Colorado-Georgia Quotes
October 02, 2010 | Football
Colorado Head Coach Dan Hawkins
General
"We got started fast which gave us a little bit of confidence. We then did a good job coming back a little bit the times when we got down. We showed some courage, some perseverance, good ambition there. Not everything went perfect, it never does in the game, but I thought they were able to make plays and really answer when we needed. The defense did the same thing, that interception down in the end zone, got a fumble late. Tyler came up with a big throw there and made some big runs. To me just a great intangible showing by our guys."
On Georgia coming back in the second quarter
"The thing was that they had a couple of big plays and the kicking game and had some big offensive plays. We were just a little bit off offensively. It is not like you scrap everything that you are doing, but I didn't feel like they were driving the length of the field or totally dominating us at that point. We were making some plays and some big ones; we tried to get them to slow down a little bit and then got a little continuity back. I think the great thing is that nobody panicked."
On the success of the running game
"It is just continuity. Confidence is a huge, huge thing and there are a lot of ways that that comes about. Obviously in the second half against Hawaii they were feeling it a little bit and getting some consistency going and that carried into this game."
On starting with Brian Lockridge
"Sometimes that is just semantics. Both those guys (Lockridge and Rodney Stewart) are great players and we are going to use them a lot. We just led off with B-Lock, we thought he had a good game against Hawaii, he sprained his ankle and it kind of slowed him a little bit. To his credit he came back and played with speed. We keep talking all the time about competition, you have to be at your very best to get snaps. It is a good thing, so we are happy to get him in there."
On if competition between Lockridge and Stewart lit a fire under them
"I think it did a lot, both those guys have extreme passion and they played well."
On A.J. Green's first touchdown pass
"I thought the ball hit the ground. I have to see the T.V. replay I guess."
On the two-point conversion
"I told (CUBuffs.com contributing editor) B.G. Brooks that we were going to do stuff like this. I said, 'watch, if we get this we'll look like geniuses, but if we don't then it will be like the stupidest thing that we've ever tried.' It's part of getting your guys an edge a little bit. We need to do that in the middle of the field as well. We were in the right time at the right place, you don't want to put your guys at risk but we felt very good about the plays that we had and we executed, it obviously gives the defense one more thing to think about. We were prepared in the middle of the field as well. We've done that before in our past and it's been good stuff. Again just another way of getting your guys to get on the attack. The sad thing is when you lose it's like everything becomes so basic, you're like, 'let's not make a mistake,' but you're so basic that it doesn't matter anyways. You have to get out of the box and get your attack mode going."
On the missed field goal
"He missed it just barely. He's got plenty of leg, we know that. It is not a question of his leg strength. He did have a little wind blowing right to left but we want to give him a shot at it."
On the fourth quarter
"I was more concerned about clock management at that time. We kind of knew that if they got the ball down to the 40 that they would have an opportunity to kick a field goal from there. The guy can boom it so to me it became 'lets burn our timeouts right here so we have plenty of time on the clock if they kick a field goal, then they only go up by one,' my focus was to just manage the clock."
On the importance of the game
"They are all important. Obviously there was good stats, put a couple of games back-to-back. Now we open up Big 12 play so we have to carry that same sort of swagger on the road."
On defending A.J. Green
"We put some help over the top for him. He's a great player, we've got great corners and we trust our guys. They made a couple of plays, Jimmy Smith knocked the ball away, Jalil Brown picked one of them, it's not like we were totally afraid to matchup with him. He's just a great player. He was absent there for awhile so I think he was having some hamstring issues, but Ron Collins (defensive coordinator) started playing some people over the top."
Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt
General
"First of all, congratulations to Dan Hawkins and the Colorado Buffaloes. Not just their coaches and players, but their fans; they did a good job showing up in their black. They did a great job in bringing back their 1990 national championship team. They had great atmosphere. We obviously needed a victory, I'm not too pleased or thankful about it myself, but you've got to give them credit for the job they did."
On Final Drive
"That's as basic of a play as we've got. You say, 'what's our number one running play?' and that was it. They got penetration, obviously, but you've still got to be able to secure that ball for a four or five yard loss. You've got to hold on to it, but we didn't. They made a play."
On A.J. Green
"It's nice to have A.J. [Green]. You could see tonight just how talented he is, and how dangerous of a player he is. He's a momentum changer, and he did [change momentum]. We reversed the momentum of the game, and the more plays he made our offense spark. He's definitely a special player and a special kid.
"There are plays you can call that go to a guy, but we didn't go that way because of protection or because of coverage, so that's where we started with him."
On Caleb King
"Yeah, Caleb [King] played real good. He broke a lot of tackles. [On the fumble] I think he was trying to make a spin move as he was getting the ball. It was his instinct to try and make somebody miss. But you've got to get the ball first, and we just didn't do that. Caleb gave great effort, he gave great runs. When the ball was secured to him, he wrapped it up real well; unfortunately on the exchange he didn't."
