Rutgers Head Coach Chris Ash
COACH ASH: Go ahead and just start again thanking our fans and thanking the students for showing up today and supporting the football team. I thought once we got going, they actually helped us regain momentum in the game, create a lot of energy and excitement in that game for our football team and can't thank them enough.

Obviously come-from-behind victory again against a very good opponent. Coach Davie and his staff do an outstanding job. The team was well prepared. They play hard. They are exotic with their schemes. The option was not going to be a treat all day long and it wasn't; it was challenging. Especially when you start the game, the speed of the game and the option comes at you a lot faster than anything you can practice.

Defensively, it's a unique scheme, a lot of pressure, a lot of cover zero. Got a bunch of big plays against their offense and we were able to get a bunch of big plays also. Can't say enough about our players, for the second week in a row, we come out of the gate and we get down but nobody flinched. Everybody believes in themselves, in each other, in our plan, and we just kept going. We made the plays that we needed to.


To come back and get in that game and go ahead and win it; and again, these guys, I just can't say enough about them. And their attitude and their effort and the chemistry, the brotherhood of trust that they have right now, you just don't do those things if you don't have it. I can't say enough about where they are at right now and how they continue to grind and work the process as we get ready for a game each week.

We have got to get better. There's no doubt about it. We have to get better. We all have to get better; players, coaches, we have to get better in everything that we do, either through preparation or on game day. But I really like this football team right now and how they stick together and how they fight through adversity. We call that E+R, and there were some big E's out there the first quarter, and we responded the right way and very happy for these guys. With that, go ahead and open it up.

Q. Obviously you come back and win the game, but the first quarters at this point, is it enough to be an alarming trend for you?
COACH ASH: No, I'm not alarmed. I knew this was going to be tough because of the option. I've played enough option teams that it usually takes a little bit to get settled in and get used to the speed of the game. They threw out a lot of different formations and plays in that first quarter that we had not seen defensively out of two years of film study.


So my hat's off to them. They did a great job of coming up with an opening script and getting us off balance, and it took us a little time to get used to the new formations and some of the new plays that they were running. And once we did and settled in, we started to make some plays.

Obviously one touchdown in the final three quarters of the football game, I believe, and that says a lot to our coaches and our players, to be coachable and make the adjustments necessary on the sideline to get settled down.

Again offensively we started slow in the first quarter. Again, those guys, they run an odd front. They run a lot of six-man pressure, a lot of cover zero, and again I knew going in that they would make some plays, some big plays against us; and if we just kept going, we were going to make some big plays against that style of defense and that's what happened.

And then obviously special teams, Janarion Grant, another big week, another big play that just changes the momentum of the football game, and can't say enough about our return units right now and the way that those guys prepare and what happens on game day with them.

Q. I'm sure nothing Janarion does stuns you at this point, but his returning ability, does it change the game itself, the way teams approach him?
COACH ASH: I would think it would start to; if it hasn't yet, I would think it would start to. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands, and he can make a lot of people miss. He's got great change of direction. He's got great vision. He's got good speed.

You know, when you've got a guy back there, it makes the rest of the units better because they know it only takes one block to spring him and they want to have that block and that's what happened again today.

Q. When he starts out making the mistake that he made, I'm sure he was disappointed, but what does it say in the way that he personally rebounded and what else he did?
COACH ASH: It says a lot about him and his character and his teammates, because when you get -- make a miscue like that, you need someone typically to pick you up. There was no pointing fingers, no complaining, and everybody was over picking him up. They knew that the next opportunity he had, he would make something happen and he did just that. It was not a great play with the fumbled punt at the beginning but he definitely made up for it and he did it when we needed it most.

Q. What's your evaluation of Chris Laviano's performance today?
COACH ASH: You know, just like it's been for the last three games, goods and bads. There were a lot of short, easy passes we that missed today. I obviously put Zach Allen in for a series in the second half, and it was more to calm Chris down.

We thought there were a lot of throws on the field for us to get and he missed them and he just was going through a bad stretch in the second half. We needed to pull him out and just get his mind right and give Zach a chance to go in and see what he can do, and we ended up putting Chris back in the game.

You know, Chris has to get better. He has to continue to trust the offense, trust his reads and make the throws that we need him to make.

Q. Why is Allen the right guy there, when in a tight game, you've already played Gio and Oden?
COACH ASH: Like I told you, there's nothing set with the backup quarterback position yet. It's going to be really by committee based on the preparation throughout the week. Zach had a great week of preparation. He knew the game plan. He executed well in practice and he deserved that right to go in as the backup quarterback today.

