Colorado-Arizona State Quotes
vs
TCU
Oct 4 (Sat)
5:30 p.m.
Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
General
“First of all, Arizona State is really good football team. Their offensive line is huge. The running back [Eno] Benjamin, I was a little nervous, in the first half we had a hard time tackling him. In the second half, our guys adjusted. I thought the D-line and the front seven play in the second half was pretty amazing. We’ve kind of done that a couple of games now. We need to get that cranked up a little bit quicker in the first half. The way we ran the ball at the end of the game to put the game away, to me was really special. I think we got the ball with 7:10 (remaining) or something and ran the ball. The time we had to throw it, they knew we were going to throw it and they blitzed and we protected well. That was a really special ending there.”
On Defense Down The Stretch
“They were doing a good job picking up our slants a little with their big linemen washing us by, so we stopped slanting as much and started plugging our backers to try to get him in the backfield before he got started, which we did. Then, our kids just got better being stout and tackling him lower. We were trying to tackle him low going into the game because he spins all the time. We started hitting him lower, so that helped. I really think our stamina helped tremendously on both sides of the ball. We were stronger at the end than they were. That’s a credit to [Director of Strength and Conditioning] Drew Wilson. I think it’s also a credit to the way our coaches practice them and push them so hard.”
On Steven Montez Bringing The Whole Offensive Line To Postgame Press Conference
“He’s a really likable guy as you all have noticed, he has a great personality, he cares about everybody. Everybody has ego, but he controls his ego really well. He loves all of his teammates and hanging out with them, being around them. I think it shows a lot that he brought them all up here. He’s that type of guy, he cares about everybody.”
On Bouncing Back After ILB Nate Landman’s Ejection
“I think they reacted fine. The good thing is Drew [Lewis] has played inside a lot so we just moved him inside and put Carson Wells outside.”
On CB Delrick Abrams Fourth-Down Pass Breakup
“Gigantic. He played it just like we taught, redzone technique. Him and the guy were both on each other, he got up and got his hand in. I’m glad he’s 6-3 and long. That’s why we call him ‘Slim.’ That was a great play. I thought they might throw it to the other side, but Chris [Miller] was in good coverage on No. 1 (ASU WR N’Keal Harry). I think the other big play was when they ran the bootleg and Mustafa [Johnson], a 285-pound defensive tackle, plays the boot correctly, comes under control and tackles the quarterback. That was huge. I thought that whole series was really two good football teams making plays, we just made one more.”
On Accuracy Of QB Steven Montez
“He knows where he wants to go with the ball. That saying we have of ‘knowledge plus confidence equals playing fast,’ that helps. He’s really worked on his feet, he’s really balanced on his feet. You don’t see him falling off. He knows when to step up, he knows when to step out and scramble and get his feet set. He’s just continued maturing and he’s gotten a little bit better in every area, and that’s making a huge difference.”
On Run Defense
“In the UCLA game, they ran through us on one play there that we had the guy. (Arizona State has) good running backs and a good offensive lines. If we can hold teams to 21 points and under 400 yards of offense in the Pac-12 (that’s usually enough to win). Of course, you want to hold them under 200 and want them to score zero. To me we gave our offense and opportunity. Their offensive line was big and physical, and [ASU RB Eno] Benjamin is good. Our kids just kept playing and playing. We missed a few tackles early. He made a couple of great cutbacks. A lot of running backs can’t make those cutbacks. We said we have to stop doing that and get him corralled. They’re a good team. Earlier on, tackling a little bit better is what we’d like to do.”
On Looking Forward To Southern California
“I want to enjoy this one. I’ll start working on Southern Cal tomorrow. Of course, I think they have more players in the NFL in the history of college football than anybody. I think that sums up their talent. We will get ready for them Sunday. It will be a great game on a Saturday night. I’m pretty sure there it will be a huge crowd there It’ll be a lot of fun for us and for them”
On Family Atmosphere Around Team
“It is really exciting. I love all of my teams. I care about all of my teams. There are some teams you kind of like more than others just because of how they all are together and you kind of like what you see. This team I really like. I like being around them. I like going to practice. I like hanging out with them. They have that unique ability to be focused but also be loose. You don’t find that all of the time. I think they have that – which you need. You have to be focused and you have to be loose. They just keep playing. They really just keep playing. I give credit to our strengths staff and to our coaches for instilling that in them. I give credit to our seniors and our senior captains of how they have instilled that in them. This is not a selfish group. They really are a group that will do anything they need to do to help each other win.”
