Tuesday Football Press Conference

Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre

Opening Statement
"I was stunned yesterday when one of the coaches showed me a Tweet that [Oregon State head coach] Gary Anderson had resigned. I've known Gary for a long time. He was at Utah State when I was at San Jose State and he rebuilt the Utah State program. Then, he went to Wisconsin at the same time I came here. I've known him for a long time and just think the world of him. Every time I've been around him and seen him deal with his teams he's been a great person and excellent coach. I know it's hard to rebuild something and I don't know anything that happened, but I do wish he was still there. We actually exchanged texts yesterday. He said, 'I guess I won't see you on Saturday.' We talked about a few other things over text, just mainly that I'm there for him and thinking about him. Our team has to bounce back from the game Saturday. It was a fun game to watch as a spectator, but a gut-wrenching game for both coaches until the very end until you become the winning team. That was a tough loss. Our kids have definitely practiced really well. They've bounced back and now we've got to go on the road and win a game, which will be a little bit different of an environment with the situation going on."

On Oregon State Head Coach Gary Anderson Waiving The Rest Of The Guaranteed Money From His Contract
"He had to do what he needed to do I guess in that situation. For as hard as your families work and as hard as you have to work and you move your families around – my kids went to multiple high schools during multiple moves – that'd be hard for me to ever think about doing when you work as hard as you can your whole career. I don't know what happened, but they didn't give him enough time at Oregon State. They were really down when he got there. [Former head] Coach [Mike] Riley had done a great job there, but it was dwindling as Coach Riley left. There wasn't a lot of players there. Their material has improved. We've played them every year and they've gotten better, they've got good running backs, they're line's gotten better and they've gotten better at receiver. They've got a freshman receiver that's making plays and they've got freshman secondary players making plays. I see their talent getting better and I see them getting better from their first game this year to now. Not just because we're playing them, they've gotten better. They've played some really good teams too. I definitely think he should still be there for what he did at Utah State and how he turned that program around and what he did at Wisconsin. He said, 'I like Corvallis; I like that area; I like the West Coast; I know how to recruit that area; I feel at home; I feel comfortable.' I could see in his voice that he wanted to be successful there. I do think if they would have given him enough time, then he would have been successful, because he's done it in other places."

On Team's Being Able To Bounce Back
"I have had teams that have lost hope. I do not think that this team has gotten even close to losing hope. I think this team has just gotten mad. That's a good emotion when you push it the correct way. What we've told them, you don't get all mad and get out there all hyped up. You have to put your energy and emotions into your preparation. You say, 'I'm going to do this harder; I'm going to be study more; I'm going to be more focused; I'm going to practice more; I'm going to ask more questions; I'm going to get more sleep; I'm going to get more rest.' That's what I've seen these guys do. The leadership is doing that. When the team feels hopeless, then the senior leadership doesn't do that all the time, they don't practice right, they're not focused and they're coming late to meetings. That's not happening. They're there early, asking questions and coming by the office. All of that shows you they still believe."

On If The Team's Preparation Has Changed Due To The Coaching Change At Oregon State
"I do expect an emotional aspect as far as that I do know that their players do like Gary Anderson. I think they're going to come out and play in a way of thanking Gary. I know a lot of the guys on his staff have been with him and know him well and believe in him. I think they'll have extra energy on that side of it for sure. At the same time, they kind of have nothing to lose in a way, even as a staff. You can take more gambles and more risks I would imagine. We've got to be ready for that. If they do that type of thing, we'll prepared enough to take advantage of it if we can make a play on it. I've gone against teams before where this has happened as an assistant coach and head coach. It was a little bit of a different atmosphere and energy in the beginning of it."

On Defending The Run Against Oregon State
"They're big, powerful runners. They've run the ball well at times. We're going to have to fit it up better, be more stout inside and hold the point a little bit better. We've been working on that. We're going to have to tackle those guys and get them on the ground. It's easier said than done. We've been working on that area. Washington got us going in the second half a little bit after they got up again on us. In the second half, No. 9, [Myles] Gaskins got going, but besides that we haven't had a ton until the other night. That really wasn't inside runs. It was clogged up and he went the other way and made a guy miss and went to the house. We've got to do a better job coaching it and on our angles. The running backs haven't really gashed us inside other than Gaskins in the second half. Hopefully, we can fit it up right and do it. We'll see. They've (Oregon State) got three really big backs. They are powerful. Ryan Nall's going to be back. Thomas Tyner is a big back that was at Oregon. They're over 230 pounds – that's big for a back – and they can run. I definitely think they'll pound us and try to do some things with those guys attacking us. We've got to be ready for it."

