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GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL: CENTRAL MICHIGAN VS SAN DIEGO STATEDecember 21, 2019Jordan ByrdJesse MatthewsKyahva TezinoAlbuquerque, New Mexico San Diego State - 48, Central Michigan - 11 Q. Jordan, how good did it feel to come home and have the performance that you did, over 100 yards rushing and the touchdown in front of your friends and family? JORDAN BYRD: It was good, especially in front of the friends and family. Couldn't do this without the man above. He really kept me healthy through the season. I had some nicks in there, but he gave me the strength today to push and give it all I had. Q. Jordan, talk about that long run you had. Were you surprised that you got caught from behind, and just talk about that run. JORDAN BYRD: Well, I talked to my strength coach and he was telling me that I wouldn't have gotten caught if I didn't stop and like get off those guys. But I was shocked. I didn't even see him. I was just looking at the red in the end zone, and all of a sudden I just see my leg in the air. It was a good run, but he had some speed on me. Q. How about the execution both sides of the football today? Anybody want to take that? You guys looked near perfection. JESSE MATTHEWS: Yeah, I mean, it was great to see it all kind of come together at the last game. Just we knew what we could do, we knew what we were capable of, and yeah, just we knew what we could do, I'm just glad we got to show it on this stage and I'm glad we got to send the seniors out the right way. KYAHVA TEZINO: Yeah we just wanted to go ahead and make an impact in our last game. Offense, you know, they came out hitting on all ends of the field, so on defense we just wanted to continue our legacy, and the offense really showed out today, and they held our back, and that's what we was preaching this whole season. I mean, one of these games we're going to make it happen; it's all going to come together. We're going to look perfect. And I'm so happy it was our last game of the season, my last game here, and I'm just so happy for these guys, for these underclassmen that just sent me out the right way. JORDAN BYRD: I'm going to keep it short because they said everything that I was going to say, but we all believe in each other; offense believes in defense, and defense believes in offense, so it was a good connection, kept the energy right for us. Q. Jesse and Kyahva, what was it like to see all that grass, 74 yards, and then that 22-yard touchdown, I believe you had the diving catch? And for Kyahva, what was it like to open up the game with a pass breakup and the pick, and what's that do for the rest of the game? JESSE MATTHEWS: It was pretty amazing. That long touchdown, I thought no one was with me, so I kind of had a look around for a quick second, found a lane, and I'm just glad I didn't get caught. These guys were joking with me saying they didn't know I had any speed, so I had to show them a little something. KYAHVA TEZINO: Yeah, that play right there, people are saying that was the game-setting play. So to me I'm just out there trying to make a play to win the game because it's my last time playing with this team, so I'm just trying to go out a winner, and I'm so happy we did, and I'm so happy all the underclassmen came to play today, and I just can't thank them enough. It's going to be hard to replace these guys, and I'm just at a loss for words right now. Q. Jesse, Kyahva's interception, how much of a spark did you guys view that offensively, and did you guys know you were capable of a performance like this, 48 points? What went into all of that? JESSE MATTHEWS: Well, yeah, that turnover was pretty big. It gave us a lot of energy. They've been doing it all season, especially Kyahva. So just wanted to capitalize on that. And as far as, yeah, we knew what we were capable of. We work hard every day in practice, so just to see it come to fruition was a pretty good feeling. Q. Jesse and Jordan, there was a lot of talk before this game about your defense, how stellar they were, that it was ranked in this and that. Did this also put a chip on your shoulder for the offense to say, don't overlook it, yes, our defense is good, but we've got a little something for you, too? JESSE MATTHEWS: I wouldn't say a chip on our shoulder. I mean, we really don't pay attention to anything outside of the locker room. We just try to focus on ourselves, focus on our teammates and what's inside the program. But like I said before, we knew what we could do. Defense has really been kind of carrying us all year, and we just wanted to help them any way we could. I'm glad we could put up 48 points in our last performance. Just like I said, send the seniors out the right way. JORDAN BYRD: Jesse covered all that. Yeah, we knew we had to do something offensive-wise. We knew we had to put points on the board to keep the defense rested and keep them going, keep that good energy to let the offense even get more yards and passing yards. Q. Jordan, kind of a two-part question. How good does it feel to help Coach Long get this victory, you