CU-CSU Game Quotes

Colorado Head Coach Dan Hawkins

General
"A win is better than a loss. I thought our defense played really well and at times we played well on offense. We just have to clean up a lot of things. But certainly winning and winning against your rival and starting the season on a winning note is very positive. I thought our guys handled that really well and I'm proud of them for that. I think they had a glimpse of how good they can be and we're going to continue to get better and clean things up."

On Tyler Hansen
"He did a nice job. He made some plays with his feet. He missed a couple throws but he made some too. He's never going to be perfect but you want your quarterback to be perfect but I thought he played really well. He certainly helped us out early in the game getting away from some pressure. He made some good throws and he'll be the first person to tell you that he would love to have the sack back. Sometimes you're going to have that especially with a quarterback that can run. He has a greater understanding and he's much more comfortable as far as being able to check plays and comfortable with the whole packages."

On Wide Receivers
"We missed probably a couple of times but we have a lot of work to go there. That's always a work in progress. I think we have a few things to clean up there and we missed early on a few times."

On 4th Down Stop in 1st Qtr
"We get a stop, throw an interception and then we block a field goal. We get to go into halftime on a high instead of a low. You've got to generate a few of those. Get a little momentum and a little confidence; it goes a long way."

On Running Game
"We did okay when we wanted to. I think the game is going to dictate that. I think [offensive coordinator] Kiesau did a good job spreading things around. In general we ran the ball decently."

On Addressing Penalties
"Running, running and more running. We'll be on that."

On Scotty McKnight
"I think he's always been such a great stalwart. He's been part of the example of what we're trying to get done in the program. He's a great student. He's a tough guy and he's a hard worker. He's a very good leader and he's a very unselfish guy. It's pretty clear with our receiving corps this year it would probably be hard to imagine him eclipsing last year's numbers. Maybe but he's a guy that just really wants to win. He has the ability to reach out and touch other guys on the football team. He's been a real blessing for us."

On Touchdown Series in 3rd Qtr
"You can see we're kind of getting things going; we're pretty electric. We've got some guys that can really do some things and we're good enough up front and we've got good enough skill guys. It seems like almost every drive for awhile that we punted on was because we had a penalty on that drive; we need to fix that."

On Travis Sandersfeld
"He did a nice job but we'll need to get in and watch the tape. Again he's just one of those steady eddy guys and he can play a lot of different spots. He jumped in and must have played pretty well because our defense played great."

On Offensive Playbook
"Our playbook always changes week to week. We have a certain core group of plays that you do. The playbook is always on going; it's based off of what everyone else is doing to us."

On Interceptions
"I think a lot of it was just really good hand-eye coordination. I think a lot of it's on [defensive coordinator Ron] Collins and [secondary coach Ashley] Ambrose. They put guys in spots to make plays. [Anthony] Perkins pick was certainly not easy and neither was Jalil [Brown]. Those were not easy catches."

On Run Game Defense
"I thought we did a nice job. They got us a little bit but by in large we did a really good job. Particularly when there was short yardage and you knew they were going to run it. They didn't have very far to go and our guys answered."

On CSU Quarterback Pete Thomas
"He did a nice job. I think he's a great kid and a good player. He's only going to get better. It's always tough when you're a true freshman. I think if you were just a casual fan watching the game I don't know that you would think 'oh that guy looks like a freshman.' He looked poised and I thought they did some good things for him. He's going to be a really good player. There's no question."

On Parker Orms
"You're heartbroken when a player goes down; you're crushed. You know how much goes into it. Hopefully he'll be okay. But the other side of it is football is a microcosm of life. It doesn't always go your way. Sometimes you do get hurt but you have to put that in the right context. That's why guys have to be ready to go. I feel bad when guys get hurt but there are reasons that everything happens, but if you can make the most of it then you'll come out on top in the end."

