Colorado-Idaho State Quotes
Nov 1 (Sat)
TBA
Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
“I was very impressed with what our staff did with our guys, I liked how focused they were. Our upperclassmen did a good job of staying focused in practice and they kept working. That’s what we talk about all the time, it’s to worry about Colorado and nothing else. I’m seeing that in this group of guys. We put the ball on the ground at running back and that’s not a good thing. We also missed a throw for a touchdown, so we’ve got some things we need to clean up and keep working on. It was good to get some guys in, especially on special teams and different things that we did to see other guys go. I thought they did well. We’ll look at the film and come back Monday ready to work and find a way to get better. We just need to keep improving every week and I thought we did that this week. We need to keep doing it next week.”
On How the Season Has Started
“I think we just go out there and play as hard as we can play. The whole key of the first two games goes back to practice. It doesn’t go to what happened in the game, it goes to how we practice and how we focus and prepare. If we keep doing that then when we show up to play on Saturday we’ll have an opportunity to be successful. The guys are starting to understand that.”
On How CU Won the First Two Games
“All the first two games say is that we’re 2-0. Those games are history now and we need to get ready for the next one. We’re going to get ready for it starting tomorrow. We’ll let our guys enjoy this tonight and relax a little. I’ll go get some Sweet Cow ice cream tonight, then I’ll start working tomorrow morning.”
On Looking Forward to the Stage at Michigan
“I’m just looking forward to Monday’s practice just like our guys are. We’ve played some really good football teams, and this is a good football team coming up. But what we need to do is prepare and practice every day and then come ready to be Colorado.”
On the Numbers CU Has Put Up So Far
“We’re coming out of the block so fast, which is what we want to do. What I’m liking is that we aren’t lulling. We drove the ball last week against CSU, we just missed a throw and had to kick two field goals. We were running the ball a lot in the fourth quarter today; we were just making sure that we got everybody into the game to play, and kept everyone healthy. The way we’re starting fast and not letting off the pedal – we keep playing hard and we keep playing physical – is really what I’m liking.”
On Freshman QB Steven Montez
“I thought he did well. You saw his strong arm on the curl route that Kabion Ento made those guys miss. I saw him make a couple of good runs, and we saw him improvise one time and he was able to dump it over the defender. He has those intangibles and it was good to see him out there doing that.”
On Junior WR Kabion Ento
“Kabion has really been doing well. He’s an exceptional athlete, and if you’ve ever seen him play basketball it’s like he jumps off a trampoline. He’s just starting to get his feet wet in major college football, and he’s a guy who’s a weapon for us. You’ll see him out there more and more as the season goes along.”
On Idaho State’s Spread Defense
“We did try to take advantage of that, that’s why we were able to get some runs inside. I thought our offensive tackles did an excellent job of pass protection, with the wide ends trying to come underneath. I thought they did an excellent job. Both our first and second tackle units did an excellent job protecting. Then, we had Sully Wiefels starting his first game at center and I thought he did an excellent job there.”
On CU’s Pass Rush
“They tried to move their quarterback around in the pocket and they came out in a couple of formations where they had a seven man protection scheme which is kind of hard to get after with four linemen. But I thought we did harass him and I thought that we had excellent coverage on the backend. They really never had a chance to get open since our guys were all over them. But the seven man protection with the extra tight end kind of stifled our pass rush just a little bit. Then, they were spreading out a lot and kind of just getting rid of the ball. They went with more protection which hurt them from being able to run combination routes and it allowed us to smother them on their passing routes.”
On Sophomore WR Jay MacIntyre
“I thought that Jay did well. He’s doing an excellent job of fielding punts for us and making positive yardage and making smart decisions. I was definitely proud of the way he played and I think he did a good job. Kabion and Jay are roommates, and Jay threw a block for Kabion and he said that’s why he scored a touchdown and they were ripping each other in the locker room. That’s good to see.”
On the Players Wanting To Succeed After the Last Couple of Seasons
On the Defense So Far this Season
“They’re communication is at the top of ladder right now. You see them communicating with hand signals. They’re seeing sets and backs. We haven’t really busted a coverage in the first two games which is impressive. And the linebackers and the secondary are locked in. Our front seven has been really stout and they’ve done a good job of not allowing a lot of creases in the running game; there aren’t a lot of hard tackles that our secondary has had to make. So I’ve been very impressed with that. Our defensive staff has done an excellent job with these guys getting them ready to play and giving them an understanding of the game plan. And then we have some depth which helps a lot, and we’re going to need that depth the more games we play. You’re going to have some guys nicked up so we need some guys to be ready to roll.”
