Tuesday Press Conference Quotes

Head Coach Mel Tucker

Opening Statement
"Good afternoon, thanks for coming out. Today was really like a Wednesday for us, so we had our pads on and we were able to get out and get some really good work. We had a good physical practice and got a lot of guys a lot of reps. Focus was really good. I've been impressed with the way these guys have handled this week so far. As you know, it's a short week and was a quick turnaround. But the guys have embraced it, we got a lot done in the meetings. Our walk-throughs attitude has been very good. I'm looking forward to taking the show on the road."

On Playing A Power Team Like Oregon
"I like Oregon. I like the way they play football. They're very sound on offense, they have a good offensive line, they're strong, and they like to run the ball. They've got playmakers at the skill spots and they have an outstanding quarterback. They have very good design. They run a pro style deal, they do a great job with RPOs. Defensively they play very, very fast. And they're physical. They're strong up front and they have pass rushers. I like the way their team is built."

On The Key To Winning On The Road
"Our guys play hard, home and away. The difference in winning and losing is really not that much, it's one play here or there. I know regardless of where we play, whether it's home or away, I know our guys are going to give great effort and they're going to be ready to play four quarters."

On Playing In Autzen Stadium
"It's a tough place to play and they've obviously got a good football team, but it's not going to be a whole lot different in terms of our approach. We use noise in practice for the quarterback, in order to get the execution that we need, we're going to be poised, we've got to be patient, and have great communication. Everybody's going to have to do their job and trust that the man next to him is going to do his job. We've got to compete and play hard, and always play the next play on offense, defense and special teams. Home or away, that's really what it takes."

On Undisciplined Penalties Against Arizona
"You talk to the players about it, point them out. There's aggressive penalties and there's foolish penalties. I talked to the guys this morning about the choices and decisions that we make. And it's not just during the game, it's day in and day out in practice, on the field, and off the field. There's a simple truth. Simple things that have to be done. If I held up an apple and a bag of doritos, it doesn't take a dietitian to tell you which ones healthier. It's a simple choice, but then you wonder 'Well, why aren't those choices being made all the time? They're so simple.' So, that's where the challenge comes. We put our guys in positions, day in and day out, to make those choices. And there's consequences for everything that we do. Whether it's class, or treatment, or being punctual, whatever it is, you either win or you lose. So, when we win, we want to make sure we understand why we win, why we were successful, and then celebrate that. And when we make poor choices, then we want to understand there's going to be consequences for that and then work to eliminate them."

On What He Learned From Working With Oregon Head Coach Mario Cristobal
"I enjoy working with Coach Cristobal and Bobby Williams also. I was on staff with him for my first job in 1997 at Michigan State with Coach Saban, so he [Williams] and I go way back. He's been a great mentor of mine over the years. I really like watching Mario coach. He's very, very intense. He's a physically imposing guy, he's got a passion for the game, and he's a very accomplished offensive line coach. He's got great leadership ability and his guys always play hard for him."

On Justin Herbert
"I've seen a lot of great quarterbacks, either on a team with them or I've coached against them. He's got really good size. He's got great pocket presence. He's accurate with the ball. He's got an extremely strong arm and he's a good decision maker. I think he maybe has one interception this year. He can make all the throws. He does a good job with the short throws and he's got a really good touch and accuracy on intermediate throws, and then on deep balls he can let it fly. He has mobility also. I mean, he's not a guy who's just looking to run first, but if you don't have a coordinated pass rush he's going to step up in the pocket and he'll run and get a first down. So he's one of those players that can do everything. It's going to be hard to to find holes in his game when he moves on to the next level."

On What The Buffs Fourth Quarter Performances Have Taught Him About The Team
"It takes a lot to be able to finish the game and actually be successful and become victorious. The effort part is the standard, and that's got to be there, no matter what we have to do. We have to make the plays, have the discipline, the execution, in order to be successful. I'm not happy with those guys just giving effort. That's just standard operating procedure. You can't play if you don't play hard and give effort. I mean, why even show up?"

