LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head football coach Matt Wells, along with senior wide receiver Aaren Vaughns and senior linebacker Chase Christiansen, held a press conference Monday to recap the Aggies' win over Colorado State and preview their upcoming road game at Boise State on Saturday night. A complete transcript of the press conference can be found below.
 
Head Coach Matt Wells
On the Colorado State game:
"I'm really proud of our players with Saturday afternoon's game in Fort Collins. We showed a tremendous amount of resiliency. It was a game where we did not play our best in any of the three phases. I thought we played pretty well in all three (phases) and we did some good stuff, but we also played poor enough in all three to deserve to lose it. Offensively, we didn't turn the ball over in a bad-weather game and we took care of the football. The last two series of the game when we needed it most, we drove down for a field goal and a touchdown, looking like the usual offense. In the red zone, we didn't play very well. We had three trips in there and kicked three field goals, which is a nice job by Dominik Eberle, who I thought was an outstanding performer in those weather conditions. You have to come away with touchdowns and we didn't do that. When you don't do that, you put yourself in a position that puts the game in the balance. 
 
"Defensively, we gave up too many explosives in the pass and run game. We gave up a ton of yards and it was some of the most we've given up all year, but we had two touchdowns and you can't ignore that. We had a fourth-down stop and those were all big plays. In special teams, Dominik was lights out kicking it and kicking it off. I thought he did a really good job. There are some things to clean up in special teams. We gave up a fake on the punt, which we have to sure all of the responsibilities up because it wouldn't surprise me to see Boise State do a fake early in the game. We have to clean up some stuff on kickoff return and we had some poor alignments that will open the flood gates in the next few games if we don't get it corrected. We didn't punt the ball very well and we have to perform better there.
 
"I have continually told our players, especially during training camp, to keep yourself, and to get yourself, in position to win a championship. There will be a time or two where you go on the road in this league, not playing your best, not having your best 'A' game, but you still have to find a way to come out of it with a win. Honestly, that's exactly what we did. It's something I talked to the captains about this morning, and I was reminded of it last night as I drove home. Late last night, I was thinking of my late grandpa, who was a head golf pro in Tulsa for many years. He used to say to me when I was a young kid, that when I parred a hole and it must've been pretty easy and it was ugly, and I was complaining about it, he said, 'Matthew, put your par down and go to the next hole. Put your ball in your pocket and go to the next hole.'
 
"Part of that analogy and part of the explanation from my grandpa was this: it doesn't matter if you hit one and it goes out of bounds and comes back in, just slap a chip shot up there and have a two-putt par. The analogy is you put a par down, you go to the next whole. The other comment he always made to me and it always stuck with me is, he said, 'Matthew, there is a box on this golf scorecard. You put the number in the box. There's not enough room for a paragraph.' You don't write a paragraph, you don't analyze it and you don't write all the good or all the bad. You just put the score down and you move on. You know what, we won, let's move on and that's it. That's what I told our captains and I said that's as good of an analogy as I can give you. It doesn't matter. Put the par down and move on. We won round seven and now we're onto round eight. We have a chance to compete for a division championship, which is exactly where we want to be. Our guys are excited and we'll have a great week of practice and look forward to playing Boise State."
 
On Boise State:
"This is a typical Boise State team. They're a very strong, tough team. I have a ton of respect for Bryan Harsin, that staff, all three coordinators and all three phases for them. Those guys have been with each other for a long time. We've competed against them and I have a lot of respect for them. Brett Rypien is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in this conference and what a compliment. They have wideouts that can hurt you. Alexander Mattison is their running back and I can honestly say he is the best one we've seen all year and our defensive staff thinks so. Starting with game one all the way to now, he's the best one we've seen all year. The two edge rushers, (Curtis) Weaver and (Jabril) Frazier, are you kidding me? They're both power-five players, big-time players and have given us headaches. (Evan) Tyler inside is a veteran and a really good inside linebacker. Both corners, Avery Williams and Tyler Horton, are solid players. Kekoa (Nawahine) makes all the plays and he's everywhere. I know too much about them and you know about them because you play them every year. They have a couple of injuries on defense, but you know what? So do the Utah State Aggies. We have a couple of injures, but it's that time of the year. Both teams have to overcome it and it will be a great matchup."
 
