WEBVTT

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The following is a presentation of play
fly Sports properties. Your face team that

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has struggled has the season. It
make it easier to get your players attention

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based on recent results in this rivalry. Yeah, no question, Yeah they

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really our guys really want to win
this. I'm not gonna lie to you.

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I really want to win it.
You know, I have no doubt

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that if you pulsed every player and
every coach on both sides that you know

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they'd be they tell you the exact
same thing. All right, thanks everyone

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for being here today. We all
know what this week is. It's not

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just another game for us. Our
players understand that, our staff understand understands

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that. Now, I know what
you're thinking. In two thousand and nine

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to twenty thirteen, when I was
there, did Michigan State Donkeys. Yes,

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there's no question, And I'm not
here to talk about when I was

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there. I'm here to talk about
now Michigan's number two defense in the country.

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I'm not here to talk about Georia's
number one Michigan Michigan the Boys in

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Blue are the number two defense in
the country. Our offense, yeah,

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they say we're run heavy, they
say we do that, but our past

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games really coming along. Overall,
Michigan State is going to get donkeyed at

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home in East Lancing. Whatever that
po dunk count is, they're going down.

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Michigan's going home taking Paul Bunyon and
kindly, I'm not going to see

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the effort, but Michigan State.
You know what I'm saying, not going

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to see the F word, but
Michigan State. Okay, well, well,

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well, it is officially hate week
here in East Lansing. The big

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game this weekend in the big House
against the school down the road is upon

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us. This is Sparta. I'm
your host, Jason Strayhorn, along with

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my co hosts Otis Wiley and jau
Choo Chu. Call credit. Guys.

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Everyone knows the seriousness and the emotions
that go on in this game. And

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hey, you guys were even at
a table gate ceremony earlier this week.

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Talk a little bit about this game
and what it means to you from your

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perspective as a player, and I
also an alumni michign Stay, yeah,

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it's a I'll go first. It's
a big game. It's a game where

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you know you don't like those guys
down the road, they don't like you.

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Everyone knows that, and uh,
when you even's just a different feeling,

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you know, coming into this week, when when it's uh, when

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it's hate week, the start of
it, you just as an extra bounce

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in your step. The air smells
different, you know, the wind blows

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different, people act different, and
you just got to embody that, embrace

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that and get ready to go.
And you know, as a player,

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that's how it was as a fan. Now as a former player, it's

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still the same. I think the
hatred grows even more once you're out of

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it and you've just seen it because
you have no control on what goes on

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on the field and you have idiots
talking. You know, you got that

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guy brailing. He's doing a lot
of talking. But the thing with him

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is, you know if you talk
back or clap back him, he's gonna

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have his dad come on and you
know try to fight you. So,

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yeah, is gonna call daddy to
come. You know, come daddy.

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You're talking fall about me when you
doing any thing up on them, you

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know that's what he does. He's
gonna do all this Taylor Lujan's gonna do

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all the talking and everything like that. But you're seeing a lot of Spartans

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are just keeping the notes of the
grindstone, getting ready to go. Oh

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yeah, man, any any Spartan
or any player who uh who's played and

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grew up here in the state of
Michigan. I sometimes question my own self

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hatred. I absolutely have a deep
patriot. Like sometimes I'm like, is

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it that? Is it that serious? No, it's serious. Like I

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honestly, you know, you saw
me at the table the table gate today

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at the Skyline Club, and you
know, everyone's kind of getting their their

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answer that's kind of clean, and
I'm like, I'm already sweating my but

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my blood's boy, and like I
threatened probably three people in the in the

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stands people to go suit up.
Yeah, I said, go suit up.

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I'm talking all that cash. And
you know, it's one of those

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where this is for the people,
the kids that are on the playground.

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And I don't know if the kids
still playing the playground, but growing up

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all the stuff you got to deal
with with the house divided and you know,

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you know, little brother comments and
you know, I absolutely have a

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deep hatred. It says, don't
hate your enemy, you know, but

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I do. I really do.
And this is to Jay's point, this

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is a game that all other ones
like, I don't care about any other

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game. It's that one. Is
that one, is this one this weekend,

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and I'm looking forward to it,
man, And hopefully I don't catch

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a case in that set in the
stands. Right this week you got to

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do everything. We have to be
on the verge of a rage. We

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can't go overboard because we can not. Before the bailout, any spartans in

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ann Arbor, MI will be We'll
be gone, it will be done.

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Bail out. We'll come get you. But let's listen, let's get take

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it to the edge. Look over
that edge, but don't go over all

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right, don't don't don't dive over
like some people having the pass. You

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know, this Saturday is gonna mark
one hundred and fifteenth matchup between Michigan and

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Michigan State. Obviously, you know
it's for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. You

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know right now, Paul has been
at home for the last two years.

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Mel Tucker the first coach in Michigan
State history to go to and up his

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first two games, actually the first
one to win the first one, and

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obviously the one first guy coach to
win two in a row. He's trying

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to be the first one to go
three and zero against the Wolverines. As

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he goes into this Saturday's matchup,
there will be the seventieth time the two

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teams play for the trophy. As
you gentlemen just talked about, you know,

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we have a lot of things to
break down, and right now we're

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gonna go right in to our Sparta
inside look presented to you by I Hop.

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The two by two by two records
combo equals one delicious meal. Enjoy

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two pancakes, two eggs your way, and two pieces of bacon for only

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five dollars only at Eye Hop.
Hurry in and enjoy this deal for a

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limited time dining in only. Price
and participation may vary. Restrictions do applied.

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And guys, you know, to
help us break down this weekend's game

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in this matchup, I mean,
you know a lot of people talk about

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take the records and throw them out
right. It doesn't matter what the records

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are right now. You know we've
had a down year, they're undefeated.

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Does that matter? It doesn't matter. Who better to talk exs and o's

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with us than the one and only. Don't call me TJ No more what

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out what I gotta say this before
one of my first introduction to this game.

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Uh, you know a kid from
New York, you know, so

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I'm not like you. Oh and
you lived it, you breathed it,

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born into it. Same thing with
you, Duck. I watched that Michigan

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State Michigan game back when you were
playing Duck, and one time, I

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think it was Cato June tackled you. He fell and he tried twisting your

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ankle and you kicked him square in
the face mask there. I was like,

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Oh, it's real now, this
is this is happening that week.

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Man, it's that week. And
like what you were saying earlier, I

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think Otis said it. You don't
really think about it throughout the year.

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It's just kind of goes. And
you know, I got family, I

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got friends who went to Michigan whatever. But when all of a sudden,

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the clock strikes midnight on Sunday,
all the I mean just think hairs on

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the back of my next stick up. And to this day, it's just

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like wives, I'm ready to go. I'm looking at people funny. I

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mean, I'm ready to go.
It's game time, without question, So

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talk about your experience. I mean, you grew up in Kalamazoo, right,

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yeah, on the west side of
the state of Michigan. You know,

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your brother played at Michigan State.
You know Tiko, We know that

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as a as a great running back. Talk about growing up as a young

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child in Kalamazoo and what did you
remember. What was your first memory of

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this riffle? Well, my first
memory was watching my brother, watching him

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play in this rivalry and not knowing
the magnitude of it until that week.

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And you got neighbors talking trash,
you got the mail man, you had

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everybody talking trash, and I'm like, is it really that big? And

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then I watched the game and I
remember the game that I remember is the

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ninety game when Tico actually the game
winning touchdown and then Desmond dropped the ball

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in the end zone. So there
was a lot of controversy, a lot

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of commotion and this, I mean, that's when I realized that that was

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it was a thing. And then
over time, it was when I when

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I was when I thought I was
going to Michigan State. That was a

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game that every time it was on
the schedule, you circled it. You

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did your best not to look ahead
to it, but that was one that

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I mean, it meant everything.
And to be able to to play that

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game and know that everybody in the
state has a side. They're they're either

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a Michigan, a Michigan State fan, or they like the other guys.

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So when it was my time to
get here, I just wanted to have

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my name in it. I wanted
to be able to leave a mark.

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I wanted to be able to actually
have an impact in that game. In

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my freshman year, Billy Burk in
Plexico got off, so I got a

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chance to see it. And then
my sophomore year we went down there and

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then in it it an't turned out
as well, uh for us. And

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then my junior year, I mean
it was it was I had a rough

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one, man, my, my, my, uh my sophomore year,

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you know, I went down they
had they had a goal line stance.

