Fresno State Athletics
Quotes: Fresno State vs. UConn
Head Coach Kalen DeBoer
On Team’s overall performance...
"Yeah, just it’s a team effort all around, you know it’s not perfect and I don’t know If I’ve ever seen a perfect game played. But There was a lot of just great things that I know I can see we’re better at. Of course, there’s things were going to need to continue to improve. Seeing the defense use the energy coming out of the locker room to start the game, and feeding off of that, I know we were probably a little over the top but excited coming down the ramp and in the locker room beforehand. The defense used that and I think that maybe it took a little bit of the offense to kind of settle in and just kind of get our bearings right and get back to doing what we normally do and then just the special teams, Cesar, I think just you know pounding the ball in the endzone almost every time on kick off so that’s a big deal you know we haven’t had that and he continued to do that both directions. There wasn’t really a huge wind but that does make an impact, you know we tried the long field goal and he you know he had plenty of leg and he just barely missed it but I think he would have been good for sure by from 56 or 57 so you can just see some of the guys and the way that they’ve improved their bodies, you know the plays they’re making, when we really got in the flow, it wasn’t anything special, it was just the guys making plays they’re capable of doing, and that’s what we talk about, just staying within yourself, just do your job and because you’re talented, you’re going to do it well and I thought we did that especially as the game went along, so I’m excited, we have a lot to learn from, I know week one to week two we expect a lot of improvement and it will be great to watch the film, and I know we’ve got a team that cares. That will happen."
On starting slow and the shift from first to second quarter...
"Offensively obviously you just said it, you know there wasn’t the rhythm I think that was probably the biggest thing, you know you’re just trying to get into a rhythm, you know we got the one first down with Ronnie, and then couldn’t get anything more than that, so it’s that rhythm. Defensively we got off to an extremely fast start and so you just got to you know and that what you’ve got to do. I hear Ronnie talking about you guys got to have your back or jake talking about each side of the ball has to have their back and so you know Ive brought it up many times, two years ago when we played these guys and I was at Indiana, it was 10-3 late in the second quarter, and the same kind of thing happened so you know the better teams just continue to wear on the opponent and that’s what we did today so you know we do emphasize starting fast and we need to do a better job on the offensive side next week."
On UConn’s game plan expectations/reality...
"Yeah, I don’t think there was anything over the top different, maybe a couple, I can think of one play during the game offensively on the first drive where it was a differnt look than what weve been practicing, and we got a minimal game and it kind of put us in to fourth and two situation so some of those looks were a little different so its just football and it wasn’t anything crazy that we shouldn’t be able to adjust to.
On Arron Mosby's Touchdown:
"There is a whole team in there I am proud of because of what we’ve gone through over the last year and a half and maybe one of the most impressive and guys I’m excited about is Aaron Mosby. To have him make that play just moving from position to position to position over the last three to four years from safety to linebacker to DE, and now thriving at that position and starting there today. It’s a super special thing and being a hometown guy, I hope the fans, I think the fans were all understanding what had just happened with the big play he made. I couldn’t have been more happy for him and I was fired up for him, I think he’s only, I think he’s still, he’s got a lot more that he will improve on especially after he sits and studies the live game film so he’ll continue to get better as well."
On having fans back in the stadium:
"Yeah, I spoke about how I think we were pretty amped up in the locker room, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t probably as fired up and excited as I’ve ever been going into a college football game. I mean it really was, it just seems like there’s been so much leading up to this just thinking about it, and then finally it’s here. Even waking up this morning, you know it was just different, so I think it was a special day for our guys and we were pretty excited and maybe a little bit too much, maybe it affected us a little offensively but now we got those feelings back of what it’s like and can’t wait to do it again."
On who was most excited for Ronnie...
"We just gave him the game ball in there, you’ve got a whole team who just, I think the offensive line, i mean it’s the whole team. The whole team just respects him so much and is so fired up just because he’s such a great teammate he’s so unselfish, he could have cared less about the record, and he cares more about the winning and how the day ended for the Bulldogs. He just brings it every single day at practice, the guys see that, hes just an awesome person and awesome teammate."
On Logan going in and taking starters out early...
