Fresno State Athletics
Southern-Fresno State Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Matt Entz
On the game…
“Anytime you go 1-0 in a week, that’s a positive. It’s hard to win games in college football, so I was excited. Looking at the stats real quick—we put up 500 yards of offense and held our opponent to seven points. That’s usually a recipe for success.”
“Overall, I was excited how we played defensively and offensively. They did some things that were challenging early in the game with the run game, but we stayed the course. Those runs for four will turn into 10 later in the game. 20-for-24 from E.J. Warner, not a bad day. Carson Conklin came in and did really good. I wanted Coach Davis to just run our offense with him, because that is a young man who I think is super talented. You don't see very many programs in the country that have two really talented quarterbacks.”
“Anytime you can play well, it comes down to two things we emphasized all week: energy and execution. I think our kids did a pretty good job with both. But again, I’ll watch the film, and I’m sure we’ll find things we can still improve on.”
On what he wanted from this game…
“Just getting our feet in the ground defensively and making sure we did a good job communicating. I think we've left some plays on the field in our previous three games where we had 10 of the 11 players on the same page and good teams are going to find the 11th. I still think we need to continue to improve our tackling, especially in the open field.”
On the defense…
“I thought probably a fair number of three and outs. I thought we had a good plan, kept the ball in front of us, really made them one dimensional during the course of the game, and then they kind of just got into their quick game and were throwing slants and hitches.”
On not overlooking an FCS team…
“The fact you bring up that acronym is pretty scary, because people start reading into it. They read articles, they listen to prognosticators, and all of a sudden, they think we should just roll over a team. All week, you’re fighting complacency and ego.”
“Quick story—on Wednesday, we had gone about four periods, I blew the whistle, stopped practice, and started us all over. I didn’t like our attitude or mentality. We weren’t going to come out here and lay an egg. We weren’t going to waste a week or an opportunity to get better, no matter who we play.”
“In the second quarter, they brought in a new quarterback we hadn’t seen before. Their starter was in concussion protocol, so all we had seen was No. 0 on film. Just like it was new to you, it was new to us too. But once we settled in, got our feet under us, we adjusted. Outside of that one touchdown, we only gave up 67 yards.”
Korey Forman, Sr., DL
On tonight's celebrations...
"This game brings the best emotions out of you, and it causes you to have to lock in. Sometimes you lock out, sometimes you get back in it. But being around a group of guys that I was around, and then constantly every single day, they're always pumping energy and doing the best we can and just be the best group of guys we can be towards each other, not just individually. And so I went out there, which y'all saw was just, there was just a whole bunch of emotion involved in those plays, because we all work hard and we all do what the best we can and just show up each and every day. It was just emotion filled. This whole game was emotion filled. The game is emotion filled."
On tonight's sacks...
"Just constantly working. Every week is different and every opponent is different too. So seeing what works throughout the last few weeks and then seeing what doesn't work and then trying to do the best you can't just put it all together. We built up a great scheme this week, and just being able to go out there and just prove it to everybody. And like I said, it was a great, great group win, a great group winning. "
On his game progression since last season...
"Just trying to do the best I can to focus on me being a good run stopper and not just a pass rusher that it may seem as last year, but once again, I wouldn't be able to do that without the coaches, without the people that I'm around each and every single day. Just being able to see how much we all work together, they tell me a little bit of something that I can work on, but change my game or help it even more. And I'm doing the same thing to each and every single person I can. It was a blessing to be able to go out there, once again, to be around those groups of guys, and, man, it wouldn't be done without everybody."
On the team's defense under Entz and Benedetto...
"I would say for sure it's the ability to make plays with everybody on the chart, and it's not just like some defenses where the D-line is upholding the guards with the gaps for the linebackers to make. Our defensive scheme is set up for everybody to make the play. Just doing the best we can to play within the confinement of the game and our defensive scheme. Just doing the best at that, each and every single rep, each and every single opportunity that we get."
On his eye-black look...
"This game is emotion filled. When I'm playing in a football game, I kind of transform. All I was thinking about today before the game was like Bruce Banner or Wolverine's, his claws aren't out all the time. And he's not green all the time. But on game day, the claws are out, and I turn green."
On making adjustments to a new quarterback...
"Anything happening within this game, and we were very stern on understanding that their quarterback was a really good athlete, and he was really fast and we had to do best we can and either keep him in the pocket or allowing him to come up the field as some of our stunts allowed it us to help with that as well. But the change of the quarterback, it is just like a next series, next play. Next play, best play. That's our mentality. Whoever they put in front of us, we just got to stay stern and understand and this Bulldog born, Bulldog Bred."
