it somewhere where I could make a play. And that's how it happened.

Q. The other day you said you wouldn't talk about whether you would come back next year until after the game. It's after the game. I wanted to ask you if you had made up your mind yet?

JAYDEN REED: I still don't have an answer at this moment.

Q. For you overall, how is the season, what is it like to cap this year with the performance you had tonight. You (indiscernible) injury late, and just the overall effort you put in this year offensively?

JAYDEN REED: It's been a great season. It's always a great season to get 11 wins. I feel like I've heard that we made history or something, the sixth team or something like that to get 11 wins in the season at Michigan State. So that's a huge accomplishment to make as a program.

Q. Payton was in here saying you were in his ear in the sideline all throughout the night, especially early on when he may not have been playing as well. What were you saying to him and what were you seeing from him when he wasn't playing as well early?

JAYDEN REED: Something I do as always. I want to be a big brother to him as I always do when things aren't going his way. Because I know he's a really good player. I was trying my best to make sure he wasn't getting discouraged or anything like that. I was picking his head up when it was down.

Obviously things changed. He got his head straight. And he made plays when we needed him.

Q. Is tonight the kind of night that you had kind of envisioned when you transferred from Western? And what does it feel for you to be named offensive MVP of a New Year's Six bowl?

JAYDEN REED: It's a blessing. Who would have thought I would be in this position today? I give all glory to God, my family that supported everything. And I trusted all my decisions I made coming up to this point.

I want to thank the coaches, everybody, the whole program, support staff, the university for allowing me to go to school there and earn my degree. I'm just accomplishing all my dreams. And I can only thank God for that.

Q. When you're making this decision, because it's obviously a big one, how much do you put a factor into what you've done on the field, what more you can accomplish, and as well having maybe one more year with Payton with the connection you guys have shown this year?

JAYDEN REED: No doubt. What I do, what I always do when I make decisions, I make a pros and cons list. Everything that is going to come down to, you know what I'm saying? And I really go with my gut for the most part.

I look at the facts, what's really out there for me, you know what I'm saying? And I just go with the flow. To be honest, I haven't missed yet. So trusting God and everything like that, I know I'll make the right decision.

Q. How fitting do you think it is, the performance you guys had tonight, down by 11 in the fourth quarter, given the season overall when most people weren't expecting you guys to accomplish much, and you go on to win 11 games and a New Year's Six?

JAYDEN REED: Yeah, that's what always happens when odds are against you. We had a chip on our shoulder since last season, the last game, when we played Penn State, with the COVID year and everything like that. That was a tough year.

So new coaching staff and everything. We never really had a full year to get under our belt to actually develop as a whole unit.

So we had a chip on our shoulder from winter conditioning. Everybody worked their tails off. I knew from that point that we were going to have a really good team because everybody was bought into the coaches that Coach Tuck was bringing in.

I felt the family more on the team, you know what I'm saying? I looked at them more as family. I was closer to many more teammates than I've ever been on any team. So from that standpoint that's when I knew that this team was going to be really good.