Colorado-Utah Quotes
Sep 20 (Sat)
8:15 p.m.
Colorado Interim Head Coach Mike Sanford
General
“It's a really emotional locker room that I just left. It was obviously not the start that we wanted. Just looking at it, Maddox Kopp in there, our fourth starting quarterback of the season. Which we knew, obviously, never a great situation but even just watching him grow throughout the game, watching him settle in throughout the game I think that's a little bit indicative of our season. When we got to halftime, it was a situation in which nobody felt good about it. I was able to talk to the group about Ben Finneseth of all people and I said to our team at halftime, Ben Finneseth, he went down in a blaze of glory and that's what I wanted to see from the entire team in the second half, and I told the team after the game in the locker room that I don't believe in moral victories normally, but tonight I did. And say what we want, but I was really proud of us coming into the halftime and the spot we were in and at the end of the day, we won the second half. That might sound like you're playing against their backups or their third string players. For that team, that locker room of players, to not only not quit, but actually go fight and put together a really good second half of football, it speaks to exactly what's going on and in that group, and in our business organization right now. It's been fight. It's been character. It's been fighting through all the adversity that we continue to face. Noah Fenske, he came up to me after the game after I was mad at him for the 15-yard penalty after Frank Phillips touchdown. He gave me a hug and he told me, coach he made football fun for me for the first time in my life. It really hit me right between the eyes, so that I told the team that this group of players made football fun for me again. As hard as that probably is to understand on the outside looking in, this profession is really hard. There's a lot of challenges with it and to have a group of players do what they did and continue to fight. I'll never forget this. I'm so grateful to this group of players. It really has been the most enjoyable season of my life. I told him before the game one of my favorite scriptures is, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, and I've kept the faith. I don't think there's anything that could define this group of players, coaches, and everybody inside of these walls more than that. I'm really proud of them.”
On How He Connected With The Team
“When I stood up here and I made a proclamation eight weeks ago, that for the next two months, I was going to make this thing all about the players. I think when I put myself out there that way, there was accountability truly to myself to make it that way. This industry is a cutthroat business. Everybody uses social media to further their own causes. I'm sick and tired of it to be honest. The coaching profession my dad was in from 1976 still even now, but really in that core of the 70s 80s 90s, it this is what the profession was about. It was about relationships. It was about demanding, respect but also building relationships that are transformative and I think when I came out and said I was going to make it about these players. I really truly did that for two months. I think the group of players saw that I was genuine in that as opposed to just speaking with a microphone in front of me and then doing something completely different.”
On Players Not Entering Transfer Portal
“It just shows it shows the character in that locker room, it shows you know the investment from our coaches into those players and those players into our coaches. That is absolutely insane at this stage of the season, being over, is those players believe. They truly believe in the coaches, they believe in the schemes, and usually when you're not having the tangible on field success players start thinking oh it's the play calling and play callers faults, or it's somebody else's fault and truly I've never been a part of adversity in football where that the players believe in the coaches and the coaches believing the players all the way to the bitter end. Of course we all want a different results. We did in this final four game stretch of the season a pretty ridiculous task. What I'm proud of is that we had guys that were playing extremely banged up. Nothing that was worrisome for their football futures. But we were we were playing with a lot of guys that really gutted it out. That just shows to your point, not only that I'm not going to enter the portal, is that I'm going to keep fighting, even if everything externally is negative about what we're doing everything internally is positive. That to me is the biggest accomplishment of this group of players. To not only stay together as a team but also fight to the bitter end and I think tonight was was really indicative of of that theme of this season.”
On Frank Fillip Touchdown
“I told Coach Patterson, Paul, I'm going to get into some extreme sarcasm here. But I told Coach Clay Patterson before the game if you don't call the Frank Fillip pass in the game, I'm going to fire you after the game. You can imagine it's kind of kind of a slapstick statement, but I told the team that in the locker room afterwards, and it was pandemonium in there.”
