Colorado-Arizona State Quotes
vs
Wyoming
Sep 20 (Sat)
8:15 p.m.
Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
General
“’I really respect Todd Graham, they’ve beat us pretty good the last few years. We were able to get after them tonight. Their quarterback was beat up pretty good which helped us. I thought that kid played gallantly. Manny Wilkins, he’s a heck of a player. I was really impressed with our team, the way we came out of the blocks, how we kept playing, how we kept fighting and how we kept moving. There was a lot of things to be proud of with our team. We’re one step closer to getting closer to where we want to go, so we’ve got a long ways to go. We’ve done pretty well so far.”
On What The Win Means
“This is the first team with a winning record we beat this year. They perennially have beaten us bad. We had them at home. The kids have been hearing all week we’re leading the Pac-12 South and we control our own destiny, so all that pressure that our young men have never been under before. I thought tonight was a break through win. I though the Oregon game was a signature win for us to do on the road after they’d beaten us as bad as they had. Sefo [Liufau] getting to come back and get his start tonight, and this team he played four years ago was the first time he ever played and it didn’t go great. I kept telling them they built the water up in the dam and the dam had cracks in it. I said you got to go punch it one more time, and now the water’s going to flow. Now we need to keep marching on. Tonight was a way of making a point in their minds. I’m excited where we are and now we need to go back to work tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of really good football teams left to play.”
On Establishing The Run Game
“We always see it as possible every game we go into, a coach’s mentality. We felt like we could get going with our tempo and get downhill with Alex Kelley and our whole offensive line, because Alex can control how we’re blocking and get us lined up quick. Sefo did a great job of getting us into some right runs. Phillip Lindsay, I told him all week, run like you’re going to break glass – I told all the running backs. They stunt so much, you just got to hit that whole and not worry about it all and all of a sudden you’ll crease it. That beginning run in the second half was a pretty thing. He ran off and left them and that hadn’t always happened with him. Everybody was teasing him all week, because he got caught last week. He didn’t get caught tonight. Our guys did a heck of a job on that. Our offensive staff did a great job scheming it. The young men did a super job executing it.”
On Jay MacIntyre’s Injury
“He’s concussed. He just got through with the doctor’s now, so they’ll see where he is tomorrow. He did have a concussion.”
On Physical Play Of The Team
“That’s what we talked about all week. We had to be physical; this is a physical front seven. They have physical running game with some big, strong, powerful backs. We had to be physical. We’ve gotten bigger, stronger, we have more depth, we tackle better than we ever have, because we know where to be. Tonight, we did have to be physical.”
On Initial Reaction To Jay MacIntyre’s Injury
“First thing was I wanted him to be okay, I want all of our guys out there to be okay. The second thing after I realized he was okay, ‘what’s his mom thinking?’ After that – this is all as I’m walking – is we got to get our next guys in there and what’s going on with his spot on offense and special teams. Then, let the doctor’s take care of it.”
On Phillip Lindsay Bringing The Entire Offensive Line To His Press Conference
“That’s good to hear. Phillip’s smarter than I thought he was. They’ve got a great bond. They realize they all count on each other. He understood how good that defensive front was. There were some good holes for him to run through. Of course, he made some people miss, but they got him started and they did a great job. I’m really proud to hear that; that makes me feel good.”
On Sefo Liufau Being Back
“Sefo did a phenomenal job tonight. He got us to start off well. The majority of all his checks and reads he was excellent with. He kept us moving. I thought he played really well tonight. He’s so critical of himself, he’ll find some stuff he didn’t do right of course. I was very pleased with what Sefo did tonight. He was moving around well, he felt very, very comfortable out there playing. That was the key when he got back out there. This year, in the games he’s played, he’s played really well, I mean really well. He’ll keep that up.”
On Students Rushing The Field
“It was really fun; it was really enjoyable. You can’t see what’s going on, but I was glad to see the kids down there enjoying that. Our players really enjoyed them doing that.”
On Missed Field Goal And PAT
“We’re going to keep working at it. They’re young guys. Our main guy was Diego Gonzalez. We have young guys out there doing it. Davis [Price] has an excellent, young leg, very powerful. We’ll just keep working at it. Chris [Graham] came in and kicked well too, which was good to see.”
On The Kicking Competition
“Well it kind of has just gone back and forth, whoever is hot right now. We thought Davis (Price) was doing okay and then he didn’t, so we made a switch to Chris (Graham) and he kicked off pretty good tonight. Davis has a powerful leg, he is just really young. He really didn’t think he would be kicking this year and then all of the sudden he gets thrown into it. I think what he has done, he’s done real well. Of course he missed some tonight, but now he has to fight through that. That is part of a growing up process. Every kicker has missed them and every kicker has to fight through that and go back out there and make them. And that goes for every player that plays, you make mistakes and you have to learn how to bounce back. That will be another growth process for Davis and it was good to see Chris bounce back and do it. I have confidence in both of them, they both have good legs, they just haven’t played out there in the field goal situation a lot and that’s a lot of pressure.”
On Preparing For Stanford
“Stanford, they beat us pretty good out here last year. They got a really good football team, they got a running back that is pretty good that is from this state and will want to play good against us and we’ll want to stop him too. Christian McCaffrey is a heck of a player, he is up for the Heisman. Coach (David) Shaw has done a great job with his program and they are very hard to beat at Stanford. We are going to have to get ourselves ready to go there and play. They’ve been a powerhouse, when you look at it we’ve played Arizona State which has been a powerhouse in the South and now we are going to go play the powerhouse in the North back-to-back, so it is going to be a tough deal for us. I know our kids are going to be excited going there to play, we have a lot of kids from northern California and so they’ll be excited about going back home to play. We’ll be ready to go and I know they will be too.”