On the historical nature of tonight's game...
"I can say, football, it brings you to a lot of places, you meet a lot of people while playing the game, and it takes you, it takes you far. The beauty of the game is coming around the few bridges that you get to walk across and never burning them. Being able to go against some team like Southern and the many more we have down the road of the season is just blessings and opportunity."
On his performance tonight as a whole and the defensive line...
"Consistency. It just tells us how much more we set the standard each and every week. If not, we raise it. Trying to do the best we can to stay in that, locking in, starts on Monday. And then when it comes game day, we just got to put everything together. Being able to work with these groups of guys, it's phenomenal. I gain energy. These coaches are great. The staff, the equipment, everybody, everybody here is all one. We wouldn't be able to do anything without everybody."
On switching up the defensive line regularly...
"That's very important because you give offenses different looks and different play types. Somebody may be good with speed, somebody may be good with power, or some people can mix it up. Being able to do exactly that and knowing that we got 'Dogs. We got 'Dogs on that D-line, and then once again, on the team as a whole. The defensive line specifically, in the trenches, you have to play mean, you got to play grimy and gritty, and I feel like we were out there today doing exactly that."
On firing up the defense...
"Offense compliments, defense - defense, compliments offense. Everybody works with one and works together. Just doing the best we can for that as they do the same thing when they're on the sidelines waiting for the next series to show up. It's everybody here, that's why I'm saying, like, it's just a phenomenal group of guys. There's no way you come into this facility at any point with a downface or feeling sorry about anything, because it's just a beauty that you get to be around."
On the energy difference from last season to this season...
"They've done the best they can to take their time and just make sure everybody knows what needs to be done, doing the job at the highest level. Not that we did any of that wrong last year. It was just seeing that there's progress that needs to be made and nothing's going to change if nothing changes. Just stay stern and be, like I said, opportunistic with every opportunity and situation that we get in front of us."
On having a sack in Valley Children's Stadium...
"It's awesome. This game brings a lot of emotion. Being able to go out there and be thankful for the opportunity that we get. That's the beauty of this sport, being able to put everything in one piece and then getting the results from it. We haven't even reached the top yet, understanding it's got to be consistent based and progression."
On the upcoming Mountain West play...
"Knowing that we either have to stick to the standard next weekend or raise the standard and do the best we can as a team to jump together and understand what needs to be done. If nothing changes, nothing's going to change. We can't go out there, doing small things wrong because it all adds up to like a domino effect. Being able to take one step at a time, day by day, doing everything we need to do to get everything done, is everybody in this, not just one."
Rayshon Luke, R-Jr., RB
On the offensive efficiency…
“Our goal here was to just play our best football. We did that, I'm pretty sure we only punted the ball once. Every time we got the ball, we kind of took full advantage of it, and then that was just the mindset this week.”
On preparing for all offensive situations…
“Every game, I set goals for myself, always try and want to get at least 50 yards receiving. That's just like one of my expectations. That's kind of the running back I am. I don't take that for granted. Being ready in both, running and getting ready to catch the ball, it's like a big thing for me. We always practice that. It's second nature.”
On playing in front of the Red Wave…
That's amazing. Like, one of my dreams when I was coming here was the lights going on and off. That just fires me up, so it's amazing scoring, of course, being behind the Red Wave is amazing.
On how the passing game could improve the running game…
It was an amazing game for EJ. I love what he's doing. Like, just him taking on the leadership, him creating an explosive plays for us, him being able to move out of the pocket, make plays, same as Carson. It's amazing. I love those guys. Without them, we are not doing anything. So even without our O-line as well.
On the team rallying around QB1 EJ Warner…
“You know, EJ is a quiet guy. Sometimes he could be quiet, a little bit shy, but once he talks to everybody, you know, we love that because once he leads, we all going behind him. That’s just how we move around here. We need EJ.
On the running backs getting 40 touches…
“That's amazing. I don’t think I've been a part of a team that tries to run the ball 41 times. When that does happen, of course, you have to take full advantage of it. Having five rushing touchdowns, we took advantage of that.”
On the running backs all seeing action…
“It's amazing, one of our goals this week was trying to get everyone in the zone and like to see it happen, that's amazing. I love those guys. Those guys love me. When I came in, they took me in as if I'd been here. So, seeing them being successful is, it's like I'm successful.”