And again, it's just going to be by performance in practice. You earn the reps you get on Saturday and Zach earned those reps from his performance in practice and his continued attention to detail and his preparation.

Q. Can you take us through the decision to punt on the 28-yard line?
COACH ASH: It's a field position game. I think we've had a lot of discussion about our kicking game concerns and at that moment, I thought it was better to play the field position game and try to pin him in, and obviously it worked out.

I thought we had done an outstanding job with our pooch punt situations in practice, and Dacoven Bailey made a heck of a play. First we got a good snap, a good punt. Dacoven Bailey made a heck of a play to pin him on the one-yard line.

I had enough confidence in the way our defense was playing at the time that we could change the field position and if we could hold him and make him punt and get a good punt return that, we would be right back and hopefully better field position than what we ran in and it worked out.

Q. That being said, I know he doesn't have the longest range but how happy are you with Bonagura's accuracy's so far?
COACH ASH: I'm really pleased with the progress of Bonagura throughout the first three games in the season. To be honest in training camp, I didn't know if he could make anything. He just stuck to it. He continues to grind. His confidence continues to grow.

The confidence in the football team and the coaching staff of his ability to go out and make kicks when he needs to is growing. Really proud of that kid for what he's done and what he's been able to do each Saturday out there.

Q. Has anything about what Janarion has done, has it taken you by surprise? I ask that in the sense that I'm sure you knew about him when you inherited him and I'm sure you were excited about having him, but anything on game day that's surprised you or impressed you more than you might have thought?
COACH ASH: No, not really. I guess what surprises me is when that when people know he's the go-to guy and he's the guy they've got to stop, but he can continue to make the plays that he makes; that's a little bit surprising.

But I'm really happy for the kid. He's in a really good spot right now. Shows up every day and grinds and believes in his teammates and teammates believe in him, and he's really happy right now to be in the offense and be a featured player on this football team and I just love the way he plays.

Q. At outside linebacker, how did Greg Jones look at the option with his assignments and was Clayton available?
COACH ASH: Jones did a great job today. We knew the whole option was going to be a problem, and cut blocks were going to be a big problem. The speed of their backs and their quarterbacks on the edge was going to be a problem.

There were times we were pretty good. There were times we were not. We got cut a couple times. We played off the cut blocks a couple times. I thought Jones did an outstanding job.

Just a quick update on Najee Clayton. Najee is not with us right now. He has stepped away for personal reasons right now and was not here with us today, and not sure what his status will be moving forward. But Najee Clayton is not with us right now.

Q. Robert Martin, your thoughts on his play.
COACH ASH: Outstanding. I think 170 yards rushing. That's the type of running back that we need. That's the type of running back that we expected out of Rob.


And again, we've talked about the time that he missed during training camp, I think he's pretty much full speed and running exceptionally well right now. He's getting some really tough yards and can't say enough about what Rob did and what he brings to the offense, and we need him to continue to get better and we want to be a team that can run the football and we can win at the line of scrimmage and we've done that the last couple weeks.

Q. Iowa losing this afternoon, how important is getting this win today going into the week?
COACH ASH: Every week is important. You know, a win every week is important. I'm not even concerned about that. I'm just concerned about us continue to go get better and try to play to our full potential. Whether Iowa wins or loses, it doesn't really matter to us. We have got to worry about our ourselves and focus on our preparation and on our improvement.

We have a very good football team coming in her next week. It's the Big Ten opener. Coach Ferentz and his staff are as good as there is in America, and Iowa has done an unbelievable job. Regardless of what happened today, they will have their team ready to play. It's going to be another dogfight, another battle next Saturday.

Thank you, guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Rutgers Linebacker Greg Jones
On what the defense saw that they weren't expecting: "In the beginning it was tough to adjust to because we weren't expecting those things to happen. Later in the game, we started going back to our base coverage. When they started going back to those formations, we were able to handle it. When you set up for a team who runs the triple option like they do, you have to change your base defense and go into a new defense for week. When they came out with those funky formations, we went back to our regular defense and it worked out."

On containing the triple option: "I feel like our coaches put us in the right position to be great players. They wouldn't put us out there to be in a bad spot. We train for this all week. We actually started learning this defense in the beginning of fall camp, so it's nothing new for us. We were ready for it."

Rutgers Defensive Lineman Julian Pinnix-Odrick
On the play of the defense: "We just had to go out there and do our jobs. I'm really proud of how guys adjusted and made adjustments throughout the game by bouncing back after big gains and stuff like that. When you're playing a triple option team, if guys are sticking to their assignments, it works out."

