Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Gary Kirchner
Tuesday Press Conference Quotes
September 10, 2019 | Football
Head Coach Mel Tucker
Opening Statement
"We've turned the page, obviously, to prepare for this game. I was really proud of our guys when we played on Saturday. They showed a lot of grit, a lot of toughness, a lot of effort. But, this is a totally different challenge this week for us and we've had a couple of really good days of preparation so far. I was pleased with the effort that we gave today, in practice this morning. With this team, it's always interesting to see how the guys are going to come in. Are you going to come into work, on a Monday after a big game, win, lose or draw? Yesterday, I felt the focus and the sense of urgency that I was looking for from this group of guys. Talking to the coaches on both sides of the ball, they all agree that they haven't sensed any type of complacency or anything like that, which was good to see. And then today, we had a hard, physical, Tuesday practice with the type of effort that we were looking for, and the focus on our opponent. Those are things you have to do to prepare week in and week out. At this point in the week, we're doing what we need to do to prepare. There's still more that we can do, behavior precedes success."
On Getting The Team Refocused After A Big Win
"It wasn't difficult this week, I didn't sense that. I was looking for that because human nature is to relax. What we're doing is not always the easiest thing to do. Discipline is 75% anticipation, so we tell the team ahead of time, you've got 24 hours to enjoy the win, and make sure you come in here ready to work. This is what needs to be done."
On What He Has Learned About The Team Through The First Two Games
"Before the first radio show, Mark asked me,' What is the one thing you want to know, you want to look forward to finding out about your team?' and I said I want to know how they're going to handle adversity because we haven't had any. We try to create adverse situations in practice with the intensity in which we practice and the sense of urgency and attention to detail on a day to day to day basis. There are ups and downs, and I've seen guys respond. So I thought that they will respond well to adversity, we talked about momentum swings and creating your own momentum and the pendulum swinging back and forth in games, and how do you respond? The words you use? How do you talk? How do you behave? But to actually see them do it in the game, I know that they understand that. It's just a matter of when those things happen because it's inevitable every game, there's some type of momentum swing, so how are you going to respond? I know that these guys believe in what we're doing and I know that they will play hard for each other. I know they're unselfish. I know that it's important to them. I know that they understand the magnitude of the situation that we don't get that many opportunities to actually play games."
On Coaching Against A Triple Option Offense
"It's not what you know, it's what the players know, and what they can execute in the fourth quarter. It does help to have experience going against the option because we know what to expect, we know what the challenges are, how we have to practice. But just because we have coached against it before, that doesn't mean that it's automatic for the guys, there's just so much work that has to be done. We put in a lot of work already preparing for this opportunity, there's nothing fun about it. The way that we practice is generally taxing on our players. We want to make practices harder than the games, we're not quite there yet but we're working to get there. When you prepare for a team like Air Force, the looks you get from your scout team is critical. We have to get the same or similar looks that we're going to get on Saturday. We've got to go full speed and we've got to run and we have to hit. We've got to get off blocks, we've got to stay alive, we've got to stay in the hunt, we've got to get to the ball, we've got to swarm to the ball."
On How The Scout Team Prepares The Starters In An Offense They've Never Ran Before
"They study tape and get it done. You have to do what you see to the best of your ability and take pride in it. Everyone has a role to play, whatever that role may be. If you go to a Broadway musical, a guy may have one role, might not have any lines, but just come walk across the stage with a broom, sweep the floor and walk off the other side. But if he doesn't do that, then you don't have a show. And so everyone's got to kind of pitch in and do their job and play a role for the team to the best of their ability."
On Air Force Being A "Trap Game"
"You have to be totally clueless to get caught off guard by a team like Air Force. This particular game I don't see as a trap game. I think everybody in America and the world who knows anything about football knows that when you play Air Force, you better strap it up. They know what the heck they're doing. They've got talented guys that are tough, that are physical, that are disciplined. They attack people and they get after it and their belief factor is at the highest level.