On Veteran Leadership
“Our veterans have taken the leadership role. They have truly showed the younger guys that they care about them and they are a huge part of the team. They help them, they work with them, they push them – they do everything. I have been so proud of our seniors and our captains for how thev have done that. It has been pretty inspiring to me.”
On Direct Snaps To WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
“Our offensive line is blocking. We have also added a few more wrinkles to it each week. The first week, we only ran it one way. The second week, we countered. The third week, we did a different one. We added in motion and all of these different things. I am pretty sure they’ll keep keying on it. We’ll have some other wrinkles up our sleeve to do some different things with it. Our line is just blowing them off. Our tight ends are kicking people out. Laviska hits it downfield fast and he’s powerful. I thought one of the cool plays was when we ran that screen down there on the goal line and blocked and the corner kind of saw it and just came running. He had a clean hit on Laviska and juts bounced off of him and Laviska just ran in. It was a great throw. He caught the ball and he was able to get his shoulders up field straight. If he would’ve been behind him, the guy would’ve been able to tackle him. It was a perfect pass. We told him to get his shoulders up field. We thought anywhere in the two yard line in this game, the way they played, that if he caught it, if the guy tackled him, he could lean in and get it in. He just ran right through him [TE] Chris (Bounds) and [WR] Jay (MacIntyre) made two really good blocks on the other guys so they couldn’t slow him down. That was a good play.”
On Physical And Mental Toughness Compared To Last Season
“We are more mentally and physically tough as a whole than we were last year. There’s no doubt. We didn’t win those type of games last year. We wouldn’t have put them away like we did. We wouldn’t have kept battling. They have really bonded well and the coaches have done a great job of pushing that. They are a more mentally and physically tough football team. There’s no doubt about it.”
On OLB Jacob Callier Taking Redshirt
“Jacob hurt his shoulder in the very first game against CSU. He played on it in the first four games. We thought he’d be able to play on it the rest of the year but it is really bothering him so he’s getting operated on Tuesday. He’ll be able to redshirt with that new rule. I was proud of what he did and how was playing. We need him but now that [
[OLB] Alex Tchangam is kind of coming along and some other guys; that has helped us. I really appreciate Jacob and he’ll get operated on Tuesday by Eric McCarty, the best Doctor in America. He’ll do a good job and he’ll be back ready to go for spring practice.”
On Tackles By S Nick Fisher On Potential Game-Tying Play
“It was huge. I know I use that word too much, but it was huge. It was a critical play that he never gave up on. Then our guys didn’t say, ‘well they’re down there, they’re going to score.’ They rose up and stopped them. That was a huge series in the football game no doubt about it.”
“First of all, Arizona State is really good football team. Their offensive line is huge. The running back [Eno] Benjamin, I was a little nervous, in the first half we had a hard time tackling him. In the second half, our guys adjusted. I thought the D-line and the front seven play in the second half was pretty amazing. We’ve kind of done that a couple of games now. We need to get that cranked up a little bit quicker in the first half. The way we ran the ball at the end of the game to put the game away, to me was really special. I think we got the ball with 7:10 (remaining) or something and ran the ball. The time we had to throw it, they knew we were going to throw it and they blitzed and we protected well. That was a really special ending there.”
On Defense Down The Stretch
“They were doing a good job picking up our slants a little with their big linemen washing us by, so we stopped slanting as much and started plugging our backers to try to get him in the backfield before he got started, which we did. Then, our kids just got better being stout and tackling him lower. We were trying to tackle him low going into the game because he spins all the time. We started hitting him lower, so that helped. I really think our stamina helped tremendously on both sides of the ball. We were stronger at the end than they were. That’s a credit to [Director of Strength and Conditioning] Drew Wilson. I think it’s also a credit to the way our coaches practice them and push them so hard.”
On Steven Montez Bringing The Whole Offensive Line To Postgame Press Conference
“He’s a really likable guy as you all have noticed, he has a great personality, he cares about everybody. Everybody has ego, but he controls his ego really well. He loves all of his teammates and hanging out with them, being around them. I think it shows a lot that he brought them all up here. He’s that type of guy, he cares about everybody.”
