Tuesday Press Conference Quotes

Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre

Opening statement:
"Our young men are excited about playing in the Rocky Mountain Showdown again. They really enjoy going and playing in [Broncos Stadium at Mile High]. They love going and playing in the pro stadium and they're excited about the game."

On the whether running back group has a chance to be better than in past seasons:
"We haven't played in a game yet, so it's hard to say they're better [than in past seasons]. Phil [Lindsay] did everything. I think the thing we have is three or four guys that we believe can do a lot. I'm excited about what they've shown in practice, I'm excited about their competition and effort. We'll see when they get on the field if they're doing what we feel like they've been doing in practice. I believe they will. With Phil he was kind of one of those Swiss [Army] Knives, he could a little bit of everything. We'll see who has the hot hand and go with them, I don't plan on running four guys in and out all game. If a guy is hot, we'll play them."

On if it is fair to judge a coach based on their performance in rivalry games:
"First of all, I'm glad that [CSU Head Coach] Mike [Bobo] is back. He is a phenomenal guy and a phenomenal coach. I'm glad he's back and going. I know that had to be extremely hard on him, his family and it had to be extremely hard on the team, to be away for 10 days and then come back. He's a heck of a football coach. The ball bounces funny ways in games. I think he's done an excellent job there. He's been to three bowl games in a row. They lost a lot of players off of [former CSU Head Coach] McElwain's last team. I think [Mike Bobo] has done a heck of a job keeping it going and he's a heck of a coach."

On size in the receiving group:
"It's all relative. The smaller, shiftier guys, if they can get open and catch it, they're good. If they're big and can get open and catch it, they're good. I think it's kind of apples and oranges. We'll have to see how they play. The guys before played in a lot of games and made a lot of big plays. They were all still on NFL rosters when I walked in here, so that shows you the talent they had. I'm excited about watching these young men play and hopefully they'll be able to do as well as the guys that came before. We'll see."

On discovering Rick Gamboa:
"I saw him play in high school. He wore No. 7 at Chaminade High and they had all kinds of good players around him. He was always the one showing up to the football. Always. I said, 'this guy is just a football player, he has that innate ability to find a football.' Other people go, 'well he's not that fast, he's not [this or that].' I said, ' he has that innate ability to find a football, he's off the charts smart, he's off the charts in his ability to communicate and I want to sign him.' I think the rest is history. We redshirted him his freshman year. He told the team the other day, 'my freshman year when I came in, and played against the first unit as a scout team guy, I learned the speed of the game, I learned how to see it and I learned how to do it.' [As coaches] we can check how much film they watch and he always has the most, by far. He just loves it and eats up and understands it. If you get him [beat] in the game with something and you try it again, you won't get him a second time. The Oregon State game his redshirt freshman or sophomore year, they had been practicing a screen and they ran it a little bit earlier in the game. Right before the half they ran the same screen. He diagnosed it, him and Kenneth [Olgubode] hit the guy [to dislodge the ball], and he picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown. He does things like that quite often and you're thinking 'how did he get there?' He just saw it. He's a phenomenal young man and a great leader. He truly is a quarterback. You hear that a lot, but he truly is a quarterback with his ability to diagnose things on defense."

On whether Davion Taylor is the fastest player he has ever coached:
"Davion is extremely fast. I coached a guy named Paul Richardson one year that was pretty fast. But Davion is the fastest guy I've ever coached that's over 220-pounds, yes. He is really catching on to football. It's still new to him, he's only played two years of junior college football, he didn't play in high school. Every day you see the light bulb go off a little more. He plays fast on the football field."

