Colorado State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
9/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo
(general)
"That was another hard-fought effort by our kids. They played extremely hard. They showed some resolve there in the 4th quarter when we had the pick-6 (and) came back to tie the ballgame up. The defense bows their neck and we get the ball back to possibly win it in regulation, and we didn't, it went into overtime again and didn't get the job done."
"Again, I thought we played better as a football team. I think we've improved from week one to week two and week two to week three. The hard thing is we're 1-2, and there are some hurt kids in there who laid their hearts on the line for three straight weeks and haven't received the benefits of hard work.
"What we've got to do as coaches and players is continue what we're doing. I believe in our football team and I believe in the way they're playing, I think it's a special group. It's an easy thing to do to say we're 1-2 and stop working the way we're working, but that's not how I'm wired and that's not how my team is going to be wired. We're going to get after it and we'll be ready to play Saturday, and they're going to fight their tails off for Colorado State."
(on not finishing drives)
"We had some drives and we couldn't finish the drives. We've got to do a better of getting in the right plays so we can be successful. We've got to do a better job of executing the plays that are called. The worst thing you can do is not get points. There's going to be a million things when you go back and look at the game of 'we had an opportunity here, we had an opportunity there;' the thing we try to tell our team is you never know when that opportunity is going to come. There can be six or seven plays in that game that are going to come that are going to be the difference in the game. What we try to do is keep playing the same way every play, doing your job, I think that's what makes people great. And we're having some mistakes offensively, but our defense is playing hard, playing like I want them to; we played better as an offensive unit tonight, but we still didn't capitalize when we had some momentum on some drives, but again there was no quit in our team, but we've got to do a better job of finishing drives."
(on coming up short two weeks in a row against teams from Power 5 conference)
"There's not any consolation. I said it last week, you work hard, you play—we all play the game—to win the game. We're all competitors, and like I just told a couple of the seniors in there, I really believe we have a special football team, and I expect them to do what needs to be done, and that's continue to work. It's easy sometimes for kids to say we haven't worked this hard, we haven't done this much, we're 1-2; but we have to look at the positives, we've got to correct the mistakes, and we've got to continue to get better. In my mind this is a football team that will fight your tail, and I'm proud of it. Am I proud of being 1-2? No. I hate losing and they hate losing, but we've got to get back to work and we've got to find a way to win a football game."
(on sending Wyatt Bryan on the field in the 4th then sending the offense back in)
"I thought we had the momentum again, and then we stalled out, and I had a third-down call that I liked but I wanted to spread out to the right. We had practiced it once to the left and we felt good about going ahead and calling the play to the left and we executed the play great. It was just more of a left-hash call, the one I wanted to go with, and felt good about."
(on the play that resulted in the pick-6)
"I don't know, I'd have to go back and look at the film, sometimes there's a little bit of different rules when the ball's behind the line on a screen of when you can hit a guy. The guy made a great play, we were cracking the backside 'backer and he came off the tight end and made a good play. I've got to credit him for making that play."
(on any other factors that made him go for it on 4th down late in the game)
"I was tired of stalling out and not getting seven. I thought our defense was playing well, I know they hit a couple big plays on us, but if we didn't get it, I felt we were going to get the ball back - I still felt there was enough time. I had trust in the play that we called but I had more trust that if we didn't get it that our defense would be able to hold them.
(on whether there was a thought to go to Rashard Higgins on the possession in OT)
"The first play was designed where he was the number one progression on that play. They ran a different kind of blitz and we had a wheel route on a tight end, and then after that we felt like we were controlling the line of scrimmage and we wanted to try to hammer it in. Then when it was at third and four we tried to stay in regular. He was an option on that last play depending on what the coverage did. I'd have to go back and watch the film of why Nick went there, but I wouldn't say 'hey, you're going directly to Rashard.'"
"We're a little bit off on our accuracy but we just went with the best play that we thought would work at that point."
(on failing to take advantage of opportunities)
"They won the game, Terry, you've got to give them credit. They were down 14-0, 14-3-nothing … they fought, they played hard, they made enough plays that win the ballgame. Every time you lose a ball game you're going to go back and say we would've done this if we had the chance and we would've done that, but you've got to give those guys credit. They played hard and made more plays in the right time than we did."
