Postgame Quotes from CSU vs. Gardner-Webb

Postgame quotes from Jay Mills following the 27-20 loss to Gardner-Webb.

On how the team felt prior to Gardner-Webb’s winning drive:
“I actually felt like we had the momentum. Coming back after a score, with a good kickoff and good coverage, plus the defense had gotten the last stop, which gave out offense to put that tying score on the board, so I really thought we had the momentum.”

On the 4th quarter drive that gave Gardner-Webb the winning score:
“Credit goes to Gardner-Webb, the way they took that ball down the field against our defense. I really did not believe that they would be able to do that. Stan Doolittle and the other senior players around him showed why they’re veterans, why they’re such a good team.”

On putting the game-tying scoring drive on QB A.J. Toscano’s shoulders, despite his earlier struggles:
“I believe A.J. was a little bit flustered over the course of the game. But I believe he’s an excellent quarterback so you keep giving him opportunities to make those plays.”

On setting up to go for two points after their last touchdown before calling timeout:
“We definitely had that planned. We were fortunate and happy that they burned one of their timeouts, but if we had gotten the look that we wanted we were going to go for two right there and try to win.”

On the effort his team showed in defeat
“I’m so proud of our young men and the way that they competed. You saw character today. Down 10-0 on the road, it would have been very easy to not be able to come back and recover from that. But you saw that the character of this team allowed them to battle back and to tie the game at halftime and then to take the lead in the 3rd quarter.”

On what turned a close game in Gardner-Webb’s favor:
“In a close game it’s going to come down to a couple of things. For us, that’s been turnover margin. We took points off the board with a turnover on our first drive, and we gave them points in the 4th quarter with a turnover. Two turnovers right there gave them the margin for victory.”

Game Story