On The Team’s Demeanor
“They are focused. We have a saying ‘you are either getting better or you’re getting worse, nothing stays the same,’ so they understand what they did was awesome and now we got to keep moving forward. The next game we play, Stanford is going to want to beat us and they are a really good football team. You have to come to play every game in this league and they understand that and they want to keep moving forward. We’ve won five games, we got a lot more we want to win.”
On Addison Gillam
“It’s awesome to see him out there playing. He’s flashed at times this year, he flashed last Saturday at USC. This was his best week of practice where he was able to keep going and not get as sore on his leg. He’s getting in better shape with his leg. He’s 100 percent, it is just his hamstring or his calf would kind of get sore so he wasn’t able to practice as much during the week as he has been, but now he is getting to practice more so we have been able to get him more reps in the game. He is felling more and more confident and he’s giving me more confidence out there.”
“’I really respect Todd Graham, they’ve beat us pretty good the last few years. We were able to get after them tonight. Their quarterback was beat up pretty good which helped us. I thought that kid played gallantly. Manny Wilkins, he’s a heck of a player. I was really impressed with our team, the way we came out of the blocks, how we kept playing, how we kept fighting and how we kept moving. There was a lot of things to be proud of with our team. We’re one step closer to getting closer to where we want to go, so we’ve got a long ways to go. We’ve done pretty well so far.”
On What The Win Means
“This is the first team with a winning record we beat this year. They perennially have beaten us bad. We had them at home. The kids have been hearing all week we’re leading the Pac-12 South and we control our own destiny, so all that pressure that our young men have never been under before. I thought tonight was a break through win. I though the Oregon game was a signature win for us to do on the road after they’d beaten us as bad as they had. Sefo [Liufau] getting to come back and get his start tonight, and this team he played four years ago was the first time he ever played and it didn’t go great. I kept telling them they built the water up in the dam and the dam had cracks in it. I said you got to go punch it one more time, and now the water’s going to flow. Now we need to keep marching on. Tonight was a way of making a point in their minds. I’m excited where we are and now we need to go back to work tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of really good football teams left to play.”
On Establishing The Run Game
“We always see it as possible every game we go into, a coach’s mentality. We felt like we could get going with our tempo and get downhill with Alex Kelley and our whole offensive line, because Alex can control how we’re blocking and get us lined up quick. Sefo did a great job of getting us into some right runs. Phillip Lindsay, I told him all week, run like you’re going to break glass – I told all the running backs. They stunt so much, you just got to hit that whole and not worry about it all and all of a sudden you’ll crease it. That beginning run in the second half was a pretty thing. He ran off and left them and that hadn’t always happened with him. Everybody was teasing him all week, because he got caught last week. He didn’t get caught tonight. Our guys did a heck of a job on that. Our offensive staff did a great job scheming it. The young men did a super job executing it.”
On Jay MacIntyre’s Injury
“He’s concussed. He just got through with the doctor’s now, so they’ll see where he is tomorrow. He did have a concussion.”
On Physical Play Of The Team
“That’s what we talked about all week. We had to be physical; this is a physical front seven. They have physical running game with some big, strong, powerful backs. We had to be physical. We’ve gotten bigger, stronger, we have more depth, we tackle better than we ever have, because we know where to be. Tonight, we did have to be physical.”
On Initial Reaction To Jay MacIntyre’s Injury
“First thing was I wanted him to be okay, I want all of our guys out there to be okay. The second thing after I realized he was okay, ‘what’s his mom thinking?’ After that – this is all as I’m walking – is we got to get our next guys in there and what’s going on with his spot on offense and special teams. Then, let the doctor’s take care of it.”
On Phillip Lindsay Bringing The Entire Offensive Line To His Press Conference
“That’s good to hear. Phillip’s smarter than I thought he was. They’ve got a great bond. They realize they all count on each other. He understood how good that defensive front was. There were some good holes for him to run through. Of course, he made some people miss, but they got him started and they did a great job. I’m really proud to hear that; that makes me feel good.”
On Sefo Liufau Being Back
“Sefo did a phenomenal job tonight. He got us to start off well. The majority of all his checks and reads he was excellent with. He kept us moving. I thought he played really well tonight. He’s so critical of himself, he’ll find some stuff he didn’t do right of course. I was very pleased with what Sefo did tonight. He was moving around well, he felt very, very comfortable out there playing. That was the key when he got back out there. This year, in the games he’s played, he’s played really well, I mean really well. He’ll keep that up.”
On Students Rushing The Field
“It was really fun; it was really enjoyable. You can’t see what’s going on, but I was glad to see the kids down there enjoying that. Our players really enjoyed them doing that.”
On Missed Field Goal And PAT
“We’re going to keep working at it. They’re young guys. Our main guy was Diego Gonzalez. We have young guys out there doing it. Davis [Price] has an excellent, young leg, very powerful. We’ll just keep working at it. Chris [Graham] came in and kicked well too, which was good to see.”
On The Kicking Competition
“Well it kind of has just gone back and forth, whoever is hot right now. We thought Davis (Price) was doing okay and then he didn’t, so we made a switch to Chris (Graham) and he kicked off pretty good tonight. Davis has a powerful leg, he is just really young. He really didn’t think he would be kicking this year and then all of the sudden he gets thrown into it. I think what he has done, he’s done real well. Of course he missed some tonight, but now he has to fight through that. That is part of a growing up process. Every kicker has missed them and every kicker has to fight through that and go back out there and make them. And that goes for every player that plays, you make mistakes and you have to learn how to bounce back. That will be another growth process for Davis and it was good to see Chris bounce back and do it. I have confidence in both of them, they both have good legs, they just haven’t played out there in the field goal situation a lot and that’s a lot of pressure.”