(on field goal kicking)
"We missed three field goals, one of them was a little long for us to probably try, but he made the one to get us into overtime last week. We feel that he's the best guy. We have to keep putting him into those situations. We have to do better on offense and not settle for field goals, but at the end of the day when you stall you have to get points and we haven't done that enough. We lost the turnover battle again."
(on message to the team)
"This is my message; no team that I coach is not going to play hard … quit, and not be all in. For three games we played hard, we've been all-in and played for 60 minutes-plus in the last two games. I expect the same thing on Monday. If that's not for you or you doubt what we're doing, my office will be open tomorrow and you can come in, but the guys who are going to wear the green and gold are going to play hard for the green and gold every week."
(on Dalyn Dawkins' effort)
"Dalyn Dawkins is a stud. He might weigh 173 pounds soaking wet, but he's the hardest worker on our football team. That's how he practices every single day; full speed. I love that kid, he has more heart than anybody and his hamstring got a little tight. I thought that J.O. (Jasen Oden) came in and did a nice job running. Dalyn is what you want; a guy who comes to play every day as a football player. He doesn't say a word, if you ask him to do something he does it."
(on availability of Treyous Jarrells)
"Treyous was available in the fourth quarter, but we felt that it was a little tight. Then Dawkins and J.O. were running the ball well. We left some runs out there a couple of times, probably seeing a little too much, but Dawkins is a first-year guy who ran hard. J.O.'s getting a lot of carries, more than he's ever got. It takes times and coming into the season I knew it would take time offensively when you lose a 1,000-yard-plus rusher and lose a 4,000-yard passer at quarterback. I felt we needed to play great defense and we're playing great defense. We're getting better on offense, the record is just 1-2 and if we stick to the plan I believe we will be fine this year."
(on QB Coleman Key)
"At the start of the game we weren't going to play him unless we felt that we needed him to play. Nick practiced better this week. Coleman has to continue to practice the way we want him to. You have to earn the right to play on Saturdays by the way you work during the week. Coleman Key has a bright future for this football team. I expect him to come back and have a great week this week and be ready to play if his number is called."
(on Rashard Higgins' presence on the field)
"When he's out there he's a confident guy and he lifts up the whole team. Last year when I would watch games he would make these plays to flip the field and turn the game around. It's been tough, Rashard has missed some time. He missed a lot of time in spring, fall camp, then he had the foot sprain and really didn't practice the whole practice until Thursday. He was a little winded tonight, but I think it was good to get him back in the groove. We have a long season, we haven't even started conference play, but I think we are building to where we're going to be able to play the way we want to play. First things first is next week against (UT) San Antonio. Rashard needs to have a great week of practice and be ready to go on Saturday."
(on Nick Stevens' performance)
"I thought Stevens played well. Anytime you look at the tape you're going to go back and say that we had a chance on this and that one, but you're not going to hit every throw and you're not going to make every correct decision, you have to keep playing. I think it showed a lot of resolve in him and a lot of belief in the offense in him to do that after the pick-six. It would've been easy to hang your head. I thought he played confident, I thought he was into the game and got us into the right play, but we have to continue to improve in that position. I think he's improved from last week. That team we played last week was very good defensively, especially in the secondary, and we knew it was going to be a rough day. We thought we would be able to do a few things tonight which we did, but we just didn't do enough. We didn't capitalize on enough opportunities, but that's football. At the end of the day we still had a chance with the ball in our hands at the end of the game and we didn't finish. Then we got the ball in overtime and didn't finish like we need to do to win a ball game."
(on changes to the offensive line)
"Nick Callender came back this week and we wanted to get Nick in there, he's very athletic, and (Zack) Golditch at guard improved a bit athletically in size and strength. Last week was a rough week in the middle. I thought our offensive line played better tonight. We still had too many execution issues and some missed assignments that we have to continue to get better at. That happens when you have a new coach, new coaching staff, new offense, and nuance's here and there. We're not doing everything we would want to do offensively, but I do think we're improving and moving in the right direction. Which is hard to say and a tough pill to swallow."