On the defense playing a lot of snaps: "We weren't as worn out as you'd think we'd be. The way we trained in the summer and throughout the year has prepared us for games like this. When our numbers are called, we have to make plays when our offense needs us."

On how the third-down defense performed: "It was just people doing their jobs. I think we pressured the quarterback better this week. We still have to do a better job at it. We're still looking for improvements and I feel like I need to make improvements in terms of rushing the passer. But when guys do their jobs, it comes down to who's going to make plays."

Rutgers Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Janarion Grant
On his punt return: "I saw where I could go, so I went that way. Then I saw the flow of the defenders coming that way, so I had to cut back and the defenders went another way so then I made another move and I was in the endzone by then."

On teams adjusting to his play: "I just have to keep my head up and be prepared that teams might kick it away from me later in the season."

On the slow start: "We just have to start faster. Even at practice, if we start slow, we just pick it up. It doesn't just happen instantaneously. It happens over time. We just have to keep getting better with it."

Rutgers Running Back Robert Martin
On what the team needs to do better: "We just need to remain focused and execute every play. That's our biggest problem. We don't execute every play. We have slip ups and that's what happened."

On the play of Janarion Grant: "Janarion is just different. I love going out there with him and competing with him. Even at practice, he wants to win at everything he does and I like that. That's how I am. Just knowing that when he has the ball in his hand, we know he can take it the distance. It means a lot."

On his 80-yard run: "When I was running, I could just feel defenders coming at my heels. I just said to myself 'pickup your heels and keep going'. I have to give credit to the offensive line. They did a good job of blocking. All week in practice I could see creases because the defense was blitzing a lot. The lanes opened up well. The offensive line executed and I just knew what I needed to do."

Rutgers Quarterback Chris Laviano
On the importance of the win and looking towards Iowa: "It was extremely important. This is where the games begin to pick up a lot and where speed and talent are difficult. We're going to study Iowa like any other team and come onto the field with a lot of juice."

On the play of Janarion Grant: "He's bailed us out of so many games and everyone is so confident in him. His mistake was early in the first quarter, so it didn't really matter. We just needed to continue making plays for him."

On the confidence of the team now: "The belief in our training and our physicality and the trust we have in our coaches, we have the confidence that no matter what the circumstance, we can prevail."

Rutgers Kicker David Bonagura
On his three-for-three day: "On the 41-yarder, immediately when I walked out there, I thought of last week when I missed from that same distance and spot on the field. I just told myself 'I'm not missing this one'. I did everything my coaches tell me to do. Right before I step back, I tell myself 'eyes back, swing through the ball, don't rush yourself and trust the front line'."

On his progression: "My ability has grown tremendously. During camp, I wasn't doing too well. I was missing kicks I shouldn't have and missing chip shots. Then I just focused on what I was doing and my mechanics and ability. I have the ability to make every kick. It's just a mechanical thing. If one thing's off, it can throw you off. So I've progressed a lot since camp."

New Mexico Head Coach Bob Davie
Opening Statement: "I thought our kids really played hard. I'm really proud how hard they played, how physical they played. We all saw what happened. We were up 21-0. We get the big wheel route thrown on us for a touchdown and then we jump out of our gap and (Robert Martin) takes the long run. They had two long runs in first half and then the punt return. But I thought, for the most part, pretty much felt in control, quite honestly, from the game plan-strategy stand point. I felt good about our plan and how our kids played. We probably had more yards than what they had. Probably had a lot more time of possession. Then we turned the ball over one time on the fumble. We had the interception, but really the fumble hurt us. We punted the ball down the middle of the field when we didn't want to. We missed a field goal there that would have gotten us within an on-side kick. Big picture, I'm proud of our kids. I'm proud of our team. (Rutgers) plays Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan their next three games and I'm more than proud of what we put on tape to have those three football teams watch what we did."

On the on-side kick: "We stopped them after that. They didn't score. We didn't execute. We've been really good at (the on-side kick). You are supposed to bounce the ball over the kid's head. We've been really good executing that. Just at that time, that moment, we didn't get it executed the way we practiced it. But I don't second guess it at all. We had some momentum there, back in the game, took our shot and didn't quite get it executed."

After going up 21-0: "Two busts. We had a corner on the wheel route that didn't come off and play the wheel route for an 80-yard touchdown. We had a defensive end jump out of his gap on the touchdown run. We had two individual mistakes that hit us at the wrong time and gave up two explosive plays. That's what the frustration is for our kids and our team. We are up 21-0 and then you give up that big pass, it's like the air comes out of the balloon a little bit. But again, we rebounded from that. Our defense in the second half was backed up after the on-side kick. After the punt return, we had a short field. The defense fought their butt off in the second half. They gave up the two big plays and (Rutgers) walks out of here with 350 yards and they had 155 of them on two plays."

