1998 FBL vs. Penn State -- postgame quotes
11/7/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
On the win over Penn State ...
"I am smiling. We finally played a complete football game for the first time all season. These kids played hard out there today. The offensive line played with tremendous intensity. This is a game that you have to win up front. On both sides of the football we did well, running the ball and stopping the run."
On running the ball ...
"We ran the ball finally the way were capable of running. We played with a tremendous amount of intensity today and all week in practice. This was the way that these guys are capable of playing."
On the defense ...
"The defensive coaching staff made great calls all day. Every coach on this team did the job they had to do to get these guys ready to play. I told these guys this morning that I have never been more excited for a football game all year. I told the players they were ready and no matter what the outcome, they had practiced hard all week. It was one of the best weeks in Michigan history as far as practices go."
On the offensive line ...
"The offensive line played extremely well. (Left tackle Jeff) Backus had the biggest challenge of anyone all day. (Quarterback Tom) Brady did not get sacked one time all day. Leading into this game we knew we could not have negative yards and today we only lost a few yards behind the line of scrimmage.
On the win and the upcoming games ...
"This is what makes it fun to coach here at Michigan. This is the type of month that we are excited and looking forward to. The upcoming games the rest of the month are as big as today's. They are awfully important. This is why you come to Michigan to play and coach for."
Junior QB Tom Brady
On the game overall ...
"You saw a new team that was pretty fired up and will hopefully remain that way through the next three games. To get there and play with that kind of intensity in your home stadium, there is nothing better than that."
On the game plan ...
"Our game plan was to come in and have a balanced attack. This week we were able to run the ball in critical situations. The offensive line did a great job today."
On the Wisconsin game next week ...
"We go out and play as hard as we can every time. Our goal is to go out and win football games. Wisconsin is going to be very tough, they are undefeated."
Senior DE Juaquin Feazell
On the win ...
"We wanted to go in there and jump on top of them, attack them. It is always good when your offense can put some points on the board. It helps out the defense."
On the return of Marcus Ray ...
"It meant a lot. We knew the kinds of things he had been going through. He is an emotional guy. He came out there today and gave us a boost."
Junior RLB James Hall
On the significance of the game ...
"It was a big game and we needed our seniors to make big plays for us. I think a lot of our seniors did that. It is something special for us to finally come out and have a complete game -- offense, defense and special teams -- against a powerhouse against Penn State."
Senior ILB Sam Sword
On the goal line stand ...
"It was just an unbelievable play. The first three plays I got knocked off the ball. It was fourth and one, I got good penetration and I had 10 other teammates there backing me up. It was good inspiration for our team."
Head Coach Joe Paterno
On the game overall ...
"First, I want to give Michigan credit. I felt they played a tremendous game and are much better offensively than they were given credit for. At the same time we were far too erratic to beat anybody."
On Penn State's missed opportunities in the first half ...
"We had some good opportunities but had too many breakdowns to take advantage of them. Our special teams struggled and we failed to convert on third downs. Michigan made some good calls offensively and defensively and guessed right and caught us off guard."
On the play of Penn State's defense ...
"I didn't think that we played a bad game defensively, yet we definitely did not play a great game as a defense. What we didn't do is make any big plays, which separates playing decent defensively and great defensively."
On Penn State's offense ...
"Our big problem is that we are inconsistent offensively. We had some opportunities and did not take advantage of them because of our inconsistent offense. As a result I am not going to be too critical of our defense."
On Penn State's special teams ...
"Obviously we did not play well, but at the same time Michigan deserves some of the credit because Hall made a great effort on that blocked field goal."
Junior CB David Macklin
On the game overall ...
"I did not really expect this. They had an offensive line that did a good job. Their receivers played well. They did a good job of moving the ball."
On the play of Tai Streets ...
"Tai Streets is a good receiver. He and Brady are a good combination. Streets made some big plays today that were the difference in the game."
On the loss to Michigan ...
"It takes a toll on the team. We are going to have to keep our heads up. We need to go out there and practice hard for next week's game."
Junior OG Eric Cole
On the loss to Michigan ...
"A loss is a loss. It is really frustrating how we get into these big hype games and seem to fall short. Two years ago in Columbus, last year against Michigan, this really starts to get to you after a while."
On the rest of the season ...
"We have two choices right now. Rebound and finish strong, we have a chance of being 10-2. Or we can fold and end in a spiral like last year. As a team we are too determined for that to happen."
On Michigan as a whole ...
"They execute well, they had effective well-timed blitzes. They are a very well-coached team. They did not show us anything new, they just executed well."
