Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Postgame Quotes
9/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Head Coach Tim DeRuyter
On the game and atmosphere…
"I'm really pleased with how we played today. Had a great crowd out there today, ton of energy in the stadium. It's been so long since we've played in the stadium. It felt great to be back out there."
"The video board looked terrific. I heard the skydivers were a lot of fun. It was a great environment."
"I was really pleased that we came out with a ton of energy. We got a buzz off the crowd."
On how the team did as a whole…
"Our young guys are talented. They're going to make some mistakes, but I think you saw some of the explosive ability that a lot of those guys played with. I thought our quarterbacks played well, in particular Zack. He's made a ton of growth from a year ago. We saw that at practice but until you go out on a Thursday night or a Saturday and do it against somebody else you don't really know. I thought he did a nice job of stepping up to the challenge and really doing a great job of leading our team."
On the effectiveness of the defense…
"Defensively I was really impressed with how physical our defense played. We limited them. We basically took the run away from them. I thought our defensive backs did a terrific job being physical. It helped because we had a good rush up front. Their quarterback is a good player. He threw for 3,000 yards a year ago. He came back this year with a lot of confidence. I'm really pleased with our overall effort."
On Zack Greenlee…
"He did the things that we expected him to do based on practice. He was very much under control. He moved around in the pocket to make plays and kept his eyes down the field. I thought he was real accurate with the ball. I thought overall he played really, really well. I was really pleased."
On not giving up big plays…
"A year ago, giving up big plays was our Achilles heel. You can't play good defense four out of five reps if the fifth rep you're giving up a 50-yard play. I thought we really improved out there. It's a good testament to our secondary coaches. They've done a terrific job instilling a mentality there and I'm really happy with what they're doing with those guys."
On Chason Virgil…
The first full drive of the second quarter, we were going to start with Chason. We knew that's what we were going to do. I think it helped both those guys, knowing what the expectation was. It was really good to see both of them play well."
On James Bailey…
"I thought James played terrific. He does not act like a true freshman. He's a dynamic football player and he's very, very sharp. He's athletic enough to play as our Nickel, he's an outside linebacker. I'm really pleased with how well he played."
On ACU playing two quarterbacks…
"We knew they were going to play both (quarterbacks), we didn't know exactly how much. They have two terrific quarterbacks. They're going to have a tough decision. I think that's going to be a team that wins a lot of games."
On whether he was surprised by explosive plays…
"We expected our guys to make some explosive plays. I don't know that I was surprised. You'd like to play perfectly and you never do. You know young guys are going to do some things that you're not sure why they're going to do it. They get in the heat of the moment and make some mistakes, but I thought we played with enough effort that we got through most of those, particularly on defense."
On Ejiro Ederaine's play…
"It was great to see him get back to his normal form. To see him put both arms above his head for the first time in a while and actually pick that ball off, having him come of the edge and get the sack was good to see. He brings great energy to our defense and he has to be that productive player, that disruptive player, that he was tonight for us to continue to be a good defense."
On TD throw to Jamire Jordan…
"Sometimes plays break down and I had to get outside the pocket and keep my eyes down field. I found Jamire by himself by the pylon so I just put it on him and he made a great play by catching it and twisting towards the pylon; great play by him."
On playing in first game of the season…
"I was really anxious and that was just kind of how our team was. "We all were real anxious and ready to go. We've been practicing all fall camp against each other and we were all just ready to go against opposing competition."
On what's next…
"No matter what happens, you have to get in there and watch the film. We're going to watch it tomorrow and see all the plays and I do think there were a lot of plays left out there on the field; that's where we have to watch and get better and get ready for next week."
On the receiving corps…
"I think we did great today at receiver. Guys were stepping up and making big plays. We have to get in the film room and make sure everyone knows what they're doing and keep getting better. I think they will process well and continue to get better each week."
On Josiah Blandin…
"Josiah is a big guy, so anytime you have someone like that, if you put the ball in a good spot, he has a good chance to go get it. With his height and his aggressiveness, I played the odds there and he has a great chance to go get that ball. I tried to put it in a nice place for him and he went up and got it; a great play by him."
On TD catch…
"I had an idea because it was a converted play and we had a one-on-one chance. Greenlee threw a great ball, so I had to make a play. It was actually right [in the chest area]. When I got back to the sideline, a lot of people thought the defender hit it, but it was just a really great ball. I think [the defender] was so worried about covering me or grabbing my hip. Zack just threw a tough ball right over his shoulders. It was exciting; it's been a long offseason, so there was a lot of anxiety, but it was exciting."
On Zack Greenlee's play…
"Zack did very well. Every drive he had, we were marching the ball. The times we didn't finish, we should've finished. It was just simple mistakes we'll go over in film. I think overall Zack had a great game, for him to be hurt last season and come back and bounce back and be ready this year is exciting."
On blocking this year….
"We go over blocking so much in practice so we know that if we don't block, everything else doesn't matter. So [all the receivers] trust each other and we look out for each other; just put trust in everything."
On Chason Virgil…
"Since the first day he stepped on campus, I didn't think Chason was a freshman. I think he is well ahead of his time and it's going to be exciting to see how he grows."
On getting back out on the field…
"It felt really good just to be out there in full strength and to see a lot of the guys that I saw come into this program grow up a little bit and make plays and fly around, watching Jeff Camili come in and really get a great pick, seeing Claudell Louis get a sack, those are guys that came in and I saw them when they weren't at this level they were playing at. It's just great to see guys elevating."
On possibility of making that interception last year…
"Oh no there's no way. I couldn't even get my hands above, probably about shoulder pad level, so that's why I tried to work hard in rehab, so Tony wouldn't put the straps back on me."
On James Bailey…
"James is very athletic and he is very quick to the ball. He's almost safety athletic; you can say he's safety athletic because he does play a lot of the complete package. He's definitely going to be a player to watch in upcoming years."
