Tuesday Press Conference Quotes
November 20, 2018 | Football
Interim Head Coach Kurt Roper
Opening Statement
"Good afternoon. This is the first time I've been here so I don't really know how it goes. I think our guys are working hard, I think they're taking the right approach to preparing to play a good football team. They've been a lot of fun to work with. I've spent the whole year with the quarterbacks and it's been a really good group to work with. We spend a lot of time together in a meeting room every day and I look forward to going to it every day, but really the whole team make up is that way. There's a lot of really good guys on this football team, that enjoy being together and working hard, understanding when it's time to focus in. They're a good group to be around. I think they really like each other so that makes it fun to go to work."
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On Whether Mike MacIntyre's Departure Relieves Any Pressure On Players   Â
"I don't necessarily look at it that way. Hopefully you approach each week with the same mentality. They're not blind to the fact of what's going on and what's being said all season long. But what I talked to the quarterbacks about, and I go back to them because that's who I've really spent my time with, is that you better be a tough minded person in anything in life. It's not just football, it's life and you guys get that. There's good days and bad days. There's things you can control and that you can't control. The first place where you start struggling is mentally. The point I'm trying to make is, if you can make each day the same as far how you approach coming into the building – it's time to go to work and you put aside the issues that you have – when you come in that building, it's focusing on Cal. Today was first-down day and red zone day, that's what we focus on, then you go the practice field. If you can control your mind like that, then hopefully the pressure is removed anyway."
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On Experience With Mid-Season Coaching Changes
"The only year I was at Florida, Coach [Will] Muschamp got removed with about two games to go but he finished the (regular) season, so he was still the head coach and then we went to a bowl game and [then-Florida Defensive Coordinator] D.J. Durkin took over at that point."
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On Who He Has Leaned On During The Transition
"I've made some phone calls and visited with some people. It's such a short amount of time that really my focus was, 'okay let's put this week's schedule together,' it's a little bit different because they're on thanksgiving break and we've got to try and plan to finish early enough on Thursday so people can get with their families. Really I sat down with those guys upstairs that have been in the building with us all year long and we figured this week out. The best approach to get a team ready to play is really where I've had conversations."
Â
On How Mike MacIntyre's Departure Has Impacted Son Jay MacIntyre
"Obviously his dad's a football coach and that doesn't start when you get to college, that started a long time ago. Because of that, you understand the profession. It's a lot more personal, everybody likes to say it's business, well there are personal issues with that. It's obviously much more personal for him than for other guys on the team. But again, he grew up in this profession and understands this profession and he's handled it well. When he goes on the practice field, he practices. My daughter is 10 years old, she's in fifth grade and has been in five different elementary schools. The reason I say that is, Jay has been a part of that in his life. My wife told my daughter exactly what was going on the other day and I get a text – she's 10 so she has an iPod, she can't make phone calls so we're good there – but she texts me and says, 'hey dad, I love you and I'm thinking about you.' I said, 'how are you doing?' She goes, 'I handled it well.' That's just what happens when you grow up in this profession."
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On What Has Made Cal's Defense So Good This Season
"I think [Head Coach] Justin [Wilcox] and [Defensive Coordinator] Tim [DeRuyter] do a really good job of putting in a system. When you watch them play defense, there's 11 guys tied together knowing exactly what the other guy is supposed to be doing. They do it through a lot of repetition so they know where they're supposed to fit on any call, on any pressure, on any coverage. Then, you can't past their talent. They've got some guys up front that can anchor and make it hard on a guard to get push. They've got two inside linebackers that are absolute playmakers, both of them are physical guys that can run, pressure the quarterback or be in coverage down the field. They're talented and they have a group that's played a lot of football. They're a talented group, but I think they have a really good system and understand that system, you look at now two years of doing that, they're pretty good at it."
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On Overcoming Recent Offensive Struggles
"I think it's a good challenge. They do a really good job on defense. We've got to go out there and give our playmakers a chance with the football. We've got to do a better job of managing the down and distance, trying to have some third-and-shorts instead of as many third-and-longs as we've had. Hopefully, we execute at a high level and put these guys in position to make plays and it leads to more points."
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On TB Travon McMillian
"He's a physical guy, he's a fast guy. He's got size and the speed to score from a long way away. Any time you can run the football and short down and distances, it helps your passing game too. He's a really talented football that needs some touches."