____
Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre
(general)
"First of all, CSU is a really good football team, Mike Bobo has done a really good job with them. That was a classic I would say. One of those types of games that everybody loves to come watch and I think games like these will really keep the rivalry truly going. I am so proud of our young men, locker room, those who were not able to dress out. I am so proud of our coaches and I am extremely grateful to be the head coach of Colorado. I really enjoyed tonight. Winning is fun. That was good for us. I think you keep seeing our team grow up; I said it at Hawai'i. I still believe in this team. Last week we were able to put a team away, this week we played a very good football team and found a way to come and win it and kept fighting. Last year we fought and fought but couldn't find a way to win it. Tonight we found a way to win it; we found a way to block a field goal, found a way to make a kick, found a way to make a play. We got down, kept battling. I think it shows you a young group of men, we are still a young team, but we are not babies anymore, we are growing into men. So I think you are seeing us grow up in front of your faces."
(On PK Diego Gonzalez's performance)
"Oh no none at all. Not one bit. That's the only one he has missed. You've seen him kick in practice. He gets great lift, he's a young guy; this is his first time kicking all time out there with the pressure. Another thing he doesn't let anything really bother him, so I knew he would be able to bounce back and that's what you need to be at the kicker position. You better be able to bounce back and he is able to do that. I had all the confidence in the world in him. He had a tough one, one kick was blocked earlier then we had that one happened and he came back and made the kick. So I was very proud of him."
(on overtime)
"I think we know to just keep playing, fighting, and battling. For example, the fourth down and one play we were debating and I said, 'Nah. We got the guts in us, we can do this.' And we did it and ended up missing the field goal. We battled in overtime. It was unique. They had made some runs on us there is no doubt. We kept battling, we are in great condition. We get that roughing the passer on the first down played, that's second and ten there. So it looks like, 'Wow they might just try to run it in.' and we just bowed up somehow, found a way down four to two inside and stopped them. We had enough energy and power and just rushed that field goal. That's late in the game and they found an extra set of energy."
(on QB Sefo Liufau's performance)
"Sefo, he is so tough. I say that all the time. I think he is the toughest quarterback I have ever been around. I think he is the toughest. He is a warrior. He just kept battling and battling and ended up making some plays for us that he needed to make. I was excited for him. I knew they were going to stack up against the run and do some things. When Michael Adkins went down, Patrick Carr went down, Phil Lindsay went down with ribs; we were down to Christian Powell and Kyle Evans ready to go. So we were kind of limited there. But Christian and those guys kept battling and I think they did some great things for us."
(on fourth quarter)
"They could have hung their head after we got the penalty saying the late hit and now they get to move the ball down to the 12-yard line and we have to stop them. But our guys bowed up and did it. I was really, really, really impressed with that. I felt like we were going to do, but they had to go do it. There was a lot of momentum swings: we missed the field goal, had that penalty next. But our guys found their character and their work ethic and trust in each other. They found an extra energy, they did. And that's a will to win and they have learned to do that."
(on team morale)
"I still feel good about our team. Of course we wanted to stop them and there were some things going on. We just have to keep battling. They're hardened. They've been through a lot. When you go through a lot of different adversity, you don't let that kind of stuff affect you. You just keep playing. That's what happened to us last year and they knew they'd find a way to win. That's what they're doing now."
(on ejectioncCalls)
"I know there's been a lot of talk about targeting on all of the sports talk shows now and ESPN. That's the call they made, that's the rule. We need to protect people, there's no doubt about it. We have to make sure we do that. I have to go watch it on tape. The one last week, they got Afolabi [Laguda] with that hit. Those are all kind of judgement calls. I think we need to protect everybody and go with what the referees say. After the season is over, they need to look and see if it's really truly an intent of the player, if they're trying to hurt them. We need to look over the rules committee. If they hit up in the head area, they're going to call it and that's part of the game. We need to keep working with our guys."
(on second half)
"I thought it was kind of a slug fest. I thought that both teams were battling hard and that someone was going to have to make a play. Kenneth Olugbode made a good play and they went down and made a really good fourth down play. We kind of got messed up on it. Both teams ended up making plays and we really made two more plays than they did."
(on game atmosphere)
"I thought the crowd made a big difference. It's a unique game. When they score it's loud. When we score it's loud. It's raring all the time. It's never really silent. It's an interesting dynamic and I think that makes it really fun for the players."
