Colorado Daily – Oregon Week

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Colorado Daily – Oregon Week

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November 5th – Game Day

… CU in a few minutes … 

Daily Camera: Five Oregon Players to Watch

From the Daily Camera …

5 Players to Watch

• WR Troy Franklin: The Ducks’ leading receiver, he has caught 38 passes for 595 yards and five touchdowns. He’s averaging 15.7 yards per catch.

• CB Christian Gonzalez: A former CU Buff, Gonzalez has been stellar in his first season with the Ducks. He has 32 tackles, one interception and a team-high seven pass breakups.

• RB Bucky Irving: Minnesota transfer played for CU interim head coach Mike Sanford last year. This year, he’s leading Oregon with 568 yards (6.4 per carry) and has scored two touchdowns. Also has 16 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

• QB Bo Nix: A Heisman Trophy candidate, he has completed 72.3% of his passes for 2,221 yards, 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also leads the Pac-12 with 11 rushing touchdowns, gaining 441 yards on the ground.

• LB Noah Sewell: One of the best linebackers in the country, he’s recorded 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery this season. He had a team-high 114 tackles as a freshman last year.

Oregon offense

Auburn transfer Bo Nix has had a career resurgence in his first year with the Ducks. Reunited with coordinator Kenny Dillingham (who helped Nix have a great freshman year in 2019), Nix has helped the Ducks rank among the nation’s best offenses. They are fifth in scoring (42.4 per game) and third in total yards (525.8 per game). They are balanced, too, ranking ninth in rushing (235.8) and 11th in pass efficiency (163.2 rating). Nix has several weapons and one of the best offensive lines in the country, as he’s only been sacked once (for a 1-yard loss).

… Continue reading story here …

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November 4th

… CU in a few minutes …

It’s National Bison Day!

Thanks to CU at the Gamer Dale B. for the reminder. Can’t hurt the Buffs to be playing so close to National Bison Day … right??

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Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Game 

From CUBuffs.com … In their first eight games this season, the Colorado Buffaloes have seen their fair share of high-powered offenses and game-changing quarterbacks, ranging from TCU and Max Duggan to UCLA and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

But Saturday’s matchup against Oregon and quarterback Bo Nix at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., ESPN) might be the most difficult challenge yet for the Buffs defense.

After a horrendous start to the season — a 49-3 loss to Georgia — the Ducks (7-1 overall, 5-0 Pac-12) and Nix have rebounded in a big way, rolling to seven straight wins while scoring at least 41 points in every game along the way.

Nix has been a critical cog in the machine. The Ducks are ranked third in the nation in total offense (525.8 yards per game), with Nix responsible for 332 yards per game (277 rushing, 55 passing).

Meanwhile, Oregon’s defense has been excellent at times but inconsistent at others. The Ducks are allowing just 106 yards per game on the ground, but they have given up 78 points in the fourth quarter and are allowing 280 yards per game in the air.

Of course, the Buffs (1-7, 1-4) have struggled on both sides of the ball this season. CU has held an opponent to under 38 points just once — a 20-13 overtime win vs. Cal — while the offense has surpassed the 20-point mark only once, last weekend’s 42-34 loss to Arizona State.

So how do the Buffs deal with the Ducks?

Our Fast Five keys:

1. Big plays early. The Buffs have to build some early momentum in this one. That could mean a big play on offense, a takeaway on defense or even a special teams punch.

But Colorado can’t afford to let the Ducks jump out to a big early lead. Colorado isn’t built to come from behind (although the Buffs did shave a 22-point deficit down to eight in the final period last week against ASU) and this isn’t a game in which they want to play catchup.

So how do the Buffs accomplish that?

… Continue reading story here …

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November 3rd

… CU in a few minutes … 

J.T. Shrout settling in: “I think the plays are always there to be made”

From the Daily Camera … Former head coach Karl Dorrell turned the offense over to true freshman Owen McCown, and Shrout was relegated to the bench.

When McCown was injured during the Oct. 15 game against California, Shrout came off the bench and led the Buffs to a 20-13 overtime win. (Lewis left the team and put his name in the transfer portal after that win.)

