Oregon at Colorado quotes
10/26/11 | Football
Colorado Head Coach Jon Embree
General - "Obviously not the
performance that we wanted. We sustained some more injuries and it really
hamstrung us, it had nothing to do with the final score but my hat off to Chip
(Kelly). They are a very good program, a very good team. It will be interesting
to see how they end up finishing the year. Obviously them, Stanford and
Washington have a great chance to play for a big prize at the end. Disappointed
about what happened to us, but hats off to Oregon."
On QB Tyler Hansen's Injury - "I think he will be ready next week. We'll see what the protocol is on everything, but we hope he will be ready next week."
On If It Is A Challenge To Keep Guys Playing Hard - "No, because I believe that the guys that are playing are all in. We are playing a lot of younger guys too so for them it is their first time going through and experiencing some of these things. I'm not concerned about that right now. That is just how far we have to go. I don't think when you look out there you see a lack of effort or a lack of hustle or guys trying. We are just not at that level yet."
On If He Sees Any Comparisons To The Low Point Of The Program When He Was A Player - "Yes I do. I've met with the freshmen every week, just trying to share some of those situations with them about what it was like as a freshmen going through something like this. I challenged the seniors to decide what they want in their final five or six games or whatever we have left. What do they want? I had every one standup who is going to be here for 2012 so the seniors could see. It is up them because they are the leaders, it is there team, and to continue to create a sense of urgency, a purpose. Why you need to come out a practice. Why you need to come in and work out hard. We'll keep an eye on that as a staff and if a guy is kind checked out, then we'll go with other people. We'll see how it goes, but I'll watch the tape and I wish things could be different, but unless someone can give me some specific examples, I didn't see any lack of effort or lack or want to. I didn't see any guys not running to the ball or guys hustling down field. When we did have a chance to make a play we did. There were a few times when we had the opportunity but didn't do it."
On What He Makes Of Oregon Going For Two After Their First Score - "Nothing. They have done that a bunch and we prepared for it and guys lined up a little deep in the end zone. If we had lined up properly then we would have stopped them. They do a lot of that and it is nothing of a disrespect issue, that is how Chip is, he's aggressive, he plays, he has a lot of confidence in his offense and if it doesn't work, they'll get it some other way. I didn't look at that as an issue."
On QB Nick Hirschman - "He did ok. He had some guys miss a few passes that he threw to that would have improved some things. It is good for him to get some live reps. We had a few issues with some plays getting in to him, but that is ok, that is natural. I think the excitement of him and everything that he was doing causes that a little bit, but I thought he played well without seeing the tape."
On If The Freshmen Had A lot Of Mental Mistakes In That Game - "Without seeing the tape, I don't know. I'm sure they had a few, but off the top of my head, there were a couple of times when we dropped coverage. I'm sure there a few times up front."
On How Hirschman Has Progressed Since Spring Practice - "He was doing pretty good, but then he got injured during camp so he missed a couple of weeks and when we came back we were doing more game planning stuff. So he missed a little bit of the install and repetition on some of the basic stuff. He's been playing catch up."
On If He Is Proud Of How The Freshmen Have Played - "Yes I am, and not just them, there is a lot of guys. D.D. (Goodson), he is out with a concussion, I didn't even want to see our trainer. Miguel (Rueda), I told him I didn't want to see him anymore because it seemed like every other series; it was this guy and then that guy. We are up against it from that standpoint but the next guy needs to be prepared. That is what we have always been preaching, be prepared. The younger guys, it is like what I have been telling them, 'It is not where we are, it is where we are going to be,' and that is what they have to stay focused on. I told that to the young guys at the back end especially. Don't worry about mistakes, just go out there and play hard and understand that we may be playing these guys three or four years from now and it is your senior year and you have to understand that every time you go through this, it is a learning experience and focusing on what we want to be, not about where we are."
On Kicking Away From Oregon PR Cliff Harris - "Darragh (O'Neill) did a very good job from kicking away from him and did a very good job with his hang time. I think he miss hit one punt, and that was more of a miscommunication issue between him and the protection. Darragh did a good job. He had a lot of pressure on him. I explained to my guys on Monday, for those who won't get to play in the NFL, this is Devin Hester. That is the kind of guy he is. He really is. He is a guy that has that kind of ability. There was a lot of pressure on Darragh, but we let him know in front of the whole team on Monday that what he does this week is critical."
