Postgame Quotes: NC State at Mississippi State

Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach | Mississippi State Student-Athletes
NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren | NC State Student-Athletes

Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach

Q: It appeared like the focus was a lot better, maybe later in the ballgame, how do you feel your team kind of responded to the challenge you put in front of them?
ML: I thought we did. I thought we played a good game against a really good team, although I think we several missed opportunities, like balls we just barely missed by a little bit, or deals where we got pressure on just a little bit, or just runs that we almost broke through, but got tackled by just a little bit. I think we gotta get a little bit better at that. You know, NC State plays extremely hard, and that's kind of why they're billed as kind of the hot team that they are. You know, people talked about both sides of the ball with a lot of admiration, and I certainly have that, but we're proud of how our guys worked. We've been working extremely hard, and we worked hard tonight, so I was proud to see that. We were more consistent tonight. We're not there yet. At the end, a lot of teams get sloppy at the end. I don't really want to be one of those teams, but we didn't do anything on offense on a drive where we could have finished the game. Then we gave up the big explosive plays on a drive defensively that could have finished the game. The hands team was awful, but this is a really good football team. Tthey're gonna beat a lot of people, NC State is. I was proud of pur guys taking a step up from last week to this week.

Q: What did you see from Will tonight, and where specifically do you want to see him improve to this point?
ML: I think he just has to get better overall. I thought he improved in the pocket this week. I think he took command of the offense and was kind of able to keep the energy going throughout the game. He had some very key plays, had some near misses. I'd like him to not have the near misses, which those are technically footwork. You know, the defense tries to screw with your footwork, as in "Hey put your feet there, we'll hit ya." I think he's improving, because the more he gets to deal with his receivers, the better he is.

Q: It seemed like Will got into a rhythm that next to last drive of the first half, I think he was two of two on third down and completed the forth down play to Polk, is there anything different you saw on that drive?
ML: I just thought we played together better, and I thought we did a better job of pushing the ball downfield. There were some situations I thought we should have attacked more, but their team's been getting and generated pressure. We wanted to keep everything afloat in that drive, and things just end up choking up on you. As we started to push it down field, they had a lot more space to work.

Q: You guys had some bad punts there early on to kind of put your defense in a tough spot, what do you feel your defense did on those couple drives, and throughout the game to kind of keep you guys in it?
ML: I thought they did a really good job of mixing it up. I thought both sides of our line of scrimmage did good. I thought the defensive line and our offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. I thought our D-line, even if they didn't always get to him, did a good job of affecting their quarterback. I think our offensive line was able to work through any problems, at least in a better fashion than we did last time. I thought we protected pretty well. I think we can run block a little better, but they load up the box, and try to keep you out of there the best they can. I thought we Improved at both of those positions, which are probably the two most critical ones.

Q: North Carolina State is a team that likes to run the ball, what was your defense doing to really string out those rushing plays, specifically on those sweeps and pitches?
ML: I thought we did a pretty good job of disguising it. We bring people up, maybe we're coming maybe we're not. The other thing is we had some pressures from the inside, and we twist outside to them too. I think we did a good job tackling on the perimeter, and I'll be honest with you, not just our team, but their team as well. Both teams tackled better tonight than I've seen on film. I thought NC State tackled really well. I'm taking a little comfort in knowing that we're definitely gonna play some teams that don't tackle as well as NC State. They may or may not be more talented, but they won't tackle as well as NC State.

Q: What makes Lideatrick Griffin so good on these kick returns?
ML: Well, I think the whole unit, first and foremost, because we do a good job blocking. If you look at that return, we did block it well. The other thing, he's decisive. I've always thought your best kick returner is the guy that can hit full speed really fast and is courageous enough to hit the slot that you're trying to create with whatever blocking scheme you have. He's all of that, and then when he gets with full-momentum on the safety guys, he's good at making them miss while he's full-stride. He did a really good job. Once he started to finish it out, he kept the guys pursuing this way. He's going straight, and attacks the one that can't redirect, so I thought he did a really good job of that. I thought that really created momentum for our team, which to be honest with you, I thought we kept the whole game.

Q: What did you think of Jett Johnson tonight and how do you think he has developed?
ML: Yeah, he's had two really good games. One thing he does which is so difficult to create – you guys won't even write about it because it sounds so simple and you'll think it's crazy, but if it was easy, anybody could do it. Jett Johnson does a great job of being the same guy every single day, every single play. There's a reliability on that. There's a consistency to that. As a result, if he's twisting with somebody, they always know where he's going to be. If he splits with somebody, they always know where he's going to be, and he always hits it at the same speed – full speed. The NFL is full of guys like that. The NFL is full of Jett Johnsons. Guys that aren't the biggest or the fastest but are great football players. That's kind of what he is, and it starts with being the same guy every play. It becomes something you can rely on, something you can game plan around, something that you can expect every time. You get the occasionally great guy who does some play that few other people can do, but he only does it one out of every seven times. Pretty soon, you're off the field. You can't convert third downs, guys are in the wrong place, you can't rely on it. You have to have people on the bases. Yeah, home runs are awesome, but they're a lot better with people on the bases. We have to be able to do that.

