NDSU vs. UC Davis Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Craig Bohl
(opening statement)
I'm really pleased with the victory. I thought it was a competitive football game against a good opponent. There were some things we did out there that were really good, and there are some things we can improve. Sometimes as a coach, you set a high mark for a victory and you want it to be perfect. It certainly wasn't perfect. There were a lot of good things that occurred out there, but there are some things we will continue to work on.
(on the offense in the second half)
It's frustrating as a coach because you feel like you're just about in a position to blow a team out, and you want to get players in, and you're looking at points, and the number of possessions your opponent is going to take, and believe me, when you make a substitution and all of a sudden the other team starts to score, I've been on the other end of it where we actually lose the game. We wanted to get the game in hand, and we had some errant snaps. It was disappointing, and then we couldn't get off the field on third down. The big picture is that we beat a good football team. The frustrating thing is that we didn't just put them away like we had an opportunity to do.
(on the different offense than in years past against UC Davis)
It was a good job going up against a difficult scheme. This team for years has caused us problems and there have been many years in which we didn't have any offense at all. The scheme can be credited to the offensive coaches who did a nice job and then our players executed it. Between the running and the passing game, it was very impressive. We felt comfortable about the plan, and we felt like we could move the ball, but that exceeded my expectations. The tail end of the game was a little more what we thought we might get, but we certainly made some big plays and there were some things that fell right. Certainly the pass on the near sideline to Heckendorf and one to Schultenover, then the wheel out of the backfield to Tyler Roehl. There were some plays that we hadn't shown that were good. Defensively, the thing we struggled with was they changed their gameplan. They changed their quarterback and their gameplan. They went into all the option stuff with the reading the zone play, and we hadn't prepared for that at all, so we needed to make some adjustments with that as well.
(on the efficiency of the offense)
Without question, this is the most efficient offense we've had since I've been our head coach. I'm not sure how its been in years past, but we're running well, we're executing well, and we're pretty good on offense right now.
(on if the Bison are viewed more as an offensive team)
That's always difficult to say. I think in years past, certainly our point total on defense was lower. We're consistently throwing up high numbers on defense, and that's not our trademark. But we're certainly excited about our offense. I think any time you're looking at margins of victory, and you're looking at some of the plays that are being made out there, I spent a lot of time on defense and you go back to that philosophy. But it's been five years, so I wouldn't know what to do on defense anymore. I'm excited about what we're doing and we're winning by wide margins so there are some good things there.
(on Joe Mays)
I thought Joe really played well. He got kicked in the shin which is why we limited his reps, but when he came up with some tackles, they didn't go very far. It really was a good game by Joe.
(on kickoff returns)
We've done a good job on our kickoff returns and that whole part has had a big, big impact on field position. Shamen (Washington) is a great weapon, but those ten other guys out there blocking that make a difference. John (Majeski) did a grreat job with the return and that ignited our football team, without question.
(on the Great West Conference victory)
We set a goal at the beginning of the season to be the Great West champions and this conference is a great conference. It's unique in that there aren't many teams in it so each victory is really important. Our players really want to leave this conference on a high note, so this was a big challenge. It's great to get a big victory over a good football team.
Fullback Tyler Roehl
(on his impression of UC Davis)
They were a very physical football team that didn't quit. They played to the end of the whistle. They're a great team with great tradition and they gave us a run for our money. They didn't quit, they helped us up after plays, and showed great sportsmanship. They were a great team to play.
(on being able to run against UC Davis' defense)
It's a credit to our offensive line, tight ends, and wideouts blocking. They do a great job getting a good push on the defensive line. The running backs just find the holes and get yards where they're meant to be made.
(on being able to catch a few passes)
We've got a dynamic offense, and we've got a lot of weapons, so there are a lot of things we can do.
(on his three touchdown runs)
It's all a credit to the offensive line and the other blockers out there. They just open up holes and I find where I've got to go. It makes my life a lot easier when they are so tough and so nasty up front.
(on the turnovers stopping momentum in the second half)
Turnovers will happen, and we just need to overcome them, and its just something to work towards each week as well.
Quarterback Steve Walker
(on how he would rate the offense)
It was a pretty solid performance. The second half we would have liked to put more points up on the board and we had a couple of miscues here and there, so there is definitely room to improve. But if we played a perfect game today, there wouldn't be anything left to aspire to for the rest of the season.
(on UC Davis stacking the box)
They really stacked it a lot trying to stop our running game. Tyler (Roehl) hit the holes that the offensive line made, and when it came time to pass the receivers, tight ends, and running backs all made some big plays and I think thats a credit to the offensive line. Coach Perles set it up real well.
(on finally beating UC Davis at the Fargodome)
It was a great feeling. The past four years the away team has won and they were the last team to beat us at home a couple of years ago, so it was a nice little revenge factor. They are a great team and UC Davis has been a great rivalry. I understand its probably the last time we'll play them for quite some time, and its a shame. It was a great rivaly and hopefully we'll meet them in the playoffs in the future.
Defensive End Joe Lardinois
(on UC Davis changing their offensive scheme)
They threw everything at us tonight. They were very talented in everything they ran and when their starting quarterback went out, their second string did some great things with the ball. It's almost as if their offense stepped up a little bit because we had prepared for everything we had seen from the beginning of the season, and then those next two possessions were things we hadn't seen before. But we adjusted and came back and shut that down.
(on playing with Joe Mays)
It is an extreme honor. I worked with him during the summer and got to know him a little better and hung out with his family. He's a good man and a great football player, and I wish him the best in the future.
(on how he would rate the defensive performance)
I'd say, on a scale of one to 10, probably a seven or an eight. Like Steve said, we've got something to shoot for in the future because if you play a perfect game now, you have nothing to look forward to in the future. With all the sudden changes, I think we could have stopped them a few more times and given the offense a chance to redeem itself. Everybody was doing what they had to do to win the game, so I thought we did pretty good.
(on the Fargodome crowd)
It was huge. As I was coming out, I was kind of worried about being ready for the game and as I stepped out and saw everybody screaming, my blood started boiling and I was ready to roll. I think everybody felt it after that, and it was pretty fun.
(on the redzone defense)
We pride ourselves on stepping up in the redzone. Defense is kind of a thing where we feel like we have our backs against the corner and we aren't going to give up anything easily, so I thought we did pretty good in the redzone.
(on getting a Great West Conference win)
It feels pretty good. I think we made a statement playing against UC Davis. They are a quality opponent that had a lot of weapons on offense and on defense and some pretty good All-American defensive lineman. I thought this was a pretty good start to the next few games we're playing in the Great West.
Linebacker Joe Mays
(on his record breaking tackle)
I heard the crowd, but I thought they were just excited because it was a good play. I didn't really notice what was going on at first until they said it on the intercom. But it was just another play I was eager to make and in the position to make, so I did it.
(on if he thought he would break the record today)
I talked to Craig Dahl earlier this week, and I told him that I was five tackles away from getting him, and he said to go out and get it. If you don't get it this week, you'll get it next week for sure. I knew I had a chance to get it, but I wasn't really working towards it. I was just working on making our team better and coming out to get a win.
(on what it means to break Dahl's record)
It's an honor. When Craig came here, he played all four years, started pretty much all those years as well. For me to pass him like that, it's an honor and I'm just thrilled to be up there with the NDSU greats.