(on Gamboa's performance)
"[Ricky] Gamboa is a really smart, hard-nosed football player. He's a redshirt freshman. He got thrown in there tonight. He's been playing some but he had to play basically every snap. Rick's done a really good job. It was very satisfying to see him do that."
(on defensive scheme)
"What happened was that we had some underneath man coverage and the QB scrambled a couple of times and dumped it at the last second and ran away from our linebacker. That's what happened. Later on we played a different defense when we made the big play. We had seen it and our kids were able to react to it. They had been throwing screens on that down and distance so we held up a screen card and our defensive linemen saw it and I think that helped them too."
____
Colorado State Players
Sophomore RB Dalyn Dawkins
(on his strategy for running the ball in today's game)
"I think just running downhill and getting vertical every chance I got. I think that's what worked best."
(on how tough it was to lose in overtime)
"It makes it even tougher [since] it happened two weeks in a row. Same type of situation. We're not going to give up. We're going to keep going, keep grinding, keep working."
(on the interception CU returned for a touchdown that was intended for him and if the defender hit him early)
"Yeah, he did. But that's alright. You're not going to get every call. That's life. That's football."
(on how it felt to have a great individual game but lose)
"It hurts. It hurts. I was really just hoping that we'd pull it off. We worked. We worked out there every snap, giving it all. I definitely don't doubt any of our guys' effort. It hurts even more because the same thing happened last week, you know, the same type of loss. "
(on what happened momentum-wise after CSU's good start to the game)
"That's why we can never be satisfied. We've just got to keep going, got to keep going. I think we just weren't finishing our drives. We continued to move the ball, we just didn't finish drives."
(on his hamstring injury and if he had a chance to go back in the game)
"Yeah, I was on the sideline working to see if I was going to be able to do it. The thing is, I was able to jog but I just can't sprint. I'll be back next week."
(on his hardworking, quiet mentality)
"All my life, I've always played with a chip on my shoulder. I just knew a lot of people doubt me because of my size, and I've just always worked. I've always worked and grinded because of that. Every day at practice, you know, I go hard because you've got to treat every day like gameday."
Junior WR Rashard Higgins
(on if he felt that him being back on the field brought automatic confidence to the passing game)
"Absolutely. Anytime my presence is being felt, it brings a lot of energy to the team, and I'm glad I can bring that."
(on not finishing drives)
"We've got to score once we get into the redzone. I'm pretty sure Coach knows that. We'll do a pretty good job of that going into next week."
(on Dalyn Dawkins' performance)
"Dalyn Dawkins, man. He's crazy legs. He's going to do what he does. Whenever he has the ball in his hands, we're expecting something big out of him and he showed up today.
(on Dawkins' impact on the offense)
"It's a great feeling. Whenever we don't have to pass the ball, and we can rely on the run game, it's a great feeling. Dalyn Dawkins and Jasen Oden can provide that."
(on CSU's motivation going forward)
"I say, just don't hang our heads down right now. Everything happens for a reason. We worked the fourth quarter. We've been battling. We just came up at the short end of the stick. We'll get it done."
(on how he felt during the game)
"I felt good. I'm pretty sure you all saw me out there catching touchdowns. I felt good, man. Finally being back in rhythm. Me and Nick linked up. You all saw it."
(on if he felt like he had the chance to be a difference-maker at the end of the game)
"You know what, Coach calls the plays and I can only execute what's called. I'm just doing my job."
(on how confident he is that the team can stick together going forward)
"I'm confident. Everything happens for a reason, that's how I believe it. Just going into this next game, we can't put our heads down. We've got to lift each other up. That's what we'll do."
(on if the two straight OT losses give CSU motivation going into next week)
"Absolutely. Just losing the game period, man, brings a lot of fire because we feel like then we've got a chip on our shoulder to get a win. We're going to bring it to the UTSA game."
(on if he feels like CSU should be 3-0 this season)
"Oh, absolutely, man. I don't know what it is. We just keep losing in overtime. We'll find a way to get there."
(on if it's harder being so close but losing)
"Yeah, man. It hurts. That blocked field goal man; that hurts. We did all we could. We just came up on the short end of the stick. We never want to lose to a rival. But you know what, life goes on. We've got to get prepared for the next game."