On The Offensive Line
“I just think just that offensive line group in particular to me is the backbone of this football team. I like I do bed checks every night before the game, road games, home games. It just just the camaraderie that they have together and that I've had the chance to have with them. I mean, there's times where Bryan McGinnis is walking me around, he's trying to keep me on schedule and I get in there with Casey Roddick and Tommy Brown and it's 20 minutes or so in their room, and I just think that their commitment level their love for each other and their love for CU is so real.”
On Making Memories
“I've always said that football is a game that's all about the moments and memories. Obviously the scoreboard wasn't what we want it to be. I told them don't look at the stinking thing for the second half. That is a moment and a memory that Frank Fillip will never forget. That's a moment I guarantee you that Tommy Brown will never forget. Those wins, those little v's, little victories to me, they add up to big W's. And that's something that we've been talking about internally, is we got to celebrate the little v's because we're in a situation where it was gonna be challenging with the schedule that we had. What was coming and our lack of depth at certain places that we we had, to be able to find the joy in those little victories. I'd say that was that was a big victory for the team in terms of just fighting through it.”
On QB Maddox Kopp Starting
“Maddox, he's been a pro since day one. I'll be real candid, there was a time where legitimately he was probably the sixth-string quarterback on our roster. I'm being 100% honest. He went through a pretty long period of time, fall camp, even into the first four weeks of the season where he had the yips throwing the football. I'm talking major yips, whether it was something physical. He told me it was never anything physical but it was to the point and I was honest with him. I said I love your professionalism. I love how well you study the game. But I have to be able to see you make some throws. It's really weird the last two-three weeks. I've watched his growth, throwing the football, his confidence grow. I expected him to play well today because of how he had been growing and because of his management of the offense if you just look at the stats. You don't see it all but snap count. Everything tonight was fairly clean with that regard, managing the shot clock. I had to bang a couple of timeouts. That was more on us as coaches. He managed the game admirably well. But if you think about this, he's playing his first college snap in game 12 against the best defense in our conference. Go get him, kid. But what I loved about it is that you watched him kind of grow into the role as the game went on, and that was to be expected. Right? Utah plays a ton of man coverage, they pressure you. I mean, they blitzed us back to the Stone Age in the first half. In the second half, they kept blitzing us, but I was really proud of just how he competed, the look on his face, the buy-in from the players. I was really, really proud of Maddox. If you think about coming from where he was he probably would have been the sixth quarterback to go into a game two months ago, and now he's out there and arguably played some of the better quarterback play as the game went on that we've seen all year.”
On Why QB J.T. Shrout Didn’t Start
“JT was really banged up. He practiced on Tuesday. He limped around and like I've said from the beginning, it was a decision that was made by myself and by JT. I wanted to give our team the best chance to be successful. I didn't want it to look like he was out there just trying to get it out with a lower leg injury. It wasn’t anything major, nothing that was going to end his career or would have ended his season but he was really banged up. It was really his touchdown run against SC that started it and then he played through it against Washington and it got worse and a couple of hits that he sustained in that game. Then there was a point where I think he just couldn't function at a level where he could get away from the rush. Drew Carter took a little bit of a knock in the Washington game too but ultimately Drew was up. Maddox was up and that was about it. I'm glad we made it through the game because Brady Russell would have gone out with a bang if he would have had to play a little quarterback there at the end. I’m really proud of just how Maddox stepped in and I thought he played very fiercely as the game went on.”
On The Legacy Of This Team
“You know, I think this is a legacy of a senior class that went through more adversity than any other CU Buff senior class in the history of of the program. For them to fight in fourth quarter down, frankly 42 to nothing and find joy in that situation, I think that's their legacy. Staying together, loving each other, making it about what it's really about. It's about these relationships and competition and fighting. We had a moment last night where it was just me and the seniors and it was a team meeting. Terrance Lang got up and said something that that I just I just absolutely loved. He said that from my time here at CU, not only have I grown, but I become a man that can look adversity straight in the face. He said then I'm gonna go punch it in the bleep bleep mouth. I thought about it like that the fact that he at 23 years old can recognize that and understand that no matter what comes his way, he said football and in life. That's a legacy because they finished well. They finished together at the place that they started on the field fighting to the very bitter end, and there's no adversity that's going to get in the way of these guys. I believe that.”