"I guess I always feel like especially early in the year when you’re trying to get into the flow it took us until 10:47 to go in the second quarter before we put a touchdown in the board so we still didn’t have a lot of, you know a quarter and a half maybe before the starters got a chance to play all together so early in the season usually im a believer like ‘hey lets play through three quarters for sure’ and obviously you adjust based on the score it was kind of getting to that point but it was a great opportunity for Logan to get in and get some reps, I know Jalen is ready to go to and his opportunity may come the next time anything like that, you know Jake cramping up and so forth. I thought Logan did a nice job, he got the ball tipped down there in the red zone and obviously that ended a pick. I liked the way we were starting the third quarter. Coming out of the locker room until that happened so a lot of things I think we got better at throughout the course of the game.
Arron Mosby, Sr., DE
On his strip sack and touchdown…
“The drills we do, you know, the trip sets, picking up the fumble - that was probably the hardest part and then really just returning it for a touchdown was probably the easiest part.”
On the overall defense…
“Our defense progressed big time from last year to this year really just the front seven. To build a champion team you have to start from the inside out so I feel like our defense came together. Our front seven played very very well. I think we held them till 34 rushing yards I believe so that was a huge accomplishment for this defense and a huge step forward for the next game.”
About the transition to defense…
“Coming in, I was pretty nervous. I’ve never played at that position. I had spring ball and fall camp, but that isn’t anything like a real game against another team. I learned it’s just a mindset. At the end of the day, you’ve got to play football and it’s really just a mindset to beat the other guy in front of you.”
About the temperature on the field…
“We prepared for this, I know a couple of guys were cramping but, you know, this is Bulldog weather. We like to play in the heat, it gives us an advantage against the opponent and I think our team accepted the challenge and it went great for us.”
On being nervous and being a fifth-year player…
“I get nervous for every game. You never know what the outcome is going to be. So any time I’m nervous, I think it’s just a good thing a good feeling to be nervous. My nerves came from the change of position was probably the biggest nerves for me because I never played the position and I could mess up, you never know. That was probably the biggest challenge for me was just going in so that’s why I was probably nervous.
On the takeaway from the game…
“I take the most from this game, our defense got better. Obviously we can improve with some things, there’s always something you can improve on but really just playing as a team the offense did their job, congrats to the offense. The defense, we did our part so the biggest thing I take from this game is the front seven showing up that we could play football again.
On the defense putting in work during the offseason…
“Going from these last two seasons to now I will say that this shutout was huge for us. To have in the last game that we had that was pretty bad. So just to flip the script and show the Red Wave that we’re back to where we used to be, get ready for our next game, we got some more to prove. It was a good feeling for us to show the Red Wave that we’re back.
Jake Haener, Sr., QB
On the overall performance of the offense…
“When you take a year off from playing in front of fans, It’s definitely a new feeling for some of the guys especially myself. There was definitely some jitters in there, but once we got through that we started rolling. We stayed patient and took what was there early. We didn’t get frustrated, and we let it come to us which led to some really good things.”
On the touchdown pass to Ty Jones…
“I told him that I would throw him a fade in the red zone. The DB that was on him was tired and it was an inside zone RPO. I wanted to give him a shot to make a play. The DB kind of feel down and Ty went up and got it.”
On the speed of the offensive players…
“There’s definitely a lot of playmakers. I missed one or two throws early that I wish I could have back, but other than that I thought we did some pretty good things. We got the ball into the playmakers hands and let them do their thing with the space they had. They are dangerous dudes and they have an attitude when they have the rock.”
On Ronnie Rivers breaking the record…
“I took his record away last season when I had a block against Nevada on his 70-yard touchdown, but he took one away from us today with his pass interference penalty. In all seriousness, I’m really happy for Ronnie. He works so hard at his craft and he’s really fun to be around. Congratulations to him and we are going to keep winning games.”
On the defense…
“It’s great that we can count on the defense. When things are hard, we know that those guys have our back when things get tough. They kept telling us to keep punching it and keep going, and that they had faith in us to make plays with the offense that we have. That was really encouraging and really exciting. We have all have each other’s backs and we have confidence in each other. It’s a great feeling to have.”