On Preparing For Stanford
“Stanford, they beat us pretty good out here last year. They got a really good football team, they got a running back that is pretty good that is from this state and will want to play good against us and we’ll want to stop him too. Christian McCaffrey is a heck of a player, he is up for the Heisman. Coach (David) Shaw has done a great job with his program and they are very hard to beat at Stanford. We are going to have to get ourselves ready to go there and play. They’ve been a powerhouse, when you look at it we’ve played Arizona State which has been a powerhouse in the South and now we are going to go play the powerhouse in the North back-to-back, so it is going to be a tough deal for us. I know our kids are going to be excited going there to play, we have a lot of kids from northern California and so they’ll be excited about going back home to play. We’ll be ready to go and I know they will be too.”
On The Team’s Demeanor
“They are focused. We have a saying ‘you are either getting better or you’re getting worse, nothing stays the same,’ so they understand what they did was awesome and now we got to keep moving forward. The next game we play, Stanford is going to want to beat us and they are a really good football team. You have to come to play every game in this league and they understand that and they want to keep moving forward. We’ve won five games, we got a lot more we want to win.”
On Addison Gillam
“It’s awesome to see him out there playing. He’s flashed at times this year, he flashed last Saturday at USC. This was his best week of practice where he was able to keep going and not get as sore on his leg. He’s getting in better shape with his leg. He’s 100 percent, it is just his hamstring or his calf would kind of get sore so he wasn’t able to practice as much during the week as he has been, but now he is getting to practice more so we have been able to get him more reps in the game. He is felling more and more confident and he’s giving me more confidence out there.”
Arizona State Head Coach Todd Graham
General
“First of all, I have a lot of respect for Coach MacIntyre. The job he’s done is tremendous and I want to congratulate them. Their tempo and how hard they played, they were the better team tonight. Obviously we didn’t play very well. We had some challenges but my hat goes off to them because they ran the ball on unlike anybody has ran the whole time I’ve been at Arizona State. Their energy of their whole team, I don’t know if we came out real flat energy wise, but you got to give the all the credit. There’s no excuses, they kicked our tail.”
On Health of QB Manny Wilkins
“No, I don’t think [he’s close to 100 percent]. Obviously, it gave us the best chance to have a chance to be competitive. And he felt like he could go and protect himself and I think he could. Obviously he was not 100 percent. He might have been 90, 85, something like that, I don’t know. That hurt us obviously. But we couldn’t run the ball. We’ve struggled for a weeks there. We just haven’t played very well on the road and I don’t think it has to do with that, I think it has to do with your opponent and those type of things. They rushed for over 300 yards and we rushed for 50. That’s pretty much the story.”
On Other Options at Quarterback
“Our other options have not even repped at quarterback, they’ve been repping on the scout team. And [Wilkins] practiced. He practiced on Wednesday and Thursday and he wanted to play, he felt like he could play, we felt he could give us the best option. We obviously changed a lot of things, tried multiple tight ends and block and do that and we didn’t have much success there. Really proud of Tim White. I thought Tim White gave a courageous effort tonight, and obviously Zane [Gonzalez], and Matt Haack caused two turnovers tonight, did a great job punting the football.””
On Colorado’s Success Running the Ball
“I think the tempo. Our energy level was very low. They didn’t run any plays they hadn’t run on film. It was tackling, a lot of it was yards after contact. Their tempo was fast, our guys struggled getting lined up. We’ve been here before with the altitude. We had some issues with the altitude, some guys had some issues there. That’s part of it. And they just blocked our butt, I don’t think anyone’s done that. It wasn’t real complex. They were the better team tonight, but the tempo was the main thing I think. And tackling was poor.”
On More Physical Colorado Team
“No doubt. [Colorado has the] same guys, that tells [MacIntyre] has done a great job with them. They were the better team tonight, no excuses.”
On Tonight’s Game Being in the Spotlight
“Every game for us is in the spotlight. You got to win every week in this league. You look around, you learn and you get better, or you fall back. They played as well as any team we played this year as far as running the football. They’re very well coached, I’ve been saying it for three years, there’s not a coach in this league I’ve got more respect for [than Mike MacIntyre]. They’ve really developed their guys. We’re 5-2, we have to go to work and get ready for Washington State.”
On Reason Behind Road Struggles
“I don’t know, I don’t think it’s the energy. We’re just young in a lot of places. We can’t emphasize it any more than what we’re emphasizing, football is a physical game too. Our guys were giving effort, they weren’t not giving effort. The tempo was overwhelming to us, and what you’ve got to do is stop them on 1st and 10. Once you get rolling, that’s when tempo really works on you. We haven’t played very well on the road, but it has a lot to do with how they played tonight. I thought they played extremely well and I haven’t seen them run the football like that. Obviously we didn’t play very well, so we’ll have to look at the film and evaluate it.”
“First of all, I have a lot of respect for Coach MacIntyre. The job he’s done is tremendous and I want to congratulate them. Their tempo and how hard they played, they were the better team tonight. Obviously we didn’t play very well. We had some challenges but my hat goes off to them because they ran the ball on unlike anybody has ran the whole time I’ve been at Arizona State. Their energy of their whole team, I don’t know if we came out real flat energy wise, but you got to give the all the credit. There’s no excuses, they kicked our tail.”
On Health of QB Manny Wilkins
“No, I don’t think [he’s close to 100 percent]. Obviously, it gave us the best chance to have a chance to be competitive. And he felt like he could go and protect himself and I think he could. Obviously he was not 100 percent. He might have been 90, 85, something like that, I don’t know. That hurt us obviously. But we couldn’t run the ball. We’ve struggled for a weeks there. We just haven’t played very well on the road and I don’t think it has to do with that, I think it has to do with your opponent and those type of things. They rushed for over 300 yards and we rushed for 50. That’s pretty much the story.”
