Fresno State Athletics
Mountain West Football Championship Postgame Quotes
#25 Fresno State at #22 Boise State
Mountain West Championship
Dec. 1, 2018
Boise, Id.
Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford
Opening statement…
“Hats off to Boise State and their program, to Coach Harsin and the whole team. They did a great job tonight, and it’s always going to be a hard-fought battle. I was really proud of our guys tonight, they never gave in and found a way to win. They played in tough weather conditions, in a loud stadium and hostile environment, but our players were not going to be denied tonight.”
“It’s a big one. There’s no doubt about that. I’ve been fortunate in my career I’ve been a part of a lot of competitions, but I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a team than this team. The resilience that they’ve showed, the work they put in every single day and their togetherness as a family. Tonight was a hard-fought game. You’re going through rain, snow, a hostile environment and ups and downs. We had it all Asa Fuller kicked two field goals in the snow and Matt Boateng came off the edge to block an extra point which allowed us to go into overtime. There was a lot of great effort out there. I want to say thank you to everyone in our program, because they all have a part in this. The equipment staff, trainers, nutrition and everyone else. We couldn’t do it without the whole group. To see how excited these players are in the locker room, there’s nothing like that. That’s why we do this.”
On the game-winning play…
“It came down to the execution. Marcus did a good job of giving a good pitch. I didn’t really see it, but I think Ronnie (Rivers) made someone miss to get across the goal line. To know that it was over at that point, was an awesome feeling. To know that these guys accomplished what we set out to accomplish, awesome feeling.”
On the blocked extra point…
“It came down to effort, coming off the edge and timing it right. Sometimes the operation time in those conditions are a little bit slower. It was just a great effort by Boateng to come off that edge. He timed it perfectly. The block point was perfect. We have a lot of faith in him doing it and he takes a lot of pride in it. It was a big play.”
On Boise State’s Alexander Mattison…
“He’s a complete running back. He can catch the ball, he can protect and he’s very physical. He’s a big strong running back. When he runs, the pile typically goes forward. If he hits a seam, he has the speed to take it the distance as well. He’s a big time running back, and he has a very bright future.”
On winning on the Blue Turf…
“It’s sweet to win. The Blue Turf thing again? It wasn’t even blue tonight. The color doesn’t matter. You’re playing a great football team, in a hostile environment where the fans do a phenomenal job of making it hard on the opponent. I know it hasn’t been done here in a while, I’m not sure how long. Besides all that, it’s the fact that our players got to come back here, play against a great football team and come away with a victory. It was very hard fought and very rewarding, because who we played here and the type of game that it was.”
On Ronnie Rivers…
“It’s great Ronnie is a great player. He’s someone who is very dependable for us. It was hard sledding running the football tonight, he just kept battling for yards and made that count at the end. He’s a Bulldog through and through, all the way back to when I coached his dad. We’re happy he’s on our team. He’s not only a really good player, he’s a great young man.”
On the weather conditions…
“It’s difficult to play in those conditions. Especially in the first half, it was raining hard. Once it settled down in the second half it wasn’t so bad, there was just a lot of snow on the ground. It’s never easy to play in those type of conditions. Especially for a quarterback who has to field the ball and the center who was saying there was a lot of ice on the ball. There was huge chunks of ice on the field, from where they scraped the lines. I think it's common sense that the ball is going to battle a little bit of it. I thought Marcus did an excellent job at handling the conditions. I was impressed because Boise does an excellent job with the pass rush, and Marcus did a great job under pressure. He didn’t turn the football over. My hat is off to Marcus, he makes good decisions. When it is time to throw the ball away, he throws it away. He’s not a guy with a huge ego, who is worried about his stats. He does whatever it takes to make this team successful, and that’s what I love about him He’s a team guy all the way.”
Marcus McMaryion, Sr., QB
On the game…
“It’s surreal. I don’t think it has sunk in, everything I’ve done with Coach Tedford and the program. I’m blessed to be in the position that I’m in. Hats off to all my teammates in the locker room going crazy, they deserve this and everything beyond it. I’m just excited to bring this win back to Fresno.”
On his feelings while watching the game-winning play…
“There’s no feeling like it. It’s hard to put words on the emotional high. It was an amazing feeling to see Ronnie (Rivers) cross that line and see the whole team rush the field. I took a moment to pause and soak it all in.”
On the weather conditions…
“There was slush out there that would get on the ball. If the ball didn’t get switched out every couple of plays, it was pretty icy. When you would get tackled, you were sliding and it felt like making a snow angel. You have to keep getting up and try to throw the ball. The coaches put us in a good position and had me take calculated shots. They made sure there was a fresh ball in there. So they just put me in a really good position when it came to throwing the ball down the field.”
Mykal Walker, Jr., DE
On the game…
“It was great game. These are the games we play for. This was a dream come true. We got to go into overtime and play a great team in Boise State. We knew coming in it was going to be a physical battle. All of my teammates did a great job tonight, hats off to them. I appreciate the award. I’m glad to be here.”
