Tuesday Press Conference Quotes
September 26, 2018 | Football
Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
Opening Statement
"We've had a good bye week and we're excited about the game on Friday night. Watching UCLA on film, they've played a really tough schedule. Cincinnati is 4-0, Oklahoma is a pretty good football team to say the least, and then Fresno State is a really good football team. They've played a tougher schedule than we have at this point. They're the most athletic football team that we've played this season. They have speed, athleticism, and it's going to be a really tough test for us. We've prepared well and our guys are excited about playing at home again on Friday night."
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On late kickoffs in Pac-12
"I haven't seen anything (in regards to criticism), I don't read anything. I know that's been talked about since I came to the league. The Friday late night game, if you don't have a game the week before, it's really not that big of a deal because you come back and get Saturday and Sunday to recover. The hardest ones are when you play at 8:30 at night on the west coast, we get back and we get off the bus at the facility between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning. Then you turn around and play the next Saturday. If you have to turn around and play an away game, it's really tough. That's where I think the problem is. We've talked about that as coaches and with Larry (Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott) and with Woodie (Pac-12 Senior VP of Business Affairs Woodie Dixon) and they've been accommodating and understand. A lot of it is television and we need the television money, our league does, so we understand that. They've done a really good job the past couple of years of trying to facilitate teams. We're playing on a Friday night but we had a bye week off. The next week we play at home. They've worked with a lot of teams in that way. We don't know about the late night games until 12 days, or sometimes six days before. The ones that they were able to place (ahead of time), they've done a better job organizing that this year than in the past. I think that Larry and Woodie and all of those guys are really working well with teams and truly understand (the other side of it). We also understand that we're going to have to play some night games on prime time. Honestly, if you're winning games and playing at night, you're kind of pumped about it. You'd rather play at 2 o'clock in the afternoon of course, I think everybody in America would but then it would be like it was back when I was in college where there's only one game (at night). This enables all of us to make money. I do think our Pac-12 office is really working with us and the teams trying to make it the best for our players, but we also have to make the money and our kids like playing on national television."
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On late kickoffs having an impact on academics
"No, not really. At this level, we're able to take our tutors with us, they are able to proctor exams, we have study halls on the road. If we play a night game on the road, our guys are having study hall Saturday morning. With the ability to have all of our tutors and different people, [Director of Football Academics] Katie Bason is unbelievable, she'll proctor exams (on the road), that helps. If we didn't have that, it would be tougher. All the team have something like that, we do. That facilitates that a little bit better to not intrude on their academics."
On outside linebacker rotation
"So far I think it's worked out well. We're able to get a lot of speed on the field. We have guys rotating in. What I've noticed is they've been fresher as the game has gone on. Our pass rush hasn't always gotten to the passer, but we've harassed him. We're more fresh, we're more athletic and as the season goes along, I believe that will help us in situations where we need to get pressure without a blitz. Rotating those guys in keeps them fresher and enables them to play at a higher tempo and higher speed later in games."
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On opponents keying on star WR Laviska Shenault, Jr.
"I think they'll try to find him, but Chev (Co-Offensive Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini) has done phenomenal job of moving him all around. The great thing about it is, Viska understands football and is very bright, so he can move around to different spots. Also when you do that, our other receivers need to know other places to play. Chev does a great job teaching all of those guys. Even if they do that, our quarterback knows what's happening and where we're going. All of our throws are on reads anyway so we're moving him around. There are certain situations where we're trying to get guys the ball in different ways but we can also move him around as a decoy, which opens up another guy. Our quarterback understands that and Chev has done a great job utilizing that."
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On preparing for both UCLA quarterbacks Â
"Every time you say prepare for two quarterbacks, I kind of break out into a cold sweat from the Arizona game a year ago. I think Chip (UCLA Coach Chip Kelly), he's really an excellent football coach, he's going to run his offense and whichever guy is more (a fit with their situational scheme will play more). From what I saw in their first game against Cincinnati, it was basically the same offense (with both quarterbacks). It's hard to prepare two offenses. They'll pick certain plays that a guy is better at, but that's usually hard to find out in one game, you'll hopefully get it as the quarters go along. Hopefully your defense is able to adjust to different things. We teach them that. They understand that. Every defense is supposed to work against everything just like every offensive play is supposed to work against every defense. We'll be ready for either one and hopefully we can adjust."