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On Whether He's Seen QB Steven Montez Locking Onto Star WR Laviska Shenault
"Never really once in our meetings do we sit there and say, 'just throw it to Viska.' Can some of that happen? I'm sure it can. It's like anything else. When I teach a quarterback, there are really some critical areas that are going to be evaluated. Situational football; that's third downs, that's red zone, that's 2-minute. You can see the pay-scale discrepancy in the NFL on the guys that are really good in those areas. What happens in those areas is you're typically in a drop-back pass world and guys are having to manage six-man protections, seven-man protections, five route-runners, different progressions and reads. It takes a lot of time and investment and I think you've seen growth in Steven, but you still keep working in that area to help get through progressions. It's all-encompassing, it gets into film study, it gets into pre-snap reads, you have all of these different things that go on in a drop-back pass world that are a major challenge for a quarterback, and the good ones play a really long time but it takes a lot of work to get good in that area."
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On Putting His Stamp On Team With One Game As Interim Coach
"Like I said, we're talking one week, one game. There's been a lot of investment and work leading up to this starting in January, but obviously when we got on the practice field in August all the way through the season. I've had blinders on through the season. I've look at it really on a small scale, my position and what my position affects. Really that's what I see my job this week as, is to figure out the best way that each guy can get their position ready to go play this week. Let's get them fresh, let's get them understanding what we need to do to win and I need to get the quarterback ready to play. So while I set the schedule and come and visit with (media) and those type of things, we're all are the head coach of our own position and we need to those guys ready to play."
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On Whether He Sees This Game As A Job Audition
"No. I look at it as, this is Cal week. We need somebody to organize all the decisions that need to be made and find a way to win. I need to get the quarterbacks ready to play, every other coach needs to get their position ready to play. Hopefully we can help these guys win a game and maybe it'll extend the season."
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"Good afternoon. This is the first time I've been here so I don't really know how it goes. I think our guys are working hard, I think they're taking the right approach to preparing to play a good football team. They've been a lot of fun to work with. I've spent the whole year with the quarterbacks and it's been a really good group to work with. We spend a lot of time together in a meeting room every day and I look forward to going to it every day, but really the whole team make up is that way. There's a lot of really good guys on this football team, that enjoy being together and working hard, understanding when it's time to focus in. They're a good group to be around. I think they really like each other so that makes it fun to go to work."
Â
On Whether Mike MacIntyre's Departure Relieves Any Pressure On Players   Â
"I don't necessarily look at it that way. Hopefully you approach each week with the same mentality. They're not blind to the fact of what's going on and what's being said all season long. But what I talked to the quarterbacks about, and I go back to them because that's who I've really spent my time with, is that you better be a tough minded person in anything in life. It's not just football, it's life and you guys get that. There's good days and bad days. There's things you can control and that you can't control. The first place where you start struggling is mentally. The point I'm trying to make is, if you can make each day the same as far how you approach coming into the building – it's time to go to work and you put aside the issues that you have – when you come in that building, it's focusing on Cal. Today was first-down day and red zone day, that's what we focus on, then you go the practice field. If you can control your mind like that, then hopefully the pressure is removed anyway."
Â
On Experience With Mid-Season Coaching Changes
"The only year I was at Florida, Coach [Will] Muschamp got removed with about two games to go but he finished the (regular) season, so he was still the head coach and then we went to a bowl game and [then-Florida Defensive Coordinator] D.J. Durkin took over at that point."
Â
On Who He Has Leaned On During The Transition
"I've made some phone calls and visited with some people. It's such a short amount of time that really my focus was, 'okay let's put this week's schedule together,' it's a little bit different because they're on thanksgiving break and we've got to try and plan to finish early enough on Thursday so people can get with their families. Really I sat down with those guys upstairs that have been in the building with us all year long and we figured this week out. The best approach to get a team ready to play is really where I've had conversations."
Â
On How Mike MacIntyre's Departure Has Impacted Son Jay MacIntyre
"Obviously his dad's a football coach and that doesn't start when you get to college, that started a long time ago. Because of that, you understand the profession. It's a lot more personal, everybody likes to say it's business, well there are personal issues with that. It's obviously much more personal for him than for other guys on the team. But again, he grew up in this profession and understands this profession and he's handled it well. When he goes on the practice field, he practices. My daughter is 10 years old, she's in fifth grade and has been in five different elementary schools. The reason I say that is, Jay has been a part of that in his life. My wife told my daughter exactly what was going on the other day and I get a text – she's 10 so she has an iPod, she can't make phone calls so we're good there – but she texts me and says, 'hey dad, I love you and I'm thinking about you.' I said, 'how are you doing?' She goes, 'I handled it well.' That's just what happens when you grow up in this profession."