On the offensive line…
“I thought they did a great job. They did everything they could for myself and the running backs to give us the best looks that we can get. I kept telling them to keep hanging with us every play to give me time to make things happen. They battled all day. It was great to see them play with confidence and to play with an edge.”
On going to Oregon…
“I think it’ll be a great challenge. We’ll be ready and ready to roll. We will be confident. We know that we can play and play at a high level.”
Ronnie Rivers, Sr., RB
On breaking the career touchdown record…
“Yeah, it was just a play that we run that gets me out in space and gets me running off some backers. Jake threw a great ball to keep me away from that safety, and then it’s just break a tackle and get to the end zone. So it was just an overwhelming feeling, great accomplishment, and none of this could be done without my teammates. So all the props and all the glory goes to them.”
On what he’s doing with the game ball…
“We have a trophy case at my parent’s house that it’ll probably sneak its way into.”
On the long touchdown and if it feels different…
“No, all touchdowns put up the same amount of points on the board. So as long as we can get into the end zone, that’s all we’re looking for. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a 2-yard line or a 98-yard touchdown. As long as you get it in the zone, that’s all we can ask for.”
On his assessment of the offense of the game…
“I think we started off a little slow. Once we settled in, I thought that things were flowing really well. I think a lot of people made a lot of plays. I don’t expect anything less from these guys. We have a lot of talent on the field, and we just have to start fast and play a little bit more physical.”
On the heat seeming to affect everyone else except him…
“I’m feeling good. I could definitely do a couple extra gassers after practice. The heat was tough. I feel like we handled it pretty well. Of course, we have to get some guys a little more hydrated but, I think it was pretty good.”
On returning to Bulldog Stadium with the Red Wave…
“A lot of overwhelming emotions and feelings, knowing that this is my last season and to be able to play in front of Bulldog fans again, it was just great. I know a lot of guys were really excited and they really brought the energy, so we can’t wait until the next home game when they’re out there again.”
On being back after a long off season and being 45-0…
“It feels great. When preparation pays off and everything you’ve been working for happens on the field, it’s just a great feeling. We’ve been working real hard this past off season and we didn’t take anything for granted knowing that we didn’t have an off season last year. Just being able to take what we prepared for and put it on the field is just an amazing feeling.”
On Team’s overall performance...
"Yeah, just it’s a team effort all around, you know it’s not perfect and I don’t know If I’ve ever seen a perfect game played. But There was a lot of just great things that I know I can see we’re better at. Of course, there’s things were going to need to continue to improve. Seeing the defense use the energy coming out of the locker room to start the game, and feeding off of that, I know we were probably a little over the top but excited coming down the ramp and in the locker room beforehand. The defense used that and I think that maybe it took a little bit of the offense to kind of settle in and just kind of get our bearings right and get back to doing what we normally do and then just the special teams, Cesar, I think just you know pounding the ball in the endzone almost every time on kick off so that’s a big deal you know we haven’t had that and he continued to do that both directions. There wasn’t really a huge wind but that does make an impact, you know we tried the long field goal and he you know he had plenty of leg and he just barely missed it but I think he would have been good for sure by from 56 or 57 so you can just see some of the guys and the way that they’ve improved their bodies, you know the plays they’re making, when we really got in the flow, it wasn’t anything special, it was just the guys making plays they’re capable of doing, and that’s what we talk about, just staying within yourself, just do your job and because you’re talented, you’re going to do it well and I thought we did that especially as the game went along, so I’m excited, we have a lot to learn from, I know week one to week two we expect a lot of improvement and it will be great to watch the film, and I know we’ve got a team that cares. That will happen."
On starting slow and the shift from first to second quarter...
"Offensively obviously you just said it, you know there wasn’t the rhythm I think that was probably the biggest thing, you know you’re just trying to get into a rhythm, you know we got the one first down with Ronnie, and then couldn’t get anything more than that, so it’s that rhythm. Defensively we got off to an extremely fast start and so you just got to you know and that what you’ve got to do. I hear Ronnie talking about you guys got to have your back or jake talking about each side of the ball has to have their back and so you know Ive brought it up many times, two years ago when we played these guys and I was at Indiana, it was 10-3 late in the second quarter, and the same kind of thing happened so you know the better teams just continue to wear on the opponent and that’s what we did today so you know we do emphasize starting fast and we need to do a better job on the offensive side next week."