It wasn’t until after the Cal game that Shrout began getting 100 percent of the first-team reps in practice. This is just his third week of getting all the reps, and it’s possible he will be the starter the rest of the way. McCown is back to practice on a limited basis, but could take the option to redshirt.

“That’s what everybody wants,” Shrout said of starting. “You want the keys to the car and you want to be the guy that goes and helps everyone get wins.”

Shrout’s last two starts have been a roller coaster. He’s thrown for 428 yards and two touchdowns, but also three interceptions and a 41.3% completion rate (26-of-63).

“The only stat I care about is wins or losses,” Shrout said. “But, there’s things that I gotta do. I’ve gotta make some better throws, for sure, and then it comes down to everyone being on the same page with routes that we’re running, where we’re breaking down on stuff. It takes 11 guys to do everything right.”

… Shrout has shown his impressive arm talent at times, but the consistency is lacking. Finally settling into the rhythm of being a starter could help.

“In the beginning of the year, splitting reps every week, I didn’t even know if I was gonna play or not,” Shrout said. “It’s been more preparation the last few weeks, which I’ve appreciated, and it definitely helps me get more comfortable and feel more prepared for Saturdays.

“I think the plays are always there to be made. There’s definitely some things we’ve got to clean up and some plays that we leave out there. Especially last week (a 42-34 loss to Arizona State), there’s some throws I wish I had back that we could have capitalized on, but at the end of the day, we’ve just got to work on ourselves.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 2nd 

… CU in a few minutes … 

DL Jalen Sami elevating his game: “Now when I watch him I’m like, ‘You’ve got it.’ “

From the Daily Camera … As a whole, the Colorado defense has had a rough season.

As an individual, however, Jalen Sami has elevated his game. A fifth-year junior defensive tackle from Colorado Springs, the 6-foot-6, 330-pound Sami continues to play high level football in the trenches for the Buffs (1-7, 1-4 Pac-12), who host No. 8 Oregon (7-1, 5-0) on Saturday at Folsom Field.

One of the most experienced players on the defense, Sami has started dominating more in recent games as he gets familiar with first-year defensive line coach Gerald Chatman.

“This kind of goes to show you that football takes time because he wasn’t playing like how he’s playing now at the beginning of the year,” Chatman said. “All the techniques were new, just the details in it. It’s taken him up into this point. Now when I watch him I’m like, ‘You’ve got it.’

“Now you’re gonna see him continue to take off like he’s been doing, really for the last three weeks. He’s taken off versus tough opponents and been productive.”

On the season, Sami has 21 tackles, two tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures. At Oregon State on Oct. 22, he had a season-high five tackles and his first TFL of the season. He matched those numbers on Saturday against ASU and was named the Buffs’ defensive player of the game.

… Continue reading story here …

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Alex Fontenot a full go after missing seven weeks with a chest injury

From the Daily Camera … Less than two weeks ago, the Colorado Buffaloes were so depleted at running back that they finished a game at Oregon State with only one scholarship player available.

This week, the Buffs might be fully stocked and have a hard time finding carries for everybody.

On Tuesday, senior Alex Fontenot, who has not played since Sept. 10 at Air Force, went through his final practice in a non-contact jersey. He could finally make his return Saturday when the Buffs (1-7, 1-4 Pac-12) host No. 8 Oregon (7-1, 5-0) at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., ESPN).

“(Wednesday) should be his first day of contact,” interim head coach Mike Sanford said. “Most of that has been precautionary, as opposed to almost like us trying to push him along too quickly. … Today, he got scout team reps and then tomorrow the blue jersey comes off, so I’m excited to get Alex back.”

Fontenot, who started the first two games of the season, has been out with a chest injury. He ran for 84 yards on 20 carries before the injury.

Junior Deion Smith leads the Buffs with 354 yards. He missed the Oct. 22 game at Oregon State with an injury, but posted his first career 100-yard game (111 yards, one touchdown) in Saturday’s 42-34 loss to Arizona State.

