LOGAN, Utah -

Utah State football head coach Matt Wells held a press conference Monday to recap the San José State game and preview its upcoming Mountain West road game at Boise State. A complete transcript can be found below.

Head Coach Matt Wells
Recapping last weekend's win against San José State:
"Getting to win number nine is special. Every win is a great and special win, I promise you. They're all celebrated and treated just like that around our building because it's so hard to win in college football. The way our guys continue to prepare and get themselves ready week-by-week continues to inspire me as a coach. To be undefeated at home for the second time since I've been here and send them out as winners in Romney Stadium is a big deal for this class, the winningest class ever at Utah State. We all remember our last game at Romney, so that's really special for those guys. I'm happy that this senior class can go out the way it did."

Previewing this weekend's game at Boise State:
"It all boils down to one game and quite honestly, that's the next game for us, ever since the loss at Colorado State. When you take yourself out of the driver's seat, you have to live with the consequences. We've lived with it and found a way to get up off the mat every single week. We've put ourselves in the same position we did last year. To get to this point is a great thing for our program and our kids, but it puts us one step closer. There are still things we can control, so we're only going to worry about that this week. We can't control Air Force or Colorado State, so we're not even going to worry about that. We will know the result of that game on Friday, I get that, but our attitude, our effort and our preparation throughout this week are what we're going to worry about."

"Because of that, I feel really good about going into this week. Whatever shakes out on Friday night is how it shakes out. Our guys will be prepared for this game, no matter what happens. At the end of the day, this is a big game for our program. Boise State has only lost four games in 15 or 16 years at home. The bad news is that that is reality. The good news is that there were those four. `You're telling me I've got a chance'. That's all I want and I know our kids will be extremely happy to go out there and play on national television to compete against Boise State."

On Kevin Whimpey's health:
"I don't know yet, they're looking at him more today. It was precautionary to take him out of the second half. We'll see where he's at. He'll be very light today and tomorrow in practice and will honestly probably be a game-time decision. He's a big leader and an emotional leader, but he'll be the first to tell you that it's not about him, it's not about me, it's not about a quarterback. If he's not able to play, we'll have to overcome it. There may have to be some shuffling going on and the next man will have to stand up, but I expect whoever to come in and play at a very high level, and I expect the guys to play well around him."

"The good thing is we've got some versatility up there. Tyshon Mosley can play tackle or left guard. Bill Vavau can go out and play tackle or guard. Austin Albrecht has played every position up there except for center. That's the good thing."

On Utah State getting a vote in the coaches' poll this week:
"I think it's just recognition of consistent success against adversity. As a coach you sit there and see the 9-3 record, but all I think about are the two that got away. It's a neat thing for us to be recognized in that, but all that's based on is one number in the left- hand column and that's wins."

On if the team will get together to watch the Colorado State vs. Air Force game:
"Absolutely not. It's got no bearing on the next day. All I'm worried about is Boise State. Everyone will know about it by the time we get off the bus. Are we going to throw a pep rally if Air Force wins or a funeral if Colorado State does? No. We're going to go about our business at 8:15 Saturday night. We've got a chance to win 10 and a bowl and to tie the best record in school history. We've got a lot to play for, no matter what the outcome is on Friday. We put ourselves in this position and we have to live with it. If we win and we don't make the championship game, that'll be eight months of trying to figure out how to go undefeated. That's the name of the game. This isn't six-year-old summer t-ball where everybody bats and everybody goes around. You lose a game against Colorado State, but win out and still don't get to the championship game, that's how it is. If we get in, we won't apologize. We'll tee that thing up and let it rip in Romney."

On what it means to be approaching the program-best number of wins:
"It just means Gary (Andersen) doesn't have something on top of me. I've done it as an assistant, so I feel like I'm a part of that. It's hard to say right now today what that means. Maybe in the off-season you look back, maybe 10 years from now. I don't think our seniors really understand yet the era they're in in Utah State football. We don't have time to breathe, we have to keep grinding and go right to the next opponent. They've accomplished a tremendous amount. Playing for 10 regular-season wins is a big thing. How many teams win 10 games? That's hard to do. To be getting a bowl game, playing in four-straight bowl games, you're talking about things that have never been done at Utah State before. To be a part of that is pretty cool, absolutely."

On the offense/defense match-up of Saturday's game:
"Something's got to give. You've got the No. 1 scoring defense and the No. 1 scoring offense in the Mountain West, so something's got to give. They've got the best back in the league and we've got the best linebacker. Let's go."

On Utah State's defense shutting teams out in the second half in recent games:
"It has said a lot. It's been huge. I think it's a reflection of some halftime adjustments that (defensive coordinator) Todd Orlando and our defensive staff have made. Our defensive leaders have stepped up. In the New Mexico and San José State first halves, we just weren't dead exactly on-point like it had been early in the season. That can be expected, you're not going to play perfectly every game. When the expectations are really high for your defense, your leaders recognize that. They've really flipped some things around at halftime these last couple weeks and played lights out in the second half. The offense has fed off of it, getting some points and extending those leads."