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On Co-Offensive Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini being a rising star in coaching
"I think all of our guys are rising stars, I really do. We have some great coaches on our staff. Our offensive staff works really well together. A big part of success has been [Co-Offensive Coordinator] Klayton Adams. All the things we do offensively can put a lot of stress on the offensive line. He and Chev work really well together, then Coach Hagan with running backs and all the things we're doing there, sometimes Laviska is the backfield or other guys are in the backfield. Then Coach Bernardi with our multiple tight ends, because a lot of times Shenault is playing a tight end spot. It's a combination of all of those things. Of course, [Quarterback Coach] Kurt Roper getting our quarterbacks to understand it and do it all, I think that's quite a mix of magic there. Usually you have egos on staff, but everybody has dropped their ego and work well together. That's extremely important."
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On return of ILB Akil Jones
"Akil Jones hurt his ankle (during camp), he's practiced really well the past two days. We expect to have him ready Friday unless we have a setback. Nate [Landman] and Rick [Gamboa] have done really well in our base front or 'Buff' front. When we go to our nickel front Nate is out and we move Drew [Lewis] inside to 'jack.' That's worked out really well. Nate can also play 'mike', so you could see that happen from time to time if Rick gets tired. Then of course, you have Akil Jones and Jonathan Van Deist who are getting more and more practice time. Jonathan got a lot more practice reps with Akil being out which has helped too."
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On UCLA QBs Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Wilton Speight
"You can tell Wilton has played a lot of football. He'll drop back in the pocket and is probably just a little more understanding of coverages and everything right now. Dorian is a phenomenal athlete who has made some really good throws and I think he's getting better. He played really well in the Oklahoma game as he got his feet wet a little bit. I think he is an excellent athlete. They both can run their offense and we'll see whichever one they decide to choose or who is healthy, that type of thing. It seems like they probably spread it out a little bit more with Dorian. He is a little shorter so they get him out of the pocket to see a little better at times. They are both really good players and can do whatever they want in their offense."
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On the recent games with UCLA
"They have got our number. We have had some unbelievable games out here. I remember the double-overtime game out here when the student body was moving from end-to-end. We had our opportunities to win it, but we didn't. The game we had down there in the heat where I think we ran the most plays in regulation that any team ran all year. We ran 114 plays in a regular sixty minutes, but we screwed it up and lost that game. We had a Thursday night game here that was a great game. Isaiah (Former CU CB Isaiah Oliver) took the punt back and kind of sealed the deal. Last year's game was back and forth, and back and forth. We had a touchdown that got called back. I think the separation in the games in the last four or five years is about a five point difference in all of the games. (UCLA holds a +1 point differential in the last four meetings). It is going to be a heck of a battle. They have always had great athletes and they have a great history of football and so do we. Our guys are looking forward to playing. Our guys know each other, a lot of our guys are from California. There are two brothers playing in this game, Donavon Lee and [UCLA WR] Dymond Lee. Dymond plays for them and Donovan plays for us. They kind of know each other well."
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On UCLA defense
"They have played three really good offenses. Cincinnati is putting up points in every game. Of course, Oklahoma is putting up points in every game. Fresno State did really well last year and they are an excellent offense when you watch them on film. They are all new. Their whole staff is new. They have changed their defense from the year before. They were more of a four-down front and now they are more of a three-down front. That takes a while to adjust to. They have played three games. They've had a bye week and I expect them to be much better on defense. Now, they can go back and kids can see what they made mistakes on. They can go over it and they can work with it. Hopefully we have improved in that amount of time too. Their outside pass rushers are really, really athletic. No. 15 (LB Jaelan Phillips) I think was the number four ranked player in America coming out of high school. As a freshman, he was phenomenal. He is a really good player. The other two guys, No. 11 (LB Keisean Lucier-South) and No. 97 (DL Odua Isibor), kind of look like identical guys. They are all 6'4.5" and they all can run like the wind. I expect them to play well. We are going to have to play really well on offense."