On the game…
“Anytime you go 1-0 in a week, that’s a positive. It’s hard to win games in college football, so I was excited. Looking at the stats real quick—we put up 500 yards of offense and held our opponent to seven points. That’s usually a recipe for success.”
“Overall, I was excited how we played defensively and offensively. They did some things that were challenging early in the game with the run game, but we stayed the course. Those runs for four will turn into 10 later in the game. 20-for-24 from E.J. Warner, not a bad day. Carson Conklin came in and did really good. I wanted Coach Davis to just run our offense with him, because that is a young man who I think is super talented. You don't see very many programs in the country that have two really talented quarterbacks.”
“Anytime you can play well, it comes down to two things we emphasized all week: energy and execution. I think our kids did a pretty good job with both. But again, I’ll watch the film, and I’m sure we’ll find things we can still improve on.”
On what he wanted from this game…
“Just getting our feet in the ground defensively and making sure we did a good job communicating. I think we've left some plays on the field in our previous three games where we had 10 of the 11 players on the same page and good teams are going to find the 11th. I still think we need to continue to improve our tackling, especially in the open field.”
On the defense…
“I thought probably a fair number of three and outs. I thought we had a good plan, kept the ball in front of us, really made them one dimensional during the course of the game, and then they kind of just got into their quick game and were throwing slants and hitches.”
On not overlooking an FCS team…
“The fact you bring up that acronym is pretty scary, because people start reading into it. They read articles, they listen to prognosticators, and all of a sudden, they think we should just roll over a team. All week, you’re fighting complacency and ego.”
“Quick story—on Wednesday, we had gone about four periods, I blew the whistle, stopped practice, and started us all over. I didn’t like our attitude or mentality. We weren’t going to come out here and lay an egg. We weren’t going to waste a week or an opportunity to get better, no matter who we play.”
“In the second quarter, they brought in a new quarterback we hadn’t seen before. Their starter was in concussion protocol, so all we had seen was No. 0 on film. Just like it was new to you, it was new to us too. But once we settled in, got our feet under us, we adjusted. Outside of that one touchdown, we only gave up 67 yards.”
Korey Forman, Sr., DL
On tonight's celebrations...
"This game brings the best emotions out of you, and it causes you to have to lock in. Sometimes you lock out, sometimes you get back in it. But being around a group of guys that I was around, and then constantly every single day, they're always pumping energy and doing the best we can and just be the best group of guys we can be towards each other, not just individually. And so I went out there, which y'all saw was just, there was just a whole bunch of emotion involved in those plays, because we all work hard and we all do what the best we can and just show up each and every day. It was just emotion filled. This whole game was emotion filled. The game is emotion filled."
On tonight's sacks...
"Just constantly working. Every week is different and every opponent is different too. So seeing what works throughout the last few weeks and then seeing what doesn't work and then trying to do the best you can't just put it all together. We built up a great scheme this week, and just being able to go out there and just prove it to everybody. And like I said, it was a great, great group win, a great group winning. "
On his game progression since last season...
"Just trying to do the best I can to focus on me being a good run stopper and not just a pass rusher that it may seem as last year, but once again, I wouldn't be able to do that without the coaches, without the people that I'm around each and every single day. Just being able to see how much we all work together, they tell me a little bit of something that I can work on, but change my game or help it even more. And I'm doing the same thing to each and every single person I can. It was a blessing to be able to go out there, once again, to be around those groups of guys, and, man, it wouldn't be done without everybody."
On the team's defense under Entz and Benedetto...
"I would say for sure it's the ability to make plays with everybody on the chart, and it's not just like some defenses where the D-line is upholding the guards with the gaps for the linebackers to make. Our defensive scheme is set up for everybody to make the play. Just doing the best we can to play within the confinement of the game and our defensive scheme. Just doing the best at that, each and every single rep, each and every single opportunity that we get."
On his eye-black look...
"This game is emotion filled. When I'm playing in a football game, I kind of transform. All I was thinking about today before the game was like Bruce Banner or Wolverine's, his claws aren't out all the time. And he's not green all the time. But on game day, the claws are out, and I turn green."
On making adjustments to a new quarterback...
"Anything happening within this game, and we were very stern on understanding that their quarterback was a really good athlete, and he was really fast and we had to do best we can and either keep him in the pocket or allowing him to come up the field as some of our stunts allowed it us to help with that as well. But the change of the quarterback, it is just like a next series, next play. Next play, best play. That's our mentality. Whoever they put in front of us, we just got to stay stern and understand and this Bulldog born, Bulldog Bred."
