Colorado State football head coach Jim McElwain, running back Treyous Jarrells, and linebacker Kevin Davis took questions from the media at Monday’s press conference. They discussed their Border War win over Wyoming, the state of their running game and what to expect at San Jose.
Question: What impact did the crowd at Hughes have on the game?
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McElwain: Early in that game I think there were some really big momentum things that caused the opponent some issues, and that’s a credit to the people who showed up and gave us that second sellout in a row. Our guys really fed off that energy.
Q: What can you say about Garrett Grayson being named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week?
McElwain: I thought he really played comfortable. When you looked at him there, he got rid of the ball on time and in rhythm.
Q: What’s it like being 7-1 and being on the fringe of the top-25?
McElwain: You have to establish a legacy as a program. We’re battling from behind. I don’t know the last time we were even receiving votes.
Davis: It shows the work we’ve put in. Even from RamU this summer, just being together as a team. We worked so hard, and then to be almost in the top 25 … that would be really exciting.
Q: How do you feel about where the running game is at?
McElwain: We’ve adapted to the team. Obviously, people are loading the box. They’re creating some matchup situations for them on the outside, so I think our running game is doing just fine.
Jarrells: At the beginning of the season it was going real good, then I got hurt and it was J.O. (Jasen Oden) and Dee (Hart), and they held it down while I was down. Now we’re getting things back in order and firing on all cylinders.
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Q: How are Dee Hart and Jarrells able to feed off of each other?
McElwain: What I like is the fact that they both play off of each other’s energy, and they both root for each other when they’re in there. That’s a rare kind of dynamic.
Jarrells: We knew each other from back home. We came out here not knowing that we were going to be out here together, and it kind of just brought us together more. We kind of just see each other as brothers, so we want each other to do good and strive. We feed off of each other’s energy.
Q: What stands out about Jarrells’ style of play?
McElwain: His inside running ability for his stature is something that is pretty impressive. There was one run last week where the pile kept moving. It wasn’t just taking that one little shot and getting knocked off. He plays bigger than he is.
Jarrells: I always keep that mentality — that small-man mentality — but I run like I’m big. I don’t mind running between the tackles. I like that better, actually.
Q: What stands out about San Jose State?
McElwain: This team defensively has only allowed one touchdown pass and that was on a naked play against Auburn. I think some teams have allowed some passing touchdowns to Auburn over the years. They’re under 100 yards (allowed per game) in passing.
Q: What do you need to do to get the win?
McElwain: They have explosive playmakers there. That’s one thing that they have historically been able to get is really good skill guys. I really like their two offensive tackles. It’s going to be a physical battle for us. The biggest thing we need to do is force them to earn their yards.
Davis: They beat Wyoming in overtime the week before we played them so we have got to just prepare. Every team we play from here on out we just have got to keep preparing, do what we’ve been doing, and keep our focus.
Collegian Sports Reporter Emmett McCarthy can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter at @emccarthy22.