On If Players Are Happy The Season Is Over
“I think it's closure. In terms of knowing that you did fight the fight until the end, that you ran the race until the end. The feeling that I got in that locker room after tonight's game is that there's nobody who's glad the season's over. That's a testament to everybody that was inside of these walls, working their tails off players coaches, support staff, trainers, strength staff, nobody wants to get out of here. I mean, I that's why I'm laid up here, everybody's sticking around and just didn't really want it to end. I'm proud of them that there's no relief. There might be a relief to fans, but not to us. We love being together every day.”
On His Future With The Program
“I told I told Mark Johnson on the radio after after the game, I'm gonna be here. I'm gonna be here for these players. We have our banquet tomorrow. We're gonna go attack the heck out of the banquet. We're gonna fight through adversity in the banquet. And then I'm gonna meet with every single one of the players Monday, Tuesday Wednesday. I'll take a pretty solid break there on Tuesday to watch the third match of the World Cup against Iran. I just want to be here for them to just just love them up, reassure him that everything's gonna be okay. Ultimately, I just want to continue to serve this group of players as long as they'll have me. I think it's important for me to just to be that presence for them and not doing it in a selfish manner. Do it in a way that truly does show them that I care about them no matter what, and I love them no matter what, and I'm here for them no matter what. I'd say that's where I'm at right now. I don't know exactly what the future holds. I'm just glad that I know who holds the future. I do think that's, to me personally, that's bigger than Rick George it's bigger than Phil DiStefano, it's bigger than the President Solomon. I think that is that is where I think my undying faith in this was an assignment I was called to do. I wanted to do this assignment very well, then just trust for whatever lies ahead.”
On Meeting With Every Player
“I think it's gonna be really important for them too. I think that they have a lot of uncertainty and they don't know what to think about, what's going to happen, what's going on. There are going to be all kinds of different ebbs and flows with regard to what the future holds, and who's gonna be here. I just want to be an adult that is here for them and cares for them in that moment. It might be that I don't know what the future holds. I kind of started that process with the players in the locker room after the game just to let them know I'm here for them, period. I think that they really do trust me because I think they've seen that I've been genuine through it all. I just want to be here for them and hear for CU too. Obviously, I'm employed by CU, but I'm employed by CU to serve these players. That's one thing that I think we always have to remember in these positions of coaching, and these positions of leadership at every level of a university. We are in a higher-ed institution and we are called to serve the student body, to serve the student-athletes in our instance and that's what I'm going to continue to do.”
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
“Really dominating performance by our guys, very proud of the way they came out and played. Really good teams finish things the right way and we definitely finished the regular season the right way. A lot of outstanding performances. Ja’Quinden Jackson outstanding, 100 plus yards rushing. Cam Rising who didn't take a snap in the second half was lights out in the first half. Darn near 90% Completion and 200 plus yards. Great job by the line tonight. Blocking things up in the run game. We ended up with 383 yards rushing. Defense played outstanding. Was good to get the twos and the threes in there. The second half they played the vast majority of the second half on both sides of the ball, the twos and threes. Special teams were solid. So, all around a good way to put kind of an exclamation mark on the regular season. At the end, obviously with what's transpired we're in the hunt. We'll see what happens, three things have happened, four had to happen. We got one to go tonight and we'll be rooting hard for the Huskies and see where it takes us. Huskies win, we'll gear up for the game next weekend. If not, then we'll figure out what's next. But regardless, we're very proud of our guys very proud of this football team.”