On his feelings while watching the game-winning play…
“All game long, we knew our offense would have our back. As a defense to be able to trust in them and believe in them, there was no better feeling than Ronnie (Rivers) crossing that line. It was the best feeling of my life.”
On Boise State’s Alexander Mattison…
“He’s relentless. It comes down to who wants it, and when he has the ball in his hands he’s going to fight for those extra yards. I respect him. I think he’s a great running back and my hat goes off to him.”
Boise State head coach, Bryan Harsin
On his thoughts of the game after another hard fought battle…
“Well first, I think for all of the players in the game tonight they all fought hard, both sides of the ball. I’m very proud of our team and certainly Fresno deserved to win the game. They played well. We put ourselves in an overtime situation and they came up with the win. We played that team four games now, and they’ve done a really good job of getting themselves ready to play. They did again tonight and you know credit goes to them. Congratulations on the championship to Fresno and I’m certainly proud of our team and what we were able to accomplish this season and how hard our guys fought. We just came up short and the bottom line is that’s what it comes down to. You’ve got to find a way to win and we didn’t do that tonight so congratulations to Fresno State we’ve got a lot of respect for them. We fought hard tonight but we just didn’t get it done.”
Alexander Mattison, Jr., RB
On his record-setting performance…
“We knew the weather was a part of it in that decision to pound the rock. Things were working out for us up front; guys were getting some movement, so we decided to rely on the run game and at the end of the day we just didn’t get the job done.”
On losing the championship at home…
“For one, definitely losing out on The Blue; that’s something that we don’t do. The championship was an opportunity for us to go out there and leave a legacy with those seniors, so it’s disappointing that we couldn’t send them out that way. But it is definitely not a great feeling.”
On the team relying on him with the snowy conditions…
“It was a situation where we needed someone to step up and take over, and I was accepting of that role. It felt great to have my teammates and my coaches believe in me, and we went out there and we tried to do the best we could to make sure we go out and execute. At the end of the day the regulation ran out in a tie, and in overtime we weren’t able to punch it in and they were. It’s a disappointing feeling, especially when people were trusting in you."
Tyson Maeva, Jr., LB
On the team’s defensive effort…
“I thought we played hard. We definitely played with heart. We definitely had some things to clean up like tackling and what not. But you know all credit to Fresno. I thought we played hard but obviously we couldn’t get it done.”
On losing the championship at home…
“Obviously we always want things to go our way, but tonight they just didn’t. Walking into the locker room and just seeing the type of atmosphere; we just didn’t get it done and we know that as a team and we just have to work from there.”
Mountain West Championship
Dec. 1, 2018
Boise, Id.
Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford
Opening statement…
“Hats off to Boise State and their program, to Coach Harsin and the whole team. They did a great job tonight, and it’s always going to be a hard-fought battle. I was really proud of our guys tonight, they never gave in and found a way to win. They played in tough weather conditions, in a loud stadium and hostile environment, but our players were not going to be denied tonight.”
“It’s a big one. There’s no doubt about that. I’ve been fortunate in my career I’ve been a part of a lot of competitions, but I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a team than this team. The resilience that they’ve showed, the work they put in every single day and their togetherness as a family. Tonight was a hard-fought game. You’re going through rain, snow, a hostile environment and ups and downs. We had it all Asa Fuller kicked two field goals in the snow and Matt Boateng came off the edge to block an extra point which allowed us to go into overtime. There was a lot of great effort out there. I want to say thank you to everyone in our program, because they all have a part in this. The equipment staff, trainers, nutrition and everyone else. We couldn’t do it without the whole group. To see how excited these players are in the locker room, there’s nothing like that. That’s why we do this.”
On the game-winning play…
“It came down to the execution. Marcus did a good job of giving a good pitch. I didn’t really see it, but I think Ronnie (Rivers) made someone miss to get across the goal line. To know that it was over at that point, was an awesome feeling. To know that these guys accomplished what we set out to accomplish, awesome feeling.”
On the blocked extra point…
“It came down to effort, coming off the edge and timing it right. Sometimes the operation time in those conditions are a little bit slower. It was just a great effort by Boateng to come off that edge. He timed it perfectly. The block point was perfect. We have a lot of faith in him doing it and he takes a lot of pride in it. It was a big play.”
On Boise State’s Alexander Mattison…
“He’s a complete running back. He can catch the ball, he can protect and he’s very physical. He’s a big strong running back. When he runs, the pile typically goes forward. If he hits a seam, he has the speed to take it the distance as well. He’s a big time running back, and he has a very bright future.”
On winning on the Blue Turf…
“It’s sweet to win. The Blue Turf thing again? It wasn’t even blue tonight. The color doesn’t matter. You’re playing a great football team, in a hostile environment where the fans do a phenomenal job of making it hard on the opponent. I know it hasn’t been done here in a while, I’m not sure how long. Besides all that, it’s the fact that our players got to come back here, play against a great football team and come away with a victory. It was very hard fought and very rewarding, because who we played here and the type of game that it was.”