Senior S Trent Matthews
(On the team)
"It kills your joy, your momentum, and makes you wonder what type of team you are. I will tell you this team we have right here is going to stick together we are a family and sometimes things happen to family. As a leader I am going to continue to encourage my teammates because we are a good football team and we are going to be successful."
(On the difference from last year to this year)
"Last year we finished. This year we are not finishing where we are supposed to. Last year we had an electrifying offense, this year we have an electrifying defense. That's the key component for this year and last year. We have the same brotherhood, same logo, same jerseys, and we just could not find a way to win tonight."
(On defense's performance this year despite being 1-2)
"It hurts but I tell you what, when the opponent puts on the film they only have a few choices. Either they are going to play hard or quit. I think we are successful, we are going to be successful in the future because we choose to want to be great. Right now it's dark in the tunnel but our defense and our team we see the light right now. I have to continue to be encouraging, we are going to watch film tomorrow, and see what we can correct. It probably is the little things and at the end of the day you win or you lose, and we lost tonight but we have lots of games to play."
(on losing two consecutive overtime games)
"Some people have fear that we might not win another game, but without fear there isn't courage. I think our team is based off of courage, I think our team is based off of wanting to win, and wanting to be great. We are not going to stop doing that and it can go to overtime every week and we are still going to try and find a way to win. I am going to continue to encourage my team and keep leadership going, and next week we are going to find a way."
(On using the losses as motivation)
"I mean next week, we haven't looked at the film yet. We are going to my hometown, I am a San Antonio native born and raised and I am excited about next week. Right now I am still hurting and we still have a lot to show on offense, defense and special teams. We have a chip on our shoulder and we aren't going to stop till we win."
Senior LB Corey James
(On today's game)
"It hurts man, two in a row like that, it really hurts. I mean I don't have many words to say but it hurts. "
(On not being able to hold onto the lead)
"Little mistakes, we gave up big plays and we can't have that next week or for the rest of the season.
(On what's next for the team)
"We need to come together, and try to win the rest of the games till the end of the season"
(On his confidence levels)
"We have to keep confident, we have to keep confident and keep up our hope."
(On rivalry games)
"Yes, it hurts worse. I don't know, but it had me crying and I don't cry often. It's tough to lose games during your senior year."
Junior LB Kevin Davis
(On losing a second consecutive game in overtime):
"Going into over time twice and losing, it's hard on us but we have to stay together as a team and get prepared for next week."
(On what they can take away from the game):
"We have to finish. We have to learn how to finish. Once we get to doing that, we'll be good."
(On whether or not he feels the team has regressed after being able to finish games well last season):
"No, not really. It's not on the coaches, it's on us and we just have to stay together."
(On how he feels the defense is playing despite having a 1-2 record):
"There's still stuff we have to do as a defense. We need to stop them from scoring points."
(On how they plan on bouncing back after losing games in overtime in consecutive weeks):
"It's hard but we're just that much closer to winning so maybe with a little more push from us as a team will get us the W."
Sophomore QB Nick Stevens
(On losing a rivalry game):
"Any time you lose it definitely hurts, especially in overtime and especially in a rivalry game. Everyone on the field fought for the entire 60 minutes and the overtime period. When you give it your all and it doesn't pan out for you, it's tough, but we have to take it how it is, come back next week, and focus on winning the rest of the games."
(On whether or not he felt he rebounded this week):
"I felt like I played better today than last week and I think the offense moved the ball really well. We didn't have too much of a lull, and we moved the ball pretty much every drive, we just didn't finish. The biggest thing is putting points on the board."
(On whether close losses this year are "payback" for winning close games last year):
"No I don't think so at all. We're going to be all right and we need to focus on next week rather than what has happened these past two weeks and I think we can definitely do that."
(On the offense not finishing drives with points):
"The biggest thing was finishing, even in overtime when you get on offense first, you have to try to score a touchdown so the other team doesn't have to just kick a field goal. We drove down to the opposite side of the field just about every drive and we just didn't finish. We have to come out and focus on that next week."
