Colorado-Oregon State Quotes
vs
Wyoming
Sep 20 (Sat)
8:15 p.m.
Postgame Quotes
Oregon State vs. Colorado, Nov. 4, 2023, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Head Coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders
Opening Statement-
"The reason why it is so hard is because you know you're capable of doing better, playing better, performing better, calling better games, and coaching better on my behalf. We are coming up short when we have enough to get the job done. It's painful, it hurts myself, the team, all the coaches, the fans, and some of you that actually care. They played a valiant game. I love their coach. I love what he stands for. I love what he's about. I love the way he's resurrected that entire program. Our kids fought hard. They really did, and I love the fact that they didn't have any quit in them. They rallied at the end and gave a heck of an effort. We just wish that we could do that in the midst of the game, the first, second, third, and fourth quarter with consistency. We haven't found that level of consistency as of yet, and that's what's truly disheartening. Right before the half, we wanted to get out of there because we knew we were receiving the ball in the second half. The plan was to either get a first down and try to go, or if we're not successful on first down, let's hit the clock. I think we had one or two drop passes on that which was very unfortunate. Then they got a tremendous return, and had three timeouts. We knew that going into today they had a tremendous punt returner, and they were able to punch it in, which is crazy. That hurt tremendously. The score right before the half because we know we're getting the ball in the second half. Had we not done that, the score would have been 7-3 at halftime."
If you sense the same attention to detail from your team-
"Yeah, but I don't sense the same passion. I do sense the same attention to detail, the film time has gone up and less mistakes. We had penalties in some crazy situations, but we've condensed that over the last couple of weeks. We've been pretty good with that. But the passion, like that of the first game, we were missing and that's something we're trying to apprehend and trying to locate it as well."
On how you evaluate the offensive play calling today-
“It's not just that it's the execution of the play, it's also the timing of the play. You guys are just seeing what you see. You're missing a whole lot of intangibles that transpired for us to be in this situation right now."
On what Shedeur's pain level was like today-
"He's been hurting. I think he went in to get injections so he could finish. So it's extraordinary. That was in the fourth quarter. He's tough. He's fighting through it. He doesn't make any excuses. He wasn't raised like that. We're not making any excuses. We don't do that."
On what you felt Pat Shurmur brought that helped you make that switch-
"We're not going to take that tone. Sean is a good man. I think he's a good play caller. We just needed change at the time. We just needed to try something else. That's what we did and I don't look back on it. I don't second guess myself whatsoever because there's more to it than what you may know. Let's just trust the process."
If Tim Brewster was the analyst-
"Yes, you got to understand you only get so many coaches in college football. When you make a move like we made, that means someone has to. I don't call it a demotion. I think everyone is making the same amount of money. So when you get demoted, that's a hit on your check. So it's a movement that we had to make. I think we use how many tight ends in the games? So you have to think about that."
On if Caleb Fauria is still with the program-
“My focus is winning these games. It's not who shows up to practice and who doesn't. Let's talk to Brew about that."
If you decided to consider making the change even before UCLA-
"I'm not going to disclose all my thoughts. I'm not going to disclose when I make a decision to do something. Just know, I made the decision and I don't stumble or stutter on it. I'm not looking back. It is what it is, and that's what it's going to be."
On what was different about those two scoring drives compared to the first handful-
"That could be what they presented to us defensively, as well as making up our mind that we want it. We gotta make up our minds. We saw a wonderful story today about the cows and the buffaloes. When the storm comes, cows run from the storm. Buffaloes run to it. I wanted them to make a decision which one they wanted to be. They chose to run towards the storm. They did a wonderful job and they finished strong."
On if you feel like you got a better effort from the Oline-
"We started off lackadaisical, but I think we got to the end here and I always look at the statistics. I think we surrendered four sacks. I think that's better than last week, right? So you gotta measure by that. Our quarterback was hurting coming into the game. We can't put all of that on the line."
On the assessment of the defense’s performance overall-
The thing about defense is that there's different moments. When you listen to the calls, you know what's supposed to happen, you know who's supposed to be where. Coach Kelly has done a tremendous job. He really has because I know he makes a certain call but if a certain guy doesn't do what he is asking him to do that's very problematic. He caught a good game tonight. We had some situations where we didn't do what was expected. But the guys rallied back and we still were able to provoke three or four turnovers. I didn't see that statistic but those guys are coming along well, and I'm proud of them."
On the message that got everybody a little bit more motivated to come out of the second half-
"We got some guys that say they want to be pros and they got to act like it. We got some guys that say they want to take care of their parents for the rest of their lives, but they got to act like it. We got some guys that say they love this game. Well I got to see it. We got some coaches that say the same thing and I want to see it, as well as myself. I'm very critical of myself first and foremost. There's a difference between believing and thinking. We challenged the young men to come out in the second half and show us the action of the belief. It's easy to say, but we need to see the action behind it."