On Kyle Evans' growth since arriving at CU:
"I saw Kyle Evans play as a ninth grader in football and basketball, him and Jay [MacIntyre] always competed against each other, so I've known him for a long time. Going into his senior year [of high school], he broke his ankle. We were recruiting him at San Jose State and I liked him, but we left and came here. All of the sudden I get a phone call from him one day and he says, 'my mom and I are coming out there, I want to come walk on at Colorado.' He went to [Archbishop] Mitty High School in San Jose and he walked on, and he's done phenomenal. His sophomore year he played really well, he had big games against Oregon and Arizona State, had another couple good runs against Utah. Then that spring he broke his hip, it was one of those [injuries] where everybody at practice stops and nobody moves. I was just sitting there looking at him, and I said 'I don't want to keep practicing, this is terrible.' So we move down [to the practice fields for fall camp] and low and behold, he's back. Last year as the season went on he was getting better and better, but Phillip was running so hot. He has just taken off [this fall], he's better than he was as a sophomore right now. He's really running well. It's an amazing story to me. He's one big muscle, he's amazing."

On who has the advantage with CSU having played a game:
"I would rather play a game. I think if you ask any coach, they would probably say that. [Colorado State] has played a game, that gives them an advantage with the speed of the game. You always hear that you improve the most from your first game to your second game, I hope that's not true of them, but it's going to be a heck of a game. I was really impressed with Colorado State's fight in the second half, they really could have won that game which was amazing to me as I watched it on tape. Their fight, their aggressive, they kept competing and had an opportunity to [win the game]. They have some big play capability to say the least. They always have a great receiver. It's amazing. That [Olabisi Johnson] kid is really a good football player, I bet he'll have a chance to make somebody's team next year in the NFL. He's that good to me."

On goals changing season to season:
"When you stand in there with a group of young men, they all want to achieve being the best. I think that's true in anybody's business. Nobody says 'we're going to shoot for being medicore.' You don't do that. You set high expectations and you go after them. When you first start at a program that's not all you talk about, you have to start with all the base things that get you to those expectations. As they get going, the kids talk about it, I don't even have to talk about it. You heard what he said, what their goal is. We always talk about, it truly is coach-speak, but taking it one game at a time. If you take of your goal and you win each game as you go, you can achieve a lot of dreams and goals you set. As a leader, you have to set the expectations high. You have to set the bar high and if you don't you're not leading, you're just part of the group. You watch the water fall in the cracks, you have to make the cracks and help them get there."

On QB Steven Montez helping inexperienced group at wide receiver:
"Those kids have played in games, they just haven't had main roles. They're not that wet behind the ears so to speak. All of our quarterbacks have done a good job building chemistry with the receivers. Steven [Montez] getting out there and working with them, those guys have been working hard. I'm excited about what they've shown in practice, now they have to go do it in the games. There is a camaraderie there, there is a feel [for eachother] there. They know how they're running the routes. He knows who he can lay out there and throw it to deep to, who he can throw the back shoulders to, they've got those nuances figured out and that makes a big difference in a game."

On the tight end position:
"Last year Chris Bounds made a lot of big plays for us. I can remember a couple of them in the Arizona game, I think he had two touchdowns. Chris is our main tight end, then we have Brady Russell and Darrion Jones, [Jared] Poplawski was in the mix but he had his shoulder operated on. We use a lot of different sets, they'll be used in all those sets. I thought they've had a good fall camp. They also all play on special teams which is a big deal."

On added pressure opening the season with two rivalry games:
"It's exciting for us, since last season ended and everybody realized that we were going to play our two biggest rivals back-to-back. I guess you could say there's always a buzz about the CSU game, but now it's kind of a double-buzz all the time. It makes it special. Our guys understand that and I think that's pushed them, because everywhere they go they hear about the CSU game and our next game. That's something they have to put in the back of their mind and take one day at a time. I think they have taken it one day at a time, they have worked hard, there hasn't been one day where we've gone out to practice and they [didn't work hard]. Knock on wood, I hope it's not Thursday or Friday before we play. They've been into it so maybe it has an undercurrent and motivated them more."