On Aric Goodman
"He kicked the ball off great, made the one field goal. I'm just really proud of him. He's a guy that's taken a lot of heat for a couple of years. You bring in a bunch of guys and challenge him and he really has answered. I think he's really perfected his game and matured a lot. That's a credit to him."

On Getting Off to a Fast Start
"I thought we were okay. The coach is always the worst one because you want to score on the first drive and stop them on the first drive. Anytime you're not doing that you want to get going a lot faster. I like practicing in the morning. Steve [Fairchild] told me they were going on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm just disappointed that it took me 28 years to figure it out."

Colorado State Head Coach Steve Fairchild

General
"There's not a lot to say about the way we played offensively. If we cannot establish a run game, which we didn't do at any point this afternoon, or if we don't convert on third downs, then we're gonna struggle offensively. We looked real tight offensively. Having said that, I thought defensively we flew around pretty good. For the most part we kept the ball in front of us. We could wrap up better, both on defense and special teams, but you're not gonna win a football game the way we did offensively today. I think this will be, at some point this season, the best offense since I've been here. We're not there yet, but I like some of the things that are going on. We obviously didn't play very well today. We've got to grow up in some areas. We're disappointed, but there's nothing we can do about it. We just need to move forward, and the only thing that matters now is the preparation that we do to get ready for the University of Nevada."

On the play of the offense
"I thought we had some good numbers in some of the runs we called; we had good looks. I haven't seen the final stats, but I'll bet through three quarters we were at 2 yards per carry. And it wasn't like they were bringing safeties down to stop the run. There were some good looks to run the football, and we just didn't get it done."

The performance of QB Pete Thomas
"I thought that the tempo at times dragged, but I liked the way he got in and out of the huddle and the communication for a first-time starter. The whole tempo thing can improve, but it wasn't bad. He has a presence and he's got good vision; he sees things and you can talk about it on the sidelines. He's fairly accurate-we didn't test too many balls down the field-but I thought he did a nice job. The turnovers obviously hurt us, but one was a hell of a play on their part and obviously on the last one he just misread the coverage. I think the future's bright there. We have a long way to go with him and a lot of areas offensively, but there's something in me that tells me that by the end of the year this offense will be better than any one since I've been here."

On going for it on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter
"Obviously that one backfired. I knew that as young as we were, manufacturing long drives was going to be a challenge. I thought we'd do it better than we did this afternoon. But it's short yardage; we should win that nine times out of 10. I'll have to look at the tape, but in retrospect, that's a bad call."

On CU's performance on both sides of the line
"I'm anxious to look at the tape. Again, there were a lot of runs where we had good numbers, good schematic looks where you hand the ball off and think you're gonna get 6, 7 yards and he ends up getting 2. I want to look at the tape. I'm sure they did a nice job of getting off blocks, and we did a poor job of sticking on blocks. We'll go back and grade the tape and figure out why tomorrow. The bottom line is that if you're averaging 2 yards through three quarters and you're not converting on third down, you're not helping your special teams or defense very much. We'll get back to work, but again, I think we're gonna be very good on offense by the end of the year."

On playing seven true freshmen; how they can advance after Game 1
"Our youth will never be an excuse. We're putting those guys out there because they give us the best chance to win, and it's my job to get them ready and it's my job to get them prepared to win the football game."

On Pete Thomas' response after interceptions
"He came as advertised. The game was not too fast for him. I was very, very encouraged. He's going to be very good."

On the performance of the offensive line
"I don't think the protection was as good as we expected. I think we're probably a little further along at quarterback than maybe we anticipated, and not as far along on offensive line as we anticipated. I think offensively, early on in the season, that's going to be the case. I truly expect us to be better on the offensive line than what we showed today. But that's why they're paying us, to get that fixed."

On mismatches on CU WR Scotty McKnight
"They did a nice job. They have a quick back that can create a little bit of a mismatch if he has space, and Scotty McKnight's a good player. Right off the bat we were in the man coverage, and he was on the safety. He did a very nice job and is a very, very good inside receiver. We knew that."