Plan of moving forward to reignite the passion -
“ We take the proper courses every week. We motivate the guys. It's hard to fathom that you need to motivate men that say they want it. We try to motivate these young men and they do a wonderful job. I'm really proud of them fighting. I want to win. Trust me as long as I don't see you quit I could deal with it a lot better than then I could if I saw you quit. I don't see them quit. I see guys fighting and trying their dearness and you have to see their faces when I'm talking to him in the locker room and the conclusion of the game. That stuff hurts man. That truly hurts. Everyone in the locker room if it doesn’t, there's a problem. There's a problem with your heart, there's a problem with your unity. Uniting and you loving what you say you love. That's the problem. But we have to get that passion back for this purpose. We have to get it back.”
Coach Shurmur, and calling the rest of the year -
“You know how we've been doing it for the entire year. When we are in a big meeting room and we sit down I'm right here. Coach Kelly, Coach Ray, Bassett, Dennis Thurman, Coach Shurmur, then the OC and the DC. Defenses sit on that side of the table. Those guys right there Dennis Thueman, Coach Shurmur, they've had a tremendous influence on suggesting things this entire season that has not changed. Now you just have a tremendous influence on not just suggesting, but calling it. These things are not changing. It's still a group effort, its not one guy doing good and one guy doing bad. This is a team effort last time I checked. We're going to consistently do what we think is the best for us to win. I think both of those guys are really talented men and both of them can contribute tremendously. You're looking at two different guys with two different references of experiences. And that's wonderful when you have a guy that's been dominant in college like Coach Kelly defensively and Thurman as well. When you have a guy that has cleared almost 30 years or 20 years from the pros as well as another guy who has been in college, that's a phenomenal look because like last week, we played against pro gay right? Defensive coordinator for UCLA. You need that kind of unity, coaching wise as well.”
Postgame Quotes
Oregon State vs. Colorado, Nov. 4, 2023, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Players
Shedeur Sanders, Jr, QB
On how Shedeur is handling the frustration with the offense:
“There's one thing: you can't stop losing faith in everything, just in life. Everything is not going to work out how you want it to be. So, you just got to remain positive. I have had no negativity towards the situation because it is not going to help anything. That is the situation we are in, so we got to accept that and move forward.”
On if Shedeur was thinking to do anything to get through the game when he got checked for injury:
“Of course, I am not going there to just dap somebody up and have fun. I left because of the amount of pain in my body.”
On how the new play caller change the look for QB:
“Oh, it is not really a big change. We are all in this together. We use the same concept, the same everything. I mean, it is football. Everybody has the same concepts. It is just a different way. You see it in a different way. You read it sometimes, but overall, I liked it. So, it is either way. I don’t really have a preference for everything. If that is the decision, just go with it and execute whoever is going to play.”
On if Shedeur had any consideration of not going back in in his visit to locker room:
“No, what type of guy would I look like? Oh, but 80 of us out there, dang it. It has to be life or death situation for me to just leave everybody hanging like that. So, the pain of not being there for them overrides the pain that's going through my body.”
On what clicked within the defense after his visit to locker room:
“I just got mad because when I get mad, it's a different me. I don't really like no man thinking he is better than me because that's not the case at all. I had a better day and overall as a team, but I'm the best guy out there though, for sure.”
On what they say in OSU that caused the defense to switch in the second half and how to do that in the future:
“We really have understand what they're doing their pros and cons early. That is what it is instead of when we're into the second half. It is understanding what they're good at, understanding their weaknesses, understanding their voice, understanding the players: what type of drops are they taking, are they taking vertical drops or taking horizontal drops? It's a lot of stuff and a lot of details that you can't just base off a film or watch. You got to get in the game and understand this is how this player moves and this how this guy drops this with this guy. You all don't really understand the details and everything that really goes into this game. You all just see go to the open guy and it is just not that simple all the time.”
On what practice was like leading up to the game with the caller switch:
“The week of practice was fine. I wasn't at practice the first day or so. So, whenever I got back, the online and the receivers enjoyed that. So, we made it a purpose every time we stepped on the field to make sure to make things fun. I feel like that is what we have to get back to overall the program and offensively because defense is doing everything they can. We just got to get back to having fun and you only have fun when you start dominating and having success. You can’t have fun and lose at the same time.”
On if Shedeur has seen passion decrease as the season has progressed:
“I'm locked it. I am with the team. So, i I can't say it's a lot of passion or it's not because then that is me too. I'm included in that also. So, I can't really answer that question. It must be someone looking at a distance and the overall picture. I am on tunnel vision. I just see the offense and defense. I am making sure I am being a leader for the team. ”
On how he’s handling the losses
“I wouldn't ask for it to be different because whenever you’re winning, you’re winning and you win all the time, you don't really go through that grit, that pain and that suffering. So sometimes it's good to go through this process to make sure you don't ever feel like that again going forward, so I'm fine with it. I'm happy that we’re put in these situations that things don't always go our way because I just know it's gonna be that motivation leading into the offseason and keeping you humble, keeping you focused and keeping you going through everything. So that's just it, you're able to see more of it on a public view or basically the chip on my shoulder in the public eye, but on a personal level it's always been that.”
On if the offense needs to be ready for sudden changes
“I mean, it's not magic. You just go out there and you run plays and you try to execute them. You either execute or you don't so I feel like that's what practice is for. You can't just practice a lot of sudden change and just think it's gonna be magic because at the end of the day it’s just 11 on 11 football. So it's just we're getting the ball in a better position. That's the only difference. We’re not on the sideline politicking and just chillin, laughing and goofing off and stuff. We're still locked in the game.”
