The football squad at Colorado State is winning going into their bye week.
A reported 29,151 spectators watched the Rams defeat UTEP 27-17 as they established a commanding lead.
Following the victory, CSU coach Jay Norvell made the following comments on various subjects.
Jay Norvell about defeating UTEP
“So proud of our soldiers for their courageous battle. They performed quite well in practice this week, and I was quite pleased with our practice sessions this week. Our football team will perform at the level we practice. We won’t perform well on Saturday if we don’t have extremely strong sessions that are full of intensity and toughness. Extremely happy with our ability to recover and our coaching staff’s response to how we handled our children this week.
We didn’t play flawlessly. There were several plays that we could have performed better. On a few fourth downs, we failed. gave up a few big plays on screens, but for the entire four quarters, we battled and played with a lot of intensity.”
Dane Olson was called for a punt block by Jay Norvell.
“Dane Olson and the blocked punt make me very proud. He is one of those young people who worked hard and earned his position. Every time he has the chance to play, all he does is give us his all. I’m rather pleased with him.”
Jay Norvell on a few outstanding defensive plays
Extremely proud of a few of our guarded children. Dom Jones had a strong performance today. Buom Jock made several tackles and had a solid game. Wa-Kalonji’s Mukendi played a great game. Those people just keep getting better and better.”
Jay Norvell on Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, the quarterback
“I’m rather pleased with Brayden. Even though his stats don’t always seem to be as good as they were the previous season, he’s still contributing significantly to our football team’s victories. He participates heavily in the ongoing game. He plays a big part in making sure we’re in the right plays, and I believe his leadership and maturity have been excellent. Proud of his recovery today.”
Jay Norvell about next week’s bye
“We now have two weeks to recover somewhat from our injuries. It will be crucial that we get some of the men back. I hope we get Tory (hopefully) back, Nuer (Gatkuoth) back, and DeAndre Gill back. All we really need to do is get back some really good players who haven’t been playing. I hope Alex Foster is able to return as well.”
Jay Norvell on his upcoming matchup with Oregon State
“Our match against Oregon State in two weeks will be a crucial one. Excellent football team and program. Although it doesn’t count toward our conference, this game is crucial to getting us there.”
On the run game, Jay Norvell
“Our team transforms when we have big runs; it’s incredible. That’s not a very encouraging defense. The game changes when you can run the ball on them in that way and get large chunks of yardage. We wish to keep expanding upon it. Some of our younger receivers haven’t had a lot of experience playing with Brayden. Brayden believed Caleb (Goodie) would move in front of the defender during the interception.”
Jay Norvell about if the squad eased up after taking a 21-point lead.
We simply didn’t perform effectively for a little period of time there, in my opinion. All we need to do is keep working hard and being proactive. We’re going to be. We had a ton of plays with short yardage on fourth downs that we failed to convert. That did not sit well with me. We need to improve and keep working on it. That ought to be one of our strong points. We’ll investigate and determine what needs to be fixed.
On his problems on third and fourth downs, Jay Norvell
“You only need to run it a little bit more efficiently, with cleaner blocking and a slight reduction in effort. We were disappointed not to complete and convert on a few of those.”
On Jack Howell, who left the game hurt, Jay Norvell
“I’m not certain. I need to inquire about his well-being by going to the training room. The fact that he got up and moved around satisfied me. Every time a child takes a shot like that, you worry. Jack is a fierce competitor and a difficult young man. I hope he’s doing well. Right now, I’m not sure what his position is.”
On the offensive line, Jay Norvell
“I believe that our offensive line keeps improving. Tanner Morley, our new addition to the starting lineup tonight, is a monster of a child. Seeing him in there and getting some action was a wonderful thing. Our product line is consistently improving. Many of the same schemes are being used repeatedly. They gain confidence the more you run with them. Extremely happy for them.”
Jay Norvell on the role of special teams
Here, we take great pride in our special teams, and performing well on them is our benchmark. Tory was not with us this evening. It’s big to get a block when Tory isn’t back there. I felt quite proud that we accomplished that. It is something we must bring each week. We need to figure out how to change things. On special teams, we must score or set up a score. That player is a vital component of our football team. Many of our talented players can make valuable contributions to special teams.
This evening was a prime example. Dane is one of the seven players on special teams that we refer to as the “magnificent seven.” Despite not being a starter, he makes a significant contribution to special teams.”
Jay Norvell on why winning before the bye is important
“Winning is always satisfying. Playing to win is a wonderful thing. We could have extended a few more drives and scored, but we still need to improve in a few areas. We’re still developing. Although we still have a long way to go, I have no doubt that the self-assurance we received from our victory will benefit this football squad. Our children have mental health issues. Every week, we have to know how to be ready for and participate in an extremely difficult, competitive game. That is what needs to be done. We have a shot if we keep becoming better and expanding on what we’re already doing. We’ll practice and play together.”
On Armani Winfield’s touchdown following a few crucial drops, Jay Norvell
“I felt it was significant. I didn’t want to give up on him, so I kept ringing his number. I’m happy for him. I’m rather pleased with him. He’s a wonderful young man. He is really talented and capable. Such is the case with many of our children. Comparable to Jamari Person and Caleb Goodie. Those young players haven’t had many collegiate snaps. All they require is the chance to perform and gain some self-assurance.
