Colorado-Arizona Quotes
vs
Arizona
Nov 1 (Sat)
TBA
Postgame Quotes
Arizona vs. Colorado, Nov. 11, 2023, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Head Coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders
Opening statement
“Oh, let’s thank the lord for playing to the best of our ability. Fought hard, played tough, and just had a wonderful conversation with the team as well as the seniors who will never get to play here again. I apologize on behalf of just myself, the staff, and the support staff that we didn't send them out right in which we wanted to, they deserve it. I'm apologizing to the fan base, they've been supporting the heck out of us and they've been showing up and showing out another sellout crowd that ended in disappointment.
“We're so close is what I told the team but yet so far. We just simply surely don’t know how to win yet and it’s not for lack of effort, not for lack of coaching with the staff or the support staff, the trainers and strength conditioning, and everybody around is doing a phenomenal job, we just can't get over that hump. Another game, right there and I don't know from your vantage point, your viewpoint but it seemed like we were the better team and we just couldn't get it done. The best thing about it is that in our first year, we haven't even been here a year, but we're right there. I mean, we're right there in all these darn games except the one that we got our butts slaughtered in Oregon, that we've had an opportunity to win.
“Defensively we surrendered a lot of yards rushing 207. Thank God we ran for 77 yards. I don't think we clipped that in a minute. [QB] Shedeur was efficient and effective, receivers did a pretty good thing, we had a couple of drops out there, but the defense we weren't consistent as we've been the last two games. Our punter was phenomenal. [P] Mark [Vassett] is unbelievable, he's a pro and [K Alejandro] Mata finally missed, I love him though. I love him though, I love him to life and he's been knocking it down for us all year so he is certainly not to blame because he's one of the reasons we were in the game consistently every week, but I really hated for our fan base because they deserve so much better and we're going to give them better. We're going to give them better, but we're close. We're really close and hope they can see it. I hope you can see it, I hope the country can see that we have no quit in us, seriously. They came here ready to play, they really did. We came up short.”
On the decisions at the end of the fourth quarter (whether to let Arizona score)
“They're not stupid enough to do that. They downed the ball. The quarterback ran up the middle and took a knee.”
On the second to last play of the game
“We’re still fighting. We are still fighting to that point. We're still fighting, we're not thinking about letting them score a touchdown at that point because now you're thinking to hold them to a field goal because you go and get a field goal and you’re back in the game, you tie the game. So you're not thinking that at that point.”
On the decision to throw rather than run on a late 3rd-and-1 in the fourth quarter
“You’ve been watching us all season right, thank you?”
On teaching how to eliminate the little mistakes
“Discipline. That's discipline on the field, discipline off the field, the undisciplined off the field, if you’re undisciplined off the field, those little moments and those little penalties are costly because, at the end of the day, they add up. They had more yards and penalties than we did but we had 11 penalties. They had 8 for 87 yards, we had 11 for 83 yards. We won the time of possession by seven minutes and so we controlled the clock, we controlled the ball, we just came up short, but those costly little penalties, those little knucklehead plays are going to cost you every time.”
On if the pass protection has improved
“I think he [Sheduer Sanders] was only sacked three times. I think three times last week. Just do the math, I feel like it's an improvement. So I praised the line all game long. He's challenging them to go to another level during the game, but I praised them all game long out there on the field for the protection. They gave us a clean pocket at times, the times he had to scramble you're going to do that because the opposing team is going to blitz sometimes, but overall, I really think they've improved tremendously.”
On being out of synch during 3rd & 1 at the end of the fourth quarter
“No, not really. I didn't see it that way. I'm in the headset and I hear what they're calling. I know what they want to do. I didn't see it that way at all.”
On the off-the-field antics on social media of Arizona players
“That's a young man taking advantage of his moment. It is what it is.”
On if he's reached success this season
“In many aspects, certainly. Certainly. I’m trying to watch my words. Certainly. I feel as though every time these fans come into the stadium there's an expectation for us to win. I think there's progress. I wasn’t here last year, but I'm pretty sure I've talked to some people that I know pretty well, I think there's tremendous progress. We have consistency in several positions that are phenomenal and I truly feel that there's progress. We have inconsistencies in some positions that we can fix. We know the problem, we identified it, and we're going to fix it. That's progress because we know what the problem is, and we have the aptitude to fix it, so I really feel like we're underachieving from my standards, but when you really look at it, I'm pretty sure you see a better football team out on the field each and every Saturday. Just ask the fans.”
On the role that game management plays –
“Everything needs tightening, I mean, I'm not perfect. We're not perfect by any means. You've always second-guessed everything. But if you're on a headset and you hear things and you're seeing what's happening and you know your shortcomings and the positive that you have, you may have a different perspective. If you can hear and see what's transpired. 11 penalties played a tremendous role. And they're not coached to do that. So please take that into consideration. They're not coached to hit a quarterback late. They are not coached to jump outside. They're not coached to hold. Nobody does that. That just happens. That is a part of the game. We just got to be a little more disciplined in those moments.”
On the cornerbacks –
“Travis Hunter has been a lot more focused and understanding of the expectation and what we want from him. We've challenged him tremendously all year long, and he's stood up to the task over the last week and a half. I'm proud of Cormani McClain, I am. He's come a long way just to get on the field and stay on the field consistently. And I hadn't watched the film yet but I saw with the naked eye that he played a viable game. And with his play, we could have won.”