On KJ Trujillo
"He's very coachable. He's very serious about going about his business. He asked really good questions, he pays attention. He can stay focused for a long period of time, he's always engaged. He's not afraid to ask a question and he gets better with repetitions and with coaching. He gives effort, and he strains to get it right. Coaching is just teaching, you gotta teach, motivate and develop. But as you get to know the individual players, you build a relationship with them. Trust and understanding and finding different ways to communicate with guys and get the best out of them to get them better, that's really the key. You can't treat everyone the same, but you have to treat everyone fairly."

Colorado Players

Steven Montez, Sr., QB

On If He Has Any Special Memories From His Game Against Oregon In 2016
"I don't really remember a lot of the second half from that game and my first start that I had over there at Autzen. The two plays that I do remember pretty clearly were Bryce Bobo's one-handed catch, which was a great catch, and Ahkello Witherspoon's interception to seal the game. I think those two plays will stay with me for a while. They were two really good plays made by two really talented players."

On The Game In 2016 Being A Blur
"I think it was just blurry because I, to be honest, don't really remember a whole lot of it, and especially the second half. I remember specific plays, but the entire third and fourth quarter, is kind of hazy for me. I just don't really remember a whole lot of it."

On Oregon Now Versus The Last Time They Played In 2016
"I think they are a lot more talented this year than they were three or four years ago when we played them. I think their front is really good. They don't need to bring a ton of pressure because their front gets enough pressure as it is. Their DB's are good and they have good linebackers. They also have a real stud at linebacker, Troy Dye, and he's a real good football player. Nonetheless, that doesn't really change what we're doing. We're still going to do exactly what we think is going to work from seeing them on film. We've been practicing well and looking good."

On The Challenge Oregon Presents To The Offensive Line
"I think that it will definitely be more of a challenge this week than it has been in the past two weeks. I think we have a talented group of guys up front, though. They've been working their butts off and they've been playing really tough. I think they'll definitely have something for Oregon's defensive front, and I think that they'll play very well."

On How Much He's Changed Since His First Start At Oregon In 2016
"I think the maturity aspect is a lot different. A lot of people don't remember, but I threw two interceptions in that game, so it wasn't like it was a perfect game for me. I went out there and I threw a couple of turnovers, so I think that I definitely want to eliminate those this time around and take care of the ball. That's probably the most important thing hat I'm looking forward to on Friday, is just to take care of the ball, make good decisions, and not give them any extra possessions offensively."

On His Touchdown Pass To Brady Russell In The Arizona Game
"I just kept my eyes downfield. I think the 2016 Stephen would have probably tucked the ball and tried to run for the touchdown. He probably would have felt like he needed to do a little too much and it probably would have ended up coming up short, which probably would have run the clock out and we wouldn't have gotten any points before half. I think that's just that maturity aspect that I mentioned earlier, just knowing the situation and knowing how much time we had on the clock. We had 11 seconds and I knew I had a little bit of time to try and make something happen when the initial play wasn't there. The number one thought on mind was 'don't take a sack and stay behind line of scrimmage. If anything, you can throw it out of the back of the endzone and we'll kick a field goal and get three points before half'. So, I was just trying to make something happen. I saw Brady sitting there in the corner with his eyes wide open and his hands in front of his chest, and I just tried to throw a ball that he could handle. He ended up catching it and we ended up scoring, so it was good for us."

On Bouncing Back After The Loss To Arizona
"I think today's practice wasn't as clean as we would have liked it to be, but we still have two days to prepare before we actually have to go up there and play a game. I think that will be ready to go and I think that everyone's locked in and everyone's focused. They do a few things defensively that we need to focus on and lock in on, but we just need to make sure that everybody knows their assignments on each play."

