[Fuller/MGoBlog]

After a finish like that, what do you tell your guys in the locker room?

“They played their guts out. Played winning football. Overcame so much, and we messed up a play at the end. Have resolve, put steel in the spine, and we’ll move forward.”

Given the fact that your team played so well until the end, is this something that you can use as…I don’t want to say motivation, because that’s the wrong word, but something you can use as a good building point?

“Yeah. There’s so many- so much good, you know. Our guys played big in a big game…overcame so much- calls that were made, calls that weren’t made. Just kept fighting and overcame so much in the ball game and ultimately played winning football. What do you say about the last play? It was unfortunate. Didn’t get the result.”

Why was this the game for Jabrill to see the field offensively and how do you think he did in terms of impacting in all three facets today.

“He did good. He did great in all phases. Big time player, plays really big in the game as he does so often. He played great.”

As you said, you guys played winning football minus one last play that could have gone any way. You guys were in control most of the game- led or tied. How do you talk to your players about the fact that it’s a process, it’s more than one game, it’s even more than one season [as] it’s about building a program?

“Have resolve. Have steel in our spine. Gotta move forward.”

What happened on that last play?

“The snap was low, just below the knees. He didn’t field it cleanly, and looked like then he bobbled it again and kind of kicked it a little bit. Looked like he was trying to kick it while he was in traffic. I mean, you saw it. That about the way you saw it? Very unfortunate.”

[After THE JUMP: “We’re gonna put steel in our spine.”]

Did you get an explanation on the Bolden ejection?

“Uh, no. Tried to explain to them that Bolden was pushed in the back. That really should have been a push in the back penalty. His explanation was that the review people saw it the same way, so….hard to fathom.

“And the quarterback wasn’t even down on the ground. He was straight up and tried to drop like a sack of potatoes. That’s just one. That’s one of many.”

What was the reaction of the team immediately after the game? Stunned?

“Steel. We’re gonna put steel in our spine.”

Just the resolve of the defense to be able to get off the field at the end there.

“Yeah, I mean, it was, uh…multiple times. Even the time where we stopped them on fourth down and they called a personal foul penalty, which I tell our guys, their back is not stopping. He is, on two or three occasions, got push from the offensive line [and] picked up five, seven more yards. We had to stop the back. Didn’t agree with that one.

“Then I thought for sure I saw a facemask on Jake Rudock when the ball got deflected back to him, but it was…yeah. They just kept fighting. They just kept fighting and fighting through things, which you’re so proud of as a coach.

“Our guys fought their hearts out, and we’ll come back and we’ll build and we’ll steel ourselves against it. So, there’s a lot of fight in our guys so really proud of that. Played winning football and overcame a lot.”

You haven’t matched up a cornerback on a specific wide receiver very much at all this year, but it seemed like that was the plan with Jourdan on Aaron Burbridge. What did you see out of that matchup today?

“It was a battle. They won some, we won some. But two great players going at it, that’s what I saw.”

How would you rate your team defense after coming off the three straight shutouts? Going up against Michigan State, little bit of a different atmosphere, different turnout. Overall, how would you rate your defense?

“It was…they played good enough to win. Played winning football and fought hard and so many times when they had to- I mean, seven straight downs on the one exchange, got them stopped. Did so many good things. And both teams played extremely hard in the game. It was close, hard fought like you’d expect. I was really proud of the way our team played.”

You mentioned how hard your team fought but didn’t get the result. Irregardless of the loss, with the way you played the first 59 minutes how much tougher is it to be 5-2 versus 6-1?

“It’s a difference of a game. Yeah, I mean, what else is there to say. Played good, fought hard, and didn’t get the result today.”

You said one of many earlier. I’m assuming you weren’t happy with the officiating in total, or was it just a handful of things?

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Did Blake [O’Neill] tell you how that play evolved, how it broke down, and what his confusion was at the time?

“Yeah, I talked to him. He said after he bobbled it a little he still thought he could get the ball kicked. It was a mistake. A mistake was made. Mistakes were made. Mistakes were made not fielding it cleanly, and then once he bobbled it a few times he should have just fell on it so…mistakes were made. Very unfortunate circumstances.”

Just talk about Kenny Allen performing under pressure.

“Yeah, so good. Just stood up there and put the ball through the uprights on a windy, blustery day. It was impressive. The last one there to give us a two-score lead…just an outstanding game by Kenny Allen.”

During the last play, did you have any other options besides punting and did you talk to your center and your punter about, hey, if there is a botched play fall on it? What was said in the conversation, and again, did you have another option?

“Yeah, the options were to go for it- I mean, if you go for it you leave them a hail mary opportunity. Could protect up and throw a long pass; probably still though, it’s going to eat up seven seconds so they would have the hail mary opportunity. So, ran through those scenarios and felt like the best decision was to punt it and told them to catch it and punt it. They didn’t have anybody back. When they lined up to the punt they didn’t have any returners. Just a matter of catching it and punting it, and we messed it up.”

When Michigan State got some momentum your defense made some stops and Willie Henry picked up some sacks. Talk about what they showed there.

“Just every guy that was out there competing, fighting hard, playing good, sound defense. Competing like the dickens. It was exciting to watch.”

Have you ever been in a finish like this in a game?

“Not one exactly like this, no.”

How does it affect you? You talked about the players will rebound. How do you address the team right after a game like this?

“I talked about that earlier, how we addressed the team.”

How does it affect you when you’re this close to beating Michigan State?

“Yeah, well, just as you said, everybody played really well. Played winning football. Competed like maniacs. You know, both teams did. It was a heck of a football game. Played winning football and didn’t get the result. I mean, welcome to football. Now move forward.”