On his message to the team about bowl eligibility –
“It's not about in the next two games. It's about one game at a time. It's about doing the little things to win one game at a time. It's about winning the personal battles one play at a time. It's about dominating the guy in front of you, flipping the guy in front of you, and being successful versus the guy in front of you. And then when you get 11 persons on the same page to do that, then that player is successful. So you got to win to down. We got to win the series. We got to win the quarter, we got to win the half, then we win the game. After we win the game, we do it all over again. So we're not thinking about bowls. We are thinking about doing what we need to do to improve. And each week I see improvement in certain areas. But we sit up here week in and week out. And it's the situation where we could have won we could have won. We could have won the darn game. And I like that we should have won. I'm tired of how we could have won. I’m tired of that part. We should have won. There ain't no losing in me. Losing doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn't rock well with me and don't lay down with me. We have some phenomenal men in that locker room that feel the same way. We just have to be a lot more disciplined understand what's at hand and stand up to the task on every darn play. And we're going to get there. I promise you. I don’t know when, but we're going to get there.”
On the rationale behind punting the 4th and short –
“What if you don't get those? What else? The other team gets momentum. They go down to score. Now you said ‘Oh my god.’ You're going to second-guess every damn thing. I'm at practice every day. I know these young men. I'm on the headsets I hear to call. I know what's transpiring right there. I know the feeling and the mood of the team. It just so happens that I think we punted the ball to two, and then we held them and they had to punt. And then scored after that. I think it was a pretty good decision. I don't need you to slap me on my back because I'm good because my arms can reach back there. But I just want you to understand these decisions are based on knowledge. We're not guessing. They're based on what we do in practice in the situations we have in practice. I have situations in practice that I will say fourth and one on this yard line. Now we don't get it consecutively. What do you think I'm going to do in the game? Punt it. And that's what I did.”
On coach Pat Shurmur –
“We're not as tempo as we once were. Because instead of going fast, I wanted to get it right. And they did a phenomenal job. They did a good enough job to win. We just have to support them defensively. That's it. I think he called it a phenomenal game. He really did. They call it a phenomenal game because it's a collaborative effort when you hear it on the set, they're working together as one and they're unified. So it was a great effort. We're not at odds around here. I don't play that. I got to do what's best for this fan base, the school, and for our team. The decisions I make I feel like it's best for us going forward and that's why I make them it's okay for you to guess second I don't mind that. Because I've been second-guessed my whole life. I don't give a darn really I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep because you second-guess what I did and what I do, but I make decisions not based on emotions. I make decisions based on facts, feelings, knowledge understanding, and tremendous wisdom. That's why I make decisions.”
On playing complementary football –
“We still hadn't shown up together in one game yet. What I mean by that is the offense played their butts off the defense here butts off and special teams played their butts off. We still haven't done it as of yet. But it was close; the special team did their part. Shoot, what we scored 31 points. That should be enough to win the football game that was the challenge that I gave them at the beginning of the week. I said guys, we need to score at least 31 points because based on what they surrender and what they score on the roll, you come up with all these calculations and narrow it down and say, " okay, this is what they normally do. They've been a consistent team. So that was the number 31. And I feel like we would win if we scored 31 points, and came up short.”
Colorado Players
Shedeur Sanders, Jr, QB
On overall emotions right now
"Really just go back and watch the film and see what we could have done better. That's it."
On winning the Buffalo Heart Award today and if that means anything
"Yeah initially, I didn't really know what it was, but when a gentleman explained it to me, it definitely fit the description. It definitely fit me, so I'm glad I was elected to receive that award. It means a lot that they understand what I'm going through day to day. I'm pushing through mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm just very proud they are able to see that too. They don't have to worry about me letting them down."
On if his timing has improved over the course of the season
"No, it's really just getting back on track from where we left off. I feel like I was able to see the field, but I definitely missed a couple throws. I'm just going out there with a different type of swag and attitude. Knowing that they don't even belong on the field with me. That's what goes in my mind when going out on that field. I'm just excited to be back out there and be myself again. It's all about having fun, and I had a lot of fun today."
On if he was doing better this week pain wise
"I did the proper things during the week to make sure it wouldn't be a factor. You have to mentally prepare yourself all week. No matter what, it's going to hurt. Going into it knowing the worst of the pain, you have already felt. Now it is what it is."
On the offense getting more traction today
"Yes, we definitely were able to get more traction. We just got to be more consistent. That is the difference between scoring 31 points and 50. It's just consistency. You don't know what play is going to determine the game. The game is not going to be handed to us. Somebody has got to make a play, and we just came up short."
On if he feels more comfortable with Shurmur calling the game
"It's just spending more time. You have to go through real work together, for him to be able to be successful. Last week was Coach Shurmur's first week, so we definitely messed up on a lot of things. It's not just him and that's what I told both of them. It's not them. It's on us as players. We got to be able to execute no matter what. Nobody is going to be able to be perfect. We have to have the type of mindset that no matter what, we're going to get this."
On taking more control today
"It was more just going into the week, knowing my mobility was going to be limited. That's the main thing, and that's why I say it's different this week. Not really relying on your athletic ability, not relying on being able to escape or scramble. Just relying on going through your reads, and understanding what you're seeing. All of that plays a part in it."
On if he was able to meet back up with Montana
"Yeah, I'm not going to go give him a big, proud hug. We were opponents at the time. I talk to him often."
On if the Stanford loss has had a lingering effect on this team
“I don’t even remember anything from the Stanford game, but we lost. Had an L on that. Other than that I don’t remember the Stanford game at all.”
On surpassing 3,000 passing yards this season and 10,000 in his career
“That’s the expectation. It feels like nothing. I did it every year I was in college 3,000 yards so this proves you could come from anywhere and go to a different division, go play on a different level on a different stage and be able to do it. I really feel like it should be inspiration towards other FCS players knowing all it takes is you just have an opportunity to do it on a bigger stage. You're gonna be able to keep doing the same thing you were doing at the FCS level.”
