Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State-Wyoming Postgame Quotes
Fresno State vs. Wyoming
Oct. 13, 2018
Fresno, Calif.
Head Coach Jeff Tedford
His opening statement…
“I thought it was a solid team effort in all three phases. One of the things that sometimes goes not as appreciated as it should is Blake Cusick and what he does. To be able to punt the ball and get them down inside the ten three times in the first half is big. I thought we had the advantage of field position most of the night. That is a big deal because when offense gets up inside the territory like that, the playbook shrinks a little bit and it becomes more conservative. We went in trying to stop the run and I thought our guys did a really good job of that. The offense put some drives together. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times with a few things that put us behind schedule. We were very efficient in all three phases of the game. We didn’t turn the football over. Any time we can win the turnover battle, we have a much better chance to win the football game.”
On facing the strong defense…
“I thought our offense was still aggressive on third down tonight. I thought Kalen did a really nice job at calling the game and keeping Wyoming off balance. That is a really solid defense. It is one of the best defenses in our conference. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle to run the ball. Marcus got pressured a few times but we didn’t get sacked tonight. Against that quality of a defense, with four all-conference players on it, I was happy that we were able to sustain some drives. I think we only had the ball five times in the first half and we scored on two of those possessions. I felt like we were moving the ball really well, we put some drives together and we were able to capitalize.”
On the offensive line changes…
“It is nice to have a flexibility to move guys around. Going into the game, we felt that number 93 was going to be a mismatch and we needed to have a bigger body on him so that’s why we put Micah there. For Markus to move inside in a week’s time, I thought he did a good job at identifying the front and getting us in the right blocking schemes for the most part.”
On the defense allowing only six points through two games…
“They are playing well. We are doing a good job at keeping everything in front of us, rallying to the football and tackling really well. The turnover and tackling circuit that we do everyday really pays dividends to our guys because they believe in it and they trust it.”
On being 8-1 at Bulldog Stadium since his return…
“I don’t look at the big picture and reflect on that. It is game by game. Obviously we are happy to get another win in conference play but just like we always do on Sunday, we will review the tape. There is a lot of things we can improve on. We will take the confidence from the things that we did well and we will take the things that we can improve on and we will work on that next week.”
On tight end Jared Rice…
“He is a matchup issue because he can run so well. He is not a one dimensional guy and that is what is so great about him. We can have him in there on every down and he will be running the football. He is efficient in the run game, he is a technician and technically sound, and he understands exactly what we are doing. He had great savvy on what we were supposed to do tonight. He is a big target and he is very athletic. He is a weapon.”
On the running game…
“Wyoming has a tough defense. When we went there last year, it was really tough to run the football and we knew it would be again tonight. Everyone is involved in the run game. I felt like we mixed it up more with throwing the football instead of beating our head against the wall trying to get in there a lot. Part of the read is the quarterback keeping the football or throwing it and I thought we made some positive yards on those decisions as well.”
On the biggest improvement he sees…
“There is not just one thing. There is everything. There is no such thing as a perfect game. So, collectively, we need to improve in certain aspects and individually. There are going to be things we need to improve on. Each week it is a different challenge. This is a whole different week and I’m sure we will take some things off of this game to say ‘we could have improved there’. We don’t play the same team next week. We play a whole different philosophy. Each week is a learning experience and we just need to keep grinding on our fundamentals to make sure that we are executing what we practice. For the most part, I think we do a pretty decent job of that but it goes week to week. We are halfway through the season but each week we are going to get other teams and we are going to get their best game. It isn’t going to be any different next week.”
Marcus McMaryion, QB, Sr.
On the offense picking up in the second half…
We started executing, get the feel of the game goes as it goes on. We were able to play better in the second half. When your defense is holding their offense to three points, it’s hard not to get energetic and feed off their energy. We wanted to put points up on the board for them.
On Fresno State’s defense…
They are playing amazing from the line to the secondary. Our secondary’s are getting picks almost every game. The defensive line is pressuring the quarterback. You have to give them credit, they are playing good football all the way around.
On using TE Jared Rice…
We are developing a rapport. I’m in my second year with the offense and we are able to utilize our guys a lot more, and everyone feels comfortable in the offense. Jared is an athletic guy and he can score and he can block for us.