On P Darragh O'Neill Having A Good Year So Far - "He has, and so has (PK) Will Oliver. My style, I'm not shy calling guys out in front of their teammates and putting that kind of pressure on them and those guys have responded. Those two guys, when I have them stand up in front of the whole team and I tell them what I expect this week and how if they don't do what they are expected to do and how it can hurt us, and they've responded every time. I appreciate that about them, that they embrace that and they don't shy away from it."
On How Tough This Season Has Personally Been On Him - "It is hard. I'm smiling because you have to smile to keep from crying. It is hard because I feel that we have missed opportunities. I feel that these seniors will look back a few years from now and would've, should've, could've. It has been difficult from that standpoint. Probably the hardest thing has been the injuries because that is something that you can't control and prepare for. We are getting decimated and as a coach, that is frustrating because it limits a lot of things that you may want to do. It limits you when it happens during a game because all of a sudden, there is half of your game plan or blitzes that you can't run because you lose some guys. We lost (Anthony) Perkins early. K.T. Tu'umalo, here is a guy that is a linebacker and he is playing safety for us. He had one mishap but other than that I thought he played pretty good, I really did. For a kid to go in there as a linebacker, that you recruited to come here as a linebacker, and you would like to put some weight on because I think he is going to be a heck of a player for us - here you go, here are the Oregon Ducks and you are going to play safety."
On If He Abused Pep Talks As A Freshmen Making Him Focus More On Talking With The Freshmen Now - "A little bit, it did because sometimes when you are in the middle of something like this, you can lose focus on the bigger picture and I want these younger guys to understand what the bigger picture is. I want these young guys to understand about where we are going. Unfortunately, we have some growing pains that you never like to go through, but if they do it right and embrace it; they won't have to go through it again. It is something that I do share with them - I try and do it in the right way. I tell them to always be respectful of the seniors, it is still about the seniors, but they have to understand why they need to play with a sense of urgency because when they are seniors, they will want guys in there position to do the same thing. That was one of the things as a player that was a little different for me was the fact that lot of our freshmen redshirted. There was only three of us that played as freshmen so it was a little bit different in that mindset. Mac just bit the bullet and I'm trying to get as many of those guys out there as I can as the opportunity arises because I want them to start getting some experience and start speeding up the process of the growing pains that they will have by just playing. A lot of the stuff you don't learn until you go through it. The 15 or 16 freshmen, whatever it is and it is alright. They will be better for that in the long run."
On If Bill McCartney Said Anything When He Was A Freshmen That He Took And Might Use - "Here is the thing with us, just about how you compete. That is what I'm really challenging these young guys about the expression of 'Being a pro,' and really the whole team. When we turn on the tape, what do we see, because the tape doesn't have circumstances. The tape doesn't tell you anything other than what you see. So what is it that we see. Do we see you doing your assignment. Do we see you playing with enthusiasm and excitement. If the answer is no, then we need to get some other guys in there that will do that. Mac has always been big about competition and toughness, and those things you can see when you watch the tape. You can see a guy competing. You can see if a guy has toughness in that if a guy gets knocked down, does he get back up or does he get knocked down and stay down and limp off? Those are the things that we look for. I say we, our staff, when we watch the tape. It got out of hand early, that was unfortunate. I appreciate the crowd that stayed - that meant a lot to these kids. We had a lot of people stay and still be supportive and still cheer us on and we need that and our players need that. When we watched the tape, I'm sure we are going to see a lot of guys who are competing and are doing it nicked up and doing it play after play and trying to do what we are asking them to do."
On If The Freshmen And Sophomores Getting Experience Now Might Help Them Next Year - "It can. Some of these guys, you are hoping that you get them back at their natural position. Hopefully you get them back to their original position, but like I said, it is invaluable the playing experience they get. Especially in games of this magnitude. Like I told the team, that is what you want to be. That team in that locker room over there, that is what you want to be. So how far do we have to go? Where are we at? Honestly to being close to that or far from that, but that is what you want to be. Back in August, it is easy to say a lot of things when you are sitting in that air conditioned room as a team and there are a lot of goals and there are a lot of things that you want to accomplish, but now what do you want to do. That is what I told the seniors, 'When you come in Monday, let us know. Let the team know, let the staff know, what do you want to do because this is your year. What do you still want to accomplish. What are the things that are still out there and are important for all of us to keep preparing with an intensity and mindset that we want to go out there and win and be the best that we can be. What is it that you want us to do, so you guys come and tell us.' I'm excited for Monday because I want to see what they say and what they want."