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I fumbled down there and I had
to sit with that in my soul for

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three hundred and sixty five days.
And uh, I mean, motivation is

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a monster, and and I just
knew when that time came, it was

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on. And the other beauty for
it for me was my mother passed in

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March of my freshman year and her
birthday is November first, so that in

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the game were pretty much the same
time. So in my mind, the

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Wolverines did it. That's how I
went in the game. Y'all did it,

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and now we got to pay the
price for it. Oh it was

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right. Well, let's let's get
to the nity gritty because you have the

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shirts that I saw on social with
this one second left on the clock,

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plenty of time. That's a whole
quarter. That's a whole quarter. Like

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talk about that that that that week
leading up to that game right in Spartan

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Stadium, Like what was the buzz
because right now our guys right now have

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been preparing for this game. But
like, let the outsiders Spartan nation know,

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like what was happening leading up to
that week and then to end on

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that prize moment of that game when
he touchdown, Like, talk about that.

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Yeah, I mean it was a
special week. We were struggling a

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little bit that year. We didn't
really start the year out like we wanted

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to. And then Wisconsin game the
game before that, uh, Tyrell Dort

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he broke his ankle and that kind
of geled us together and we said to

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play some good football. And then
when that week hit, we had a

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little more confidence and everybody was moving
a little bit different in practice. Coaches

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were a little bit louder, players
were moving a little bit faster. And

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I mean that you got one time
to make a play, you got one

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time to have that game, and
then you get five six days to work

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on it. So everybody we were
eating it, we were breathing it.

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I mean, it was it was
that time. And then when the game

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came, I mean the locker room, it was just it was a look

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in our eyes. You could see
that we were prepared. We were ready

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mentally, our mind was there,
because football is all about your mind,

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your mind and your will. Everybody
lifts, everybody runs, but when you

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get your mind right and you are
focused and determined to make plays and to

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win, you give yourself a real
opportunity. And they were doing great.

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I think they were fifth or six
in the country at the time when they

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came in East Lansing, and I
mean we were ready for them. We

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were ready, and we knew we
could play, and you know, started

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to make some plays. And for
me personally, like I said, this

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game always and will forever be personal
to me. So going into this game

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that week, I mean, there's
nothing. It's like a war. You

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may come out alive, you may
come out wounded, but we're gonna come

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out of that mug on top.
That's with my mentality. So douc.

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Since this is the real Insiders show, the real dogs are sitting like we're

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in the barbershop here. So from
the outside looking in, when people saw

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that game and that last play,
a lot of people remember one second,

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the catch and everything, but let's
taken inside deep dive. What was the

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mood in the huddle with one second
left? And what was the call?

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What was the play call? Man? It was? It was. It

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was so calm and so cool in
the huddle, and like two players before

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that, we actually ran same plan. I don't remember the name, but

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I know it was an empty backfield. Me and Chuck were on Charles Roders

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were on one side, and I
ran a slant and I caught the ball,

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got the first down, moved the
chains, and then the next play,

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Smoker at Jeff Smoker had the ball. And you know one thing that

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people don't really talk about that's amazing
was what Smoker's awareness, his awareness to

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get everybody on the line of scrimmage
and the down the ball. He wasn't

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panicking. He knew that, he
knew the situation, he knew the down,

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and he knew everything and for to
get everybody in line and to be

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able to down the football to give
us a chance to make that play.

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And then when that play came,
I mean it was we ran the same

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play. The slant was on the
left that I caught. We ran the

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same same play. I was on
the right side. And you know,

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I mean, in my mind,
it's going to the best receiver ever at

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Michigan, Charles Rogers. It's going
to do And I'm running my slant and

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I see the ball in the air, and you know, I'm just thankful

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I was able to catch it.
Ideally, I'm like, give me the

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ball, let's run a power and
let's way who you mino, Let's go.

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And they wasn't gonna stop me that
play. But you know, you

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get you get to your goals differently
sometimes, right, I mean talking about

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that under that ball was in the
air, you know, for the fan,

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the casual fan looking at it was
in the air for about two three

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hours. Man. You know a
lot of guys, you see in that

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moment fumble that boy, especially in
the moment that big they just down their

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leg and they don't make it happen, right, But you somehow it just

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seemed like it was No. It
was like a you know, I'm cool,

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man, I'm cool, common collective, you know what I'm saying.

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No, But that's the moment you
practice since you're like a five year old,

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you're playing the game. You're in
your backyard, you're three two one,

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and you're catching the ball? Are
you jumping in your couch catching?

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Like? Those are things that you
just play around and you practice with.

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And then I remember after the play
was called, I go and line up

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in my spot and I'm like,
it's one second on the clock. It's

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fourth quarter. We're playing these guys. Wow, we're here. There's a

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chance I might actually get a chance
to catch the ball. And I do

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my thing, run around, smoke, running around, and I see the

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ball in the air, and I'm
like, this is it coming to me?

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Is this coming to me? In
the closer guy? And it took

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forever, man, you know you
said two three hours. I mean there

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in front of me, there's people
around, but the crowd goes silent,

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and I just look at that ball
man, and I was just cradling it,

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like come on, come on,
and you know, yes, thankfully

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I caught it, cause we it
would be a different conversation if I did

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it. Look, I don't I
don't think this gotta be a history like

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two brothers, same team having two
winning game and like touchdowns and beating that

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team down row like Tico did it
with the run. Yeah, I feel

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like it's never been done. But
like I mean talk about Yeah, that's

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gotta be like that's a fact,
Like that's one of those non facts spark

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history boys there. Man. Yeah, I mean you know Tico, I

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mean, that's that's my guy.
Man. When he's sec third all time

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leading rusher at Michigan State. And
to be able to have watched him,

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to have to be able to watch
a guy like that and he's your family

242
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member, to that that makes that
makes greatness possible. And I'm looking at

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but I also see everything that he
did, all the work, all the

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time, the effort, the things
that people don't see behind the scenes.

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I saw that happening. And so
in my mind, if I'm able to

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do that same work, do I
get a chance to have the same opportunity.

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And and again like you think sometimes
yes I was God give him blessed.

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Yes, And you think things are
given to you, but you go

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and earn these things in the darkness. You're go and earn them. You

250
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work, and then all of a
sudden that work. It shows when you

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get the opportunity, when you're preparation
meets opportunity, you shine. And that's

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what it was, man. And
you know, I'm so thankful for not

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just Tiko, but my mom and
my dad for instilling the work ethic of

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what it means to be a success
and the grind and the day to day

255
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commitment to yourself and believing in yourself. I mean, that's that's huge for

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me. Yeah. Man, that
that's you know, really really good,

257
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really powerful stuff. So moving to
this game, and you know we talked

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about you know, Tecos winning run
about you catching the ball for it.

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This rivalry is really the tone has
been set by the running backs. You

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know, in this rivalry, it's
like whoever rushes for the most yards tend

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to win the game. So with
you know, those guys down the road

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they have a very talented running back, We're going by running back by committee

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here right now. So what do
you think is gonna take on Michigan State

264
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side? You know, to win
this game on Saturday. In my opinion

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that this game, again x's and
o's are very very important players. Being

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healthy is very very important understanding your
assignment. But it's the will football,

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especially running the ball. We are
going to run the ball right here?

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Can you stop it? Can you
stop it? And if you aren't able

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to stop it, you're gonna be
in trouble. So both sides are seeing

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whose will is stronger, who's ready
for this? Who does it mean more

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to? And again, records are
out the window. Whatever you did last

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week is out the window. So
in this moment, who does it mean

273
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more to it? First intent is
starting one who doesn't mean more to is

274
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the offensive line and the defensive line. Who's gonna win at that point when

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you were running back and you have
the ball and as a linebacker in the

276
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hole, who's going to win?
Who wants it more? And that's what

277
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this game is all about. And
that's the difference is getting caught up in

278
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that emotion and actually utilizing that emotion
to your strength and and and really punishing

279
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whoever's in front of you. That's
the game of football. This comes down

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in my mind has always been in
the will. Your mind, your will.

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My sophomore year when I we were
in at Arbor, I don't know

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if my mind was already there.
I don't know. That was my first

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time being a starting running back in
that in the in this game, and

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it's different. It's different. But
after going through it and understanding what it

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meant and what it took in that
role that I had being the starter my

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junior year in two thousand and one, I knew what it meant going in

287
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there, and I knew where we
were at as a team, But ultimately

288
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our mind, where was our mind
set? And who was gonna who was

289
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going to have the stronger mind?
And all this talking that we do the

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whole week. It's fun, especially
not playing because they ain't got to hit

291
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me no more. But going into
that game, are you mentally prepared to

292
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go to war with your neighbor?
So I want to follow up to that

293
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one. I'm sorry, guys,
I'm stealing a lot of the questions here,

294
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but this is, you know,
great count. But so you talked

295
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about your sophomore year, your mind, you don't know if it was there

296
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or not, but you had seen, you had lived it through your brother

297
00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:38.440
playing that you had lived at.
You know, your freshman year you watched

298
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the win. Then your sophomore year
you don't know if it was there.