On the historical nature of tonight's game...
"I can say, football, it brings you to a lot of places, you meet a lot of people while playing the game, and it takes you, it takes you far. The beauty of the game is coming around the few bridges that you get to walk across and never burning them. Being able to go against some team like Southern and the many more we have down the road of the season is just blessings and opportunity."
On his performance tonight as a whole and the defensive line...
"Consistency. It just tells us how much more we set the standard each and every week. If not, we raise it. Trying to do the best we can to stay in that, locking in, starts on Monday. And then when it comes game day, we just got to put everything together. Being able to work with these groups of guys, it's phenomenal. I gain energy. These coaches are great. The staff, the equipment, everybody, everybody here is all one. We wouldn't be able to do anything without everybody."
On switching up the defensive line regularly...
"That's very important because you give offenses different looks and different play types. Somebody may be good with speed, somebody may be good with power, or some people can mix it up. Being able to do exactly that and knowing that we got 'Dogs. We got 'Dogs on that D-line, and then once again, on the team as a whole. The defensive line specifically, in the trenches, you have to play mean, you got to play grimy and gritty, and I feel like we were out there today doing exactly that."
On firing up the defense...
"Offense compliments, defense - defense, compliments offense. Everybody works with one and works together. Just doing the best we can for that as they do the same thing when they're on the sidelines waiting for the next series to show up. It's everybody here, that's why I'm saying, like, it's just a phenomenal group of guys. There's no way you come into this facility at any point with a downface or feeling sorry about anything, because it's just a beauty that you get to be around."
On the energy difference from last season to this season...
"They've done the best they can to take their time and just make sure everybody knows what needs to be done, doing the job at the highest level. Not that we did any of that wrong last year. It was just seeing that there's progress that needs to be made and nothing's going to change if nothing changes. Just stay stern and be, like I said, opportunistic with every opportunity and situation that we get in front of us."
On having a sack in Valley Children's Stadium...
"It's awesome. This game brings a lot of emotion. Being able to go out there and be thankful for the opportunity that we get. That's the beauty of this sport, being able to put everything in one piece and then getting the results from it. We haven't even reached the top yet, understanding it's got to be consistent based and progression."
On the upcoming Mountain West play...
"Knowing that we either have to stick to the standard next weekend or raise the standard and do the best we can as a team to jump together and understand what needs to be done. If nothing changes, nothing's going to change. We can't go out there, doing small things wrong because it all adds up to like a domino effect. Being able to take one step at a time, day by day, doing everything we need to do to get everything done, is everybody in this, not just one."
Rayshon Luke, R-Jr., RB
On the offensive efficiency…
“Our goal here was to just play our best football. We did that, I'm pretty sure we only punted the ball once. Every time we got the ball, we kind of took full advantage of it, and then that was just the mindset this week.”
On preparing for all offensive situations…
“Every game, I set goals for myself, always try and want to get at least 50 yards receiving. That's just like one of my expectations. That's kind of the running back I am. I don't take that for granted. Being ready in both, running and getting ready to catch the ball, it's like a big thing for me. We always practice that. It's second nature.”
On playing in front of the Red Wave…
That's amazing. Like, one of my dreams when I was coming here was the lights going on and off. That just fires me up, so it's amazing scoring, of course, being behind the Red Wave is amazing.
On how the passing game could improve the running game…
It was an amazing game for EJ. I love what he's doing. Like, just him taking on the leadership, him creating an explosive plays for us, him being able to move out of the pocket, make plays, same as Carson. It's amazing. I love those guys. Without them, we are not doing anything. So even without our O-line as well.
On the team rallying around QB1 EJ Warner…
“You know, EJ is a quiet guy. Sometimes he could be quiet, a little bit shy, but once he talks to everybody, you know, we love that because once he leads, we all going behind him. That’s just how we move around here. We need EJ.
On the running backs getting 40 touches…
“That's amazing. I don’t think I've been a part of a team that tries to run the ball 41 times. When that does happen, of course, you have to take full advantage of it. Having five rushing touchdowns, we took advantage of that.”
On the running backs all seeing action…
“It's amazing, one of our goals this week was trying to get everyone in the zone and like to see it happen, that's amazing. I love those guys. Those guys love me. When I came in, they took me in as if I'd been here. So, seeing them being successful is, it's like I'm successful.”