Overheard outside Michigan State’s locker room: Unacceptable and an apology

EAST LANSING – It was a win but far from the finish Michigan State was looking for.

The Spartans (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) nearly squandered a 21-point halftime lead while holding on for a 24-17 victory against Purdue (1-10, 0-8) on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

The victory keeps Michigan State in the hunt for bowl eligibility, with a win at home against Rutgers (6-4, 3-4) next week needed to earn a 13th game.

Here are notable quotes from coach Jonathan Smith and players after the game:

Smith on outscoring Purdue 24-3 in the first half before being outscored 14-0 in the second half: “Obviously pleased to find a way to win a game. Kind of a tale of two halves.”

Quarterback Aidan Chiles on the offensive performance in the second half: “I’m not going to say what we played like but we didn’t play good.”

Smith on starting tight end Jack Velling, who was carted off the field after taking a violent hit in the first quarter: “I spoke to him on the phone in the locker room just a bit ago. At the hospital, thorough, precautionary type things but he was in good spirits, he was able to watch the game but I don’t have anything definitive.”

Chiles on the pass attempt that resulted in Velling being injured: “It was a kill shot ball and that’s on me. … I wish I could take it back but I truly do apologize.”

Smith on Michigan State’s offensive struggles in the second half: “They did show us a couple pressure pictures that we didn’t handle very well and then there was just some lack of execution.”

Linebacker Jordan Turner on the defensive performance after halftime: “We’ve got to finish better in the second half. Unacceptable.”

Smith on running backs Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams (18 carries for 85 yards) and Nathan Carter (a touchdown run and touchdown catch): “I thought really both those guys played pretty well tonight.”

Chiles on remaining in the hunt for a bowl game: “It means a lot. I feel like we should have been in this place a long time ago.”

Receiver Montorie Foster on the message before the final offensive possession to run out the clock: “Really just do your job. It’s that simple. It’s nothing that we’ve got to overcomplicate.”

Chiles on his fourth-and-1 sneak to pick up a first down before kneeling out the clock: “It really wasn’t a conversation. It was like we’re going to go win this game.”

Smith on a secondary decimated by injuries: “We are playing a lot of different guys back there. We’ve had guys go down, we’ve got youngsters in the game and they kept on scratching and clawing and we’re going to need it again next week.”

Safety Nikai Martinez on relying heavily on young defensive backs: “You always have to be ready no matter what. Who would have thought we would have had to go that deep in depth but we had to and at the end of the day, they were ready and I was glad.”

Smith on defensive tackle D’Quan Douse, who was on the field for pregame warmups but didn’t play due to injury: “We were optimistic that maybe pregame he’d be able to do it, couldn’t. Hopefully next week.”

Turner on holding on for the win: “We really needed this win but that’s a sloppy finish. We expect us to finish better, especially when one of our main topics this week was consistency in execution.”

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