“You can actually see that we’re getting, I think, quality experience in Font,” Sanford said. “To me, he runs like a hammer. I think in the seven weeks since his injury, he’s also put on about, I think, nine pounds. So he looks good – and it’s been a good nine pounds.”

… Read full story here …

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Backup offensive lineman Edgar Amaya enters Transfer Portal 

… Amaya becomes the second scholarship players to enter the Transfer Portal since the firing of Karl Dorrell, joining quarterback Brendon Lewis … 

From BuffStampede.com … Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Edgar Amaya has decided to enter the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-2, 310-pound Amaya practiced at offensive guard with the Buffaloes but he only dressed is one game and did not see any action in 20 contests at CU. Amaya was named the Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week for their Oregon State game in 2021. He was sidelined with an injury for the first six games of the 2022 campaign.

… Read full story here …

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November 1st

… CU in a few minutes … 

*Mike Sanford Weekly Press Conference*

… Praise for Jordyn Tyson, the first true freshman in Pac-12 history to earn two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors …

… Buffs4Life Collective: “A game-changing narrative for our program” … We’ve been in deep with a recruit or a transfer, we get an official visit lined up, and then it goes silent. Can’t even get a text back”, and it’s because other schools have NIL deals … “This is real. We’re stepping into that space as a football program … I’m calling on former Buff players, members of the CU community that support football. This is where we have to go … It doesn’t matter if it is a small gift … You can click on ‘football’ for a specific gift … I personally want to thank Rick George, Buffs4Life and the compliance office for making this happen” … “A lot of the money will be going to retain our current roster … Retention and development of the current roster a top priority …

“Oregon … A big challenge for us … A tall task, but one we embrace” … Gave the team a quote: “If you want to conduct the orchestra, you have to turn your back to the crowd” … “If we play harder than our opponent, if we play to our maximum potential, that’s what will ultimately yield us the results we want” … Oregon quarterback Bo Nix playing at a high level … They get him in a rhythm early, then expand his progressions …

“I’ve seen players who are fully invested in this program … That’s very important to me …”

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… Buffs4Life NIL Collective …

From YouTube, courtesy of CUSportsReport …

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Robert Barnes making the most of being the new “star” backer

From the Daily Camera … Given the opportunity at an extra season of eligibility, Robert Barnes was intent on making the most of it.

Now that he’s entering his final month with the Colorado Buffaloes, he’s soaking it in even more.

Barnes and the Buffs (1-7, 1-4 Pac-12) won’t be going to a bowl game this year, but they are still enjoying the game as they head into the final stretch. CU will host No. 8 Oregon (7-1, 5-0) on Saturday at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., ESPN).

“That was my goal for this entire season was just to take each game one game at a time,” said Barnes, a senior linebacker, who got a sixth season because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “For about three or four games, it wasn’t what I had planned it to be, but I think that’s just sometimes … life happens, and you’ve just got to take your punches and roll with them.”

For Barnes, that has included a mid-season position change that has reinvigorated him.

One of the key changes they made was with Barnes. They created a new position, the “star” backer, with Barnes in mind, as it combines his skills at linebacker and safety and gets him more into space.

“It’s definitely a hybrid-type position that takes a specific body type to be able to execute it, but I’ve been enjoying learning the position, and it’s been really fun,” he said.

Barnes played a season-high 55 snaps in the first game under the new defense, on Oct. 15, racking up seven tackles and a tackle for loss in the 20-13 overtime win against California. The next week, he played 53 snaps and had four tackles, including a sack.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 31st 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Jordyn Tyson named both Pac-12 Special Teams Player-of-the-Week and Freshman-of-the-Week

From the Pac-12 …  The Pac-12 today announced its 2022 football season’s ninth weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva.