On Javier Edwards Getting Over His Juice Habits And Getting In Better Shape
"If you have ever been able to talk to Javy, he has a personality. He is so funny. When he got here, he was overweight. He worked at it and got it down, and he really started working with our nutritionist. He started working with our trainers and our strength coaches and they put him on a plan, and he worked at it and stayed at it. That is pretty hard to do for a twenty-year old kid, while also at the same time pushing himself every day and working. I have been very pleased with him. He is a lot quicker. He was quick anyway, but only for about two plays. Now he is quicker, stronger, and more powerful. He looks like a good football player out there. I hope he does that in the games coming up. I think he can be a force inside."

On What Motivates This Team
"They have grown closer together. I think they are kind of bonding on everybody calling them a failure last year, and hearing, 'You let it down, and you didn't keep it going.' That is what they have heard out there with people saying different things. They have two chips on their shoulders, and have decided to shut their mouths and work at it, and let the results on the field stand for it. Hopefully they will get the results that they have worked hard to achieve. Nothing is guaranteed. There is hard work, which gives you the opportunity, then you have to go and do it under pressure. That is a whole other step, and hopefully we will make that step.

On How They Were Able To Get Strong 2017 and 2018 Recruiting Classes
"There are a lot of different things that have helped us do that. I would say first of all, the success we had in 2016. When we talked to kids and they talked to other kids who played here, they know they can be successful. That is the main, big hurdle. That has helped in the recruiting side of it. The other side of it is that we have a phenomenal recruiting staff. I have a whole personnel group in there and we do that, and we put that in place three years ago. We didn't have that before when I first got here. We had one guy and the rest of the coaching staff which is not the best way to do it. We went out and raised money and we were able to make a better recruiting staff. Our coaching staff has done a great job when they have gone out on the road. They have made great contacts. We have kept evaluating well, and that is important. This facility is a big part of it. It is a combination of multiple things coming together, it is not just one. Hopefully those guys play well, and that entices more good young men to come here to this great university and live in this beautiful area where you drive over and see those mountains. That helps a lot because the young men we bring from Texas can't stop starring at the mountains. The beauty of this place makes a big difference."

On Playing The Best Players, Even If They Are Freshman
"We had to play too many of those guys my first year here. I think that they do see that we are going to play the best players, and we are going to work with them and help them. The other thing that is good too is how the dynamics of recruiting have changed a little bit, and we have been in the forefront of it on purpose because I kind of saw it coming with all of the early graduates and the junior college kids. When we were living in California and other places, you can go to school for a year and can go four for three, and get those kids in January. Now they go through January, go through summer, spring, and fall practice. Those guys can help you quicker. We have one young man who didn't do that. He walked in and is going to play the first game, but I think that helps your overall team too."

Junior Quarterback Steven Montez

On What He Saw After Watching CSU Play Their First Game
"They did a lot of the stuff that we thought they were going to do. They look like a good team. They came out on the short end of the stick against Hawai'i, but I still think they are a very good team. We need to prepare like we always do for them."

On Seeing Hawai'i Quarterback Cole McDonald Have Success Passing And Running The Football
"Hawai'i was running different sets than we were, but they had some success on offense. Colorado State is going to be a good team so we just have to prepare and do our best when we get out there."

On What Linebacker Rick Gamboa Means To The Team And A Story About Him
"Rick is a leader. He has been a leader for a while here. We have a few stories together, but I am going to keep those in my back pocket."

On What He Saw From CSU On Tape
"I think they look good. Their front is good, and they have big guys. Number 33 (DE Emmanuel Jones) can run pretty well, they have good corners who can go out and run in space, and their safeties looked good in coverage. They are going to be a good defense and a good team overall. I thought their offense looked good too, when I watched the game live."

On Establishing Chemistry With The Receiving Core
"It has just been work, work, work ever since the season stopped for us last year. Those younger receivers and I got together and I would throw, and throw, and throw constantly every week. We would throw deep balls, intermediate routes, and really everything just so we know we are on the same page when it comes to live fire. I think it has worked out well for us because we are on pretty good levels. There is good chemistry between me and the receivers."