Juju Hughes, DB, Jr.
On the game…
“It was a good team win, everyone executed at a high level. Offense, defense and special teams executed well tonight.”
On the defense not allowing Wyoming to score a touchdown…
“It feels good. That’s the standard we play to, that’s a goal we have set as a defense. Everyone from the defensive line to the secondary is executing. We are playing at a high level right now, this is how we want to play.”
On the Red Wave…
“It’s always great. When we hear the “Fresno State” chant, we love that! Once we hear the crowd get going, it pumps us up. We draw a lot of energy from them.”
On third down and goal line defense…
“We take a lot of pride in our third down and goal line defense. We want to get their offense off the field and our offense on the field. We have a great offense, so we want to get them back on the field as fast as possible. We put a lot of emphasis on turnovers, we start practice with turnover drills every practice. This doesn’t just happen, we put a lot of emphasis on turnovers.”
George Helmuth, LB, Sr.
On Wyoming’s offense…
“It’s not a style of offense you see in college football, but it was the same thing we saw from them last year. San Diego State runs a similar offense. We were prepared for it.”
On limiting Wyoming to a field goal…
“It felt good. We didn’t want to give one up at the end of the game. We’ve had back-to-back weeks not allowing our opponent to score a touchdown, so that’s a great accomplishment for us.”
If the defense feels pressure in low scoring games…
“There’s no pressure. We just go out there and do our job, we know that they will speed up. We have a lot of faith in our coaches and Marcus, so there’s never pressure.”
On punter Blake Cusick pinning Wyoming inside the 10, twice…
“It definitely makes it a lot easier for us on defense. A lot of our defense is on punt, so we get excited when we pin them inside the 10. If we can get a third down stop then our offense takes over with a short field. It helps everyone out.”
Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl
Opening statement…
“This game was really a fine tribute to this program. Their coach has done a great job. They execute really well. They really play on the fact they’re going to make sure they play clean football and let other people beat themselves. They’ve got good talent, but I don’t think we executed nearly well enough to win in any three phases of the game. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought it. It was going to be tough to come in and win, and we certainly came up way short.
On going two games without scoring an offensive touchdown…
“I think, first of all, we need to be more balanced. We don’t need to get ourselves into third down and long. We certainly have to be able to run the football, but our passing numbers are way off base. I don’t know if there’s anything within the passing game that we’re doing well right now. We’re not protecting very well. We’re not throwing the ball very well. We’re not catching the ball very well. That’s not the only thing, but the other thing is we have to put our offense in a position where we aren’t playing with a long field. Field position had a great deal to do with that tonight. Fresno State got themselves in position where they could open up the playbook a little bit more on fourth down and things like that, but it comes back to everything specific about the game.”
On the impact field position had on play calling…
“It does have an impact. You’re backed up, and then you just look at the play selections you have. The other thing too is it just comes down to putting yourself in position to say, “Ok, where are you going to be on a potential third or fourth down?”
On whether they tried being more creative offensively…
“Well, we did. We tried to run the quarterback a little bit more tonight. That had mixed reviews. There were some other things that we had, but then we got to where we were chasing points, so then that limits what you need to do.”
On why the passing game hasn’t progressed…
“I think, first of all, you’re looking at a lot of things being new for our quarterback. He hasn’t played in college football before. He’s certainly in a process of learning. I think we’ve had some protection issues, and I think we’ve had some challenges getting open.”
On responding to three straight losses…
“Well, it comes down to my job as a head football coach. We’re certainly not where we had hoped to be or expected to be. Our program has raised its expectations, and I’ve raised expectations as the head coach. We’ve got a big challenge next week in getting ready to play Utah State. We’ll get back to Laremy (Wyo.) and take a look at the film. We’ve got a seasoned, veteran coaching staff. We’ve got to make some adjustments and move forward.”
On whether they are committed to Tyler Vander Waal as the starting quarterback…
“That’s where we’re at, but I think right now with the point production, we’ve got to take a look at everything. You can’t go this stretch without trying to do some things, so we’ll take a hard look. I think anything I might say right now would be premature, so we’ll take a look at the tape when we get back to Laremy and make some decisions from there.”
