Postgame Quotes: Indiana vs. Michigan State
11/14/2020 6:15:00 PM | Football
Indiana vs. Michigan State
Nov. 14, 2020
Postgame Quotes
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen
Opening Statement
"I am just really proud of our team. Coming on the road with a lot of distractions this week, a lot of things that you have to deal with and learn how to stay locked in and focused in this environment that we are in, and with the success we are starting to have and everything. I am just really proud of our guys to come here, it has been a tough place for us to win over the years, and to get a shutout here is pretty special. That does not happen very often and to get our fifth Big Ten win in a row, fourth of the season, it is a pretty awesome thing. I am proud of our staff. I still thought it was ugly. I thought we were sloppy and did not execute well enough, especially on offense and had some special teams' mistakes, missed a field goal for the first time this year. Defense held them to 200 yards and four takeaways, which continued to be gamechangers for us, three more picks. I am just really proud of our guys. I mean that is just how you win football games and you got to go on the road and win some ugly ones sometimes. Especially how the game started, I thought we kind of put ourselves in a tough spot, but our guys bounced back, they got a 14-point lead and then never looked back, so I am proud of this team. Big road win. Go Hoosiers."
Q. On what the win means…
"We came up with goals and one of the major things the guys wanted was win our trophy games and so that is what we did, we won our first trophy game. We have not beaten them since I have been the head coach here and you know the history, we have not beaten them very often, recently. First time winning here in East Lansing in 19 years, so continuing a whole long list of things they gave me of firsts, or tied this, or tied that, or firsts time since this, you know just continuing to make history here and it is a big win. It is a big win on the road and such a devastating loss a year ago coming here, but I will tell you what, I think that was a real defining moment in our program. The way the players responded, the way I challenged them the rest of that game and kind of where we have gone since then has been pretty amazing. A lot of respect to Coach Mel Tucker and their team. Their kids fought hard, they are big physical players and I talked to several of them after the game, a lot of respect for how hard they play and how tough they hard and I love being able to compete and fight, claw, and scratch, and then shake a guy's hand and give respect and the respect is given back. That is pretty cool. It was a good day."
Q. On what changed since playing MSU last year…
"I think it is significant, that was a tough loss. Here is the thing that I think really sticks out to me about that, I was trying to convince them that we were a really good team because I thought we were, even though we fell short, we did not finish and I knew were we getting frustrated and did not win, we were close again. That is just what prompted me to respond the way I did in the locker room after the game and in the press conference because I knew that team in that locker room was a really good football team, but we had not proved it on the field, so it did not really matter what it think. The players responded and it was really the beginning of the Maryland game that I have always pointed too to say that was the game when we physically finished and won on the road and then starting winning after that, but it was this loss in East Lansing, I thought a year ago, that really was the catalyst to help this team realize if we can just stay the course and just keep believing, and keep fighting, and keep demonstrating tremendous grit, and relentless mindset that we are going to figure this out and it is going to come together. I talked to one of our players afterwards, and he has been here a long time, and that was kind of his response, he was impressed with what you guys have done here in the last several years. He was very complimentary of how our kids play and where we have taken this program. It is something that you have to know what it is about, proving it on the field, and so a year ago this time, a lot was left out there. Now you feel a whole lot different about where we are and where we headed."
Q. On Ty Fryfogle's impact…
"They are big plays in the game, for sure, but they are. He is a big, strong guy. We got a lot of good size receivers that can to be able to go up and use their mass and use their catch radius to make plays and he is a tough kid. He loves football, he loves to work, never says much, I mean he does not talk hardly at all but he just makes plays and like you said tough, contested catches, tough runs, just grit, toughness, fight and that is our program. To me that is an awesome thing and the team is full of guys like him and it is neat to see a kid come from South Mississippi believe in us, come all the way up here and be rewarded with great opportunities and now being a part of a football team that is doing special things, that are historic. That is a message to a whole bunch of other guys that are in the country and want to come be a part of what we are building in Indiana, whatever state you ae from, we do not care, I just want guys to who want to be here and I want guys that believe in us and want to work, want to commit, be disciplined, and buy into the L.E.O. culture, and he is one of them."