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On What Has Made Cal's Defense So Good This Season
"I think [Head Coach] Justin [Wilcox] and [Defensive Coordinator] Tim [DeRuyter] do a really good job of putting in a system. When you watch them play defense, there's 11 guys tied together knowing exactly what the other guy is supposed to be doing. They do it through a lot of repetition so they know where they're supposed to fit on any call, on any pressure, on any coverage. Then, you can't past their talent. They've got some guys up front that can anchor and make it hard on a guard to get push. They've got two inside linebackers that are absolute playmakers, both of them are physical guys that can run, pressure the quarterback or be in coverage down the field. They're talented and they have a group that's played a lot of football. They're a talented group, but I think they have a really good system and understand that system, you look at now two years of doing that, they're pretty good at it."
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On Overcoming Recent Offensive Struggles
"I think it's a good challenge. They do a really good job on defense. We've got to go out there and give our playmakers a chance with the football. We've got to do a better job of managing the down and distance, trying to have some third-and-shorts instead of as many third-and-longs as we've had. Hopefully, we execute at a high level and put these guys in position to make plays and it leads to more points."
Â
On TB Travon McMillian
"He's a physical guy, he's a fast guy. He's got size and the speed to score from a long way away. Any time you can run the football and short down and distances, it helps your passing game too. He's a really talented football that needs some touches."
Â
On Whether He's Seen QB Steven Montez Locking Onto Star WR Laviska Shenault
"Never really once in our meetings do we sit there and say, 'just throw it to Viska.' Can some of that happen? I'm sure it can. It's like anything else. When I teach a quarterback, there are really some critical areas that are going to be evaluated. Situational football; that's third downs, that's red zone, that's 2-minute. You can see the pay-scale discrepancy in the NFL on the guys that are really good in those areas. What happens in those areas is you're typically in a drop-back pass world and guys are having to manage six-man protections, seven-man protections, five route-runners, different progressions and reads. It takes a lot of time and investment and I think you've seen growth in Steven, but you still keep working in that area to help get through progressions. It's all-encompassing, it gets into film study, it gets into pre-snap reads, you have all of these different things that go on in a drop-back pass world that are a major challenge for a quarterback, and the good ones play a really long time but it takes a lot of work to get good in that area."
Â
On Putting His Stamp On Team With One Game As Interim Coach
"Like I said, we're talking one week, one game. There's been a lot of investment and work leading up to this starting in January, but obviously when we got on the practice field in August all the way through the season. I've had blinders on through the season. I've look at it really on a small scale, my position and what my position affects. Really that's what I see my job this week as, is to figure out the best way that each guy can get their position ready to go play this week. Let's get them fresh, let's get them understanding what we need to do to win and I need to get the quarterback ready to play. So while I set the schedule and come and visit with (media) and those type of things, we're all are the head coach of our own position and we need to those guys ready to play."
Â
On Whether He Sees This Game As A Job Audition
"No. I look at it as, this is Cal week. We need somebody to organize all the decisions that need to be made and find a way to win. I need to get the quarterbacks ready to play, every other coach needs to get their position ready to play. Hopefully we can help these guys win a game and maybe it'll extend the season."
Quarterback Steven Montez
On Coaching Change
"Obviously as a player, especially as a player that was recruited by Coach Mac (former Head Coach Mike MacIntyre), it's tough to see him go. You never want to see your head coach leave like that. I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity that Coach Mac gave me to play here at the University of Colorado. The best decision I ever made was to come here and play football, so I'm ultimately thankful for that. Obviously I wish Coach Mac the best in whatever new coaching job he takes. I'm sure he's going to get one because he's a phenomenal coach."
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On Interim Coach Kurt Roper
"I think he's already been doing a great job with leading the team. I feel like every time Roper does something he impresses me more and more. He got the interim job and a lot of the players in the room already have a ton of respect for him. I think he's doing a great job and like I said, he just continues to impress me just with how he handles these situations with a level head and problem solves. He's a huge problem-solver. He's the best coach I've ever been around."
