Colorado State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: CSU at Minnesota
9/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Colorado State Postgame Notes at Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minn. | TCF Bank Stadium
Colorado State Head Coach Mike Bobo
"Another tough football game with University of Minnesota. First, I'd like to say congratulations to them and their coaches and players. They played extremely well. They protected the ball. They did a great job on third down and even the few times we were able to gain some momentum, they were able to answer every time, either offensively or answer defensively with a stop. I told our guys I'm proud of the way they fought. It was what I asked for, to keep fighting and give us a chance to be in the game in the fourth quarter, which we were. At the end of the day, they made more plays on third down, they secured a little bit better, but I believe we are close to becoming a pretty good football team. The improvement from week 1 to week 4 is what you look for (as) a coach. I believe we are getting better. You like to get better and have a reward with a victory on the road against a Big Ten opponent, but that's life sometimes. Like I told the guys, sometimes you don't get what you want. You got to answer and you go quit or go back to work and I expect us to go back to work. We've got our first conference game against a big rival, Wyoming, and we will be ready to play next Saturday at Hughes at 8 o' clock."
On if he is proud of his team, but disappointed in execution....
"You know you ask them to fight and play hard for each other and sell out......My wife doesn't know a lot about football, but she can tell that we played hard and played for each other and I believe those guys did that. But at the end of day when you get on the plane and turn on your iPad or you look at it tomorrow, you are going to be sick to your stomach because of some missed opportunities and there is a handful in every game. You don't know when they are going to come and we had a handful of them today. The ability to make plays with the ball in the air, which we didn't do a couple of times, the ability to knock the defenders back defensively we didn't do, the ability to progress throwing the ball going to the open guy, the ability to convert on third down offensively, hit our open targets, and make field goals. I mean they are all there, okay but that's football. Everything doesn't go accordingly to plan in the game. You've got to line back up and keep playing and we did that and we just weren't able to finish there at the end of the game where we had that opportunity."
On where he sees his team at this point in the season...
"I see improvement. I talked about what you look for as a coach is improvement. You are going to improve from week 1 to week 2, week 2 to week 3, week 3 to week 4. Are we even close to where I want to be as a football team? No, but we've got one ingredient that you look for as a football coach, is that they keep coming back, keep working, keep fighting. We have to make more plays. We have to find more ways to get the ball to playmakers more often offensively. We've got to get our playmakers to understand everything that we are doing offensively. Defensively, we have to figure out how to get a stop on third down. You know, we play pretty good on first and second down, and I believe they were 5-8 on third down in the first half. We have to get off the field, where we get an opportunity on third and long and those are things you've got to continue to coach, continue to challenge guys to win their one-on-one battles and you've just got to keep coaching."
Colorado State Players
S Braylin Scott
On if this loss felt like a missed opportunity...
"Yeah, we did miss a little opportunity here. It was just small plays and certain things that we did wrong, and those things turned out to be big plays."
On what made Minnesota hard to tackle...
"It was on us. It was not being disciplined and not wrapping up on finishing tackles."
On if the team is worried about the number of missed tackles in today's game...
"You just have to look past it and use it as a lesson, and then come back next game more physical."
On if it feels like the team has made huge improvements since Game 1...
"It does. We're coming together much better. We're all playing together and getting to the ball together. We're just having fun out there together."
"When you get that close - when you're down by a touchdown - any loss is a missed opportunity, but a lot of positives came out of it too. Obviously we really wanted to win today and we felt like we prepared well enough to win it and we played well enough to win it. When it comes down to it, we came out with the loss, but I think there's a lot of good momentum going into conference. I think it was a great game to show us that the CU game was an old game. We're getting used to each other and we've matured, and a lot of teams don't bounce back from that. I'm really proud of our players and our fans that they keep on coming."
On the difference of the team now versus after the Colorado game...
"To be completely honest, on the bus after the CU game everybody felt morally defeated and it was more confused and not knowing what to do. You spend 10 hours being a baby about it and then just get back at it on Sunday. The way we played today and the difference of the attitudes, though, I feel like it's a whole new team."
Minnesota Head Coach Tracy Claeys
Overall thoughts...
"Offensively, I still think we continue to play well. We probably left seven points out there that we could've gotten. We are scoring enough points. Even on defense, you see that they were 5 of 15 on third downs. Usually if you play well on third downs, it gives you the opportunity to win. But we gave up too many big plays. The tailback continues to hurt us on big plays, so we've got to find a way to help us there. I will say this, that we can play better. Offensively, I'm very pleased with where we are at. Defensively, it's hard right now because of some kids that we are missing. But this game rewards people who don't quit and I thought our kids competed all game long. The defense saved us before the half on the turnover where Mitch (Leidner) threw the interception. There at the end the offense got it done for us. We will win as a team but obviously we have some things to work on."