On Playing The Top Three Top Pac-12 Teams In A Row - "I'm just glad that we are through with them. I don't really get into, 'Well they played this team and they played that team.' This conference is a little unique in that there are teams that are significantly better at home than they are on the road. They all have great qualities about them. They have a senior quarterback, they have a sophomore quarterback who is a heck of a player, and we didn't even get to see the quarterback of this team. They all do different things, they all have a little bit of a different style and the conference should be proud to have those types of teams in there. The team we play next week will probably be the team that will play one of those three for the inaugural championship. It is not like we are taking a break."
On If He Was Surprised That Neither LaMichael James Nor Darron Thomas Started For Oregon - "No, they are a system team, they are going to do what they do. I'm not taking anything away from those guys. Like I said on the radio show, it is like going from (Joe) Montana to Steve Young. With the quarterbacks and the running back, I think against Arizona State they had hit the average that LaMichael had been. They have great depth and I'm sure no matter who they put in there, they would have been fine."
On TB Malcolm Creer - "I think Malcolm ran hard. I held my breath a little bit. He held the ball high a couple of times, but I think he did a good job of getting behind his pad. He was what we saw in practice. Sometimes when they are running the scout team, it is easy when you look at the card and it says run this way. I thought he was good. He was very good from a assignment standpoint. He didn't try to force it and bounce outside. A lot of times young backs want to run around everything or stop and cut back. He did a good job on if it was two yards, getting his two. If it was more than that, he did that too. I was very pleased with Malcolm. I thought what he did - and he did some things on special teams - he did a good job for us. He really did."
Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly
On His Team's Effort - "It was a nice
effort out there today. Everybody contributed. We made some really smart plays
and some not so smart plays. We were able to get the win."
On Quarterback Bryan Bennett - "I think he did a nice job of managing the game. Overall, I thought Bryan played very well today."
On The Overall Performance - "Everybody contributed. We have some depth at certain positions that obviously helped our play. Jon Embree is doing a good job, he's got some guys banged up. Our depth definitely gave us a boost."
On Whether He Doubted Bryan Bennett - "No we didn't. That's the one thing about Bryan, he shows a lot of poise. He's worked very, very hard in our preparation, in the film room, and on the practice field."
On His Team's Start - "That's what we challenge our guys to do. That's the mark of a really good team. A lot of people laugh when we say we make every game our Super Bowl. But that's how our guys play. I think the team has done a good job of not setting themselves up for a letdown and giving themselves a chance to compete every single Saturday."
On Why He Decided To Take The Opening Kickoff - "Because of the penalty. Because we knew that they kicked it through the end zone we get the ball at the 20."
On If He Is Glad That He Was Able To Win Without Darron Thomas Or LaMichael James - "I am glad we won the game."
On The Kind Of Performance - "A really good performance. Colorado is banged up. I talked to Jon (Embree) before the game and I know those guys aren't intimidated, they competed. But it's nice to get a win in this league and go home then get ready for Washington State."
On Getting Michael Clay Back - "It's really nice to get Michael back. Michael is one of our leaders. He gets everybody lined up on defense. He was probably our best player when he went down, so to get him back and to have him get a big play, that pick-six. We're down a couple of guys, so to get Michael back will help us greatly."
On What He Told Cliff Harris About The Safety - "Not catch it. We never field punts inside the 10 (yard-line)."
On Playing All Of His Guys - "It's important down the line in the future. We're competing for championships so it's nice to give everyone an opportunity to play."
On If Darron Thomas Was Disappointed On Not Getting To Play - "No, Darron understands what we're about here. This isn't the people's court. He doesn't get to make an argument and we don't get to hear another argument against him. We're just going to do what we feel is the best situation for him and what we feel is the best situation for the team."
Colorado Players
QB- Nick Hirschman
On The Experience - "It's a great experience every time you get to go out and play. Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted it to. We're going to keep working, I know my play needs to elevate. In football it all starts and ends with this position. So I know I need to play better. I think that will help the team a lot."