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On lack of success among first three opponents
"It's the beginning of the season. It's still so early, and anything can change. Sometimes you have injuries throughout a season that bother teams. We have just played three games. Hopefully, we can keep our momentum going. I think some of the teams we have played will kick in and get going. That is just kind of the way it is. You have to fight through different peaks and valleys as the season goes along. I think the NFL is a good example of that. A lot of teams start out, and everyone is worried about them. Then at the end of the year, the teams they were all talking about in the beginning of the year aren't even in the playoffs. You just have to keep playing."
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On difference between Chip Kelly's UCLA and his teams at Oregon
 "I have no idea. I wasn't around when he went to Oregon and didn't coach against him. Their scheme is good, offensively and defensively. He knows what he is doing. It just takes a while sometimes. The thing I will say is, when he took over at Oregon he had been running the offense. Their defensive coordinator, Coach [Nick] Aliotti, had stayed there. There really wasn't a change. They just switched the head coach and they went off running. When you come in and are changing everything and nobody knows you, it's a whole different world. It takes a while. I know Chip will get it turned around. I just hope it's not Friday night."
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On P Alex Kinney
"I met with the doctors about him this morning. Everything is progressing really well. He's moving his arms around and doing everything. We just need to make sure he's okay and cleared to go out. He is actually catching footballs as snaps, but he has to be able to catch it everywhere and do everything. We are going to keep meeting with the doctors and sit down each week at the beginning of the week and at the end of the week. He is recovering well and doing well. He has a positive attitude. He's out there coaching up Davis (Price) and he's in the meetings and out at practice. I have been very pleased with Alex. Of course, we'd like to have him back as soon as he is healthy enough to get back."
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On upcoming 'Be The Match' night
"Our team does Be The Match to battle cancer for bone marrow transplants. This Friday night, at the game, is Be The Match Night. 4,000 of the students as they come in are going to get Be The Match t-shirts to register for it. We have the big drive in April. Coach [Andy] Talley, who was the head coach at Villanova and who started the whole Be The Match movement in colleges, is going to be here with their whole organization. We have had nine people match in the nine years that I have done it which is pretty awesome. Derek McCartney is a young man who actually saved a life and we have had some others too. We are excited about being able to help anyway we can and get the word out to get more people to register so we can save more lives. Be The Match Night on Friday is a big part of our game too."
"We've had a good bye week and we're excited about the game on Friday night. Watching UCLA on film, they've played a really tough schedule. Cincinnati is 4-0, Oklahoma is a pretty good football team to say the least, and then Fresno State is a really good football team. They've played a tougher schedule than we have at this point. They're the most athletic football team that we've played this season. They have speed, athleticism, and it's going to be a really tough test for us. We've prepared well and our guys are excited about playing at home again on Friday night."
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On late kickoffs in Pac-12
"I haven't seen anything (in regards to criticism), I don't read anything. I know that's been talked about since I came to the league. The Friday late night game, if you don't have a game the week before, it's really not that big of a deal because you come back and get Saturday and Sunday to recover. The hardest ones are when you play at 8:30 at night on the west coast, we get back and we get off the bus at the facility between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning. Then you turn around and play the next Saturday. If you have to turn around and play an away game, it's really tough. That's where I think the problem is. We've talked about that as coaches and with Larry (Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott) and with Woodie (Pac-12 Senior VP of Business Affairs Woodie Dixon) and they've been accommodating and understand. A lot of it is television and we need the television money, our league does, so we understand that. They've done a really good job the past couple of years of trying to facilitate teams. We're playing on a Friday night but we had a bye week off. The next week we play at home. They've worked with a lot of teams in that way. We don't know about the late night games until 12 days, or sometimes six days before. The ones that they were able to place (ahead of time), they've done a better job organizing that this year than in the past. I think that Larry and Woodie and all of those guys are really working well with teams and truly understand (the other side of it). We also understand that we're going to have to play some night games on prime time. Honestly, if you're winning games and playing at night, you're kind of pumped about it. You'd rather play at 2 o'clock in the afternoon of course, I think everybody in America would but then it would be like it was back when I was in college where there's only one game (at night). This enables all of us to make money. I do think our Pac-12 office is really working with us and the teams trying to make it the best for our players, but we also have to make the money and our kids like playing on national television."