On the WR’s Blocking Downfield
“Our guys have to block well on perimeter. They don’t need to be crushing blocks but they need to get in the way of the guy and allow our guy to run and getting in good position. And our quarterbacks are getting the ball to where the guys can turn up quicker. If the ball is just a little off you’re taking a step and allowing the guy to get off the block. But I thought that we’ve been blocking well and we’re going to have to keep doing that over and over. It’s a big key to our offense.”
On the Test Facing CU Next Week at Michigan
“It’s going to be a big test for us. But again it’s what we do, and Michigan will say the same thing to their guys, it’s what they do. So we’ve just got to keep working hard and go up there and get after it. We’ll talk about them starting Monday.”
On the First Road Trip of the Season
“Our work ethic is key to heading out on the road. We preach all the time 24/7, 365. It’s about what you do off the field and the amount of rest that you’re getting. How you’re studying and preparing is very important too; when you come here you’re ready to go and you’re locked in. These young men have been locked in. They understand what’s at stake and they can see and feel where they’re going. I just look forward to watching them do it.”
Idaho State Head Coach Mike Kramer
On The Game (General)“The score is indicative of what they feel like. You can’t deny what is, and they are way better than we are. We didn’t play well enough at quarterback to withstand the tide. In a game like this, in a passing offense, (passing for) less than 100 yards, your quarterback is confused, and Tanner (Gueller) didn’t play great, and when Tanner doesn’t play great, we don’t score. Great play by Christian Holland on the turnover, and it was nice to see our offense keep playing hard enough to score. Congratulations to the Buffaloes; Mike MacIntyre’s guys did a great job.”
On Preventing a Shutout
“I don’t know that were worried about that. It’s not a big deal. What’s more important is that (CU quarterback) Sefo (Liufau) played great early and showed great versatility. Good for him, he was not ticketed to be the starter here for a while (this offseason) so I’m proud of Sefo.”
On 1-1 Record At Folsom Field
"I’m 1-1…so big deal. It’s something that happened in the long distant past. We had six NFL players on that team (2006 Montana State), I don’t know if we have six right now.”
On Second Quarter, Quarterback Play
“No offense. No first downs. They’re defense is just good; they play man coverage. Our receivers didn’t get open, our quarterback didn’t throw the ball against their corners, and if you’re not going to attack the corners in man coverage, you’re not going to win. We didn’t get first downs and it’s because our quarterback played under his ability. He’s going to have to play better than that or everybody will copy this game plan the rest of the year. He’s a red-shirt sophomore; we’re not going to make a change, he’s a great quarterback and a great kid, he’s early in his career. In order for us to play well against man (coverage) teams, the quarterback has to play lights-out, and he didn’t play lights-on today. It’s not placing blame, it’s the nature of the offense, it’s the nature of the sport today, the quarterback gets all the credit and he gets all the blame, especially against man coverage.”
On CB Anthony Ricks Playing Man-to-Man On CU WR Shay Fields
“Where is the safety? That’s a rhetorical question. (CB Anthony) Ricks was not supposed to be out there by himself. He’s awfully lonely out there, he had no teammates around. We never allow a corner to battle down the field by himself, man-to-man, with no help from the safeties. Our safeties played gawd awful. G-A-W-D. Gawd awful, all day long. We tried different combinations and we’ll have to recover because we play another Pac-12 team next week.”
On What Positives He Can Take From Today
“A big check, literally.”
Colorado Players
QB Sefo Liufau
ON NEXT OPPONENT MICHIGAN - “Yeah, we can say Michigan. They are the next opponent up. We will enjoy this game tonight but we will be getting prepared for them next week.”ON TODAYS FOCUS – “I think it is really easy in any week to lose focus. Sometimes the weeks leading up and preparation can be very long. So I am pretty pleased with our focus and our ability to execute today. I think for the most part we did pretty well.”
ON PREFORMANCE THE LAST TWO GAMES –“I just think that we are executing more and at a higher level. I think that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. I continue to say it for the rest of the season because it is players holding each other accountable. I think that Beau (Bisharat) will be upset with himself for that fumble today and a couple of guys say, ‘one snap and clear’ because that is one of our mottos but even late in that game we don’t want any turnovers or any negative plays. You don’t want to have any drop off when new guys come in and play. I am just happy overall with how we’ve been playing and expect us to continue that in weeks to come.”
ON PROGRAMS GROWTH –“It shows a real big maturity factor in my opinion with the ability to going out there and when you are supposed to handle business you handle business. Idaho State is a good team but we knew that they had a few weaknesses in a couple of spots, especially their defense, so we tried to attack that. I think for the most part today. We put some points on the board which is really good to see.”