(On the level of frustration after the game):
"I think everyone is really frustrated. When we went in to overtime, we were saying it wasn't going to happen twice in a row, but it did. We just have to focus and press on and focus on the next week."
(On whether or not he felt his receiver was hit early to cause the pick-six):
"I got hit on that play and I looked on the big screen afterwards. It looked like it bounced off of the defender's shoulder up in to the air. I'm not the judge of whether he was early or not. It was definitely tight coverage."
(On whether or not he feels he should have made the throw that turned into the pick-six):
"You just have to take it how it is. Hindsight is 20-20. It definitely wouldn't have happened if I threw it at his feet but at the time with the defender coming from the outside, it looked like he would have been able to turn up field and make a big play. Looking back on it now with that result, obviously not but at the time I thought it was a decent decision. "
(On the missed field goals):
"At the end of the day we wouldn't be in those positions if we moved as an offense and put the ball into the end zone. I think we rushed on some of those third downs and we have to focus on converting and ending the drive with a touchdown and a PAT. That didn't happen, so obviously there is frustration there but I think the special teams have been great the past couple weeks and we just have to put it on our shoulders to do something about that. It's not his (Wyatt Bryan)'s fault."
(On how tough the loss is):
"They're all tough. I think we have to focus on not dwelling on it and come out next week and get the win."
____
Colorado Players
Sophomore WR Devin Ross
(on playing competitive game like this)
"It's arguably one of the best feelings I've ever had in my life. I wish I could relive that moment again right now. It was just so amazing and I'm glad we got that win. It's the best game I ever played in my life too. It was fun, excitement, everything coach Mac talks about like trusting everything, trusting your teammates, and it was just a great game."
(on touchdown play)
"We knew that the linebacker was covering me. I guess they thought they could cover me with a linebacker, so we decided to go up top on them with a little inside fade and Sefo trusted me to throw it up to a spot and I just had to come down and get it.
(on getting passing game going)
"Yeah I mean we just started watching film and saw they play a lot of man, contesting us down field to see if we could get open, it was a great opportunity for our receivers. The running game has been working the first two weeks and we're going to do whatever is working, whatever helps us win, that's all that really matters.
Sophomore TB Phillip Lindsay
(on trying to establish the running game early)
"There's a lot of things we needed to work on you know going into this next game here with our running game. They stacked the box and we knew that going into the game, we knew it was going to be a tough game and we knew we were going to have to run hard and just open it up for our receivers. Our job is to run hard and make those yards and hopefully get our receivers open."
(on defense making concerted effort to stop the run)
"Yeah they definitely knew that we were going to be running a lot and I feel like they stacked the box and they were really keying on us with the run but for us we just have to keep getting those pushes."
(on the feeling in the locker room)
"It feels good, it feels great. Especially being a Colorado kid you know it feels good bringing the trophy back home. Coach Mac deserves it, we deserve it, and our fans deserve it."
Senior DB Jered Bell
(on his last CSU game)
"I feel amazing. It's truly a blessing to come out my final year and go out with a bang and on top. They can't take that away from me."
(on the moreale at halftime)
"The morale was super high. Coach always tells us that the score at halftime is the least important score of the game. We were down a little bit but we felt like we had the momentum and we knew we were going to go out and win the third and fourth quarter."
(on defensive scheme going into the game)
"We had to stop the run first and foremost. We knew if we didn't stop the run that it'd be a long day for us. They got some yards on us and ran. We did an okay job. But in the end, we got the win. We stopped the run, probably not as well as Coach [Leavitt] would like, but we got the win."
(on heading into conference play)
"We're starting to believe in ourselves now. Next week we're going to focus on Nicholls State and get that win and then start conference play with our morale high and the ultimate confidence which we need."
Junior WR Chidobe Awuzie
(on the defense's mindset)
"We just told each other that, that was the last touchdown. It was the same as last week. We had the mindset that they weren't going to score again. Unfortunately they did but we found a way to get more stops than we did in the first half. It just speaks volumes about what Coach Leavitt is doing with this defense."
(on tackling in the open field)
"The whole team knew going into this game that we'd have to tackle. We had two gains but we played pretty well. We aligned right but didn't tackle well. That's something that we, in the week of practice, made sure we got done. It paid off in the game."