On Bouncing Back After ILB Nate Landman’s Ejection
“I think they reacted fine. The good thing is Drew [Lewis] has played inside a lot so we just moved him inside and put Carson Wells outside.”
On CB Delrick Abrams Fourth-Down Pass Breakup
“Gigantic. He played it just like we taught, redzone technique. Him and the guy were both on each other, he got up and got his hand in. I’m glad he’s 6-3 and long. That’s why we call him ‘Slim.’ That was a great play. I thought they might throw it to the other side, but Chris [Miller] was in good coverage on No. 1 (ASU WR N’Keal Harry). I think the other big play was when they ran the bootleg and Mustafa [Johnson], a 285-pound defensive tackle, plays the boot correctly, comes under control and tackles the quarterback. That was huge. I thought that whole series was really two good football teams making plays, we just made one more.”
On Accuracy Of QB Steven Montez
“He knows where he wants to go with the ball. That saying we have of ‘knowledge plus confidence equals playing fast,’ that helps. He’s really worked on his feet, he’s really balanced on his feet. You don’t see him falling off. He knows when to step up, he knows when to step out and scramble and get his feet set. He’s just continued maturing and he’s gotten a little bit better in every area, and that’s making a huge difference.”
On Run Defense
“In the UCLA game, they ran through us on one play there that we had the guy. (Arizona State has) good running backs and a good offensive lines. If we can hold teams to 21 points and under 400 yards of offense in the Pac-12 (that’s usually enough to win). Of course, you want to hold them under 200 and want them to score zero. To me we gave our offense and opportunity. Their offensive line was big and physical, and [ASU RB Eno] Benjamin is good. Our kids just kept playing and playing. We missed a few tackles early. He made a couple of great cutbacks. A lot of running backs can’t make those cutbacks. We said we have to stop doing that and get him corralled. They’re a good team. Earlier on, tackling a little bit better is what we’d like to do.”
On Looking Forward To Southern California
“I want to enjoy this one. I’ll start working on Southern Cal tomorrow. Of course, I think they have more players in the NFL in the history of college football than anybody. I think that sums up their talent. We will get ready for them Sunday. It will be a great game on a Saturday night. I’m pretty sure there it will be a huge crowd there It’ll be a lot of fun for us and for them”
On Family Atmosphere Around Team
“It is really exciting. I love all of my teams. I care about all of my teams. There are some teams you kind of like more than others just because of how they all are together and you kind of like what you see. This team I really like. I like being around them. I like going to practice. I like hanging out with them. They have that unique ability to be focused but also be loose. You don’t find that all of the time. I think they have that – which you need. You have to be focused and you have to be loose. They just keep playing. They really just keep playing. I give credit to our strengths staff and to our coaches for instilling that in them. I give credit to our seniors and our senior captains of how they have instilled that in them. This is not a selfish group. They really are a group that will do anything they need to do to help each other win.”
On Veteran Leadership
“Our veterans have taken the leadership role. They have truly showed the younger guys that they care about them and they are a huge part of the team. They help them, they work with them, they push them – they do everything. I have been so proud of our seniors and our captains for how thev have done that. It has been pretty inspiring to me.”
On Direct Snaps To WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
“Our offensive line is blocking. We have also added a few more wrinkles to it each week. The first week, we only ran it one way. The second week, we countered. The third week, we did a different one. We added in motion and all of these different things. I am pretty sure they’ll keep keying on it. We’ll have some other wrinkles up our sleeve to do some different things with it. Our line is just blowing them off. Our tight ends are kicking people out. Laviska hits it downfield fast and he’s powerful. I thought one of the cool plays was when we ran that screen down there on the goal line and blocked and the corner kind of saw it and just came running. He had a clean hit on Laviska and juts bounced off of him and Laviska just ran in. It was a great throw. He caught the ball and he was able to get his shoulders up field straight. If he would’ve been behind him, the guy would’ve been able to tackle him. It was a perfect pass. We told him to get his shoulders up field. We thought anywhere in the two yard line in this game, the way they played, that if he caught it, if the guy tackled him, he could lean in and get it in. He just ran right through him [TE] Chris (Bounds) and [WR] Jay (MacIntyre) made two really good blocks on the other guys so they couldn’t slow him down. That was a good play.”
On Physical And Mental Toughness Compared To Last Season
“We are more mentally and physically tough as a whole than we were last year. There’s no doubt. We didn’t win those type of games last year. We wouldn’t have put them away like we did. We wouldn’t have kept battling. They have really bonded well and the coaches have done a great job of pushing that. They are a more mentally and physically tough football team. There’s no doubt about it.”