299
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So with the Michigan State team now, a lot of transfer guys that are

300
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in who have not been a part
of this. All they've done was here

301
00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:55.599
about this. Yeah, you know, we got two guys in the backfield

302
00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:59.160
who you know, never been a
part of this rivalry, this Michigan Michigan

303
00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.640
State rivalry, they've never been a
part of. We got some online,

304
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we got some other guys. What
do you say to them to get their

305
00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:11.960
minds into it? Two things Now, in this new transfer portal, they

306
00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:15.720
got a lot of guys that haven't
been in this rival either. So it's

307
00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:21.039
not just us. So then it
comes down to what does it mean to

308
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be a spartan dog, Like,
what does it mean for you, for

309
00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:30.599
your family, for your teammates to
be a part of Michigan State's football team.

310
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That's what you play for and that's
what that should be, what you

311
00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.920
play for every day every time you
step on the field. Yeah, it's

312
00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:40.200
great to have, you know,
play the other guys down the road and

313
00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:44.680
have that extra juice. But when
you are out there and you're representing not

314
00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:47.359
only the name on the front of
your jersey, but the name on the

315
00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:52.759
back of your jersey, that's what
matters. So every time you get running

316
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the Michigan State running backs, when
that number is called, you start you

317
00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:02.640
representing yourself. You represent us Spartan. Now, the first time one of

318
00:24:02.680 --> 00:24:03.759
them guys hit you in the mouth, you're like, all right, so

319
00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:10.839
you out here playing that should make
you mad, Like I'm upset now that

320
00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:15.240
you hit me. And now I'm
not representing my team. I represent myself,

321
00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:18.559
but I really don't like you guys
either now. So now I'm a

322
00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:22.799
part of the rivalry and let me
see if I can go make some plays.

323
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Absolutely, I mean we talk a
lot about running backs, and I

324
00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:32.920
mean YouTube. You know obviously you
TJ and Jayu both being in the backfield

325
00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:37.039
at Michigan State and having great careers
going off to the NFL. You look

326
00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:38.519
at the other side, You look
at those guys down the road and they

327
00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:45.160
have two running backs and Blake Korum
and Donathan Edwards that are gonna last week,

328
00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:48.000
two weeks ago when they played Penn
State, which I'm buying for over

329
00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:53.960
four hundred yards on the ground running
the ball. Now what it seems you

330
00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:59.559
hear the comments, the pregame comments
of both Jim Harbaugh and Mel Tucker,

331
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:03.960
and they're both talking about game tackling, bringing population to the ball carriers and

332
00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.960
all that. So it looks like
there's gonna be a high emphasis because they

333
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:12.559
all know everybody knows about taking the
runaway. Whoever wins that running battle.

334
00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:18.680
However, TJ you played, You've
had the pleasure of playing with not only

335
00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:25.400
spartan great in Plexico Burroughs in his
prime time. I think he had two

336
00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:29.599
hundred and fifty five yards against the
Michigani a freshman year. And then you

337
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:34.880
also had the distinct pleasure of playing
with probably all time greater spartan that were

338
00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:41.079
receiver of all time in Charles Rogers. You look at this game and if

339
00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:45.359
things get canceled out on the running
side of the ball, running game,

340
00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:49.359
it's about that passing game, right, You guys are going to open up

341
00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.599
the passing, That's what we're talking
about. Peyton Thorn, is he going

342
00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:56.039
to be able to do what he
needs to do down the field with the

343
00:25:56.119 --> 00:26:00.160
Jaden Reed, the Keon Coleman,
A Trey Moseley versus a J. J.

344
00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:06.480
McCarty who hasn't really thrown it down
the field as much. What do

345
00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:08.880
you think? What do you see
playing out in this game? You know,

346
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.279
I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you,
you know, Plex amazing player,

347
00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:18.720
Chuck amazing player, great receivers.
But what you know, what they don't

348
00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:22.319
What isn't I guess not really mentioned
the whole lot, especially in this in

349
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:26.839
this you know weakened things is how
tough they are. I mean there were

350
00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:32.720
some tough, tough uh plex and
I think with David Terrell, he played

351
00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:37.000
him at corner. You remember what
Plex did to him. I mean this

352
00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:41.160
again, Yeah, we go and
catch the ball, but but they these

353
00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:47.000
were the toughest receivers and they knew
what time it was, so they are

354
00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:51.359
out here making blocks. I mean
they are out toughing. I mean that's

355
00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:53.240
what it's about. Like, yeah, they can go and make plays,

356
00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:57.359
but who is going to be the
from a receiver standpoint, Who's gonna set

357
00:26:57.400 --> 00:27:03.680
the tone. Who's gonna go out
here and say I am a receiver whatever,

358
00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:11.119
but I'm blocking, I'm downfield I'm
making plays not just when the ball

359
00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:14.440
is coming to me, but away
from the ball. And I think that's

360
00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:17.359
gonna be the difference. We're going
to see who got the toughest receivers.

361
00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:19.839
I mean that's what this game.
This game is a fistfight. Man.

362
00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:23.519
It's not a pretty boy game.
This one. This is a straight fight.

363
00:27:25.799 --> 00:27:30.480
And and even when when Chuck was
playing, I mean they they're triple

364
00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:34.640
quadruple team in Chuck keep making plays
like that's not normal. I mean,

365
00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:37.880
it's about who's tough. And then
when you get the opportunity to make him

366
00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:42.000
play, you stay focused, you
stay calm, you stay cool, and

367
00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:47.440
you play the game of football,
but you you channel that emotion that tough.

368
00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:49.319
Again, it's about being tough.
I don't care who ran for four

369
00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:53.519
hundred yards last week. That'll that'll
help you this week, that'll have't.

370
00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:56.160
I don't care what you get five
years ago to I don't even care what

371
00:27:56.200 --> 00:28:02.079
you do next week. That ain't
gonna help me today or Saturday. When

372
00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:07.200
they walk into this the stadium,
who is saying is making that I Am

373
00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:12.440
going to be the toughest player on
the field today. Back speaking of these

374
00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:17.400
tough receivers, you know, someone's
got to get them the ball right straight.

375
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:23.359
So why don't we bring in,
you know, expert on throwing the

376
00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:33.640
football around some guys. I think
we almost got enough to put together a

377
00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:41.400
team here. Let's see, let's
just go out there and suit us going

378
00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:49.119
on. I'm doing well, guys, good to see you, Bill Burke

379
00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:53.039
joins us. You know, Bill, let's just jump right into it.

380
00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:57.079
I mean, you had a pretty
decent day against these guys. Now,

381
00:28:57.279 --> 00:29:03.480
bro, when you've played see year
you had a young TJ. Duckett who's

382
00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:06.880
right on hand, and he also
had Plexago. There was two fifty five

383
00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:11.519
I think receiving. Did you have
four hundred on the day. Yeah.

384
00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:14.920
Those are some record numbers all the
way around, and you know, it

385
00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:17.559
was a lot of fun and I
think, uh, you know, I

386
00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:19.200
have such fond memories of that game. We talk a lot about it,

387
00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:22.880
you know, over the years,
and it's hard to believe it's it's been,

388
00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:26.519
you know, so long, but
you know, we had such good

389
00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:29.880
balance on offense. You talk about
Plexico and he's a you know, he's

390
00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:33.559
a little bit of a unicorn.
He was six six, two thirty and

391
00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:37.799
was fast and long and as you
guys have talked about really dominated that game

392
00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:41.720
in ninety nine. But then we've
got, you know, a guy like

393
00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:44.400
TJ, who is also you know, kind of one of a kind in

394
00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:48.920
his own right on the ground and
as a freshman, TJ played so well

395
00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:52.160
and we ran the ball overall as
an offense so well that day. It

396
00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:56.519
was just it was just a memorable
game all the way around. And there's

397
00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:00.400
so many different components and elements to
why that game was so special, and

398
00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:03.799
not just in Spartan history, but
you know, for me personally, I

399
00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:07.119
mean, you had the crowd,
which I never, you know, have

400
00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:11.799
experienced a crowd like that in Spartan
Stadium. It was just absolutely electric.