On weapons on the outside not stepping up…
“It’s been disappointing on a lot of fronts. I think to single some of those things out may be accurate, but I’m not going to say that. There are a lot of reasons why we can’t pass the ball better.”
Tyler Vander Waal, QB, RS Fr.
On the issues throughout the game…
“We never found a rhythm offensively. We had good plays, but we couldn’t string them together. We’d hit a pass play for 12 yards, then we’d get an offsides on the next play. I think that’s kind of been the story for our offense this year. We never found a rhythm, and that’s just something we have to work on. We’ve got to work on that at practice, find some rhythms and not shoot ourselves in the foot.”
On his confidence…
“It’s not where I want it to be. We’re 2-5. I’m not happy by any means. My stats suck. Right now, I only care about winning. Right now, we’re not doing that. I’m not very happy. I think my confidence level is not low or high. Right now, I’m eating a piece of humble pie. We’re 2-5. That’s not where I want to be. It’s just how football works.”
On Fresno State’s defense…
“I didn’t think they did anything special. They just had good players. They made plays when plays needed to be made. They were physical. That’s what you expect when you’re playing college football. They were just good. They covered well. They stopped the run well. Credit to them, they just played well all around.”
On what needs to change in the passing game…
“I think everyone is on separate pages. My confidence isn’t where it needs to be, and I think that causes the receivers to not finish, which causes me to miss easy passes like at the end of the game. I missed the pass to Tyree (Mayfield). It’s just a lot of things. Like coach Bohl said, we’re not clicking on all four cylinders right now. We’re just missing pieces.”
On having a lot of poor field position…
“As an offense, you never want to be backed up, but that was kind of the story of the whole game. We never really flipped the field. It’s hard having a backup punter, but it’s the hand we were dealt. We just have to do a better job of getting out of those situations when we’re in them. I thought we did a good job at times and would get out of them. Then, like I said, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot again.”
On how getting more opportunities to run…
“Yeah, I think I can run when I need to. I think I ran fairly well today. I didn’t take any sacks. I threw the ball away when I needed to. I think I had positive rushing yards every play, so it’s definitely a positive and something I want to do more of. I think I’m capable of it. I don’t think teams expect me to do it, so I think it catches them by surprise when we do it.”
On throwing the ball away…
“My main goal was to not take any sacks tonight, and we did that. I threw the ball away when I needed to and extended plays when I had to. We just missed opportunities on offsides, but we’ll turn the page and learn from it. That’s all you can do.”
James Price, WR, Sr.
On the issues offensively…
“I think we weren’t able to execute and stay on the field. That’s something we’ve been stressing all year long. That’s something that needs to happen moving forward. I think both the passing game and running game along with discipline and stuff like that made us shoot ourselves in the foot.”
On what needs to change offensively…
“I think communication is a big piece of it. I think there are times where all 11 guys aren’t on the same page, and that has to change in order to stay on the field. That’s something that we can and need to control moving forward.”
On responding to a three-game losing streak…
“I expect us to bounce back. There are a lot of senior leaders on this team. There’s a lot of maturity on this team. Including myself, we expect a lot out of them. I think that we’re going to get on a run here and finish strong because that’s the only thing we know how to do. I think that’s our goal and plan going forward.”
On executing the offense with poor field position…
“You want to get on the other side of the 50, and we didn’t have many opportunities to do that. It’s a mentality thing. If your backs are against the wall, you’ve got to make plays to get out of those situations and execute on the other side of the 50.”
On not moving the ball out of the bad field position…
“Field position is huge in football. We always talk about hidden yardage on special teams, and we weren’t able to flip the field offensively. We did some bad things on special teams as well. It was just altogether not very efficient.”
Alijah Halliburton, S, Jr.
On field position…
“Unfortunately, they always started somewhere close to the 50 yard line, but we still have to be a defense and go out there and stop them from scoring and everything like that. That did make it a little bit harder.”
On the issues during Fresno State’s three straight touchdown scoring drives…
“I think they were just trying to pull out a few more tricks out of their bag. We just need to be more disciplined and prevent the explosive plays.”
On defensive expectations…
“We know that we have big expectations from a lot of people, but we’re not trying to listen to all of that. We’re just trying to be the best defense we can be and reach the best potential we can.”
On the team’s confidence…
“To bounce back, I feel like we just need to go back to the details, work harder and keep encouraging our teammates.”
