Tuesday Press Conference Quotes

Head Coach Mel Tucker

Opening Statement
"The bye week was really a time for us to get better and just build and establish some stronger relationships on and off the field. Our coaches hit the recruiting trail and saw some really good players. Whether it's Colorado, California, Louisiana, Texas, we were able to get out and talk to some high school coaches and see who we thought has what it takes to be a Buff. Also, I want to personally thank you guys, some of the diehard media guys that had lunch with me last Thursday. I know that was tough, but I appreciate that and it's always good to get to know you guys and for us to get to know each other outside of work. I think it's important for coaches to understand and recognize that the women and men that cover our programs are vitally important to the culture here, and the success of our programs, and again I really appreciate that time."

"We have a strong opponent coming in with Washington. They're tough and they're physical. They have some really good players in all three phases and they're very well coached. I really want to thank our fans for the support that we've gotten all season long. Folsom stadium has been rocking and our students have been outstanding. This is one of the great places in college football to play and to coach at. It's a great venue. It's just as I remembered it from back in the day when I was fortunate enough to have played here, just a very tough place to play. It's loud and the student section is into it. This will be our senior night and the last game for our seniors in Folsom. Ralphie is going to make her last public appearance on Saturday night and then Kordell Stewart is going to be in the house for the 25th anniversary of "The Catch" and we're really looking forward to that."

Our guys have worked really hard. We've had a good week of practice so far. We understand what our challenges are and what our opportunities are. We're going to build on some things that we've done well, and we're just really looking forward to this opportunity. Our guys are really coming together in terms of playing complementary football. Our offense, defense, and special teams are all working together. We saw that in our last opportunity on the field. We're going to continue to work and prepare and we're looking forward to putting our best foot forward in front of our fans and our students in Folsom on Saturday."

On Playing An Elite Team Like Washington
"There are some great, great teams in the PAC-12. We all know Coach (Chris) Peterson is one of the outstanding coaches in this country and in this business, college or pro. Washington is known for playing darn good football and this year is no different. It's going to be a challenge for us and we'll be up for it. We're going to prepare for this opportunity. You only get so many chances and so many games. For our seniors it's winding down and this is the last opportunity in Folsom for our guys. It's going to be special."

On What He Remembers About His Senior Day At Wisconsin
"I remember my parents being there. That's what I remember the most, just having my mom and dad there. You only get one senior day. It's a special time. You get a chance to reflect back on kind of how you got there, and then there's also a moment to think about where you're going next. I'm looking forward to that for our seniors. We've got a great bunch of guys. I love them to death. They've worked really, really hard, and bought into our culture and how we've shifted some things and I feel like we're moving in the right direction and our seniors have been a big part of that."

On The Journey Of Sr. CB Delrick Abrams, Jr.
"He's a special guy and he's had an interesting journey to get to this point. What I know about him is that he's a high character guy. He's a really good teammate. He's very coachable. He loves football and he's very driven to succeed. He's gonna be successful in anything that he decides that he wants to do and I've really enjoyed coaching "Slim" and being part of his career."

On Changing The Culture At Colorado
"I believe our guys are really starting to come together and play complementary football and that's what you have to be able to do to be successful. You just can't have production on one side of the ball. It has to be offense, defense, and special teams all working together. I feel like our guys have a pretty good understanding of that now, along with an attention to detail, sense of urgency, discipline, hard work, drive, and having a relentless attitude and mindset. All of those things, along with consistency and performance, is how you become successful, by being consistent in everything that you're doing. In creating good habits I feel that the culture shift is taking place and we'll continue to build on it and we're going to get there. We're going to get it done."

On The Defensive Performance Against Stanford
"We talked about resetting the standard on defense and moving forward and building on things that we did well. Anytime you have success you should be able to gain some confidence from that. We're a work in progress on defense so there's still a lot of work to be done, but I feel like we're moving in the right direction and we have some young players that are developing. We have some older guys that are starting to play their best football and starting to come into their own a little bit. Our guys have continued to fight and scratch and claw and just strive to get better. They have just never stopped. They've always played hard."

On His Favorite Memory Of Ralphie V
"It's kind of hard to describe when we're in the shoot and we're waiting for that garage door to open, and there's a countdown and the music is playing. They raise up the garage door and you walk out and you see the handlers right there and Ralphie is in there ready to go. My whole deal is I just want to make sure I can get a good stride and get a good burst and not get ran over, and then veer off to the left and let her do her thing. It's really the Ralphie show at that point. It's one of the great traditions in all of sports and I just feel very blessed and fortunate to have experienced that. Our players look forward to it and I think our fans look forward to it as well. This is something that is very unique in sports and I'm looking forward to doing it again with the next Ralphie."

On Sr. QB Steven Montez
"I've told you guys from day one that I have a lot of respect for Steven as a person and as a player. Since I've been here and since our staff has been in place he's been about business. He comes to work every day. He works really hard and he's shown leadership and we've seen improvement in him. Even today he and I were talking about some things that he's been working on and that coach (Jay) Johnson was working with him on. You can see it in practice and he's a guy that I know what we're going to get from him. He's going to compete, he's going to give us 100%, and he's going to play hard for his teammates. I just wish I had more time with him, I really do."