On Team's Morale
"Am I worried about it? It's hard, it's not easy, but I have a lot of faith in our guys. They'll stay together, they'll keep working. No one's going to give in or quit, and nobody's going to do a negative thing within our ranks. I'm confident that everybody on this football team is going to keep working.
"Losing is not good, but there are a lot of good things that come out of it as far as effort and attitude of the group. There are a lot of things that I can point to that the coaches will be proud of these guys for. But the bottom line in football is wins and losses, and right now we haven't gotten one in awhile."
On Colorado's Game Plan
"Not really, they pretty much played true to form. I'm sure there are things that I'll see on film that might be a little bit different, but they just lined up and played their game."
On Tyler Hansen
"He was a big problem. That first drive of the game, they had that third-and-long, and we were in a really good position to sack him. I can't think of how many times that he was the difference in them moving the chains in a third-down situation. His ability to run, break tackles and keep plays alive [helped them]. Later on the game, he did a lot of great things."
On Colorado's Two-Point Play
"They will line up a certain way, and if they see that it's there, they will take it. That thing is designed to do that, and because we defended it poorly [they got it]. I don't think they will run the play no matter what, they just have a certain look and they executed it."
Colorado Players
LB B.J. Beatty
ON FORCING GAME CLINCHING FUMBLE IN 4TH QUARTER -"They took that timeout and Coach [Ron] Collins said, 'you can call a certain play,' and I said, 'just run it.' We knew they were going to try and run the ball and milk the clock and kick a field goal. I knew I had the opportunity to come off the edge and maybe disrupt their handoff. The whole time we were waiting for the ball and waiting for them to come up with that play. I was thinking, 'If I could get off the ball fast enough, I can get to that exchange and force it out.' That's all that ran through my head. I saw it pop out and all I could think about was holding that running back so he can't get it. It happened so fast. All I did was run at him knowing that he was going to get the handoff. He kind of flinched or botched his hands or maybe the quarterback hit it in the wrong place, I don't know, all I know is that the ball came out. I kept thinking, 'The ball came out, grab this guy.'"
ON EMOTION AFTER FORCING FUMBLE - "I couldn't even describe it. It felt unreal. I just kind of went ballistic. Our team fought and we deserved that."
ON THE WIN - "It was big for our team, momentum from beating a great Georgia team. Their record doesn't reflect how good they are; they're a great team. They pounded on us and we pounded back and I think for all the guys that are just getting to play, and all of the young guys, it's kind of like, 'Man, we are good.' The older guys, we know what we can do. We know how good it can get for us and it's going to be just momentum for us now."
ON GEORGIA'S FINAL DRIVE - "I was thinking, 'Get the ball.' That's all I could think about. That running back has got it, then I'm going to try and rip it out. I'm going to do everything I can to try and get that ball back. Like I said, before that last play that's all I could think about; trying to get my hand on that ball."
ON DEFENSIVE MINDSET DURING THE GAME - "They hit us. We went to the sideline; we'll get them next series. You can't dwell on what happened and you can't change it. All you can do is look forward to what you're going to do on the next play. That's what we kept telling ourselves on defense."
ON GEORGIA'S FANS - "Their fans are real supportive, so you can't get mad at them for that."
ON THE 1990 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM - "Those guys were the National Champions. They set the standard for any Colorado team that followed. All of those guys are great guys. They come in, and seeing where they've gone in life and coming back and supporting the team and saying that they still love this school and they love this team, it definitely motivated us."
CB Jimmy Smith
ON RALLYING AFTER HALFTIME - "We've got the philosophy of bend and don't break. We just kept our noses down and played the ball. They started to feed number 8 [WR A.J. Green] the ball and he's an amazing athlete. We just kept our noses down and played the ball."
ON WR A.J. GREEN - "Usually when you get a tall receiver like that, he's a little slower, but he's probably going to be able to get up there and jump. He may be a little slower and his release isn't going to be that good, but that dude, when he gets the ball in his hands, he can move. He can make you miss, he can go up and get the ball, and as you can see with that one-handed catch he got, he's just an amazing athlete. He's by far the best athlete I've ever faced while in college."
ON GEORGIA'S FANS - "The banner said, 'Welcome Bull Dog Nation.' Georgia just travels well."
ON CONTROLLING PENALTIES - "I think the fact that we watched film and we could see we were right there. We were shooting ourselves in the foot. Our whole offense just clicked this game. They worked on it all week in practice though."
ON GEORGIA'S OFFENSE - "[A.J. Green] is there go-to guy and when he went out, I didn't even know he went out. I didn't know he got hurt, but they still ran the ball effectively and they still got a couple big plays when he was out."
