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ROSE BOWL GAME: MICHIGAN STATE v STANFORDDecember 27, 2013Denicos AllenShilique CalhounPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. (No Microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: As a team we dealt with it well. Our focus is on the game. We're not getting distracted by anything else. We're putting our focus to the game right now and that's really you'll that's on our mind. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I don't think it changes much. We know we got players that step up when we need them, Darren and others are going to step up, so we're looking forward to seeing what they got and I'm pretty confident in 'em and the rest of the defense is pretty confident in them so we're not really worried about with which. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: It's important but we have Elsworth back there who is a senior and also been there with us the whole time. He's been a little behind the scenes but he's been there, he's been in that position learning so, you know, I'm pretty confident in him. He's a play maker, also, so I'm lack forward to seeing him out there. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah, I think so. You know, I feel like this is a Wisconsin‑type team. They're physical, they pride themselves on toughness and we pride ourselves on toughness and that's the big thing going into this game. Feel like the toughest team is going to win. They do what they do and we do what we do. We don't go outside of our tendencies, they don't go outside of their tendencies, so it's a great, perfect match‑up. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I talked to him before, I talked to him. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I mean, I mean, he's good but I would rather not talk about his business. I didn't talk to him about that. I just knew what he was here for. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: You got to win up front. You know, we gotta stop the run. It's like a big thing for the team who rushes for the most yards most likely it gonna win. That's what we got to go out and do, stop the run. That's what they love to do, that's their type of game and that's our type of game. Our offense, they just got to go out and continue to play like they've been playing the last few weeks of the season. If they go out and do that and we go out and play like we've been playing I don't see a problem at the end of this game. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: No, I mean, our legacy is still the same. We want to be the last team to win a Rose Bowl. As a senior class and the 2013 team we want to be the team that put Michigan State back on the BCS stage and we got a few more days to make that happen. So right now we're preparing well and trying to stay focused on the game and doing whatever we need to do to, come game day, be ready. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Excuse me? Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Well, it's definitely a big change, you know, coming from an ice storm to nice palm trees and nice weather, it's amazing, the change. I got off the plane yesterday thinking it's going to be cold because I'm used to getting off the plane in Wisconsin, Indiana, ready to be cold and it's like, woo I'm here! It's great. The people are friendly, they have been showin' a lot of love here. It's a great atmosphere. I'm starting to feel the whole Rose Bowl feeling and it's just a great opportunity to be here. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: We have one guy from California. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Fou Fonoti. Q. (No Microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: He said it was nice weather. That's all we cared about, we was just trying to get out of Michigan. The weather was what everyone was look forward to. I bought a new pair of shorts so I came ready! Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I mean, they pride themselves on the running game, so that's obviously our first, you know, concern. But he's a good player. He creates plays. You can never not worry about the quarterback, because obviously he's the leader of the team and he makes everything happen. He's a concern for us, everybody quarterback we play is a concern for us. We go spew the game with a plan on stopping them, stopping them from creating plays, stopping them from making the big plays out there. He's a good player. They have a good offense, a good system so we can just prepare as well as we can and go in and try to shut it down. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Spartan dogs. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yes, sir. Q. Where did that come from? DENICOS ALLEN: That's been the case for a long time. Our coach, Harlon Barnett, back when he played in the Rose Bowl they were the Spartan dogs. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Just our chemistry. We got a great senior class on defense. We got a lot of seniors that step up and get the young guys on board and get us all clickin' on the same page. We got a chip on our shoulder. We all came into Michigan State and we maybe weren't as high quality players but we are hungry and we all want to be successful. I think we share that in common. You don't find that on teams around the nation so I think it's a special thing we got here on this defense. You know, the bond that we have, the leadership we have, and at every position, you know, we've got a guy to be a leader on this team, the captain of this team, that's big for defense. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I love his style, his schemes and the way he mixes up blitzes and he keeps it simple. Yes, sir. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I blitz a lot! I think I blitz the most on the team. It's great. I love it. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Coach Narduzzi? Anything, really. We get a sack from 10 yards and have an MA, and he will be upset about the MA. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: "Missed assignment." He's very strict. He wants perfection. If you make a good play, do something good, okay, it could have been better. He wants to dominate and I love that attitude about him. Every game that we have had we have been pretty good throughout the year and I can count every game that he's come into the locker room and told us it's not good enough. So it's his mentality and his attitude toward the game. Not being satisfied with how we played, not being content. He wants us to get better and he knows we can. He pushes us to the limit and that's why I love his style. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah, now we look back at it, being at the Rose Bowl at the end of the season we look back like, man, if we wouldn't have had some calls we could have been playing in a national championship. That hasn't happened to Michigan State for a long time, way longer than us being to the Rose Bowl, but, you know, it happened. There is nothing we can do about it now. We're here at the Rose Bowl. We're fine with being here. It would be great to be in a national championship, though, but the Rose Bowl is the granddaddy of 'em all, you know? Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah, we faced a couple of teams like that in Northwestern, Nebraska, they're on and off like that. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah, most of the teams, yes. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Another Big Ten team, feel like we playin' Wisconsin or something like that, put all the linemen in there and go at it. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Just looks like a bunch of big guys I gotta get by. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Wisconsin actually did that, so it's exactly like we're playing Wisconsin. Every time we play Wisconsin it's a grudge match. We're both physical, we both get after it. I feel like this is the exact same type thing. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Not really. It's mainly about my experience here and stuff. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Pretty interesting. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah. I mean, we practiced for a week before we came, and we practiced, I think, every day here. Practiced yesterday. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah, I heard it was real good. Thought I would check that out. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah? They go to Disneyland every year? Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Okay. I seen another amusement park going to Disneyland, closer to here. Is there another amusement park around here? Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I think that's what it is. Is there like a bunch of rides and stuff? Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: I think we're going to Venice Beach. I don't know. That's all I know. I just came here to enjoy the nice weather and to beat Stanford! I'm looking forward to the beach. Haven't been on the beach for a long time. Like 2003. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yep, senior year. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: We have other people that's going to step up. Kyler Elsworth, he's a great player. I'm pretty confident that he can get the job done. Him and Darien Harris, they're competitors. They have been putting extra time in the film room and after every practice they go and watch film immediately so they're going to be prepared just as well. We're not really worried about that. It's a critical part of our defense gone but we have players on this team that will step up and that's what makes us such a good team. We got players that can step up in critical situations and that's what we need right now. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Yeah, I talked to him, I talked to him before. I talked to him the day we got here, the day we found out. He was bummed, but, we gotta stay focused. Q. (No microphone.) DENICOS ALLEN: Well, they haven't played a team like us before. So they usually don't play teams that play downhill like us, that get to the ball like us. I feel like we, you know, provide a different view of the game, a different aspect of the game that they never seen. They run the ball, just like Wisconsin. I feel like we're playing Wisconsin right now. They pride themselves on running and we pride ourselves on stopping the run so it will be an interesting match‑up. SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I'm is that leak, it's great. It's California, it's a great opportunity for this program and it's a great way for me to show case my talents. I'm trying to slow down the minutes that I'm here because it's flying by so fast. It is great, the weather is sunny, I'm having a good time, my brothers and I are getting out there and practicing and we're making the most of our time‑out here so I can't complain. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I think since day one I've been at Michigan State I wanted to be first‑team all American. It was one of those goals I set. I jumped into the role as a leader and I wanted to be one of the leaders of the team. In my career I wanted double digit sacks. This season was productive for me and my team but there is a lot more to come, you know I have more time here and I plan on making the most of my next two years here's. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: There were some big guys, man. I came in maybe 218 and these guys are going on 300, 320, going against linemen that are 320 so I think the biggest thing is weightwise, trying to adjust my weight, get up, bulk, get bigger so I can maintain my edge. I felt like it worked well for me, our conditioning coach did a great job with me, coaches that work in the weight room they work with me day in and day out to make sure I was able to gain weight and keep my muscle. You want to be tone so I would say that that was the biggest change, trying to gain weight and be able to adjust my body but carry the weight. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Yeah, that was the big eggs thing, it was like, gain weight but don't lose speed trying to gain weight. We don't want you to be slower. Working with those guys allowed me to keep my speed. They work with me to make sure that I wasn't getting slower, just stronger. It helped me. It helped me this whole season and it helped me last season to try to establish myself as a defensive end but I would say more this season it helped me working with them and help me understand what I needed to be to be an elite defensive end and be an elite player on this defense. We maintained my speed to make sure it was still there and I didn't lose any of that in the gaining of the weight. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I think that was the turning point of our season. It was one of those "live in the moments" where it was like, wait, we lost, that can't happen! We don't want that feeling again. That's what it was. We came together as a unit and we decide we didn't want to lose anymore. That's not a good feeling. We understood that feeling from last year and we didn't want to have a feeling like that again. We came together and said we need to do this, we need to get together and work as hard as we can and give our all. You only have one opportunity. And also it's a big thing for our seniors and we want to send them out on a big note. Winning as much as we did this season they had a lot of great moments and so did we he and they will leave knowing that they did something here. We established something at Michigan State. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Yeah, I think that was a great game for offense and defense and special teams. It was a time where we weren't playing so well, we stepped up and we weren't playing so well, the offense stepped up and we countered each other and made sure we were both on board and we were going to win that game and I feel like that was a great accomplishment for the program, also, being an undefeated team for two years and Ohio State they're a great team. They were No. 2 when that happened and it's object obvious they're a great team and for us to be able to get over that hump it shows that we have a great team here, also, we can compete with other teams. I mean, winning the Big 10 championship was one of our goals and that was a starting goal so we were happy to accomplish that. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: '88? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Not at all. We're happy to be where we are but we're not satisfied us because, of course, we want to win the Rose Bowl. It's not just playin' in it, our goal is to win the Rose Bowl. We're going to be chase it go forever. Next year we're going for the national championship, there will never be a dull moment where we're like, oh, we did that already, and it's going to be like, hey, listen, we're going to be better every year, how can we do better and how can we be better and coach preaches all the time, you want to be the best, you want to be better, so he's going to push us, as long as he's here you will always see us working as hard as we can and we always strive to be better. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I would say the biggest part is understanding the defensive scheme. I came in as a freshman not knowing much, I was wild, out there, trying to play. Whatever came naturally, now I understand what's happening and now I can put my natural ability to, you know, doing what they want me to do. Other than that, you know, weightwise like I said earlier, it was a key for me. As a freshman I came in 218, I bulked up to 250, that was a big improvement for me. It helped me to establish the run game and the pass rushing game because you need power when you're up against 320, 318, 350 guys so I felt like this was a big thing for me in understand that go and gaining weight. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I'm a sophomore‑‑ I'm a junior for school, sophomore for football. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: You know, I heard that. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Yeah. Thank you. I talked to a couple of guys at the school and they were just discussing it, too, they were like, no, man, your personality is great, and people to want talk to you and I never thought about it but now that I hear that more and more, I'm like, maybe I'll try that out. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: No, that's for sure. How long have you been working with the Rose Bowl? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: How do you like it? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Okay. Yeah, it's nice, man. It's wonderful, my first time so I'm trying to get my best experience. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: New Jersey. I'm on the opposite side, yeah. But it's nice. I'm lovin' it so far, I'm just trying to go sight‑seeing, see everything. I feel like you guys have a lot to offer. I can't see everything I want to. It's too much! But it's fun, I love it. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: That's exactly what I want to do. I gotta figure out where that is at. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Okay, yeah. In‑n'‑out Burger. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: How's that? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Is it really? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Really? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Definitely. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I'll check that out. Definitely. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: How's is goin'? Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Everything is good, sunny, Southern California weather, can't plain. Long way from Michigan. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I mean, this is kinda like finishing our season. So for us to lose the game which I don't expect, it would be a great loss to the team and to the legacy of it. It sours the season when you can't finish strong. I mean, this is the legacy of this season. Winning the Rose Bowl, that's what we want the legacy of this season to be. So for us to not have this game end the way we want it to, it would be a sour taste in our mouth. We would know that we played hard at least. The biggest thing Coach says is "give us your all" and I accept that, and I do that. If we can come out with a win, that would secure our season and help us, you know, finish out our legacy, definitely. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I mean, trying to get a smiley face, know that he's not going to do any tricky moves, not a running back playing quarterback. When you understand he's not moving like Braxton Miller, even. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: He's a mobile guy so I'm not going to throw words out that I didn't know, then I'll bite my words but he's a stationery man so I would say for any defensive end, it's like Christmas. It's gift‑wrapped for me. It's perfect, he's not going to do anything too edgy, wrap him up and tackle them, if I can get past the tackle or the guards he will be there waiting for me and my job is done. I would say it's like Christmas, you understand it's gift‑wrapped for you and all you got to do is get through the wrappings and you're there, you got the present. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I would say that, you know, he is‑‑ he's the same in our eyes. He's a great figure for this team. He makes a lot of plays. He's a great player. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I would say that it's a great loss for us. As Coach said when we met in the meeting room, Coach Tressel coaches up all the line backers and he's talking to everybody so we have guys that can fill in and take that role. It has happened this season. We trust in these guys and we know they're going to do to help this team and help us win this game. It's a great loss, no one is going to replace him because he is who he is, you know? But we have guys that are going to fill in and give it their all and give their best so that we can win the game. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Yeah. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Definitely. Thinking back, I feel like‑‑ sometimes I forget the teams that we played. They're like, last week, and I'm like, "last week? Who did we play last week?" Because the time flies by. You don't understand how quickly it goes by and there is a lot to learn every week about each opponent so you forget‑‑ not forget but more so you let it slip your mind, how you played last week, how you did, who you played, but I remember the touchdowns, those will be the highlights of my career here at Michigan State. And we were able to celebrate with a win, also, so you can't go wrong with that. But I would say it definitely feels like forever ago. It's like that happened years ago, back when I was a freshman I caught three touchdowns, but it feels like so long ago, but it was the highlight of my career here. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I would say that you have to give it all each play because you never know what can happen. I didn't make a tackle and force a fumble, it just happened and I kept working hard to get back there. Marcus forced the fumble and I happened to be right around the ball to pick it up. As long as I kept workin' hard. Other than that as a team, we were going to bounce back and keep fighting to the end. We have a lot of spirit and talented players and the biggest thing is to keep fightin'. Don't ever hold your head down thinking it's over because you never know what can happen. The biggest thing is to give it your all. We always stick together. In the tough times. There were times when people didn't believe our offense would get workin' and as time progressed, the offense started kickin' up and started doing what they needed to do to help us win games. So always work hard and keep your head held high. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I would say it toughens the team up. Going through the bumpy roads, you need that to mold your team, get your team structured together and see if they'll stick together in tough times. I feel like that's what we've done over the season, stuck together. Even when things weren't going so right, we had faith it was going to happen. We're going to get better, we're going to work harder and do what we need to do in practice each day to get better. I feel like coming into this game and working as hard as we did this season, having those up's and down's, it molded us together to work harder in this game. It's the last one to end out season, send the seniors out prior to, it motivated us to be that tough Michigan State defense and offense that we are. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Not at all. I'm grateful that people see me and they put me in comparison with those guys, I would say that I'm not even as good as those guys but I'm happy that people look at me and they say he can live up to those expectations. I wouldn't say that there is one guy that I model myself after. I try to take bits and pieces from each player because each one has something different to offer. It doesn't matter your weight or size, it depends on how you can work the move and what you can do with what they're doing. There is a lot of guys I watch, Justin Tugs, Clay Matthews...its a variation. Once you put it down, you're looking at any guy that you can craft your game after and what you can teach yourselves to make yourself better. I'm happy that they definitely see me as, you know, a comparison to those guys but there is no one person I model my game after. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Not at all. I love this university, I love playin' with these guys, I love Coach Narduzzi. I love coach Dantonio. I would never regret my decision to come here and get my degree. People can never take a degree away from you. They can take football away from you, you're not going to be in it for long, you can get injured, anything, but I feel like they can never take your degree so coming back to get that, I would never regret that, ever. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I feel the same exact way. We have to have guys that step up. There are guys in the meeting room that like you said, they're not just talking to Max, Coach is not just talking to Max, he's talking to everyone in that meeting room. This is a greatest for Darren and Tyler, we need him to go off and see how he plays out there at such a big stage. It's going to be great to see how he performs and it's going to show you what he is good at and isn't so good at so I'm definitely excited, I want to see how these guys play and I know they're going to give it their all, that's what we do week in and week out, we want to stay the number one defense in the country, that's our goal. They're going to get out there, play our game, be tough, come down here, strike hard and like I said, he will be missed because he is a big part of our defense but we have guys that are going to step up and do what they need to do. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Of course, of course! I feel like they are two extremely big competitors. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I would say they're very similar. I would say they're similar, you know, it's kind of like all our middle line backers, we mold them all to be the same because they're going to be tough guys. You have to handle adversity, be tough on the run and when you come down, hit someone. When you come down try to knock someone off their feet. Get them off their feet and make the tackle. Coach Narduzzi, wants us to go perfect, it's impossible but he wants us to go perfect. Do your job and do someone else's job, make the tackle, tackle the quarterback, so those guys are going to be great in the game. They're similar and they're going to play their hearts out and they're a bunch of tough guys. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I think the biggest thing that made me come back is my degree. Can't take away a degree once you get that. Once you have that, you're set. We have a "not for long league" you don't know how long you're going to be there. An injury, they cut you from the team, I want to get my degree so I can be established and go forth after that. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: I think the biggest thing is don't focus on anyone else. All you can do is focus on yourself, how can you get better. I don't know what he did during the season. I just focus on what I can do, how can I affect the team in a positive way. Q. (No microphone.) SHILIQUE CALHOUN: Definitely. We have a great group of guys who are athletic and they're going to do their job, create plays for me and themselves. I'm not afraid, if people double me, I expect my tackles to have two sacks at a time.  FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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