On the bye week: "I think it's a good time for us. We came up here without (running back) Teriyon Gipson, without (linebacker) Dakota Cox, (corner back) Jadon Boatright, arguably our best player on offense and best players on defense. Austin (Apodaca) went down with a shoulder. It comes at a good time. We've used a lot of energy these last two weeks. I think it comes at absolutely a good time before we get into conference."

Looking at first three weeks of the season: "This one, we talked about the old thing - 'don't let New Mexico State beat us twice.' I thought our kids bounced back and played hard. We have a chance to be a good team. We talked about it after the game, we've got have a maniacal attitude of doing your job and doing the little things right. I feel better about our team right now than I did last Saturday from a standpoint of fighting against a good opponent. Again, we walk out of here with our heads held high and we have a chance to be a good team."

On the kicking game: "I'm concerned. We do have a punter punting for the first time in major college football and we made a mistake floating it down the field. (Janarion Grant) is going to prove you wrong. You kick it to (Grant) and he's going to score. The on-side - we had such an opportunity, but we just didn't get it executed right. He's really good at doing it and he didn't get the same bounce on it that he normally gets."

Redshirt Junior Quarterback Lamar Jordan
Despite the outcome, having barely played the first two games, how did it feel to be out there making plays? "That was a blessing, you know. Thank god, because those two weeks, that was hard. Playing football is my life, so I just have to thank him right now. He gave me the chance and the opportunity."

You made some nice passes there in the second half, where is your confidence at? "I've always been an athlete. The coach and I sat down and decided to upgrade my passing. It was all about mechanics the whole way through. It might sound redundant and boring, and I might have gotten tired of it, but he kept having and getting me right. You can see it starting to flourish. I thank God for the opportunity."

What's the feeling like on the team? "Rutgers was a good team. New Mexico was a good team. We're a good team and now all we've got to do is learn from those mistakes. We've been doing something good when we get out on the field. Now we've got to finish it."

On not getting discouraged after Rutgers came back from down 21-0: "It was definitely hard. The Big Ten takes a lot of heart. It was our first time playing against the Big Ten conference. We knew they were going to bring the boom and we just had to respond. We played a good game, but they just beat us by one step."

On the upcoming bye week: "We could just regroup after this game. You could tell our team is really gelling together. Rutgers was a good team and a good test for us. And I'm glad we got the opportunity."

On the play of the running backs: "I'd take any of our backs over anybody in the country. We've got a lot of backs that have a lot of talent. Of course (Teriyon Gipson), you know, is superfast, but we've got a lot of backs with a lot of talent. I felt it like we played a good game, even though (Gipson) was out. But if we had, him, who knows, we might have added 14 more points. Our backs are good. Regardless of who's in, I know they are going to shine."

On the play of offensive lineman Avery Jordan: "I felt like he did good. He's a young player and he's still learning a lot of things, but he did good. You could tell he's very athletic. The only way to learn is if you throw him in with the wolves. I felt like he did a good job. Now he can learn from there."

Redshirt Senior Safety Ryan Santos
On holding Rutgers to less yardage: "It's tough, you know. We preached about that early on in the season during camp. Big plays are what's going to kill us and kill drives. We gave up a couple big plays on defense and some on special teams. It hurts because we've talked about giving up big plays."

On how tough it was to come back after Rutgers bounced back from New Mexico's 21-0 lead: "It's tough. Mentally, we were all locked in. We talked on the sidelines, got the adjustments made. It wasn't anything they did. Deep down inside, we knew we just had to fix ourselves and just execute the plays that were called."

When you fix the mistakes, will you feel like you're a good team? "Yes, I feel like we are a very good team. If we are executing on all cylinders, special teams, offense and defense, we are a very hard team to beat."

On the upcoming bye week: "Losing two-in-a-row is never good, but we do have this open day coming up, and with these two losses, it means we have to mentally lock in for the start of conference play with San Jose. We've got to be ready since we've got a chip on our shoulder from last year."

After the bye week last year, you came back a totally different team. Do you foresee the same thing happening again? "If I'm remembering correctly, we came off of the bye and played Boise the next week. We were all locked in and ready to go. We told ourselves that we couldn't lose any more games. We came in very focused off the bye week last year and were ready to go."