(on defending CSU's Dalyn Dawkins)
"We just stuck to our game plan and then we got in open space and made sure that we tracked his feet and hips. We got him down way better than we did in the first half."
(on Kenneth Olugbode's pick six)
"I was blocking for my brother. It was his birthday and it's a perfect birthday present, getting a pick six. I saw the trying to get him and I just laid out. He ended up scoring. It was a beautiful play and a beautiful moment and a beautiful day."
(on the feeling of winning)
"It's crazy right now. Especially how Diego [Gonzalez] won the game for us. Diego came here and struggle dat first but he started knocking kicks down. He made a great play and we're just so proud and happy to win."
Sophomore WR Shay Fields
(on the roles of the receivers)
"We kind of saw that they were bracketing Nelson [Spruce]. Everyone had to win their one-on-one match ups."
(on his first touchdown)
"Not to sound too cocky but it wasn't really [an awkward angle]. We really practice that, looking over your head and catching it. It's one of those things that we practice. We saw Nelson getting bracketed by the safety and the corner so Coach (Troy) Walters went upstairs to Coach (Brian) Lindgren and said 'let's take a shot deep' and that's what we did."
(on catching it deep)
"It always feels great, every play that you can get to go deep and make a play. It feels great."
(on getting strong passing game back)
"It was kind of a point of emphasis last week. We carried it over to this week especially since everybody saw the run game. We kind of figured that they were going to pack the box and go cover one. We knew that we were going to take some shots this game."
(on this year's running games)
"Since we had a big passing game last year, everyone kind of keyed on to the pass. We started running this year and then they started keying that. So we had to switch it back up."
(on the win)
"It's wonderful. You always want to beat your rivals. No credit loss to them, they're a good team but it's just that we felt we needed this win."
Junior LB Kenneth Olugbode
(on interception and TD)
"Me and Ricky [Gamboa] had been talking prior to the snap and they kept getting us on screen. We figured that we'd see the screen and right when he broke, Rick took off and hit him. The ball went up in the air and I had to have it. Chidobe [Awuzie] made a great block on the linemen. That really boosted me. It was an amazing birthday present."
(on increased number of turnovers this year)
"We emphasize it a lot. We did last year too but now I feel like we're a lot more physical and aggressive towards it."
(on the second half)
"I think it's from everything we did in the off season, all of that hard work we did. Linemen would wake up at five in the morning and line up with your brothers next to you and just run and work as hard as we can."
(on reading CSU's screens)
"I think Coach (Jim) Leavitt helped us out a lot. It was just the way the game was going and we thought that we needed a big play. We thought that that was the type of play we would go for."
(on the win)
"It feels really good. I know that we felt that we should be 3-0 at this point but you can control what you can control. We're at 2-1 right now and we just need to keep it rolling."
Junior PK Diego Gonzalez
(on getting the second opportunity to win the game)
"Yeah it's an amazing feeling, it's my first game winner and I'm really happy with the coaches, they trusted me the second time and gave me the opportunity to hit the game winner."
(on the first attempt)
"It was just a miss hit. It kind of a weird snap, but it was just a miss hit, it was on me."
(on hoping to get another chance after first miss)
"Well the block was the first miss, so this was my second one. I was pretty confident, I felt pretty good, I felt if they gave me the second opportunity, I would put it through."
(on thinking about a game-winning moment)
"Years, I've been dreaming for this for, I don't know, two years."
(on having family from Mexico to see moment)
"It's amazing. It's really fun kicking the game winner, especially if your family is here, especially in this rivalry game."
(on teammates' reaction to first miss)
"Yeah, they told me not to worry about it and you'll get a second chance and you'll put it through. Don't worry about it, just go through the motions and you'll be fine.
(on good start and replacing a four-year kicker)
"Really good, I'm just happy I can help the team put some points on the scoreboard."
(on switching from soccer to football as a kid)
"I don't know I just didn't like soccer that much and I just wanted to try something different."
(on playing other positions)
"I used to be a wide receiver but I decided I wanted to play football at a D-1 school here in the U.S. so I knew I had a better chance kicking than playing wide receiver."
Senior DB Ken Crawley
(on the overtime stop on third down)
"We call it a sky call. It was a fill side blitz. I was supposed to get over the top. I didn't leverage the flats so I just came down and just hit him. It was a big play, obviously."