• In Colorado’s 42-34 loss to Arizona State, Tyson had 246 all-purpose yards: he had career-highs of five receptions for 115 yards, earning 5 first downs while scoring a touchdown on a 58-yard reception, tying his career-long.
• The 115 yards are the 3rd most receiving by a true freshman ever at Colorado.
• He returned 4 punts for 131 yards, including an 88-yard sprint for a TD; it tied the 6th-longest punt return in school history.
• The 246 all-purpose yards are the most by a freshman in school history (39 more than the previous mark)
• 1st player to win both the Freshman and Special Teams honors in the same week since the Freshman award was created prior to the 2019 season.  1st Colorado player to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week since the award was created.  1st Colorado player to be named Pac-12 Special Teams player of the Week since Trevor Woods in Week 7 of 2021.

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Decision time: Owen McCown has played in four games – sit him now to preserve redshirt season?

From the Daily Camera … Colorado interim head coach Mike Sanford has made it clear that, when healthy, Owen McCown is the Buffaloes’ starter at quarterback.

McCown, however, hasn’t been healthy, and now the Buffs are contemplating shutting the true freshman down and riding with junior JT Shrout the rest of the way.

Following Saturday’s 42-34 loss to Arizona State at Folsom Field, Sanford said no decisions have been made, but conversations have taken place about preserving McCown’s redshirt season.

“Those are ongoing discussions that we’re having internally,” Sanford said. “I want to do what’s, number one, best for the student-athlete, because that’s what we’re here for is to put those guys in the best positions possible.”

McCown, who started three consecutive games before suffering a core injury at California on Oct. 15, has played in four games – the maximum allowed by the NCAA in order to still redshirt.

With Saturday’s loss, the Buffs are now 1-7 (1-4 Pac-12) and officially out of contention for playing in a bowl game. That, alone, could make the decision easier, but Sanford said McCown isn’t fully healthy. McCown did suit up for Saturday’s game, though.

“When you get into this type of a stretch and you’re already a little bit banged up, we have to think about he’s the type of player that probably traditionally would have redshirted,” Sanford said. “I mean, he’s a developmental player.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 30th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk’s Takeaways from the ASU game

From CUBuffs.com … When the season began, the Colorado Buffaloes knew they had one of the nation’s tougher schedules ahead of them.

But not even the experts could have predicted what awaited the Buffs.

Already, Colorado has faced two teams currently ranked in the nation’s top 10 (TCU and UCLA) and another in the top 25 (Oregon State).

But the slate only becomes more difficult over the final four weeks. Still ahead are three games against top 25 teams, beginning with next Saturday’s home matchup against No. 8 Oregon, followed by a Nov. 11 trip (Friday night) to No. 9 USC. Then comes a trip to Washington before the season finale against No. 12 Utah.

“We know the challenges get even more significant,” CU coach Mike Sanford said after Saturday night’s 42-34 loss to Arizona State. “But we’re up for the challenge.”

Saturday’s loss — the seventh time in eight games the Buffs have yielded at least 38 points — dropped Colorado to 1-7 overall and 1-4 in Pac-12 play. While CU’s offense put together its best game of the season, the Buffs’ defense couldn’t come up with enough stops to keep Colorado in the game.

Our takeaways:

1. Buffs haven’t quit. Give interim head coach Sanford and the CU staff credit for keeping this team motivated in the face of very difficult circumstances.

This bunch could have checked it in after the fifth week, when their head coach and defensive coordinator were shown the door.

Instead, they’ve continued to play hard, as evidenced by Saturday night’s fourth quarter performance. Instead of tossing in the towel when they fell behind by 22, the Buffs managed to throw a scare into the Sun Devils by cutting the deficit to eight with three minutes left to play.

Not that they took any solace in coming close.

“We’re close but it’s not good enough at the end of the day,” said sophomore receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig. “There’s no moral victories in losses.”

That fight and resolve will no doubt be tested over the next four weeks. But the guess here is that Colorado’s players aren’t yet ready to check it in. They will compete until the end.