Oct. 13, 2018
Fresno, Calif.
Head Coach Jeff Tedford
His opening statement…
“I thought it was a solid team effort in all three phases. One of the things that sometimes goes not as appreciated as it should is Blake Cusick and what he does. To be able to punt the ball and get them down inside the ten three times in the first half is big. I thought we had the advantage of field position most of the night. That is a big deal because when offense gets up inside the territory like that, the playbook shrinks a little bit and it becomes more conservative. We went in trying to stop the run and I thought our guys did a really good job of that. The offense put some drives together. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times with a few things that put us behind schedule. We were very efficient in all three phases of the game. We didn’t turn the football over. Any time we can win the turnover battle, we have a much better chance to win the football game.”
On facing the strong defense…
“I thought our offense was still aggressive on third down tonight. I thought Kalen did a really nice job at calling the game and keeping Wyoming off balance. That is a really solid defense. It is one of the best defenses in our conference. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle to run the ball. Marcus got pressured a few times but we didn’t get sacked tonight. Against that quality of a defense, with four all-conference players on it, I was happy that we were able to sustain some drives. I think we only had the ball five times in the first half and we scored on two of those possessions. I felt like we were moving the ball really well, we put some drives together and we were able to capitalize.”
On the offensive line changes…
“It is nice to have a flexibility to move guys around. Going into the game, we felt that number 93 was going to be a mismatch and we needed to have a bigger body on him so that’s why we put Micah there. For Markus to move inside in a week’s time, I thought he did a good job at identifying the front and getting us in the right blocking schemes for the most part.”
On the defense allowing only six points through two games…
“They are playing well. We are doing a good job at keeping everything in front of us, rallying to the football and tackling really well. The turnover and tackling circuit that we do everyday really pays dividends to our guys because they believe in it and they trust it.”
On being 8-1 at Bulldog Stadium since his return…
“I don’t look at the big picture and reflect on that. It is game by game. Obviously we are happy to get another win in conference play but just like we always do on Sunday, we will review the tape. There is a lot of things we can improve on. We will take the confidence from the things that we did well and we will take the things that we can improve on and we will work on that next week.”
On tight end Jared Rice…
“He is a matchup issue because he can run so well. He is not a one dimensional guy and that is what is so great about him. We can have him in there on every down and he will be running the football. He is efficient in the run game, he is a technician and technically sound, and he understands exactly what we are doing. He had great savvy on what we were supposed to do tonight. He is a big target and he is very athletic. He is a weapon.”
On the running game…
“Wyoming has a tough defense. When we went there last year, it was really tough to run the football and we knew it would be again tonight. Everyone is involved in the run game. I felt like we mixed it up more with throwing the football instead of beating our head against the wall trying to get in there a lot. Part of the read is the quarterback keeping the football or throwing it and I thought we made some positive yards on those decisions as well.”
On the biggest improvement he sees…
“There is not just one thing. There is everything. There is no such thing as a perfect game. So, collectively, we need to improve in certain aspects and individually. There are going to be things we need to improve on. Each week it is a different challenge. This is a whole different week and I’m sure we will take some things off of this game to say ‘we could have improved there’. We don’t play the same team next week. We play a whole different philosophy. Each week is a learning experience and we just need to keep grinding on our fundamentals to make sure that we are executing what we practice. For the most part, I think we do a pretty decent job of that but it goes week to week. We are halfway through the season but each week we are going to get other teams and we are going to get their best game. It isn’t going to be any different next week.”
Marcus McMaryion, QB, Sr.
On the offense picking up in the second half…
We started executing, get the feel of the game goes as it goes on. We were able to play better in the second half. When your defense is holding their offense to three points, it’s hard not to get energetic and feed off their energy. We wanted to put points up on the board for them.
On Fresno State’s defense…
They are playing amazing from the line to the secondary. Our secondary’s are getting picks almost every game. The defensive line is pressuring the quarterback. You have to give them credit, they are playing good football all the way around.
On using TE Jared Rice…
We are developing a rapport. I’m in my second year with the offense and we are able to utilize our guys a lot more, and everyone feels comfortable in the offense. Jared is an athletic guy and he can score and he can block for us.
Juju Hughes, DB, Jr.