On UConn’s game plan expectations/reality...
"Yeah, I don’t think there was anything over the top different, maybe a couple, I can think of one play during the game offensively on the first drive where it was a differnt look than what weve been practicing, and we got a minimal game and it kind of put us in to fourth and two situation so some of those looks were a little different so its just football and it wasn’t anything crazy that we shouldn’t be able to adjust to.
On Arron Mosby's Touchdown:
"There is a whole team in there I am proud of because of what we’ve gone through over the last year and a half and maybe one of the most impressive and guys I’m excited about is Aaron Mosby. To have him make that play just moving from position to position to position over the last three to four years from safety to linebacker to DE, and now thriving at that position and starting there today. It’s a super special thing and being a hometown guy, I hope the fans, I think the fans were all understanding what had just happened with the big play he made. I couldn’t have been more happy for him and I was fired up for him, I think he’s only, I think he’s still, he’s got a lot more that he will improve on especially after he sits and studies the live game film so he’ll continue to get better as well."
On having fans back in the stadium:
"Yeah, I spoke about how I think we were pretty amped up in the locker room, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t probably as fired up and excited as I’ve ever been going into a college football game. I mean it really was, it just seems like there’s been so much leading up to this just thinking about it, and then finally it’s here. Even waking up this morning, you know it was just different, so I think it was a special day for our guys and we were pretty excited and maybe a little bit too much, maybe it affected us a little offensively but now we got those feelings back of what it’s like and can’t wait to do it again."
On who was most excited for Ronnie...
"We just gave him the game ball in there, you’ve got a whole team who just, I think the offensive line, i mean it’s the whole team. The whole team just respects him so much and is so fired up just because he’s such a great teammate he’s so unselfish, he could have cared less about the record, and he cares more about the winning and how the day ended for the Bulldogs. He just brings it every single day at practice, the guys see that, hes just an awesome person and awesome teammate."
On Logan going in and taking starters out early...
"I guess I always feel like especially early in the year when you’re trying to get into the flow it took us until 10:47 to go in the second quarter before we put a touchdown in the board so we still didn’t have a lot of, you know a quarter and a half maybe before the starters got a chance to play all together so early in the season usually im a believer like ‘hey lets play through three quarters for sure’ and obviously you adjust based on the score it was kind of getting to that point but it was a great opportunity for Logan to get in and get some reps, I know Jalen is ready to go to and his opportunity may come the next time anything like that, you know Jake cramping up and so forth. I thought Logan did a nice job, he got the ball tipped down there in the red zone and obviously that ended a pick. I liked the way we were starting the third quarter. Coming out of the locker room until that happened so a lot of things I think we got better at throughout the course of the game.
Arron Mosby, Sr., DE
On his strip sack and touchdown…
“The drills we do, you know, the trip sets, picking up the fumble - that was probably the hardest part and then really just returning it for a touchdown was probably the easiest part.”
On the overall defense…
“Our defense progressed big time from last year to this year really just the front seven. To build a champion team you have to start from the inside out so I feel like our defense came together. Our front seven played very very well. I think we held them till 34 rushing yards I believe so that was a huge accomplishment for this defense and a huge step forward for the next game.”
About the transition to defense…
“Coming in, I was pretty nervous. I’ve never played at that position. I had spring ball and fall camp, but that isn’t anything like a real game against another team. I learned it’s just a mindset. At the end of the day, you’ve got to play football and it’s really just a mindset to beat the other guy in front of you.”
About the temperature on the field…
“We prepared for this, I know a couple of guys were cramping but, you know, this is Bulldog weather. We like to play in the heat, it gives us an advantage against the opponent and I think our team accepted the challenge and it went great for us.”
On being nervous and being a fifth-year player…
“I get nervous for every game. You never know what the outcome is going to be. So any time I’m nervous, I think it’s just a good thing a good feeling to be nervous. My nerves came from the change of position was probably the biggest nerves for me because I never played the position and I could mess up, you never know. That was probably the biggest challenge for me was just going in so that’s why I was probably nervous.