Steven Montez, Sr., QB

On It Being His Last Home Game
"It's kind of surreal. I'm really excited about it and I'm really excited to go get another opportunity to play, but this being the last one at Folsom it's definitely special and I'm sure it's something that I won't forget for my whole life."

On What It Was Like Playing In His First Game Five Years Ago
"We were playing Idaho State and I remember the first pass I threw from scrimmage, which was to Kabion Ento, it was as a comeback route that he ended up taking to the house and he ended up scoring. So yeah, I definitely remember my first time being out on Folsom. It's a great place to play and probably the best place I've ever played."

On Looking Back At His Career
"As far as this year goes, the season is not over yet so I really haven't had time to sit back and take it all in. I've definitely thought about how long I've been here, and it's definitely been an absolute blessing that Coach MacIntyre and that staff that used to be here gave me an opportunity to come play for the University of Colorado and I'll be forever grateful for that. Coming out of El Paso, I wasn't very highly recruited, and they saw something in me. They thought I could be special here so I'm just very thankful for them, for giving me the opportunity."

On The Bye Week
"The bye week was extremely helpful, we're getting guys healthy again. We had some guys banged up and that extra week off definitely helps get our bodies back to where they need to be to play the game of football."

On How Important The Last Possession Against Stanford Was
"That last drive against Stanford was definitely a big confidence booster for the offense. Just having possession of the ball in the fourth quarter for over 12 minutes, that's pretty incredible, so kudos to our guys up front, the offensive line. They did a great job at the end of the game, just sealing it, and also our running backs as well. Handling the ball and taking care of the ball and picking up good yardage to keep the chains moving."

On What He Wants To Accomplish Over The Next Few Weeks
"To win, that's really the most important thing to me. I could go out there and throw for zero passing yards, and if we won, I really wouldn't care. I just want to get these games in and put some wins next to them and see what happens from there."

On How Important A Win Against Washington Would Be
"It would be huge for us and it would show that we're taking steps in the right direction, if not for this year, definitely for next year and for the guys coming back. Going out and finishing the season strong will definitely bring some momentum going into the offseason and going into next year."

On If He Has Thought About How Close He Is To Breaking Some Important Personal Records
"No, not really. We're focused on the task at hand and the task at hand isn't to claim records. The task at hand is to go out and play the best football you can for four quarters and to go try and win a football game, that's what we're focused on right now. That's what we've been practicing for these last two weeks and that's what we're gearing up to do is to go out there and try to play the cleanest, most sound football we played all season."

On Washington's Defense
"I think their front is very talented. Miles Bryant, #5, he's a field side safety and I think he's a very talented player. He's an older dude who's played a lot of football. They have some younger guys in the secondary as well. I also believe they're starting a true freshman at corner and a true freshman at safety. So, we're definitely going to test them and see if those dudes can play but we're excited about them coming to Folsom and about seeing them on the field at eight o'clock."

On Having A Great Crowd All Season Long
"We've had a fantastic showing for every single home game that we've had, and even the away games we've definitely had some fans that are coming out and supporting. I'm extremely thankful for the fans that come out and support us and cheer us on every week when we're at home, it just really means a lot to us, especially because we know that we didn't have the beginning of the season that we really wanted and they still came out and supported us and were cheering and got Folsom rocking. It's only right that we try to come out there and pay them back by playing good football and hopefully executing at a high level."

On Tony Brown
"I have nothing but good things to say about Tony brown. He comes in every single day and just works extremely hard. He's never missed a practice; he runs his routes full speed every single practice and every single game. He doesn't really say much, he's kind of a quiet and laid-back guy, but he just he just grinds and works hard. So, I have a great amount of respect for Tony Brown and what he's done for us. He's also a ballplayer, you know, he's really good at the game of football."

On Not Running Out Behind Ralphie In His Last Game
"Whatever's in Ralphie's best interest, I think that's what's in everybody's best interest. She's ran out for a lot of games and she's loved by the fans, so if she says that she needs some downtime and some off time, then she's absolutely going to get it and we'll be happy about that."

Alex Tchangam, Sr., OLB

On Carrying The Momentum From Stanford Into The Last Few Games
"Coming off a win like that sparked the team a lot, in the locker room and at practice, we go at it even harder because we know what kind of team we can be in the Pac-12. So just coming off a win like that was a good thing for our team."

On What Challenges Washington Provides
"Just from looking at film, they are a good team, but coach always says, don't worry about the other team, just worry about us and come into practice. Then just practice hard every day and get ready for Saturday."

On Playing His Last Home Game
"It hasn't sunk in yet, but I think about it every day. I've thought about every day this week so far and then just thinking about it with regards to where I came from [De Anza College]. It's just been a long journey for me and to just think about it coming to an end on Saturday. It's pretty crazy and It's been an amazing journey for me."

On If He Is Disappointed He Won't Get To Run Behind Ralphie One Last Time
"I'm not disappointed, but it's always fun running behind Ralphie. It pumps up the crowd and it gets us going."

On Playing A Big Role As A Senior
"It all kind of started over the summer training with the coaches, I have to give credit to them. Also, just the coaches trusting me on the field, then working extra with my position coaches, and Coach Tucker trusting me to be the player that I can be. It is really nice."

Head Coach Mel Tucker

Steven Montez, Sr., QB

Alex Tchangam, Sr., OLB

Players Mentioned

Tony Brown

Kabion Ento

Steven Montez

Alex Tchangam

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