On Other Options at Quarterback
“Our other options have not even repped at quarterback, they’ve been repping on the scout team. And [Wilkins] practiced. He practiced on Wednesday and Thursday and he wanted to play, he felt like he could play, we felt he could give us the best option. We obviously changed a lot of things, tried multiple tight ends and block and do that and we didn’t have much success there. Really proud of Tim White. I thought Tim White gave a courageous effort tonight, and obviously Zane [Gonzalez], and Matt Haack caused two turnovers tonight, did a great job punting the football.””
On Colorado’s Success Running the Ball
“I think the tempo. Our energy level was very low. They didn’t run any plays they hadn’t run on film. It was tackling, a lot of it was yards after contact. Their tempo was fast, our guys struggled getting lined up. We’ve been here before with the altitude. We had some issues with the altitude, some guys had some issues there. That’s part of it. And they just blocked our butt, I don’t think anyone’s done that. It wasn’t real complex. They were the better team tonight, but the tempo was the main thing I think. And tackling was poor.”
On More Physical Colorado Team
“No doubt. [Colorado has the] same guys, that tells [MacIntyre] has done a great job with them. They were the better team tonight, no excuses.”
On Tonight’s Game Being in the Spotlight
“Every game for us is in the spotlight. You got to win every week in this league. You look around, you learn and you get better, or you fall back. They played as well as any team we played this year as far as running the football. They’re very well coached, I’ve been saying it for three years, there’s not a coach in this league I’ve got more respect for [than Mike MacIntyre]. They’ve really developed their guys. We’re 5-2, we have to go to work and get ready for Washington State.”
On Reason Behind Road Struggles
“I don’t know, I don’t think it’s the energy. We’re just young in a lot of places. We can’t emphasize it any more than what we’re emphasizing, football is a physical game too. Our guys were giving effort, they weren’t not giving effort. The tempo was overwhelming to us, and what you’ve got to do is stop them on 1st and 10. Once you get rolling, that’s when tempo really works on you. We haven’t played very well on the road, but it has a lot to do with how they played tonight. I thought they played extremely well and I haven’t seen them run the football like that. Obviously we didn’t play very well, so we’ll have to look at the film and evaluate it.”
Colorado Players
TB Kyle Evans
ON QB SEFO LIUFAU’S LEADERSHIP– “Sefo on or off the field, whether he’s playing or not, he’s always been the leader of this team. When he’s out there it’s a comfort level. He knows what he’s doing; so we know what we’re supposed to do because he knows what he’s supposed to do. If we’re doing the wrong thing, he puts us in the right place. Whatever the situation may be, he’s always doing the right things and is comfortable with everyone on the team.”
ON TONIGHT’S STRONG RUN GAME - “We always try to run first and then open it up for the pass game. This week we focused on certain schemes that they had that we knew we could gash them on. Coach MacIntyre kept saying, ‘break through the glass, keep running, don’t hesitate when you’re in the hole.’ That’s what I did on my touchdowns and as you saw that with Phil [Lindsay]. We both did that and it worked out for us.”
ON ASU’S RUSH DEFENSE - “Like I said, it was just a scheme basically. They blitz a lot so as long as you’re running away from the blitz, you can gash them. We just got our blocks right and we had to gash them on a couple of plays. It turned out good for us.”
ON GROWTH THIS WEEK - “Coach Mac always talks about getting better week to week. This week we definitely got a lot better. We’re just trying to carry that into Stanford. Last week our run game wasn’t there as much. This week we tried to pick it up so that’s what we tried to get done and we did it pretty well.”
ON THE ROLE OF THE RUNNING BACKS ON THIS OFFENSE-“I think everybody knows our receivers are doing pretty well. As running backs, we’re trying to do our part. Whenever we get a crease or a hole, we try to break a tackle, try to score a touchdown. Then that opens it up for the receivers throwing it down field. We’re just trying to do our part in the scheme of things to open it up for everyone else.”
ON TONIGHT’S CROWD - “It was pretty good. That’s the best I’ve seen it. The best comparison I can give it was against Oregon because they had a big crowd and were loud. But we were pretty done there tonight. I couldn’t hear a couple of times so I had to look down to the sidelines for the play. It was a good turnout. We have to keep it going into next week and UCLA.”
ON TONIGHT’S STRONG RUN GAME - “We always try to run first and then open it up for the pass game. This week we focused on certain schemes that they had that we knew we could gash them on. Coach MacIntyre kept saying, ‘break through the glass, keep running, don’t hesitate when you’re in the hole.’ That’s what I did on my touchdowns and as you saw that with Phil [Lindsay]. We both did that and it worked out for us.”
ON ASU’S RUSH DEFENSE - “Like I said, it was just a scheme basically. They blitz a lot so as long as you’re running away from the blitz, you can gash them. We just got our blocks right and we had to gash them on a couple of plays. It turned out good for us.”
ON GROWTH THIS WEEK - “Coach Mac always talks about getting better week to week. This week we definitely got a lot better. We’re just trying to carry that into Stanford. Last week our run game wasn’t there as much. This week we tried to pick it up so that’s what we tried to get done and we did it pretty well.”
ON THE ROLE OF THE RUNNING BACKS ON THIS OFFENSE-“I think everybody knows our receivers are doing pretty well. As running backs, we’re trying to do our part. Whenever we get a crease or a hole, we try to break a tackle, try to score a touchdown. Then that opens it up for the receivers throwing it down field. We’re just trying to do our part in the scheme of things to open it up for everyone else.”
ON TONIGHT’S CROWD - “It was pretty good. That’s the best I’ve seen it. The best comparison I can give it was against Oregon because they had a big crowd and were loud. But we were pretty done there tonight. I couldn’t hear a couple of times so I had to look down to the sidelines for the play. It was a good turnout. We have to keep it going into next week and UCLA.”
WR Bryce Bobo
ON QB SEFO LIUFAU’S LEADERSHIP - “Sefo [Liufau] is a natural competitor at the end of the day. He has to do what he can to the best of his ability to put us in the position to win. Having Sefo back on the field is having another leader back on the field. He takes charge and does what he needs to do.”