So, if we don't realize that, then shame on us."
On Air Force's Defense
"They've got some really good defensive ends that can rush the passer. Their secondary has experience and talent. They have really good size and length and they attack and they pressure. They have a good football team, there's no doubt about that, on offense, defense, and special teams. Everyone's got players. We've got players and Air Force has players, so it's going to really come down to execution, running and hitting. (We have to) be disciplined, play clean football, take care of the football, try to take the ball away, and win time of possession. It's going to be a gut check."
On How He Got The Team To Buy Into His Philosophy So Quickly
"Well, I have a great staff. This is not a one man show by any stretch of the imagination. I've got great coaches on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Our support staff is outstanding. It's a group effort. We're all on the same page, which I think helps a lot. We have a united front that we present to our players in terms of our program, the expectation of standards, our protocol, how we go about our business and culture, and how we live every day. From the first day that I got here, I posed a question to the players in the team meeting and I said, 'Do we want to be relevant? Do we want to win?' They all said yes. Everyone wants to win, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to be in a position to win, and I give credit to our players. They're willing to do that."
On Jaylon Jackson's Battle Through Adversity
"He's a good player, he's explosive, and he works hard. He goes after it and doesn't really say a whole lot. He puts his best foot forward, he's working to get better, and he competes. When he gets opportunities, he makes the most of them. That's what I've seen from him. I think that says a lot about his character and his desire. I'm pulling for him, just like I'm pulling for all these guys."
On Facing A Team Like Air Force
"We have our hands full focusing on what these guys do. However, every week you have a game. I don't care who you're playing, everyone is trying to win, right? Everyone is trying to get their guys in the best position to win. When you play this type of offense that you don't see on a regular basis, it's a huge challenge to prepare for. We're going to continue to educate our players and go over their personnel and their schemes. That's where our focus is."
On Starting Out Playing Fast
"The goal is not to play bad football. We've talked to the players about how to remain consistent because that's what this is about, consistency and performance. That's how you become successful at a high level. I believe it's in the details of what we're doing. Drilling down into doing what I'm supposed to do when I'm supposed to do it, how I'm supposed to do it, and understanding why it's important to do it that way every time. We have to embrace the details more, and not just on the field or in practice, but off the field as well. It's all about habits. If we can become more consistent overall in everything we do, then I believe it will carry over onto the field."
On The Origins Of His Calm Demeanor
"I'm not sure about that, except that I try to be myself. I believe there's a time and a place for everything. In a game situation, when we have our guys on this sideline and their guys on the other sideline, we're doing everything we can to impose our will upon that team and beat them. When we're down, that's not a time for me to lose my mind. There are too many things going on where we need to focus on certain things. The players don't want to play bad. They want to play well. They want to put their best foot forward, so what can I do? What can we do as a staff to help them play better? Whatever that is, I'm willing to do it. If I don't think it's going to help, I'm not going to do it. I don't know whether that's being cool or what. I'm not trying to be cool. I'm just trying to lead in the best way that I know how, relative to what I think my players need and this team needs. Every team is different and every player is different. It's important that we as coaches understand what our guys need. Our job is to teach, motivate, and develop players. That's in practice, that's throughout games, and during games. That's my approach and I have confidence in it. I have confidence in our system, our structure."
"We've turned the page, obviously, to prepare for this game. I was really proud of our guys when we played on Saturday. They showed a lot of grit, a lot of toughness, a lot of effort. But, this is a totally different challenge this week for us and we've had a couple of really good days of preparation so far. I was pleased with the effort that we gave today, in practice this morning. With this team, it's always interesting to see how the guys are going to come in. Are you going to come into work, on a Monday after a big game, win, lose or draw? Yesterday, I felt the focus and the sense of urgency that I was looking for from this group of guys. Talking to the coaches on both sides of the ball, they all agree that they haven't sensed any type of complacency or anything like that, which was good to see. And then today, we had a hard, physical, Tuesday practice with the type of effort that we were looking for, and the focus on our opponent. Those are things you have to do to prepare week in and week out. At this point in the week, we're doing what we need to do to prepare. There's still more that we can do, behavior precedes success."