On What He Needs To Improve - "The quickness in which I make decisions. Things happen a lot faster at this level. I haven't played a whole lot this year, but that's no excuse. I need to go out there and get it done for my teammates."
On Mindset Playing From Behind - "You go out there thinking you're going to win every game. You don't prepare to go out there and lose; you don't prepare to go out there for that to happen. You prepare to go out and win. Even when you're down 22-to-nothing, it doesn't matter, you're trying to win the game. In that locker room that thought process didn't change at all. We were going out there trying to win that game."
On Improving From Last Spring - "I think I've improved tenfold since the beginning of last spring. I think everyone has. When you introduce a new offense there's going to be growing pains. We've all been in it long enough now; it's just cleaning up the little things.
On Improving Accuracy - "I think I've gotten better big-time. Accuracy comes when you know the offense. It's easier to be accurate when you know what you are doing out there. I think that's been a major improvement for me."
SLB-Jon Major
On The Biggest Challenge Of Facing Oregon - "They have a lot of speed. We have freshmen first-time starters. It can be overwhelming. It's option football, it's discipline, you need to be where you need to be. If you don't, you saw what happened."
On Keeping The Locker Room Together - "I don't think there has been a separation factor at all. We're all staying together pretty well. It's difficult on guys. Seeing guys get hurt. That's the cards we've been dealt. You've got to move on, and you got to roll."
On Embree's Losing Season As A Player - "I think we all know that story. That big turnaround that happened, he did mention that he was pissed when the class right after him went almost undefeated. We want to emulate that. He addressed us after this game and said, 'We're going to get there. That's how a top ten team operates, and we'll get there too.'"
OLB Juda Parker
On What The Defense Needs To Improve On- "We need to improve on making plays, the coaches put us in the right position and it's just a matter of making the play."
On Playing For The Seniors- "You have to play for more than just yourself. It's important to realize that we are going to be seniors one day and we need to honor them. The seniors have been here through the ups and downs and some of the struggles, so it is important for us to respect that and play for them."
RB Tony Jones
General- "Oregon is ranked number nine in the nation, they are a great team and deserve a lot of credit. We just need to try to play our game and play Colorado football."
On Getting More Carries- "It's always fun running the ball, and we work so hard during the week and you want to go out and play well."
On Playing With RB Malcolm Creer- "It's always good to have an accountable back-up, and I know I can count on Malcolm. I also know I can trust Josh Ford, so it's great having that reassurance."
On Playing Without QB Tyler Hansen- "It's tough, it is always going to be tough when your starting quarterback goes down. But I always have faith in Nick (Hirschman), and you need to make sure to encourage him and tell him you have his back. You just have to play through it."
RB Malcolm Creer
On Playing For The First Time- "I had some butterflies at first but after a while I realized I just had to go out there and play."
On The Offensive Struggles- "We need to figure our running game out, and improve there first."
On What This Team Has Left To Play For - "We need to play harder for the seniors, because they don't have that many games left. Personally, I'm just playing hardest for them and will sacrifice my body and play at any position I'm needed."
DB Kyle Washington
On Anthony Perkins Getting Hurt- "(The secondary) just needed to step up, make sure you understand the game plan well enough, and make plays. We were able to get a couple three-and-outs so that was positive."
On DB K.T. Tu'umalo- "I think K.T. played great, he studied all week very hard so I think he did a good job."
DB D.D. Goodson
On Position Change- "It was my decision to move, they offered me the chance to stay at running back, but I chose to move."
On Playing Defensive Back- "I really like the position and being able to run wild and hit people."
On Improvements He Can Make- "I just need to learn the defense better by studying my playbook."
Oregon Players
On Punting the Ball In The Altitude - "Yeah, you know, I heard it all week. Some of my first punts would go a little farther and so were my good punts so I just tried to take advantage of it."
On What's Working For The Punting Unit- "Just everything, consistency. We have a great long snapper, he's doing amazing. And we're just really consistent and really meshing."
On Going For A Two-Point Conversion After The First Drive - "It's just another thing to get the defense to practice against. We got them to waste their time looking at that. And if we get some points out of it, it's great.
On How Oregon Decides To Go For Two Points - "If the defense gives us a certain look, we'll go for it and it's up to me to make the call."
WLB Michael Clay
On His Interception - "He just threw it to me. I read his eyes and he threw it right to me and I took it to the house and (didn't) get caught."