401
00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:15.960
And we haven't even discussed yet really
the defensive side of the ball, guys

402
00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:19.599
like Robert Smith and Eric Morris,
in that linebacking corps, I mean,

403
00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:22.920
Julian Peterson, who was a first
round draft pick. I mean that that

404
00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:26.920
was a great day to be a
Spartan dog, and it was certainly a

405
00:30:26.920 --> 00:30:30.200
great day to be a Spartan fan
as well. Bill. You we were

406
00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:33.839
talking about the huddle man, and
like you know, we like to bring

407
00:30:33.880 --> 00:30:38.400
in a little insider of like let
Spartan nation, know, like what's going

408
00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:42.279
on in the huddle and you know
with that crazy amount of noise, you

409
00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:45.880
know, we're going into the big
house, and which, by the way,

410
00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:49.559
I don't think is that that that
loud compared to other places with you

411
00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:56.000
on that right right, But I
guess talk to us about being the quarterback

412
00:30:56.039 --> 00:31:00.240
and kind of commanding that huddle when
all the craziness is around. You got

413
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:03.920
to keep everybody composed. You know. Obviously for that game, you know,

414
00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:06.599
you were putting up numbers. You
guys were dogging that defense. I

415
00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:08.640
feel like what was going on in
the huddle as you're getting calls and you're

416
00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:12.000
calling in and you're talking to the
offensive linement and getting people in their right

417
00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:15.240
position. But like, talk to
us about that. Yeah, I think

418
00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:18.240
it's important as a quarterback, you
know, to you know, there's a

419
00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:22.240
delicate balance there. You don't want
to just go silent and say nothing,

420
00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:25.599
but you've got to just you know, pick and choose sometimes to you know,

421
00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:27.200
maybe just give everybody a fist bump
or say, hey, guys,

422
00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:30.839
you know this is is an important
down right here. We've got third and

423
00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.000
four. Let's get this. You
know, it's gonna push into the red

424
00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:37.039
zone or whatever it is. I'm
you got to kind of make everybody just

425
00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:41.440
aware of the situation, because you
tend to kind of lose sense of,

426
00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:44.839
you know, those small little details
out there, you know, when you're

427
00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:48.559
just focused on your own assignment and
you've got you know, seventy five thousand

428
00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:52.559
people screaming around you, and you
know, it's it's tough to kind of

429
00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:56.960
occupy all sorts of different things at
once inside your mind. So as a

430
00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:59.440
quarterback, you got to be,
you know, not just thinking about what

431
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:00.759
you got to do, which you
got to be thinking about what everybody else

432
00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:04.759
has to do, what they're feeling. You got to try and read the

433
00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:08.599
body language of some of the guys
in the huddle. But fortunately in a

434
00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:12.799
game like that, you don't have
to do a lot of motivation. You

435
00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:15.759
know, guys they are ready from
the beginning, and you know they've been

436
00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:17.519
there before too. It's kind of
comforting to see some of the guys,

437
00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:22.960
you know, who are veterans who
have been in those big games before and

438
00:32:22.039 --> 00:32:25.759
just how calm they were in those
situations as well. Because then as a

439
00:32:25.839 --> 00:32:30.599
quarterback, you don't have to do
as much, you know, emotional regulation

440
00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:32.640
for the other guys. But you
know, we had we rolled with a

441
00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:37.279
great group that year. I think, you know, coming to ninety nine

442
00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:40.880
at home, in the game that
we beat Michigan from the previous year just

443
00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:45.440
overall where we were a little more
inconsistent. I think as a team,

444
00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:49.720
our record certainly didn't end up the
way we would have wanted it at the

445
00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:53.079
end of the year, and we
were really searching for i think our identity

446
00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:58.440
as a team and certainly offensively.
So ninety nine when when you know,

447
00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:02.200
the number three Wolverines into town,
we were more than ready and you know,

448
00:33:02.440 --> 00:33:07.279
we felt, I think from early
on in that game that that was

449
00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:08.640
just going to be our day.
We weren't going to walk off the field

450
00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:12.599
without a win. And you know, it was just good. It was

451
00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:15.079
great for me to be in the
middle of it, but still kind of

452
00:33:15.079 --> 00:33:17.160
be a fan of my teammates.
You know, I had a lot of

453
00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:23.000
fun standing on the sideline watching those
defensive guys just harassed guys like Tom Brady

454
00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:28.079
and Drew Henson and get big sacks
and bring the crowd to their feet.

455
00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:30.599
I mean, it was really amazing
to see all the great plays that were

456
00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:36.160
made by so many different players on
that day, including TJ as a freshman

457
00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:38.000
who you know, got it.
I think he got us our first touchdown

458
00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:42.559
on that day and that just started
the momentum and kept us rolling. And

459
00:33:42.839 --> 00:33:46.000
even though the roller Rings, you
know, made a valiant comeback towards the

460
00:33:46.079 --> 00:33:51.119
end of the game, we were
just too much for them on that day.

461
00:33:51.119 --> 00:33:52.559
And like I said, there's no
way we were going to be denied.

462
00:33:55.519 --> 00:33:59.400
Yeah, you know so. So
I'm going to ask both of you

463
00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:02.440
this, But Bill, for you, what was the most I guess the

464
00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:07.920
toughest environment in college you played in? Oh? Wow, I would probably

465
00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:10.840
say. I was thinking about this
the other day. I was watching some

466
00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:15.679
games with my son, and I
would have to go with a happy valley

467
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:19.639
at Penn State. You know,
I don't know what is it, one

468
00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:23.800
hundred and nine thousand people, but
those fans really are you know, they

469
00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:28.119
they're they're in it from the start
to the finish. At least they were,

470
00:34:28.280 --> 00:34:30.280
you know when I played there.
I don't know whether it's the way

471
00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:35.800
that the stadium is set up or
whether it's just the energy of each individual

472
00:34:35.920 --> 00:34:38.440
fan, but it doesn't hurt when
you you know you're playing against guys like

473
00:34:38.519 --> 00:34:44.639
as you know, Stray, Courtney
Brown, LeVar Arrington. That was one

474
00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:47.239
of the I think top two toughest
defenses I ever played against. So when

475
00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:52.559
you combine that in an environment like
Beaver Stadium, I would say that's that's

476
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:57.639
the toughest road test that I ever
went up against. Okay, DJ,

477
00:34:58.239 --> 00:35:00.840
Yeah, that's another great question,
man. I definitely. I mean,

478
00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:05.840
you know, there's there's a couple
of them. I mean, Happy Valley

479
00:35:05.960 --> 00:35:09.719
is definitely tough. We went down
there and Jumper Turno in the crew.

480
00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:16.000
They started playing that dang lion and
they started having that lion roaring. Yeah.

481
00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:23.960
Yeah, that And then we went
to uh Wisconsin and you got run

482
00:35:25.679 --> 00:35:30.239
and then that jump rounds crazy.
I mean, you go to Purdue and

483
00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:32.440
they got that big old drum they
keep for whatever reason. I was just

484
00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:37.039
in my ear the whole game.
So, I mean, I think I

485
00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:40.159
think that's what makes the Big Ten
special. It's wherever you go, no

486
00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:45.639
matter if it's a rivalry or not, if you're playing a team out of

487
00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:49.599
the Big Ten, it's gonna be
tough wherever you go. I mean,

488
00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:52.679
Iowa, I mean everywhere, it's
hard. I mean that, but that's

489
00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:58.800
what again makes the big ten what
it is for me? Yeah, like

490
00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:04.000
this is are we already know?
Like I wake up, we talked about

491
00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:09.320
midnight and right when it strikes twelve
oh one, Like I'm ready to go,

492
00:36:09.480 --> 00:36:14.159
Like, let's go, right,
So let's talk about your households,

493
00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:17.719
man, Like are your kids and
your families that you're growing up you're raised

494
00:36:17.719 --> 00:36:22.920
in Spartans, right, but like
are they as invested as we are?

495
00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:30.239
Like talk about talk about that?
Well, for me, you know this

496
00:36:30.360 --> 00:36:35.360
goes back to you talk about you
know, you roam around the state of

497
00:36:35.400 --> 00:36:37.840
Michigan and get you've got Michigan fans
sprinkled around everywhere, and you know,

498
00:36:38.480 --> 00:36:43.719
houses are divided and all that stuff. But you know it, definitely there's

499
00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:46.760
a difference between people who are Spartan
fans. But you know, they don't

500
00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:52.119
necessarily despise Michigan. They can they
can tolerate them in certain circumstances. Or

501
00:36:52.119 --> 00:36:55.760
maybe you hear people say, well, you know, I pull for Michigan

502
00:36:57.079 --> 00:37:00.519
or the Michigan teams in general when
they're not playing the Spartans and things like

503
00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:04.800
that. We don't operate that that
way here. As in my household and

504
00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:10.000
certainly my two kids are even more
so adamant and hard lined when it comes

505
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.559
to Michigan than I am. Even
so I don't know if I overtly uh

506
00:37:14.800 --> 00:37:19.280
taught them that or you know,
uh imposed that on them. I'm sure

507
00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:22.840
I did, but there is no
there's no straddling the line and not even

508
00:37:22.840 --> 00:37:25.719
close in my household. They they
know that we bleed green and white,

509
00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:30.400
and anything that's that's blue and yellow, it's out the door. So they're

510
00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:36.599
gonna be more ready than I am. Yeah, the same were the same

511
00:37:36.679 --> 00:37:39.480
exact way I tell my kids,
don't even put them colored legos together.