On Wide Receiver Jay MacIntyre's Produciton And Being A Reliable Target For Quarterbacks On Third Down
"A lot of times it's dictated by the coverage and different things we're doing. He's been in the opportune spot sometimes to make some plays doing that. He has a knack for being able to read the linebacker and read the coverage from being a former quarterback. I think there's a connection with that. 'Chev' (co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini) and [co-offensive coordinator] Brian Lindgren have done a good job of getting him isolated in situations that have helped us."

On Tailback Phillip Lindsay's Leadership
"I have been around one other guy, David Quessenberry, who played for us at San Jose State and plays for the Houston Texans now. You all know his story of battling cancer. He was the same way. Both guys were similar in ways they had great family backgrounds, great ambition and they had excellent work ethic. Nothing was ever given to them easily. They had to earn it all, so they learned the work ethic. They knew the amount of time you had to put in. They never took it for granted. Sometimes when it comes really easy, you go, 'It's just one game.' No, they don't want to miss one game, one play or one rep. Everybody calls it the chip on your shoulder or extra motivation, but to me that's what makes anybody excel past what other people do. They go, 'Gosh that guy is a little crazy.' Yeah, because it means so much to them for what they've had to do to get there. They're not going to relinquish it. That's what I've seen with Phil. He's an amazing young man and excellent player. You can always count on him. It definitely resonates with his teammates. They see him doing it and him pushing and going. He's a guy that everybody can get along with too. He's not aloof or egotistical. He's a down-to-earth guy. I think that also helps him be a really good leader, because anybody can relate to him and communicate with him. He has time for anybody, which is special."

On The Team Averaging More Penalties This Year
"Some of our penalties are aggressive penalties. You've got to teach them parameters of where the sidelines are. Targeting situations as we well know are up all over the place. That's something we work and coach on. The aggressive ones, you've got to curtail and show them, but you don't want to curtail the aggression. It's a fine line. Our offsides penalties or our holding penalties, those are things you can keep coaching. We discipline them on the late hits, there's no doubt. But, the holding and the offsides, those types of things they've got know if the guy's going away from them they've got to let him go. Offsides is just paying attention and understanding in the heat of the moment what's going on. Those types you can curtail. Some of those guys making those penalties, they've never played major college football before. That's been tough. You usually go through a few things. We've got to fix that. We've had the least amount of penalties in the history of this school before and we've had the least amount of penalties in the history of San Jose State. We teach it and do it. It's a fundamental thing that we go over. We discipline and work on it. Sometimes, they're making the right calls and doing the right things – it's kind of like speeding – you get caught. Sometimes you don't get caught. It's kind of the way it works out. We do need to cut down on the offsides and holding penalties. I think some of those kids that made late hits are guys that haven't played as much. They need to understand where to go and where to target. They're getting a better feel for that. I would say we'll drastically cut down in the last half of the year. I'd be extremely disappointed if we don't."

On The Third And Short Situations Against Arizona Compared To Third And Long Against UCLA
"In the second half against UCLA we found our running groove. We were going to have a hard time tackling [Arizona quarterback Khalil] Tate. It was just one those nights where he was on fire. It's like a guy in a basketball game, you just can't stop them. I told the offense, 'It's four down territory the whole way down. I don't care if we have to punt it from the 22-yard line, we've got to go score and keep the ball away from them.' And that created more third down and shorts. Now, instead of us throwing it on second and ten or second and nine we ran it again or we threw a short pass. We were utilizing all four downs and that created a few more of the third and shorts. That's something we'll do in the other games too. In that situation, I felt that was the only way to handle him. We didn't handle him enough but the only way to was to try to keep him on the bench as long as we could. We had to make sure we scored, we had to score every time. I think if we would have stopped them on those two third downs at the end of the game, I think we would have scored again."