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On late kickoffs having an impact on academics
"No, not really. At this level, we're able to take our tutors with us, they are able to proctor exams, we have study halls on the road. If we play a night game on the road, our guys are having study hall Saturday morning. With the ability to have all of our tutors and different people, [Director of Football Academics] Katie Bason is unbelievable, she'll proctor exams (on the road), that helps. If we didn't have that, it would be tougher. All the team have something like that, we do. That facilitates that a little bit better to not intrude on their academics."
On outside linebacker rotation
"So far I think it's worked out well. We're able to get a lot of speed on the field. We have guys rotating in. What I've noticed is they've been fresher as the game has gone on. Our pass rush hasn't always gotten to the passer, but we've harassed him. We're more fresh, we're more athletic and as the season goes along, I believe that will help us in situations where we need to get pressure without a blitz. Rotating those guys in keeps them fresher and enables them to play at a higher tempo and higher speed later in games."
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On opponents keying on star WR Laviska Shenault, Jr.
"I think they'll try to find him, but Chev (Co-Offensive Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini) has done phenomenal job of moving him all around. The great thing about it is, Viska understands football and is very bright, so he can move around to different spots. Also when you do that, our other receivers need to know other places to play. Chev does a great job teaching all of those guys. Even if they do that, our quarterback knows what's happening and where we're going. All of our throws are on reads anyway so we're moving him around. There are certain situations where we're trying to get guys the ball in different ways but we can also move him around as a decoy, which opens up another guy. Our quarterback understands that and Chev has done a great job utilizing that."
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On preparing for both UCLA quarterbacks Â
"Every time you say prepare for two quarterbacks, I kind of break out into a cold sweat from the Arizona game a year ago. I think Chip (UCLA Coach Chip Kelly), he's really an excellent football coach, he's going to run his offense and whichever guy is more (a fit with their situational scheme will play more). From what I saw in their first game against Cincinnati, it was basically the same offense (with both quarterbacks). It's hard to prepare two offenses. They'll pick certain plays that a guy is better at, but that's usually hard to find out in one game, you'll hopefully get it as the quarters go along. Hopefully your defense is able to adjust to different things. We teach them that. They understand that. Every defense is supposed to work against everything just like every offensive play is supposed to work against every defense. We'll be ready for either one and hopefully we can adjust."
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On Co-Offensive Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini being a rising star in coaching
"I think all of our guys are rising stars, I really do. We have some great coaches on our staff. Our offensive staff works really well together. A big part of success has been [Co-Offensive Coordinator] Klayton Adams. All the things we do offensively can put a lot of stress on the offensive line. He and Chev work really well together, then Coach Hagan with running backs and all the things we're doing there, sometimes Laviska is the backfield or other guys are in the backfield. Then Coach Bernardi with our multiple tight ends, because a lot of times Shenault is playing a tight end spot. It's a combination of all of those things. Of course, [Quarterback Coach] Kurt Roper getting our quarterbacks to understand it and do it all, I think that's quite a mix of magic there. Usually you have egos on staff, but everybody has dropped their ego and work well together. That's extremely important."
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On return of ILB Akil Jones
"Akil Jones hurt his ankle (during camp), he's practiced really well the past two days. We expect to have him ready Friday unless we have a setback. Nate [Landman] and Rick [Gamboa] have done really well in our base front or 'Buff' front. When we go to our nickel front Nate is out and we move Drew [Lewis] inside to 'jack.' That's worked out really well. Nate can also play 'mike', so you could see that happen from time to time if Rick gets tired. Then of course, you have Akil Jones and Jonathan Van Deist who are getting more and more practice time. Jonathan got a lot more practice reps with Akil being out which has helped too."