On how you feel emotionally after the Colorado State game:
"I'm drained; you're drained emotionally. You go down the field, take the lead, then they retake the lead and look up and see zeroes on the scoreboard. You see arms up in the air and your heart sinks. You are then given a little bit of hope and the call is made, which was the correct call. I applaud them (the refs) that they had the courage to make the correct call. That's an administrative call that is correct to make and they made it."
 
On when you knew they were going to make the call:
"Pretty soon after it happened, I got word, 'Hey, hang tight. Keep your team on the sidelines.' I backed them up and we stood there and waited. I got alerted that they were looking at an illegal touching. I just had one question and I asked, 'Was there a hat thrown?' When they told me yes, I knew they couldn't pick it up."
 
On how good it was for your team to face adversity:
"It was absolutely great. We've faced two of those kinds of games and Air Force was in some ways the same kind of game with a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter where we have to get two fourth-quarter stops and a touchdown in between to win the game. We've gone over to Wyoming a few times and this was another one. I'm proud of our guys, I'm really proud of them. The resiliency and the ability to overcome some adversity, and you lose Deante Fortenberry, early in the game. You have some things that happened in special teams against us that weren't really good on our side. It's a great way to win. With a bad-weather game, we handled it well. We just continued to fight and found a way to win. We've lost a decent amount of those games in the last couple of years and I'm happy for our guys."
 
On Deante Fortenberry's status for the remainder of the year:
"He's out for the year."
 
On approaching Boise State's wide receivers without Fortenberry:
"We have good defensive backs and a really good defense. We have to play better all around them. Our defensive line and linebackers have to play a little better. Our offense is going to have to play well. It's next man up. I'm not going to give you everything, but there is a lot of no-name defense mentality with our guys. It's not about one guy, it's not about one hero or superstar. We'll have another guy or two step up in the secondary and I'm confident that our coaches will have them well prepared. They'll be challenged and they'll go out and play well."
 
On playing against the Colorado State run game:
"Colorado State ran it 41 times and they were going to try to take the air out of the ball a little bit. The weather played into that. Colorado State had kind of game plan and kept seven guys in there to protect against our outside guys, which limits them. They did some things to try and help them in terms of that."
 
On the play of David Woodward:
"The field actually got slicker as the game went on. There was a little bit of precipitation late in the game and some icy snow. Guys were sliding around and the footing was tough. I thought David Woodward played outstanding. He has for the last month and the guy is tough and consistent, but the guys around him are playing well, too. That's a reflection of our defensive line. I can't give enough credit to Christopher 'Unga, Fua Leilua, Adewale Adeoye, Dalton Baker, Jacoby Wildman and Caden Andersen. Andersen played a lot more this week and those six guys up front played very well. Anytime your linebacker plays like that, then those guys up front play well."
 
On Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien:
"He can pick you apart in the zone. He's an accurate passer. He's not a thrower; he's a passer. He's been in that system for a long time. He anticipates very well and you can see him go to the backside of his reads. He does a good job with his eyes looking off safeties. He has a lot of savvy and mojo. I would assume he's really fun for Bryan (Harsin) and Zak (Hill) to coach him. He's tough and I see him get knocked down, but he gets right back up. He's a tough dude. He's their guy and is their leader. He's one of the best to ever play in this league."
 
On if Jordan Love is a similar type of quarterback as Rypien:
"They're a little different physically. Jordan is pretty big, but I think there are some similar characteristics where you can see both quarterbacks on film going through their reads. They can skip one and two really quick and get to three and four because they see the coverage dictate that. Jordan has really improved his touch and his accuracy. Rypien has played a lot longer and a lot more. That's the great compliment as a quarterback, is your consistency."
 
