Fresno State Athletics
Hawai'i Bowl Postgame Quotes
Hawai'i Bowl Postgame Quotes
Fresno State vs. Houston
Dec. 24, 2017
Head Coach Jeff Tedford
On the season’s turnaround…
“I can’t say enough about this team, the coaching staff, to go from one win to 10 wins is a great accomplishment and these guys are such great kids, they’ve worked really hard and I’m so proud of the effort they gave all year.”
“These guys deserve everything they’re getting right now because they did buy in and they worked really hard to get this done.”
On the resilience the team showed in the win…
“It was a back and forth game, and our guys aren’t going to give up. They compete hard like they always do. It was a back-and-forth game, Houston’s a really good football team and we feel great about the victory, and I can’t say enough about our kids and our coaching staff, what a phenomenal job they’ve done.”
On senior leadership from captains Aaron Mitchell and Malik Forrester…
“That’s just to name a couple really … there’s a lot of guys. It’s a total team effort and everybody bought in and everyone worked really, really hard. The staff did a great job. I can’t say enough about these guys, they did it with class and integrity and I’ve enjoyed every single day with these guys.”
On how long we can enjoy this one…
“It’s for these players, but we don’t have a game next week, so I can take a few days, tomorrow’s Christmas, and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, it’s a great accomplishment for these guys and I couldn’t be prouder for them.”
On what turned around the game …
“I think just getting used to playing, we had a 22 day layoff so we had to get the rust off a little bit and getting back into the speed of the game and get acclimated to what they were doing ... we just kind of settled in.”
On getting back on track after the field goal returned for a touchdown…
“These guys weren’t going to give up. We knew it was going to be a tough game and that was a big play but it was kind of back and forth like that. They had a couple of explosive plays, but really besides that our defense played really well, and the offense started moving the ball and converting on some third downs and staying on the field and made some big plays. Marcus with his legs, and Hokit had a few key runs and the end to move the field position.
On how the offensive line played against Houston and Outland Trophy Award winter Ed Oliver
“They’ve played against some good guys this year. Oliver is a good player, no doubt about it, I thought we kept him at bay for the most part. He made one play in the backfield where we overran him and he back-doored us, once. Besides that thought our guys did a good job.
On the foundation this season builds…
“I think it creates a foundation for our younger guys on the standards, and how we work, and the things that we do, and the detail. And if you do things the right way and we work hard and invest a lot time and energy and dedicate ourselves to it, you can play with people. This is one year and I’m really proud of these guys, especially the seniors, to flip it around. I’m really proud of this team and the coaching staff, but now this year is over and it’s got to be back to the drawing board for next season.
On who next year’s leader is…
There’s a lot of them. We have a lot of juniors … Marcus and KeeSean, Bailey and Helmuth, you could go on and on. We have a lot of juniors on this team that are going to be seniors next year and so the foundation that we lay this year … I’ve really appreciated these seniors because we talk about the pride and tradition of bulldog football and these guys left their mark on that, and they can always say that. These seniors can take away from the rest of their lives that they had a 10 win season, and that’s pretty special.
On the turnaround…
We all worked hard together. We didn’t come into this thing thinking this is going to take us three years, that’s not in the mindset, the mindset is to work every day and see how it goes.
On deflecting the credit…
This is the ultimate team game. The staff works really, really hard and they get along very well and they’re the ones that take the message and convey it to the players from what we talked about … I don’t coach every player myself, this is a total staff effort, it really is, and we have a great staff.
QB Marcus McMaryion
On the win…
"It is great offseason motivation to be able to get this win. To know where we are at and know what we are capable of, that should be our goal every year.”
On being named the game's MVP…
"It means the world to me. It's amazing, as soon as I got it I pointed to the guys and without them it wouldn't be possible. Much thanks to all the guys and I was able to do my job and do what I was able to do."
On reaction to Jaron Bryant's pick-six…
"I was able to take a breath and step back and it was exciting."
On getting to 10 wins on the season…
"It's exciting and a great experience and to leave here with smiles on our faces.
On if he thought if this was possible this fall when he transferred from Oregon State…
"I don't think that far ahead and we just take it game-by-game and see what happens."
On the future of the Bulldogs…
"It is a great end to the season and we have a lot of returners next season and thanks to all the seniors, they set the foundation of the program.
Senior Aaron Mitchell
On gaining victory number 10…
"We did that and we fought hard and guys on the team bought into what Coach Tedford has preached."
On offense struggling a little bit again at beginning…
"I think it was a little pregame jitters and we are here for a whole week and haven't played a game since Dec. 2. We talked about that and the speed of the game is a little different when you haven't played in a while. I expected it, but good teams learn how to rally and we put together some good drives, put some points on the board and played hard."
On watching Jaron Bryant's pick-six…
"It was a lot of weight off my shoulders watching the clock tick down and watching Houston march down the field. Our defense played great all season and I hadn't seen someone run that fast in a while. I am excited and to end my career with a victory and I was happy to be a part of it."