… Continue reading story here …

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… In case you missed it, the kickoff for the CU/Oregon has been set … Saturday, 1:30 p.m., MT, on ESPN … Yup, a national television audience for Oregon to make a pitch for the College Football Playoff, and for Duck quarterback Bo Nix to throw his hat into the ring as a Heisman contender … Only good news? The game will be up against No. 3 Tennessee at No. 1 Georgia on CBS, so no one will notice anything about the CU game except the final score … 

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Transcript of Mike Sanford’s comments after the Arizona State game … 

Opening statement:

“First off, I wanted to just commend our team for the fight that they exhibited throughout the entirety of four quarters and the resolve. I think we started slow as we know defensively in the first half, built ourselves a bit of a hole. I really think the first half was probably the best offensive football that we played in the season. I was pleased with some of the playmaking. I was really pleased also with the fact that we had 100-yard rusher, 100-yard receiver. I believe it was the first time in a couple of years, at least a year and a half. Right now, we’re at a place where I believe that the team is fighting. It’s showing up on Saturdays, the way that they’re fighting in practice, the way that they’re going about their work every day. But obviously the missing link is playing that type of football when a defense gets to stop, the offense goes in scores or the Trevor Woods interception, we need to back that up with seven. If offense goes and it has a tremendous drive, the defense has to get to stop. Those are the things right now that I believe we’re going to piece together throughout the course these next four weeks. We know that the challenges get even more significant, but we’re up for the challenge and we’re gonna keep fighting. I’m really proud of the resolve. We’ve just got to put it all together. Jordyn Tyson today was fantastic. I was really proud of just how he’s practiced and how it showed up on game day and really impacted the game.”

On how he fixes defensive inconsistencies:

“I think it’s a combination of factors. I think a little bit of the bump that we got in the Cal game was as a result of Cal not knowing schematically what we were going to do. There was a little bit of that today, as well. You get a little bit of a bump when you go out and play no-huddle football which we practice and plan, but unless it’s on film, you build your entire plan with what’s on film. Obviously we prepared by going back in into 2015 to 2018 Chandler High School offense and it was different than that. There was probably more similarities in their offense that they’d done prior to this game but just in a no-huddle manner. Hats off to them, obviously, for getting going early. I think we did settle in in the second half. But obviously we have a really good opponent coming in. It will be good for us to be able to put our full preparation into what’s on tape. I think that is a part of it. College football nowadays is so different. You have two interim head coaches. I was talking to the head coach here at ASU, the interim head coach, and this is college football in 2022. A lot of changes. There’s week to week changes, schematically, different coordinators. It’s just different football than it’s been historically. But I was pleased with how our defense did settle in. I had the full belief at the end of the game that we were going to get a stop and that’s why we attempted to really blast off the front line. We got the ball on the ground with returner. We pinned it back deep. Our time chart shows that if we get off the field in that scenario, which we had the last two drives defensively, then we’re in a position to go put one together offensively. So I really do believe we did the right thing and putting our trust in our defense. We just didn’t get this up.”

On Deion Smith’s resolve:

“Deion looked like that in practice this week. I think I said in one of the press conferences or after Tuesday. He was running harder in practice than he was before the injury. I think he ran his hardest as he probably has in his entire career. He ran physically. He looked fast. He made plays. He was communicating. It just says so much about how much he loves his game and just how much he loves his teammates. That’s what I think we’re seeing right now – a whole bunch of fight for the brotherhood that exists on that on that team.”

On second-half defensive adjustments:

“It was great to come out and the first defensive stand of the second half was three and out. To my point, we need to go score a touchdown there. That’s the missing link and we didn’t get that done. We went three and out and matched that. I went to the locker room and I saw the communication was happening amongst the staff. I see Gerald Chatman working with the front, Rod Chance up there diagramming all the different looks that they’d shown in the first half and changed some of the calls that we were making. I just had a lot of confidence in what they were going to do in the second half. I think there was a there was a resolve in the coaching staff that I think the players fed off of and I think that’s something that they are really believing in right now – that our coaching staff on both sides of the ball is gonna make the adjustments that we need to give ourselves a chance to make the plays to win the game. Bourguet played, I think, really courageous football. We were getting some hits on him at times. Some of those throws, he’s throwing off his back foot.There were probably about four of them that were really those 15 to 25, 30 yard throws where the ball is just flailing in the air. We have a defender there on a majority of them. But the tight end makes a great play, the receiver makes a great play. We were in position to make some of the plays, but a couple of those, the ball didn’t really bounce our way or it didn’t fall out way and I think our defenders know that when you’re in those positions and you’re guarding obviously in a retreating manner and you’re not facing the ball, you’ve got to play through the catch point. That’s one thing to work on this week.”