On if this Boise State offense is the most balanced offense USU will face this season:
"That's an accurate statement and I haven't thought about it when you compare it to the other 11 opponents. They're very balanced from their run game to the passing game. They're also dynamic."
 
On if it's tough to keep the team grounded with a big game like this coming up:
"It's round eight for us. It's a chance to win a division championship. You have to win your division before you get in the championship game. The goal for us is still out there, which is to win the Mountain West. I'm sure that was Boise State's goal to start the season, just like it was our goal. That game is not this weekend. This weekend is round eight to see who can win. Basically, you're in the Mountain Division and whoever wins gets to host. Our guys know that. This isn't the championship game, it's a big game because both teams have made it a big game. Respect to both teams is the way I look at it. It's a big game because both teams have put themselves in position to win the Mountain Division."
 
Senior Wide Receiver Aaren Vaughns
 On the Colorado State game:
"We didn't start how we wanted to. You've seen from previous games we like to start off fast and quick. I'm not going to say the weather kept us from starting fast, but we had to connect in the second half. We had to get it back together and get the offense moving. The line showed up big time. We had to open up some runs to get explosive plays, as well as big-time catches from our outside receivers. That's what triggered the offense, and then scoring down there. The O-line held up the entire time. I don't believe they gave up a sack, which is great. But, moving forward, we have a lot to work on. We still have to dial in more. It's just one game at a time."
 
On if he was amazed with his game-winning touchdown catch:
"I was only amazed by the play call that Jordan (Love) called. I was hidden in coverage and it was just a perfect call and he called it. Once I saw the signal, I just reacted. I tightened up, exploded off the ball even more, got my depth, looked up and the ball was right there and I had to make the finish."
 
On if there was any panic in only having 1:36 left in the game at the start of the drive:
"There wasn't any panic. Everybody stepped up. It was like, let's go. We've already been here. We work on this every Wednesday. It was work-day Wednesday, basically, to us. A two-minute drill. So, everybody just got down, snapped the ball and got going."
 
On if the running game helped the offense:
"We have two great running backs in (Gerold) Bright and Darwin Thompson. It is a perfect twist to the offense because you don't know what you will get out of those two each time out. For them to step up like that, it helped us and brought energy to our outside receivers and our inside corps to block for them even more, just to get more explosive plays."
 
On what the locker room was like after the game:
"Everybody looked at each other and had that one little shock moment, but then got excited because it's time to move on. We were just excited that we got the W."
 
On how valuable it was to play in those type of conditions:
"It was great on our part. The receivers had to figure out how we were going to catch the ball in that type of weather. So, we got the feel. I believe we had one drop from the inside corps and not very many from the outside group. Jordan (Love) got the feel of how to throw the ball. He got a better understanding of how to throw in that weather. This week moving forward, we just have a mindset of, 'Okay, it's going to be cold, let's just dial it in a little bit more and focus.'"
 
On what makes Jordan Love a different quarterback from last year to this year:
"He is more mature, wiser and wanted it more. Since day one, since he came in last year and came in and got the starting position, I knew he was going to be great. As you can see from the previous plays that he's been doing so far since he's been in, he's been excellent to me. He's comfortable in the pocket. He trusts his linemen. He trusts his receiving corps. It's just a great feeling."
 
On what makes Boise State's defense tough:
"I wouldn't necessarily say so tough. It's just us being consistent in our plays, making every catch, breaking every run and everybody doing their jobs. It's really on us. We have so many weapons that can do a lot of damage to a lot of defensive teams. It's just on us to do our jobs."
 
On Boise State's defense:
"Coming into this week, it's down to the preparations. You just have to trust the preparation and keep going. We've seen what they can do, but we know what we can do. We just have to keep believing in ourselves."
 
On if he's excited to have a game like this:
"I'm very excited. We lost to them last year and we need the W this year. Everybody is ready. We've known that it was coming. It's just on a bigger stage now. So, we just have to go out there and play."
 