512
00:37:39.599 --> 00:37:51.920
I don't like, you can't wait
that that outfit either no or so we

513
00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:55.119
yeah, all the way. I
came right with a blue pen, like

514
00:37:55.159 --> 00:37:58.599
they tried to give me a blue
pen and write my city today. I

515
00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:04.679
was like, yeah, I totally
totally agree with you guys there, and

516
00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:07.320
I think we all feel the same
way here. I can't stand those people

517
00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:10.199
that say, oh, well,
if Michigan's playing in a ball game,

518
00:38:10.239 --> 00:38:13.440
then they're in the Big Ten.
I'm going to root for them. No,

519
00:38:13.639 --> 00:38:15.719
I don't want them to win.
If this a the Big Ten is

520
00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:21.079
going to be the powerhouse. If
Michigan wins this game. I don't care.

521
00:38:21.199 --> 00:38:22.440
We don't have to be the powerhouse
then, you know, And it's

522
00:38:22.480 --> 00:38:25.760
the same thing you guys. My
daughter's a little too young to understand it,

523
00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:29.760
but I have that battle with my
wife. My wife's from Canada,

524
00:38:29.840 --> 00:38:32.599
so she doesn't, you know,
know, the true river and stuff.

525
00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:37.760
Like one time we went to the
we're getting a gift for someone and she

526
00:38:37.880 --> 00:38:43.039
had a bag and she got blue
and yellow and blue stuff and paper for

527
00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:46.119
I was like, that's not gonna
work. We gotta get something. She's

528
00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:49.280
like, it doesn't match. I
was like, I don't care, but

529
00:38:49.360 --> 00:39:00.440
we're going this. There's no gray
area, man. So we all know

530
00:39:00.760 --> 00:39:05.760
we've been struggling right from the season, but it doesn't matter with this week.

531
00:39:05.800 --> 00:39:07.960
It doesn't matter if we were defeated
and we didn't have any wins on

532
00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:15.599
the collar or you know, talk
about the what is it going to take

533
00:39:15.800 --> 00:39:21.719
for them to go down there and
experience what we've experienced. And you know,

534
00:39:21.840 --> 00:39:28.079
they're always highly talented, they're always
ranked, they're always the favorite or

535
00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:31.400
we're the underdog. But like,
go into that locker room talk to them

536
00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:35.880
about the you know, what is
it going to take to truly win this

537
00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:39.599
game from you guys' perspective as an
experience. But like you're the coach,

538
00:39:40.079 --> 00:39:44.039
you're you're male. Right now,
what are you telling these guys daily?

539
00:39:45.440 --> 00:39:50.000
Yeah, well, I mean,
but I would I would say, you

540
00:39:50.039 --> 00:39:52.559
know, first of all, we
got to have fun. Bottom line,

541
00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:54.559
let me this, this game is
about fun in this particular game here,

542
00:39:55.280 --> 00:40:00.320
as a as a Spartan dog Michigan
State player, we are. We have

543
00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:02.800
no pressure. There's no pressure on
us, baby. We just need to

544
00:40:02.840 --> 00:40:07.760
go and have fun, play the
game you play, do what you do,

545
00:40:07.920 --> 00:40:12.639
have fun. There's no pressure at
all. So go back, go

546
00:40:12.760 --> 00:40:15.440
back in the time when you remember
when you can actually enjoy the game.

547
00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:19.880
And yeah, it's been a rough
year, but that's life too, so

548
00:40:20.519 --> 00:40:25.360
so what can what? Today is
a day we have an opportunity to go

549
00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:32.639
into an opponent's home and quiet everybody
up, shut everybody up, playing a

550
00:40:32.679 --> 00:40:37.760
fun game that we all love,
and get on the bus with Paul buye

551
00:40:38.440 --> 00:40:43.079
call today. But again, there's
no pressure, there's no pressure. Just

552
00:40:43.119 --> 00:40:47.320
go and do what we just play
that fun. Bill. Yeah, I'm

553
00:40:47.320 --> 00:40:50.599
with you, the same thing.
I mean, you go down there,

554
00:40:50.639 --> 00:40:54.840
there's absolutely no everybody outside of East
Lansing has written Michigan State off in this

555
00:40:54.880 --> 00:41:00.000
particular game, and that I think
is because they don't understand when players get

556
00:41:00.039 --> 00:41:04.880
together, they're in this situation,
they're in this rivalry. They feel like

557
00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:08.880
everybody else has written them off.
There's absolutely nothing else to do but to

558
00:41:08.920 --> 00:41:13.400
take on that challenge, have some
fun playing the game, because, like

559
00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:16.000
TJ said, there's absolutely no pressure
on you everybody, especially to lose anyway.

560
00:41:16.199 --> 00:41:19.760
You know, straight, you're familiar
with that situation. When we went

561
00:41:19.800 --> 00:41:22.599
down to Columbus in ninety eight and
we're twenty eight point underdogs. It's the

562
00:41:22.639 --> 00:41:25.119
same thing. You can go in
there and have some fun and let it

563
00:41:25.159 --> 00:41:30.360
all hang out without worry about making
mistakes. You know, the team that's

564
00:41:30.920 --> 00:41:35.320
ranked higher, that's it's you know, undefeated. They're in the conversation for

565
00:41:35.360 --> 00:41:38.000
the College Football Playoff and the Big
Ten Championship. They're the ones that have

566
00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:43.280
to ratchet up the pressure and keep
winning in order to keep their status with

567
00:41:43.320 --> 00:41:45.840
all those other things. So yeah, and it's fun. You know,

568
00:41:45.719 --> 00:41:50.199
you're as a warrior, as a
Spartan, you know, you like the

569
00:41:50.320 --> 00:41:53.280
challenge of you against the world.
You're hopping on a bus or a plane.

570
00:41:53.320 --> 00:41:59.039
You're going to the enemy's environment,
their stadium. Everybody's going to be

571
00:41:59.079 --> 00:42:02.000
against you that challenge. If you're
a competitor, I think it's fun to

572
00:42:02.039 --> 00:42:06.119
walk out of there with a win, silenced the one hundred thousand people,

573
00:42:06.760 --> 00:42:09.840
and show everybody that you could do
the impossible. Yeah, you know,

574
00:42:10.239 --> 00:42:14.039
so you know that's a great,
great point, Bill, And I'm going

575
00:42:14.119 --> 00:42:15.880
to ask you because you know,
we talked about a little bit before you

576
00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:20.679
came on the show. And for
me, in my opinion, I think

577
00:42:20.719 --> 00:42:23.920
that Michigan State actually matches up better
with Michigan than a lot of other teams

578
00:42:23.960 --> 00:42:28.400
because the Achilles heel, as we
all know from Michigan State, has been

579
00:42:28.440 --> 00:42:32.199
the defensive secondary and the ability to
defend the pass. If there is a

580
00:42:32.199 --> 00:42:37.679
strength for Michigan State, it's the
ability to stop the run. So it

581
00:42:37.119 --> 00:42:40.960
appears to me that Michigan's going to
try to come in here and just run

582
00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:44.400
it down. Michigan State's throw just
trying to run it down a throw,

583
00:42:44.960 --> 00:42:47.800
you know, with the running backs, but they're going to I think that

584
00:42:47.840 --> 00:42:51.519
the counter would be just low the
box, right, I mean, and

585
00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:57.199
force JJ McCarthy to beat us.
Now, as a quarterback, your eyes

586
00:42:57.280 --> 00:43:00.199
typically are going to go to what
the quarterback's doing. You've watched Bagan Thorne,

587
00:43:00.239 --> 00:43:04.199
I'm sure, and maybe when you
were, I don't know, in

588
00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:07.760
flipping through the channels, you happen
to catch a glimpse maybe of JJ McCarthy.

589
00:43:07.840 --> 00:43:10.840
You know, he's the new air
parent after Kate McNamara was benched,

590
00:43:12.159 --> 00:43:15.039
have to take him to a Big
Ten title and you know college football playoffs.

