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Overheard outside the Michigan State locker room: A bloodbath and a steak dinner


Overheard outside the Michigan State locker room: A bloodbath and a steak dinner

EAST LANSING – Michigan State's three-game losing streak is over.

The Spartans (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) never trailed, picking up a 32-20 win over Iowa (4-3, 2-2) on Saturday night's homecoming.

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

Smith on winning after a bye week: “You lose three games in a row and then you have a week to really think about it. I think that speaks to the culture that these guys, led by the players, want to build here and they've been bought in and moving forward and still motivated.”

Kicker Jonathan Kim on setting a single-game program record with six made field goals: “I can't remember exactly when during the game someone came up to me and said, 'Hey, you just set the record.' I was like, “What record?” And then they walked away, so I was like, “Okay.”

Smith on Michigan State beating Iowa at the point of attack on both sides of the ball: “We want to be known for being able to play this style of physical football and we have done a good job. It starts at the beginning.”

Receiver Montorie Foster on the Spartans' 468 yards with a balanced attack: “I definitely think we have a high ceiling. In my opinion we have not yet reached our full potential.”

Quarterback Aidan Chiles on offensive performance when deciding field goals: “I think we still moved the ball great, we just need to finish now.”

Smith on Chiles: “In my opinion, he played his best overall game tonight.”

Chiles on finishing 22-for-30 for 256 yards, a touchdown and an interception: “Oh, that sounds nice.”

Chiles on his interception in the first quarter: “It was just a stupid rookie mistake that I can easily fix.”

Smith on the Spartans posting a season-high 212 rushing yards behind a strong offensive line performance: “I was really happy about the offensive front especially because they weren't playing at the level they wanted to and I thought they did it tonight.”

Running back Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams on the win: “I think we had a great week of preparation and getting the guys in the right mindset the last week leading up to this week.”

Smith on limiting star Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson to 98 yards on 14 carries and 75 yards on a touchdown run in the fourth quarter: “Gang tackling, we had to do it as a team. These guys had to pass in the runs, but we have to get more than one man on the ball. This guy has been back for a long time. I thought we did a good job when several people got there.”

Safety Nikai Martinez on beating Iowa at his own game: “That was a focus all week because we knew they were going to play the ball, they knew we were going to play the ball. There would be a bloodbath, we would emerge victorious.”

Smith on Lynch-Adams and Nathan Carter, who combined for 24 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown: “I think we got a nice one-two punch from the two guys carrying it. We have confidence in both of them.”

Linebacker Jordan Turner on Michigan State's defensive line: “I probably owe them a steak dinner tonight.”

True freshman receiver Nick Marsh with an impressive 11-yard catch to the Iowa 1 to set up the final touchdown: “I just hit it with a quick spin motion. I knew the safety of chasing was too much, so I hit him with a fast stick, and after that I started falling, so I just tried to put the ball in there.”

Smith on his trip to rival Michigan next week: “We will stick to our approach pretty consistently tomorrow. Our point is to learn from what we've seen, correct and improve, and then we'll turn the page pretty quickly for next week. The best thing about college football is playing in rivalry games, and this game means a lot.”

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