On the celebration penalty
“It wasn't a celebration penalty. It had nothing to do with celebrating. When I see somebody on my teammate, on my brother and we already scored, we already did what we had to do so whenever you’re doing extra I'm not going for that. So if somebody's doing extra I'm gonna get them off of them because I'm not gonna sit there and watch my brother when anything happens to him I'm not gonna do that. So that's just me as a person. I told Coach Prime and he was like I understand. But that's just the attitude I have as a human being. If I'm doing real work with any one of those guys out there and somebody you could watch anytime Weaver gets hit and gets up slow or somebody on the sideline I'm not gonna let them just sit there and just get the best of them because I wouldn't want anybody to do that to me.”
On talking to the refs towards the end of the game
“I felt like I got hit so hard in the back of my head. That's what I felt like so that’s it you can't really blame anything on a call but that's really what I was talking about. He gave me a little migraine. I gotta go home and eat some food.”
On the importance of the running game
“I view it as great. I definitely view it as great but you got to understand how the teams are playing you and what your strengths and what your weaknesses are. If you're not very strong running the ball, why would you do that? So that's just what it is. If you trust me with the ball in my hands and going out there and making a play then that's just what it is. It's either hand because if you run the ball three times in a row even on that third and one. We ran the ball right there and we didn't get it. Then it's why didn’t you throw the ball? So it goes either way it just depends on how momentum is going, how everything’s going, but I never hate on another man and what he's able to do. So if that's their strength, able to turn around, hand the ball off and go 45 yards then that’s on them. That ain't got nothing to do with me.”
On not being able to win close games
“It's definitely frustrating but we look at the game, understand what we did good and just be strict on ourselves throughout the whole game, grade and watch it and just prepare for the next week. You can't really go in a dark hole and you can't go in a dark tunnel when you’re having a season like this because nothing will ever be perfect in life and so you got to take the good, you got to take the bad so that's what I take from all this is just keep being consistent, keep playing the game, keep doing my job, keep doing everything we could do to be able to have success. It's gonna finally click but I’m definitely tired of these conversations too. I'm feeling you.”
Arizona Head Coach Jedd Fisch
Opening Statement
“It was a really good team. It was a really good game. First of all, hats off to coach Sanders in his team. Think he's done a great job in a short amount of time building an outstanding program. I know it's just going to continue to get better. Each week, you could see how hard they play. That was a really good football team that we just played. That game came down all the way to the end. And I have all the respect in the world for Coach prime as you all know, love our team love the way our team battles in the fourth quarter. Love the way our team embraces the physicality at the end of the games. Guys are guys are enjoying playing football around here. And it's nice. It's nice for Arizona to be 7-3. We won nine of the last 13 or so and sitting here now in a situation and being back home for our final game senior day and I hope it'll be sold out and I think it'd be a fantastic game, two ranked teams. I would assume Utah and us and we are really excited about the way our program is going and the way we played today.”
With the adversity your team faced, what do you think your team showed today?
“Yeah, I mean, I don't know how much adversity it was. We were down 7-0 and then it was seven-all and then 14-7, and then I think 14-14 and at the halftime we were down 24-17 And then we drove down and three plays to tie it up to make it 24-24 and then I think they scored to make it 31-24 And we scored 31 and that's a good football game. They were never down in the whole game. They were never down. And then at the end of the game, I think we'd like five minutes and 28 seconds left or so we got the ball and used all five minutes and 20 seconds, we gave Montana game ball for going down at the one. I thought that was great. And gave us a chance to use all the clock there to kick the field goal with no time left.”
And then what was the strategy in that last drive there?
“Well, really if you look at the way we've finished these games recently, now we like to use all the clock there at the end. If a team wants to give us the ball with six minutes left, we want to use it all and we felt we could make the run in the past as needed. Keep the ball in bounds. I thought we had a first down the drive before they said that T-Mac (Teratoia McMillan) went backwards after he caught it past the line. Then one of the rarest moves of all time on a third-and-two T-Mac didn't come down with that ball. So we had to get a great defensive stop there to give us the ball back and then we wanted to use all of it at the end.”
Thoughts on Jonah Coleman?
“Pretty impressive. 11 carries for 179 yards. Jonah Coleman is a fantastic running back. He is going to be a captain in our program. I'm sure starting next year. He is a leader in our program. He trusted us in that class of 22. You look at it right and you look at the way the game went and you know Noah from that recruiting class, speedy luke with the kick return, T-Mac with nine catches, and then Jonah Coleman in that recruiting class, and then defensively I think Isaiah Ward had a sack in that game. So they've done just an incredible job building this program up with that group.”
What has happened that your team has come together and put together this win streak? Can you give some kind of a trend or what have you seen?
“We've lost three games this year. And by 16 combined points, two of which were in overtime. And I think when we lost the triple overtime game to USC, the guys didn’t want to lose again. That was a heartbreaking loss in a situation where we felt we were in a good spot. Our guys believe once I think you lose by a touchdown to Washington and you lose by two in triple overtime to USC, you start realizing you belong and when you play with confidence and belonging, you play better than you did the week before and each week we're walking in. This was a tough environment with a sold out crowd on the road, and our guys walked in with great confidence.”
How fortunate was it Montana went down at the one?
“Yeah, I mean, it was very unique, I thought we did score. And then when we didn't score now you're on the one and now you're doing quick math, and you're trying to figure out exactly what to do. I mean, I think if we scored it went up 38-31, that gives them a chance to have the ball with a minute twenty-four something like that. They would have had a timeout and now it's a whole different ball game. Clearly we were fortunate that we went down at the one.”
What was the play call to get you to the one?
“Well they went blitz cover zero so we had to check for a zero blitz there.”
How has Montana fit in with the team?
“He's done a nice job for us. He's got a great demeanor about himself. He's really done a nice job of jumping in and in a spot. We had a vacated Z receiver spot and he's done a great job of coming in, filling that gap and being able to really help us extensively plays a ton of reps.”
How was Noah able to clean it up in the second half?