591
00:43:15.400 --> 00:43:22.440
How do you assess those two quarterbacks? And obviously JJ's ability to beat

592
00:43:22.880 --> 00:43:25.559
Michigan State with his arm given what
you've been able to see so far this

593
00:43:25.639 --> 00:43:29.440
year. Yeah, I don't think
he's there yet. I think he's got

594
00:43:29.239 --> 00:43:32.079
a lot of talent. He's a
young guy. But when you're a young

595
00:43:32.119 --> 00:43:37.760
guy, you tend to not get
to number three, number four in your

596
00:43:37.760 --> 00:43:42.039
progression, and you don't tend to
handle pressure all that well. Now,

597
00:43:42.039 --> 00:43:44.960
when you get to be a wily
old veteran and you're a fifth year senior

598
00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:51.280
and you've seen it all and you're
almost wanting or welcoming the blitz because you

599
00:43:51.320 --> 00:43:53.880
know you can take advantage of it. I don't think McCarthy's there yet.

600
00:43:54.039 --> 00:43:58.719
He might one day get there,
but I think if coach Tucker and Scotty

601
00:43:58.719 --> 00:44:04.559
Hazelton have a great plan on defense, you know, combining stacking that box,

602
00:44:04.719 --> 00:44:07.880
putting the emphasis on stopping the run, and then having some creativity in

603
00:44:07.960 --> 00:44:13.000
terms of rattling him. I think
that'd be a great approach, and I

604
00:44:13.039 --> 00:44:15.119
agree with you. Then on the
other side, you got Peyton Thorn,

605
00:44:15.159 --> 00:44:17.320
who's been there, He's had a
great season last year, He's got some

606
00:44:17.320 --> 00:44:21.480
more experience, and I heard you
guys talking earlier about what it's going to

607
00:44:21.519 --> 00:44:24.679
take to win the game. I
think because each team is going to put

608
00:44:24.679 --> 00:44:29.079
an emphasis on the physical side of
the game and running the football, I

609
00:44:29.119 --> 00:44:32.440
think it's going to come down to
who can make and maybe specifically which quarterback

610
00:44:32.480 --> 00:44:37.000
can make the most number of plays
over say fifteen or twenty yards. And

611
00:44:37.079 --> 00:44:43.000
I think the advantage, as you
referenced Stray, is Peyton Thorn in that

612
00:44:43.039 --> 00:44:45.679
regard, because I just don't think
that McCarthy at this point, he's done

613
00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:50.440
a great job doing what he's been
asked to do. But again, I

614
00:44:50.519 --> 00:44:54.599
think he's still i'll use the word
green in terms of his experience, so

615
00:44:55.079 --> 00:44:58.519
that I think that he's got a
little ways to go there. So I

616
00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:00.519
think there is I think there is
a week spot that we can take advantage

617
00:45:00.519 --> 00:45:05.159
of on the defensive side. And
if you're asking me, you know which

618
00:45:05.159 --> 00:45:07.039
team has the advantage in terms of
the quarterback position, I think it's got

619
00:45:07.039 --> 00:45:13.119
to be Michigan State. Yeah.
So sticking with that quarterback stuff, you

620
00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:15.719
know, Peyton has he struggled,
to say the least early in the season.

621
00:45:16.000 --> 00:45:20.639
But this pass game against Wisconsin a
couple of weeks ago, you I

622
00:45:20.679 --> 00:45:23.519
think that was his best all around
game of the season. He's starting to

623
00:45:23.559 --> 00:45:28.719
get that communication with his receivers and
that time and with his receivers. Bill

624
00:45:28.760 --> 00:45:32.599
you played the position, how important
is it for that quarterback wide receiver communication

625
00:45:32.719 --> 00:45:37.400
and time and standpoint? You know, anytime one of the guys on your

626
00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:43.400
offensive side of the ball that is
not in the lineup, it affects you.

627
00:45:43.440 --> 00:45:45.840
It really does. Whether it's you
know, your star number one receiver

628
00:45:45.960 --> 00:45:50.199
or whether it's your center. You
know, in my center used to go

629
00:45:50.320 --> 00:45:52.800
down. It changes everything. You
know, puts that little thought in your

630
00:45:52.800 --> 00:45:54.800
head that you know, do I
do I trust the second guy? You

631
00:45:54.840 --> 00:45:59.519
know, is a snap going to
be the same In Jaden Reid's case or

632
00:45:59.599 --> 00:46:01.480
receivers case, is he going to
run that hook route exactly the way that

633
00:46:01.519 --> 00:46:05.920
I'm used to. Is he going
to run into thirteen yards instead of twelve

634
00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:07.960
yards? You know, you want
to be able to trust the guys that

635
00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:12.400
you're going to battle with and that
you've been working with. So it's huge

636
00:46:12.440 --> 00:46:15.719
when you get your top receiver back, and those guys have been together a

637
00:46:15.760 --> 00:46:19.960
long time, well before Michigan State, So to get him back, I

638
00:46:19.960 --> 00:46:23.480
think that really you could see Peyton
Thorn just kind of have a little better

639
00:46:23.519 --> 00:46:27.920
body language. You could see him
just to have a little more pepinist step

640
00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:30.440
because you know you can go to
that guy when the pocket breaks down,

641
00:46:30.440 --> 00:46:35.679
when it's a crucial time in the
game in the fourth quarter, you know

642
00:46:35.719 --> 00:46:37.079
that you don't have to be perfect
because he's going to go up there and

643
00:46:37.079 --> 00:46:40.480
make a play. So I don't
think that can be understated how important it

644
00:46:40.559 --> 00:46:45.800
is to have that type of connection
and guys that you can trust, especially

645
00:46:45.920 --> 00:46:52.960
in big games. I mean,
guys, I mean, I guess we

646
00:46:52.639 --> 00:46:57.800
would be remiss if we didn't ask
you guys, like what do you see

647
00:46:57.880 --> 00:47:00.639
happening? Hey, look, we're
just gonna put it out there table right

648
00:47:00.639 --> 00:47:06.159
now on Saturday. Here it is
this Saturday night night game, Arbor.

649
00:47:06.920 --> 00:47:09.079
I'm sure you know if you're not
there, you're gonna be well oiled,

650
00:47:09.119 --> 00:47:15.159
ready to go, juiced up right
along with a lot of Spartan Nation and

651
00:47:15.320 --> 00:47:20.800
those guys down the road. How
do you think this game comes out at

652
00:47:20.800 --> 00:47:24.400
the end of it to seven thirty
kickoff on a DC and Spartan Media network

653
00:47:24.400 --> 00:47:30.559
by the way, Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think it's gonna

654
00:47:30.599 --> 00:47:36.679
be a beautiful day for for Spartan
Nation. I think we're gonna go out

655
00:47:36.719 --> 00:47:39.400
there, We're gonna start making some
plays, and then that confidence is gonna

656
00:47:39.400 --> 00:47:44.920
start to flow. I think the
defense, I think they're gonna step up

657
00:47:44.960 --> 00:47:49.840
big because they have been challenged a
lot this year. And I think there

658
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:52.679
are running backs. I think our
running backs are gonna make this a coming

659
00:47:52.719 --> 00:48:00.920
out party. I'm I feel good. I feel good about this game.

660
00:48:00.639 --> 00:48:05.719
And uh yeah, and it's a
night game. I mean every to me,

661
00:48:06.440 --> 00:48:10.199
everything has been is lining up to
have Michigan State be a success this

662
00:48:10.719 --> 00:48:21.239
Saturday. M hmm, freaks come
out at night. Well, I mean,

663
00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:24.239
oh yeah, twenty four to fourteen
go green. But I don't,

664
00:48:24.480 --> 00:48:29.920
I don't. I don't think we
haven't played a complete game yet, like

665
00:48:29.960 --> 00:48:34.519
I mean, we have we have
not had that game where like offense,

666
00:48:34.599 --> 00:48:37.760
defense, special teams, we haven't
had that yet. And I think,

667
00:48:39.199 --> 00:48:43.599
you know, struggling throughout the year
the beginning of the season, players were

668
00:48:43.679 --> 00:48:47.719
heard things weren't going well. That
West Coast trip, a lot of things

669
00:48:47.719 --> 00:48:52.320
were just out of order. And
then to have some guys come back,

670
00:48:52.840 --> 00:48:57.480
to be able to get a tough
win under our belt, and then to

671
00:48:57.480 --> 00:49:01.719
be able to have a week to
like watch the film and heal up and

672
00:49:01.840 --> 00:49:07.880
actually tweak some things, and then
for it to be the guys down the

673
00:49:07.000 --> 00:49:10.519
road who get to see us after
this bye week. I mean, I

674
00:49:10.519 --> 00:49:15.000
think it's perfect. And at the
same time, you know, the guys

675
00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:17.280
down the road, there's a lot
of pressure on him. There's a lot

676
00:49:17.519 --> 00:49:22.880
of pressure on him. And if
they think they're playing Michigan State that started

677
00:49:22.880 --> 00:49:25.840
the season, they're going to be
in for a rude awakening because that's not