On what he can take into the offseason
“I'm not even thinking about the offseason too much right now because we still got a lot of games left. So we just take these notes and everything that we're going through into the next game and have it in the next week's preparation, everything like that. So I'm not really looking too forward to the offseason like that yet, because we still got games and that's a priority to me. And that’s what you work in the whole offseason for is to play games.”
On if the mentality changes for the last home game
“I feel like home or away games at the end of the day when you’re able to put the ball down and be able to play football that's the motivation. That's the mentality. It doesn't matter home or away. Home we just make it better for our fans to be able to come show us support and that's it. It's no different mentality, it’s the same thing. Same thing week after week that we had a mindset of we just got to go out there, execute and understand what we're dealing with and move forward and do the right things.”
Oregon State Head Coach Jonathan Smith
On outcome of the game: “Good team win, tough to win on the road; glad to come down here and compete, wasn’t perfect, but competed and got a win.”
On getting players back on defense, “Helped a ton. Noble Thomas and Coop (Ryan Cooper) coming back in and you know we had to rotate a little bit, but that was huge, I mean I give credit to Coop because he did not practice much at all. All week, we weren’t even certain he was going to be able to go. It felt like Friday he got a good chance, but again Friday is a limited kind of practice, so those guys were huge.”
On the three quarters of Defense: “It was really good. I mean we gave them five points. Offensively, really, we turned the ball over in the red zone and held to a field goal and they bang it through, and then obviously when we got the penalty and the extra point. The shotgun snap is over the QBs (head) so they played awesome and obviously we want to finish a little better in the fourth quarter but they played dominant defense for the three.”
On the touchdown before the half: “You know that was huge in a lot of ways. I mean separating and getting two scores like that. DJ makes a great throw, the punt return from and holding them to that type of field position, forcing them apart and then the return. That was huge.”
On mindset before that last drive of the first half: “What you’re thinking is how are they going to play this out? Right, they’re gonna run this clock out or they're gonna be aggressive with it; they were aggressive, they dropped the ball on second down that probably should have kept the clock going, it didn’t. So then third down, run it, we’re gonna call time out and we got a good opportunity.”
On the offense and how QB Aidan Chiles: “Oh, he did. I mean, he came in, we put the ball on the ground in the second series. So that's really pretty short. But he did, he came in, scrambled a little bit. I don’t think he had a completion on his drive but that QB draw from 20 yards out was explosive.”
Discussing playing his QB in other series: “We talked a little bit about it. But again, where DJ’s at and how hard he’s worked and what he’s been able to do. I think DJ could have gotten more help. Again, he had twice fumbled the ball and some drives. And so good luck. We like where Aiden’s headed, we really do, but we’re really confident with DJ.”
On the physicality of the team and how that is helping in the season: “Yeah, it helps especially in the run game and finishing games, that type of thing. We want to be physical on both sides. I thought our secondary challenge was physical. I was pleased with the D-line getting around the quarterback. This guy is a good player and so physical teams win the game most of the time.”
Discussing if he was surprised Colorado didn’t onside kick: “You know, you never know, they had three timeouts. So you kick a deep field position wise and then you’re counting on a stop.”
Discussing if there was an intention to run the ball tonight and maybe trying to keep them on the sideline: “Yeah we wanted to sustain some drives. Keep that offense on the side. I do think the run game did some good. They had some different scheme that would took us a while to sort out, they were getting in the backfield a couple of times, but always want to be able to run the ball, make it physical and then when you’re playing an offense like this. Yeah it’s better when they’re on the sideline.”
Discussing first down on how DJ looked, how much you missed (center) Jake Levengood and how you adjusted: “Yeah Jake is, a really good player and we love them to be out there. I do think Tanner (Miller) steps in and play solid at center. I don’t think that was a huge factor on the sacks. I give Colorado some credit. Again, they tweaked a couple of schemes. We got to hold the ball a couple of times where we had to block it a little bit better.”
The game plan to stop Shedeur Sanders
“I thought we tackled well to try to get them off the field. We did flush him off of this timing a decent amount where he had to try to extend the play. We did that for three quarters. You're not going to hold this guy down. I think he almost had 200 yards passing in the fourth quarter.”
Letting the opposing team get 14 points in the fourth quarter for the second week in a row -
“We talked about some of these DBs that got back, they were limited through practice. They were getting gassed a little bit and they got some playmakers. Again Hunter makes a huge play down the field. We got to get around the quarterback more, he had too much time.”
No call pass interference that led to their second touchdown.
“On defense very rarely do you get those calls. I thought Jaden Robinson was in a good position on the earlier pass interference that didn't go our way.”
Do the wins feel more significant? -
“Any of these wins are big, especially you get toward late in the year in November. These games count in a huge way. Coming off a tough loss, and then going back on the road against a good team and getting a win. It's huge.”
Knowing they play their next two games at home -
“The more games you win, the bigger the games get as you go along and we've kept that going with this win tonight.”
Thoughts on CU making change of offensive play caller
“We found out kind of late. So not a ton. They've had a season and so you're following the tape and so that wasn't a major factor on what we decided to do defensively.”