Q: What gave you the confidence to go for it on fourth down early on and what do you think it does for your team's confidence moving forward?
ML: I wondered if I should have gone for it on fourth down a couple of other times. I guess [we should] start with the fact that I hate punting. I feel like a failure every time I do. We were in there, and so you balance what you get out of the punt and what do you get it you don't get it. How much worse is 15 yards worse [in field position]? We might pin it back and drop it in perfectly. I will admit in your likelihood of getting it. It had been a good drive, and we were right on the threshold of all kinds of stuff breaking open. Guys made catches. Dillon [Johnson] made a catch. Austin [Williams] made a catch. Jamire [Calvin] made a catch. If we can just put it on them, those guys are going to run a long, long ways. We have to just fine tune some of that because those three plays alone that I'm describing are probably worth 100 yards. There was one to [Jaden] Walley that we missed him. We were [under] pressure for sure, but it would have been a bunch of yards. You just have to keep refining it and a portion of it is kind of like Jett Johnson does – you always know where he's going to be, when he's going to be there, how he's going to be there. If we get everybody else like that, then all of a sudden you hit it, and so it goes. There were a lot of good things, and we did improve today.

Q: How important was it for Dillon Johnson to be a weapon in the passing game tonight?
ML: I thought it was pretty important. He's been doing it a lot in practice, so it didn't stun me. Just like I said, on that one play, he made a great catch. He kept the drive going [when he] laid out for the sucker. But if we put it on him, that's another 40 yards. He's been right there. I didn't think he played as well as he's capable of last week. I find Dillon to be a little bit more of a surprise to others that aren't watching the film and the practices every day because he's really been doing some great things since the start of camp. It's getting to the point where if you ask who the best running back is, I can't even tell you. It's either him, or Woody [Jo'quavious Marks]. I just don't know which it is. Woody [Jo'quavious Marks] had a better game last week, and he didn't play badly this week either. The ball finds you at certain times.

Q: What does it mean to get Malik Heath going, and what did you say to him after his touchdown?
ML: The biggest thing is that he really has some ability and does some good things. The biggest thing is consistency. He executed that in a contested part of the game, a tight part of the game, against one of the ACC's more-respected cornerbacks. He had great technique. I'll go whole practices without seeing him do it with as good of technique as he had on that play. We need to get him to do it all the time. Quarterbacks are like dogs. If you throw them a treat, then they respond. They get smiles on their face, their tails start wagging and then pretty soon they'll be a little more affectionate towards you, as far as throwing the ball your direction. Malik [Heath] needs to keep giving Will [Rogers] treats to get him to throw the ball his direction more often. He doesn't need to be so stingy on his technique, then he'd probably get more balls [thrown his way]."

Mississippi State Student-Athletes

#23 Dillon Johnson, RB

Q: You had a few struggles last week, especially in that first half, then you had a really good second half. You had a much better game today, so what did you do this week to flush that and get that behind you? Why do you think you were so successful today?
DJ: It was all about confidence. Last week, I got my confidence taken for a second then I had to go back and re-watch the game. I had to tell myself to let people know, and I had to bounce back. I have rough games. Everyone has a rough game. Just a confidence thing, and I had my confidence taken. This game I had it back.

Q: After Tulu's [Lideatrick Griffin] returns, the offense struggled to find some rhythm, but it seemed like things picked up late in the half. What was being said in the huddle during that drive to help you all go up 14-3?
DJ: Coach Leach always talks about being consistent. We try to find our rhythm as an offense. I feel like as the year goes on, we are going to continue to get better as an offense.

#85 Austin Williams, WR

Q: You have been a part of some big wins, so what does this win mean for a team so young to get a win over a Power 5 opponent and push ahead at 2-0?
AW: I think it is awesome. I mean just like you said a Power 5 opponent in the ACC, and they played really well in their first game with a 45 to zip. They were a strong opponent, and they played really hard in all phases. For us to come out in this manner, it was awesome. I feel like guys are kind of seeing our potential and what we can be. It gives us something to keep on growing and keep taking more steps.

Q: Mike Leach said he really challenged you all last week, and you all came to focus. What was preparation like this week at practice?
AW: He definitely did. He challenged us to come out hot and to take every day and make the most of it. I like what we did as a team. I think we stepped up and accepted that challenge and rose to it. We had a really good week of preparation, and we are going to focus on little details and try to do everything right. I think that reflected in today's win.

#0 Jalen Green, S

Q: What was the confidence level on defense after you get stops?
JG: I mean as we go out, if we get a great out, as the game goes, we get more confidence. That builds on every series, so we were pretty confident. Coach challenged us to play more physical, and I think we showed that today.

