What Jim Mora said about change at defensive coordinator
· Yahoo Sports
The Colorado State football team has now lost three games in a row.
The Rams lost 56-26 on Oct. 3 to Oregon State and defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was stripped of play-calling duties and is no longer part of the program.
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Here's a look at what CSU coach Jim Mora said about the change on defense and the loss.
Watch the video at the top for Mora's full postgame press conference.
Jim Mora's opening statement after loss to Oregon State
"Really disappointing night. Tough night. We didn’t perform like I anticipated we would perform based on the way we practiced all week and prepared as a staff and as a team, and I think that nobody is more disappointed than those players in the locker room. Words like this, I think they ring empty in a time like this when you talk about fight and character and connection and all that. I can tell you from a vast amount of experience, those are the things at this point you really hang your hat on. You’ll see teams that splinter very quickly if they don’t have the right type of people. And I’m talking about not just the players, but the people in the program and we have the right kind of people. This is awful right now. Let’s not sugarcoat it. It’s been two awful games in a row, well, three really. We’ve given up a gazillion points. We haven’t been as explosive on offense.
"We’re going through it a little bit. This group is very resilient. They have done a tremendous job of staying connected. I think their character is going to carry us through this tough time. I’m not going to make any promises, but I know how I feel in my gut about these guys. I’ve been in situations like this before. You can’t coach football as long as I have and not be in these situations and you look for certain things. You look for certain reactions. You look for certain comments. You look for certain looks on people’s face. Are people hanging back or when you call them up are they getting in tight? From what I’ve seen so far, our guys are going to continue to engage and do the right thing. That’s what we have to ask them to do.
"As a staff, what we have to do, I’m a broken record when I say this, is always a work in progress but we have to continue to find ways to put them in positions where they can be successful and we will continue to do that. And then we have to demand that they execute the way they’ve been trained to do, the way they’ve worked hard in practice to do and apply those things in a game. It’s a share responsibility. It’s not just one or the other. It’s all of us. Very, very, very, very disappointed. Very, very disappointed locker room but they’re not frayed. They’re not fraying. They’re still connected and that is step No. 1 to fixing the problem we have right now."
Jim Mora on defensive coordinator Tyson Summers
"Tyson was relieved of his play-calling duties. He left the field and he’s no longer with this football program."
Jim Mora on the decision for Tyson Summers to leave the field
"That wasn’t anything that I would ever consider. I just relieved of him as his duties as a play-caller. He made the decision on his own to leave the field and he’s no longer with the program."
Jim Mora on Kenny McClendon taking over play-calling
"Kenny will be the primary play-caller. He was put in a very difficult situation tonight and he responded well and the players responded well. Very first play he called as a defensive coordinator in his entire life was a sack, caused fumble. We’re going to get better. We’re going to get a lot better. He’s a good football coach."
Jim Mora on his thoughts on Kenny McClendon as a coach
"First and foremost I like him as a man. I like him as a person. He has a ton of integrity. He’s got a lot of experience. We’ve been together, this is now our fifth year together. He and I have developed a good professional relationship. He knows what is important to me and he agrees with it. I think we have the same styles in terms of coaching a defense and I think that our players will absolutely respond to him because they have tremendous respect for him."
Jim Mora on his belief CSU can turn results around
"I don’t just have confidence. I have certainty. I’ve been in these situations. Went to UConn and we were 1-4 (in 2022). We’d just given up (148) points in three games to Michigan, Syracuse and NC State. We were 1-4 and we went to a bowl game, so I’ve seen this before. I’m no rookie. What you always do, like I always say, is look for the clues. There’s clues. Success leaves clues and I see the clues. Now, there’s a lot of people out there that say ‘he’s full of crap.’ And I would understand that. I would probably say the same thing if I was sitting on the other side. I get that. But I’ve seen it and I know what it looks like and I know we’re on the right path. The path is rocky, but we’re on the right path."
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What Jim Mora said about change at defensive coordinator