On Getting The Team Refocused After A Big Win
"It wasn't difficult this week, I didn't sense that. I was looking for that because human nature is to relax. What we're doing is not always the easiest thing to do. Discipline is 75% anticipation, so we tell the team ahead of time, you've got 24 hours to enjoy the win, and make sure you come in here ready to work. This is what needs to be done."
On What He Has Learned About The Team Through The First Two Games
"Before the first radio show, Mark asked me,' What is the one thing you want to know, you want to look forward to finding out about your team?' and I said I want to know how they're going to handle adversity because we haven't had any. We try to create adverse situations in practice with the intensity in which we practice and the sense of urgency and attention to detail on a day to day to day basis. There are ups and downs, and I've seen guys respond. So I thought that they will respond well to adversity, we talked about momentum swings and creating your own momentum and the pendulum swinging back and forth in games, and how do you respond? The words you use? How do you talk? How do you behave? But to actually see them do it in the game, I know that they understand that. It's just a matter of when those things happen because it's inevitable every game, there's some type of momentum swing, so how are you going to respond? I know that these guys believe in what we're doing and I know that they will play hard for each other. I know they're unselfish. I know that it's important to them. I know that they understand the magnitude of the situation that we don't get that many opportunities to actually play games."
On Coaching Against A Triple Option Offense
"It's not what you know, it's what the players know, and what they can execute in the fourth quarter. It does help to have experience going against the option because we know what to expect, we know what the challenges are, how we have to practice. But just because we have coached against it before, that doesn't mean that it's automatic for the guys, there's just so much work that has to be done. We put in a lot of work already preparing for this opportunity, there's nothing fun about it. The way that we practice is generally taxing on our players. We want to make practices harder than the games, we're not quite there yet but we're working to get there. When you prepare for a team like Air Force, the looks you get from your scout team is critical. We have to get the same or similar looks that we're going to get on Saturday. We've got to go full speed and we've got to run and we have to hit. We've got to get off blocks, we've got to stay alive, we've got to stay in the hunt, we've got to get to the ball, we've got to swarm to the ball."
On How The Scout Team Prepares The Starters In An Offense They've Never Ran Before
"They study tape and get it done. You have to do what you see to the best of your ability and take pride in it. Everyone has a role to play, whatever that role may be. If you go to a Broadway musical, a guy may have one role, might not have any lines, but just come walk across the stage with a broom, sweep the floor and walk off the other side. But if he doesn't do that, then you don't have a show. And so everyone's got to kind of pitch in and do their job and play a role for the team to the best of their ability."
On Air Force Being A "Trap Game"
"You have to be totally clueless to get caught off guard by a team like Air Force. This particular game I don't see as a trap game. I think everybody in America and the world who knows anything about football knows that when you play Air Force, you better strap it up. They know what the heck they're doing. They've got talented guys that are tough, that are physical, that are disciplined. They attack people and they get after it and their belief factor is at the highest level.
So, if we don't realize that, then shame on us."
On Air Force's Defense
"They've got some really good defensive ends that can rush the passer. Their secondary has experience and talent. They have really good size and length and they attack and they pressure. They have a good football team, there's no doubt about that, on offense, defense, and special teams. Everyone's got players. We've got players and Air Force has players, so it's going to really come down to execution, running and hitting. (We have to) be disciplined, play clean football, take care of the football, try to take the ball away, and win time of possession. It's going to be a gut check."