On missed tackles:

“There’s one obviously that jumps out. It was probably a four-on-one play. I think tackling is all technique. It’s all fundamentals and it’s also want-to. I think we have guys that want to do it. We’ve got to continue to create calls that eliminate space because tackling with a lot of space is a lot more challenging, but it’s different than what I saw earlier in the year. It wasn’t like there was a ton of space consistently in the run game, pass game. It was just being in that position, wrapping up and holding on for dear life. I saw Tyrin Taylor grow up in the second half in terms of tackling from the safety position. He’s been playing the nickel position all year. I saw him hold on. I saw Simeon Harris hold on. There’s going to be some stuff that we point to that were positives of guys that hadn’t played in those positions. Really, Simeon hadn’t played really any nickel minus a couple of snaps. Now, he’s our full-time starting nickel against 10 and 11 personnel and they have basically three wides or four wides on the field. I saw him kind of grow up as the game went on. I think that’s where we’re at. I mean it’s just growing up through the course of the games, taking the experience of today and knowing I can get some of these big dudes on the ground. That’s got to be our mentality. We’ve got to find a way to get ball-carriers and receivers to the Earth. We’ve got to get them to the Earth. However you’ve got to do it, you’ve got to hold on. Tyrin showed that and I was pleased with Simeon, as well.”

On the plan with Owen McCown and possibly redshirting him:

“I think we’ll have the discussions. Those are ongoing discussions that we’re having internally and like I’ve always said, I want to do what’s best for the student-athlete because that’s what we’re here for – to put those guys in the best positions possible. But I will say the fact that Owen was starting when he was, I don’t think that was something that he probably envisioned, to be starting at 167 pounds, 172 pounds depending on the day. He went out and I think did the job admirably. I was really pleased with how he did, but his body was starting to break down and so when you get into this type of a stretch and you’re already a little bit banged up, we have to think about how he’s the type of player that probably traditionally would have redshirted. He’s a developmental player. He comes from a lineage of Josh and Luke McCown that were both late bloomers. I’m pretty sure Josh didn’t really play even at Sam Houston until his fourth or fifth year in a starting capacity. We’re gonna do what’s best for Owen, we’re gonna do what’s best for our program going forward and we’ll make those decisions. We’ll want to be obviously as candid and open about it with you guys as possible.”

On J.T. Shrout’s performance:

“I talked to them a couple of times on the sideline after a series. Your fundamentals are non-negotiable, standing the pocket, throwing from a great platform, hitting your back foot and letting the ball go. When he does that, I think he’s really good. He did do some good things actually outside the pocket. Obviously, the touchdown to Jordyn Tyson stands out. On Montana’s, we ran a double move to Montana and he created a little bit, but just trusting your protection, throwing from a base, throwing from a platform. I think he started faster this game, but the consistency obviously to get the completion percentage numbers, it’s got to go up. We know it’s not gonna get easier. But we’ve just got to continue to find those completions and make sure that we’re playing with the appropriate fundamentals. The interception to me, that was one where just trusting your protection, it was a flea flicker. We had a run action with it. I felt like Jack Hestera really won on the route and that ball requires more of what J.T. loves to do, which is rip a ball with not a ton of air, but I don’t think he really truly trusts his protection. He kind of threw the ball off his back foot and then it really gave the safety a chance to recover. That was a critical play in the game.”

On Jalin Conyers:

“It was one of those games. I watched him throughout the course of the year. He’s a big tight end. On the sideline, we look at him and he looks like a blocking tight end. It was one of those games where he made some tremendous plays. The ball found him. It’s almost like there were some of the plays that he made where there’s a defender kind of draped all over him and the ball just literally like lodged into his chest and he did a great job making plays. A lot of guys have those types of days. II don’t think he was a focal part of their game plan, per se. But I think he obviously made some spectacular plays when his number was called. I think they obviously found something in him. Not really having much to go off of, a seven-game sample size, it didn’t really become a focal part of the game plan.”