Outside of the score what worked
“The physicality in the run game. We ran the football with a lot of purpose and violence and anger. The backs were really hitting it up in there. Third downs were really good. We made it tough on both sides of the ball. Defensively, I think they were one of 13 on third down. So really good third down production, really good job running the football, we threw the ball efficiently. You have to look really hard at it to find a negative.”
On Knowing Outcome Of Oregon-Oregon State
“Not until the very end. I saw the score flash up like everyone else did periodically, but the not until deep into the fourth quarter was I getting some feedback from my guy on the sidelines.”
On Cam Rising
He's our leader. There's no question about that. I've said that all season long over and over again. As Cam goes, so goes the offense. He was 17 of 19. I mean, he was extremely sharp in that first half. He did a great job taking care of the football. We put a lot on his plate as far as on the line of scrimmage checks getting us in and out of the right plays depending on the defensive looks. So he's got a lot on his plate as far as decision making pre snap and he does an outstanding job with it.”
On Ja’Quinden Jackson
“Big 225-pound back that can run. You saw him breakaway on that one long one, he's got great speed and it's really a huge positive for us to have him emerging like he is.”
On Playing Colorado
“They're dangerous, every team can be dangerous. You never know what's gonna ignite a team on senior day. Momentum is a funny thing too. If all of a sudden, they make a few plays early and get momentum, we were not taking them for granted and we prepared the right way. We practice hard, and didn't cut back on any of our preparation. We did it exactly how we do it week in and week out. That was our approach. I can't speak for them but that's how we handled it.”
On Tavion Thomas Injury
“He decided that because this thing might be a while, his ligament, his toe or whatever is going on there. It an honest decision. Like I said we support it. I just listen to him and he's got some people back home that are advisors for him, high school coaches and staff that know him very well. They just all were in the same camp and that was the direction they wanted to go and like I said we gave him our vote of confidence on it. Hopefully it'll be alright, it's too early to tell. So far, all the diagnoses and things they've done don't reveal anything that appears to be serious but again, something like this you got to wait a few days and see where it goes.”
On Getting Second and Third Stringers Into The Game
“That's always important. Fortunately, we've had some success through the years where we've been comfortably ahead in fourth quarters and able to get the twos and threes reps quite often. That really pays dividends down the road and gets them that much closer to being ready to be regular guys in the frontline. That's who's going to be the frontline guys eventually when these guys graduate and go move on, those are the guys that that end up stepping forward. To get them as many reps and as much experience as we can is always a very positive thing.”
On How The Backups Played
“They're all big. Everyone is big and to get our ninth winning season and finish seven and two in league play, I'm very proud of these guys. Like I said, the bar is set pretty high here now, and that should not be taken for granted. That's a really good season our guys put together.’’
Colorado Players
TB Anthony Hankerson
ON SEASON TAKE AWAY–“What I got from this season was adversity. This season, we faced a lot of adversity. As a player, I learned how to face adversity, hit it in the face and accomplish what I want. It's been a major learning experience. No, but I feel like God puts us in the toughest battles for a reason for a certain situation. So, I mean, I'm pretty sure me and a the other guys are not in that locker rooms and feed off this season. We know how it feels, and you get a sour taste. Nobody wants to go out there and not give it our all. Fire you know, keep an eye on next season so we come out even harder.”
ON NEW HEAD COACH–“I feel like regardless on whoever comes in here, we all got the same mentality. Everybody in here has one goal in mind, you know, especially for the next season. Whoever comes in here I hope they're going to have great leadership. Whoever comes here, I just hope they know that they got a locker room full of men that are willing to fight in the toughest battle because that's all we faced this year.”
OL Casey Roddick
ON FACING ADVERSITY–“One thing that I know is that adversity challenges your true character. How you handle adversity can be detrimental to you as a person. So I know that this team has dealt with a lot, especially the guys who have been there for five years. We dealt with a lot, but I can say that we've never folded, and never backed down from any fight. I'm proud.”