ON GETTING OPEN DOWN FIELD - “We’re taught to do that; if the quarterback gets pushed out of the pocket, it’s a free play. We have to try to get open or make plays down field if we can or come back to the ball.”
ON BEING PAC-12 CONTENDERS - “People projected us to win this game. I felt at the same time they still kind of doubted us because they don’t know if we’re contenders in the Pac-12. But I think tonight proved that we are.”
ON PREPARATION FOR GAMES EACH WEEK - “We come out and try to do what we do. We don’t’ worry about the other team or what they’re running. We worry about what we’re running. At the end of the day, (last week) USC did a good job of taking that away from us but we still have to come out fighting.”
ON HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE TEAM - “I don’t like to be taken down, especially by the first person. My mindset is to not let anyone take me down and get as many yards as I can. I want to be a contributor to a big win and I’ll do that by any means.”
ON ASU’S RUSH DEFENSE – “We see how ASU blitzes all the time. That’s their defense, they like to bring a lot of pressure. We have a really good front line so we can use our front line to do whatever we want regardless of the pressure. And our receivers on the outside are blocking for our running backs so they can get those big rushes down the field.”
ON TONIGHT’S ASTMOSPHERE - “It’s always a great feeling to get a big win. The atmosphere was great. I’ve never experienced having that many fans in the stadium. They bring a lot of love and we love that from the fans.”
ON GETTING OPEN DOWN FIELD - “We’re taught to do that; if the quarterback gets pushed out of the pocket, it’s a free play. We have to try to get open or make plays down field if we can or come back to the ball.”
ON BEING PAC-12 CONTENDERS - “People projected us to win this game. I felt at the same time they still kind of doubted us because they don’t know if we’re contenders in the Pac-12. But I think tonight proved that we are.”
ON PREPARATION FOR GAMES EACH WEEK - “We come out and try to do what we do. We don’t’ worry about the other team or what they’re running. We worry about what we’re running. At the end of the day, (last week) USC did a good job of taking that away from us but we still have to come out fighting.”
ON HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE TEAM - “I don’t like to be taken down, especially by the first person. My mindset is to not let anyone take me down and get as many yards as I can. I want to be a contributor to a big win and I’ll do that by any means.”
ON ASU’S RUSH DEFENSE – “We see how ASU blitzes all the time. That’s their defense, they like to bring a lot of pressure. We have a really good front line so we can use our front line to do whatever we want regardless of the pressure. And our receivers on the outside are blocking for our running backs so they can get those big rushes down the field.”
ON TONIGHT’S ASTMOSPHERE - “It’s always a great feeling to get a big win. The atmosphere was great. I’ve never experienced having that many fans in the stadium. They bring a lot of love and we love that from the fans.”
DL Samson Kafovalu
ON WHAT WENT INTO THE DEFENSIVE GAMEPLAN- “The basic plan for almost every team is to stop the run. Stop the run and they become one dimensional. And harass the quarterback. With the amount of sacks that we got today, I feel grateful that we were able to make those big plays.”
ON HOW THE TEAM ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF POOR TACKLING FROM LAST WEEK’S GAME- “That crowd out there. I feel like the crowd is a big difference. Being in Colorado, and it being a night game, we come alive in the night.”
ON THE KEY TO TONIGHT’S PASS RUSH- “I feel like it’s just a guessing game. We get to build our own stature and technique and how we use it. We are mixing everything up. We keep the offensive linemen guessing.”
ON IF IT WAS A SURPRISE TO SEE QB MANNY WILKINS START- “I wasn’t very surprised. Our coaching staff explained that he might be up and ready for the game. We ran a lot of wildcat in practice.”
ON IF IT CAME TO A SURPRISE THAT ASU DID NOT RUN MUCH WILDCAT- “Yeah, there was one play that I didn’t keep inside leverage. I tried to set the edge, I was definitely happy with the outcome.”
ON HOW THE TEAM ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF POOR TACKLING FROM LAST WEEK’S GAME- “That crowd out there. I feel like the crowd is a big difference. Being in Colorado, and it being a night game, we come alive in the night.”
ON THE KEY TO TONIGHT’S PASS RUSH- “I feel like it’s just a guessing game. We get to build our own stature and technique and how we use it. We are mixing everything up. We keep the offensive linemen guessing.”
ON IF IT WAS A SURPRISE TO SEE QB MANNY WILKINS START- “I wasn’t very surprised. Our coaching staff explained that he might be up and ready for the game. We ran a lot of wildcat in practice.”
ON IF IT CAME TO A SURPRISE THAT ASU DID NOT RUN MUCH WILDCAT- “Yeah, there was one play that I didn’t keep inside leverage. I tried to set the edge, I was definitely happy with the outcome.”
DB Tedric Thompson
ON WHAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO HIS LONGEST ACTIVE STREAK OF CONSECUTIVE STARTS (20) – “I think my faith in God. It was a bad injury I had my sophomore year. It was the worst injury I’ve ever had so I didn’t know if I was going to play football again but I think my faith in God and the way he’s leading me is the only reason I’ve been able to play again.”
ON CORRECTING THE POOR TACKLING FROM LAST WEEK’S GAME AGAINST USC- “Yeah, I think we did a great job of tackling in practice that’s why we did a great job of tackling today. We did well during tackling stations and 1-on-1’s. I think we did a good job. We still missed a couple tackles that we have to fix but I think we did get a good job overall.”
ON UNCERTAINTY OF WHICH QB IS GOING TO START- “We can’t really let it affect us because it’s going to bug as all week. So we just have to be prepared for everything. We watch film on all quarterbacks and see the differences between the two. We weren’t trying to worry about it. We were just going to play our game regardless of who was playing quarterback.”
ON WHETHER OT NOT MANNY WILKINS PLAYING CAME TO A SURPRISE- “No, we were ready for him. We watched him on film. He’s a great quarterback. We were ready for everybody.”