On what is working for the offense...
"I think Mitch is doing a good job of putting us in some good places. Coach (Jay) Johnson and the staff, the formations they are using... You know, we have two awfully good tailbacks. When you try to stop them, it opens quite a bit of space. Drew (Wolitarsky) had some big catches again today. Except for the one turnover before the half, there was one drive in the second half I was a little disappointed in. I thought we could've gotten some points off of it. But our offense is playing well. We have to get the other side to where it's playing better, and it will once we get some kids back."
On his aggressive play calling, specifically before the half...
"When you have the timeouts like we did and you can start out on the 25-yard line, then we are going to get the ball in the second half, I was trying to be aggressive there. I don't want to be so aggressive we turn the ball over obviously but Mitch tried to stick one in there to the tight end. If you have one timeout left we would've played that a lot different. But we had timeouts and decided to go and play. You start the ball out on the 25-yard line, you have a senior quarterback and skilled receivers, we had been doing well on the passing game. Yeah I tried to be aggressive as much as we can."
Rodney Smith, Minnesota Running Back
On the overall feeling of the offense...
"I feel we're getting better each week. If we take strides in practice, it's very up tempo. We're building confidence as a group and I'm just confident heading into Big Ten play. I feel like everybody on the offense can make plays and everybody knows that and in the huddle it's a good feeling knowing that."
On being perfect in the Red Zone except for one time today...
"We've been doing a good job in the Red Zone. The offensive line is doing a great job. Mitch (Leidner) has been making great reads, pulling the ball, and scoring. So, I'm definitely happy that we've gotten better in the Red Zone this year."
On being able to pick up the blitz and pass protection...
"We stressed that this off season and we worked with the offensive line a lot. We sit in meetings with those guys to pick up blitzes and I'm confident in everybody in the backfield. It's something that we worked on extremely hard. Coach (Pat) Poore told us that somebody told him that Minnesota didn't pass protect well last year as a backfield so that's something that I, as the oldest in the room, wanted to stress to the young guys that we had to get better in that area."
Shannon Brooks, Minnesota Running back
On his first carry coming back from injury...
"It felt great. This whole week of practice, just running on it and getting reps with the 1s and 2s, and full speed reps, so I knew coming in I had no worries about it."
On Mitch Leidner's good cuts and runs in today's game...
"Seeing him make those moves on some of those defenders, I went over there after a play and asked if those where his `Like Mike' cleats, but it's fun joking around with him when he makes plays like that."
On when he knew he would be playing today...
"Earlier in this last week's practice on Tuesday. Sunday I got a few reps with the running backs then slowly moved into team 1's."
On the first hit he took in today's game...
"It felt good. Felt great to be back in pads out there."
Damarius Travis, Minnesota Defensive Back
On his interception...
I saw the ball like 3 yards over the zone and I had to make to sure to call it and I just didn't want to run through and drop it and secure the catch
On Steven Richardson's four tackles and big plays...
"Right now I'm covering and if I look back I see the crowd going crazy. So it's just awesome to have him on our line."
Mitch Leidner, Minnesota Quarterback
On how he felt he was running...
"I felt good. I felt fast. Defense was just giving me some different reads there and I was able to pull the ball, and some good blocking down the field. They were able to open that up and be able to stretch the play a little bit."
On getting Shannon Brooks back and what he brings to the offense...
"Very explosive player. He and Rodney are really complementing each other and sometimes I don't know who's in there at times. When you get him in situations at the end of the game like that he has to go get that one yard and I wouldn't want to be that guy making that tackle. He is very powerful and very explosive."
On back-and-forth scoring...
"That's very important for the offense. You just gotta come out and not let what they just did affect how you're going to play in next series. You just have to go and keep playing your game. I think it makes the defense feel a little bit more comfortable as well when we're willing to do something like that, too."
On the offense being where he wants it to be...
"I think there are definitely some things that need to be cleaned up, which I think we'll have no problem doing. I think the receivers are playing and catching the football and making plays when they get the ball in their hands. Running backs are playing well. I think that we just got to keep getting things cleaned up and can't put the brakes on at this time. Just gotta keep your foot on the gas pedal."
On an example of things to clean up...
"I think when we get into some of those penalties, those you never want to have. Other than that, I guess we took a sack today, and to be able to eliminate that. Just keep getting comfortable with defenses. Actually changed the protection there to help those guys out in front, and sometimes defense wins."