Mike MacIntyre

Tuesday Football Press Conference Quotes

October 24, 2017 | Football

Head Coach Mike MacIntyre

Opening Statement
 "It's a big homecoming game. Cal's bringing a good football team in here. (Former Cal head coach) Sonny [Dykes] had done a good job recruiting there and we knew it, because we were recruiting against them. They've got some better players than they've had. Coach [Justin] Wilcox has done a great job with them getting them better and better. (Quarterback) Ross Bowers is a young man that we were recruiting. Both his parents, one coached at Washington and one coached I believe at James Madison. He's a football coach's kid through and through. He's playing well. Defensively, their talent has upgraded. They're playing well defensively. Justin's done a good job with them."
 
On Whether Opening Up The Quarterback Competition Sends A Message To The Rest Of The Team
"They know that at every position they've got to compete, they've got to play and you've got to perform. I think Bill Belichick always says, 'You've got to do your job and do your job well.' That's what we have to do. We're always going to try to find a way for us to be successful. Everybody's got to compete and has got to keep playing. The way that game was going I thought that was the only thing we could do that could spark us in the second half at that time. Both of them have practiced well this week. I'll see what decision I make before we run out behind Ralphie."
 
On Quarterback Steven Montez Refocusing
"I've seen him working hard. I'm not inside his brain or heart. I've seen him work hard and push at it. Sefo [Liufau] had some of the same types of things happen to him as he was going through the growing process. Hopefully, we'll see some better results."
 
On Rashaan Salaam's Jersey Retirement Ceremony
"It means a great deal to the program. Getting to know Rashaan a little bit the last couple years when he was here was good. I just remember his smile. He always had a great smile on his face. He was always really pleasant to talk to. All the guys that played with him and all the people that were around and all the fans that watched him play at that time, I know it'll mean a tremendous amount to them and I know it'll mean a tremendous amount to his family. You never can forget it and you never can put it behind you, but I think this will be a moment – besides of course the funeral – this is a great, great time for their whole family and all of them. When they put his jersey up there, I think that'll be – if I was his parent – a really special moment and a heartwarming-type thing, even though it's a terrible situation that's happened."
 
On The 59-56 Loss In 3OT The Last Time Colorado Played Cal
"That was a crazy game. I remember we lost. I do remember Nelson Spruce put on a show. That was phenomenal, phenomenal game. We came up one play short. That was a heck of a football game and an exciting one to watch. I do remember the Nelson Spruce and Sefo [Liufau] show. They had a quarterback too. I think he (Jared Goff) is still playing. I thought he was pretty good that day also."
 
On Finding A Balance When Arguing With Officials
"I just go with what I feel in the moment."
 
On What He's Seen From The Senior Class
"I'm seeing hard work, good leadership and positive attitude. We call these the 'Gold Games,' our last four games. We have an opportunity to do something that hasn't happened been done here since 2004. That's what we hope to do. Nobody's gone to back-to-back bowl games since 2004, 2005. That's been a long, long time. That's something that these guys can do. We're excited about these last four, especially this one coming up for Cal. Hopefully we can do what we want to do there and make that a special deal that hasn't been done here in a long, long time."
 
On The Play Of Cornerbacks Trey Udoffia And Dante Wigley
"They've gotten better and better. It's tough playing corner. It's really, really hard, especially in today's world where they throw it so well and they've got all the different formations and all the different things they've got to do, know and understand. The way the guys can throw a back-shoulder fade one inch from the sidelines and the guy can jump up and catch it. I thought both Dante and Trey have gotten better and better. Trey went in the game the other night and played well enough for us to have a chance to win. I thought Dante did too. It was good to see that."
 
On The Defense's Pass-Rush This Season
"We just keep working at it. We had two sacks the other night and had about six or seven hurries I believe. You'd like to have a couple more for sure. You'd like to have 10 to 12 hurries. We've been working at it. We lost a pass-rusher last year, Jimmie Gilbert, who as a freshman had a few (sacks), as a sophomore had a few, as a junior had a few, and then as a senior he had 13. You've got to keep working with them and keep going. We've got a couple freshmen that are rushing the passer pretty good. They're getting closer and making plays. As they get better at it and keep understanding it a little bit, they'll be better. [Defensive end] Leo Jackson's done a good job in there. He's a senior. He had a sack the other night. They're quarterback and offensive line on the other teams have done a good job at times too."
 
