San Jose State - Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Jason Candle
“I'm really proud of our football team and the resolve we showed throughout the game. Credit to San Jose State. They put together a very good plan coming in and dictated the pace and the tempo of the game throughout the first half. I thought getting that touchdown at the end of the second quarter was really big since we were going to get the ball coming out in the second half. I really thought our team played a poised second half.”
On the play of the secondary against an experienced quarterback
“He’s a sixth-year quarterback, he’s really good. He’s really accurate, and he’s almost better when he’s off-script. He played like a sixth-year guy. We had to pressure him, which meant we were playing man coverage, and I thought Quinyon Mitchell and Chris McDonald did an excellent job. RJ Delancy did an excellent job as well.”
On the defensive line
“We had guys rotating into the game on the defensive line that were question marks last season as to whether they would be dressing or not. I’m really happy with the development of that group and I’m really pleased with their performance tonight. Credit our defensive staff for an awesome game plan tonight.”
On winning despite first-half offensive struggles
“It was a weird game. We only had seven offensive plays in the first half until our last drive. San Jose State had a great game plan. They came in and knew they would have to create some tough third downs for us and hold the ball. There were a lot of plays in the first half where they were snapping it towards the end of the play clock. The first half didn’t go our way, it didn’t go how we scripted it to start the game, but that’s part of it. You can either quit or go put together a plan for the second half and figure it out. Happy with the poise our team showed down the stretch.”
Chris McDonald
On the interception
"I changed up my technique play on the outside, and the ball fit right into my hands from there. The first thing I did was focus on the ball. Last week I dropped one on the first play of the game, so I made sure I focused on the ball this time."
Quinyon Mitchell
On the responsibility to make plays and make quick-game decisions.
"I feel like I had to respond, stay poised, and lock in for my team. I had to keep going and help out the defense. Chris MacDonald, myself, RJ Delancy, all played great tonight. We stayed poised through it all."
Dequan Finn
On facing adversity with injuries on the team and turning the game around.
"In the first half, we did not get on the field as much because San Jose kept us on the sideline. But when the opportunity did come, we tried to execute at a high level. We had some ups and downs, but that’s part of football. And at the end of the day, we came out with a win. That’s most important."
On boosting the confidence of the offense after scoring his touchdown
"It was a big momentum booster for us, knowing that we were able to drive the ball down the field and capitalize off that opportunity. Scoring was a big boost for the offense and the whole team. We saw the whole demeanor and energy of everybody change."
On rallying after an interception or a bad play
"Coach Candle told us it was going to be a 12, 12-round fight. Fight to the very end. We knew in our minds what we were going to have to fight for all four quarters and there were going to be some ups and downs, but again that’s part of football."
On the running backs stepping up in rotation
"Without the offensive line, there would be no Peny Boone or Willie Shaw. They did a good job of contributing well in the running game. It wasn’t working in the passing game, but it was effective in the running game and it showed during the game today."