On OLB Jacob Callier Taking Redshirt
“Jacob hurt his shoulder in the very first game against CSU. He played on it in the first four games. We thought he’d be able to play on it the rest of the year but it is really bothering him so he’s getting operated on Tuesday. He’ll be able to redshirt with that new rule. I was proud of what he did and how was playing. We need him but now that [
[OLB] Alex Tchangam is kind of coming along and some other guys; that has helped us. I really appreciate Jacob and he’ll get operated on Tuesday by Eric McCarty, the best Doctor in America. He’ll do a good job and he’ll be back ready to go for spring practice.”
On Tackles By S Nick Fisher On Potential Game-Tying Play
“It was huge. I know I use that word too much, but it was huge. It was a critical play that he never gave up on. Then our guys didn’t say, ‘well they’re down there, they’re going to score.’ They rose up and stopped them. That was a huge series in the football game no doubt about it.”
Arizona State Head Coach Herm Edwards
General
“Another disappointing loss on the road, we seemed to fall short. Last three road games we lost by a score. It was a very hard fought football game. I thought that we had some momentum early. We came out in the third quarter and put some points on the board. From there they got two scores and that was about the game. I thought that the 32 yard punt that they shanked but we were [called] offside, that was a big play. Maybe we do not score but we are in a position to score. I think that opportunities present themselves and they capitalized on the opportunities when they presented themselves and we didn’t. That is what the game boils down to; when you lose a game like this, a one-score game, I can go back to all three of them we lost and there are two to three plays. The Michigan State game we win, we make the plays down the stretch and that is what it boils down to. We have to do a better job. We have to get healthy, we have a couple guys that are beat up. We have a bye this week, we are a three-and-three football team with six games left. We will see what we can make of it, we are still right in it but we have to win games.”
On Laviska Shenault Jr
“He is a fabulous football player. Just watching him on tape, he was really fabulous. There were a couple of times that we had him doubled and he still caught the football. You have to give him credit, they found a way to get him the ball and he made a lot of big plays for them today.
“You throw him the ball and all of a sudden he makes some guys miss and he is running. We could not tackle him, we had him a couple of times—even in the first series they threw him a little screen and we had him but all of a sudden we didn’t have him. He broke the tackle and kept running, he was hot. He is a really good player and you can tell on the field. We knew going in we were going to have to stop number two. So if you stop number two you will have a chance.”
On Trying to Suppress The Buffaloes Scoring After Half
“We did but here again you have to give them credit. They got us into some bad downs, they got us into some bad yardages and that is never good. I think that both teams battled that way in the second half. I think that both teams kind of adjusted. They hit us on two big plays which you look at the tape and go look at the coverage, we were in the right coverage but just didn’t play it very well. Kudos to them, because they made the plays.”
On How He Thought CU Adjusted To The Run Game
“They did a nice job, they got us into some bad downs too and that is always bad. You never want to be behind the chains. We have some time now to go back and regroup and look at us. We will look at us on defense and special teams and then we play Stanford at home. Another really good football team. I just think that there is a lot of work to be done still, we knew that when we started the season off. We got ourselves to three-and-three, we can say that we can be better than that but we are not. We are a three-and-three football team and we have some improving to do.”
On Going For It On Fourth Down On The Road
“When you are the underdog you have to try and steal a possession and go for it even more. That is the logic behind it. You are the underdog, you are on the road, you just had a nice drive and you feel like you have the momentum. You feel like you can go in and score and tie it up and we are in the ball game. If you do not you feel like you have nine minutes left—you hold them they punt, you can hopefully get the ball on the fifty and you get another shot. So it just didn’t work out.”
“Another disappointing loss on the road, we seemed to fall short. Last three road games we lost by a score. It was a very hard fought football game. I thought that we had some momentum early. We came out in the third quarter and put some points on the board. From there they got two scores and that was about the game. I thought that the 32 yard punt that they shanked but we were [called] offside, that was a big play. Maybe we do not score but we are in a position to score. I think that opportunities present themselves and they capitalized on the opportunities when they presented themselves and we didn’t. That is what the game boils down to; when you lose a game like this, a one-score game, I can go back to all three of them we lost and there are two to three plays. The Michigan State game we win, we make the plays down the stretch and that is what it boils down to. We have to do a better job. We have to get healthy, we have a couple guys that are beat up. We have a bye this week, we are a three-and-three football team with six games left. We will see what we can make of it, we are still right in it but we have to win games.”