On the game…
“It was a good team win, everyone executed at a high level. Offense, defense and special teams executed well tonight.”
On the defense not allowing Wyoming to score a touchdown…
“It feels good. That’s the standard we play to, that’s a goal we have set as a defense. Everyone from the defensive line to the secondary is executing. We are playing at a high level right now, this is how we want to play.”
On the Red Wave…
“It’s always great. When we hear the “Fresno State” chant, we love that! Once we hear the crowd get going, it pumps us up. We draw a lot of energy from them.”
On third down and goal line defense…
“We take a lot of pride in our third down and goal line defense. We want to get their offense off the field and our offense on the field. We have a great offense, so we want to get them back on the field as fast as possible. We put a lot of emphasis on turnovers, we start practice with turnover drills every practice. This doesn’t just happen, we put a lot of emphasis on turnovers.”
George Helmuth, LB, Sr.
On Wyoming’s offense…
“It’s not a style of offense you see in college football, but it was the same thing we saw from them last year. San Diego State runs a similar offense. We were prepared for it.”
On limiting Wyoming to a field goal…
“It felt good. We didn’t want to give one up at the end of the game. We’ve had back-to-back weeks not allowing our opponent to score a touchdown, so that’s a great accomplishment for us.”
If the defense feels pressure in low scoring games…
“There’s no pressure. We just go out there and do our job, we know that they will speed up. We have a lot of faith in our coaches and Marcus, so there’s never pressure.”
On punter Blake Cusick pinning Wyoming inside the 10, twice…
“It definitely makes it a lot easier for us on defense. A lot of our defense is on punt, so we get excited when we pin them inside the 10. If we can get a third down stop then our offense takes over with a short field. It helps everyone out.”
Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl
Opening statement…
“This game was really a fine tribute to this program. Their coach has done a great job. They execute really well. They really play on the fact they’re going to make sure they play clean football and let other people beat themselves. They’ve got good talent, but I don’t think we executed nearly well enough to win in any three phases of the game. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought it. It was going to be tough to come in and win, and we certainly came up way short.
On going two games without scoring an offensive touchdown…
“I think, first of all, we need to be more balanced. We don’t need to get ourselves into third down and long. We certainly have to be able to run the football, but our passing numbers are way off base. I don’t know if there’s anything within the passing game that we’re doing well right now. We’re not protecting very well. We’re not throwing the ball very well. We’re not catching the ball very well. That’s not the only thing, but the other thing is we have to put our offense in a position where we aren’t playing with a long field. Field position had a great deal to do with that tonight. Fresno State got themselves in position where they could open up the playbook a little bit more on fourth down and things like that, but it comes back to everything specific about the game.”
On the impact field position had on play calling…
“It does have an impact. You’re backed up, and then you just look at the play selections you have. The other thing too is it just comes down to putting yourself in position to say, “Ok, where are you going to be on a potential third or fourth down?”
On whether they tried being more creative offensively…
“Well, we did. We tried to run the quarterback a little bit more tonight. That had mixed reviews. There were some other things that we had, but then we got to where we were chasing points, so then that limits what you need to do.”
On why the passing game hasn’t progressed…
“I think, first of all, you’re looking at a lot of things being new for our quarterback. He hasn’t played in college football before. He’s certainly in a process of learning. I think we’ve had some protection issues, and I think we’ve had some challenges getting open.”
On responding to three straight losses…
“Well, it comes down to my job as a head football coach. We’re certainly not where we had hoped to be or expected to be. Our program has raised its expectations, and I’ve raised expectations as the head coach. We’ve got a big challenge next week in getting ready to play Utah State. We’ll get back to Laremy (Wyo.) and take a look at the film. We’ve got a seasoned, veteran coaching staff. We’ve got to make some adjustments and move forward.”
On whether they are committed to Tyler Vander Waal as the starting quarterback…
“That’s where we’re at, but I think right now with the point production, we’ve got to take a look at everything. You can’t go this stretch without trying to do some things, so we’ll take a hard look. I think anything I might say right now would be premature, so we’ll take a look at the tape when we get back to Laremy and make some decisions from there.”
On weapons on the outside not stepping up…
“It’s been disappointing on a lot of fronts. I think to single some of those things out may be accurate, but I’m not going to say that. There are a lot of reasons why we can’t pass the ball better.”