On What He's Seen From Offensive Lineman Tim Lynott, Jr. At Center
"He got thrown in there and it was wet. He had snapped well in the other games he played in. I think getting thrown in there as wet as it was and different things going on, he had a couple bad snaps. One of them really hurt us. The opening drive (of the second half) we're driving the football and then we're on I think the 28-yard line and we ended up snapping it over his head and lose about 20 yards, which really stuffed that drive. Timmy's an excellent player. He's an excellent guard and can be an excellent center. He's a freshman All-American last year. I don't think, I know he can be a good center and hopefully he snaps the ball well this week. It's supposed to be dry conditions. Hopefully that'll make it a little bit easier on him."
 
On The Play Of Outside Linebacker Michael Mathewes
"He's been doing a good job in pass-rush in our practices and in our one-on-one pass-rushes. He's an excellent technician at it. He caused a few hurries and did a few things. He plays extremely hard. He's a young man that's been around here for a while. You'll probably see him a little bit more when the opportunities arise. We played him inside and we played him outside. He found a home a little bit at outside linebacker, but mainly in our nickel package where he can pass-rush. He's just a great young man who works extremely hard and loves being here. He's kept developing his skills. He's very strong and powerful."

Tailback Phillip Lindsay

Opening Statement
"Before we start, I'm not going to answer any questions about the Washington State game, we're done with that, we're moving on to Cal, so anything else let's get it rolling."
 
On Last Meeting With Cal Being A Triple Overtime Thriller
"That was a crazy game. Nelson Spruce did some crazy stuff and Sefo [Liufau] was throwing his arm out. You had Jared Goff on the other side, it was a nice day out there. But we didn't get the win and that hurt, especially with Spruce and Sefo putting as many points up as they did."
 
On Open QB Competition
"We believe in both quarterbacks. At the end of the day, they're both here on scholarship for a reason and they're both out there competing and trying to win games. They need to continue to push each other, that's what it's about. For us, we just have to keep moving forward. We're not going to flinch because of something that we can't control. It's about winning and it's about team, and both quarterbacks love each other and care for each other."
 
On Sam Noyer's Performance In The Second Half
 "That was Sam's first time being out there, the weather was bad, he was able to keep his composure and get everybody lined up. That's the biggest part right there, is getting everybody lined up and understand everybody's concept. You have to know the running back, all the receivers; you have to know all of that. So I was impressed at the way he handled going in there, and by his maturity. He has some confidence even though he's still young.
 
On What He's Seen From Cal's Defense
"Cal is a physical defense. They're hungry. Last year they were in a boat where they were struggling, and this year they're trying to make a name for themselves. They're out there playing ball. They're physical, the defense is flying around, and they make plays."
 
On His Mindset With Four Games Left In His College Career
"We still have a lot left to accomplish. For a lot of us it is the last four or five games left in our college careers, so the sense of urgency is (knowing that) we'll never play another down in black and gold after these five games. We want to go out with a bang. We want to leave everything out there."
 
On Not Slipping Back Into Losing
"You just have to keep plugging at it, you can't sit here and point fingers. What's done is done, now we move on. We still have a chance to win the rest of our games, and that's what we're focused on. You can't look back at the past because, you know, it's the past, you can't change it now. For us it's about looking forward and getting ready for the next game against Cal."
 
On Rashaan Salaam
"He was physical, fast, he could make you miss, he had the whole package. You don't get a lot of players like that… the man went out there and had 2,000-yards rushing. It's a good feeling being able to see what he did here, so it's going to be an honor to watch his jersey get hung."
 
On Shifting Roles Along The Offensive Line And What Impact That Has On Him
"You can't worry about that, you have to trust whoever is in there. They're the next man up, and no matter what they have to be ready. And for me as a senior, I just have to help them out when they're struggling."
 
On Whether He's Seen QB Steven Montez Bounce Back After Poor Outing Against Washington State
"Definitely. Montez has come back with a lot of focus, so has Sam [Noyer]. Both of them are out there competing; that's what you need, and that's what we're going to continue to have. Whoever it is, at the end of the day, we're going to roll with them. Montez is doing well, he's hungry, he understands what he needs to do and he's maturing fast."


