Opening comments:
“First and foremost, I want to say this about our crowd…I can’t thank them enough from the time we got here from the spirit walk all the way in, it was a really special night. It was a special crowd and great to have them. I know I said this the day I got the job, that sooner or later they’ll be playing important games in Ames, Iowa. This crowd, the fan base, is the difference.
“West Virginia has a really good football team and I have a lot of respect for their football program. I’m really proud of our kids. At times, we played a lot of complete football. We’re not a finished product and have a lot of work to do, but we continue to grow and that showed tonight.”
On how the defense schemed to stop Mountaineer quarterback Will Grier:
“I just think the multiplicity. The ability to be multiple throughout the football game…we had to be. Our defensive staff did a great job of having a plan to constantly switch up the looks and be as multiple as we could. That’s probably the most multiple we have been. Grier is one of those quarterbacks that if you’re in one thing too long, he’s good enough to make great adjustments. Credit our defense; we did a great job all night.”
On the importance of third downs on offense and defense:
“Number one, we put ourselves in a lot of good third down situations. That was really big for our football team. As we continue to go down this journey as a football program, one thing we put an emphasis on both sides is third down and fourth down situational football and how can we continue to grow and evolve. We put ourselves in a lot of really positive third down situations to get off the field (defensively).”
On Brock Purdy overcoming early mistakes to have a solid game:
“I think he played through a little adversity tonight and it was great to watch that happen. At that position, it’s not always going to be perfect and it certainly wasn’t early in the game. Some of the plays he made…the ability to escape pressure. That last touchdown throw to Deshaunte (Jones) was really impressive. He’s got a lot of confidence in his receivers and spreads the football around. You can see him getting confident as the weeks go for us.”
On the team’s ability to hit stride again this season after a slow start:
“One-and-three probably kills most teams, too. The reality from my end, this is what’s made this team really special. I think it started last year with that senior class and adversity is going to happen. Things happen in a game. That’s unfortunate and it wasn’t anybody’s fault. Our ability to respond to that was powerful. Coming from our end, that’s been our niche a little bit…having great resolve here over the last year and a half. We’re fortunate to have great leadership in our locker room. That’s not coach drive, that’s player driven.”
On what he’s looking for from the team after the big win over West Virginia:
“I think you want to continue to get better week in and week out. We’re still a really young team in a lot of ways. When you have youth and continue to grow and build a program, you hope that the trajectory is going forward instead of backward and plateauing. This group has really gotten better every week and it’s why we’re really confident. Last year we might have plateaued at some point, not because of effort but because of capable bodies. It will be interesting to see this group’s choice; they have a big decision to make now. You’re at the midway point of the season, where do we go from here? What’s our story? I feel like these guys want to continue to get better each week.”
On many of the sacks tonight being coverage sacks:
“We were mixing and matching some coverage with how we were doing things and disguising things. It was imperative to our success. If we showed the same thing coverage-wise, he’s so good and talented that he’s got the ability to spread the football around. It was a great game plan from that end of it and allowed some of those pass rushers to get some pressure. Give those guys credit too…they did a good job of getting to the football.”
On the play of David Montgomery coming out of a week off:
“It’s two-fold. The first fold of it was David was David tonight. He got into a good rhythm early in the football game. The second fold of it is you’re seeing a maturing offensive line. You’re seeing a group of guys that are moving people and finishing. Tight ends are making critical blocks down the field. Those are things we haven’t had the first two years. Those are things that David hasn’t had. It’s fun to watch that come together.”
On if defensive coordinator Jon Heacock got the game ball:
“I think there are a lot people that get it, but he can have it. He deserves it. He can have any balls he wants.”
On the statuses of Ray Lima and Lawrence White going into the bye week:
“I think both are day-to-day. Ray tried to go early this week and got dinged up a little bit last Saturday. I think he’ll only continue to get better and I expect him to be ready to rock and roll. Lawrence got dinged up in practice. Both guys…it’s nothing long-term. I’d expect them to be probable going into our next football game.”
On the absence of Lima and how Jamahl Johnson picked up the slack tonight:
“That’s as much the story tonight defensively. Yes, Ray Lima is a phenomenal football player, but it was Jamahl Johnson’s turn to step up. Last week, it was the running backs. You look at the captains and it’s almost been a jinx to be a captain a little bit because they’ve dealt with injuries. When those players have been hurt, they’ve been great teachers and leadership for the next guy. And then the next guys have all stood up and risen to the occasion. It’s huge for us going forward. We’re going to need it.”
On how close Montgomery was to playing at Oklahoma State:
“We thought maybe last week there was a point he could go, but he just couldn’t. Giving him that time he needed and not rushing him back, you saw a healthy David Montgomery and what he could do.”
On the progress the offense has made in recent weeks:
“The reality of that from our end is just continuing to put in the work and growing as an offense. I think this offense is still in its infancy stages and we’re growing, finding an identity of who we are and what weapons we have at our disposal. We have a lot better idea now at this point than maybe we did early in the football season. You’ll see us continue to evolve. Joel Gordon has had to manage three quarterbacks and done a great job of it. He’s had a lot of input on the success of the offense. Bryan Gasser and Alex Golesh are doing a lot of good things.”
On Deshaunte Jones' big touchdown catch at the end of the game:
“Deshaunte is one of those guys that doesn’t get enough credit for what he does for this offense and what he has given to this team. He’s been a big-play guy since the day he stepped foot on campus. He really went to work this season. This offseason was really powerful for him. The play he makes in the end zone…big-time football play. We talked going into this game that there would be some one-on-one opportunities. What you do with those opportunities will define the game. Those guys made some big-time plays and Deshaunte’s was one of them.”