On Becoming A Leader For This Oregon Game Compared To The 2016 Game
"It's really all about keeping guys locked in no matter what the highs and lows of the game are. It's about keeping guys locked in on the next drive that we have and hopefully going and getting points out of those drives. Sometimes when things aren't going our way in the game, people tend to get a little down and you would think that's when you need somebody to step up and start yelling, but that's not really the person that I am. I like to stay locked in and right before we go onto the field, I just tell our guys, 'hey, this is another opportunity for us to go score, and let's do the absolute best we can to go get those points and put them on the board'. I just like to stay calm and keep people level. You lose focus when you get too high and you do things that are uncharacteristic of yourself, and when you get too low you do things that are uncharacteristic of yourself as well. It's good to just keeping everybody right at zero, right at even."

On Running Less This Year Compared To The 2016 Oregon Game
"To be honest, I think the system has a lot to do with it because we haven't had as much designed quarterback runs as we did in 2016. Back then, we were running a lot of power read option stuff, and we still run a little bit of zone read option, but we run a lot less of it now. Also, I'm just trying to be smart and keep my eyes downfield instead of tucking my head down and trying to go get the yards myself. I like to kind of just get to the line of scrimmage when I scramble and see if I can find people that are working versus DB's and getting open so we can pick up bigger chunks of yardage in the air."

On Avoiding The Temptation To Run First Instead Of Passing The Ball
"If it's a third and short, or something like that, and I think I could make a move and get a first down, then I'm going to do it. But if it's longer than a third and eight, or nine, and I have a long way to run and I can see the linebackers and safeties looking, getting ready to come down and tackle me, I like our wide receivers with the ball in their hands a lot better than I like myself with the ball in my hands. I try to get the ball to those guys and see if they can go pick up the yards for us."

On Talking To Daniel Arias After His Dropped Touchdown Pass Against Arizona
"I definitely think it's important to go talk to them after a guy makes a play like that, where he ends up dropping it or it doesn't end up going our way. You need to go pick those guys up because he's already beating himself up and he already knows the play that he just missed. Daniel did a good job of coming back and making plays later on in the game, but I just went up to him and told him, 'hey, we're going to need you to make another catch sometime in this game. That one's gone, it's in the past. Don't worry about it anymore. We're going to need you to make a big play for us and you will you'll catch it'. He said, 'all right, let's get it', and he ended up catching a few more balls before the game ended."

Nate Landman, Jr., ILB

On Oregon Trying To Establish The Run Game
"I think every team comes into games wanting to establish the run game, just because it makes you more versatile. I think Oregon's going to be the best team to do it that we'll face because of the talent they have on the offensive line and at the running back position. They do a great job of running the ball."

On Oregon's Offensive Line
"It will definitely be a challenge, but I'm also excited. I think playing against the best players elevates your game and the guys around you. We're not shying away from that, we're kind of inviting that it. We're excited to play them just because they have such a great offensive line and the stuff they do on film. I'm excited, the guys are excited, and I have full confidence that our front seven will be able to stop the run."

On Having Younger Guys Step Up Because Of Injuries
"Being that I'm more of a veteran guy, I still make mistakes all the time, but I trust those guys completely. I don't find myself trying to do too much all the time, but there's definitely times where I get out of my responsibilities because I think I can make a play. With those new guys that are rotating in, I think they're doing a great job. Coach wouldn't put them in if he didn't feel comfortable with them in there. He trusts them and I trust them, and they've been doing a great job so far. I don't really think that having a rotation and having injuries is an excuse, because we have a next man up mentality and those guys are here for a reason."

On Playing On A National Stage Against One Of The Best Teams In The Country
"I love it, especially being a defensive player. Everybody always says that defense travels, and I'm excited to turn the page on last week, play a good opponent, and just get back to football. The next game is always the next time we can prove ourselves again. We're excited to go back out there and show what we can do and show that we're a good defense. TV coverage and all that is great, but that's not what matters. What matters is what happens in between those lines."

On Austin Williams
"He's developed well. He's a smart kid and being a D1 defensive lineman is not easy. The reaction time for defensive lineman is so quick, I feel like that's the biggest thing. Being that he's a young guy and able to diagnose plays so quick, I think that's where he's improving on the most. He's also doing his job and making plays at the same time. I've seen him come out of gaps and make plays. I trust him and he trusts me, so I think for him to diagnose plays and develop that quick reaction time is something he's been working on."