On QB Pete Thomas reading open gaps and running the ball
"He did a nice job of knowing when to pull it down. He's got to protect himself a little bit better, but you can see that he's got the ability to make a little play with his feet every once in awhile. I thought that was a nice decision by him."

On CU's performance and preparation:
"This is more about Colorado. Dan Hawkins had his team better prepared than I did. They showed up, they were the better football team and they certainly deserved to win that game."

On missed tackles
"We tackled well, we just didn't wrap up a couple of times. Defensively, and special teams that one time on the long punt where were lucky to get the personal foul, we had a guy on them. If we wrap him up, they've got the ball way down the field. We had some young guys out there, and that's not an excuse. We just have to do a better job on that, there's no question."

On less live tackling during the last weeks of practice: "I would say the second to last week, that's true. We never do much on a game week. No, I don't think that had an effect. We were prepared mentally, and I think we had a good idea of what was going on, we just have to run the ball better and convert occasionally on third down."

On CU's speed on the outside, at WR: "All three of those end guys give them a little juice. That's a much better group of receivers than they had last year when we played them. That's an advantage to their quarterback and their run game."

On his reasoning behind his optimism regarding the offense: "I just love what I'm seeing. We're still a long way off, but I love what we're doing and the way we're playing. I do think we have some talent in the backfield. We're still sorting out how to use it and when to use it. I guess a lot of it has to do with Pete Thomas. I just have a very good vibe about what he was doing and can do. Don't get me wrong, he's not there by any means, but I'm confident that we have a wealth of talent in him and the offensive line-it's young and has a long way to go -- but I'm sure we'll get it at some point this year."

Colorado Players

OT Nate Solder
ON THE GAME-"We definitely had some mistakes. We have to go and correct those and get better. We had some great moments, did some really good things, but we had some not so good moments too."
ON GETTING THE FIRST GAME OUT OF THE WAY-"There are always some bumps and things in the first game, but hopefully we smooth those out for the next one."
ON DOMINATING ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE-"It was an awesome feeling. It's a great game and it's been 365 days and I was just waiting to get back out there with those guys."
ON BEATING CSU-"It's a great start to a long season. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs this season, but you always want to start on a positive note."

S Parker Orms
ON HIS CONDITION-"They haven't told me, we are going to get an MRI. Nothing is broken, but there is some bruising, so we are just going to see after the MRI (tomorrow). It's pretty disappointing. It went from the best day of my career, to the worst day in one second. It hurts, but we got the win, and I still have a big career ahead of me. We will just take it day-by-day and see what the MRI says."
ON THE PLAY-"I played the first series, and we had to punt so I was on the punt team, so I ran down and I thought I was going to make the tackle, and my knee went one way and my leg went the other way."

WR Toney Clemons
ON THE WIN-"We had better energy as a team, and we were more focused and more prepared, and more vocal. We were a lot more confident. We feed off of our own energy. I think in the past they might have fed off of home energy a lot, and we came out flat on the road. But on this team, we feed off of each other, and that is going to help us a lot on the road."

S Travis Sandersfeld
ON PLAYING AGAINST A FRESHMAN QB-"You know a freshman guy, he is going to have some flaws. I felt like he did great, but I felt like when we pressured him, we got to him. And I think he threw some throws he shouldn't have, but I thought he also made some great throws. I think he did pretty good."
ON TEAM DEPTH-"That is what we said from the start of the year. At every position, we feel like we have depth. Even on special teams, I usually play all of them, and we felt comfortable getting [me] off and putting someone else on there. We feel comfortable with our two-deep, we still have some things to correct though. We still have a long ways to go though."
ON HIS INTERCEPTION-"We just wanted to get some momentum going, make a big play. Being the second guy (on the depth chart at nickel) is a huge thing I feel like."