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Fresno State vs. Houston
Dec. 24, 2017
Head Coach Jeff Tedford
On the season’s turnaround…
“I can’t say enough about this team, the coaching staff, to go from one win to 10 wins is a great accomplishment and these guys are such great kids, they’ve worked really hard and I’m so proud of the effort they gave all year.”
“These guys deserve everything they’re getting right now because they did buy in and they worked really hard to get this done.”
On the resilience the team showed in the win…
“It was a back and forth game, and our guys aren’t going to give up. They compete hard like they always do. It was a back-and-forth game, Houston’s a really good football team and we feel great about the victory, and I can’t say enough about our kids and our coaching staff, what a phenomenal job they’ve done.”
On senior leadership from captains Aaron Mitchell and Malik Forrester…
“That’s just to name a couple really … there’s a lot of guys. It’s a total team effort and everybody bought in and everyone worked really, really hard. The staff did a great job. I can’t say enough about these guys, they did it with class and integrity and I’ve enjoyed every single day with these guys.”
On how long we can enjoy this one…
“It’s for these players, but we don’t have a game next week, so I can take a few days, tomorrow’s Christmas, and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, it’s a great accomplishment for these guys and I couldn’t be prouder for them.”
On what turned around the game …
“I think just getting used to playing, we had a 22 day layoff so we had to get the rust off a little bit and getting back into the speed of the game and get acclimated to what they were doing ... we just kind of settled in.”
On getting back on track after the field goal returned for a touchdown…
“These guys weren’t going to give up. We knew it was going to be a tough game and that was a big play but it was kind of back and forth like that. They had a couple of explosive plays, but really besides that our defense played really well, and the offense started moving the ball and converting on some third downs and staying on the field and made some big plays. Marcus with his legs, and Hokit had a few key runs and the end to move the field position.
On how the offensive line played against Houston and Outland Trophy Award winter Ed Oliver
“They’ve played against some good guys this year. Oliver is a good player, no doubt about it, I thought we kept him at bay for the most part. He made one play in the backfield where we overran him and he back-doored us, once. Besides that thought our guys did a good job.
On the foundation this season builds…
“I think it creates a foundation for our younger guys on the standards, and how we work, and the things that we do, and the detail. And if you do things the right way and we work hard and invest a lot time and energy and dedicate ourselves to it, you can play with people. This is one year and I’m really proud of these guys, especially the seniors, to flip it around. I’m really proud of this team and the coaching staff, but now this year is over and it’s got to be back to the drawing board for next season.
On who next year’s leader is…
There’s a lot of them. We have a lot of juniors … Marcus and KeeSean, Bailey and Helmuth, you could go on and on. We have a lot of juniors on this team that are going to be seniors next year and so the foundation that we lay this year … I’ve really appreciated these seniors because we talk about the pride and tradition of bulldog football and these guys left their mark on that, and they can always say that. These seniors can take away from the rest of their lives that they had a 10 win season, and that’s pretty special.
On the turnaround…
We all worked hard together. We didn’t come into this thing thinking this is going to take us three years, that’s not in the mindset, the mindset is to work every day and see how it goes.
On deflecting the credit…
This is the ultimate team game. The staff works really, really hard and they get along very well and they’re the ones that take the message and convey it to the players from what we talked about … I don’t coach every player myself, this is a total staff effort, it really is, and we have a great staff.
QB Marcus McMaryion
On the win…
"It is great offseason motivation to be able to get this win. To know where we are at and know what we are capable of, that should be our goal every year.”
On being named the game's MVP…
"It means the world to me. It's amazing, as soon as I got it I pointed to the guys and without them it wouldn't be possible. Much thanks to all the guys and I was able to do my job and do what I was able to do."
On reaction to Jaron Bryant's pick-six…
"I was able to take a breath and step back and it was exciting."
On getting to 10 wins on the season…
"It's exciting and a great experience and to leave here with smiles on our faces.
On if he thought if this was possible this fall when he transferred from Oregon State…
"I don't think that far ahead and we just take it game-by-game and see what happens."
On the future of the Bulldogs…
"It is a great end to the season and we have a lot of returners next season and thanks to all the seniors, they set the foundation of the program.
Senior Aaron Mitchell
On gaining victory number 10…
"We did that and we fought hard and guys on the team bought into what Coach Tedford has preached."
On offense struggling a little bit again at beginning…
"I think it was a little pregame jitters and we are here for a whole week and haven't played a game since Dec. 2. We talked about that and the speed of the game is a little different when you haven't played in a while. I expected it, but good teams learn how to rally and we put together some good drives, put some points on the board and played hard."
On watching Jaron Bryant's pick-six…
"It was a lot of weight off my shoulders watching the clock tick down and watching Houston march down the field. Our defense played great all season and I hadn't seen someone run that fast in a while. I am excited and to end my career with a victory and I was happy to be a part of it."
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