On How He Got The Team To Buy Into His Philosophy So Quickly
"Well, I have a great staff. This is not a one man show by any stretch of the imagination. I've got great coaches on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Our support staff is outstanding. It's a group effort. We're all on the same page, which I think helps a lot. We have a united front that we present to our players in terms of our program, the expectation of standards, our protocol, how we go about our business and culture, and how we live every day. From the first day that I got here, I posed a question to the players in the team meeting and I said, 'Do we want to be relevant? Do we want to win?' They all said yes. Everyone wants to win, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to be in a position to win, and I give credit to our players. They're willing to do that."
On Jaylon Jackson's Battle Through Adversity
"He's a good player, he's explosive, and he works hard. He goes after it and doesn't really say a whole lot. He puts his best foot forward, he's working to get better, and he competes. When he gets opportunities, he makes the most of them. That's what I've seen from him. I think that says a lot about his character and his desire. I'm pulling for him, just like I'm pulling for all these guys."
On Facing A Team Like Air Force
"We have our hands full focusing on what these guys do. However, every week you have a game. I don't care who you're playing, everyone is trying to win, right? Everyone is trying to get their guys in the best position to win. When you play this type of offense that you don't see on a regular basis, it's a huge challenge to prepare for. We're going to continue to educate our players and go over their personnel and their schemes. That's where our focus is."
On Starting Out Playing Fast
"The goal is not to play bad football. We've talked to the players about how to remain consistent because that's what this is about, consistency and performance. That's how you become successful at a high level. I believe it's in the details of what we're doing. Drilling down into doing what I'm supposed to do when I'm supposed to do it, how I'm supposed to do it, and understanding why it's important to do it that way every time. We have to embrace the details more, and not just on the field or in practice, but off the field as well. It's all about habits. If we can become more consistent overall in everything we do, then I believe it will carry over onto the field."
On The Origins Of His Calm Demeanor
"I'm not sure about that, except that I try to be myself. I believe there's a time and a place for everything. In a game situation, when we have our guys on this sideline and their guys on the other sideline, we're doing everything we can to impose our will upon that team and beat them. When we're down, that's not a time for me to lose my mind. There are too many things going on where we need to focus on certain things. The players don't want to play bad. They want to play well. They want to put their best foot forward, so what can I do? What can we do as a staff to help them play better? Whatever that is, I'm willing to do it. If I don't think it's going to help, I'm not going to do it. I don't know whether that's being cool or what. I'm not trying to be cool. I'm just trying to lead in the best way that I know how, relative to what I think my players need and this team needs. Every team is different and every player is different. It's important that we as coaches understand what our guys need. Our job is to teach, motivate, and develop players. That's in practice, that's throughout games, and during games. That's my approach and I have confidence in it. I have confidence in our system, our structure."
Steven Montez, Sr., QB
On Putting The Nebraska Game Behind Them
"You need to clean the slate and you need to come back ready to work and get ready to prepare for the next opponent we have to face, which is Air Force this week. So, we came back on Monday and got some good work in. We watched all the film and corrected our mistakes, and we had a good practice today preparing for Air Force."
On What Air Force Brings To The Table Defensively
"They play really physical football on defense, really physical and very disciplined. They've got good talent on the defensive side of the ball and they bring a lot of pressure. They try to set you behind the sticks. They try to put you in bad positions where you do things that are just uncharacteristic of yourself, like force footballs and try to do too much to get first downs. But, we're excited to play them. They are going to be a very good football team both offensively and defensively, so we're excited about the challenge."
On Coach Tucker's Poise
"Man, he's just as cool as a cucumber on that sideline. When things aren't going right for us and we're kind of in a tough spot, like at halftime, he is just still cool, calm and collected. He keeps everybody in the game. I think that was huge for us, the outcome would have been a lot different if he would have come into the locker room freaking out and yelling, and showing emotion, but he didn't do that. He came in cool, calm, and collected, and said 'hey, we still got a whole other half of football and a lot of game left, let's just keep doing what we're doing and eventually it's going to pop for us', and it did."