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On Difference Between Interim Coach Kurt Roper And Former Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
"It's kind of been difficult to tell, it's only been two days. They're two completely different people, they talk to the team a little bit differently. That was the only thing I really noticed, practice have been the same. We've shortened them down a little bit so we can get guys rested and get guys healthy. Other than that, they both do a really great job."
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On What He's Seen From Cal's Defense
"They're a good team. They're a good defense. They play more single-high than they do two-high, we need to be ready for both. They play a four-down nickel defense, then when they go Okie they're in base personnel. We broke them down and see some things we can execute against their defense and that's what we've been practicing. Like I said, they look like a good defense. We'll have some stuff specifically for them that hopefully we can get some positive plays out of. They're a very good defense. They're a very good team overall. We just need to be prepared to go out there and play our best football on Saturday."
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On Whether Day-To-Day Routine Has Remained Consistent Through Coaching Change And Holiday
"It's been same routine. That was the biggest point that Coach Roper came in and talked to us about, was block out all the noise, what is your Monday? What is your Tuesday? What is your Wednesday? What have you been doing all season long to get you to this point. My week stays the exact same. I'm still studying film just like I always do. I'm still practicing just like I always do. Still getting in treatment. It's kind of been the same for the players and we need to do a good job keeping that routine."
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On Importance Of Saturday's Game
"This game is big because it's for bowl eligibility for the players. We don't want to finish the season 0-7 after starting 5-0, that's the biggest thing. We've been having a tough time executing so I think if we focus on those small details and get out there and play our best football, we'll have a good shot to go and get this one. Wherever it's going to be, whether the venue is Vegas, California, New York, Boulder, Colorado, it really doesn't matter where we play, the football field is the same length, footballs are the same size, either way we're going to go out there and play that game as hard as we can and hopefully we have a good enough plan to beat Cal."
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On How Mike MacIntyre's Departure Has Impacted Son Jay MacIntyre
"Jay's been put into an extremely tough situation with his dad and his family. It's a hard situation to go through for anybody. I respect the hell out of Jay. He's an awesome guy and he's one of the tougher guys mentally that I've ever met. He just keeps working, even though all of this stuff has happened, he still goes out there and practices his butt off. I just have the ultimate respect for Jay Mac. Absolutely I think if his dad were at practice today, seeing how hard he was working, he would be beyond proud. Especially with the circumstances right now."
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On Preparation For Bowl-Or-Bust Game
"I think the key is shortening first and second down. It's tough get third-and-long, especially third-and-10, third-and-12. Those are difficult plays to convert. I think if we shorten the down-and-distance on first and second down, get some more positive plays going towards the first-down marker, we'll be in good shape. We get into that third-and-intermediate, third-and-5, maybe third-and-short, I think we'll be in really good shape."
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On His Health
"I'm a little sore. I feel good though. I've been practice. We've been putting more and more on it each day in practice. Tomorrow hopefully it'll feel even better than it did today, so I'm feeling good. I feel ready to roll."
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On Pressure To Become Bowl Eligible
"I think we're still a very confident football team. As for the coaching change, players still play the game so we've got to go out there and do a good job of executing what they give us to run. It's a do-or-die game, as players we understand, so we're going to work our absolute hardest to be successful on the football field. At the end of the day, you can't control everything that happens but you can control you're 1/11. I think if everyone focuses on their 1/11, I think we'll have a good chance to win this game."
"Obviously as a player, especially as a player that was recruited by Coach Mac (former Head Coach Mike MacIntyre), it's tough to see him go. You never want to see your head coach leave like that. I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity that Coach Mac gave me to play here at the University of Colorado. The best decision I ever made was to come here and play football, so I'm ultimately thankful for that. Obviously I wish Coach Mac the best in whatever new coaching job he takes. I'm sure he's going to get one because he's a phenomenal coach."
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On Interim Coach Kurt Roper
"I think he's already been doing a great job with leading the team. I feel like every time Roper does something he impresses me more and more. He got the interim job and a lot of the players in the room already have a ton of respect for him. I think he's doing a great job and like I said, he just continues to impress me just with how he handles these situations with a level head and problem solves. He's a huge problem-solver. He's the best coach I've ever been around."
Â
On Difference Between Interim Coach Kurt Roper And Former Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
"It's kind of been difficult to tell, it's only been two days. They're two completely different people, they talk to the team a little bit differently. That was the only thing I really noticed, practice have been the same. We've shortened them down a little bit so we can get guys rested and get guys healthy. Other than that, they both do a really great job."