S Anthony Perkins
ON THE CHANGES IN THIS YEAR'S GAME-"(Offensively) last year, they got some big plays early. We wanted to make sure we eliminated that. Passing game wise, we wanted to make sure we kept everything in front of us. We wanted to make sure we stopped the run because that is what their game is. We did a pretty good job of that. There is a lot of stuff we need to clean up, but I think overall we did a great job."
ON TEAM'S DEPTH-"It really is a bummer to see Parker [Orms] go down right away like that, especially because of what a big contributor he was to our defense. Travis [Sandersfeld] stepped in and had a pick on one of his first plays in, and that's the way its got to be; when people step in, they make plays."
ON FORCING TURNOVERS AGAINST A FRESHMAN QB-"That's what we want to do. Our defensive line did a great job getting pressure on him and not letting them get comfortable back there. We just want to get pressure on them, and make his reads unclear, and be able to go off of that. We did a good job and we were very opportunistic on certain plays, but we are a long way off of where we want to be as a defense. We have a long way to go."

CB Jalil Brown
ON THE GAME-"I think overall we did pretty good. There are a few things we still need to work on, on defense. We gave up a few plays, and on offense we feel like we should have marched the ball down the field a little more. For the most part I was very pleased with our performance. Getting the win is the most important thing."
ON THREE INTERCEPTIONS BY THE DEFENSE-"That is what we have been striving for this whole off-season. All we have been talking about is getting interceptions. It's very pleasing. I am happy to be able to get one."

QB Tyler Hansen
ON FAMILIARITY WITH NEW RECEIVERS - "I feel really good, a lot more comfortable. The last three years I felt new to the offense and new to this whole deal, but today I felt really comfortable."
ON PENALTIES - "We have to clean that up. That was a miscommunication between me and some of the other guys. That's natural to have that happen in the first game, but you can't have that in the next game. Those are precious yards and you work for those yards and you need those yards."
ON READING THE DEFENSE- "Coach (Eric) Kiesau has taught me to read and react, you play into what you see. I felt like I was doing that for the most part today. I missed some things which is going to happen, but for the most part I was on my reads and was right with where I was going and I felt really comfortable."
ON SENSE OF RELIEF - "It definitely feels good to get a win. There was a lot of pressure with all the talk about last year and how the pressure is on us to get some wins. It felt really good to get out there and have control of the game from early on."
ON COLORADO STATE'S YOUTH - "They are (young) and we've been through that; we know what it's like. I think every Saturday every team has a chance to win. Whether it's all freshmen playing or all seniors, every team has a chance to win. You never know what's going to happen on Saturdays. They came out with some fire in the beginning, but we got the win so that was cool."
ON LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WEEK - "We're a more mature team. Like I said after the game, 'yeah it's great to hoist that trophy up and celebrate beating Colorado State, but I was also telling guys let's beat Cal now.' It's water under the bridge, forget about it and now go beat Cal."
ON RECEIVING CORPS - "Those guys are great. They're playmakers and have a lot of speed. I feel like once the lights are on and it's game day, they are even better. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do."
ON WR SCOTTY MCKNIGHT'S RECORD BRREAKING CATCH - "I told him the play before, 'one more.' It so happened that the next play we called his number and he did a great job, ran a great route, and he delivered."

RB Rodney Stewart
ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE - "We did a lot in the offseason getting together and watching film and getting closer as a team. A lot of those guys are juniors and seniors so for them to do well is a big thing for them."
ON THE RUNNING GAME THIS YEAR - "I think it's a lot easier. We got some great receivers and some bigger running lanes so it's harder for the defense to choose what they want to do."
ON QB TYLER HANSEN'S LEADERSHIP - "The quarterback has got to be a leader and he inspired me to be a leader to the other guys."
ON THE WIN - "It means a lot, but we have a big schedule. We have a lot more teams (to play) so if we lose next week than this win means nothing."