“I said I think you got to give a ton of credit to Jaden in that first quarter. He went up to Noah after each series. Noah I think started 3 for 10 and maybe 8 for 18 and the two of them and he just kept supporting them and kept telling him I understand what you saw. You're doing a fantastic job, keep it up and when you hear it from a player versus a coach, you know, it's just stronger, just better. Probably my tolerance isn't as good as let's call it a player's tolerance. And Noah just kept kind of watering the plant a little bit and kept telling him hey, we're good. You're good. I think when you saw the way he came back in the second half I think he wound up being far more efficient, more like what we expected. We made some big time plays, big time throws, hit T-Mac and some incredible spots and just controlled the second half of the game but I really do believe that their camaraderie makes a huge difference in being able to handle adversity.”
What is the update on Martell Irby and Jacob Cowing?
“They held [Jacob] Cowing out for the remainder of the game. I would expect him back for the game next week. Or maybe we'll just have to wait and see what it looks like. But I don't think either one will affect next Saturday.”
Thoughts on the pass rush today and Justin Flowe’s status?
“I think Shedeur ran it 13 times this game, a lot of it was scrambling. I would say with the Shedeur the play goes a long time. He is not easy to bring down and he has an ability to have a 5-6-7 second pocket movement deal and I think we tried to get to him. I think we're close to getting to him. Most of the time we use a Four man rush because of how good the receivers are, that we had to use coverage. I don't know how many total tackles for losses or negative plays we had but I do know that at the right time we got the right stops.”
You've been held up as an example of how to turn a program in the third year you're in for a bowl and ranked How does that feel? And what can you say to Colorado fans who are wondering how to do it?
“I think everybody does it differently. Everyone has a different approach on how they want to do it. I would not be worried if I was a Colorado fan. I think they have a fantastic head coach that is going to do just great. Their still two games away from a bowl and can still make it. And then the other part of it, I would say for us what I'm most proud of is the trust and belief of our players. I think the biggest thing you have to do is get your players to believe in what you're trying to get done. And you have to build strong relationships and our whole process is about family values and families and taking care of one another and embracing very hard work. We don't make it easy. We don't change. We do things the hard way. And I think our guys are getting better. And if you get better, you're gonna start winning more games.”
Arizona Players
Bill Norton, Sr., DT
On what the message was to defense at halftime
“We have to keep going. Missed opportunities, we can’t keep doing that. We had to just keep chopping it, get out, and let the offense do their thing.”
On how they would compare/contrast Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders based on other QB’s
“He’s a great athlete, he’s good. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the country for a reason, and we all respected that. We all knew that coming into this, I thought it was a pretty good game.”
On how big of a win this was for the team
“I think that any away games are big games, especially when they have an atmosphere like this - it’s a loud environment. Any away games like this where we can get a win, that’s a huge game for both offense and defense.
On the vibe after the game & rallying around Tyler Loop
“Yeah, we were definitely excited for Tyler. He’s awesome, he doesn’t ever miss. We were all very confident in him that he was going to sink that, no problem. We’re very excited about that.
On what they proved today
“I think we have some fighters on the team. Being in a tough situation, being down and stuff. No one ever gave up. No one ever thought it was gonna be over anytime soon. And we also have a lot of stuff to work on following that.”
On what he thinks about the defense today, and what they need to improve upon
“I think that we need to finish more. I think we left a lot of stuff out there on the field. Some missed opportunities. We had some chances where people could have made plays. Maybe they should have made plays and couldn't pull it down. But that's what we have to circle back on this week. Forgot what we did wrong. Figure out how we can finish off these games.”
On if there are any thoughts about a let down
“I think that we treat pretty much every opponent the same. We kind of just stayed in tunnel vision. We have low rankings. No one even really celebrated that because that's not really what we're going for. We're not trying to get ranked. We're trying to achieve every goal that we've set out to get before the season. And we just look at everybody the same and keep chopping at it.”
On what are the young players showing in practice
“Yeah, they've improved tremendously just throughout the course of the season. With both of them being young dudes like that, especially Lane and Dom. They just keep improving. We had a few injuries during the game. People get banged up, and when their number is called, they're ready for it. I'm confident we have some of the best depth in the country. Their jersey was called, and they answered it.”
Jonah Coleman, So., RB
On talking to Montana (Lemonious-Craig) before the game
“Yeah, he told us how it was, but at the end of the day, we didn’t care. We just wanted to come and do our job and execute…and we took it personal.”
On how big of a win this was for the team
“It’s always hard to win on the road. An atmosphere like this, we didn't know what to expect. They got all the celebrities and the outside noise, so staying focused was kind of a challenge when we came in here, but we were able to do it.”
On getting past the line in big gaps
“Physical team.”
On having T Raymond Polido back
“Amazing. He's a young guy and he's gonna be a great player. Just keep trusting. He had a couple of injuries, a couple bangs, but it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. He took rehab seriously, now his play is showing up on the field.”
On how he would assess Noah Fifita after the first drive of the game
“Nothing really, the same guy. No matter what happens on that drive, Noah is always gonna walk on the field with that confidence that we're gonna score and we're gonna go drive down. We always focus on the play that we're playing and we play the next play.”
On how big of a win this was for the team
“It’s always hard to win on the road. An atmosphere like this, we didn't know what to expect. They got all the celebrities and the outside noise, so staying focused was kind of a challenge when we came in here, but we were able to do it.”
On the vibe after the game & rallying around Tyler Loop:
“Practice and execution is game reality. He pressure kicks literally almost every day, so he’s prepared for moments like this and he executed.”
On what they proved
“I feel like that we show that we finish every game, just because what happened in the first quarter is not gonna affect what we do in the fourth quarter. When the fourth quarter hits, we bring it up. We know it's our time. It's been like that the whole season.”
On having 170 yards, what did you like about how you were able to run today
“First off, I want to thank God. We're all humans. And that it’s possible. And that's really it. Trusting, practicing hard, and finishing. All that comes with it. We had a great week of preparation. We knew the plan going in and we executed it and kept fighting.”