ON WHAT’S NEXT–“There's going to be an evaluation at the end of the year. I I know that this is my home. Going to the NFL and staying here are two options that I hold. So, I need to talk to my coaches see what see what their best interest is first and foremost. Other than that, I'm excited to go do another round possibly. Obviously, I've seen a lot of people leave, but these are my brothers.”
ON NEW HEAD COACH–“If I left now I’m going to have another head coach regardless. So I mean, at the end of the day, it's still football. We focus on what's and ahead, what's next, and right now. Talks will come up in the future and obviously we'll look at that, but for right now we haven't really spoken about that.”
TE Brady Russell
ON HAVING FUN THROUGH THE SEASON - “I think I think it was fun for sure. But I think most of that's because of the relationships we've had and that we've forged through the adversity that we face year after year after year. Even the guys that came in last year they're coming they didn't transfer for no reason they had to face some kind of adversity that they came here. I said that misery kind of creates the greatest relationships. I think we just found a way to stay together and stick together and love each other through it all”
ON HOW COACH SANFORD CHANGED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON FOOTBALL - “I learned a lot from him for sure. But I think one of the coolest things to me was so much of what he preached is what I believed, but he found a way to instill that into the team. That was probably the coolest thing I saw about Coach Sanford is he could bring joy into chaos and peace and contentment when you shouldn't have any right, like it's been pretty miserable. But for whatever reason we were able to thrive the way we were and fight the way we were which most teams would have folded but I don't think that's the case here.”
ON HOW COACH SANFORD MADE FOOTBALL FUN - “I think the competition everything helped a lot. But to me, it wasn't necessarily the things that he did. But it was a mindset that he preached into the team and carried over to the team. You can have joy in any situation, no matter your circumstances, and that's something I've tried to do all my six years here because they haven't been too great, obviously. But I think it was more of a mindset that he instilled more so than actions that he took.”
ON THIS SENIOR CLASS - “It's been it's been really cool to form relationships with people that guy from southeast Fort Collins is probably never expected to become real close to the guy from Pomona California that has such different backgrounds and as T Lang he's my roommate freshman year. But there's just things that all across the board and that there's probably not a class ever that’s had this crappy of six years, and the amount of stuff we face together. I think our record might not show it, but I'm just proud of the way that everybody stuck around. I'm really proud of those guys. That's the legacy they leave on me. Might not be the legacy they leave on the fans because they're gonna see one and 11 but I know those guys will be able to deal with whatever comes in their life.”
ON WHAT YOU WILL MISS THE MOST - “Pretty cliché, but what I miss most just dudes like Nikko, just all my teammates, my brothers we fought through a lot. It's kind of a broken record, but the things we've been through together, I don't think there's anything that will ever break those relationships.”
ON THE AMOUNT OF SUCCESS AT COLORADO - “I envisioned a lot more success in all reality. I had a lot of belief in myself, I expected a lot more from myself and from this team in all honesty. I know I probably accomplished more than what a lot of people thought I would, coming in my freshman year. But I don't want to say I'm not satisfied because I am proud of the work that I put it in at CU but I’m never going to have a place where I've accomplished everything that I think I could accomplish. There's always more to go more to go for in this world.”
ON WINNING THE BUFFALO HEART AWARD - “It means a ton to me. It’s been around since 1988. That's been here during CU's prime years, so I know that my name is now in the books with some people that I really respect and people that have done a lot for this program. So it's a huge honor to be recognized, I'm really thankful for it.”
CB Nikko Reed
ON HOW COACH SANFORD CHANGED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON FOOTBALL - “There's going to be adversity in your life, you have to find joy in everything you do. Even if you know we might have lost a couple coaches, you still had to find joy and still be able to wake up and play football. So, he just allowed us to open our minds up and remind ourselves there is not just a game it's actually a life learning lesson. There's joy in everything.”