On The Missed Big Plays This Season Compared To Last Season
"We're working on it. We had a couple we missed. We a couple that I thought we had but they barely made the play right at the last second. They're secondary made a couple good plays. I definitely think that's something we'll end up hitting. We tried a few and didn't connect. When you do, it makes a big difference. That's something we definitely need to hit on."

On The Late Kickoffs The Past Two Weeks And What Is Being Done To Move Kick Times
"We have talked with the Pac-12 when we have our meetings in May and in the summer. We've brought it up. Again, you sign contracts with television and they own you. That's basically the answer. There's the new NCAA rule that if you get back in after five in the morning you technically can't take that day off, you have to practice. So, I went and petitioned the NCAA this summer through the Pac-12. I said, 'that's ludicrous, if we got back in at 6:15 in the morning from our trip in Southern California, we're not getting back until seven or so in the morning.' So you're saying that we can go sleep for five or six hours and then come back and have to practice football. To me, that's not for the wellness of the student athlete. So we give them Sunday off. We wrote a waiver, I met with all of the Pac-12 coaches, explained it, and they agreed. It could happen to Utah, but they're a little bit closer flight-wise than we are. We'll never get in before five AM in the morning. So, we take Sunday off. Monday is just a walkthrough and a meeting. We lose a day of practice anyway. We have to work on and understand that. We think about that beforehand and the next game, how much I'm going to practice, how much am I on the feet. Because, that will wear you out. You play a hard game and get off the field at 12 o'clock your time, fly all the way back, then you bus. It's really a hard travel. We've petitioned that, the NCAA granted it because they understand our situation. It is tough but that's just part of it. Teams that come here don't have it as bad because they lose an hour coming back. It's a little bit different for them."

On The Impact Of Recruiting For Late Games
"It's hard to stay up for late kickoffs. If the game is kicking off at 8:45 PM pacific time, that's 11:45 PM eastern time, which makes it tough for people on the east coast to watch. ESPN knows what they're doing, they get the fans and they get the commercials they want. They make the money they want, we understand that's how that works. I love us being on ESPN. That's a good plug for us, recruiting wise too. And especially on the west coast and our time zone, it will be a plus for recruiting."

On If Oregon State And Their Quarterback Will Game Plan Based On How Arizona Played
"I would think they would. We've been practicing for that. We're going to practice for him (Oregon State wide receiver and former quarterback Seth Collins) being at quarterback some. I would if I was them. We couldn't tackle the guy."

On If "Repping" The Big Throws At Quarterback Is Hard In Practice For The Players
"We've been repping it. We do it in different ways. We'll do a full speed rep and then we'll do a rep where the receiver is 35 yards down the field and then he's speeding up at the end. Then, we'll do a stationary rep where they're trying to throw in a trash can or hit a certain spot. The main thing is, if they're open just get it to them. Don't try to lead them, just get it to them. He (Steven Montez) has plenty of arm strength. Sometimes he has too much arm strength. They'll end up getting it. Of course it's frustrating that we haven't gotten it as many times as we'd like so far. But, I definitely believe we will. When we do it will open up even more."

On The Offensive Lines Play Last Week And This Week's Starters
"I thought the offensive line played better, I thought they did some good things. The first play of the game was really a scheme situation. But, I think they played better. We should have the same five out there unless we have some type of injury week. Hopefully we don't."

Tailback Phillip Lindsay

On Setting CU's All-Purpose Yards Record
"I haven't taken that much to really think about, I'm thinking about trying to get this win to get back on track. We have a good opportunity to get back on track, that's where my mind is right now."

On Whether He Has Ever Had 41 Carries In A Game
"I've never carried the rock 41 times. No (not even in pee-wee)."

On How He's Feeling After Receiving 41 Carries On Saturday
I feel the same. I'm ready. It comes down to a mindset: when you're out there doing it not just for yourself, but for your teammates, for your family, for your state, you have a little bit more energy. For me, the key is to continue to do what I've always done to try to stay healthy, and that's just working on my body. No matter what, I work on body throughout the week for at least six hours a day, so for me it's nothing new."