Arizona vs. Colorado, Nov. 11, 2023, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Head Coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders
Opening statement
“Oh, let’s thank the lord for playing to the best of our ability. Fought hard, played tough, and just had a wonderful conversation with the team as well as the seniors who will never get to play here again. I apologize on behalf of just myself, the staff, and the support staff that we didn't send them out right in which we wanted to, they deserve it. I'm apologizing to the fan base, they've been supporting the heck out of us and they've been showing up and showing out another sellout crowd that ended in disappointment.
“We're so close is what I told the team but yet so far. We just simply surely don’t know how to win yet and it’s not for lack of effort, not for lack of coaching with the staff or the support staff, the trainers and strength conditioning, and everybody around is doing a phenomenal job, we just can't get over that hump. Another game, right there and I don't know from your vantage point, your viewpoint but it seemed like we were the better team and we just couldn't get it done. The best thing about it is that in our first year, we haven't even been here a year, but we're right there. I mean, we're right there in all these darn games except the one that we got our butts slaughtered in Oregon, that we've had an opportunity to win.
“Defensively we surrendered a lot of yards rushing 207. Thank God we ran for 77 yards. I don't think we clipped that in a minute. [QB] Shedeur was efficient and effective, receivers did a pretty good thing, we had a couple of drops out there, but the defense we weren't consistent as we've been the last two games. Our punter was phenomenal. [P] Mark [Vassett] is unbelievable, he's a pro and [K Alejandro] Mata finally missed, I love him though. I love him though, I love him to life and he's been knocking it down for us all year so he is certainly not to blame because he's one of the reasons we were in the game consistently every week, but I really hated for our fan base because they deserve so much better and we're going to give them better. We're going to give them better, but we're close. We're really close and hope they can see it. I hope you can see it, I hope the country can see that we have no quit in us, seriously. They came here ready to play, they really did. We came up short.”
On the decisions at the end of the fourth quarter (whether to let Arizona score)
“They're not stupid enough to do that. They downed the ball. The quarterback ran up the middle and took a knee.”
On the second to last play of the game
“We’re still fighting. We are still fighting to that point. We're still fighting, we're not thinking about letting them score a touchdown at that point because now you're thinking to hold them to a field goal because you go and get a field goal and you’re back in the game, you tie the game. So you're not thinking that at that point.”
On the decision to throw rather than run on a late 3rd-and-1 in the fourth quarter
“You’ve been watching us all season right, thank you?”
On teaching how to eliminate the little mistakes
“Discipline. That's discipline on the field, discipline off the field, the undisciplined off the field, if you’re undisciplined off the field, those little moments and those little penalties are costly because, at the end of the day, they add up. They had more yards and penalties than we did but we had 11 penalties. They had 8 for 87 yards, we had 11 for 83 yards. We won the time of possession by seven minutes and so we controlled the clock, we controlled the ball, we just came up short, but those costly little penalties, those little knucklehead plays are going to cost you every time.”
On if the pass protection has improved
“I think he [Sheduer Sanders] was only sacked three times. I think three times last week. Just do the math, I feel like it's an improvement. So I praised the line all game long. He's challenging them to go to another level during the game, but I praised them all game long out there on the field for the protection. They gave us a clean pocket at times, the times he had to scramble you're going to do that because the opposing team is going to blitz sometimes, but overall, I really think they've improved tremendously.”
On being out of synch during 3rd & 1 at the end of the fourth quarter
“No, not really. I didn't see it that way. I'm in the headset and I hear what they're calling. I know what they want to do. I didn't see it that way at all.”
On the off-the-field antics on social media of Arizona players
“That's a young man taking advantage of his moment. It is what it is.”
On if he's reached success this season
“In many aspects, certainly. Certainly. I’m trying to watch my words. Certainly. I feel as though every time these fans come into the stadium there's an expectation for us to win. I think there's progress. I wasn’t here last year, but I'm pretty sure I've talked to some people that I know pretty well, I think there's tremendous progress. We have consistency in several positions that are phenomenal and I truly feel that there's progress. We have inconsistencies in some positions that we can fix. We know the problem, we identified it, and we're going to fix it. That's progress because we know what the problem is, and we have the aptitude to fix it, so I really feel like we're underachieving from my standards, but when you really look at it, I'm pretty sure you see a better football team out on the field each and every Saturday. Just ask the fans.”
On the role that game management plays –
“Everything needs tightening, I mean, I'm not perfect. We're not perfect by any means. You've always second-guessed everything. But if you're on a headset and you hear things and you're seeing what's happening and you know your shortcomings and the positive that you have, you may have a different perspective. If you can hear and see what's transpired. 11 penalties played a tremendous role. And they're not coached to do that. So please take that into consideration. They're not coached to hit a quarterback late. They are not coached to jump outside. They're not coached to hold. Nobody does that. That just happens. That is a part of the game. We just got to be a little more disciplined in those moments.”
On the cornerbacks –
“Travis Hunter has been a lot more focused and understanding of the expectation and what we want from him. We've challenged him tremendously all year long, and he's stood up to the task over the last week and a half. I'm proud of Cormani McClain, I am. He's come a long way just to get on the field and stay on the field consistently. And I hadn't watched the film yet but I saw with the naked eye that he played a viable game. And with his play, we could have won.”