Â
On What He's Seen From Cal's Defense
"They're a good team. They're a good defense. They play more single-high than they do two-high, we need to be ready for both. They play a four-down nickel defense, then when they go Okie they're in base personnel. We broke them down and see some things we can execute against their defense and that's what we've been practicing. Like I said, they look like a good defense. We'll have some stuff specifically for them that hopefully we can get some positive plays out of. They're a very good defense. They're a very good team overall. We just need to be prepared to go out there and play our best football on Saturday."
Â
On Whether Day-To-Day Routine Has Remained Consistent Through Coaching Change And Holiday
"It's been same routine. That was the biggest point that Coach Roper came in and talked to us about, was block out all the noise, what is your Monday? What is your Tuesday? What is your Wednesday? What have you been doing all season long to get you to this point. My week stays the exact same. I'm still studying film just like I always do. I'm still practicing just like I always do. Still getting in treatment. It's kind of been the same for the players and we need to do a good job keeping that routine."
Â
On Importance Of Saturday's Game
"This game is big because it's for bowl eligibility for the players. We don't want to finish the season 0-7 after starting 5-0, that's the biggest thing. We've been having a tough time executing so I think if we focus on those small details and get out there and play our best football, we'll have a good shot to go and get this one. Wherever it's going to be, whether the venue is Vegas, California, New York, Boulder, Colorado, it really doesn't matter where we play, the football field is the same length, footballs are the same size, either way we're going to go out there and play that game as hard as we can and hopefully we have a good enough plan to beat Cal."
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On How Mike MacIntyre's Departure Has Impacted Son Jay MacIntyre
"Jay's been put into an extremely tough situation with his dad and his family. It's a hard situation to go through for anybody. I respect the hell out of Jay. He's an awesome guy and he's one of the tougher guys mentally that I've ever met. He just keeps working, even though all of this stuff has happened, he still goes out there and practices his butt off. I just have the ultimate respect for Jay Mac. Absolutely I think if his dad were at practice today, seeing how hard he was working, he would be beyond proud. Especially with the circumstances right now."
Â
On Preparation For Bowl-Or-Bust Game
"I think the key is shortening first and second down. It's tough get third-and-long, especially third-and-10, third-and-12. Those are difficult plays to convert. I think if we shorten the down-and-distance on first and second down, get some more positive plays going towards the first-down marker, we'll be in good shape. We get into that third-and-intermediate, third-and-5, maybe third-and-short, I think we'll be in really good shape."
Â
On His Health
"I'm a little sore. I feel good though. I've been practice. We've been putting more and more on it each day in practice. Tomorrow hopefully it'll feel even better than it did today, so I'm feeling good. I feel ready to roll."
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On Pressure To Become Bowl Eligible
"I think we're still a very confident football team. As for the coaching change, players still play the game so we've got to go out there and do a good job of executing what they give us to run. It's a do-or-die game, as players we understand, so we're going to work our absolute hardest to be successful on the football field. At the end of the day, you can't control everything that happens but you can control you're 1/11. I think if everyone focuses on their 1/11, I think we'll have a good chance to win this game."
Junior Offensive Lineman Aaron Haigler
On Interim Coach Kurt Roper
"I think he's done a really good job of trying to keep it consistent. I haven't really been around for a coaching change, but I think it's important for an interim to bring new energy and new life to this team, but also to keep it kind of consistent. At the end of the day, this is the time where we really need to get it going. Like you heard Steven [Montez] talk about earlier, we've got one more to get one more. That's our goal."
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On What He's Seen From Cal's Defense
"They're really good team defensively. They've played really well down the stretch and won some tough games. They're a really good team in this conference. For us, we've just got to finish games and find a way to get it done. That's easier said than done. It's really on the players to make those plays to get it done. At this point we've struggled a little bit with that, but this week feels a little bit different around here."
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On Offensive Line Play Being Key Against Cal
"They're really good and we'll take a closer look at them this week. Our objective is to keep [QB Steven Montez] healthy, he's hurting a little bit right now so that objective is heightened. We're doing everything we can to make it a clean pocket for him and make it where he can step up and feel comfortable."