Q: What was the difference in playing over three quarters this week? What did you focus on?
JG: We knew they were going to try running the ball, so we honed on the running game. I think we did a pretty good job to stop their running game and try to make them pass.

#44 Jett Johnson, LB

Q: Walk me through your approach coming into a game like this.
JJ: Yeah, for sure. Everybody knows they had a tremendous Week 1, and those two power backs they've got they rushed for 300 yards or so. We knew it was going to be a huge challenge, and so we stepped up to the plate. I feel like we played well collectively, as a team, and a defensive unit, so it was a good game and a good win for sure.

Q: In terms of limiting the big plays, what did you do to limit those big plays?
JJ: Yeah, I think we learn from the big plays. We had a great scouting report going in. They did pretty much what we thought they were going to do, and just being disciplined with our eyes and being in kind of the right spots and making them playing high to low and forcing them check downs and stuff like that.

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren

Opening Statement
DD: "First off, you have to give Mississippi State credit. They outplayed us. Their offense did some good things. They were smart with the football, and they didn't turn it over. Defensively, we kept ourselves in the game. We were really good on third down on defense, they were only 3-of-13. Special teams, we opened up giving them a kickoff return for a touchdown. Offensively, we shot ourselves in the foot competitively. As we moved the football, we couldn't get into rhythm. Devin [Leary] missed a few throws down the field. It wasn't what I thought I was going to see offensively in this game. I thought we would play much better than we did. I'm not blaming it on them. It's a team loss, and it starts with the head coach, me all the time. These kids kept fighting. They battled, and I'm proud of them for that."

"Onside kick at the end and another chance to score a touchdown. We got in the red zone against them several times and got ourselves out of the red zone with bad plays. You have to score points on the road playing against a team like this that can score and will score. We did a good job of keeping ourselves in the game, as bad as we were at times. Obviously, the turnovers we had offensively hurt us. They put us in a bad situation."

Q: The way your defense played in the first quarter it was lights out. Do you think their style of play is the style of play that will wear your guys down?
DD: "It's a lot when you throw the ball like that, you are going to move more on defense on pass plays than you do on runs. The number of plays we had to play defensively over time, we did get fatigued. We had a rotation where we lost at some positions because some guys were out. I'm not sure what the severity of those injuries are yet. I was proud of the way the defense kept us in the game. To win a game on the road against a team like that, you have to play complementary football. We didn't do that tonight."

Q: What do you take from a game like this?
DD: "There's a lot to learn from this. Without watching it, I can't tell you the specifics. What I told the team was that there were a lot of missed opportunities. That's the biggest thing we're going to see. To quote basketball, you have to make your layups. I thought we had several we didn't make offensively. It would have made it a different game. We got frustrated. Some guys didn't some stupid things penalty wise. It's the opposite of what I expected. They are going to be disappointed, they put themselves in a position to make that a lot different football game."

Q: You talked about the maturity of this team, do you expect them to take the best part of this and move forward?
DD: "I do. I told them in there that no one is to blame, everybody is. The whole team wins, the whole team loses. Let's all start with that right there. From there, let's look at the film. Let's look at the opportunities that we thought we had and could have done this or that different. As coaches, we will have to look at the same thing. There're obviously play calls in there that we are going to question ourselves. We have to learn from it."

NC State Student-Athletes

#13 Devin Leary, QB

Q: Coach was talking about opportunities, and sometimes you guys shot yourself in the foot. Was that the most frustrating part of the game tonight?
DL: Yeah, I think it's always frustrating. I mean, just being able to move the ball the way we did and the lack of execution on finishing drives was really what hurt us at the end. I mean, give a ton of credit to our defense for giving us the ball back and for giving us many of chances. Then, just on our behalf. We just failed on executing on those chances and executing on those opportunities. So, just something that we have to get back into the film room. We need to learn our mistakes, learn how we need to get better and how we need to finish those drives.

Q: Do you feel that the maturity of this team and the experience that you guys have is going to be something that you guys can rely on to put this one to bed and move on quickly?
DL: Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, the guys are frustrated. Obviously, this is not the outcome that we wanted at all. It was good to see, in some type of positivity at the end, of guys picking each other up … We're going to bounce back, and we're going to learn from our mistakes. That's just the maturity coming out on our team. Just being able to see that, even after our poor performance, was very rewarding.

#10 Tanner Ingle, FS

Q: Is it at least encouraging, from the defensive perspective when you look at what you were able to do in the first half, especially really shutting down their offense?
TI: Yeah, it feels good to go out there and compete against a high-caliber team like that and be able to show off what we did, right? But at the end of the day, we have to win the game. At the end of the day, it's not a good feeling. It's not a good feeling to lose like that.

Q: Did the defense eventually start wearing out?
TI: No sir, we were ready for whatever they gave us. We played, and we worked on this in the offseason. We run 110s all the time, and we run 55s. We do our conditioning, We were ready for whatever comes to us, really. I wouldn't say we were tired at all.