MSU Quotes from Orlando

Senior tight end/defensive end Kellen Davis

On seeing time on the defensive line:“I’m working with the defense a little bit more. I’m spending more time in the film room and more time learning the rest of the defense. I’m really excited about it. I’m just doing whatever I can to help the team.” On his dual role this season on offense and defense and if he thinks it will help his NFL Draft stock: “I think it’s helping out a lot. It shows I’m a versatile player, that you can put me anywhere on the field. I can get out there and make plays on defense. It shows that I can do something extra.” On playing defense: “It’s like a rejuvenation. You go out there on offense, then you hear your name called down the sideline, and you run down there and see (defensive line) Coach (Ted) Gill, and Coach Gill says go in there and make a couple of plays. It definitely amplifies the whole atmosphere for me. It’s a totally different attitude going from offense to defense. I love playing defense.”On Boston College’s offense: “They like to throw the ball a lot. They throw a lot of screen passes out to (Andre) Callender…What Coach Gill has been talking about is that (Matt) Ryan is really good at stepping up in the pocket under pressure, so we’re going to have to try a lot of moves to get some pressure on him.” Junior defensive end Brandon Long On losing his starting role after two games to Jonal Saint-Dic:“For any competitor, it’s going to be an obvious disappointment, but you have to look at it from the standpoint of what’s best for our team. When a guy forces a fumble a game it’s easy to understand why he’s playing. I take my hat off to Jonal, he had a great season. I had a pretty big role in our dime package, and I got a lot of reps in our base too, so I wasn’t completely out of the picture.” On his mindset with Saint-Dic being out of the lineup:“Absolutely (it changes). You come into a game as a backup guy and you’re looking at 20 reps, as opposed to what I’ll get now, which is 60 or 70. You prepare yourself a little bit harder mentally and physically, and make sure you watch a little bit of extra film on (Matt) Ryan.” On playing his game:“I wouldn’t mind having a couple of forced fumbles, I’m not going to lie about that one, but obviously you have to bring your own abilities to the table and your own style. I’m not going to be Saint-Dic in there, and I’m not going to try and be. I’m going to play my game, which I feel will be a solid game.” On what he’s done to become a defensive end:“When I first came to Michigan State I actually started out as a linebacker. There were some shortages at the position, so they put me at defensive end. I played a position in high school where it was like a defensive end position, outside linebacker. So it was comfortable. I did well at the start, and apparently I did well enough for them to keep me there…Weight-wise has been a tricky thing for me. I stay around 250, 245, and hopefully in this offseason I’ll be able to get myself to 260 or so.” On Christmas morning:“Waking up, looking out at palm trees, was a little bit different than Ohio or Michigan. It was interesting for sure, to say the least. It didn’t really feel like Christmas, but it’s a great thing to be here.”