Q. On concerns on the offensive line coming in…
"First of all, Caleb Jones was not active today, so that is all I am going to say about that. Bottom line is that I thought Luke Haggard did a great job and it is a concern. Mike Katic is still out and so next man up, and Luke came here to play, came here to compete and have opportunities, and now he has got one, so bottom line is that that's how we have to approach this every single time we take the field, whatever position it is, the guys got to realize that if the guy in front of you goes down and cannot play then now it is your time so what are you going to do with that opportunity."
Indiana Player Quotes
Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback
Q. On winning the Old Brass Spittoon…
"We held it. It was actually in our locker room. But it was amazing, we played great on the defensive side and on the offensive side I feel like we left a lot of points on the board. But it was still a team win and we are happy that we got it."
Q. On Ty Fryfogle's big game…
"Ty works extremely hard in practice and that is something that he does every day. It is nothing really new to us. But he comes out and competes all the time, he can see the ball every time it is in the air, and on the deep ball he just made an athletic catch and stayed in bounds, and he took it all the way. He is a great player and great players and make plays."
Q. On Miles Marshall and working the sideline routes…
"That was just all part of the game plan. We saw what they were giving up, so as a team we just took advantage of it. We got out there and they were showing us the same looks, and Coach Nick Sheridan made the right call at the right time. I was able to get the ball out to the receivers and they were able to make plays. That is what it is all about. Just making sure we stay locked in, just make sure we prepare the right way so when we come out here on the game field we actually execute at a high level, and that is what we did today."
Ty Fryfogle, Wide Receiver
Q: On connection with Penix…
"Like I was saying last week, it started in practice and it carried over. We had a great week of practice and it carried over to the game. The coaches made great calls for us. We just executed what they called."
Q: On sending a message nationally…
"It does not matter what everyone says about us. We are going to keep doing us and executing each and every week. That is what is exciting about this team. We are getting better each and every week. Look at the defense. They had a shutout today. Offense, we played well but we could have done better. We are going to continue to work on it next week."
Q: On the drop right before the score…
"I was really upset because I actually had the ball in my hands. Last year, I caught a ball in that same spot and stepped out for the touchdown. That fueled me up for the next play. I am glad that I had the opportunity on the next play to compete for the touchdown."
Micah McFadden, Linebacker
Q: On the defensive statement made…
"It was huge. We definitely did well throughout the entire game. We had a few plays that broke big on us, and we need to clean that up holistically. I think we did a good job at getting them down when we need to and making big stops."
Q: On dominating up front…
"It is a huge deal. Coach Kevin People does a great job getting the defensive line right, making sure the guys are in their gap and holding the line. Also, making sure we do not get any knock back upfronts. It is huge that we are getting that each week. It shows on the film. Our linebackers can run through the holes and make plays in the backfield."
Q: On winning the Old Brass Spittoon…
"It is amazing. I think we definitely expected this. We talked about it all week just dominating this team and putting it on film. And making plays both on offense and defense. I think the defense did a great job creating takeaways and making opportunities for offense to score. We just have to keep doing it."
Tiawan Mullen, Cornerback
Q: On his two interceptions…
"I saw the ball and attacked it. To keep it simple, I saw the ball and attacked it. I was in the right position, had the right technique, and had one the best cornerback coaches in the game, Brandon Shelby. I listened to him and he puts you in the right position to where all you have to do is go out there and execute. That is what I did today."
Q: On playing zone vs. playing man…
"Like Micah McFadden said before, the coaches let us go out and play freely. We play with vision and when they let us do that we have to go out, improvise, make plays and that is what we did."
Q: On playing with a chip on their shoulder against Michigan State…
"Last year we left a lot on the field. We gave up plays that we should not have but this year as a unit we came together and the numbers were 11 strong out there. Once everybody was together, headed in the right direction, nothing could break us. We improvised, played as a unit and the numbers were strong to come out with the win."
