Nov. 17, 2008

Opening statement

 "We're obviously pleased with the win this past Saturday for a lot of reasons. It sent our seniors off on the right note with their last home game. After the disappointing loss to BYU, the previous home game, we were able to win a game for our fans and our students. Then it obviously set up a big game for us up in Laramie this coming Saturday. So our main focus now, like always, is to get back to work, try to have our best week of practice and prepare ourselves to play a great game on Saturday. I really do believe, like we talked about a while back, this last month of the season I was concerned that we might plateau or start regressing a little bit and I certainly appreciate our team's work ethic. I think we are improving and I think we're starting to play some of our best football. So we'll go back to work and get ready for the Cowboys this Saturday."

On whether he sees the improvements that Wyoming has made throughout the season

"I do. I think they're improving. I think they've been a top-30 type of defense all year. I think that's gotten lost in the shuffle somehow. They're an extremely talented defensive group. They've got a back (Devin Moore) that's talented and hard to get on the ground. So when you play defense and you got a back like that, you've got a good formula for a football game. And we're on the road and we've certainly struggled all year long on the road, so we're going to expect their `A' game and, obviously, we're going to have to play ours to have any chance."

On the strength of the Wyoming defense

"I don't see any holes in it from a personnel standpoint. They're good at all positions. They do a nice job of pressuring the passer. They're well-coached and they've got a nice scheme. They bounce in and out of a three- and four-man front like Air Force does. And, as you know, we had some protection errors when that occurred in that game. They've got a couple of talented guys in the secondary. I just think that they're playing well. They run the ball, they tackle well and nobody's moving the ball consistently against them. So we'll have our work cut out for us."

On what he can pass on to his players from his experiences in the CSU-Wyoming rivalry

"It's a great rivalry. I think both universities, both athletic departments, do a great job of making this game what it is and the importance of it, particularly our ROTC getting involved and just the history of the game. We do a lot with our football program, we did when I was a player here, we did with Sonny (Lubick), and I'll continue to do so to enlighten our football team on the history of this rivalry and how important it is, not only to us but to a lot of people. And it is a great rivalry and it's a tremendous, tremendous football game. Like any other rivalry like this, you can kind of throw everything out. They're going to come with their best shot and so are we. I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed it. I appreciated it as a player. I was a part of that team (in 1978) that came down through the stands and went out for the coin toss. There's been a lot of great games, a lot of things that both universities can be proud of. Hopefully this game won't disappoint in that regard."

On whether the CSU-Wyoming game from 1980 is one of his most memorable games as a player

"I certainly remember it. We came from behind on the last drive to beat them. But you look back to that game and there's been a lot of those types of finishes - bounce passes, teams coming through the stands - you can just go on and on. One team going up and ruining another team's chance for a conference championship or a bowl -- I know my first year here with Sonny we went up there and beat them soundly and I think they were going to Holiday Bowl if they'd won. There's just been a lot of that sort of thing going on in this game and that's why you have to appreciate it and respect it for what it is."

On the drive that won the 1980 game

"It was a long time ago. I don't remember it vividly. I do remember Mike Camp, a great tight end here, got open. He was so open that I could hit him (laughing). I underthrew it a little bit, but he made a great catch to win the game."

On whether he will relay stories like that to his players this week

"We'll have a lot of that going on. We had Dr. Tom Fields visit with our team and we'll have a lot of things going on this week. Like I said, we want to enlighten our football team, particularly the new guys as to what's going on here."

On whether he thinks he has more perspective on the rivalry because he played and coached in it

"I certainly do. I went to school here, I played football here, and spent a lot of time here as an assistant coach. Yeah, I certainly do. I feel like I've got perspective of this university and this rivalry."

On whether he is surprised with Wyoming's record

"A little bit, yeah. In fact I remember doing some offseason studies through the spring and the summer and thinking these guys might be the darkhorse team. I said that to our staff a number of times: `The way they play defense now and with that back they have, they may be the team to beat.' It's funny, each year is different the way things unfold. Like I said, this league is so darn good that if we lined it up and played it again, who's to say BYU or TCU doesn't win it and Wyoming finishes high? That's what makes the game great. Things can happen, the ball bounces strange and a couple of turnovers. I know that's been their issue, they've been fighting the turnover battle, and any time you do that you're going to struggle."

