Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State-Hawaii Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Jeff Tedford
Opening statement…
“It was a good team win. I thought all phases played solid. Defense did a really good job, we let a deep one get behind us which we always hate to see, but we rallied well to a very dangerous offense. Hawai’i has a great group of receivers and a quarterback who is very competitive and accurate. For the most part, we kept things in front of us and didn’t let them in the end zone until the very end there. I thought we put a lot of drives together offensively. Special teams was really solid. It was a total team effort and I am really proud of our team. Our coaching staff does a phenomenal job making sure that we are prepared, going in with good plans and holding the team accountable throughout the week and the team does a good job at going out and executing.”
On younger players stepping up into different roles…
“It is big. Dontae (Bull) was coming off of a high ankle sprain and through the week he didn’t know if he would be able to play. We have been a revolving door all week with trying to figure out what our combinations would be up front. It was big for Dontae to step up and play the game that he did. We will watch film and I am sure there are some things he can learn from but I thought it was great experience for him to be able to get in.”
On Jamire Jordan’s kick six…
“It was a perfect position for a 53-yard field goal for Hawai’i. Typically when there is a field goal team in there, it is a lot of big guys protecting and if they kick it short or don’t have the distance on it then we try to set up a return. I thought the guys did a great job at executing it. Jamire set it up really well by starting up the middle and then breaking it outside. Everybody made really good decisions, not blocking anybody down low or anything like that. It was a well executed play.”
On the lights out delay…
“We have had that happen before. We had a delay at Hawai’i last year due to lightning, and that delay was a little longer there. We have a plan that when we are coming back out we want to make sure that we are warm and it gives us a chance to make a few adjustments. It is really just a matter of coming back out and staying focused with what we are doing. We have been through it before and our guys know that sometimes we are going to run into situations that we can’t control and that was one of them. We had to stay focused and come back out and resume play.”
On Keesean Johnson setting the all-time record…
“I think everyone is happy for Keesean. He is a great teammate, everyone has a lot of respect for him. This is well deserved, he has had a great career here. It was nice that he could get it done at home. It was nice to see him get it, it is very well deserved. He works really, really hard and he is a great teammate. I am really proud of him.”
On national rankings…
“That’s for other people to figure out. It really matters at the end of the year. There is a lot of football to be played. If we play well and people recognize it, maybe someday that will happen but that’s not a goal that we have right now. Our goal is to try to work hard each week and get better. We want to take advantage of every opportunity that we have from week to week.”
On Asa Fuller…
“Missing extra points is concerning. There is no doubt about it, we need to improve there and be more consistent. If you miss a field goal, you miss a field goal. Sometimes you’re going to do that. But extra points should be automatic. We are going to continue to work at it and make sure he has the confidence and that he is consistent with what he does. He has got a very good leg but we have to get his confidence to where those things are automatic for him.”
On being the most complete game so far of the season…
“We will watch the tape tomorrow. I’m sure there are some things we can improve on. There always is. There is no such thing as a perfect game. As always, we will take the good things and try to build some confidence off of the good things. We will take the opportunity to teach from the things that we could learn from and continue to try to improve.”
On getting the crowd fired up…
“I thought we had a great crowd tonight. I was fired up about the crowd when I first came into the stadium. That’s the most people I have seen in the seats that early for two years. I thought it was an awesome crowd. I think we are improving with that. Third down is great and we are trying to get them going on first and second down. Hawai’i had an illegal procedure because the Red Wave was really loud. If our fans get into it, this could be a really difficult place to play for our opponents. I was fired up by the crowd, I thought it was a great turn out and our team really appreciates it. They feed off of it.”
On having the big lead at halftime…
“I thought that was big. My only concern was that the guys were too excited at that point. We got in the locker room and had to try to calm them down and get them focused. We had to make sure they understand it is a four quarter game and it is 0-0 and Hawai’i has the capabilities. There was so much excitement on that play before the half that guys left the field really pumped up. At halftime, we needed to get them back to reality about having another half to play and keeping the grind on.”
Juju Hughes, S, Jr.
On the game plan against Hawaii…
"We were just trying to stay in front. They are an explosive play team. They go for the big plays every series. We wanted to limit those big plays and try to make them earn every point."