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On Bouncing Back From Losing Streak With Bowl Eligibility On The Line
"When you're 5-0 it seems like everything is just dandy, it's the best time anyone's ever had. When you go and lose those games, it just kind of stalls out and after a while, you don't really know how to come back from that or what to do differently. It's not like guys aren't trying or guys are quitting, that's not this team at all. We're searching for answers and the past couple of weeks we haven't found them. We haven't gotten it done. With the coaching change, I don't know if it really makes it different but it definitely makes people want to make it work. They really want to make this work, not just for the coaches, but also for us too. We really want to get to that bowl game, that's a lot of fun. It'd be huge for this program if we could get to that, so that's our focus this week."
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On How Mike MacIntyre's Departure Has Impacted Son Jay MacIntyre
"Jay is one of my close friends. He's one of the guys that was really awesome to me when I got here. If you know Jay, you know he's handled it the best way possible. Today he was super energetic, trying to have fun, trying to encourage these guys. That's just Jay. If you know him, you know."
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On Getting TB Travon McMillian Past The 1,000-Yard Milestone
"The 1,000-yard mark is obviously a huge goal for any team. Travon is a really great guy, when he came he kind of had to prove himself and he did. We want to get him there. Also for us, we want to get there. There's been some struggles on offense and with the running game and all of that, say what you will about it, but to get him to 1,000 yards would be a really great feeling."
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On What He Hopes For In Next Head Coach
"The last time I had to choose a coach was in recruiting so I'll go back to that. When I came on my visit here and talked with Coach Mac (former Head Coach Mike MacIntyre) and my recruiter was [Tight Ends Coach Gary] Bernardi, something that I saw right away was honesty. He was up front with me, he told me that he wanted me here and I believed him. For coaches, it's cliché but honesty is the best policy. We want guys that will tell us what to do straight up and I think Coach Mac did a great job of that. Say what you will about it, but I want someone like that whose going to tell me what it's like."
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On Recent Offensive Struggles
"If I had the answer I'd tell. What I'll say is, the season evolves and you come off of a really good game like that (Arizona State game) and have two really tough road games and don't play the way you want to play. Then you lose to Oregon State. These things keep happening. For our group, it's important that we stay together. We're trying to find ways to get it done. We're trying to find guys to put in there, rotations to put in there, different schemes to put in there, but at the end of the day it's just on this group to push forward and be resilient enough forget about what's happened and try to get it done."
"I think he's done a really good job of trying to keep it consistent. I haven't really been around for a coaching change, but I think it's important for an interim to bring new energy and new life to this team, but also to keep it kind of consistent. At the end of the day, this is the time where we really need to get it going. Like you heard Steven [Montez] talk about earlier, we've got one more to get one more. That's our goal."
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On What He's Seen From Cal's Defense
"They're really good team defensively. They've played really well down the stretch and won some tough games. They're a really good team in this conference. For us, we've just got to finish games and find a way to get it done. That's easier said than done. It's really on the players to make those plays to get it done. At this point we've struggled a little bit with that, but this week feels a little bit different around here."
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On Offensive Line Play Being Key Against Cal
"They're really good and we'll take a closer look at them this week. Our objective is to keep [QB Steven Montez] healthy, he's hurting a little bit right now so that objective is heightened. We're doing everything we can to make it a clean pocket for him and make it where he can step up and feel comfortable."
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On Bouncing Back From Losing Streak With Bowl Eligibility On The Line
"When you're 5-0 it seems like everything is just dandy, it's the best time anyone's ever had. When you go and lose those games, it just kind of stalls out and after a while, you don't really know how to come back from that or what to do differently. It's not like guys aren't trying or guys are quitting, that's not this team at all. We're searching for answers and the past couple of weeks we haven't found them. We haven't gotten it done. With the coaching change, I don't know if it really makes it different but it definitely makes people want to make it work. They really want to make this work, not just for the coaches, but also for us too. We really want to get to that bowl game, that's a lot of fun. It'd be huge for this program if we could get to that, so that's our focus this week."
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On How Mike MacIntyre's Departure Has Impacted Son Jay MacIntyre
"Jay is one of my close friends. He's one of the guys that was really awesome to me when I got here. If you know Jay, you know he's handled it the best way possible. Today he was super energetic, trying to have fun, trying to encourage these guys. That's just Jay. If you know him, you know."