Nov. 14, 2020
Postgame Quotes
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen
Opening Statement
"I am just really proud of our team. Coming on the road with a lot of distractions this week, a lot of things that you have to deal with and learn how to stay locked in and focused in this environment that we are in, and with the success we are starting to have and everything. I am just really proud of our guys to come here, it has been a tough place for us to win over the years, and to get a shutout here is pretty special. That does not happen very often and to get our fifth Big Ten win in a row, fourth of the season, it is a pretty awesome thing. I am proud of our staff. I still thought it was ugly. I thought we were sloppy and did not execute well enough, especially on offense and had some special teams' mistakes, missed a field goal for the first time this year. Defense held them to 200 yards and four takeaways, which continued to be gamechangers for us, three more picks. I am just really proud of our guys. I mean that is just how you win football games and you got to go on the road and win some ugly ones sometimes. Especially how the game started, I thought we kind of put ourselves in a tough spot, but our guys bounced back, they got a 14-point lead and then never looked back, so I am proud of this team. Big road win. Go Hoosiers."
Q. On what the win means…
"We came up with goals and one of the major things the guys wanted was win our trophy games and so that is what we did, we won our first trophy game. We have not beaten them since I have been the head coach here and you know the history, we have not beaten them very often, recently. First time winning here in East Lansing in 19 years, so continuing a whole long list of things they gave me of firsts, or tied this, or tied that, or firsts time since this, you know just continuing to make history here and it is a big win. It is a big win on the road and such a devastating loss a year ago coming here, but I will tell you what, I think that was a real defining moment in our program. The way the players responded, the way I challenged them the rest of that game and kind of where we have gone since then has been pretty amazing. A lot of respect to Coach Mel Tucker and their team. Their kids fought hard, they are big physical players and I talked to several of them after the game, a lot of respect for how hard they play and how tough they hard and I love being able to compete and fight, claw, and scratch, and then shake a guy's hand and give respect and the respect is given back. That is pretty cool. It was a good day."
Q. On what changed since playing MSU last year…
"I think it is significant, that was a tough loss. Here is the thing that I think really sticks out to me about that, I was trying to convince them that we were a really good team because I thought we were, even though we fell short, we did not finish and I knew were we getting frustrated and did not win, we were close again. That is just what prompted me to respond the way I did in the locker room after the game and in the press conference because I knew that team in that locker room was a really good football team, but we had not proved it on the field, so it did not really matter what it think. The players responded and it was really the beginning of the Maryland game that I have always pointed too to say that was the game when we physically finished and won on the road and then starting winning after that, but it was this loss in East Lansing, I thought a year ago, that really was the catalyst to help this team realize if we can just stay the course and just keep believing, and keep fighting, and keep demonstrating tremendous grit, and relentless mindset that we are going to figure this out and it is going to come together. I talked to one of our players afterwards, and he has been here a long time, and that was kind of his response, he was impressed with what you guys have done here in the last several years. He was very complimentary of how our kids play and where we have taken this program. It is something that you have to know what it is about, proving it on the field, and so a year ago this time, a lot was left out there. Now you feel a whole lot different about where we are and where we headed."
Q. On Ty Fryfogle's impact…
"They are big plays in the game, for sure, but they are. He is a big, strong guy. We got a lot of good size receivers that can to be able to go up and use their mass and use their catch radius to make plays and he is a tough kid. He loves football, he loves to work, never says much, I mean he does not talk hardly at all but he just makes plays and like you said tough, contested catches, tough runs, just grit, toughness, fight and that is our program. To me that is an awesome thing and the team is full of guys like him and it is neat to see a kid come from South Mississippi believe in us, come all the way up here and be rewarded with great opportunities and now being a part of a football team that is doing special things, that are historic. That is a message to a whole bunch of other guys that are in the country and want to come be a part of what we are building in Indiana, whatever state you ae from, we do not care, I just want guys to who want to be here and I want guys that believe in us and want to work, want to commit, be disciplined, and buy into the L.E.O. culture, and he is one of them."