On his message to the team about bowl eligibility –
“It's not about in the next two games. It's about one game at a time. It's about doing the little things to win one game at a time. It's about winning the personal battles one play at a time. It's about dominating the guy in front of you, flipping the guy in front of you, and being successful versus the guy in front of you. And then when you get 11 persons on the same page to do that, then that player is successful. So you got to win to down. We got to win the series. We got to win the quarter, we got to win the half, then we win the game. After we win the game, we do it all over again. So we're not thinking about bowls. We are thinking about doing what we need to do to improve. And each week I see improvement in certain areas. But we sit up here week in and week out. And it's the situation where we could have won we could have won. We could have won the darn game. And I like that we should have won. I'm tired of how we could have won. I’m tired of that part. We should have won. There ain't no losing in me. Losing doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn't rock well with me and don't lay down with me. We have some phenomenal men in that locker room that feel the same way. We just have to be a lot more disciplined understand what's at hand and stand up to the task on every darn play. And we're going to get there. I promise you. I don’t know when, but we're going to get there.”
On the rationale behind punting the 4th and short –
“What if you don't get those? What else? The other team gets momentum. They go down to score. Now you said ‘Oh my god.’ You're going to second-guess every damn thing. I'm at practice every day. I know these young men. I'm on the headsets I hear to call. I know what's transpiring right there. I know the feeling and the mood of the team. It just so happens that I think we punted the ball to two, and then we held them and they had to punt. And then scored after that. I think it was a pretty good decision. I don't need you to slap me on my back because I'm good because my arms can reach back there. But I just want you to understand these decisions are based on knowledge. We're not guessing. They're based on what we do in practice in the situations we have in practice. I have situations in practice that I will say fourth and one on this yard line. Now we don't get it consecutively. What do you think I'm going to do in the game? Punt it. And that's what I did.”
On coach Pat Shurmur –
“We're not as tempo as we once were. Because instead of going fast, I wanted to get it right. And they did a phenomenal job. They did a good enough job to win. We just have to support them defensively. That's it. I think he called it a phenomenal game. He really did. They call it a phenomenal game because it's a collaborative effort when you hear it on the set, they're working together as one and they're unified. So it was a great effort. We're not at odds around here. I don't play that. I got to do what's best for this fan base, the school, and for our team. The decisions I make I feel like it's best for us going forward and that's why I make them it's okay for you to guess second I don't mind that. Because I've been second-guessed my whole life. I don't give a darn really I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep because you second-guess what I did and what I do, but I make decisions not based on emotions. I make decisions based on facts, feelings, knowledge understanding, and tremendous wisdom. That's why I make decisions.”
On playing complementary football –
“We still hadn't shown up together in one game yet. What I mean by that is the offense played their butts off the defense here butts off and special teams played their butts off. We still haven't done it as of yet. But it was close; the special team did their part. Shoot, what we scored 31 points. That should be enough to win the football game that was the challenge that I gave them at the beginning of the week. I said guys, we need to score at least 31 points because based on what they surrender and what they score on the roll, you come up with all these calculations and narrow it down and say, " okay, this is what they normally do. They've been a consistent team. So that was the number 31. And I feel like we would win if we scored 31 points, and came up short.”
Colorado Players
Shedeur Sanders, Jr, QB
On overall emotions right now
"Really just go back and watch the film and see what we could have done better. That's it."
On winning the Buffalo Heart Award today and if that means anything
"Yeah initially, I didn't really know what it was, but when a gentleman explained it to me, it definitely fit the description. It definitely fit me, so I'm glad I was elected to receive that award. It means a lot that they understand what I'm going through day to day. I'm pushing through mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm just very proud they are able to see that too. They don't have to worry about me letting them down."
On if his timing has improved over the course of the season
"No, it's really just getting back on track from where we left off. I feel like I was able to see the field, but I definitely missed a couple throws. I'm just going out there with a different type of swag and attitude. Knowing that they don't even belong on the field with me. That's what goes in my mind when going out on that field. I'm just excited to be back out there and be myself again. It's all about having fun, and I had a lot of fun today."
On if he was doing better this week pain wise
"I did the proper things during the week to make sure it wouldn't be a factor. You have to mentally prepare yourself all week. No matter what, it's going to hurt. Going into it knowing the worst of the pain, you have already felt. Now it is what it is."
On the offense getting more traction today
"Yes, we definitely were able to get more traction. We just got to be more consistent. That is the difference between scoring 31 points and 50. It's just consistency. You don't know what play is going to determine the game. The game is not going to be handed to us. Somebody has got to make a play, and we just came up short."
On if he feels more comfortable with Shurmur calling the game
"It's just spending more time. You have to go through real work together, for him to be able to be successful. Last week was Coach Shurmur's first week, so we definitely messed up on a lot of things. It's not just him and that's what I told both of them. It's not them. It's on us as players. We got to be able to execute no matter what. Nobody is going to be able to be perfect. We have to have the type of mindset that no matter what, we're going to get this."
On taking more control today
"It was more just going into the week, knowing my mobility was going to be limited. That's the main thing, and that's why I say it's different this week. Not really relying on your athletic ability, not relying on being able to escape or scramble. Just relying on going through your reads, and understanding what you're seeing. All of that plays a part in it."
On if he was able to meet back up with Montana
"Yeah, I'm not going to go give him a big, proud hug. We were opponents at the time. I talk to him often."
On if the Stanford loss has had a lingering effect on this team
“I don’t even remember anything from the Stanford game, but we lost. Had an L on that. Other than that I don’t remember the Stanford game at all.”
On surpassing 3,000 passing yards this season and 10,000 in his career
“That’s the expectation. It feels like nothing. I did it every year I was in college 3,000 yards so this proves you could come from anywhere and go to a different division, go play on a different level on a different stage and be able to do it. I really feel like it should be inspiration towards other FCS players knowing all it takes is you just have an opportunity to do it on a bigger stage. You're gonna be able to keep doing the same thing you were doing at the FCS level.”
On the celebration penalty
“It wasn't a celebration penalty. It had nothing to do with celebrating. When I see somebody on my teammate, on my brother and we already scored, we already did what we had to do so whenever you’re doing extra I'm not going for that. So if somebody's doing extra I'm gonna get them off of them because I'm not gonna sit there and watch my brother when anything happens to him I'm not gonna do that. So that's just me as a person. I told Coach Prime and he was like I understand. But that's just the attitude I have as a human being. If I'm doing real work with any one of those guys out there and somebody you could watch anytime Weaver gets hit and gets up slow or somebody on the sideline I'm not gonna let them just sit there and just get the best of them because I wouldn't want anybody to do that to me.”