Tyler Vander Waal, QB, RS Fr.
On the issues throughout the game…
“We never found a rhythm offensively. We had good plays, but we couldn’t string them together. We’d hit a pass play for 12 yards, then we’d get an offsides on the next play. I think that’s kind of been the story for our offense this year. We never found a rhythm, and that’s just something we have to work on. We’ve got to work on that at practice, find some rhythms and not shoot ourselves in the foot.”
On his confidence…
“It’s not where I want it to be. We’re 2-5. I’m not happy by any means. My stats suck. Right now, I only care about winning. Right now, we’re not doing that. I’m not very happy. I think my confidence level is not low or high. Right now, I’m eating a piece of humble pie. We’re 2-5. That’s not where I want to be. It’s just how football works.”
On Fresno State’s defense…
“I didn’t think they did anything special. They just had good players. They made plays when plays needed to be made. They were physical. That’s what you expect when you’re playing college football. They were just good. They covered well. They stopped the run well. Credit to them, they just played well all around.”
On what needs to change in the passing game…
“I think everyone is on separate pages. My confidence isn’t where it needs to be, and I think that causes the receivers to not finish, which causes me to miss easy passes like at the end of the game. I missed the pass to Tyree (Mayfield). It’s just a lot of things. Like coach Bohl said, we’re not clicking on all four cylinders right now. We’re just missing pieces.”
On having a lot of poor field position…
“As an offense, you never want to be backed up, but that was kind of the story of the whole game. We never really flipped the field. It’s hard having a backup punter, but it’s the hand we were dealt. We just have to do a better job of getting out of those situations when we’re in them. I thought we did a good job at times and would get out of them. Then, like I said, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot again.”
On how getting more opportunities to run…
“Yeah, I think I can run when I need to. I think I ran fairly well today. I didn’t take any sacks. I threw the ball away when I needed to. I think I had positive rushing yards every play, so it’s definitely a positive and something I want to do more of. I think I’m capable of it. I don’t think teams expect me to do it, so I think it catches them by surprise when we do it.”
On throwing the ball away…
“My main goal was to not take any sacks tonight, and we did that. I threw the ball away when I needed to and extended plays when I had to. We just missed opportunities on offsides, but we’ll turn the page and learn from it. That’s all you can do.”
James Price, WR, Sr.
On the issues offensively…
“I think we weren’t able to execute and stay on the field. That’s something we’ve been stressing all year long. That’s something that needs to happen moving forward. I think both the passing game and running game along with discipline and stuff like that made us shoot ourselves in the foot.”
On what needs to change offensively…
“I think communication is a big piece of it. I think there are times where all 11 guys aren’t on the same page, and that has to change in order to stay on the field. That’s something that we can and need to control moving forward.”
On responding to a three-game losing streak…
“I expect us to bounce back. There are a lot of senior leaders on this team. There’s a lot of maturity on this team. Including myself, we expect a lot out of them. I think that we’re going to get on a run here and finish strong because that’s the only thing we know how to do. I think that’s our goal and plan going forward.”
On executing the offense with poor field position…
“You want to get on the other side of the 50, and we didn’t have many opportunities to do that. It’s a mentality thing. If your backs are against the wall, you’ve got to make plays to get out of those situations and execute on the other side of the 50.”
On not moving the ball out of the bad field position…
“Field position is huge in football. We always talk about hidden yardage on special teams, and we weren’t able to flip the field offensively. We did some bad things on special teams as well. It was just altogether not very efficient.”
Alijah Halliburton, S, Jr.
On field position…
“Unfortunately, they always started somewhere close to the 50 yard line, but we still have to be a defense and go out there and stop them from scoring and everything like that. That did make it a little bit harder.”
On the issues during Fresno State’s three straight touchdown scoring drives…
“I think they were just trying to pull out a few more tricks out of their bag. We just need to be more disciplined and prevent the explosive plays.”
On defensive expectations…
“We know that we have big expectations from a lot of people, but we’re not trying to listen to all of that. We’re just trying to be the best defense we can be and reach the best potential we can.”
On the team’s confidence…
“To bounce back, I feel like we just need to go back to the details, work harder and keep encouraging our teammates.”