(on how tough it was to defend CSU's receivers)
"It was tough. They had some great receivers, great plays. We were pressing a lot and challenging the receivers. All week long we prepared for this. They came out and made some plays. Every team is going to make some plays. Every receiver is going to make some plays. But we also made some plays and made some turnovers."
(On his interception)
"I just saw double moves. They tried me early with the double moves. I pushed them and was passing the fronts. And I just knew they were going keep going at me. So I just hurried up and turned around and just played the ball."
(on the difference of defense after CSU jumped to 14-0 lead)
"We was more confident. We came to the sideline and regrouped. We knew what type of routes they was running and what to expect."
Junior QB Sefo Liufau
(on trailing early and having to rally)
"I think it's just us trusting each other. I think from an offensive perspective we sputtered in the beginning, I think it was obvious there. And it wasn't just one position; I think everyone kind of took their turn. We kept trusting each other, and we ended up pulling it out and getting something going."
(on winning close game)
"It feels amazing. These guys, we all put in a lot of work this summer, and it's finally showing. We played four quarters-plus. I believe that we were in more shape than they were. It showed tonight. I'm proud of the guys, it feels amazing. We'll enjoy it tonight, and then get ready for next week."
(on worry after hit to his arm)
"Not worried, it was a small bruise. I think anyone can play through a bruise. I wouldn't want to be the guy who sits out just because of that. Everything is fine, I'll be ready to go next week."
(on moment shifts)
"Yeah, I think especially in a rivalry game sometimes that will happen. It will be an up-and-down, back-and-forth, but if you're down you can't worry about the mistakes or the team, or worry too much about getting back in the game. If you're up really high, it's the same thing. You just have to take it one play at a time, each game that you play. I think we did a really good job of that tonight."
(on team never quitting)
"I think it comes from, first of all individually, and then I think collectively as a team after that. Because, we're pushing each other, telling the other person not to quit; not to give up. That starts in fall camp. That starts in summer training when none of the coaches are here. Pushing each other to make your times on sprints, basically. It's a year-round thing that we've been working on for a while. I'm just proud that we don't quit."
(on first TD to WR Shay Fields)
"Yeah, we saw a mis-match there and Shay did a really good job of getting open down the sideline. I finally hit a deep ball, I guess, which is good to see. He did a really good job of getting separation for that deep pass which I think gave the offense a little spark."
(on any difference playing at an NFL field)
"No, I don't think so. I think that the rivalry game aspect and the atmosphere that we played in, I think that it's great for guys to be a part of that; the loud atmosphere, and playing through all that and communicating. I think we'll be really prepared for whatever stadiums we play at this year going forward."
(on if this game is a rivalry)
"Yeah, it's a rivalry. You know, all week I say that we don't want to make a big deal about it because you have to treat it just like another game. You don't want to go in and over-hype it to your teammates. Everyone knows it's a rivalry, but you just go in with a calm mind, just go in like it's another game. You don't want to hype it up too much. You just want to go in and take it one play at a time and do your job."
(on playing with less pressure on him)
"The defense played really well tonight, and I applaud them for everything; the big stops they had, the turnover (and touchdown) they had. I don't think I played mistake free, there's always something that you can work on to improve on for the next game. I think I played well, but that's also a testament to the offensive linemen, the receivers making plays. I scrambled one play and [WR Nelson] Spruce rolled out with me to help complete that pass. It's not just me, it's the whole team."
(on CSU slowing down CU's run game)
"Yeah, I think they loaded the box more. I think that's what helped us get one-on-one on the outsides; which is why you had [WR] Shay [Fields] twice, three times actually, I missed one of them, and [WR] Devin [Ross] had another deep one (for a touchdown). Just them packing the box, which gave our raceivers more time to work on the outside."
(on emotions down 14-0)
"I would say pissed off. Because I think that as a team we thought that we could play better than the way we were playing. It's just frustrating to kind of fall that deep and the offense sputtering as it was. I take that on my shoulders as the quarterback. Light a fire under them (the offense) and try to get them going. I think that after that we kind of got into a rhythm and wearing the defense down with our tempo, which is really good to see."
____