On Hawaii throwing a deep touchdown pass…
"They ran a good play, they made a good call. We don’t take that too seriously, we have a “next down” mentality. We were ready for the next play."
On not being ranked in the Top 25…
"We didn’t come into this season wanting to be a Top 25 team. We just want to win games, win a Mountain West Championship and win our Bowl Games. We want to do all that with class and integrity. Those are our goals."
On Homecoming…
"I think it means a lot to the alumni. For them to get to come back to Fresno State, especially when we are playing really well. They get to come to the game and watch us try to bring back the tradition of Bulldog Football."
On Waylan Free…
"Waylan is a great young player. He’s going to be here for three more years, and he’s going to be a tremendous player. He asks a lot of questions, that’s how I know he’s going to be good. He wants to be a positive contributer on the field and he wants to do the right things. He was ready for the moment."
Marcus McMaryion, QB, Sr.
On Keesean Johnson breaking the all-time receptions record at Fresno State….
"He’s a great player. As a quarterback I know that if I get it in his general vicinity, he’s going to grab the ball and come down with it."
On how the offense played tonight…
"I think we played well. We had a lot of sparks of what this offense is capable of, but I think there is a lot that we left on the field as well. There were a couple third down conversions that I could have had a better read on, I could of ran a little better and I could of threw a little better. There is always room for improvement."
"The offense is operating well. Our coaches are putting us in a good position to be successful. Our coaches prepare us by trying to give us every defensive look that the other team can give us, so when game time comes we are prepared and that makes us confident. We have a great receiving core, from top to bottom. We also have a variety of running backs that can rotate. Whoever I have on the field, I feel confident in them making plays."
"I definitely think this was the most consistent our offense has been. It shows what we are capable of, and we need to be that consistent all the time. If our offense keeps improving with how good our defense is, the sky is the limit for this team."
Keeseason Johnson, WR, Sr.
On breaking Davante Adams’ record to become the all-time receptions record at Fresno State…
"It’s a great feeling, breaking records is something you talk about with your friends when you come to college. It’s a dream come true."
On his relationship with Davante Adams…
"It’s been all encouragement from Davante. He’s been telling me to go get the record, to take it. He’s where he wants to be, and he wants me to get there too."
On explosive plays from the offense…
"We’ve been looking to get big plays in our running game all year. All of our running backs came in and made plays tonight."
Hawai’i head coach Nick Rolovich
On the outcome…
“It was a rough one. We knew they were a good football team, and they showed why they’re one of the top two teams in the conference. There’s no doubt they can play with anybody in our conference. I think we knew that. We knew it was going to be a battle. We knew we had to try to start fast and jump up on them, but the explosive plays and not sustaining drives offensively hurt us. They’ve got a lot of good offense where they can take advantage of all types of things you do, so credit to coach Tedford, his staff and the way his players played.”
On Fresno State’s strategy…
“They’ve just got a good, solid offense. They’ve got good players that thrive in their system and a triggerman that knows exactly what to do with the ball, so they’re well coached.”
On Fresno State returning a field goal attempt for a touchdown…
“No, we talked about covering it. We’ve done that, but I thought they executed it better than us. We knew it was going to be a stretch to get it there. Even in the timeout, we talked about covering down on the kick. They just set up a good return and made it.”
On missed opportunities…
“I haven’t seen the stats, but I thought we were pretty good in the past at being able to convert fourth downs. We just had a couple that hurt us. That’s not something that turned the game around. We need to play clean football. What I am proud of is the team didn’t quit. They didn’t start pointing fingers at each other. They kept battling. Guys are limping out there, but still fighting for this team and this program. As an alumni and a fan, I think you can at least appreciate that.”
On quarterback Jeremy Moussa…
“Moussa did a nice job in the pocket. He kept his eyes down the field and made some good throws. That first throw was probably not how you want to start it, but he’s been patiently waiting his turn, and I think people got to see a little bit of his arm talent and had a good feel of the offense. I thought he played pretty well.”
On attempting a long field goal…
“We were probably a little outside of his range, but he was kicking well and there was no wind. We felt like it was good weather. He’s hit those in practice without a rush, but we knew it would be a tough one.”
On opting for a field goal instead of a Hail Mary…
“I thought leaving with a few points before the half might have given us some juice, but it obviously went the other way.”