On talking to the refs towards the end of the game
“I felt like I got hit so hard in the back of my head. That's what I felt like so that’s it you can't really blame anything on a call but that's really what I was talking about. He gave me a little migraine. I gotta go home and eat some food.”
On the importance of the running game
“I view it as great. I definitely view it as great but you got to understand how the teams are playing you and what your strengths and what your weaknesses are. If you're not very strong running the ball, why would you do that? So that's just what it is. If you trust me with the ball in my hands and going out there and making a play then that's just what it is. It's either hand because if you run the ball three times in a row even on that third and one. We ran the ball right there and we didn't get it. Then it's why didn’t you throw the ball? So it goes either way it just depends on how momentum is going, how everything’s going, but I never hate on another man and what he's able to do. So if that's their strength, able to turn around, hand the ball off and go 45 yards then that’s on them. That ain't got nothing to do with me.”
On not being able to win close games
“It's definitely frustrating but we look at the game, understand what we did good and just be strict on ourselves throughout the whole game, grade and watch it and just prepare for the next week. You can't really go in a dark hole and you can't go in a dark tunnel when you’re having a season like this because nothing will ever be perfect in life and so you got to take the good, you got to take the bad so that's what I take from all this is just keep being consistent, keep playing the game, keep doing my job, keep doing everything we could do to be able to have success. It's gonna finally click but I’m definitely tired of these conversations too. I'm feeling you.”
Arizona Head Coach Jedd Fisch
Opening Statement
“It was a really good team. It was a really good game. First of all, hats off to coach Sanders in his team. Think he's done a great job in a short amount of time building an outstanding program. I know it's just going to continue to get better. Each week, you could see how hard they play. That was a really good football team that we just played. That game came down all the way to the end. And I have all the respect in the world for Coach prime as you all know, love our team love the way our team battles in the fourth quarter. Love the way our team embraces the physicality at the end of the games. Guys are guys are enjoying playing football around here. And it's nice. It's nice for Arizona to be 7-3. We won nine of the last 13 or so and sitting here now in a situation and being back home for our final game senior day and I hope it'll be sold out and I think it'd be a fantastic game, two ranked teams. I would assume Utah and us and we are really excited about the way our program is going and the way we played today.”
With the adversity your team faced, what do you think your team showed today?
“Yeah, I mean, I don't know how much adversity it was. We were down 7-0 and then it was seven-all and then 14-7, and then I think 14-14 and at the halftime we were down 24-17 And then we drove down and three plays to tie it up to make it 24-24 and then I think they scored to make it 31-24 And we scored 31 and that's a good football game. They were never down in the whole game. They were never down. And then at the end of the game, I think we'd like five minutes and 28 seconds left or so we got the ball and used all five minutes and 20 seconds, we gave Montana game ball for going down at the one. I thought that was great. And gave us a chance to use all the clock there to kick the field goal with no time left.”
And then what was the strategy in that last drive there?
“Well, really if you look at the way we've finished these games recently, now we like to use all the clock there at the end. If a team wants to give us the ball with six minutes left, we want to use it all and we felt we could make the run in the past as needed. Keep the ball in bounds. I thought we had a first down the drive before they said that T-Mac (Teratoia McMillan) went backwards after he caught it past the line. Then one of the rarest moves of all time on a third-and-two T-Mac didn't come down with that ball. So we had to get a great defensive stop there to give us the ball back and then we wanted to use all of it at the end.”
Thoughts on Jonah Coleman?
“Pretty impressive. 11 carries for 179 yards. Jonah Coleman is a fantastic running back. He is going to be a captain in our program. I'm sure starting next year. He is a leader in our program. He trusted us in that class of 22. You look at it right and you look at the way the game went and you know Noah from that recruiting class, speedy luke with the kick return, T-Mac with nine catches, and then Jonah Coleman in that recruiting class, and then defensively I think Isaiah Ward had a sack in that game. So they've done just an incredible job building this program up with that group.”
What has happened that your team has come together and put together this win streak? Can you give some kind of a trend or what have you seen?
“We've lost three games this year. And by 16 combined points, two of which were in overtime. And I think when we lost the triple overtime game to USC, the guys didn’t want to lose again. That was a heartbreaking loss in a situation where we felt we were in a good spot. Our guys believe once I think you lose by a touchdown to Washington and you lose by two in triple overtime to USC, you start realizing you belong and when you play with confidence and belonging, you play better than you did the week before and each week we're walking in. This was a tough environment with a sold out crowd on the road, and our guys walked in with great confidence.”
How fortunate was it Montana went down at the one?
“Yeah, I mean, it was very unique, I thought we did score. And then when we didn't score now you're on the one and now you're doing quick math, and you're trying to figure out exactly what to do. I mean, I think if we scored it went up 38-31, that gives them a chance to have the ball with a minute twenty-four something like that. They would have had a timeout and now it's a whole different ball game. Clearly we were fortunate that we went down at the one.”
What was the play call to get you to the one?
“Well they went blitz cover zero so we had to check for a zero blitz there.”
How has Montana fit in with the team?
“He's done a nice job for us. He's got a great demeanor about himself. He's really done a nice job of jumping in and in a spot. We had a vacated Z receiver spot and he's done a great job of coming in, filling that gap and being able to really help us extensively plays a ton of reps.”
How was Noah able to clean it up in the second half?