ON COACH CHAPMAN AS A COORDINATOR - “He allowed us to play fast and we were all doing jobs that we he knew we were capable of doing. We weren't always dropping linemen in coverage and stuff like that. Everybody knew what their assignment was and we can execute it to our best ability with the changes of the new defense and just allowed us to play faster.”
ON WHAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO - “What I'm looking forward to is just keep on growing. I'm not worrying about any coaching changes, I’m just worrying about myself and focusing on what I can control. I'm gonna take the offseason, come back and do spring again and keep working.”
ON THE INTERCEPTION - “We had to go out there do our job and that's what I did. After the interception, we just felt the game was much closer. I don't know why but it felt like we were in a hard-fought battle, but it allowed our offense to have the good field position that they needed and getting hands on and we just started fast and the second half, which was way better than how we started first.”
QB Maddox Kopp
ON DEALING WITH RUST-“I mean, of course. I felt like I wanted the first snap to happen right [then], like right when I found out I was starting on Wednesday. I wanted to get hit right [then]. And so, you know, I was just excited. I was ready to play football; I’ve been wanting and dreaming of this my whole life, to go out, run out, start, and to play a little game. Literally, it’s been my dream I really can remember.”
ON WHAT HE LEARNED ABOUT HIMSELF-“I would not have transferred anywhere [else] in the country. I mean, the people that I met here, the experience that I had, the seniors and Tommy was literally one of my best friends I have ever had in life. Some people I live with, it was like, I will have them at my wedding type-of-deal. So, I mean, just those memories, and the relationships that we created. I mean, it sucked, I'm not going to lie. It was horrible, it really was tough. Coach Sanford did a great job of making sure we'd just kind of stay focused. [I had to prepare as if] I was going play every single game, you know?
ON TAKEAWAYS INTO NEXT SEASON-“I mean, just the consistency factor, sometimes the little throws. I just got a little jumpy, I wouldn't set my feet, and stuff like that; little things. But, I mean, I just feel like just going out and playing football is one of the best things you can do in life. And so, I mean, doing it with this group of guys was something I'll never forget.”
ON UNCERTAINTIES FOR FUTURE OF PROGRAM-“For me, honestly, [the team is] just kind of waiting to see what happens. We’re all meeting with these coaches this upcoming week. I love these guys, and they taught me some of the basic things in football. The foundation of my knowledge of football came from these guys. It was like a little classroom, and I mean, I just have no idea. We're going to just kind of take it day-by-day, and hopefully, you know, the people upstairs can really make a good decision and we can ride behind that.”
LB Guy Thomas
ON HIS NEXT STEPS-“Yeah, what’s next for me is just finishing out school. I still have two classes to finish. For my master’s program, I’m planning on achieving a master's degree in TV in December, and then after that, pretty much just trying to take advantage of any opportunities that are still in front of me.”
ON TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS SEASON-“There was definitely a lot of adversity moving up into the season. But, for what I [can take away], just to keep my head down, to stay solid and to stay true to who I am, to remember who I am. [I’m just going to] continue to work, even if things are not looking that well, just continuing to do the things that may, I guess, characterize my character.
ON LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS FUTURE-“I’ve always wanted to give back to my community, to give back and be a mentor. Any type role model, for you know, the youth in our community or just any youth.”
ON WHAT HE’D LIKE TO SEE FROM NEXT COACH-“Just great leadership, pretty much. That's pretty much what I would like to see out of the new staff. A coaching staff that can bring the guys together as one unit. You know, that's pretty much it, just great leadership.”
Utah Players
QB Cameron Rising
ON THE GAMEPLAN TO NOT OVERLOOK COLORADO- “Finish strong. It's the last game of the regular season and we wanted to come out and just do what we trained for, finish the game, and finish the season.”
RB Ja’Quinden Jackson
easy money for him.”
ON HIS PLAY TODAY- “I’m satisfied, I feel like I could have played better in some areas, but it was an OK game for me.”