On The Size Of The Receiving Core
"We have some bigger receivers this year, and I think that will help us out. Most of our DB's aren't over 6'2" or 6'1". We have some guys that are taller that can jump and go get the ball out of the air so I think that will help us out in those one-on-one situations."

On Offensive Linemen Jake Moretti
"I think that Jake is a dog. When I say dog, I mean four legs and tail. He just works, and works, and works his butt off, and he has the right mentality. I think that he is a very good player. Me and Jake always joke around that he has the most expensive knee on the team. Jake is a good dude and he works really hard. He has a bright future here at CU."

On What It Is Like Playing At Broncos Stadium At Mile High In The Rocky Mountain Showdown
"I was definitely shocked my first time playing there when I first got on campus, and we went to that game. I was like, 'Wow. This is more people than I have seen in one stadium at a time ever probably.' The atmosphere is nuts. Half the stadium is Rams, and half the stadium is Buffs. They get the, 'It sucks to be, a CSU Ram', going on our side, and it gets pretty live. I am excited for the atmosphere. It is always a fun game and it is usually a good game and evenly matched."

On The Rivalry Between The Two Teams
"It is just another game. I know CSU doesn't like us, and I don't think we like them anymore than they like us. We are just going to go out there and play a good game, and I think that is how it is for everybody. There are no friends in football, and once you get on that field you are enemies. You have to go at them and give it your best shot, and that is what we're going to do."

On The 2017 and 2018 Classes
"We have definitely brought in some players that can play the game, and play football. They are young, and I think their instincts are going to take over when the bullets start flying in a live game. For me, it was like playing in High School again, and I think it is going to be the exact same for them. It is just playing the game of football. The game speeds up a little bit, but it doesn't change very much. It is the same game. I think they will be successful on the field."

On If CSU Has An Advantage, Having Played A Game Already
"I was thinking about this this weekend, and I think there are pros and cons to both. When you play that first game, you kind of get all of the kinks out and get all of the procedural penalties and the false starts out of the way that are going to happen with the first game. We also have an advantage as well because we got to watch that game, break it down, and get a better idea of what they want to do on both offense and defense. I think there are advantages both ways."

On Seeing How All Of The Work He Has Put In Will Play Out
"I can't wait. I am so excited. I don't think I have been this excited for a game since Oregon. I am very excited to play this week. I don't know what it is, but I can't wait to get out there and show what we have been working on, on offense. I am sure the defense has a lot of stuff they want to show the world as well. I am excited, and I can't wait. Can't wait."

Senior Linebacker Rick Gamboa

On His Emotions And Excitement Heading Into Friday's Game
"I am very excited to play. I have been working all offseason and waiting to finally get a chance to hit somebody other than your own teammates. This is my last time playing in the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Going into my senior year, I am just trying to take everything one day at a time and take advantage of every opportunity I get."

On He And His Class Trying To Be The First Team To Beat CSU Every Year They Have Played Since 1998
"I think it is a cool thing to be a part of, being in a class that has won this game every single year we have played in it. This is defiantly a special game for me. Going back to my redshirt freshman year, that was the first game I had ever started at CU. I can look back at the past three times I've played in this game, reliving those memories, seeing those different teams we have had going into those games, and how each game has happened."

On His Favorite Memory At The Rocky Mountain Showdown
"I just told the team this earlier in the week. In 2015, it was the fourth quarter and it was third down. I read a screen and hit the running back, and the ball went flying into the air. KO (Kenneth Olugbode) caught it and scored. It was a big play for us and was defiantly as big momentum boost for us in that game. The way that game ended with us winning the game in overtime in my first start was one of my favorite memoires."

On The Defensive Line
"As a group, they have been working well with each other. They have been rotating a lot, and have paired a lot of guys together. I think with how different some guys are, some are bigger, faster, or are better pass rushers, and they mix and match that up front. They are the heart and soul of the defense up front. If they are having a good game, we are probably having a good game stopping the run or on the pass rush. A lot of what they have done this offseason has been helping the defense."

