Colorado University Athletics
Colorado-Washington State Quotes
September 22, 2012 | Football
Colorado Head Coach Jon Embree
On his team not giving up…
"It's a tremendous testament to them. We talked all week about the heart of the Buffalo and in our player meetings I talked to the guys about what our resolve needs to be, that I still believe in them and I knew we could do some good things still. It was just a great team effort."
On Jordan Webb's play…
"I though he did really well. I know he forced one early and he took a couple sacks we didn't want him to take, but he just wants it so bad like everyone else…as the game wore on and the more comfortable he got, he had a good feel and a good rhythm, I thought he did well. He made some clutch passes and he saw things…he was real calm and cool and I'm proud of him."
On the passing game…
"We (in the past) have always been a little out of sync, for whatever reason. But a lot of it (today) was Jordan feeling a little more comfortable with guys and who he's throwing to and game situations. And then our receivers being better disciplined with their routes. It's a complete unit when it comes to throwing the ball; it's not just as easy as the quarterback and the receivers…but, again, at the end when we had to have it they stepped up."
Washington State Head Coach Mike Leach
Thoughts on the game…
"The biggest thing is our mentality. We are a mentally weak team, and that has got to change. The thing is that it is a decision. I think it starts with us as coaches. We need to change the mentality of this team. We are afraid to be successful, so when we get ahead we want to relax and enjoy it, which is crazy. If you consider the offseason, if you consider practices, and you consider how long you have worked at getting a handful of plays in a season or even in a career, to not make the most of them is unfathomable."
On what the problem is…
"Physically we aren't that bad. But mentally, we are afraid to be successful. We are afraid to win, and I don't know if we are afraid of the responsibility that comes with winning, but we need to go out there and take pride in our individual battles and winning. Right now we don't do that. We let setting – time, place, score – impact us, and that's crazy. Unless we get that changed, our results will be the same."
"There has to be a core of guys on the team that it means a great deal to. Travis Long played really well. It meant a lot to him, he invested a lot out there on the field, and it meant a lot to him to not be successful."
"We have too many people that losing and not being successful is too easy to brush off -'that's how the cookie crumbles.' That's not good enough. We have plenty of opportunities ahead of us and we need to go out there and maximize our reputation and our plays, and take a lot of pride in it. It needs to mean more to us than it does to the other team."
"Physically, we can run and we can hit people. It needs to look like Tuesday and Wednesday's practices. We haven't had a game yet that looks like Tuesday and Wednesday's practices. If you can do it then, I don't know why you can't do it Saturday."
Colorado Quarterback Jordan Webb
On the fourth down play…
"It was a pass-to-run option and we saw that the box was kind of thin, so we checked it to the run play like coach tells us and it worked out."
On the mood in the locker room…
"I can't think of a more positive mood…you can't draw it up like it happened today. It was a great win, a dramatic one. So the locker room is definitely happy."
On bouncing back…
"Coach always talks about having to move on to the next play, he said today's probably not going to be perfect before we went out there, but he said it's not about the mistakes you make, it's about bouncing back from them. And that's kind of my mentality, I like to sling the ball around and every once and awhile I make a bad play but I like to think I'll come back and fix it."
Washington State Quarterback Connor Halliday
Thoughts on the game…
"Like we have been talking about for three weeks now, we need to play better in the second half. We need to not have stupid penalties, we need to catch the football, we need to make better reads, the running backs need to run better. As a whole offense we need to play better."
"I don't think it is so much complacency, I just think it's stupid plays. It's all mental."
On play calls late in the game, and if time makes a difference…
"That definitely plays a factor. With that, you can't get passive. You have to stay aggressive and take shots when they are there."
On interception on fourth down…
"I thought I could fit it in that hole, obviously it didn't happen."
On if the loss will affect the confidence of the team…
"I think we are fine. As you have seen, we are a pretty darn good football team when we play together, as we have in the first half for that last couple of weeks, but it's just a matter of putting full games together."
On personality of the team…
"I don't think it has anything to do with the personality. Wanting to win is not a personality. The personality of the team will always be what it is. I just think we need to quit playing stupid in the second half. Dropping balls, bad checks by me, turnovers – just stupid plays."
Washington State Defensive End Travis Long
On last offensive play by Colorado…
"They had five spread, no one in the backfield. A draw is always an option in that situation. We just weren't prepared for it."
On what made the difference…
"We just have got to finish. We played well until it got late in the game. We have to get that cleaned up."
On substitution penalty…
"We were just trying to get a different personnel group in, and we didn't get it in quick enough. They caught us in the middle of a substitution."
On personal performance…
"I played fine. Obviously I could have played better, but I just want to win. I don't really care how I play."
On what can be done to fix the problem…
"It's a personal decision. It's an individual decision for each member of this team. It's got to get changed."