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On UCLA QBs Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Wilton Speight
"You can tell Wilton has played a lot of football. He'll drop back in the pocket and is probably just a little more understanding of coverages and everything right now. Dorian is a phenomenal athlete who has made some really good throws and I think he's getting better. He played really well in the Oklahoma game as he got his feet wet a little bit. I think he is an excellent athlete. They both can run their offense and we'll see whichever one they decide to choose or who is healthy, that type of thing. It seems like they probably spread it out a little bit more with Dorian. He is a little shorter so they get him out of the pocket to see a little better at times. They are both really good players and can do whatever they want in their offense."
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On the recent games with UCLA
"They have got our number. We have had some unbelievable games out here. I remember the double-overtime game out here when the student body was moving from end-to-end. We had our opportunities to win it, but we didn't. The game we had down there in the heat where I think we ran the most plays in regulation that any team ran all year. We ran 114 plays in a regular sixty minutes, but we screwed it up and lost that game. We had a Thursday night game here that was a great game. Isaiah (Former CU CB Isaiah Oliver) took the punt back and kind of sealed the deal. Last year's game was back and forth, and back and forth. We had a touchdown that got called back. I think the separation in the games in the last four or five years is about a five point difference in all of the games. (UCLA holds a +1 point differential in the last four meetings). It is going to be a heck of a battle. They have always had great athletes and they have a great history of football and so do we. Our guys are looking forward to playing. Our guys know each other, a lot of our guys are from California. There are two brothers playing in this game, Donavon Lee and [UCLA WR] Dymond Lee. Dymond plays for them and Donovan plays for us. They kind of know each other well."
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On UCLA defense
"They have played three really good offenses. Cincinnati is putting up points in every game. Of course, Oklahoma is putting up points in every game. Fresno State did really well last year and they are an excellent offense when you watch them on film. They are all new. Their whole staff is new. They have changed their defense from the year before. They were more of a four-down front and now they are more of a three-down front. That takes a while to adjust to. They have played three games. They've had a bye week and I expect them to be much better on defense. Now, they can go back and kids can see what they made mistakes on. They can go over it and they can work with it. Hopefully we have improved in that amount of time too. Their outside pass rushers are really, really athletic. No. 15 (LB Jaelan Phillips) I think was the number four ranked player in America coming out of high school. As a freshman, he was phenomenal. He is a really good player. The other two guys, No. 11 (LB Keisean Lucier-South) and No. 97 (DL Odua Isibor), kind of look like identical guys. They are all 6'4.5" and they all can run like the wind. I expect them to play well. We are going to have to play really well on offense."
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On lack of success among first three opponents
"It's the beginning of the season. It's still so early, and anything can change. Sometimes you have injuries throughout a season that bother teams. We have just played three games. Hopefully, we can keep our momentum going. I think some of the teams we have played will kick in and get going. That is just kind of the way it is. You have to fight through different peaks and valleys as the season goes along. I think the NFL is a good example of that. A lot of teams start out, and everyone is worried about them. Then at the end of the year, the teams they were all talking about in the beginning of the year aren't even in the playoffs. You just have to keep playing."
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On difference between Chip Kelly's UCLA and his teams at Oregon
 "I have no idea. I wasn't around when he went to Oregon and didn't coach against him. Their scheme is good, offensively and defensively. He knows what he is doing. It just takes a while sometimes. The thing I will say is, when he took over at Oregon he had been running the offense. Their defensive coordinator, Coach [Nick] Aliotti, had stayed there. There really wasn't a change. They just switched the head coach and they went off running. When you come in and are changing everything and nobody knows you, it's a whole different world. It takes a while. I know Chip will get it turned around. I just hope it's not Friday night."
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On P Alex Kinney
"I met with the doctors about him this morning. Everything is progressing really well. He's moving his arms around and doing everything. We just need to make sure he's okay and cleared to go out. He is actually catching footballs as snaps, but he has to be able to catch it everywhere and do everything. We are going to keep meeting with the doctors and sit down each week at the beginning of the week and at the end of the week. He is recovering well and doing well. He has a positive attitude. He's out there coaching up Davis (Price) and he's in the meetings and out at practice. I have been very pleased with Alex. Of course, we'd like to have him back as soon as he is healthy enough to get back."