ILB Jon Major
ON THE WIN - "I think it's awesome just to let it loose, especially as a team. It's always good to start off with a rival. It was a good defensive showing, not perfect but that's what tomorrow is for and now we have to prepare for next week."
ON THIRD-DOWN STOPS EARLY IN GAME - "You always want to go three-and-out; that was the strategy. It helps the offense out too. You get your foot on the throat and you want to finish it and we did a pretty good job of that right away. We held them to only three points, so pretty solid."
ON FOURTH-DOWN STOP IN FIRST QUARTER - "Definitely (it gave us momentum), especially field position. It was monumental."
ON WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE DEFENSE - "Some things here and there in pass coverage and on special teams so we'll see it on film tomorrow and catch up."
ON WHEN THE DEFENSE KNEW COLORADO STATE WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO RUN THE BALL - "I think maybe the first or second series. There wasn't anything that we hadn't seen. Our guys did a great job and our coaches did a great job preparing us which allowed us to play fast. We saw everything so we did really well on preparation."
ON DIFFERENCE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR - "I think we are hungrier. We have a lot more experience. We expect to win now and it's bend but don't break. I think that's the biggest difference and now we are going to keep pushing forward.

WR Scotty McKnight
ON HIS RECORD BREAKING TOUCHDOWN - "I'd love to tell you I just smoked someone off the line, but that didn't happen. It was a play that we work in practice a ton. They (Colorado State) brought the perfect defense on that and, as an older guy, I kind of saw it coming. I was like, 'wow, I'm going to be wide open on this play.' They brought field blitz and rolled a single safety, so basically we're reading that corner and if he bites on the five-yard run then we hang it over the top. So when I saw that and peaked at the corner and saw him biting, I knew it was going to be wide open. The ball hung in the air for like two weeks so all I had to do was catch it."
ON BREAKING THE RECORD - "Obviously it means a lot. To be up there in that category, it's huge. It's a testament to my hard work I think. All I really wanted was to win and a lot of people have talked about the record and it's an awesome thing to be a part of. Don't get me wrong, it's humbling, but I was more focused on the win. I think it will be the kind of thing that when I look back on, it will be great. After the season, I'll look back and be like, 'wow, I accomplished that.' But getting that win was the first and foremost thing on that list, especially with how the game went last year. I got knocked out and we lost and they stomped on Ralphie at the 50-yard line. There was a revenge factor there that I wanted to take care of my senior year."
ON THE RECEIVING CORPS - "They had to change things up a little bit when you have guys as fast as Travon (Patterson) and Toney (Clemons) and everyone else, Paul (Richardson) and Will (Jefferson) that was playing. It opens things up for a guy like me in the slot. Those people (opposing defensive backs) have to get off the hash and they can't just single those guys up on the outside or we'll run 'nine' routes and they'll go right by people. Having those guys has helped so much and they are going to help this team. You saw what Travon was doing on punt returns and I couldn't do that last year so it's nice that he can take over there and start making some plays for us. It's great to have those guys; we've added a lot of depth and a lot of talent."
ON IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL NUMBERS- "I think I'll still put up good numbers. The numbers thing is never - that doesn't really mean too much to me. I think you'll hear a lot of guys talk about that, but I really don't care. If we win and I come out with two catches, but I did everything perfect for that game, I am completely happy. I've been through a season where we won three games and I caught 76 balls, and it's not fun. It's not fun waking up every day realizing that your team is letting down the school and the community. I'm much more focused on getting wins and taking care of business so we can get this school back on the map."
ON GOALS FOR THE SEASON - "I'm taking it one game at a time right now. My new goal is to beat Cal. I want to put this program - I think it's up-and-coming and we've got a lot of players and some of them are young so we're going to be good for a while. I want to take one game at a time and focus on - my focus is on tomorrow. I'm going to correct and review this game then move on and get ready for next week."
ON HOW HE IS HELPING THE YOUNGER RECEIVERS - "Paul Richardson is one of the most talented receivers I've seen come through here. He's fast, he's tall, he can jump, he has great hands. He came up to me and was like, 'hey man, can you take me under your wing?' I think that shows a lot for a young guy because sometimes they don't know how to think. I've told him and every single one to come through here that I'm always here for you and I think I've been through a lot. I've got game experience and I've been through a lot of practice - Imwas here before we had the bubble and we were practicing in the snow, so I'm like, 'you don't have it as bad as I had it my freshman year.' I'm there for those guys, whether it's to meet and watch film or a question on a route or a release; I want to do whatever I can to help them because it's only going to make us better.
ON NO LAST NAMES ON JERSEYS - "I think it shows that we don't care about individualism here. We represent the 'Colorado' that's on the front. That's the most important thing to us."
ON BREAKING THE RECORD - "It's a big deal. It's monumental for me. To be in a list with all those guys is something that's really special. I went up and my mom's crying after the game and they were all pumped. It's something for me - I mean I came in and knew it would be cool to get the record, but it'd be really, really cool to beat Colorado State and that's all I really wanted to do. It's something that when I look back on it, I'll be like, 'wow, that was a big deal.' Right now the biggest deal was getting that first win under our belt. There are still a lot of things we can clean up. We had a couple too many penalties and we need to play cleaner. I think you saw that we have a different team this year. We have a lot of talent and we're going to do some special things. We just need to keep getting better and clean it up."