On The Belief In Coach Tucker After The Nebraska Game
"It just makes him even more credible than he already was. Exactly what he said would happen happened, we stayed calm, we stayed playing within ourselves, and good things happened for us. It was just really good to see him have that belief in us, that he knew that we could get it done. Then we went out there and we proved him right in the second half."
On The Importance Of Tight End Brady Russell
"He's just one of those guys who kind of just does everything right, down to the fine details. He plays hard every single play, he's very physical and very tough. It's fantastic having him on the offense because he's one of those guys that is calm the entire game and doesn't get too high or doesn't get too low. He also blocks very well in the run game and blocks very well in the passing game. Plain and simple, he's the kind of guy who just does everything right."
On Wide Receiver Jaylon Jackson
"Jaylon's been through a lot in his time here in Colorado. He just kept his head down and kept working the entire time when adversity hit him. When adversity hits people, you don't really know how they're going to respond. They might shut down, they might feel sorry for themselves, but Jaylon is not like that at all. He kept his head down, he kept working, he kept pushing and waited for his opportunity. When his opportunity came, he made the most out of it. I'm very happy for him and I'm hoping that we can see a lot more out of him for the rest of the season."
On The Interactions Had Between The Captains During The Overtime Coin Toss
"Sometimes I get really into the game a little bit. When we score a touchdown, I'll get a little amped up, and when I throw a bad ball or an interception, I kind of beat myself up and say, 'man I shouldn't have done that'. For that coin toss, I was just talking to one of the captains and having a conversation. Actually, I think I said something like 'oh man, we meet again' because I saw him for the coin toss to open up the game as well."
"You need to clean the slate and you need to come back ready to work and get ready to prepare for the next opponent we have to face, which is Air Force this week. So, we came back on Monday and got some good work in. We watched all the film and corrected our mistakes, and we had a good practice today preparing for Air Force."
On What Air Force Brings To The Table Defensively
"They play really physical football on defense, really physical and very disciplined. They've got good talent on the defensive side of the ball and they bring a lot of pressure. They try to set you behind the sticks. They try to put you in bad positions where you do things that are just uncharacteristic of yourself, like force footballs and try to do too much to get first downs. But, we're excited to play them. They are going to be a very good football team both offensively and defensively, so we're excited about the challenge."
On Coach Tucker's Poise
"Man, he's just as cool as a cucumber on that sideline. When things aren't going right for us and we're kind of in a tough spot, like at halftime, he is just still cool, calm and collected. He keeps everybody in the game. I think that was huge for us, the outcome would have been a lot different if he would have come into the locker room freaking out and yelling, and showing emotion, but he didn't do that. He came in cool, calm, and collected, and said 'hey, we still got a whole other half of football and a lot of game left, let's just keep doing what we're doing and eventually it's going to pop for us', and it did."
On The Belief In Coach Tucker After The Nebraska Game
"It just makes him even more credible than he already was. Exactly what he said would happen happened, we stayed calm, we stayed playing within ourselves, and good things happened for us. It was just really good to see him have that belief in us, that he knew that we could get it done. Then we went out there and we proved him right in the second half."
On The Importance Of Tight End Brady Russell
"He's just one of those guys who kind of just does everything right, down to the fine details. He plays hard every single play, he's very physical and very tough. It's fantastic having him on the offense because he's one of those guys that is calm the entire game and doesn't get too high or doesn't get too low. He also blocks very well in the run game and blocks very well in the passing game. Plain and simple, he's the kind of guy who just does everything right."
On Wide Receiver Jaylon Jackson
"Jaylon's been through a lot in his time here in Colorado. He just kept his head down and kept working the entire time when adversity hit him. When adversity hits people, you don't really know how they're going to respond. They might shut down, they might feel sorry for themselves, but Jaylon is not like that at all. He kept his head down, he kept working, he kept pushing and waited for his opportunity. When his opportunity came, he made the most out of it. I'm very happy for him and I'm hoping that we can see a lot more out of him for the rest of the season."