On Ronnie Rivers…
“It’s great Ronnie is a great player. He’s someone who is very dependable for us. It was hard sledding running the football tonight, he just kept battling for yards and made that count at the end. He’s a Bulldog through and through, all the way back to when I coached his dad. We’re happy he’s on our team. He’s not only a really good player, he’s a great young man.”
On the weather conditions…
“It’s difficult to play in those conditions. Especially in the first half, it was raining hard. Once it settled down in the second half it wasn’t so bad, there was just a lot of snow on the ground. It’s never easy to play in those type of conditions. Especially for a quarterback who has to field the ball and the center who was saying there was a lot of ice on the ball. There was huge chunks of ice on the field, from where they scraped the lines. I think it's common sense that the ball is going to battle a little bit of it. I thought Marcus did an excellent job at handling the conditions. I was impressed because Boise does an excellent job with the pass rush, and Marcus did a great job under pressure. He didn’t turn the football over. My hat is off to Marcus, he makes good decisions. When it is time to throw the ball away, he throws it away. He’s not a guy with a huge ego, who is worried about his stats. He does whatever it takes to make this team successful, and that’s what I love about him He’s a team guy all the way.”
Marcus McMaryion, Sr., QB
On the game…
“It’s surreal. I don’t think it has sunk in, everything I’ve done with Coach Tedford and the program. I’m blessed to be in the position that I’m in. Hats off to all my teammates in the locker room going crazy, they deserve this and everything beyond it. I’m just excited to bring this win back to Fresno.”
On his feelings while watching the game-winning play…
“There’s no feeling like it. It’s hard to put words on the emotional high. It was an amazing feeling to see Ronnie (Rivers) cross that line and see the whole team rush the field. I took a moment to pause and soak it all in.”
On the weather conditions…
“There was slush out there that would get on the ball. If the ball didn’t get switched out every couple of plays, it was pretty icy. When you would get tackled, you were sliding and it felt like making a snow angel. You have to keep getting up and try to throw the ball. The coaches put us in a good position and had me take calculated shots. They made sure there was a fresh ball in there. So they just put me in a really good position when it came to throwing the ball down the field.”
Mykal Walker, Jr., DE
On the game…
“It was great game. These are the games we play for. This was a dream come true. We got to go into overtime and play a great team in Boise State. We knew coming in it was going to be a physical battle. All of my teammates did a great job tonight, hats off to them. I appreciate the award. I’m glad to be here.”
On his feelings while watching the game-winning play…
“All game long, we knew our offense would have our back. As a defense to be able to trust in them and believe in them, there was no better feeling than Ronnie (Rivers) crossing that line. It was the best feeling of my life.”
On Boise State’s Alexander Mattison…
“He’s relentless. It comes down to who wants it, and when he has the ball in his hands he’s going to fight for those extra yards. I respect him. I think he’s a great running back and my hat goes off to him.”
Boise State head coach, Bryan Harsin
On his thoughts of the game after another hard fought battle…
“Well first, I think for all of the players in the game tonight they all fought hard, both sides of the ball. I’m very proud of our team and certainly Fresno deserved to win the game. They played well. We put ourselves in an overtime situation and they came up with the win. We played that team four games now, and they’ve done a really good job of getting themselves ready to play. They did again tonight and you know credit goes to them. Congratulations on the championship to Fresno and I’m certainly proud of our team and what we were able to accomplish this season and how hard our guys fought. We just came up short and the bottom line is that’s what it comes down to. You’ve got to find a way to win and we didn’t do that tonight so congratulations to Fresno State we’ve got a lot of respect for them. We fought hard tonight but we just didn’t get it done.”
Alexander Mattison, Jr., RB
On his record-setting performance…
“We knew the weather was a part of it in that decision to pound the rock. Things were working out for us up front; guys were getting some movement, so we decided to rely on the run game and at the end of the day we just didn’t get the job done.”
On losing the championship at home…
“For one, definitely losing out on The Blue; that’s something that we don’t do. The championship was an opportunity for us to go out there and leave a legacy with those seniors, so it’s disappointing that we couldn’t send them out that way. But it is definitely not a great feeling.”
On the team relying on him with the snowy conditions…
“It was a situation where we needed someone to step up and take over, and I was accepting of that role. It felt great to have my teammates and my coaches believe in me, and we went out there and we tried to do the best we could to make sure we go out and execute. At the end of the day the regulation ran out in a tie, and in overtime we weren’t able to punch it in and they were. It’s a disappointing feeling, especially when people were trusting in you."
Tyson Maeva, Jr., LB
On the team’s defensive effort…
“I thought we played hard. We definitely played with heart. We definitely had some things to clean up like tackling and what not. But you know all credit to Fresno. I thought we played hard but obviously we couldn’t get it done.”
On losing the championship at home…
“Obviously we always want things to go our way, but tonight they just didn’t. Walking into the locker room and just seeing the type of atmosphere; we just didn’t get it done and we know that as a team and we just have to work from there.”