678
00:49:25.840 --> 00:49:32.440
who's going to be walking in to
that stadium. Well, the post the

679
00:49:32.440 --> 00:49:36.960
same question to you, Bill,
Yeah, I'm with you. I think

680
00:49:37.000 --> 00:49:39.800
that you know, people the perception
is that Michigan seven and zero, Michigan

681
00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:45.320
State is three and four, and
so because of that there's this huge gap

682
00:49:45.360 --> 00:49:47.840
between the two schools, you know, and it looks that way maybe on

683
00:49:47.920 --> 00:49:51.920
paper, but I don't see it
that way. I never have. I

684
00:49:51.960 --> 00:49:57.159
don't think when you're at this level, when you've got two very talented big

685
00:49:57.199 --> 00:50:00.840
ten rivals, I think the gap
in the margin in between the two,

686
00:50:00.400 --> 00:50:06.599
just in terms of potential is razor
thin. Despite the records. And then

687
00:50:06.639 --> 00:50:10.280
we've talked, of course a lot
already about how when big rivals get together,

688
00:50:10.320 --> 00:50:14.079
you throw the records right out the
door, and I think it's because

689
00:50:14.119 --> 00:50:16.159
of all the intangible, the things
that you can't put on paper or measure

690
00:50:16.199 --> 00:50:21.760
on paper. So I think TJ
alluded to it. You know, we

691
00:50:21.880 --> 00:50:27.280
haven't put together a game where we've
lived up and almost or fully maxed out

692
00:50:27.440 --> 00:50:31.280
our potential. And I think given
the bye week, I think getting healthy

693
00:50:31.400 --> 00:50:36.519
and just kind of having some time
to process what's happened already this season puts

694
00:50:36.599 --> 00:50:40.079
us in a great position to go
down there without any pressure to put it

695
00:50:40.119 --> 00:50:44.800
all together, to put together a
near complete game, make some big plays,

696
00:50:45.159 --> 00:50:47.280
and come out of there with the
win. I think the timing is

697
00:50:47.320 --> 00:50:51.840
perfect. I don't think anybody expects
Michigan State to go down there and pull

698
00:50:51.840 --> 00:50:53.639
out the win. But you got
to look at kind of how the ebbs

699
00:50:53.679 --> 00:50:58.360
and flows of football teams happen.
You know, Michigan State is excuse me,

700
00:50:58.400 --> 00:51:00.719
Michigan has been just kind of rolling
along ever since last year they went

701
00:51:00.719 --> 00:51:04.559
to the College Football Playoff. They're
undefeated this year. It's just kind of

702
00:51:04.920 --> 00:51:07.639
ho home weekend and week out.
Even when they get down a little bit

703
00:51:07.639 --> 00:51:12.000
early in their games, they tend
to pull it out somehow and overtake the

704
00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:15.920
teams that they're playing. However,
the teams that continue to consistently do that

705
00:51:16.039 --> 00:51:21.639
throughout the entire season and run the
table, that's extremely difficult to do,

706
00:51:22.159 --> 00:51:25.639
extremely difficult to do. So when
you line them up against your in state

707
00:51:25.760 --> 00:51:30.800
rival, who's had a down year, who hasn't put together their complete game,

708
00:51:30.800 --> 00:51:35.239
who hasn't lived up to their potential, yet, things really line up

709
00:51:35.360 --> 00:51:37.360
really well. I think for Michigan
State to not only go down there and

710
00:51:37.400 --> 00:51:40.719
compete and make it a game in
the fourth quarter, but to actually make

711
00:51:40.840 --> 00:51:45.599
enough big plays to come out of
there with the winning they've got. It's

712
00:51:45.639 --> 00:51:50.400
not like the difference in talent or
potential is drastically different. They've got all

713
00:51:50.440 --> 00:51:52.800
the tools, they've got all the
resources to make that happen. And that's

714
00:51:52.840 --> 00:51:55.840
exactly what I see happen in this
particular week. And I would say the

715
00:51:55.880 --> 00:52:01.320
same thing if these situations, if
we're talking about two completely different teams outside

716
00:52:01.320 --> 00:52:06.119
of Michigan and Michigan State, maybe
two teams in the exact same situations from

717
00:52:06.119 --> 00:52:09.599
another conference. Just you know,
based on watching football for thirty or forty

718
00:52:09.679 --> 00:52:14.840
years, you know, it's just
how these things go. So I'm feeling

719
00:52:14.920 --> 00:52:16.880
very positive about the result. You
know, I'm looking, you know,

720
00:52:17.199 --> 00:52:22.519
visualizing further ahead Saturday night, and
I think we all have smiles on our

721
00:52:22.519 --> 00:52:27.320
faces because Michigan State pulls out the
win. Let's go, that's go.

722
00:52:32.679 --> 00:52:36.599
I'm gonna say thirty one, thirty, maybe a last second field goal,

723
00:52:36.639 --> 00:52:40.920
maybe something crazy, last last minute
turnover in a big play. I think

724
00:52:40.920 --> 00:52:45.280
it's going to be one of the
exciting ones that will go down in history

725
00:52:45.320 --> 00:52:49.840
forever. And we talk about five
or ten years from now. That's thriller.

726
00:52:50.320 --> 00:52:54.559
Special teams, special teams, teams, the special teams stuff always gets

727
00:52:54.599 --> 00:52:59.280
crazy down in ann Arbor when these
two teams get together. I'll tell you

728
00:52:59.320 --> 00:53:04.039
this, if Jaden reed, if
he takes a punt return back at the

729
00:53:04.039 --> 00:53:07.760
Big House, because I feel like
he's he's old one's two because the last

730
00:53:07.800 --> 00:53:12.320
one we had was a little skeptical
when it came to the blocking from the

731
00:53:12.320 --> 00:53:15.079
side. But if he can turn
a punt, if we get these guys

732
00:53:15.079 --> 00:53:19.440
three and out, like, I
think that's where it controls the game right

733
00:53:19.480 --> 00:53:23.519
there. And we talk about momentum
as sudden change. Who wins the sudden

734
00:53:23.599 --> 00:53:28.880
change battle? This is being everybody
been on the offensive offense, so we

735
00:53:29.000 --> 00:53:34.440
got a bunch of office business position. So defensive guy is how do we

736
00:53:34.639 --> 00:53:37.719
manage the sudden change because we know
it's going to happen. We know something's

737
00:53:37.719 --> 00:53:39.679
going to happen where it's got to
be like all right, we got to

738
00:53:39.719 --> 00:53:43.960
go out there, let's get the
ball back. And then also how do

739
00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:47.559
we control our emotions because emotions are
going to be extremely high. And you

740
00:53:47.639 --> 00:53:52.159
know, I feel like every time
we play these guys and our coaches have

741
00:53:52.280 --> 00:53:55.920
always prepared us to keep your composer, you know, play our football,

742
00:53:57.039 --> 00:54:00.880
play spartan football, don't don't get
get don't let them get inside your head.

743
00:54:01.760 --> 00:54:05.960
And so I think that's what's gonna
be truly what can we control.

744
00:54:06.159 --> 00:54:10.400
But also let's just not get Let's
not get fifteen yard abenlties, let's not

745
00:54:10.440 --> 00:54:15.679
get personal files. Let's play some
clean football, but let's play some smash

746
00:54:15.719 --> 00:54:19.519
mouth, hit him in the mouth
football too. Yeah, that's a great

747
00:54:19.519 --> 00:54:22.199
point that Otis makes it. I
think, just like last year, staying

748
00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:25.880
the course of the entire game.
Even though last year when we were down

749
00:54:25.960 --> 00:54:30.639
sixteen points, we didn't flinch.
You know, we just continue as coach

750
00:54:30.039 --> 00:54:34.320
Tucker, you know, is monitor
keep chopping. We kept chopping. We

751
00:54:34.360 --> 00:54:37.280
stayed the course. And that's something
that we're gonna have to do because the

752
00:54:37.519 --> 00:54:40.480
entire game is not gonna go in
the Spartans way. We're gonna hit some

753
00:54:40.559 --> 00:54:45.280
adversity somewhere. And the thing is, whoever's the one that blinks first is

754
00:54:45.280 --> 00:54:49.599
gonna be the one that loses.
So don't blink. Stay the course the

755
00:54:49.719 --> 00:54:53.760
entire time, and I think the
Spartans will be victorious. We used to

756
00:54:53.840 --> 00:54:59.039
always talk about keep the lion in
the cage until it's time to unleash the

757
00:54:59.119 --> 00:55:02.760
lion, and it's gonna be tough, especially for us older Spartan dogs that