ON BEING HEALTHY AND WATCHING MORE THAN HALF ON THE SIDELINES – “It’s a new feeling. It’s great to see other guys on the team that you play with making plays. That is just as satisfying as me going out there and throwing them. It will only help us down the road if anyone goes down, those guys will be ready to play.”
ON THROWING LONG PASSES – “The coverages that they were giving us. We thought we had an advantage on the outside with our receivers. When you have that you want to take a bunch of shots down field and we were completely them for the most part. I know I missed a couple of passes, which is frustrating. Shay [Fields] had some big catches, Devin [Ross] had a nice touchdown catch. When you have miss-matches, whether it be on the outside or if it’s a different game and we run the ball you want to take advantage of that as much as possible.”
ON THINGS YOU CAN TAKE AWAY LEADING UP TO MICHIGAN –“I think shows the potential that we have as the offense and as the teams as a whole. We have shown ourselves that we can go and be consistent and put drives together. After we watch todays film we have to put it in the past and we have to focus on the next opponent and who you are going up against because it is easy to fall back on your success that you have had in the past. This game, to me, is basically in the past. We watch film and look at our mistakes but then we move on because there is a new team waiting for you and a championship game coming up. Each week you want to go 1-0.”
ON IMPORTANCE OF THE FIRST TWO GAMES – “It is very important. I think that there is a misconception with everyone that we just want to get to a bowl game. We are shooting for much higher than that. We are all competitors on our team and we want to go for a win every week and ultimately that correlates to a Pac-12 Championship. So we want to go out every week and be ready to play.”
WR Kabion Ento
ON FIRST TWO CATCHES - “It’s all I dreamed about playing Junior College. I can just say I am lucky and blessed.”ON HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN –“Well [Steven] Montez is a great quarterback. We get a lot of reps in practice together, so I am not surprised that he threw it my way but he could have thrown to anybody. So when I got the ball I just tried to be a play maker and luckily I bounced off a tackle and took it to the house.”
ON ABILITY TO FOCUS ON TODAY’S GAME - “The most important game is always the game you’re about to play. Coach MacIntyre always says the most important team on our schedule is us. If we go out there and play like we know we can play then we’ll win. We just focused on beating Idaho State and now that that’s over, we can look forward to the Michigan game.”
ON HIS FIRST GAME AT FOLSOM - “It was amazing to see the fans come out. You can never prepare yourself for anything like that on the big stage with all of the fans. It’s just something that I’ve always dreamed about. Luckily so many of us got in and we just had a great day as a team.”
DE Jordan Carrell
ON THE STEPS TAKEN FORWARD THE FIRST TWO GAMES - “Coach Mac and his staff told me this program is on the rise and so I believed in it. You can see it. We are out here playing as hard as we can and we are doing some great things right now.”ON PREPARTION FOR NEXT WEEK - “It’s just another bump in the long schedule we’ve got. We just have to keep doing what we are doing. It starts tomorrow in the film room, breaking down our mistakes. It was a big win margin but we’ve still got mistakes to correct. Intensity is going to be real high this week just being in that atmosphere. But we are going to be ready.”
ON PLAYING MICHIGAN - “When we first got the schedule last year, we knew this was going to be the first big game. And they are all going to be big games but this is a dream come true for a college athlete like me. First time stepping in that kind of atmosphere. I think it’s like 110,000 people and (our home capacity) is like 55,000 so I can’t imagine.”
QB Steven Montez
ON GETTING HIS FIRST PLAYING TIME IN FOLSOM – “I’m extremely excited, wired and ready to go. It was a great time getting out there and making a showing on Folsom for the first time. It was really fun. It felt like it was getting familiar again after not playing for a year. Me getting snaps again in live action, it makes it feel like you’re back in high school. It’s faster but it’s something familiar and it’s nice to feel that again.”
ON HIS FIRST CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASS - “I dropped back, saw that KB [Kabion Ento] was open but I got hit as I threw. After that, that was completely KB. He went off on that play and got loose.”
ON PREP GOING INTO MICHIGAN - “Tons of practice, tons of work, watching film and getting in and sticking to our game plan and doing what we do. We’re looking forward to that. We don’t have to do anything differently but go in and play our game. Hopefully the ball rolls our way and we ball out against Michigan and get a win.”
ON KEEPING THEIR HEADS THIS WEEK - “It was crucial because you can overlook any team but we treated this team just like we’re going to treat Michigan and just like we created Colorado State. We treat them the same. We go in like it’s a business and we get things done.”