On Jordyn Tyson:

“I think Jordyn Tyson’s a superstar. I think he’s gonna be a superstar in this conference for a while. I think he’s gonna have a tremendous career in the game of football. What I love about Jordan is he’s kind of embodied a little bit of the culture that we brought forth, just the juice, the joy, the smile that he has on his face at practice. He’s an infectious guy. Even the fan base and the crowd fed off of his energy today. He’s such a natural route runner. He’s got tremendous ball skills. His drops this year are a little bit different. They’re almost like he might have slipped out of a cut and balls just on him. There’s not many of his drops that are just fundamental drops. He is turning into a sure-handed player, an explosive playmaker for us. Frankly, we need it. It’s been a great emergence for us offensively. To be honest, through the first four weeks of the season, there were opportunities that were out there. I was always wondering who’s gonna be the guy who’s gonna make the play and bust an explosive play. I think tonight was the first time we really stringed together some explosive plays between some of the runs that Deion had, obviously some of the plays that Jordyn had. The punt return was just spectacular.

On balancing long-term versus short-term decisions given his role as an interim coach:

“What I said when I stood up here on that Sunday when I was put into this position is that this is about our student-athletes. This is about our players. I’m going to continue to do everything in my power to love these kids, to put them in the best positions to have success and then to create more memories. We’ve got four games left. We’re gonna go create some memories out there on that field. I think we just found out the kick time for Oregon to be 1:30. We look forward to a packed house again. The student section today was incredible. Even towards the tail end, it was awesome watching those that stayed. They were witnessing what would have been one of the most incredible comebacks in Folsom history, but we just fell short. I think that’s a big thing for me. I want to care for these players, their presents and their futures. I think it’s less about him [McCowen] saying I want to redshirt. It’s like what’s best for you with where he’s at in his developmental stage, what is best for him and also what’s best for our team? You think about it from the flip side – if we just say, Owen, you have to play right and then he gets beat up, then obviously, I’m not looking out for the best interest of Owen McCown. Great my

On the challenges of preparing for a quarterback without a lot of tape:

“I think there’s some challenges, especially when obviously Emory [Jones] was a big part of the plans for the majority of the year. We knew he was more of a passer and that showed up today. He exhibited toughness in the Washington game. It led to the win. It was a pretty similar scoreline, if I’m not mistaken. I anticipated him being a guy that can make the throws. And I think if we just had tackled better and there were probably about two significant coverage breakdowns that we had that I think allowed them to have some explosive plays. A lot of the balls that he was throwing up there were backfoot throws, where you see the ball in the air and you’re like there’s no way that’s going to be completed. The ball just kept finding receivers. Credit to him for showing toughness.”

On preparing for the next four weeks:

“I think it is just living in the day. We built this thing all as a process. We’ve seen the results of that process in a positive manner. I would say that we saw some results today. Not the ultimate result that we all want, not the ultimate result that certainly I wanted, but we did see it in the fight, right? We hadn’t we hadn’t really exhibited that trait, right? You think about the scoreline being 42-20. What’s happened throughout the course of this year when that scoreline looked like that? That’s why a lot of people left. But I’m gonna tell those people that left, this team is gonna fight to the very end, and there will be a breakthrough and I believe that and I think the process that we’re going about, the players believe in it, they’re seeing some of the fruits of their labor. I think putting it all together, we’re going to see that that’ll come to fruition at some point. Obviously, we’re going to take it, just like we do every single day in our preparation, where you take it one day at a time. We just have to be the better team out there on Saturday, just for that Saturday. We’re certainly not going to be supposed to beat anybody on the remainder of our schedule, but we’re going to have the mentality that we just got to be the better team that won Saturday. We saw tonight in glimpses, like, man, if we just piece that all together, you better watch out. I think that that’s what we saw some of that growth tonight.”

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This post, about the Oregon game, from the 2022 Season, is filed under Article.
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