ON HOW HELPFUL THE CROWD NOISE IS- “They were loud. I think this was the loudest I’ve heard Folsom since I’ve been here in my fourth year. It helps a lot, especially on defense. The opposing team was getting some false starts and missed blocks. When our crowd is that loud, our offense and defense feeds off of it.”
ON HOW HELPFUL THE PASS RUSH IS TO THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD- “It helps us a lot. Our team starts with the O-line and D-line. So when our defensive line is playing like that, it makes the DB’s ad linebackers job that much easier because they are getting pressure on the quarterback to make him run everywhere and throw wild passes. I think Jimmy had three sacks. So when they do stuff like that, it makes the defense’s job that much easier.”
ON CORRECTING THE POOR TACKLING FROM LAST WEEK’S GAME AGAINST USC- “Yeah, I think we did a great job of tackling in practice that’s why we did a great job of tackling today. We did well during tackling stations and 1-on-1’s. I think we did a good job. We still missed a couple tackles that we have to fix but I think we did get a good job overall.”
ON UNCERTAINTY OF WHICH QB IS GOING TO START- “We can’t really let it affect us because it’s going to bug as all week. So we just have to be prepared for everything. We watch film on all quarterbacks and see the differences between the two. We weren’t trying to worry about it. We were just going to play our game regardless of who was playing quarterback.”
ON WHETHER OT NOT MANNY WILKINS PLAYING CAME TO A SURPRISE- “No, we were ready for him. We watched him on film. He’s a great quarterback. We were ready for everybody.”
ON HOW HELPFUL THE CROWD NOISE IS- “They were loud. I think this was the loudest I’ve heard Folsom since I’ve been here in my fourth year. It helps a lot, especially on defense. The opposing team was getting some false starts and missed blocks. When our crowd is that loud, our offense and defense feeds off of it.”
ON HOW HELPFUL THE PASS RUSH IS TO THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD- “It helps us a lot. Our team starts with the O-line and D-line. So when our defensive line is playing like that, it makes the DB’s ad linebackers job that much easier because they are getting pressure on the quarterback to make him run everywhere and throw wild passes. I think Jimmy had three sacks. So when they do stuff like that, it makes the defense’s job that much easier.”
LT Jeromy Irwin
ON OPENING HOLE FOR PHIL’S LONG TOUCHDOWN – “ASU is known to blitz a lot. They are a great defense and they get a lot of sacks with a lot of negative yardage plays but there are those opportunities when you can up and they aren’t gap sound. That was one of the opportunities when they brought a blitz. We were able to open it up and Phil just went. I mean I could have ran through that hole, that’s how big it was.”
ON PLAYING COLORADO FOOTBALL – “It’s awesome. When we put up over 500 yards total offense is something great and it’s not done often. We didn’t have to throw the ball that much which is awesome. It really comes down to being a cohesive offensive line, that’s how we will be successful. With Alex, Gerrad, Jonathan stepping in playing both guards, Sam sick as a dog, we played really well together and that’s what we need to do every night, “
ON PLAYING COLORADO FOOTBALL – “It’s awesome. When we put up over 500 yards total offense is something great and it’s not done often. We didn’t have to throw the ball that much which is awesome. It really comes down to being a cohesive offensive line, that’s how we will be successful. With Alex, Gerrad, Jonathan stepping in playing both guards, Sam sick as a dog, we played really well together and that’s what we need to do every night, “
TB Phil Lindsay
ON IMPORTANCE OF PASS COVERAGE THIS GAME- “It starts off front with these guys [Offensive Line]. It’s a lot of soul searching, it’s always hard after a loss. But we never gave up on each other and these men right here work hard, that’s the truth. They go at it every day and no one asks to interview them but these men right here are the reason for our success. The reason why our wide receivers are going down the field and scoring. Sefo is getting the time to connect with them, it’s because of these guys right here.
ON HIS 75 YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN – “As a running back when you can get through the line five yards before you get touched, that’s a running backs dream and our offensive line made it happen for us. All I had to do was run. They were so happy to finally see me break. They have been giving me the hardest time out of everybody about breaking scores. They love that because we move down the field and get off the field and get points. For me, being able to get that long touchdown is all because of them and I appreciate you guys [looks around at his five O-Line].”
ON OFFENSIVE LINE’S PREFORMANCE– “These guys right here made me man. I am excited to have that 75 yard run but I am more excited that we were able to move the ball as a team efficiently. At the end of the day it’s all about the team and as long as I am helping with the team that’s all that matters.
ON BEING ONE WIN AWAY FROM POST SEASON – “I think Alex Kelley as been here the longest and Jeromy Irwin and they deserve it. They put their bodies on the line so we have to make it happen for them.”
ON HAVING SEFO BACK –“He’s the man. That man has been through a lot now. He’s been through a lot of criticism, people loving him, people hating him. But at the end of the day he gets up every time, leads his men down the field no matter what. I love Sefo, we’ve been through a lot but I just want him to know that.”
QB Sefo Liufau
ON THE WIN - “It feels great to be able to come out here and play the game that I love with these teammates that I’ve been with for four years now. We’ve been through the good and the bad. Being able to come full circle [is great]. The first time my class played ASU we got destroyed by them. Senior year to beat these guys and put a good win on the board is great.”
ON FAN SUPPORT - “It was a great feeling and it was humbling to know that you have support from the fans. It’s a testament to your team because it’s not just me who went out there and won the game. I can’t block, I can’t catch, I can’t do everything. So, it just shows the success of our team and how well we’re doing. It’s just one game. Next week we have to come back and prove ourselves again and put on a good performance.”