On Laviska Shenault Jr
“He is a fabulous football player. Just watching him on tape, he was really fabulous. There were a couple of times that we had him doubled and he still caught the football. You have to give him credit, they found a way to get him the ball and he made a lot of big plays for them today.
“You throw him the ball and all of a sudden he makes some guys miss and he is running. We could not tackle him, we had him a couple of times—even in the first series they threw him a little screen and we had him but all of a sudden we didn’t have him. He broke the tackle and kept running, he was hot. He is a really good player and you can tell on the field. We knew going in we were going to have to stop number two. So if you stop number two you will have a chance.”
On Trying to Suppress The Buffaloes Scoring After Half
“We did but here again you have to give them credit. They got us into some bad downs, they got us into some bad yardages and that is never good. I think that both teams battled that way in the second half. I think that both teams kind of adjusted. They hit us on two big plays which you look at the tape and go look at the coverage, we were in the right coverage but just didn’t play it very well. Kudos to them, because they made the plays.”
On How He Thought CU Adjusted To The Run Game
“They did a nice job, they got us into some bad downs too and that is always bad. You never want to be behind the chains. We have some time now to go back and regroup and look at us. We will look at us on defense and special teams and then we play Stanford at home. Another really good football team. I just think that there is a lot of work to be done still, we knew that when we started the season off. We got ourselves to three-and-three, we can say that we can be better than that but we are not. We are a three-and-three football team and we have some improving to do.”
On Going For It On Fourth Down On The Road
“When you are the underdog you have to try and steal a possession and go for it even more. That is the logic behind it. You are the underdog, you are on the road, you just had a nice drive and you feel like you have the momentum. You feel like you can go in and score and tie it up and we are in the ball game. If you do not you feel like you have nine minutes left—you hold them they punt, you can hopefully get the ball on the fifty and you get another shot. So it just didn’t work out.”
Colorado Players
TB Travon McMillian
ON THE CLOSING DRIVE- “It was good to show that we could do that. Our O-line did a great job there. They were moving a lot up front and they were handling the movements. They are a good 3-3-4 defense. I’m just excited that we were able to go out there and execute.”ON SHOWING THEY CAN BEAT A QUALITY OPPONENT-“It is really important to show that, but we aren’t satisfied. We are going to keep going to work each and every day. We bring that mindset every day that we’re trying to be faster on offense, control the clock and control the ball. It is exciting and we’re going to enjoy it, but we have another opponent next week we are going to have to prepare for. We’ll enjoy it tonight and then get to work Sunday and Monday.”
ON THE ENERGY FROM THE CROWD-“It gave us a lot of energy, that is for sure.”
WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
ON HIS EXCITEMENT AFTER THE WIN-“I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s definitely a relief. I was pumped when I was in the moment.”ON FOCUSING ON THE TEAM THROUGH ALL OF HIS SUCCESS-“It is a team sport. At the end of the day, it’s a team sport.”
ON HIS CONNECTION WITH QB STEVEN MONTEZ-“It started in the offseason, coming in and working every day. Our mindset is different from last year. We just have a better mindset; a winning mindset and a dog mindset.”
ON HOW HE STAYED POSITIVE NOT BEING ON THE FIELD LAST YEAR-“Trusting the process. That was the main thing.”
ON THE ENERGY FROM THE CROWD-“I definitely felt it. It felt good.”
WR K.D. Nixon
ON HIS 51-YARD RECEPTION-“It was a blessing to be a part of that, but at the same time my brother (Laviska Shenault Jr.) had four touchdowns so that is what I’m most happy about.”ON HIS CONNECTION WITH QB STEVEN MONTEZ-“I remember when we were in the dorm room last year, crying and thinking how we could help this team out. As soon as we lost to Utah in that last game, the next week me, Montez, and Viska (Laviska Shenault Jr.) were in the lab getting in extra work. It was just a blessing to be with Montez getting it right. Seeing all this payoff is no surprise to us.”