On the Wyoming QB situation

"I think they've settled on Chris Stutzriem and he's got good size and he's like any new guy, he's going to have some growing pains and he's always going to be a victim of what's around him. But again, anytime you can put a good defense and running game around a quarterback, it's going to make him look pretty darn good. I've always felt that way about quarterbacks. You don't want to force an issue and name somebody too early if you're not sure, and we didn't do that here. But eventually you'd like to get a guy and start grooming him because experience is a key factor at that spot. The more a guy plays, the better he's going to be."

On whether it will be an emotional game for Wyoming

"I know Joe Glenn is a tremendous coach. He's won everywhere he's been and not just won, but won big. I know him as a coach, I know him as a personal friend and you're not going to find a better guy or a better coach than Joe Glenn. I know those players know that as well. I think, too, that they'd like nothing better than to spoil our outlook on things right now. There's no question that they're going to play their best game on Saturday and we're going to have to match it to even be in the game."

On what has changed recently with the CSU running game that has led to offensive success

"Well, I don't think anything has changed. We've been running it fairly effectively all year. It's like our entire team and our entire offense, it's gotten better as the year has gone on. I was proud of our football team last Saturday. New Mexico is not an easy team to run the football on. It would have been easy to relent to that and just start chucking it around and having our defense play a lot of snaps. But our offensive staff and offensive players buckled down and found a way to run the ball effectively on what is a very good run defense. I think that's always a part of the game at every level and it will be for sure as long as I'm here. You've got to do both. You've got to be balanced on both sides of the ball. So hopefully, and I say it every week to our football team, we'll get our run game cranked up this week. When we run it, it's good for our defense, it's good for our protection, it's good for our quarterback and it's good for the play caller. All in all, when you run the ball, it's good."

On how much the success they had against New Mexico will help against Wyoming

"Maybe from the confidence factor, but we're actually switching out of that mode. Like we spoke last week, New Mexico's defense makes you tinker with things and it concerns you as an offensive coach because you only have a few practice days to alter up some things for what they do. Now we have to switch back for Wyoming's scheme, which is a little more like somewhat BYU, somewhat Air Force. So we've got to get back into that mode. I think we'll do just fine in that regard. I like what we've been doing out on the practice field. Like I said, this last month we've taken a real positive step. It's shown in some of the games, even though it didn't in the Air Force game. Nobody said this was going to be smooth."

On the condition of starting guard Adrian Martinez

"He should be ready to go. He probably could have gone in at the end of that game (Saturday) had we needed him. He's like a lot of guys on our team. We've had a few serious injuries, most of them are in the secondary. We have a lot of guys who are just nicked up, need a few days, and then got to go back out and do it."

On whether he has ever flown in a helicopter, like he will this week in Border War festivities

"No, and I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be a cool experience. We've had a good relationship between our athletic department and the ROTC all along. I've actually gotten to know a few of those guys even better. We did some kind of militaristic training  in the offseason and I know, myself, I've had some coaches with me go over and watch the ROTC at early morning hours in the offseason  just to kind of get a feel for what they do. We may do that again. We may incorporate more of that military type of training in what we do in February and March."

On whether this game is one he is anticipating more than any other outside of the season opener

"It's a great rivalry. We're fortunate here. We have the CU game, and thankfully that's going to be down the road back in Denver, where it belongs. That's a great game when it's in Denver. Then Air Force is always a tremendous game for our university, and then Wyoming is. So we're fortunate to have those types of games every year and it adds to our football program every year, I really believe that."

On whether it is difficult to get up for a big game like this after having the other two games already

"Not really, because when you look at all those games, they are kind of special in their own right. When it shows up on your schedule and it's time to play, it really holds its own. But having said that, this is a big game and a big rivalry. Like I said, both universities do this right. It should be an excellent football game on Saturday."

On the fact that this could be the last game for all the seniors

"They've made a mark here. I guess we'll all have to step back and see how much momentum we've got right now. I certainly know we're going in the right direction and I certainly know in my heart that the senior class has made a mark. Now, they've got a chance to maybe do something really special. I hope we're up to the task."

On whether they will do anything with the Bronze Boot leading up the game

"You know, it's here and we're going to do everything in our power to keep it here. But I believe it does go up to the border for a celebration there on Friday, which I'm going to be up there to witness. Then I'll get in the helicopter and come back."