Colorado State Players

WT Paul Madsen
ON WHETHER THE YOUTH UP FRONT WILL CLICK SOON- "As far as the O-line goes, I think we clicked very well today. I think we may have made a couple of mistakes but I'm impressed with how Tyler (McDermott) and Weston (Richburg) played. They really stepped up. We were confident on the field."
ON EXPECTING MORE RUSHING YARDS-"I think we were very close several times. I think we had some little, little mistakes. I think CU also came out with a little more energy than we did, and that hurt us."
ON THE PLAY OF PETE THOMAS-"I love Pete. What I noticed about Pete coming in was that I expected him to be very nervous. The only thing that I saw was a great level of excitement and confidence. I saw it throughout the game. A couple of times he brought us all together and gave us some encouraging words, which helped. He never wavered. He is my quarterback. I am very impressed with him."

WLB Ricky Brewer
ON WHETHER LOSING TO CU HURTS MORE THAN LOSING TO ANOTHER OPPONENT- "Well, that is tough. It is a rivalry game and that is what it is all about. Anytime you come out, you want to beat your rival. The fact that we lost this one is going to stick with us, and we will use it as momentum for our other opponents."
ON HOW TO IMPROVE NEXT WEEK-"Well, we have to keep assignment-sound. They got ahead of us really quick because we blew a couple coverages. They were the better team today. We have to get in the film room and see the mistakes that we made and make sure we make it a point to get those corrected."
ON ADJUSTMENTS IN THE SECOND HALF-"We didn't make any adjustments. We came out and played the same defense. The key here is everybody doing their job. Once we made that a point and a priority, we shut them down."
ON RETURNING AFTER HIS 2009 SUSPENSION-"It felt good to run out of that tunnel again. Sitting out that whole year, felt like three (years). To come back out there on the field and be accepted by my teammates is big."

DE Crockett Gillmore
I think we are a real young team. I think we will be going somewhere but you can't live off of one game, especially the first one. A lot of these guys it is their first game, so you can't really go off that."

CB Momo Thomas
ON WHETHER HE EXPECTED A DEEP PASS FROM CU ON HIS INTERCEPTION-"I thought they were going to go deep on the first play of the game. They have the fast wide receivers on the outside so I kind of expected it. I just played my technique and got the ball."
ON RETURNING PUNTS "I think we have a better return team (this year). The guys up front are helping me a lot. I talked to them before the play and told them to hold them up and I will try to get what I get out of it."
ON DISHEARTENING TOUCHDOWNS ON BLOWN COVERAGES-"If we don't blow our two coverages it is a different game. We just have to go back next week and practice on communication and better tackling."
ON WHAT HE DOES AS A VETERAN TO HELP THE YOUNG GUYS-"Just talk to them. I try to influence them on the sidelines when I'm not in the game or when I am in the game. I just think it is important as a freshman to keep your head in the game and think about technique. You get caught up and over think it."