ON HOW HE STAYED POSITIVE NOT BEING ON THE FIELD LAST YEAR-“Each other. We would look at each other like, ‘Man, we got to do something.’ Coach Mac (HC Mike MacIntyre) had a plan and Coach Chev (CO-OC Darrin Chiaverini) had a plan. Y’all see what he’s (Chiaverini) doing. He’s amazing. When we got the opportunity, we took advantage of it.”
ON THE PLAY OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE-“The offensive line is where it starts. We can’t be Viska, K.D., Travon, or Montez without the offensive line. We’re blessed and thankful for them. Knowing that Travon is getting the ball every time and then throwing it on third down and they know that, and still getting the ball out and still getting the big run. Our offensive line did amazing today.”
ON THE BIG STOPS FROM THE DEFENSSE-“It turned us up. Seeing them get a stop and then seeing Viska make a big catch or a big run pumps the whole stadium up. That’s what we need. They did this last week. It wasn’t a shock to us. We knew that in the second half we were going to come hard, play better, take our time and get it.”
ON THE CROWD ATTENDENCE-“We called it in the offseason. We were going to get it more packed, more packed, and more packed. It is going to keep going.”
WR Tony Brown
ON IF THEY ARE HAVING FUN ON THE FIELD-“Yeah, that’s the way that we do things, we go out and have fun. There are certain times where you have to be focused. When you’re out here winning it’s fun.”ON IF OFFENSE IS HAVING GOOD RHYTHM-“Definitely once we had our rhythm going, we just kept going. With (quarterback) Steven Montez, he sees everything, and everyone else in on the same page. Running backs, receivers, linemen, we all just keep moving forward.”
ON ATMOSPHERE IN THE STADIUM-“There was a lot of energy seeing all of the fans out there. They were all pumped, and that just got us pumped, and we just kept continuing to make plays.”
ON HIS ROLE WITHIN THE OFFENSE- “This was big for me to step up, I was always ready for my number to be called. I just stepped up.”
ON LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WEEK-“I’m excited. I am going to be back home, and all of my family is going to be there. That’s going to be a good game, but it’s just another game and we’ve got to keep moving forward.”
OLB Drew Lewis
ON THE MOVE BACK TO ILB- “It felt like I was going back to what I was doing last year. I remember still learning what I was supposed to do and getting better on the inside. Shifting to outside linebacker felt like starting a new position. So, it was going back to what I knew, it didn’t make me too nervous at all because I was going back to my old ways.”ON THE PUNT RETURN HIT- “It was pretty bizarre, I got double teamed at first, pushed out of bounds and almost hit Coach Mac (MacIntyre). I kind of just kept on going because I knew that the play was still going on. When I got back in bounds I don’t think #1 (Harry) saw me at all so I just blindsided him. It felt pretty good.”
ON LAST YEAR’S CONTEST INTO THIS GAME- “[Last Year’s Game] Really did cross my mind mid-way through the game. I remember the feeling last year of being up by so much and then letting it go. I felt like part of it was on me, not being able to stop the run. I took that personally, and brought that into the game today. I’m happy with the way the game ended.”
CB Delrick Abrams, Jr.
ON THE FOURTH DOWN STOP- “I knew they were going to come my way because he’s 6’8”. He’s a big receiver. But it cae out our way. It felt great to stop them on fourth down.”ON PLAYING IN FRONT OF 50,000 PEOPLE- “It feels great, you know? Playing in Folsom Field, there’s nothing like it. Making big plays and hearing the stadium get loud; I love playing at Folsom.”
LB Rick Gamboa
ON LOSING LB NATE LANDMAN TO EJECTION-“I think it is pretty much that next man up. We had to move Drew back inside. He played inside all last year so it wasn’t a big adjustment for us. That made Carson Wells have to play more outside linebacker to take place of [LB] Drew (Lewis). I think just having that man up knowing we trust everyone on the defense, having that trust and love for each other. We believe in each other no matter you if you were a two or three to start the game. Once you are on the field, everyone has that trust and belief that you are going to make those plays we need you to make.”ON THE EMOTIONAL TOLL OF LOSING NATE LANDMAN EARLY IN THE GAME–“Emotionally, it hurts just seeing one of your guys have to leave the game. As a defense, it hurts half of the team knowing we are going to have to play the rest of the game without Nate. It definitely hurt. I think after that drive, we were able to go back to the bench we were able to talk things through to see where we kind of messed up. From there, we just kept moving on.”