On going for 2-point conversion after CU penalty
“Yeah, there's an analytics chart. Talking about it and where the score was if you take one of those defensive penalties. I feel really confident on the one and a half yard line to double our points and I think we walk into the endzone if the snap is executed.”
Oregon State Players
Damien Martinez, So., RB
On if there was a conscious effort to run the ball:
“I mean, yeah. It was a part of the game plan this week to run the ball and be physical, and we knew that they hadn’t played any teams that are as physical as us, so we just wanted to come out and assert our dominance.”
On what was holding the offense back during the first half:
“Just ourselves. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot or just little things - we missed a block or just little assignments that we missed - we just weren’t executing like we needed to.”
On CU’s failure to move the ball in the first half:
“It was big on defense - you know, stopping them, keeping them to five points in the first half then they scored their points in the second half - looking statistically, they did score most of their points in the fourth quarter, so it was kind of what we were expecting. We just wanted our defense to do well and just do what they were doing basically all night, which allowed us to do what we were doing.”
On going into the locker room after scoring before half:
“That was really big and a great momentum change. You know, we want to try and say to win the middle, the last four minutes of the second quarter, first four minutes of the third quarter - so yeah, getting that touchdown was a real momentum builder and was just big for the team.”
On CU kicking off instead of the onside kick & if that was a challenge:
“I mean, I don’t think we saw it as that. We just needed to execute and get the first down and close the game out.”
On if it builds confidence to get back-to-back rushing plays:
“That definitely builds confidence, you know, because you have little cold starts where you get hit in the backfield or maybe not breaking how I would usually break gaining yards. It definitely builds confidence to just get that motor going, especially with the offense it just builds everybody’s energy up - even when we’re throwing the ball and making big catches on the back end.”
On if it feels good to get back into the realm since week three:
“Definitely, I mean yeah. During the UCLA game, I should’ve had over 100 yards, but, you know, had some holding calls and stuff like that…but yeah, it definitely felt good to get back over 100 yards.”
On heading back home for the next two weeks:
“We just go home from this game and learn from it like we would any other game - learn lessons and just execute next time.
On what goals are discussed with three games left in the regular season:
“I mean, it’s the same. Go out and win every game, stay focused.”
On why there are so many struggles in the first half:
“Like I said, just shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Jr., ILB
On getting injured players back
“It was big. Our DB rooms are not as deep right now, even due to injury, as you said, so having just more guys to rotate, so just having guys in the back is always good, having no one got some depth.”
On leading team tackles –
“I just think a good game plan is going into it, and just how we prepare, and as a linebacker, you don’t make tackles yourself. I got four guys, maybe five guys, in front of me every play that's holding double teams and enforcing the ball to me. So shout out to my D line all the time. Shout out to my DBS for a good job covering. I think was a good team win for us, but we just got to find a way to finish some that we were struggling with as a defensive. Find a way to play four quarters, but can't dwell on that. We will do better when we are back on Monday, and yeah, it was a good team win today.”
On defense–
“We always have confidence in the offense, but as a defense, we take pride in knowing that we can get the wins. We're always ready to step up and do it on our part. The same goes vice versa for both ways for offense, but yeah, I just think it was a good team win, like I said before.”
On Coach Brey after bounce-back touchdown –
“We just got to figure out a way to finish. But a good three-quarter game today and then in the fourth quarter seems to be a problem. There's just one quarter out, one series, or one drive a game, and something slips up. So that's something we got to fix this week. Somebody I know, Coach Brey, takes a lot of pride, as I said, and just as being a defensive team, so for something like that doesn't resemble us, and how we think of ourselves, so we've got to figure a way to finish.”
On slowing Shedeur Sanders down –
“We're going to go into this game and punish him every single play no matter what, no matter where he is, make sure he actually's feeling it regardless of whether he gets the ball out or not. So I think we did a good job accomplishing what got him hurt in the end. And credit to him, he was able to finish the game. He's a tough player, a good player. But putting pressure on him at all times was my mindset.”
Andrew Chatfield, Jr., Sr. OLB
On getting to the QB
“I mean, I was just sticking to the plan. I tip my hat off to the DBS. They did a great job of holding up and making him hold the ball longer, making me get home faster.”
On today’s win
“It was huge, just coming into this environment and playing against this type of team. Talented team. I tip my hat off to the coaches to what they are doing. I think it was a major, major win for us really.”
On Buffs struggling to run the ball –
“It was absolutely fun. I just know my strength. So I played to my strengths every time you want to pass the ball; just don’t be surprised that I’m back there a couple of times.”
On team message after last week’s game –
“Same goes back to just finishing the game. We got a couple of lows in there. Like I said today, it was the fourth quarter we had given up those two touchdowns. Up to that point, we had dominated in defense the whole time, couldn't run the ball, and could barely throw the ball on us. But I think in those crucial moments we just gotta we just have to show up more as a defense and just find a way to win. We did tonight.”
After Cory Stover fumbled
“It’s really big, especially in the moment of sudden change when the offense fumbles and we got to go out there and get a start and they rely on us. Our coaches relied on us to go in there and get a stop and that was just a really playing momentum switcher for sure.”