being from here and Coach Long being a former coach and player here, and what are you doing for Christmas? JORDAN BYRD: You know, it was a good one to have in New Mexico, especially with Coach Long. All through practices, he was telling me, you're going back home, you're going back home, and it just kept getting me excited. Just that energy from him, it was really good. I'm really glad he did that for me because it gave me a good push to push harder in this game. Christmas? I don't know yet. I'll definitely get my mom's cooking. We were talking about that. My mom's and my grandma's cooking. I can't wait for my grandma's cooking, pies and stuff. Q. Jordan, it seemed like you were playing a lot harder today. I just could sense it. I know your dad was in the stands. What's your next step? JORDAN BYRD: Thank you. My next step is to try to go to the next level. It's a long-time dream and just want to be able to see if I can go and make an impact there. You know, it's all in God's hands now. Wherever he leads me, he leads me, but I'm going to always just go in and work hard and keep my head down and just work. Q. Jesse, I know you heard how great -- you're probably sick of hearing about New Mexico and how great it is, right, and we think it's great, and what's you guys' impression? I love the way you got behind Keshawn and Jordan and Coach Long. It seems like you were really bought into this thing. Are you sick of hearing about how great New Mexico is and what do you think about this place? JESSE MATTHEWS: You know, it's a pretty great place. All the people were very hospitable. Yeah, I mean, we're not sick of it. It kind of lived up to the hype, I guess. Yeah, it's a great place. I'm glad we got to get this bowl in here in front of these locals. KYAHVA TEZINO: Yeah, I'm just so excited. The last two bowls didn't go our way, so I don't really like that state or whatever, so I'm just so happy we was able to come to New Mexico and get a win. Wherever we've lost, I don't really like the state. I'm just so happy we came here and won. Q. Kyahva, what's it like for you personally knowing it's your last game, you're going to probably take off that jersey -- not probably, you are going to take it off one last time. What's kind of going through your head? And then for Jordan, for you, something about New Mexico that you play really well, at New Mexico State another 100-yard game. Talk about what it's like playing in your home state. JORDAN BYRD: It was really good. Brought me back to high school days, especially my senior year. But coming back here in December, it reminded me of the final game, of the championship. It really brought me back memories of what I did in that game. Even though I played quarterback during that time, it really brought me a good sense of -- that I knew I could do something. I was telling one of our coaches that cold makes me feel faster. Coming back here and playing in the cold really felt good. KYAHVA TEZINO: To continue on with your question, it's going to be hard to take off this jersey. I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this program, and just these guys here have potentially made who I am today. I mean, I couldn't have done anything this season or anything in my career without these guys pushing me every single day. I just thanked them and I just thanked them and I just thanked them. It's going to be hard. That's all I can really say about that. Q. Overall when you evaluate your program at San Diego State, why is it so consistently good? What's the formula to winning, and the reason for winning so regularly at San Diego State? KYAHVA TEZINO: I just feel like the players have to be bought in, and I mean, Coach Long does a great job of putting us in a situation to where it makes it interesting to have us bought in. As a senior, I just felt like since my freshman year all the way to now, we just love the game. We work at football for I don't know how many days, but we're always at it, and we just love it. So once you love it, it never becomes a job, it's just something that you love to do. And that's what I feel like the team is about, and that's what I feel like this current team is now. We just love to play the game and we love being around each other. Us as a team and us as a program, that's probably what defines us, and that's why we're so good. JESSE MATTHEWS: Yeah, Kyahva covered everything. Just really being bought into the system we have in place, it's kind of our job as players to just buy into the program that Coach Long has set for us, and once we do that, we know we can be successful, and we know he's going to have us prepared. JORDAN BYRD: Yeah, Coach Long gets us really prepared for these kind of games, too. During the season, off-season, just going through all that stuff that we've been through, it really puts us to the standard that we need to be at. We can always be better than what we are, and that's what Coach Long pushes us to be, so that's the good thing about Coach Long, and that's what I like. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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