ON THE DIFFICULTY TO STAY FOCUSED AS THE ATTENTION TO THE BUFFALOES GROW –“I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult. I think it’s more about focus. The attention only comes if we keep winning. Once we lose, if we try to overlook someone, all of the attention goes away like that. The focus is worrying about the team we have in front of us. We are playing the Pac-12 and it is one of the best conferences in the country. It has some of the best teams in the country. You can’t overlook anyone from top to bottom. You can get beat by anyone if you overlook them at any point in time. Coming out every single play, every single week to play is the focus for us.”
ON HAVING THE EXPERIENCE OF LOSING A DEFEDNER TO A TARGETING EJECTION SINCE LAST SEASON-“I remember that game. A few of the guys in the secondary got ejected and [S] Nick (Fisher) came in and made a bunch of good plays for us whether it was third or fourth down. Same with Drew and [LB] Carson (Wells), they both made big plays. Drew made a big tackle for loss in the third quarter. Carson chased down the quarterback. He was chasing down the running back from sideline to sideline. I think having that energy boost of seeing someone come onto the field and bring that energy to the field definitely helps.”
LG Brett Tonz
ON THE FINAL DRIVE- “It was probably one of the greatest feelings. Everybody is counting on you to lead the pack. We were able to move their D-linemen with all of the stunts that they were doing. Every single one of them (the O-line) worked hard every single day in practice, getting to know the stunts and stuff. It is great. There is no greater feeling than running that ball down their throat for the win.”
QB Steven Montez
ON IF HE BROUGHT THE O-LINE TO THE PODIUM TO AVOID BUYING THEM DINNER-“No of course, not. We can go get dinner too. I’ve been telling them, but nobody wants to set up a time. We are going to have to do it this year for sure.”
ON THE PLAY FROM THE O-LINE-“The O-line played absolutely phenomenal today. I think that ASU was coming into this game close to leading the nation in tackles for loss and sacks. I think they had 41 tackles for loss before this game and 18 sacks. Today they only got three tackles for loss and zero sacks. That is absolutely huge for these guys. They played out of their mind and played fantastic.”
ON THE VERSATILITY OF THE O-LINE-“They are very versatile. We do counter, we do trap, and we do zone. We do it all and then when we get into pass protection, they pass protect and there is nobody back there. Even though ASU was bringing pressure, there was no heat. I didn’t feel anything all game long. That just shows you how good this O-line is.”
ON LAVISKA SHENAULT JR.-“Laviska is such a great player. He is in the running for the Heisman. He had an absolute monster game today with four touchdowns, two receiving and two rushing. That’s insane. Me and Viska kind of have that connection because we worked all offseason and all summer. Viska is such a big guy so he can put corners on his back and still make the catch and secure it. He played very good. On those third downs, he did what he does.”
ON GOING ON THE ROAD TO USC AND WASHINGTON-“They are going to be huge games. USC and Washington are two very good teams and are playing very well right now. We just have to approach it exactly how we’ve been approaching it all year. We are going to come in Sunday, watch the film and flush this game out of our system. On Monday, we are right back to work and scheming for USC. It’s just another week for us.”
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR STRONG START-“It is important, it feels good, and everyone is super happy about it right now, but we still have so much work to do. The season doesn’t end today. The Pac-12 Championship isn’t next week. We have to come back, regroup and get back to work just like we always have every week.”
ON THE O-LINE-“There would be no skill guys if it wasn’t for this (the O-line) group right here. There would be no such thing as skill guys. These guys probably have the most skill on our offense as far as I’m concerned.”
ON THE PLAY FROM THE O-LINE-“The O-line played absolutely phenomenal today. I think that ASU was coming into this game close to leading the nation in tackles for loss and sacks. I think they had 41 tackles for loss before this game and 18 sacks. Today they only got three tackles for loss and zero sacks. That is absolutely huge for these guys. They played out of their mind and played fantastic.”
ON THE VERSATILITY OF THE O-LINE-“They are very versatile. We do counter, we do trap, and we do zone. We do it all and then when we get into pass protection, they pass protect and there is nobody back there. Even though ASU was bringing pressure, there was no heat. I didn’t feel anything all game long. That just shows you how good this O-line is.”
ON LAVISKA SHENAULT JR.-“Laviska is such a great player. He is in the running for the Heisman. He had an absolute monster game today with four touchdowns, two receiving and two rushing. That’s insane. Me and Viska kind of have that connection because we worked all offseason and all summer. Viska is such a big guy so he can put corners on his back and still make the catch and secure it. He played very good. On those third downs, he did what he does.”