LB Terran Hasselbach
ON TODAY’S WIN - “We came to play. Every week we do. We worked our tails off this whole week. To see all of that work come into game time and to execute, we can win the game and move on from there. Every week we see every opponent as the same. We live in the moment and play this week just as we will next week. We prepare the same and we’re rising. No opponent really puts fear in us.”
ON GETTING SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME TODAY - “It felt amazing. I was told to always be ready and I always am. But this week especially I knew I had a role to play. I worked hard at it and it was great to come in and roll.”
ON PREPARATION FOR MICHIGAN - “We’re going to step it up this week. At practice, all of the guys are excited. That’s this week coming up and we’re going to get to the point where we need to be at. It’s exciting obviously. It’s something that’s going to be on my mind. But we’ve focused every week on our opponent; this week I couldn’t look towards Michigan because I knew I wasn’t going to play to my best ability if I did that.”
WR Devin Ross
ON THE WIN - “We just came in with the same mindset as last week and every other week. We wanted to just give 110 percent effort on every play and every down. That’s the mindset with every team we play. With that mindset, we play so much better. You see the difference on the scoreboard. We’re more mature, we have a lot of juniors and seniors that are ready for the task at hand. We just have to keep moving and Michigan is next.”
ON GETTING FRESHMEN INTO THE GAME - “It was exciting to see so many of our players get their first catches and their first runs and see how excited they were. We just tried to teach them how to handle the atmosphere and the fans and stuff so it was fun.”
ON PREPARATION FOR TODAY’S GAME - “We handled it the same way. We execute our game plan. The coaches are going to get us the right game plan and the right plays to run. We’re just going to play 110 percent with every team no matter what jersey or helmet they’re wearing.”
ON NEXT WEEK’S GAME AGAINST MICHIGAN - “It’s exciting. I just heard that it’s one of the biggest stadiums in college so that’s really exciting for me. I’m just excited for everything. Like we said though, it’s just another team and we’re going to go play our game but I’m definitely excited to play Michigan. I can’t lie about that. We never expect the game to always go our way, they’re going to have their ups and downs. So we’re ready for that. They’re going to go in their hungry because they’re one of the top teams in the nation so we’re going to go in there and stick with our game plan and keep executing.”
ON HIS PERSONAL GROWTH ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD - “I just feel like I’ve matured as a player and gained a lot more trust from my coaches. They feel comfortable giving me the ball more this year. I should have had one more touchdown today but it was a little too far. I’ll get it next week though. I’ll keep going though and get even more touchdowns as the year goes on.”
WR Jay MacIntyre
ON HIS PERFORMANCE - “Today my number was called more than last game. Sefo (Liufau) found me on a couple of option routes there. He and I have been working since I got here. I’m always there when he throws and we finally clicked. He threw some great balls to me and I happened to make some plays.”
ON WHETHER OR NOT THE MICHIGAN GAME WAS A DISTRACTION THIS WEEK - “It was all Idaho State for us. At the end of the day it’s just us and everyone else on our schedule. If we don’t play well then we’re not going to win so that’s the mindset we’ve had. Coach MacIntyre has been telling us that every day and all of the other coaches too. For us we just wanted to get out there and show what we could do no matter who we play. “
ON GETTING PLAYING TIME FOR SECOND STRING PLAYERS - “It’s awesome for everyone in the locker room. Danny Galloway got in today and a couple of other guys that dream about getting in the game and playing here. They’ve always done a great job in practice and it was awesome to see them out there. It’s good for them.”
ON NEXT WEEK’S MICHIGAN GAME- “We’re really looking forward to it. I think we know that we’ve really improved. We have confidence in our abilities and to be such a big stage at Michigan, we’re really excited to show everyone what we can do. We’ll be prepared and focused this week and we’ll start focusing on Michigan tonight. This past week was all Idaho State though.”
ON HIS ROLE RETURNING PUNTS- “Last year I was up and down with injuries and playing time went from a lot to not at all. It feels good to be in the flow of the things, to get into the game and start playing. That’s been good for me. I’ve had a larger role this season and hopefully I’ll keep doing good.”