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On upcoming 'Be The Match' night
"Our team does Be The Match to battle cancer for bone marrow transplants. This Friday night, at the game, is Be The Match Night. 4,000 of the students as they come in are going to get Be The Match t-shirts to register for it. We have the big drive in April. Coach [Andy] Talley, who was the head coach at Villanova and who started the whole Be The Match movement in colleges, is going to be here with their whole organization. We have had nine people match in the nine years that I have done it which is pretty awesome. Derek McCartney is a young man who actually saved a life and we have had some others too. We are excited about being able to help anyway we can and get the word out to get more people to register so we can save more lives. Be The Match Night on Friday is a big part of our game too."
Sophomore Linebacker Nate Landman
ÂOn preparing for both UCLA quarterbacks
"We do a great job of having a great scout team. Our quarterbacks do a great job. They have a running quarterback and a throwing quarterback. Our scout team does a great job of simulating that. We are ready for both of them."
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On opening Pac-12 play
"Pac-12 play is huge. We want to relive that 2016 season and get back to the Pac-12 Championship. It starts now. UCLA is a great team. We are preparing hard for them. The bye week was great. We can't wait to get out there."
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On improvement offensively
"They go fast. We have a term called 'Folsom Fast'. We run it every day at practice. Their speed and the way they turnover plays is incredible. They are super athletic. Our offensive line is out there moving. Our quarterback, [QB] (Steven) Montez, is taking charge. I think their speed and the leadership they have on there is making them really explosive this year."
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On the excitement for the UCLA game
"Having those three games back-to-back, people are just going on and on about preparing for each team. Having that break, everybody is ready to get back out there. We watched a lot of college football this weekend, wishing we were out there playing. It has been great. Everybody is definitely excited. We are going to go out there and play hard on Friday."
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On facing UCLA Coach Chip Kelly
"He is a great coach. He has a great staff. He is getting that team ready. They've had a tough schedule. Their record obviously is what they want it to be, but they have had a tough schedule. They are a super athletic team. I have no doubt that he is going to have them ready."
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On the first three games
"I thought against CSU, we played a pretty sound game. Football is a game where there are mistakes that are going to be made. We had one turnover that game. Going on to week two and three, our turnovers really exploded. That is one of the goals of our defense. Tackling is still there, we missed a few tackles so we have been working on that. I definitely think that cutting down on explosive plays and making turnovers has been a focus for our defense."
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On the weekend of college football
"There were a couple of close games. Stanford came back. I have a couple of friends that play on those teams so it is always great watching them. I can't wait to get out there against them. The Washington vs. ASU game was a close one. Those are two great teams. Pac-12 is just a fun league to watch, especially knowing some of those guys in there. It definitely made me want to get out there and play."
"We do a great job of having a great scout team. Our quarterbacks do a great job. They have a running quarterback and a throwing quarterback. Our scout team does a great job of simulating that. We are ready for both of them."
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On opening Pac-12 play
"Pac-12 play is huge. We want to relive that 2016 season and get back to the Pac-12 Championship. It starts now. UCLA is a great team. We are preparing hard for them. The bye week was great. We can't wait to get out there."
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On improvement offensively
"They go fast. We have a term called 'Folsom Fast'. We run it every day at practice. Their speed and the way they turnover plays is incredible. They are super athletic. Our offensive line is out there moving. Our quarterback, [QB] (Steven) Montez, is taking charge. I think their speed and the leadership they have on there is making them really explosive this year."
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On the excitement for the UCLA game
"Having those three games back-to-back, people are just going on and on about preparing for each team. Having that break, everybody is ready to get back out there. We watched a lot of college football this weekend, wishing we were out there playing. It has been great. Everybody is definitely excited. We are going to go out there and play hard on Friday."
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On facing UCLA Coach Chip Kelly
"He is a great coach. He has a great staff. He is getting that team ready. They've had a tough schedule. Their record obviously is what they want it to be, but they have had a tough schedule. They are a super athletic team. I have no doubt that he is going to have them ready."