Colorado Tight End/Defensive End George Frazier

On If It's Gotten Tougher For The Team To Stay Positive
"I wouldn't say it's getting tougher as a team. We love to fight, love to struggle. We're kind of used to it. We just have to every week, go back to work, put our heads down and act like nothing happened. We've always had the motto, 1-0 each week so we don't want to worry about the last one."

On Playing His Final Games Of His Collegiate Career
"I try not to think about it. I try to just worry about what we have now. I'm pretty sure at the USC game, the last home game, it'll probably hit me pretty hard. But for now I'm not really worried. I'm just trying to work hard and keep playing college football."

On Playing More On Defense
"I've gotten a lot more comfortable getting more reps. I feel at ease when I'm out there. Now I don't think. I just react and go play. When it comes to offense, I just have to push myself harder at practice so that when game time comes, it's still be easy for me. I don't have to think about anything. I'm just out there flying around and not letting the fatigue get to me. I just have to go play."

On How The Quarterback Change Affected The Team
"I think as a team we handled it pretty well. We saw the switch and we kind of just knew it was one of those things that just happens in football. It's always the next man up when anything happens. So when someone goes in, you just have to keep going with the punches, keep going as a unit and keep fighting for your brothers."

On Rashaan Salaam's Jersey Being Retired At This Saturday's Game
"It's a really big deal. He's the one guy that's won a Heisman for us. Knowing his history and knowing everything that he's done for CU, it means a lot. I guess there might be some emotion in the air, but we just have to lock in and go play."

On His Favorite Position, And Whether There's Any Position He Hasn't Played That He Would Like To
"My favorite position… that's a tough one. I just love playing football, I love being physical and being out there where I'm able to hit somebody. I love tight end, I can get the ball in my hands and go try to make somebody miss and have fun. I love defense as well, you just kind of read and react and fly around. So I don't know if I'm going to be able to give you an answer on that one. And what position that I haven't played here, that I would like to try? I'd probably throw the ball around, get back to my high school days."

On The Offense And The Defense Not Being Able To Sync Up And Play A Complete Game
"I'm definitely surprised we haven't played a full game on both sides of the ball. I can't put my finger on the cause. I feel like as a team we just have to make sure everybody is locked in for the game, not where one side of the ball is more excited than the other. We have to fly around as a unit and understand that the offense is playing for the defense and the defense is playing for the offense and the special teams plays everybody. We have to make sure everybody's out there doing their job and making sure we're all working toward the same goal."

On What He's Seen From Cal On Film
"Cal is a very talented team, they have a lot of good players out there. They have a big tight end that likes to get physical, he'll hit people. They know what they do well, and their coaches love to put them in position to make plays. They have a lot of talent all over the place. The quarterback knows how to throw and get the ball around. You can't say too many negative things about them. We have to make sure that we're locked in and dialed into our game plan and that we're going in ready."

On The Difference Between This Year And Last Year
"Last year's team had a lot of guys that went through the upsetting seasons. That's probably the main difference. This year, we have a lot of veterans still here, but there's not as many. We're used to doing a lot of good things on the field, so when things get shaky I feel like we have to get back to putting your head down and not worry about it as much. Once we get that back on our team we won't have any problems."

On The Players' Reaction To Coach MacIntyre Arguing With Officials
"I love it, just knowing that we have a coach that's ready to battle for us and be ready to stick up for us when things aren't looking right. He's not going to shy away from it. He's going to go right out and make sure that it's known that somethings not right. I love having a coach that's willing to do that for me."

On If He's Seen Teammates Show Resiliency
"Definitely. Guys are starting to notice things aren't always going to go good for you. When things don't go good for you, you've got to act like nothing's happened and play the next play. I see that the younger guys are starting to catch on to it. As the year goes on, we'll start getting more wins and do what we need to do."

On The Quarterback Competition Between Steven Montez and Sam Noyer
"It's always fierce. Those guys – even when it wasn't open competition – love to compete. They have competitions in the quarterback room. It's been very, very fierce. Both players have been doing a lot of great things: putting the ball on the money and trying to get it to receivers to make plays. I'm excited to see what we do on game day. I'm not worried. Whoever starts, I'm ready to play with them."

On His Fumble Recovery
"It's always fun to get my hands on the ball and fly around and seeing the pile and diving in there."

Players Mentioned

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