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On Getting TB Travon McMillian Past The 1,000-Yard Milestone
"The 1,000-yard mark is obviously a huge goal for any team. Travon is a really great guy, when he came he kind of had to prove himself and he did. We want to get him there. Also for us, we want to get there. There's been some struggles on offense and with the running game and all of that, say what you will about it, but to get him to 1,000 yards would be a really great feeling."
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On What He Hopes For In Next Head Coach
"The last time I had to choose a coach was in recruiting so I'll go back to that. When I came on my visit here and talked with Coach Mac (former Head Coach Mike MacIntyre) and my recruiter was [Tight Ends Coach Gary] Bernardi, something that I saw right away was honesty. He was up front with me, he told me that he wanted me here and I believed him. For coaches, it's cliché but honesty is the best policy. We want guys that will tell us what to do straight up and I think Coach Mac did a great job of that. Say what you will about it, but I want someone like that whose going to tell me what it's like."
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On Recent Offensive Struggles
"If I had the answer I'd tell. What I'll say is, the season evolves and you come off of a really good game like that (Arizona State game) and have two really tough road games and don't play the way you want to play. Then you lose to Oregon State. These things keep happening. For our group, it's important that we stay together. We're trying to find ways to get it done. We're trying to find guys to put in there, rotations to put in there, different schemes to put in there, but at the end of the day it's just on this group to push forward and be resilient enough forget about what's happened and try to get it done."
Defensive Lineman Mustafa Johnson
On Coaching Change In His First Season
"It is a big change because part of the reason for coming here was also the whole signing of the contract, so it is kind of a shock. There's nothing I can really do about it or change. I'm a football player. I'm going to play football, whether I have the same coach or not."
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On What He's Seen From Cal On Film
"Big tackles. Big, tall, lanky guys so that's going to be a challenge for me being a little shorter and stouter. I know they have a versatile offense with a lot of schemes and a lot of formations to get us mixed up. Also with the quarterback game, they more of a passing quarterback and more of a running quarterback, so we have to prepare for that. I think just watching film and making the game plan, we'll be alright."
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On Change In Atmosphere With Coaching Change
"There's a lot less pressure. I think he understands that it is a hard time for us right now and we can't fall back or lose our bond between ourselves. During practice today we had a little energy and excitement with the O-linemen and D-linemen and a couple of guys that don't normally touch the ball, having them catch the ball so we can cheer each other on and keep that brotherhood alive and not let it fall apart. The ice cream was a nice touch too."
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On Pressure To Become Bowl Eligible
"Personally I don't focus on wanting to win the bowl game, that's kind of an extra added on. I think our goal is just to win the game in general. The bowl game is kind of after as a 'you did a good job for winning.' It's not really a lot of pressure but it is a goal that we're trying to reach."
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On Interim Coach Kurt Roper
"He's fun. He's a little different. We can relate with him a lot, he's kind of funny, not like corny jokes but you can actually get a laugh out of it. I like his ability to step up and take the role he's been given at this time."
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"It is a big change because part of the reason for coming here was also the whole signing of the contract, so it is kind of a shock. There's nothing I can really do about it or change. I'm a football player. I'm going to play football, whether I have the same coach or not."
Â
On What He's Seen From Cal On Film
"Big tackles. Big, tall, lanky guys so that's going to be a challenge for me being a little shorter and stouter. I know they have a versatile offense with a lot of schemes and a lot of formations to get us mixed up. Also with the quarterback game, they more of a passing quarterback and more of a running quarterback, so we have to prepare for that. I think just watching film and making the game plan, we'll be alright."
Â
On Change In Atmosphere With Coaching Change
"There's a lot less pressure. I think he understands that it is a hard time for us right now and we can't fall back or lose our bond between ourselves. During practice today we had a little energy and excitement with the O-linemen and D-linemen and a couple of guys that don't normally touch the ball, having them catch the ball so we can cheer each other on and keep that brotherhood alive and not let it fall apart. The ice cream was a nice touch too."
Â
On Pressure To Become Bowl Eligible
"Personally I don't focus on wanting to win the bowl game, that's kind of an extra added on. I think our goal is just to win the game in general. The bowl game is kind of after as a 'you did a good job for winning.' It's not really a lot of pressure but it is a goal that we're trying to reach."
Â
On Interim Coach Kurt Roper
"He's fun. He's a little different. We can relate with him a lot, he's kind of funny, not like corny jokes but you can actually get a laugh out of it. I like his ability to step up and take the role he's been given at this time."
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Players Mentioned
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