“I said I think you got to give a ton of credit to Jaden in that first quarter. He went up to Noah after each series. Noah I think started 3 for 10 and maybe 8 for 18 and the two of them and he just kept supporting them and kept telling him I understand what you saw. You're doing a fantastic job, keep it up and when you hear it from a player versus a coach, you know, it's just stronger, just better. Probably my tolerance isn't as good as let's call it a player's tolerance. And Noah just kept kind of watering the plant a little bit and kept telling him hey, we're good. You're good. I think when you saw the way he came back in the second half I think he wound up being far more efficient, more like what we expected. We made some big time plays, big time throws, hit T-Mac and some incredible spots and just controlled the second half of the game but I really do believe that their camaraderie makes a huge difference in being able to handle adversity.”
What is the update on Martell Irby and Jacob Cowing?
“They held [Jacob] Cowing out for the remainder of the game. I would expect him back for the game next week. Or maybe we'll just have to wait and see what it looks like. But I don't think either one will affect next Saturday.”
Thoughts on the pass rush today and Justin Flowe’s status?
“I think Shedeur ran it 13 times this game, a lot of it was scrambling. I would say with the Shedeur the play goes a long time. He is not easy to bring down and he has an ability to have a 5-6-7 second pocket movement deal and I think we tried to get to him. I think we're close to getting to him. Most of the time we use a Four man rush because of how good the receivers are, that we had to use coverage. I don't know how many total tackles for losses or negative plays we had but I do know that at the right time we got the right stops.”
You've been held up as an example of how to turn a program in the third year you're in for a bowl and ranked How does that feel? And what can you say to Colorado fans who are wondering how to do it?
“I think everybody does it differently. Everyone has a different approach on how they want to do it. I would not be worried if I was a Colorado fan. I think they have a fantastic head coach that is going to do just great. Their still two games away from a bowl and can still make it. And then the other part of it, I would say for us what I'm most proud of is the trust and belief of our players. I think the biggest thing you have to do is get your players to believe in what you're trying to get done. And you have to build strong relationships and our whole process is about family values and families and taking care of one another and embracing very hard work. We don't make it easy. We don't change. We do things the hard way. And I think our guys are getting better. And if you get better, you're gonna start winning more games.”
Arizona Players
Bill Norton, Sr., DT
On what the message was to defense at halftime
“We have to keep going. Missed opportunities, we can’t keep doing that. We had to just keep chopping it, get out, and let the offense do their thing.”
On how they would compare/contrast Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders based on other QB’s
“He’s a great athlete, he’s good. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the country for a reason, and we all respected that. We all knew that coming into this, I thought it was a pretty good game.”
On how big of a win this was for the team
“I think that any away games are big games, especially when they have an atmosphere like this - it’s a loud environment. Any away games like this where we can get a win, that’s a huge game for both offense and defense.
On the vibe after the game & rallying around Tyler Loop
“Yeah, we were definitely excited for Tyler. He’s awesome, he doesn’t ever miss. We were all very confident in him that he was going to sink that, no problem. We’re very excited about that.
On what they proved today
“I think we have some fighters on the team. Being in a tough situation, being down and stuff. No one ever gave up. No one ever thought it was gonna be over anytime soon. And we also have a lot of stuff to work on following that.”
On what he thinks about the defense today, and what they need to improve upon
“I think that we need to finish more. I think we left a lot of stuff out there on the field. Some missed opportunities. We had some chances where people could have made plays. Maybe they should have made plays and couldn't pull it down. But that's what we have to circle back on this week. Forgot what we did wrong. Figure out how we can finish off these games.”
On if there are any thoughts about a let down
“I think that we treat pretty much every opponent the same. We kind of just stayed in tunnel vision. We have low rankings. No one even really celebrated that because that's not really what we're going for. We're not trying to get ranked. We're trying to achieve every goal that we've set out to get before the season. And we just look at everybody the same and keep chopping at it.”
On what are the young players showing in practice
“Yeah, they've improved tremendously just throughout the course of the season. With both of them being young dudes like that, especially Lane and Dom. They just keep improving. We had a few injuries during the game. People get banged up, and when their number is called, they're ready for it. I'm confident we have some of the best depth in the country. Their jersey was called, and they answered it.”
Jonah Coleman, So., RB
On talking to Montana (Lemonious-Craig) before the game
“Yeah, he told us how it was, but at the end of the day, we didn’t care. We just wanted to come and do our job and execute…and we took it personal.”
On how big of a win this was for the team
“It’s always hard to win on the road. An atmosphere like this, we didn't know what to expect. They got all the celebrities and the outside noise, so staying focused was kind of a challenge when we came in here, but we were able to do it.”
On getting past the line in big gaps
“Physical team.”
On having T Raymond Polido back
“Amazing. He's a young guy and he's gonna be a great player. Just keep trusting. He had a couple of injuries, a couple bangs, but it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. He took rehab seriously, now his play is showing up on the field.”
On how he would assess Noah Fifita after the first drive of the game
“Nothing really, the same guy. No matter what happens on that drive, Noah is always gonna walk on the field with that confidence that we're gonna score and we're gonna go drive down. We always focus on the play that we're playing and we play the next play.”
On how big of a win this was for the team
“It’s always hard to win on the road. An atmosphere like this, we didn't know what to expect. They got all the celebrities and the outside noise, so staying focused was kind of a challenge when we came in here, but we were able to do it.”
On the vibe after the game & rallying around Tyler Loop:
“Practice and execution is game reality. He pressure kicks literally almost every day, so he’s prepared for moments like this and he executed.”
On what they proved
“I feel like that we show that we finish every game, just because what happened in the first quarter is not gonna affect what we do in the fourth quarter. When the fourth quarter hits, we bring it up. We know it's our time. It's been like that the whole season.”
On having 170 yards, what did you like about how you were able to run today
“First off, I want to thank God. We're all humans. And that it’s possible. And that's really it. Trusting, practicing hard, and finishing. All that comes with it. We had a great week of preparation. We knew the plan going in and we executed it and kept fighting.”