Oregon State vs. Colorado, Nov. 4, 2023, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Head Coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders
Opening Statement-
"The reason why it is so hard is because you know you're capable of doing better, playing better, performing better, calling better games, and coaching better on my behalf. We are coming up short when we have enough to get the job done. It's painful, it hurts myself, the team, all the coaches, the fans, and some of you that actually care. They played a valiant game. I love their coach. I love what he stands for. I love what he's about. I love the way he's resurrected that entire program. Our kids fought hard. They really did, and I love the fact that they didn't have any quit in them. They rallied at the end and gave a heck of an effort. We just wish that we could do that in the midst of the game, the first, second, third, and fourth quarter with consistency. We haven't found that level of consistency as of yet, and that's what's truly disheartening. Right before the half, we wanted to get out of there because we knew we were receiving the ball in the second half. The plan was to either get a first down and try to go, or if we're not successful on first down, let's hit the clock. I think we had one or two drop passes on that which was very unfortunate. Then they got a tremendous return, and had three timeouts. We knew that going into today they had a tremendous punt returner, and they were able to punch it in, which is crazy. That hurt tremendously. The score right before the half because we know we're getting the ball in the second half. Had we not done that, the score would have been 7-3 at halftime."
If you sense the same attention to detail from your team-
"Yeah, but I don't sense the same passion. I do sense the same attention to detail, the film time has gone up and less mistakes. We had penalties in some crazy situations, but we've condensed that over the last couple of weeks. We've been pretty good with that. But the passion, like that of the first game, we were missing and that's something we're trying to apprehend and trying to locate it as well."
On how you evaluate the offensive play calling today-
“It's not just that it's the execution of the play, it's also the timing of the play. You guys are just seeing what you see. You're missing a whole lot of intangibles that transpired for us to be in this situation right now."
On what Shedeur's pain level was like today-
"He's been hurting. I think he went in to get injections so he could finish. So it's extraordinary. That was in the fourth quarter. He's tough. He's fighting through it. He doesn't make any excuses. He wasn't raised like that. We're not making any excuses. We don't do that."
On what you felt Pat Shurmur brought that helped you make that switch-
"We're not going to take that tone. Sean is a good man. I think he's a good play caller. We just needed change at the time. We just needed to try something else. That's what we did and I don't look back on it. I don't second guess myself whatsoever because there's more to it than what you may know. Let's just trust the process."
If Tim Brewster was the analyst-
"Yes, you got to understand you only get so many coaches in college football. When you make a move like we made, that means someone has to. I don't call it a demotion. I think everyone is making the same amount of money. So when you get demoted, that's a hit on your check. So it's a movement that we had to make. I think we use how many tight ends in the games? So you have to think about that."
On if Caleb Fauria is still with the program-
“My focus is winning these games. It's not who shows up to practice and who doesn't. Let's talk to Brew about that."
If you decided to consider making the change even before UCLA-
"I'm not going to disclose all my thoughts. I'm not going to disclose when I make a decision to do something. Just know, I made the decision and I don't stumble or stutter on it. I'm not looking back. It is what it is, and that's what it's going to be."
On what was different about those two scoring drives compared to the first handful-
"That could be what they presented to us defensively, as well as making up our mind that we want it. We gotta make up our minds. We saw a wonderful story today about the cows and the buffaloes. When the storm comes, cows run from the storm. Buffaloes run to it. I wanted them to make a decision which one they wanted to be. They chose to run towards the storm. They did a wonderful job and they finished strong."
On if you feel like you got a better effort from the Oline-
"We started off lackadaisical, but I think we got to the end here and I always look at the statistics. I think we surrendered four sacks. I think that's better than last week, right? So you gotta measure by that. Our quarterback was hurting coming into the game. We can't put all of that on the line."
On the assessment of the defense’s performance overall-
The thing about defense is that there's different moments. When you listen to the calls, you know what's supposed to happen, you know who's supposed to be where. Coach Kelly has done a tremendous job. He really has because I know he makes a certain call but if a certain guy doesn't do what he is asking him to do that's very problematic. He caught a good game tonight. We had some situations where we didn't do what was expected. But the guys rallied back and we still were able to provoke three or four turnovers. I didn't see that statistic but those guys are coming along well, and I'm proud of them."
On the message that got everybody a little bit more motivated to come out of the second half-
"We got some guys that say they want to be pros and they got to act like it. We got some guys that say they want to take care of their parents for the rest of their lives, but they got to act like it. We got some guys that say they love this game. Well I got to see it. We got some coaches that say the same thing and I want to see it, as well as myself. I'm very critical of myself first and foremost. There's a difference between believing and thinking. We challenged the young men to come out in the second half and show us the action of the belief. It's easy to say, but we need to see the action behind it."
Plan of moving forward to reignite the passion -
“ We take the proper courses every week. We motivate the guys. It's hard to fathom that you need to motivate men that say they want it. We try to motivate these young men and they do a wonderful job. I'm really proud of them fighting. I want to win. Trust me as long as I don't see you quit I could deal with it a lot better than then I could if I saw you quit. I don't see them quit. I see guys fighting and trying their dearness and you have to see their faces when I'm talking to him in the locker room and the conclusion of the game. That stuff hurts man. That truly hurts. Everyone in the locker room if it doesn’t, there's a problem. There's a problem with your heart, there's a problem with your unity. Uniting and you loving what you say you love. That's the problem. But we have to get that passion back for this purpose. We have to get it back.”