On Fresno State’s defense…
“Their numbers are so good defensively that their offense helps out their defense. They’re so efficient with what they do. They help their defense with the way they play offense, and they work together as a team. It’s better to be good in all three phases. That’s why they were in the championship game last year, and that’s why they look like they’ll be in it again this year.”
On changing the defensive scheme for the game…
“Kind of like the triple option offense, they’re going to have something for us because there’s so much 10 personnel. That had happened before, and I thought our guys adjusted well. I though Cole (McDonald) had some good throws. The throw to JoJo (Ward) was a really good throw. We just didn’t make enough plays, and they made plenty of them. We have to get some stops on defense too. You can’t have explosive plays. We’ve got to make them drive and earn it more than however many explosive plays they had.”
On Fresno State’s defensive line…
“(Mykal Walker) is a great pass rusher. He’s a very athletic guy that can make a lot of plays running around chasing the ball down. I don’t think they have a weakness. They’re a good football team. I don’t think they do.”
On the offense plugging and playing players…
“I have a lot of respect for coach Tedford and how he’s approached the job he’s got. He’s done a really nice job with it.”
On the wellness of the team…
“We do need to get healthy too. We’ve got some guys beat up playing through some stuff, so I just ask them to give it everything they’ve got out on that playing field. That’s what they did.”
On a finishing a long road stretch…
“It’s Hawai’i football. It’s who we are. It’s what we have to do.”
Ryan Meskell, K, R-Jr.
On the two made field goals…
The boys protected really well again. We haven’t had anything blocked this season, so I have to thank the boys blocking in front of me. Unfortunately, the last kick we had fell short, but it was a bit disappointing the way that whole play turned out. I guess we just have to learn from it.”
On whether he feels responsible for making a tackle…
“Yeah, I was running down there and saw four or five of their guys, and I didn’t know what to do. I just ran in there and tried my best, but there was no chance against five blockers. They planned their return well, so props to them. They saw potential in that play. Unfortunately for us, it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to.”
On his kicking range…
“I was confident from that range. In pregame, I hit one from that exact spot and range – left hash and 53 yards. I went through it easily then, but I didn’t hit that ball as cleanly as I would’ve liked. It was on target, but I didn’t hit it in the sweet spot where it would’ve traveled the whole distance. I’d still say 53 is my range. Unfortunately, I just didn’t hit that ball as cleanly as I could have.”
On whether his range has increased throughout the season…
“If anything out of this season, I’d say my accuracy has increased. I’ve always had the range coming in, but I was a bit erratic with my accuracy. I’ve just been doing the simple things better, so making the kicks inside the red zone, inside 40 and making sure my accuracy good. It has been, and this one was just a little bit of a miss hit.
On whether he realized a player was waiting to receive his field goal attempt…
“I didn’t really think about it. I probably didn’t kick it as hard as I probably should have. I just tried to hit it with a smooth swing, which is what coach always tells me. I just tried to hit it smooth, and it fell short. I knew there was potential for a return, but I didn’t really think about it. My main concern was hitting it through the posts. I didn’t want to think about the returner at all because that would have been a negative thought process. That’s not what I like to do when I kick.”
On whether he’s becoming more comfortable kicking…
“San Jose was a big learning experience, and that was a tough situation. I feel like every day since then has been easier for me after the pressure of the moment in San Jose. I’m feeling really confident, and I’ll continue to feel confident. I’m not going to worry about the kick I missed tonight because you kind of think about that stuff as a kicker, so I’ll continue to be confident. I have to thank coach Rolovich for having faith in me and throwing me out there from that range. It’s good to know your coaches trust in you. I’ve just got to repay him again by working hard this week and make sure we go 100 percent next week.”
JoJo Ward, WR, Jr.
On how Fresno State was able to slow down their offense…
“They did a good job of getting pressure and knocking the ball to the ground, but we really just need to be executing our plays. I know we did a good job with punting, so hopefully we’ll get better next week.”
On the team’s performance…
“Fresno did a good job with our offense. They stopped the run. They gave us trouble passing the ball. We just have to execute better. We have to do the little things. We just have to buy into everything we’re doing.”
On positive takeaways…
“We hit some big plays. We just have to keep going to those plays and then change it up. We need to keep showing the defenses something different. Hopefully we’ll have that together by next week.