QB Pete Thomas
"I felt real comfortable out there. The game seemed pretty slow to me. I felt like I was very well prepared. I just had too many mistakes on those interceptions. You have to give their defense credit; they made a hell of a play on two of those interceptions. They came out with a little more fire than us but I feel like we will get everything corrected."
ON HIS NERVES- "I was obviously nervous. I think there is something wrong if you are not nervous. I felt like I was pretty level-headed and calm and I felt like I had the right mindset going into the game."
ON STEVE FAIRCHILD'S CONFIDENCE AND OPTIMISM WITH RESPECT TO THE OFFENSE-"I definitely agree. I think we did some really good stuff out there. But we did not do enough good stuff. I felt like on third down we needed to convert a few of those. I think if we keep practicing and listening to Coach Fairchild and the rest of the offensive coaches, by the end of the season, we will be meshing pretty well."
ON GETTING HIS FIRST GAME OUT OF THE WAY-"Obviously, the game didn't go the way we wanted it to, offensively or defensively. I feel like I got that first game under my skin and as a team we are only going to get better from here on out."
ON THE BIG STAGE OF INVESCO FIELD-"This is a huge stage and a big rivalry game. There were a lot of people here. I thought I handled it well. I feel like the offense handled it pretty well. We just made too many mistakes and didn't come out on top."
ON NOT CONVERTING THE 4TH-AND-1 EARLY IN THE GAME-"That was real disheartening, obviously. I think we had a good mindset. We just shot ourselves in the foot on third downs."
ON THIS TEAMMATES SAYING HE SEEMED PRETTY RELAXED BEFORE THE GAME-"I have been more nervous before high-school games than I was this one. I think I had a really good mindset coming into this game. I was calm and not too nervous. The game didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. You have to give them credit; they played some great defense and obviously played well on offense."
ON WHETHER HE WOULD RATHER HAVE HAD THE OPENING KICKOFF-"It didn't really matter to me. I like getting the ball first and getting thrown into the fire but we just didn't convert."
ON COMPLETING THIRD-DOWN PASSES SHORT OF THE FIRST DOWN-"I think we completed a lot of passes on third down but they just fell short. Their linebackers and defensive backs made some tackles before we got the first down so you have to give them credit. I think we will get that worked out and hopefully have a good game against Nevada."
ON IF HE HAD TO GIVE HIMSELF A GRADE FOR TODAY, WOULD HE GIVE A GOOD MARK CONSIDERING HIS YOUTH-"I think it was a good first game but that was not an excuse. I need to come out here and play better for this team to win."

RB Raymond Carter
ON HOLES NOT OPENING UP-"Yeah, we just have to watch film and learn from it, get better from it. We're going to be a pretty good team. We are young but it's all about getting better from here."
ON GETTING BETTER FROM HERE- "Like I said, we have to learn from this, watch film and we are going to prepare for Nevada."

SLB Mychal Sisson
ON THE LINEBACKERS- "All the linebackers were feeling good. We were rotating real well. They just came out and punished us. We're a little smaller inside and they took advantage of it."
ON CU RB RODNEY STEWART- "He's just quick, he can cut on a dime, and he always sees the cutbacks. That's the main thing; he was always cutting back on us and we didn't have anybody to stop that."
ON MOVING ON WITH THE REST OF THE TEAM- "This is just a minor setback. After today everybody is going to forget about it and everybody will worry about the rest of the season."
ON POSITIVES- "There's a lot of positives. On defense I feel like we are coming along strong, especially in the second half, which we lacked last year. Offensively we got a lot of young guys some reps so they have a little experience going into the next game."