ON COACH MACINTYRE’S ADVICE TO HIM THIS WEEK IN PRACTICE - “We go into practice every day and work. He told me when I went back out there yesterday to be myself and lead the guys and go out there and make plays. For the most part I think I is that. There are a couple of plays I’d like to have back but for the most part coming back and letting our guys make some plays is the biggest key.”
ON EMOTIONS WHILE HEALING FROM HIS ANKLE INJURY -“It was up and down, that’s the best term. It was harder than when I broke my left foot because of the fact that it was during the season. You never know with all of the injuries that have happened on my right side. You don’t; know how long it’s going to be. It was tough and frustrating and I knew that there were people capable [of stepping up] and I knew that our team was better than teams past. We could handle business and put points on the board.”
ON TONIGHT’S WIN BUILDING MOMENTUM - “I definitely think it’s a good momentum win but like I said earlier, we have to go out there each week and prove ourselves. The win that we have tonight has no effect on next week in terms of points or yards or anything. We can enjoy the win tonight but when it comes to Monday, it’s time to lock it back in and go out there and prove ourselves again to everybody.”
ON DEFEATING ASU’S RUN DEFENSE - “I think it transpired during the game. We had some schemes going into the game with what we wanted to do but you have to go with the flow of the game. We kind of saw that some things were working so we kept burning the same or similar plays. That helped us a lot. The running backs made a lot of plays today. They could have been tackled two, three yards after the line of scrimmage but they made guys miss and that’s what we need a lot. Especially with Phil and his big run, those are the kinds of plays that we need from our skill players.”
ON HIS 75 YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN – “As a running back when you can get through the line five yards before you get touched, that’s a running backs dream and our offensive line made it happen for us. All I had to do was run. They were so happy to finally see me break. They have been giving me the hardest time out of everybody about breaking scores. They love that because we move down the field and get off the field and get points. For me, being able to get that long touchdown is all because of them and I appreciate you guys [looks around at his five O-Line].”
ON OFFENSIVE LINE’S PREFORMANCE– “These guys right here made me man. I am excited to have that 75 yard run but I am more excited that we were able to move the ball as a team efficiently. At the end of the day it’s all about the team and as long as I am helping with the team that’s all that matters.
ON BEING ONE WIN AWAY FROM POST SEASON – “I think Alex Kelley as been here the longest and Jeromy Irwin and they deserve it. They put their bodies on the line so we have to make it happen for them.”
ON HAVING SEFO BACK –“He’s the man. That man has been through a lot now. He’s been through a lot of criticism, people loving him, people hating him. But at the end of the day he gets up every time, leads his men down the field no matter what. I love Sefo, we’ve been through a lot but I just want him to know that.”
QB Sefo Liufau
ON THE WIN - “It feels great to be able to come out here and play the game that I love with these teammates that I’ve been with for four years now. We’ve been through the good and the bad. Being able to come full circle [is great]. The first time my class played ASU we got destroyed by them. Senior year to beat these guys and put a good win on the board is great.”
ON FAN SUPPORT - “It was a great feeling and it was humbling to know that you have support from the fans. It’s a testament to your team because it’s not just me who went out there and won the game. I can’t block, I can’t catch, I can’t do everything. So, it just shows the success of our team and how well we’re doing. It’s just one game. Next week we have to come back and prove ourselves again and put on a good performance.”
ON COACH MACINTYRE’S ADVICE TO HIM THIS WEEK IN PRACTICE - “We go into practice every day and work. He told me when I went back out there yesterday to be myself and lead the guys and go out there and make plays. For the most part I think I is that. There are a couple of plays I’d like to have back but for the most part coming back and letting our guys make some plays is the biggest key.”
ON EMOTIONS WHILE HEALING FROM HIS ANKLE INJURY -“It was up and down, that’s the best term. It was harder than when I broke my left foot because of the fact that it was during the season. You never know with all of the injuries that have happened on my right side. You don’t; know how long it’s going to be. It was tough and frustrating and I knew that there were people capable [of stepping up] and I knew that our team was better than teams past. We could handle business and put points on the board.”
ON TONIGHT’S WIN BUILDING MOMENTUM - “I definitely think it’s a good momentum win but like I said earlier, we have to go out there each week and prove ourselves. The win that we have tonight has no effect on next week in terms of points or yards or anything. We can enjoy the win tonight but when it comes to Monday, it’s time to lock it back in and go out there and prove ourselves again to everybody.”
ON DEFEATING ASU’S RUN DEFENSE - “I think it transpired during the game. We had some schemes going into the game with what we wanted to do but you have to go with the flow of the game. We kind of saw that some things were working so we kept burning the same or similar plays. That helped us a lot. The running backs made a lot of plays today. They could have been tackled two, three yards after the line of scrimmage but they made guys miss and that’s what we need a lot. Especially with Phil and his big run, those are the kinds of plays that we need from our skill players.”
LB Addison Gillam
ON BEING HEALTHY -“It’s been really fun, the best way to put it. I was pretty frustrated but it’s finally paying off this year even with the whole team. Four years later we’re finally starting to win some games. It’s awesome.”
ON THE DEFENSE’S SUCCESS TONIGHT - “I think it gets everyone excited. Our defense is playing excitedly and we’re having fun. We want to play our best. We’re not playing with worries or anything and I think that’s the biggest thing. When we get big hits, the defense lights up and gets more energy.”
OLB Jimmie Gilbert
ON TONIGHT’S SACKS - “We have to thank the front four guys for allowing us to do that. They played stout. They do their jobs which clears it up to us to come off the edge and come up the middle free. Without those three or four guys, we wouldn’t even be up here right now. We’d be still downstairs upset. We have to thank those guys.”
ON THE HEALTH OF ASU’S QUARTERBACK MANNY WILKINS - “The first thing we work on is the run so no matter whether the quarterback is healthy or not, we have to stop the run. If we don’t do that we’re left unbalanced. So when we stop the run; that really allows us to focus on the pass rush. When we focus on the pass rush, things become a lot easier because there’s no worries and we’re just having fun playing the game we love.”