758
00:55:02.800 --> 00:55:07.320
are on this podcast right now.
No special thanks to both of you guys

759
00:55:07.320 --> 00:55:12.920
for coming on the show. T
J. Todd Duckett and Billy Burke,

760
00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:20.840
you guys. Just just a fun
fact, the nickname Chu Chu came from

761
00:55:20.920 --> 00:55:37.079
Ducketts. He can't stop doing it
now because he was the Diesel. He

762
00:55:37.199 --> 00:55:42.400
was the and then coach Manny one
time was like, oh this is this

763
00:55:42.440 --> 00:55:44.800
is baby Diesel and then he's like
no, no, no, no,

764
00:55:44.800 --> 00:55:55.760
no, that's cute. Thanks guys. Looking forward, are you guys gonna

765
00:55:55.760 --> 00:55:58.679
come to the game. You're coming
in arbor, You're gonna watch it where

766
00:55:58.679 --> 00:56:02.400
you're watching the game from my house, my house. I'm not going to

767
00:56:02.440 --> 00:56:08.480
them. I break out, Yeah, I break out when I yeah break

768
00:56:10.320 --> 00:56:15.039
yeah. I'm thinking about twenty times
of like should I go down? I'm

769
00:56:15.039 --> 00:56:23.480
still thinking about, like you're going
to the case. I don't want to

770
00:56:23.519 --> 00:56:30.760
get fired. Appreciate you guys for
jumping on. Thank you, thank you,

771
00:56:30.760 --> 00:56:37.320
Thanks for having me guys. Great
to see you go green while all

772
00:56:37.440 --> 00:56:42.639
right, man, Hey, fun
interview with two Spartan legends. Huh you

773
00:56:42.719 --> 00:56:47.320
know Todd, t J. Duckett
and Billy burt Man. I mean just

774
00:56:47.360 --> 00:56:52.000
two all time breaks. Yeah,
definitely, And you know that's what I

775
00:56:52.039 --> 00:56:53.920
love about being a Spartan dog man. Even when you when you know,

776
00:56:54.039 --> 00:57:00.639
talking to you know, Duck it
there, and when you're young guy coming

777
00:57:00.639 --> 00:57:02.119
in and even you know, when
I was playing Jason, you were doing

778
00:57:02.159 --> 00:57:06.440
the sideline and stuff like, you
know, like it was known that you

779
00:57:06.480 --> 00:57:08.800
were Dog. You played there.
You know, Duck would come back,

780
00:57:08.840 --> 00:57:12.679
Bill Burke would be there and all
those guys. And it's just like,

781
00:57:12.880 --> 00:57:15.119
you know, you just get to
know these guys, you know, from

782
00:57:15.159 --> 00:57:21.039
when you first step on campus to
now having a relationship to with them after

783
00:57:21.119 --> 00:57:22.960
you're done. That's what it really
means to be a Spartan dog and you

784
00:57:23.000 --> 00:57:25.559
know, really appreciate them coming on. It's, you know, just great

785
00:57:25.599 --> 00:57:29.639
conversation. Like I said, it's
just like boys in the barber shop.

786
00:57:30.719 --> 00:57:35.159
Gotta love its old. As I
know, we got to make sure that

787
00:57:35.239 --> 00:57:43.960
you don't catch the case. We
got a call Michigan State Police. I

788
00:57:44.119 --> 00:57:47.480
had to go to the altar Like
lord, Lord, I don't even know

789
00:57:47.519 --> 00:57:59.480
what I'm about to do. You
already know that this week, all the

790
00:57:59.519 --> 00:58:05.079
trash and all the kind of banter
going back and forth, it all matters

791
00:58:05.239 --> 00:58:08.280
what happens on that field, right, And so we all played it and

792
00:58:08.280 --> 00:58:12.920
we all wore the green and white, and we all are living vicariously through

793
00:58:14.039 --> 00:58:16.599
our guys are going to compete,
but we know what they're going through,

794
00:58:16.639 --> 00:58:21.760
and so I think that's where it's
we're more invested knowing that we're going to

795
00:58:21.840 --> 00:58:25.480
be watching from afar or watching on
the sideline or in the stands. And

796
00:58:28.119 --> 00:58:32.320
I think it's just true, like
to teach your tops point, let's play

797
00:58:32.360 --> 00:58:37.920
free man, and let's have some
fun, and let's have some fun beating

798
00:58:37.920 --> 00:58:42.719
the school down the road, Like
that's no more better feeling than to where

799
00:58:42.760 --> 00:58:46.000
you come back from that drive in
two thousand and eight, coming back from

800
00:58:46.000 --> 00:58:51.639
that drive on that road and land
into East Lancet, and you got your

801
00:58:51.679 --> 00:58:54.920
peoples and your students, the fans
waiting for you and to celebrating man,

802
00:58:54.960 --> 00:58:59.320
And that's what it's all about.
And so I want these guys to feel

803
00:58:59.360 --> 00:59:00.880
that. You know, we had
it at home and we felt that,

804
00:59:00.920 --> 00:59:06.840
but it's truly a different difference maker. You go down in that monumental stadium

805
00:59:06.880 --> 00:59:09.559
that they have there and you beat
them on their own turf and you get

806
00:59:09.639 --> 00:59:14.760
to go take back home to Paul
Boy and Trophy sitting right in the front

807
00:59:14.840 --> 00:59:17.159
next to coach d like, there's
nothing better man, and so I just

808
00:59:17.440 --> 00:59:22.760
I pray for these guys to be
out there truly play free and not get

809
00:59:22.760 --> 00:59:25.559
inside their hands and have a great
time. And yeah, we'll let the

810
00:59:25.719 --> 00:59:30.480
chips fall what they may, but
they're gonna be falling on that green side

811
00:59:30.679 --> 00:59:38.440
heavily, without question. Ju And
yeah, yeah, just like Otis,

812
00:59:38.480 --> 00:59:40.239
Otis, you know, hit it
on the head. You know, I'm

813
00:59:40.280 --> 00:59:45.360
a guy that, you know,
never had the opportunity to, you know,

814
00:59:45.440 --> 00:59:50.480
take that bus ride back with a
victory or leave our stadium in East

815
00:59:50.559 --> 00:59:54.039
Langston with the victory. I'm a
guy that suffered many heartbreaks in that game.

816
00:59:54.079 --> 00:59:59.039
And that's why it's so important.
You know, when or Duck was

817
00:59:59.079 --> 01:00:02.760
talking about that final catch, I
go back to when I first got on

818
01:00:02.800 --> 01:00:07.199
campus, talking to guys going into
this week, talking about what the emotions

819
01:00:07.199 --> 01:00:12.400
for like, what the feelings were
like. You know. So it's something

820
01:00:12.440 --> 01:00:15.400
that I never got to experience.
I'm glad, you know, Otis had

821
01:00:15.400 --> 01:00:17.760
the opportunity to experience it, you
know, the very next year after I

822
01:00:17.840 --> 01:00:21.320
left. And I want the same
thing for these guys. I wanted for

823
01:00:21.440 --> 01:00:24.760
Spartan nation, you know, Spartan
nation, you know, great, greatest

824
01:00:24.760 --> 01:00:30.599
fan base, you know in the
country. Players, you know, play

825
01:00:30.599 --> 01:00:32.639
your assets off and let's just get
ready to go. Let's get ready to

826
01:00:32.760 --> 01:00:42.400
ride. Legendary Spartan great Sherman Lewis
finished third in the Heisman Trophy back in

827
01:00:42.480 --> 01:00:46.920
nineteen sixty three. Of course,
coach Lewis man coach a coach for some

828
01:00:46.960 --> 01:00:51.679
the Bawl Wings. By the way, Yeah, about the best bus ride

829
01:00:51.679 --> 01:00:54.920
home he's ever had and all the
teams he's coaching played for was that ride

830
01:00:54.920 --> 01:01:00.000
from ann Arbor back to east Lands
and after beating that school down the road.

831
01:01:00.280 --> 01:01:05.199
Guys, Hey, great show by
all today. Uh, special things

832
01:01:05.239 --> 01:01:08.119
again goes out to Bill Burkett and
t J. Todd Dockett Duckett, the

833
01:01:08.239 --> 01:01:13.000
Duckett brothers. You know we're gonna
do a little plug for you guys.

834
01:01:13.400 --> 01:01:19.000
Also the special things obviously for I
have the Graduate hotels and everybody who makes

835
01:01:19.000 --> 01:01:28.639
this show so special and for whom
Otis Wiley and jay U Culchrid I'm Jason

836
01:01:28.679 --> 01:01:31.079
straight on, This is Sparta.
Have a good night, God blessed,

837
01:01:31.320 --> 01:01:34.440
and go Green, Go whe