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On the first three games
"I thought against CSU, we played a pretty sound game. Football is a game where there are mistakes that are going to be made. We had one turnover that game. Going on to week two and three, our turnovers really exploded. That is one of the goals of our defense. Tackling is still there, we missed a few tackles so we have been working on that. I definitely think that cutting down on explosive plays and making turnovers has been a focus for our defense."
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On the weekend of college football
"There were a couple of close games. Stanford came back. I have a couple of friends that play on those teams so it is always great watching them. I can't wait to get out there against them. The Washington vs. ASU game was a close one. Those are two great teams. Pac-12 is just a fun league to watch, especially knowing some of those guys in there. It definitely made me want to get out there and play."
Junior Quarterback Steven Montez
ÂOn trip to El Paso and younger brother
"I think he's the best quarterback in the nation, but I think I'm a little biased. I mean it was a great trip, it was really exactly what I wanted, exactly what I needed. I got back, got to see him play. I really only get to see him play like once a year whenever our bye week is. Last year it happened to be after the season. I just love watching him play. I love everything about his game. I think he's athletic, I think he's tough as nails, he throws a really good ball, he's standing about 6-foot, but I think what he doesn't have in height he makes up for in toughness and definitely in speed and his run game fundamentals. Then, obviously seeing my dad is fun and seeing some of my old friends from back home is always a good time."
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On comfort going into Pac-12 season
"I think I just feel a lot more comfortable just overall with the system and just with understanding and seeing what I'm seeing on the defensive side of the ball. I think we still have to continue to work, continue to get better, and I kind of feel like this game is like the season starting all over again. We got through the preseason played pretty well and we just kind of got to get back to square one and just stay humble and hopefully do our thing on Friday."
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On Co-Offenisve Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini
"I think he's done a really great job of calling explosive plays. Then also, when we need stuff on third-down, scheming them up, I think him and Coach Adams (Co-Offensive Coordinator Klayton Adams) do a great job. I think they're going to put us in a lot of good situations."
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On giving feedback to offensive coaches
"I mean, if there's a play I really don't feel comfortable with, they will take it out because either we don't understand it or there's something else going on with it that's kind of messing it up a little bit, I have a little bit of say there. Play calling wise, I'm not getting my school paid for to call plays, so I'm just out there to get the plays that they call and make them work to the best of my ability."
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On WR Laviska Shenault, Jr.
"I get really excited every time Laviska got the opportunity to catch the ball or get a fly sweep or any of that stuff. I know any time the ball in in Laviska hands, he's more than likely going to make a play with it. (He's) very explosive, very strong. So I think anytime we can get the ball in No. 2's hands it's going to be good news for us."
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On WR Juwann Winfree
"I definitely want to get Juwann involved. I think Tony Brown has also played well (in Winfree's absence). I've just seen Juwann go through a ton of stuff here (between) an ACL and then another injury this year. So I mean I talk to him, keep him positive. He's going to come back and play great football for us he just needs to get healthy first."
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"I think he's the best quarterback in the nation, but I think I'm a little biased. I mean it was a great trip, it was really exactly what I wanted, exactly what I needed. I got back, got to see him play. I really only get to see him play like once a year whenever our bye week is. Last year it happened to be after the season. I just love watching him play. I love everything about his game. I think he's athletic, I think he's tough as nails, he throws a really good ball, he's standing about 6-foot, but I think what he doesn't have in height he makes up for in toughness and definitely in speed and his run game fundamentals. Then, obviously seeing my dad is fun and seeing some of my old friends from back home is always a good time."
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On comfort going into Pac-12 season
"I think I just feel a lot more comfortable just overall with the system and just with understanding and seeing what I'm seeing on the defensive side of the ball. I think we still have to continue to work, continue to get better, and I kind of feel like this game is like the season starting all over again. We got through the preseason played pretty well and we just kind of got to get back to square one and just stay humble and hopefully do our thing on Friday."