On Oregon's Quick Start - "We wanted to get it over with early, we wanted to get after it and I think we did that."
On The Altitude's Effect - "No, [it didn't affect me] at all."
On The Atmosphere In Boulder - "I love this place, I came on a recruiting trip here and I always like it, the stadium, it's a great atmosphere."
On How the Defense Has Improved - "We definitely made them drop the ball more, we created turnovers and we got sacks. We got a whole bunch of sacks this time. We were able to pin our ears back and come after them and we have the athletes to do that."
On What's Working For The Punting Unit- "Just everything, consistency. We have a great long snapper, he's doing amazing. And we're just really consistent and really meshing."
On Oregon's Offensive Success - "That's what we're supposed to do. Our offense is very effective and we don't bow down to anyone. Colorado's 1-6 and we didn't let that affect us."
On The Team's Ability To Be Effective Without Darron Thomas And LaMichael James- "It's all about preparation. In practice that's one thing we really work on."
SLB Josh Kaddu
On How The Defense Played - "The defense came out here and did what we had to do. We forced turnovers and we got some sacks and it was a good game. That's the best we've played defensively so far and we're going to keep trying to improve from here."
On Colorado's Offense Losing Key Players - "We knew they were missing some key players. We knew we had to get off of the quarterback, stop the run, and we did a good job of both."
On The Defense Not Getting A Shutout- "It's disappointing. But it's a team sport so it's just onto the next one."
On His Nerves In His First Start - "We had those touchdown drives in the first half of the game so I felt like I was pretty calm out there."
On Which Screen Pass Was His Favorite Play - "Definitely the touchdown."
On When He Found Out He Was Going To Start - "Just right before the game. I had an idea during the week but it was before the game when they told me it was time to go in the locker room."
If Darron Thomas Talked To Him Before The Game - "Yeah, Darron talked to me. He gave me a little advice and things like that. He told me to just go out there and do what I have to do."
On How Much Darron Thomas Has Been A Mentor To Him - "Darron has been a great mentor to me. He gets me ready to go every day. When I make mistakes, he reminds me that he's made mistakes. We work together to get better."
On How Difficult It Will Be To Go Back To Be The Backup Next Week - "I want to be out there as a competitor. I'm just here to do whatever they need me to do."
On If He Was Expecting To Play At The Beginning Of The Season- "I went into the season not knowing what was going to happen. Definitely I would like to be able to start again and get a win."
On What It Means When Backups Play Well - "It just shows our depth and how hard everybody works during the week. We go out there and work our tails off day-in and day-out. When one guy goes down, someone else has to step up. Something we believe as a team and that's something we've been able to do."
On The Running Game - "Kenjon Barner is a great back. De'Anthony Thomas is a great back. All the backs that we have are going to get downhill and give us some yards. Our O-line did a great job today."
On His Touchdown Pass To David Paulson - "David (Paulson) beat them over the top and I put it up for him and he ran under it for the touchdown."
On Preparing For Colorado - "We know what we want to do. We know how we want to play. When we play teams that may not have the best record, it comes down to believing in how hard we can work. That's what gave us the edge today."
On LaMichael James' Pep-Talk Before The Game - "He told us we need to go out there and play hard. He noticed that we were a little sloppy in warm-ups and wanted to make sure we didn't play that way."
RB Kenjon BarnerOn Bryan Bennett Playing - "He played great. He was really calm and collected and helped us get the victory."
On What It Says About The Team Playing Without LaMichael James And Darron Thomas - "We just have to play. It doesn't matter the quarterback or who is in the backfield."
On The Defense Not Allowing Colorado To Score - "That's always good. It helps the offense get the ball back quick and get good field position."
On How It Feels Playing Well As A Starter - "It's what I expect. As a football player you have to have that mentality. We work hard all year. You have to make the most of your opportunities."
On If He Was Told If He And De'Anthony Thomas Were Going To Play Over LaMichael James - "No, that's between LaMichael (James) and the coaches. I just go out there and play football."
On The Team's Start - "We came out and put pressure on them and were able to put the game away early. We played really well today."
On Playing In The Altitude - "I felt it but you had to be able to come in and get your second wind."
On If He Pulled Up On His 84-Yard Touchdown Run - "Yes I did."
If He Was Surprised That He Was Caught From Behind - "I was, because I looked up at the screen and I didn't see anybody."