Q. On concerns on the offensive line coming in…
"First of all, Caleb Jones was not active today, so that is all I am going to say about that. Bottom line is that I thought Luke Haggard did a great job and it is a concern. Mike Katic is still out and so next man up, and Luke came here to play, came here to compete and have opportunities, and now he has got one, so bottom line is that that's how we have to approach this every single time we take the field, whatever position it is, the guys got to realize that if the guy in front of you goes down and cannot play then now it is your time so what are you going to do with that opportunity."
Indiana Player Quotes
Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback
Q. On winning the Old Brass Spittoon…
"We held it. It was actually in our locker room. But it was amazing, we played great on the defensive side and on the offensive side I feel like we left a lot of points on the board. But it was still a team win and we are happy that we got it."
Q. On Ty Fryfogle's big game…
"Ty works extremely hard in practice and that is something that he does every day. It is nothing really new to us. But he comes out and competes all the time, he can see the ball every time it is in the air, and on the deep ball he just made an athletic catch and stayed in bounds, and he took it all the way. He is a great player and great players and make plays."
Q. On Miles Marshall and working the sideline routes…
"That was just all part of the game plan. We saw what they were giving up, so as a team we just took advantage of it. We got out there and they were showing us the same looks, and Coach Nick Sheridan made the right call at the right time. I was able to get the ball out to the receivers and they were able to make plays. That is what it is all about. Just making sure we stay locked in, just make sure we prepare the right way so when we come out here on the game field we actually execute at a high level, and that is what we did today."
Ty Fryfogle, Wide Receiver
Q: On connection with Penix…
"Like I was saying last week, it started in practice and it carried over. We had a great week of practice and it carried over to the game. The coaches made great calls for us. We just executed what they called."
Q: On sending a message nationally…
"It does not matter what everyone says about us. We are going to keep doing us and executing each and every week. That is what is exciting about this team. We are getting better each and every week. Look at the defense. They had a shutout today. Offense, we played well but we could have done better. We are going to continue to work on it next week."
Q: On the drop right before the score…
"I was really upset because I actually had the ball in my hands. Last year, I caught a ball in that same spot and stepped out for the touchdown. That fueled me up for the next play. I am glad that I had the opportunity on the next play to compete for the touchdown."
Micah McFadden, Linebacker
Q: On the defensive statement made…
"It was huge. We definitely did well throughout the entire game. We had a few plays that broke big on us, and we need to clean that up holistically. I think we did a good job at getting them down when we need to and making big stops."
Q: On dominating up front…
"It is a huge deal. Coach Kevin People does a great job getting the defensive line right, making sure the guys are in their gap and holding the line. Also, making sure we do not get any knock back upfronts. It is huge that we are getting that each week. It shows on the film. Our linebackers can run through the holes and make plays in the backfield."
Q: On winning the Old Brass Spittoon…
"It is amazing. I think we definitely expected this. We talked about it all week just dominating this team and putting it on film. And making plays both on offense and defense. I think the defense did a great job creating takeaways and making opportunities for offense to score. We just have to keep doing it."
Tiawan Mullen, Cornerback
Q: On his two interceptions…
"I saw the ball and attacked it. To keep it simple, I saw the ball and attacked it. I was in the right position, had the right technique, and had one the best cornerback coaches in the game, Brandon Shelby. I listened to him and he puts you in the right position to where all you have to do is go out there and execute. That is what I did today."
Q: On playing zone vs. playing man…
"Like Micah McFadden said before, the coaches let us go out and play freely. We play with vision and when they let us do that we have to go out, improvise, make plays and that is what we did."
Q: On playing with a chip on their shoulder against Michigan State…
"Last year we left a lot on the field. We gave up plays that we should not have but this year as a unit we came together and the numbers were 11 strong out there. Once everybody was together, headed in the right direction, nothing could break us. We improvised, played as a unit and the numbers were strong to come out with the win."
Players Mentioned
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