On What Stands Out To Him About The Rocky Mountain Showdown
"I would definitely say the atmosphere. You don't get too many times when you play in a stadium where half of the stadium is going for you and half is against you. There are times when you are on the field and are backed up against your own end zone and you here their crowd chanting and yelling against you or their backed up and you have your crowd with you. I think that is a very unique experience, and is one of the things I definitely enjoy about this game."

On How Motivated He Is To Put A Defense On The Field Like The One Two Years Ago
"Myself and the rest of the guys on defense believe that defense wins championships. For us to reach the goal we want to reach as a team, we know we have to have a good defense. There are going to be games where the offense struggles or the defense struggles, and the other side of the ball is going to have to pick that up. As a defense, the more takeaways we get, the more stops we get, and the least amount of points we give up, gives our offense a great opportunity to score points. We know what our offense can do. We have been going against them this past month and the whole offseason and we know the firepower and the weapons that they have. Getting them the ball and giving them the best chance to put up points if going to help us win."

On The Importance Of Getting Off To A Good Start Defensively And Set The Tone For The Rest Of The Season
"I would say that it is pretty important. We have a lot of new faces, guys getting their first start and playing Division One Football for the first time. I think that the confidence of getting off to a good start and keeping it rolling definitely helps. Whether that is getting turnovers, getting stops on third down, or making tackles. A lot of guys go into the game nervous, but after their first tackle and the first hit they make, the game settles down and slows down for them. Getting off to a good start is a big momentum boost for us."

On How He Became A Leader At CU
"Growing up, my dad was always my coach as a kid. He always pushed me to be a leader for my team. Especially for a middle linebacker on defense, that is a big part on the defense, communicating with everyone up front and with all of the DB's. That is a role I have been pushed into and a role I have gotten myself used to getting into to. I don't find too much pressure being in that type of role, but I always push myself to get better and do anything to get better, whether that is being a better leader, a better athlete, or a better football player. Talking to my teammates and seeing if there is anything I can work on, and taking criticism from teammates and coaches, or anything like that is going to make me better."

On Being A Fan Of the Dodgers In Rockies Territory And On The Swagger Of the Defense
"I am from L.A. so I am always going to be a Dodger fan. I would say this defense does have an attitude. Watching film from last year and seeing what we could have done and were we want to be, we know we have to have an attitude. We want to be physical, we want to enjoy ourselves and have fun out there, fly around out there and get to the ball, and just enjoy our time out there. No snaps are guaranteed and we want to take advantage of every opportunity that we get on the field and enjoy our time."

On What Has Impressed Him About The Younger Classes
"The biggest thing is their work ethic, and how much they want to win. You see that on the field at practice. Guys liked Nate Landman, Jake Moretti, Issy (Israel Antwine) are hard-working guys. They are going to come to work every day, and you don't need to push them to go. They aren't taking reps off. They want to come out and get better every single day, and do whatever they can to help make this team win. I think that has been the biggest thing about that class. There are a lot of talented guys who have yet to play a lot of football here, and they are all very excited. We can't wait to see what they do on Friday night."

On Embracing The Younger Classes
"Having that comradery helps us as a team, and Having everyone close, whether that is on or off the field. Going back to when I was a Freshman, and being around the older guys like KO, Chido (Chidobe Awuzie), and Addison (Gillam) and seeing how much it helped me being around them and having a connection with them. It makes it a lot easier when things get tough, knowing you have a relationship and a connection with guys on the team. It helps a lot on the field when you have a relationship with those guys next to you."

Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre

Junior Quarterback Steven Montez

Senior Linebacker Rick Gamboa

Players Mentioned

Israel Antwine

Chidobe Awuzie

Chris Bounds

Javier Edwards

Kyle Evans

Rick Gamboa

Darrion Jones

Nate Landman

Steven Montez

Kenneth Olugbode

Brady Russell

Davion Taylor

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