RB Rodney Stewart
ON MOTIVATION FROM NOT GETTING THE START - "I'm always motivated, I just wait for my chance to get in and I showed the people what I can do."
ON HIS THIRD-DOWN CATCH ON THE SECOND-TO-LAST SERIES - "I knew he [Tyler Hansen] was going to get it to me. I was like, 'This is the one. This is the one.' I really wanted that ball and I was able to go up and get it. I think it was more God than anything."
ON WHAT WORKED IN THE RUNNING GAME - "I think the defense wanted to stop us too much. So when we went to a run, they would jump over the top, and I was able to cut it back."
ILB Jon Major
ON THE MENTALITY OF THE DEFENSE LATE IN THE GAME - "We said this whole week that we knew the end of the game was going to come down to the line and we knew we wanted to be on the field. We still had that confidence the whole time. It was perfect for us; exactly what we wanted."
ON GEORGIA WR A.J. GREEN - "He's a great player, but it speaks a lot to our corners, how they fought back and they made plays. (CB) Jalil (Brown) had that interception after he had a big pass thrown on him. It's a testament to the kind of guys we have; they will never quit."
ON WINNING GOING INTO CONFERENCE PLAY - "It's definitely a confidence booster. We know we're not there yet, but I think this shows that we will be competitive in the Big 12 this year. Confidence is everything. You get teams that play cupcake teams, and they come in playing hard just because they have that 4-0 record."
ON IMPROVING AS A TEAM - "You can see the improvement. Everyone can see the improvement. That's the biggest thing to come out of this. There is such a huge difference between the Cal game and now. As long as we keep on that trend, we should do some great things."
TB Brian Lockridge
ON THE RUNNINGBACK ROTATION - "They do it by series and by who's hot. First series I had it, then (TB) Rodney (Stewart) had it and finished it out in the second half. I kind of messed up my ankle a little bit. That was a cause for me being held out a little longer than I thought I would be, but after that I put some ice on it, wrapped it up a little more and got back in the game."
ON THE RUNNING GAME - "It comes down to the linemen; if they are doing well, the whole team is doing well. If we get the running game going, it opens up a lot for the pass game and that's what we did. The whole plan is to get the running game going so we can make it a fast game and it worked. We tied them down and they're (Georgia) a great team, despite their season so far. They're a great team and we pulled it off today."
ON COMPARING GEORGIA TO CAL - "They (Georgia) are a lot faster than Cal. Cal is also a great team, but this team, overall, was a lot faster. It was a home game and a lot of different factors came into this game that made us successful."
CB Jalil Brown
ON IF GEORGIA WR A.J. GREEN IS THE BEST HE'S FACED - "Definitely; he's a big receiver and he's got speed too. Usually receivers that size aren't as fast as he was, but he's unbelievable and it showed out there."
ON IF HE THOUGHT WR A.J. GREEN PUSHED OFF ON HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN - "I wanted it, but the refs are out there looking for it and they felt like it wasn't, so I just have to live with that one."
ON CONFIDENCE OF TEAM - "We feel like we can be a really good team this year and to go out there and get a win and be 3-1 is awesome for us. I feel like we're on a roll and can finish this season out on a positive note. I feel like this gives us a lot of momentum going into next week's game and the rest of the season."
ON IMPROVING SINCE THE CAL GAME - "I think we needed that Cal game to get everyone to come in and take some pieces of humble pie. If we won that game and got on a little roll, guys would be getting complacent. I think it was kind of good for the team in the long run."
ON HIS PERFORMANCE - "Not proud at all. I gave up some big plays to (Georgia WR) A.J. Green. I know he's a great receiver and I had eight tackles and interception, which is something positive to take, but I know I can play a lot better than I did today."
QB Tyler Hansen
ON THE OPENING DRIVE - "We wanted to pound the rock early and kind of establish a run game early, and I think that's our identity. We're going to run the football and pass when they load up the box. We ran the ball effectively; it turns out we threw two passes that first drive. That's ok with me. If we're scoring points and running the ball effectively and moving the ball down field, that's ok with me. I just want to win games."
ON THE FAST OFFENSIVE START - "Against an SEC team, they're big guys, they're athletic, and they can play football. To come out there that first drive and sort of move the ball at will and score fairly easily, it really gives confidence for the rest of the game."
ON STRINGING TOGETHER TWO WINS IN A ROW - "It felt really good. There hasn't been many times where we won two in a row while I've been here, and it feels real good to put two weeks together. Now we have three to look forward to against a good Missouri team. Missouri has kind of had our number, so we are going to have to be real good on the road this week."
ON THE LAST SIX QUARTERS OFFENSIVELY - "We finally moved the ball for four quarters and played real well. Hopefully we carry that on and we know we're on the road next week, so we've got to perform on the road, which we've had trouble with. We've got to sack up a little bit and play well."