On the takeaway from the game…
“I take the most from this game, our defense got better. Obviously we can improve with some things, there’s always something you can improve on but really just playing as a team the offense did their job, congrats to the offense. The defense, we did our part so the biggest thing I take from this game is the front seven showing up that we could play football again.
On the defense putting in work during the offseason…
“Going from these last two seasons to now I will say that this shutout was huge for us. To have in the last game that we had that was pretty bad. So just to flip the script and show the Red Wave that we’re back to where we used to be, get ready for our next game, we got some more to prove. It was a good feeling for us to show the Red Wave that we’re back.
Jake Haener, Sr., QB
On the overall performance of the offense…
“When you take a year off from playing in front of fans, It’s definitely a new feeling for some of the guys especially myself. There was definitely some jitters in there, but once we got through that we started rolling. We stayed patient and took what was there early. We didn’t get frustrated, and we let it come to us which led to some really good things.”
On the touchdown pass to Ty Jones…
“I told him that I would throw him a fade in the red zone. The DB that was on him was tired and it was an inside zone RPO. I wanted to give him a shot to make a play. The DB kind of feel down and Ty went up and got it.”
On the speed of the offensive players…
“There’s definitely a lot of playmakers. I missed one or two throws early that I wish I could have back, but other than that I thought we did some pretty good things. We got the ball into the playmakers hands and let them do their thing with the space they had. They are dangerous dudes and they have an attitude when they have the rock.”
On Ronnie Rivers breaking the record…
“I took his record away last season when I had a block against Nevada on his 70-yard touchdown, but he took one away from us today with his pass interference penalty. In all seriousness, I’m really happy for Ronnie. He works so hard at his craft and he’s really fun to be around. Congratulations to him and we are going to keep winning games.”
On the defense…
“It’s great that we can count on the defense. When things are hard, we know that those guys have our back when things get tough. They kept telling us to keep punching it and keep going, and that they had faith in us to make plays with the offense that we have. That was really encouraging and really exciting. We have all have each other’s backs and we have confidence in each other. It’s a great feeling to have.”
On the offensive line…
“I thought they did a great job. They did everything they could for myself and the running backs to give us the best looks that we can get. I kept telling them to keep hanging with us every play to give me time to make things happen. They battled all day. It was great to see them play with confidence and to play with an edge.”
On going to Oregon…
“I think it’ll be a great challenge. We’ll be ready and ready to roll. We will be confident. We know that we can play and play at a high level.”
Ronnie Rivers, Sr., RB
On breaking the career touchdown record…
“Yeah, it was just a play that we run that gets me out in space and gets me running off some backers. Jake threw a great ball to keep me away from that safety, and then it’s just break a tackle and get to the end zone. So it was just an overwhelming feeling, great accomplishment, and none of this could be done without my teammates. So all the props and all the glory goes to them.”
On what he’s doing with the game ball…
“We have a trophy case at my parent’s house that it’ll probably sneak its way into.”
On the long touchdown and if it feels different…
“No, all touchdowns put up the same amount of points on the board. So as long as we can get into the end zone, that’s all we’re looking for. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a 2-yard line or a 98-yard touchdown. As long as you get it in the zone, that’s all we can ask for.”
On his assessment of the offense of the game…
“I think we started off a little slow. Once we settled in, I thought that things were flowing really well. I think a lot of people made a lot of plays. I don’t expect anything less from these guys. We have a lot of talent on the field, and we just have to start fast and play a little bit more physical.”
On the heat seeming to affect everyone else except him…
“I’m feeling good. I could definitely do a couple extra gassers after practice. The heat was tough. I feel like we handled it pretty well. Of course, we have to get some guys a little more hydrated but, I think it was pretty good.”
On returning to Bulldog Stadium with the Red Wave…
“A lot of overwhelming emotions and feelings, knowing that this is my last season and to be able to play in front of Bulldog fans again, it was just great. I know a lot of guys were really excited and they really brought the energy, so we can’t wait until the next home game when they’re out there again.”
On being back after a long off season and being 45-0…
“It feels great. When preparation pays off and everything you’ve been working for happens on the field, it’s just a great feeling. We’ve been working real hard this past off season and we didn’t take anything for granted knowing that we didn’t have an off season last year. Just being able to take what we prepared for and put it on the field is just an amazing feeling.”