ON GOING ON THE ROAD TO USC AND WASHINGTON-“They are going to be huge games. USC and Washington are two very good teams and are playing very well right now. We just have to approach it exactly how we’ve been approaching it all year. We are going to come in Sunday, watch the film and flush this game out of our system. On Monday, we are right back to work and scheming for USC. It’s just another week for us.”
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR STRONG START-“It is important, it feels good, and everyone is super happy about it right now, but we still have so much work to do. The season doesn’t end today. The Pac-12 Championship isn’t next week. We have to come back, regroup and get back to work just like we always have every week.”
ON THE O-LINE-“There would be no skill guys if it wasn’t for this (the O-line) group right here. There would be no such thing as skill guys. These guys probably have the most skill on our offense as far as I’m concerned.”
RG Aaron Haigler
ON IF THE WIN WAS A STATEMENT GAME-“I wouldn’t say it was a statement game, but it was something that we were really looking forward to, just because it was this week’s game. Coach Adams (CO-OC/OL coach Klayton Adams) did a really good job of talking about how every week is important. This week was the most important week this year because it was this week. There was that memory of last year’s game, but at the same time it was this week’s game. If we want to do what we want to do and win the Pac-12 Championship, this was a team that was in our way. I thought we did a really good job up front, handling everything.”
ON THE O-LINE UNIT-“Before the game, we brought everyone together and said this is going to be the group we have together for the next five or six months. We just talked about how we were going to be a family, and how this was going to be us every day. We said, ‘Come out here and compete with each other. Let’s have each other’s back no matter what happens.’ That’s not just the offensive line, but this whole team has each other’s backs. When the defense gives up a score, there is no bad blood. When we turn the ball over, there is no bad blood on defense. It is all trying to win a game. That is such a massive and positive attribute that we have on this team. Unity is one of our biggest strengths.”
ON THE O-LINE UNIT-“Before the game, we brought everyone together and said this is going to be the group we have together for the next five or six months. We just talked about how we were going to be a family, and how this was going to be us every day. We said, ‘Come out here and compete with each other. Let’s have each other’s back no matter what happens.’ That’s not just the offensive line, but this whole team has each other’s backs. When the defense gives up a score, there is no bad blood. When we turn the ball over, there is no bad blood on defense. It is all trying to win a game. That is such a massive and positive attribute that we have on this team. Unity is one of our biggest strengths.”
OL Tim Lynott, Jr.
ON STEVEN MONTEZ-“Steven is doing a great job. He has excelled from that year. You can see that he has made improvements. Even in every game this year he has been improving. It is crazy to see how much he has improved from last year. It is great having him back there. He controls the offense. He knows what he is doing and he is passing the ball and making us do what we can do. It’s great. He’s making us look good.”
ON THE LACK OF RECOGNITION FOR THE O-LINE-“We know that when we take care of business up front, that is a part of the skill guys making plays. Whenever we take care of business, the skill guys look good and score touchdowns. We don’t feel very excluded because we know we are part of it.”
ON THE LACK OF RECOGNITION FOR THE O-LINE-“We know that when we take care of business up front, that is a part of the skill guys making plays. Whenever we take care of business, the skill guys look good and score touchdowns. We don’t feel very excluded because we know we are part of it.”
Arizona State Players
QB Manny Wilkins
ON SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS:-“I think Colorado at half made a great adjustment. They started bringing corner blitzes that we weren’t seeing.”ON PIVOTAL SERIES-“I thought I could evade him (Mustafa Johnson on the sack) and then just shoot toward the end zone. I guess the smarter decision would’ve been to just throw it away and leave us there on the one. That’s poor on my part”
ON NOT MAKING PLAYS AT THE END-“I put that on me. That sack in the red zone, I can’t do that. We need to get points there.”
C Cohl Cabral
ON FIRST HALF SCORING-“We were just taking advantage of what they were doing. We understood that we could get the nose locked up in front and part it like the red sea with the tight end moving inside and doubling up to the other backer.”ON NOT SCORING IN RED ZONE-“It’s demoralizing when you get down there and you’re like ‘Ok well do we take the field goal, do we put it in there,’ and then we don’t get it in there and now you’re coming off hoping the defense can get the ball back for you.”