Coach Shurmur, and calling the rest of the year -
“You know how we've been doing it for the entire year. When we are in a big meeting room and we sit down I'm right here. Coach Kelly, Coach Ray, Bassett, Dennis Thurman, Coach Shurmur, then the OC and the DC. Defenses sit on that side of the table. Those guys right there Dennis Thueman, Coach Shurmur, they've had a tremendous influence on suggesting things this entire season that has not changed. Now you just have a tremendous influence on not just suggesting, but calling it. These things are not changing. It's still a group effort, its not one guy doing good and one guy doing bad. This is a team effort last time I checked. We're going to consistently do what we think is the best for us to win. I think both of those guys are really talented men and both of them can contribute tremendously. You're looking at two different guys with two different references of experiences. And that's wonderful when you have a guy that's been dominant in college like Coach Kelly defensively and Thurman as well. When you have a guy that has cleared almost 30 years or 20 years from the pros as well as another guy who has been in college, that's a phenomenal look because like last week, we played against pro gay right? Defensive coordinator for UCLA. You need that kind of unity, coaching wise as well.”
Postgame Quotes
Oregon State vs. Colorado, Nov. 4, 2023, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Colorado Players
Shedeur Sanders, Jr, QB
On how Shedeur is handling the frustration with the offense:
“There's one thing: you can't stop losing faith in everything, just in life. Everything is not going to work out how you want it to be. So, you just got to remain positive. I have had no negativity towards the situation because it is not going to help anything. That is the situation we are in, so we got to accept that and move forward.”
On if Shedeur was thinking to do anything to get through the game when he got checked for injury:
“Of course, I am not going there to just dap somebody up and have fun. I left because of the amount of pain in my body.”
On how the new play caller change the look for QB:
“Oh, it is not really a big change. We are all in this together. We use the same concept, the same everything. I mean, it is football. Everybody has the same concepts. It is just a different way. You see it in a different way. You read it sometimes, but overall, I liked it. So, it is either way. I don’t really have a preference for everything. If that is the decision, just go with it and execute whoever is going to play.”
On if Shedeur had any consideration of not going back in in his visit to locker room:
“No, what type of guy would I look like? Oh, but 80 of us out there, dang it. It has to be life or death situation for me to just leave everybody hanging like that. So, the pain of not being there for them overrides the pain that's going through my body.”
On what clicked within the defense after his visit to locker room:
“I just got mad because when I get mad, it's a different me. I don't really like no man thinking he is better than me because that's not the case at all. I had a better day and overall as a team, but I'm the best guy out there though, for sure.”
On what they say in OSU that caused the defense to switch in the second half and how to do that in the future:
“We really have understand what they're doing their pros and cons early. That is what it is instead of when we're into the second half. It is understanding what they're good at, understanding their weaknesses, understanding their voice, understanding the players: what type of drops are they taking, are they taking vertical drops or taking horizontal drops? It's a lot of stuff and a lot of details that you can't just base off a film or watch. You got to get in the game and understand this is how this player moves and this how this guy drops this with this guy. You all don't really understand the details and everything that really goes into this game. You all just see go to the open guy and it is just not that simple all the time.”
On what practice was like leading up to the game with the caller switch:
“The week of practice was fine. I wasn't at practice the first day or so. So, whenever I got back, the online and the receivers enjoyed that. So, we made it a purpose every time we stepped on the field to make sure to make things fun. I feel like that is what we have to get back to overall the program and offensively because defense is doing everything they can. We just got to get back to having fun and you only have fun when you start dominating and having success. You can’t have fun and lose at the same time.”
On if Shedeur has seen passion decrease as the season has progressed:
“I'm locked it. I am with the team. So, i I can't say it's a lot of passion or it's not because then that is me too. I'm included in that also. So, I can't really answer that question. It must be someone looking at a distance and the overall picture. I am on tunnel vision. I just see the offense and defense. I am making sure I am being a leader for the team. ”
On how he’s handling the losses
“I wouldn't ask for it to be different because whenever you’re winning, you’re winning and you win all the time, you don't really go through that grit, that pain and that suffering. So sometimes it's good to go through this process to make sure you don't ever feel like that again going forward, so I'm fine with it. I'm happy that we’re put in these situations that things don't always go our way because I just know it's gonna be that motivation leading into the offseason and keeping you humble, keeping you focused and keeping you going through everything. So that's just it, you're able to see more of it on a public view or basically the chip on my shoulder in the public eye, but on a personal level it's always been that.”
On if the offense needs to be ready for sudden changes
“I mean, it's not magic. You just go out there and you run plays and you try to execute them. You either execute or you don't so I feel like that's what practice is for. You can't just practice a lot of sudden change and just think it's gonna be magic because at the end of the day it’s just 11 on 11 football. So it's just we're getting the ball in a better position. That's the only difference. We’re not on the sideline politicking and just chillin, laughing and goofing off and stuff. We're still locked in the game.”