ON THE DEFENSE’S PREFORMANCE - “We just wanted to make a statement that when you play us you’re going to get hit but at the same time, who is left standing at the end is going to be the victor. We felt like today we had to dominate and stop the run and get to the quarterback as many times as possible. We had guys like Addison coming free and laying big hits which makes them hesitate to have the quarterback in the backfield unprotected. When they become uneasy, everything becomes easier and easier.”
ON GOING INTO THIS WEEK - “As far as us being ranked, we don’t really think about that too much. Us being ranked won’t affect how we play or who we play. We go into the game showing our opponent respect, preparing for them like we prepare for every other team and playing Colorado football when we step on the field.”
ON THE DEFENSE’S SUCCESS TONIGHT - “I think it gets everyone excited. Our defense is playing excitedly and we’re having fun. We want to play our best. We’re not playing with worries or anything and I think that’s the biggest thing. When we get big hits, the defense lights up and gets more energy.”
OLB Jimmie Gilbert
ON TONIGHT’S SACKS - “We have to thank the front four guys for allowing us to do that. They played stout. They do their jobs which clears it up to us to come off the edge and come up the middle free. Without those three or four guys, we wouldn’t even be up here right now. We’d be still downstairs upset. We have to thank those guys.”
ON THE HEALTH OF ASU’S QUARTERBACK MANNY WILKINS - “The first thing we work on is the run so no matter whether the quarterback is healthy or not, we have to stop the run. If we don’t do that we’re left unbalanced. So when we stop the run; that really allows us to focus on the pass rush. When we focus on the pass rush, things become a lot easier because there’s no worries and we’re just having fun playing the game we love.”
ON THE DEFENSE’S PREFORMANCE - “We just wanted to make a statement that when you play us you’re going to get hit but at the same time, who is left standing at the end is going to be the victor. We felt like today we had to dominate and stop the run and get to the quarterback as many times as possible. We had guys like Addison coming free and laying big hits which makes them hesitate to have the quarterback in the backfield unprotected. When they become uneasy, everything becomes easier and easier.”
ON GOING INTO THIS WEEK - “As far as us being ranked, we don’t really think about that too much. Us being ranked won’t affect how we play or who we play. We go into the game showing our opponent respect, preparing for them like we prepare for every other team and playing Colorado football when we step on the field.”
Arizona State Players
QB Manny Wilkins
ON HEALTH ENTERING THE GAME-“I was 100 percent healthy entering the game and I had no problems. I was ready to play since I practiced all week.”
ON THE CAUSE OF THE LOSS- “Poor quarterback play. I need to do a better job, no turnovers. We have to just make sure we’re giving guys more opportunities to go up and make a play. I’m just proud of the way this team fought. We just got outplayed tonight. Colorado played a very great game, coached a very great game. At the end of the day it's a win and a loss on the board, we caught an 'L' today.”
ON STARTING THIS GAME- “I knew the whole week that I would start.”
ON THE LOSS- “It was just poor play.”
ON COLORADO DEFENSE- “They did a good job of scheming us and popping backers here and there. We just got in their coverage. At the end of the day, we just got make more plays than the other team to win football games. Tonight we didn't do that.”
ON DIFFERENCES AT HOME AND ON ROAD- “We're the same team away and home.”
ON PAC-12 SOUTH TITLE- “Every game is a chance to better ourselves and the season. Like I said, our mindset is to go 1 - 0 every single week. This week that didn't happen but next week our mindset doesn't change, we're going to go 1 -0. We're going to continue to better ourselves every week and learn from the film. That's what you have to do, learn from the mistakes that you make and bounce back. That's what a team with character does and that's what we are brought up to do.”
ON THE CAUSE OF THE LOSS- “Poor quarterback play. I need to do a better job, no turnovers. We have to just make sure we’re giving guys more opportunities to go up and make a play. I’m just proud of the way this team fought. We just got outplayed tonight. Colorado played a very great game, coached a very great game. At the end of the day it's a win and a loss on the board, we caught an 'L' today.”
ON STARTING THIS GAME- “I knew the whole week that I would start.”
ON THE LOSS- “It was just poor play.”
ON COLORADO DEFENSE- “They did a good job of scheming us and popping backers here and there. We just got in their coverage. At the end of the day, we just got make more plays than the other team to win football games. Tonight we didn't do that.”
ON DIFFERENCES AT HOME AND ON ROAD- “We're the same team away and home.”
ON PAC-12 SOUTH TITLE- “Every game is a chance to better ourselves and the season. Like I said, our mindset is to go 1 - 0 every single week. This week that didn't happen but next week our mindset doesn't change, we're going to go 1 -0. We're going to continue to better ourselves every week and learn from the film. That's what you have to do, learn from the mistakes that you make and bounce back. That's what a team with character does and that's what we are brought up to do.”
LB Marcus Ball
ON WHAT DID’T GO RIGHT ON DEFENSE- “First and foremost, you give credit when credit is due. You have to give credit to Colorado for having a great plan. You know obviously one thing that you saw out there is that we did a poor job stopping the run. You have to stop the run to win ball games. We pride ourselves here at Arizona State being plus four in the take away charts and tonight we didn’t get that done. Like I said they ran the ball on us and took the W home.”
ON BEING PREPARED FOR EITHER QB- “It really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who we see, obviously you prepare. We obviously didn’t know who was going to start, it doesn’t really matter though. We had an excellent plan going into it, we just didn’t execute as well as we should. It doesn’t really matter who we see at quarterback.”
ON BEING PREPARED FOR EITHER QB- “It really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who we see, obviously you prepare. We obviously didn’t know who was going to start, it doesn’t really matter though. We had an excellent plan going into it, we just didn’t execute as well as we should. It doesn’t really matter who we see at quarterback.”