On Kent Myers gaining more confidence each week and each game:
"He's in as good a spot as he can be in right now. Each and every game is a bigger test for him. We were on the road, then on the road with bad weather, then home to our fans. Now he gets to walk into Boise. That's a tough environment to play on the road in. They've been very successful there at home. Each week gets a little bigger for him and each week he takes a step forward."

Are you amazed and or surprised by the success of the team with all the injuries at quarterback?
"Am I amazed? Yes. Surprised? No. We did it last year. We knew the recipe for success, we knew it last year. That doesn't guarantee success. That doesn't guarantee that we were going to follow the same recipe this year. That's what's amazing, is that it's back-to-back, so many starters gone for two-straight years. This year it was a little more on defense, along with all the quarterbacks. It amazes me, but it definitely doesn't surprise me because of the makeup of that locker room and these kids. They continue to persevere and face adversity head-on. The culture of that locker room is at a really strong point right now. That's why it doesn't surprise me."

On how opposing defenses have played against Kent Myers:
"Hawai'i threw the book at him and I thought he handled it well. There was a lot more man coverage last week against San José State. He's seen a little bit of it all, with zone in our previous two games and more man last weekend. Boise State is going to be a mixture of both. They're going to pressure and move around. They'll do all the crazy stuff on third down. We've seen it. They're as close to our defense as anyone in the league, except for Hawai'i, because that is our defense. They'll be odd-front, go to even-front; play a mixture of man and zone in the back end. They're going to pressure and have third down packages ready for him. He'll have to be really sharp, especially on third down."

On the bounce-back mentality of this team:
"Again, I'll point it right back at the players. They're unbelievable. We can preach all we want, but until there's buy-in, you're not going to have belief. We have complete buy-in. My fear as a coach isn't the buy-in, it's the young kids coming into the program walking in and thinking these nine, 10, 11 wins is the norm. It's not. You don't just show up and win. Learning how we do it is the most important thing. It's not the what, that's the easy part, it's the how. The more you buy-in, the more you believe, even when things aren't perfect. The more you invest, the more you're going to have at stake and the harder it is to give up or give in. That's where we're at right now. It's an unbelievable deal right now and it's a huge credit to the guys in the locker room."

On how the small town feel of Logan affects the players:
"It doesn't hurt. In the summer time, there's not a lot to do, so the guys are making their own fun. They're grinding, lifting and running. They do things that build up team bonding. There are distractions at every college in America, there's just a lot less in Logan. If kids aren't individually motivated, then it doesn't matter how small a town is."

On going into this weekend's game as the underdog:
"Whatever. We'll show up. We've won games as both the "favorite" and "underdog." Our kids don't look at that one bit."

On his friendship with Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin:
"Bryan and I go back to 2003 when I was at Tulsa. Bryan was the tight end coach at Boise State in the old WAC. We played each other every year and ended up exchanging some ideas and talking ball. We did a lot of similar stuff on offense with multiple tight ends and stuff. We were both two young tight end coaches that had been quarterbacks. We just hit it off. We're very similar in a lot of ways, so we became good friends easily that way. He's been a good friend. We became head coaches just days apart two years ago. We were actually in Boise at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl when he became the head coach at Arkansas State. That first year we probably talked once a week through all the transition as two young head coaches who had no idea what was going on. We've had some good discussions and are good friends. He's a good football coach, living out his dream like I am at his alma mater. We both have good teams. Both programs play really hard and have the same foundation of similar characteristics."

On if there are any changes with how Boise State plays under Bryan Harsin:
"No, not really. Bryan Harsin was the architect of that offense with coach (Chris) Petersen for so many years. I know he still has his hands heavily in that offense. They're very multiple on defense and I think they're very similar on offense. I wouldn't say they've strayed too far."

On Utah State's Zach Vigil and why he should be voted the league's Defensive Player of the Year:
"He's the most dominant defensive player in the league, and I don't think it's even close. That's a bias, but no knock on any other linebacker. This kid has just gone up from the beginning of the season. He was second-team all-WAC as a sophomore, second-team all-Mountain West last year. To me he's played himself into an NFL draft pick and into being the Defensive Player of the Year. Absolutely I'll vote for him. On the offensive side, Jay Ajayi is right there, as is Garrett Grayson. The best tailback and the best linebacker in the league are going to collide Saturday night and it will be a big-time match-up."

On Zach Vigil's improvement this year:
"Not to knock his brain, but I think from contact within the box to finishing the tackle, I think he's improved his step. To see him come and shed blocks, whether it's a tight end out of the backfield or an uncovered guard, from the time he collides and sheds to finish the tackle, I see a different cat. I really do think he has taken another step mentally. He knows the defense as well as anyone in the building. He's done a great job, but has done that the last two years. He's just taken another step in the right direction. That's why you're seeing more tackles and more TFLs. He's on the climb right now in the school and conference record books. That's why NFL scouts are starting to take notice of him."

Comparing Zach Vigil and Bobby Wagner:
"They're a little bit different type of players. Bobby had all the speed that you would want from sideline to sideline. Zach is really physical at the point of attack. In a dominating way, and how they can take over a game, there are a lot of similarities."