On what he can take into the offseason
“I'm not even thinking about the offseason too much right now because we still got a lot of games left. So we just take these notes and everything that we're going through into the next game and have it in the next week's preparation, everything like that. So I'm not really looking too forward to the offseason like that yet, because we still got games and that's a priority to me. And that’s what you work in the whole offseason for is to play games.”
On if the mentality changes for the last home game
“I feel like home or away games at the end of the day when you’re able to put the ball down and be able to play football that's the motivation. That's the mentality. It doesn't matter home or away. Home we just make it better for our fans to be able to come show us support and that's it. It's no different mentality, it’s the same thing. Same thing week after week that we had a mindset of we just got to go out there, execute and understand what we're dealing with and move forward and do the right things.”
Oregon State Head Coach Jonathan Smith
On outcome of the game: “Good team win, tough to win on the road; glad to come down here and compete, wasn’t perfect, but competed and got a win.”
On getting players back on defense, “Helped a ton. Noble Thomas and Coop (Ryan Cooper) coming back in and you know we had to rotate a little bit, but that was huge, I mean I give credit to Coop because he did not practice much at all. All week, we weren’t even certain he was going to be able to go. It felt like Friday he got a good chance, but again Friday is a limited kind of practice, so those guys were huge.”
On the three quarters of Defense: “It was really good. I mean we gave them five points. Offensively, really, we turned the ball over in the red zone and held to a field goal and they bang it through, and then obviously when we got the penalty and the extra point. The shotgun snap is over the QBs (head) so they played awesome and obviously we want to finish a little better in the fourth quarter but they played dominant defense for the three.”
On the touchdown before the half: “You know that was huge in a lot of ways. I mean separating and getting two scores like that. DJ makes a great throw, the punt return from and holding them to that type of field position, forcing them apart and then the return. That was huge.”
On mindset before that last drive of the first half: “What you’re thinking is how are they going to play this out? Right, they’re gonna run this clock out or they're gonna be aggressive with it; they were aggressive, they dropped the ball on second down that probably should have kept the clock going, it didn’t. So then third down, run it, we’re gonna call time out and we got a good opportunity.”
On the offense and how QB Aidan Chiles: “Oh, he did. I mean, he came in, we put the ball on the ground in the second series. So that's really pretty short. But he did, he came in, scrambled a little bit. I don’t think he had a completion on his drive but that QB draw from 20 yards out was explosive.”
Discussing playing his QB in other series: “We talked a little bit about it. But again, where DJ’s at and how hard he’s worked and what he’s been able to do. I think DJ could have gotten more help. Again, he had twice fumbled the ball and some drives. And so good luck. We like where Aiden’s headed, we really do, but we’re really confident with DJ.”
On the physicality of the team and how that is helping in the season: “Yeah, it helps especially in the run game and finishing games, that type of thing. We want to be physical on both sides. I thought our secondary challenge was physical. I was pleased with the D-line getting around the quarterback. This guy is a good player and so physical teams win the game most of the time.”
Discussing if he was surprised Colorado didn’t onside kick: “You know, you never know, they had three timeouts. So you kick a deep field position wise and then you’re counting on a stop.”
Discussing if there was an intention to run the ball tonight and maybe trying to keep them on the sideline: “Yeah we wanted to sustain some drives. Keep that offense on the side. I do think the run game did some good. They had some different scheme that would took us a while to sort out, they were getting in the backfield a couple of times, but always want to be able to run the ball, make it physical and then when you’re playing an offense like this. Yeah it’s better when they’re on the sideline.”
Discussing first down on how DJ looked, how much you missed (center) Jake Levengood and how you adjusted: “Yeah Jake is, a really good player and we love them to be out there. I do think Tanner (Miller) steps in and play solid at center. I don’t think that was a huge factor on the sacks. I give Colorado some credit. Again, they tweaked a couple of schemes. We got to hold the ball a couple of times where we had to block it a little bit better.”
The game plan to stop Shedeur Sanders
“I thought we tackled well to try to get them off the field. We did flush him off of this timing a decent amount where he had to try to extend the play. We did that for three quarters. You're not going to hold this guy down. I think he almost had 200 yards passing in the fourth quarter.”
Letting the opposing team get 14 points in the fourth quarter for the second week in a row -
“We talked about some of these DBs that got back, they were limited through practice. They were getting gassed a little bit and they got some playmakers. Again Hunter makes a huge play down the field. We got to get around the quarterback more, he had too much time.”
No call pass interference that led to their second touchdown.
“On defense very rarely do you get those calls. I thought Jaden Robinson was in a good position on the earlier pass interference that didn't go our way.”
Do the wins feel more significant? -
“Any of these wins are big, especially you get toward late in the year in November. These games count in a huge way. Coming off a tough loss, and then going back on the road against a good team and getting a win. It's huge.”
Knowing they play their next two games at home -
“The more games you win, the bigger the games get as you go along and we've kept that going with this win tonight.”
Thoughts on CU making change of offensive play caller
“We found out kind of late. So not a ton. They've had a season and so you're following the tape and so that wasn't a major factor on what we decided to do defensively.”