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On Co-Offenisve Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini
"I think he's done a really great job of calling explosive plays. Then also, when we need stuff on third-down, scheming them up, I think him and Coach Adams (Co-Offensive Coordinator Klayton Adams) do a great job. I think they're going to put us in a lot of good situations."
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On giving feedback to offensive coaches
"I mean, if there's a play I really don't feel comfortable with, they will take it out because either we don't understand it or there's something else going on with it that's kind of messing it up a little bit, I have a little bit of say there. Play calling wise, I'm not getting my school paid for to call plays, so I'm just out there to get the plays that they call and make them work to the best of my ability."
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On WR Laviska Shenault, Jr.
"I get really excited every time Laviska got the opportunity to catch the ball or get a fly sweep or any of that stuff. I know any time the ball in in Laviska hands, he's more than likely going to make a play with it. (He's) very explosive, very strong. So I think anytime we can get the ball in No. 2's hands it's going to be good news for us."
Â
On WR Juwann Winfree
"I definitely want to get Juwann involved. I think Tony Brown has also played well (in Winfree's absence). I've just seen Juwann go through a ton of stuff here (between) an ACL and then another injury this year. So I mean I talk to him, keep him positive. He's going to come back and play great football for us he just needs to get healthy first."
Sophomore Wide Receiver Laviska Shenault, Jr.
ÂOn Co-Offensive Coordinator Darrin Chiaverini's twitter account
"His twitter game is interesting to watch. He is very inspiring, honestly."
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On what Chiaverini has done to elevate his game
"He is making sure I come to practice ready to practice and give it 100% in everything we do, regardless of what we are doing. He makes sure he is giving me the right words to keep me motivated."
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On the bye week
"It helped me a lot. I am feeling way better and am ready to play."
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On if QB Steven Montez throws a catchable ball
"Sometimes. I make him look good sometimes. (*Laughing*) He most definitely does. He's always on target. Every pass I have caught from him has been on target, 100%."
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On handling his early success
"I am not used to it. I like the pressure. I am going to remain humble and just keep playing the way I'm playing. Hopefully everything keeps playing out right."
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On lining up all over the field
"It is a fun challenge because it opens up windows for me. I can basically do everything and I do anything that they ask for. It is definitely fun. The opposing team never knows where I am going to be. It opens up a lot for me."
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On opposing teams having someone shadow him
"Not yet. We'll see if that happens."
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On his touchdown against New Hampshire
"I ran my route and saw the ball coming, of course. I caught it and one of them hit me in my back, but they just stopped so I just went into the end zone. I don't really know how to explain it."
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On facing Pac-12 defenses
"We are excited to see what the road ahead is for us. We are going to see how everything turns out. We definitely have been practicing to prepare for it."
"His twitter game is interesting to watch. He is very inspiring, honestly."
Â
On what Chiaverini has done to elevate his game
"He is making sure I come to practice ready to practice and give it 100% in everything we do, regardless of what we are doing. He makes sure he is giving me the right words to keep me motivated."
Â
On the bye week
"It helped me a lot. I am feeling way better and am ready to play."
Â
On if QB Steven Montez throws a catchable ball
"Sometimes. I make him look good sometimes. (*Laughing*) He most definitely does. He's always on target. Every pass I have caught from him has been on target, 100%."
Â
On handling his early success
"I am not used to it. I like the pressure. I am going to remain humble and just keep playing the way I'm playing. Hopefully everything keeps playing out right."
Â
On lining up all over the field
"It is a fun challenge because it opens up windows for me. I can basically do everything and I do anything that they ask for. It is definitely fun. The opposing team never knows where I am going to be. It opens up a lot for me."
Â
On opposing teams having someone shadow him
"Not yet. We'll see if that happens."
Â
On his touchdown against New Hampshire
"I ran my route and saw the ball coming, of course. I caught it and one of them hit me in my back, but they just stopped so I just went into the end zone. I don't really know how to explain it."
Â
On facing Pac-12 defenses
"We are excited to see what the road ahead is for us. We are going to see how everything turns out. We definitely have been practicing to prepare for it."
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
P
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
OLB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
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