WR Tony Julmisse
ON HIS FIRST GAME AT FOLSOM - “It’s definitely fun, just being able to play on the field as a true freshman. Any true freshman would love to have that opportunity so I’m just doing my best in the moment, trying to help the team as best as I can. It was different. Actually being a player in the game and running behind Ralphie was different than when you’re being recruited and see it on the videos and on your visit. To actually be that player running out is exciting.”1
ON TEAM MENTORS - “It’s just listening to coaches and the defense and what they tell us to do. It all falls in line. They just say to do our jobs and if everyone else does theirs then it all works. Playing defense is fun. It’s like a big family. I have Chidobe [Awuzie] and a whole bunch of other guys that help me on the field with the calls and tell me my leverage. I’ve been trying to implement what Chidobe tells me and I try to watch him a lot when he’s in the game. I try to see what he does, things that I wouldn’t do that he does and try to work just like he would. It’s been great.”
ON NEXT WEEK’S GAME AGAINST MICHIGAN - “It’s always been one snap and clear. Michigan definitely has our attention at this point. We’re getting right back to work on Monday.”
ON PRACTICING BOTH WAYS – “I had late nights studying that playbook. Every now and then I’m still looking at the offense’s playbook just to be ready if Coach ever needs me on that side on the ball.”
ON THE LAST TWO WINS-“It’s the same thing it would do with any team. It’s definitely a confidence booster. We’re stepping into a pretty big game 2-0. We’re all excited to play this game and we just have to keep the momentum going.”
ILB Rick Gamboa
ON IF HE CIRCLED THE MICHIGAN GAME ON THE CALENDAR - “Somewhat, yeah. It’s always fun playing the best teams in the country; and obviously Michigan is one of the best teams in the country. Just being in that atmosphere in the Big House, it’s definitely going to be a fun experience. Just can’t wait to get out there.”
ON DEFENSE’S STRONG START - “I feel like everything has been clicking so far defensively. We have everyone healthy, we have a good rotation going everywhere from the D-line, linebackers, secondary; and right now, everyone is just playing their hardest. Everyone is trying to play as good as the guy next to him. No one wants to let their teammate down. We are just trying to do our best out there.”
ON WHAT THE DEFENSE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER TODAY - “We had little communication errors. We had little technique errors. But I think as a whole, defense played well.”
ON HIS MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR AN INTERCEPTION AND SCORE - “I’ll definitely hear about that throughout the week. I heard about it as soon as I hit the sideline. I feel like I should’ve had it. I know they are going to keep making it a point that I should’ve had it. I know I have to make that play.”
ON IF THOSE ARE NECESSARY PLAYS TO MAKE NEXT WEEK IN ANN ARBOR- “Yeah, those are plays we can’t miss. Coach Leavitt always calls those plays ‘missed opportunities.’ In a game against a team like that, we can’t have missed opportunities. Especially when it could be a turnover as big as that against a team like that.”
ON IF NEXT WEEK’S GAME CAN PUT THE BUFFS ON THE NATIONAL MAP- “We feel like it is. But we feel like every game is like that. It just puts this game a little higher than the others. But we feel like a game like this, playing one of the best teams in the country is going to put a lot of eyes on us.”
Idaho State Players
LB Hayden Stout
ON TAKEAWAY FROM GAME – “I mean, it was a bad loss. Part of me wants to just shower it off and forget about it. But, I guess, at least in our defense, we weren’t conditioned enough. We got tired and we weren’t use to the fast paced offense that they used; probably, just be more prepared for that in the future.ON PLAYING ANOTHER PAC-12 OPPONENT - “I don’t mind it. I go into games, focusing on what I can do to the best of my ability on getting better. Pac-12 teams play on a high level, and so, if I can get used to that level of play then I can go to the Big Sky (Conference games) playing at that level. I like the challenge.”
OL Skyler Phillips
ON IMPROVING FOR NEXT GAMES-“It was a matter of will and determination today and we got to improve on our will power a lot. Coach preaches that every day. Now we’ve got to speak it into existence and make it happen.”ON NEXT OPPONENT- “I feel pretty good. I know going into it we’re going to have better preparation, better mind set, and I know we got a little taste of it, so we’re going forward. It should be good to have this experience and hopefully not let it happen again.”
ON PAC-12 VS BIG SKY- “It’s a whole different speed for these guys. They don’t realize it. I think, that tempo, the speed, and the level of play is going to be good for us going forward. We got teams like Eastern Washington and Montana State, and I think this will benefit us; shower it off and take what we can and keep moving forward.
QB Tanner Gueller
ON THE NEXT GAME – “We just got to be better, got to be quicker with my reads, and know where to go with the ball, and just have to be more consistent on my position.”ON NEXT OPPONENT (AT OREGON STATE) - “Looking forward to it, it’s going to be another good challenge for us. Obviously, you learn a lot in these games. So, we’re all looking forward to it, and ready to get back into it.”