On going for 2-point conversion after CU penalty
“Yeah, there's an analytics chart. Talking about it and where the score was if you take one of those defensive penalties. I feel really confident on the one and a half yard line to double our points and I think we walk into the endzone if the snap is executed.”
Oregon State Players
Damien Martinez, So., RB
On if there was a conscious effort to run the ball:
“I mean, yeah. It was a part of the game plan this week to run the ball and be physical, and we knew that they hadn’t played any teams that are as physical as us, so we just wanted to come out and assert our dominance.”
On what was holding the offense back during the first half:
“Just ourselves. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot or just little things - we missed a block or just little assignments that we missed - we just weren’t executing like we needed to.”
On CU’s failure to move the ball in the first half:
“It was big on defense - you know, stopping them, keeping them to five points in the first half then they scored their points in the second half - looking statistically, they did score most of their points in the fourth quarter, so it was kind of what we were expecting. We just wanted our defense to do well and just do what they were doing basically all night, which allowed us to do what we were doing.”
On going into the locker room after scoring before half:
“That was really big and a great momentum change. You know, we want to try and say to win the middle, the last four minutes of the second quarter, first four minutes of the third quarter - so yeah, getting that touchdown was a real momentum builder and was just big for the team.”
On CU kicking off instead of the onside kick & if that was a challenge:
“I mean, I don’t think we saw it as that. We just needed to execute and get the first down and close the game out.”
On if it builds confidence to get back-to-back rushing plays:
“That definitely builds confidence, you know, because you have little cold starts where you get hit in the backfield or maybe not breaking how I would usually break gaining yards. It definitely builds confidence to just get that motor going, especially with the offense it just builds everybody’s energy up - even when we’re throwing the ball and making big catches on the back end.”
On if it feels good to get back into the realm since week three:
“Definitely, I mean yeah. During the UCLA game, I should’ve had over 100 yards, but, you know, had some holding calls and stuff like that…but yeah, it definitely felt good to get back over 100 yards.”
On heading back home for the next two weeks:
“We just go home from this game and learn from it like we would any other game - learn lessons and just execute next time.
On what goals are discussed with three games left in the regular season:
“I mean, it’s the same. Go out and win every game, stay focused.”
On why there are so many struggles in the first half:
“Like I said, just shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Jr., ILB
On getting injured players back
“It was big. Our DB rooms are not as deep right now, even due to injury, as you said, so having just more guys to rotate, so just having guys in the back is always good, having no one got some depth.”
On leading team tackles –
“I just think a good game plan is going into it, and just how we prepare, and as a linebacker, you don’t make tackles yourself. I got four guys, maybe five guys, in front of me every play that's holding double teams and enforcing the ball to me. So shout out to my D line all the time. Shout out to my DBS for a good job covering. I think was a good team win for us, but we just got to find a way to finish some that we were struggling with as a defensive. Find a way to play four quarters, but can't dwell on that. We will do better when we are back on Monday, and yeah, it was a good team win today.”
On defense–
“We always have confidence in the offense, but as a defense, we take pride in knowing that we can get the wins. We're always ready to step up and do it on our part. The same goes vice versa for both ways for offense, but yeah, I just think it was a good team win, like I said before.”
On Coach Brey after bounce-back touchdown –
“We just got to figure out a way to finish. But a good three-quarter game today and then in the fourth quarter seems to be a problem. There's just one quarter out, one series, or one drive a game, and something slips up. So that's something we got to fix this week. Somebody I know, Coach Brey, takes a lot of pride, as I said, and just as being a defensive team, so for something like that doesn't resemble us, and how we think of ourselves, so we've got to figure a way to finish.”
On slowing Shedeur Sanders down –
“We're going to go into this game and punish him every single play no matter what, no matter where he is, make sure he actually's feeling it regardless of whether he gets the ball out or not. So I think we did a good job accomplishing what got him hurt in the end. And credit to him, he was able to finish the game. He's a tough player, a good player. But putting pressure on him at all times was my mindset.”
Andrew Chatfield, Jr., Sr. OLB
On getting to the QB
“I mean, I was just sticking to the plan. I tip my hat off to the DBS. They did a great job of holding up and making him hold the ball longer, making me get home faster.”
On today’s win
“It was huge, just coming into this environment and playing against this type of team. Talented team. I tip my hat off to the coaches to what they are doing. I think it was a major, major win for us really.”
On Buffs struggling to run the ball –
“It was absolutely fun. I just know my strength. So I played to my strengths every time you want to pass the ball; just don’t be surprised that I’m back there a couple of times.”
On team message after last week’s game –
“Same goes back to just finishing the game. We got a couple of lows in there. Like I said today, it was the fourth quarter we had given up those two touchdowns. Up to that point, we had dominated in defense the whole time, couldn't run the ball, and could barely throw the ball on us. But I think in those crucial moments we just gotta we just have to show up more as a defense and just find a way to win. We did tonight.”
After Cory Stover fumbled
“It’s really big, especially in the moment of sudden change when the offense fumbles and we got to go out there and get a start and they rely on us. Our coaches relied on us to go in there and get a stop and that was just a really playing momentum switcher for sure.”