Michigan State football was able to overcome some questionable decisions on Saturday to pull off a vital upset win over No. 16 Illinois on the road.
Following the game, Mel Tucker, Payton Thorne, and Xavier Henderson spoke to the media, and you can find some notable quotes from that presser below.
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MSU QB Payton Thorne: "It's a good feeling. We talked about it during the week. I remember my dad telling me there's a lot of opportunity in adversity. We had a lot of adversity this weeks." Says the Spartans "played their butts off."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Thorne said the OL who played "did a great job creating seams for our guys." Berger ran for 81 yards, Broussard had the 11-yard TD run, and Collins kept running hard.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Thorne on the wind today: "That was probably the toughest conditions I've ever had to throw in."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Thorne said there was some miscommunication issues on the Spartans' final drive.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Asked about his forced fumble, Xavier Henderson smiles and asks "you like that?"
— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) November 5, 2022
Xavier Henderson said he got "a little dizzy" on the hit that caused the Chase Brown fumble. Said the Illinois RB actually was the one who delivered the initial contact on that play.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Henderson says getting bowl eligible isn't as important right now as improving each week. "We're a next-game team."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
MSU coach Mel Tucker says he's proud of how his team played and prepared throughout the week.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Tucker on MSU's defense: "I give Scottie and our defensive staff a lot of credit for continuing to work and develop our defensive players and work through our injuries. … We took our lumps, but we've started to play better."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Tucker on final MSU possession: "We were trying to score a touchdown, obviously." Says also tried to work clock while attempting to "be aggressive trying to close the game out."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Tucker: "We tell the guys every single day to block out the noise, focus on what you can control and listen to us. It's easier said than done."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022
Tucker says going into next week with eight players suspended indefinitely and in limbo with potential punishment, he says MSU "literally has to take it one day at a time."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2022