Senior Linebacker Chase Christiansen
On the Colorado State game:
"We played good enough to win. It wasn't always pretty, but in the end, when you score two touchdowns on defense, you're having a pretty good day on defense. Even though it wasn't as clean as we wanted and we gave up a lot of explosives that we shouldn't have, overall, we were good enough to get the win."
 
On what it's like to play in a game like the one against Boise State on Saturday:
"When you come here, in all reality, this is what you're here for: to play for a chance to go to the Mountain West Championship game. So, looking at the game on Saturday, it's kind of all your aspirations and dreams coming to fruition as a player. You work really hard all year long for the opportunity that you have right in front of you, so it's really exciting. For myself and all the other guys, we can't wait to play."
 
On the last play against Colorado State:
"From what I saw, it was just them catching a Hail Mary. I didn't realize for a while that there was a flag on the ground and that they were discussing something on the field. I was just curious as to what we were still doing on the field standing around and just watching them celebrate, and then I realized the officials were all together talking about something and it turns out he stepped out of bounds. Thank goodness he did."
 
On how it felt to be in that situation:
"It's hard to say because you go from thinking everything that you've been working for just came crashing down when you lose to Colorado State and then it flips right around and you end up winning. It's kind of hard to describe. The whole last part of the fourth quarter was just an absolute roller coaster of emotions. It was pretty crazy. I've never seen a game like that before, and I don't know if I ever will again."
 
On how physical the game was:
"They had a lot of heavier personnel that tried to run the ball at us. The games that I particularly enjoy are when they start doing stuff like that. It was really fun. I really love when they start running the ball and you get to go in the trenches and hit. It was fun and a good game."
 
On if it felt like they were getting Colorado State's best shot:
"Sure. We anticipated that for a couple of reasons being that it was their senior day. Obviously, it's the last chance for their seniors to play at home. But, also their record is not really an indication of how good of a team they are. They've struggled in the past and it wasn't anything we didn't expect. We went there and we got a tough, physical game. Give them credit. They played really well. But in the end, we got the victory and that's all that really matters."
 
On sophomore linebacker David Woodward:
"David Woodward is a special player. He's probably one of the most talented players I've ever seen. He is really mentally sharp and has great instincts. His physical development caught up this year, and with all the other skills that he has, he's really just put it all together and is just a great player. To have 20 tackles against Colorado State, that's pretty incredible."
 
On Woodward's ceiling:
"No limit. The guy is an absolute incredible football player. In every sense of the word, and a great person. In my opinion, he's going to be a draft pick one day with how good he is. He's an incredible player."
 
On he and Woodward being constantly around the ball against Colorado State:
"That's one thing that he and I talk about all the time, is we don't do anything unless the D-line is performing well. It's funny because you don't really think about it during the game as far as how many tackles or whatever, you're just trying to win. But, it's funny, it seems like every time you're in a pile, David is somewhere in there involved in it."
 
On the biggest keys defensively going into Boise State:
"As always, you have to stop the run. That's where we always start. I don't think we did a good enough job last week, so we definitely have a lot to improve on. They've got good players, so we have to bring our A game. We know that. We are excited for the challenge."
 
On getting to the quarterback:
"It's a big part of what we're trying to do on defense. When we're not getting to the quarterback, it puts a lot more pressure on our defensive backs which really showed against the Colorado State game. We have to look at the film and figure out what we did wrong and fix it. It's definitely something that we need to work on. When we've played really well, that's something that we've done well, is get to the quarterback."
 
On being able to focus on Boise State:
"I don't necessarily know if it has been in the back of our mind. Maybe just that we've anticipated that if we're going to go to the championship game, it's going to have to go through Boise. But, anytime you have a big game, it's almost nice to just focus on that. There's not really anything else going on. It's either we beat them and we go to the championship game or we don't. So, it's very cut and dry as to what we need to do. There is not a lot of distraction besides that."