“First and foremost, I want to say this about our crowd…I can’t thank them enough from the time we got here from the spirit walk all the way in, it was a really special night. It was a special crowd and great to have them. I know I said this the day I got the job, that sooner or later they’ll be playing important games in Ames, Iowa. This crowd, the fan base, is the difference.
“West Virginia has a really good football team and I have a lot of respect for their football program. I’m really proud of our kids. At times, we played a lot of complete football. We’re not a finished product and have a lot of work to do, but we continue to grow and that showed tonight.”
On how the defense schemed to stop Mountaineer quarterback Will Grier:
“I just think the multiplicity. The ability to be multiple throughout the football game…we had to be. Our defensive staff did a great job of having a plan to constantly switch up the looks and be as multiple as we could. That’s probably the most multiple we have been. Grier is one of those quarterbacks that if you’re in one thing too long, he’s good enough to make great adjustments. Credit our defense; we did a great job all night.”
On the importance of third downs on offense and defense:
“Number one, we put ourselves in a lot of good third down situations. That was really big for our football team. As we continue to go down this journey as a football program, one thing we put an emphasis on both sides is third down and fourth down situational football and how can we continue to grow and evolve. We put ourselves in a lot of really positive third down situations to get off the field (defensively).”
On Brock Purdy overcoming early mistakes to have a solid game:
“I think he played through a little adversity tonight and it was great to watch that happen. At that position, it’s not always going to be perfect and it certainly wasn’t early in the game. Some of the plays he made…the ability to escape pressure. That last touchdown throw to Deshaunte (Jones) was really impressive. He’s got a lot of confidence in his receivers and spreads the football around. You can see him getting confident as the weeks go for us.”
On the team’s ability to hit stride again this season after a slow start:
“One-and-three probably kills most teams, too. The reality from my end, this is what’s made this team really special. I think it started last year with that senior class and adversity is going to happen. Things happen in a game. That’s unfortunate and it wasn’t anybody’s fault. Our ability to respond to that was powerful. Coming from our end, that’s been our niche a little bit…having great resolve here over the last year and a half. We’re fortunate to have great leadership in our locker room. That’s not coach drive, that’s player driven.”
On what he’s looking for from the team after the big win over West Virginia:
“I think you want to continue to get better week in and week out. We’re still a really young team in a lot of ways. When you have youth and continue to grow and build a program, you hope that the trajectory is going forward instead of backward and plateauing. This group has really gotten better every week and it’s why we’re really confident. Last year we might have plateaued at some point, not because of effort but because of capable bodies. It will be interesting to see this group’s choice; they have a big decision to make now. You’re at the midway point of the season, where do we go from here? What’s our story? I feel like these guys want to continue to get better each week.”
On many of the sacks tonight being coverage sacks:
“We were mixing and matching some coverage with how we were doing things and disguising things. It was imperative to our success. If we showed the same thing coverage-wise, he’s so good and talented that he’s got the ability to spread the football around. It was a great game plan from that end of it and allowed some of those pass rushers to get some pressure. Give those guys credit too…they did a good job of getting to the football.”
On the play of David Montgomery coming out of a week off:
“It’s two-fold. The first fold of it was David was David tonight. He got into a good rhythm early in the football game. The second fold of it is you’re seeing a maturing offensive line. You’re seeing a group of guys that are moving people and finishing. Tight ends are making critical blocks down the field. Those are things we haven’t had the first two years. Those are things that David hasn’t had. It’s fun to watch that come together.”
On if defensive coordinator Jon Heacock got the game ball:
“I think there are a lot people that get it, but he can have it. He deserves it. He can have any balls he wants.”
On the statuses of Ray Lima and Lawrence White going into the bye week:
“I think both are day-to-day. Ray tried to go early this week and got dinged up a little bit last Saturday. I think he’ll only continue to get better and I expect him to be ready to rock and roll. Lawrence got dinged up in practice. Both guys…it’s nothing long-term. I’d expect them to be probable going into our next football game.”
On the absence of Lima and how Jamahl Johnson picked up the slack tonight:
“That’s as much the story tonight defensively. Yes, Ray Lima is a phenomenal football player, but it was Jamahl Johnson’s turn to step up. Last week, it was the running backs. You look at the captains and it’s almost been a jinx to be a captain a little bit because they’ve dealt with injuries. When those players have been hurt, they’ve been great teachers and leadership for the next guy. And then the next guys have all stood up and risen to the occasion. It’s huge for us going forward. We’re going to need it.”
On how close Montgomery was to playing at Oklahoma State:
“We thought maybe last week there was a point he could go, but he just couldn’t. Giving him that time he needed and not rushing him back, you saw a healthy David Montgomery and what he could do.”
On the progress the offense has made in recent weeks:
“The reality of that from our end is just continuing to put in the work and growing as an offense. I think this offense is still in its infancy stages and we’re growing, finding an identity of who we are and what weapons we have at our disposal. We have a lot better idea now at this point than maybe we did early in the football season. You’ll see us continue to evolve. Joel Gordon has had to manage three quarterbacks and done a great job of it. He’s had a lot of input on the success of the offense. Bryan Gasser and Alex Golesh are doing a lot of good things.”
On Deshaunte Jones' big touchdown catch at the end of the game:
“Deshaunte is one of those guys that doesn’t get enough credit for what he does for this offense and what he has given to this team. He’s been a big-play guy since the day he stepped foot on campus. He really went to work this season. This offseason was really powerful for him. The play he makes in the end zone…big-time football play. We talked going into this game that there would be some one-on-one opportunities. What you do with those opportunities will define the game. Those guys made some big-time plays and Deshaunte’s was one of them.”