On Emergence Of Tailback Beau Bisharat
"I'm proud of Beau, he's finally getting in there, getting his touches, he's starting to get more comfortable. He'll probably see a lot more carries coming up, so it's exciting. I'm proud of him. We're a close, close running back group and Beau has come a long way. To see him out there producing, getting first downs, it's a great feeling and it shows that he's ready to play."

On Eliminating Penalties
"It's just the little things, discipline is what it comes down to. In a game you're going to get penalties, every play could be a penalty honestly. You just hope it doesn't bounce that way where you're getting all the penalties. For us, it's about doing the little things right. That's what's been stopping from winning games so far, just little things (not) bouncing our way. When you do the little things right, things will bounce your way."

On Team Adopting A 'One Week At A Time' Mentality
"It's always been like that, even last year. That's what people don't understand, it's always about Colorado and it's about the next opponent. It's college football; any given day, someone can get beat. So you have to prepare like it's your last game ever playing, because you never know if it's going to be your last. You've got to prepare like you're going into a championship. Period. If you go in (with that mindset) you'll win games."

On Where He Learned How To Be A Leader
"My family. My father is a big reason why I do the things I do today. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about what my father would do in certain situations. He had five kids; all five of us were hardheaded (or hard-hitting? Couldn't make that out) and we've lived a hard life at times. He could've easily walked out on us and left us with our mom, but he didn't. He stayed by our side. When stuff wasn't going right he made sure it looked like it was going right, even if deep down he was scrambling thinking about what he was going to do to support us. We've never had to look at our father and doubt whether he would be there for us. That's what I try to be for my teammates. At the lowest times, that's when you need to be there the most. Any time you're winning, everything is always going good. When you lose, you sit there and look at your teammates and you've got to make sure that they're ready to play the next game. That's when you see the true character in a man."

On Playing Oregon State In Their First Game After Oregon State's Coaching Change
"I definitely feel like they're going to play even harder. One, because their coach left and a lot of those players loved that coach. I've got a couple of good friends on (Oregon State). They're going to go out there and prove that they're not the reason why the coach left. Oregon State is a talented team, they're a physical team, and they're going to give it their all. No team is just going to say 'we're going to get our butts whooped'. Every team wants to win and they want to prove that they're ready to play."

On Increasing Role Of Tight Ends In The Offense
"It's very important to get the tight ends involved like we have. George Frazier, Chris Bounds, (Jared) Poplawski, all those boys up front are playing ball. Especially with George Frazier, he's playing a lot of snaps on offense and then is turning around and play on defense. They were a big reason why we were able to do what we did Saturday."

Outside Linebacker Derek McCartney

On Last Week's Loss
"It's always tough to lose a game. When you lose consecutively in a row, it gets tougher every time but something my grandpa always taught me is that you can't let people get too high on the highs and too low on the lows. You just have to keep moving forward. That's what we're going to do. We're going to come together as a team and do great things."

On His Personal Performance
"I've been doing a lot better since the beginning of the season and I'm just trying to improve every game. As long as I'm doing that I'm doing better."

On If The Defense Can Bounce Back This Weekend
"Absolutely. We're not proud of how we played last week as a team and defensively. We definitely need to get better and will get better."

On Defending A Big RB Like Oregon State's Ryan Nall
"It's fun. When you get to play against someone big and strong and physical, it's fun. That's why you play football, because you like to hit people. That's what it's about and it's fun."

On Why The Defense Struggled Last Saturday
"Sometimes it was just missed tackles and sometimes it was missed execution of certain calls. It's more technique. Honestly our guys are playing hard and that's why I'm proud of our team. We're playing hard and that's why we're not getting blown out in these games because we're playing hard. That's one of the things about our defense. We will come at you and we will play hard."

On Phillip Lindsay's Role On The Team
"We all love Phil [Lindsay] and we know he has a big heart and he loves us. He lets us know. He lets us know with the way he plays and he also tells us straight up that he loves us and he loves going to war with us. That's why we love Phil."

On The Late Start Against Washington State in Two Weeks
"In terms of playing a game, personally it doesn't affect me and I don't think it affects most guys. But you don't like having to get home at 6 in the morning. But in terms of playing the game, it doesn't have a big impact."