ON THE RUNNING GAME - "My big pass to Will [Jefferson] came because we ran the ball well. It opens up a lot more things and we can do a lot more stuff if we run the ball well. The O-Line did a great job coming off the ball and opening up holes for 'Speedy'. I think 'B-Lock' [Brian Lockridge] and 'Speedy' [Rodney Stewart] both ran really well and ran hard. When they called my number, the O-Line did a great job of opening up holes. Against Mississippi State, they had a lot of quarterback runs, so that was a little bit of our plan. We always want to run the ball. That's what we want to do. We want to run the ball and control the clock to keep their offense off the field. If their offense is off the field, they can't score points, so that's what we want to do offensively."
ON RB RODNEY STEWART - "Rodney is always hungry; he just has a fire to him. Ever since he came here two-and-a-half years ago, he has always had a fire about him. I think that's what makes Rodney good. He's a very talented guy, but he always has a little extra to him."
ON GEORGIA FANS - "Before the game, I think there were about five hundred Georgia fans at the hotel. They were talking trash. There were banners, balloons, everything. It felt like Nebraska from last year. Whenever you walk into your home stadium and you see the other teams color, it kind of makes you a little bit more motivated."
ON THE CROWD RUSHING THE FIELD - "My freshman year against West Virginia, they rushed the field and I got mauled by the fans. They went crazy on me, hitting me, pinching me; just ripping me apart. When I see the fans rushing the field-I love it, don't get me wrong-but I just get the heck out of there. I do not stick around, so I booked it to the locker room. I love it, I love the enthusiasm, but it's not my thing."
ON PREGAME ATMOSPHERE WITH 1990 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM - "The whole Thursday, Friday, Saturday leading up to the game was probably one of the most special moments since I've been here."
ON 1990 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM - "When you see guys that are grown up and have families and children, when you see them tear up in the locker room before the game. There is so much pride to be a Buff. It makes you want to play hard for them."
Georgia Players
WR A.J. Green
ON ISSUES DURING THRID QUARTER- "I was just cramping. A lot of cramping."
ON FIRST GAME BACK AFTER SUSPENSION- "I was preparing the whole time I was suspended. I wasn't worried I was going to come out and not perform. I was working hard the whole time. I never took a day off. It was luck I guess. We played we just had some bad breaks. We're going to keep working though."
ON BEING 1-4 FOR THE SEASON - "It's tough. I've never been 1-4 in my life. We're going to stay together and were going to keep fighting."
ON EFFECTS OF ALITUTUDE- "I felt it a lot, this being my first game back. It was hard for me to keep my breath, but I fought through it."
ON DB PLAY- "They are physical DBs. I had to bring my A game, I watched a lot of film on them."
QB Aaron Murray
ON FIRST PASS TO WR A.J. GREEN- "He is a tremendous athlete a tremendous football player and he's going to make a lot of plays. You want to get him into situations where the defense is at risk. It was a great play call. We missed a couple here and there, we could have put a few more on the board."
ON FUMBLE IN LAST MINUTES OF - "I don't know where the guy came from. I handed the ball off, and it just came out. That's pretty much how it happened. You can't blame Caleb King for that. It just happens sometimes. You have to make sure you pick that guy up and he comes out and has a great week at practice."
ON WHAT THE DEFENSE DID TO SLOW A.J. GREEN- "It was the play calls, and what they were doing defensively to cover him. When he is on the field, defenses have to pay close attention to him, which leaves other guys open. The times he was left one on one he took advantage of it.
ON A.J. GREEN'S ONE HANDED CATCH- "That was unbelievable. No other receiver in the nation can make that catch. That was special right there. To go up and catch it with one arm, and bring it down with only one arm it's pretty unbelievable."
RE Demarcus Dobbs
ON BEING 1-4 - "There's going to be frustration. We're Georgia. We never expect ourselves to get four loses. Or lose to the teams we have lost too. We just have to push ahead and we cannot give up on each other. All we have is each other. We have to watch film, keep grinding and finish the season out, hopefully on a high note."
ON MENTALITITY IN LOCKERROOM- "We just lost a game. Everyone is pretty much down, we thought we were going to come in and ruin their party and get a victory. We thought we were a better team. We didn't represent Georgia well, we didn't represent the SEC well. Only people we have to blame is ourselves. We need to watch film, see what we need to correct, and make those adjustments, and stick together. We have to be accountable for each other and not give up on the season."
ON FUMBLE DURING FINAL DRIVE- "I thought it was a shoe-in, that's how comfortable I was. I put my helmet down, I was ready to run on the field and celebrate. But it didn't happen that way. We made a fatal mistake and that type of stuff needs to be corrected. We cannot turn the ball over at the end of the game. It felt like death to me. We have to keep grinding and support each other."