On The Interactions Had Between The Captains During The Overtime Coin Toss
"Sometimes I get really into the game a little bit. When we score a touchdown, I'll get a little amped up, and when I throw a bad ball or an interception, I kind of beat myself up and say, 'man I shouldn't have done that'. For that coin toss, I was just talking to one of the captains and having a conversation. Actually, I think I said something like 'oh man, we meet again' because I saw him for the coin toss to open up the game as well."
Davion Taylor, Sr., OLB
On Preparation For Air Force
"Being disciplined, doing your job, and making sure that you know your assignment at all times. Even when the ball is not coming towards you, making sure you're in the right place because you never know when the ball will be coming towards you."
On Playing A Service Academy
"One thing I know about Air Force is that they're probably not going to get tired, because they're used to the altitude as well. So we just have to make sure that we play all four quarters and make sure we execute our assignments."
On Coach Mel Tucker's Impact
"One thing about Coach Tucker is he believes in this team. When he came in at halftime, he didn't have any doubt in us at all. That gave us faith that we were going to win the game. So, it all rubbed off on us and we were making sure that we didn't doubt ourselves. We just made sure we came out kept on fighting."
On Feeling More Comfortable On The Field
"I'm getting way more comfortable. I'm just trying to make sure I work hard, make sure I watch film, and make sure I do my assignment. I just try to focus on getting better every day."
On Pressuring The Quarterback Versus Air Force
"Well, this is a different type of offense. We are more focused on just being disciplined. In the last game, at halftime, we knew we were a better defensive group than what we were in the first half. So, coach [Tucker] made sure that he talked to us and made sure that he encouraged us. He told us that he knew how well we could play, and he told us to make sure we came out and executed after halftime."
On How This Season Feels Compared To Last Season
"This season does feel different because we're not comfortable with these two wins. We try to make sure that we take it one game at a time. Coach always talks about the 24-hour rule. We take 24 hours and after that, we focus on the next game."
On playing A Triple-Option Offense
"I played against a similar style offense when I was playing in community college. I know how it is and you have to be disciplined. One little mistake can cause a touchdown. You have to make sure you stay focused and do your assignment."
"Being disciplined, doing your job, and making sure that you know your assignment at all times. Even when the ball is not coming towards you, making sure you're in the right place because you never know when the ball will be coming towards you."
On Playing A Service Academy
"One thing I know about Air Force is that they're probably not going to get tired, because they're used to the altitude as well. So we just have to make sure that we play all four quarters and make sure we execute our assignments."
On Coach Mel Tucker's Impact
"One thing about Coach Tucker is he believes in this team. When he came in at halftime, he didn't have any doubt in us at all. That gave us faith that we were going to win the game. So, it all rubbed off on us and we were making sure that we didn't doubt ourselves. We just made sure we came out kept on fighting."
On Feeling More Comfortable On The Field
"I'm getting way more comfortable. I'm just trying to make sure I work hard, make sure I watch film, and make sure I do my assignment. I just try to focus on getting better every day."
On Pressuring The Quarterback Versus Air Force
"Well, this is a different type of offense. We are more focused on just being disciplined. In the last game, at halftime, we knew we were a better defensive group than what we were in the first half. So, coach [Tucker] made sure that he talked to us and made sure that he encouraged us. He told us that he knew how well we could play, and he told us to make sure we came out and executed after halftime."
On How This Season Feels Compared To Last Season
"This season does feel different because we're not comfortable with these two wins. We try to make sure that we take it one game at a time. Coach always talks about the 24-hour rule. We take 24 hours and after that, we focus on the next game."
On playing A Triple-Option Offense
"I played against a similar style offense when I was playing in community college. I know how it is and you have to be disciplined. One little mistake can cause a touchdown. You have to make sure you stay focused and do your assignment."
Players Mentioned
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