What Jay Norvell said after CSU football's win over New Mexico

The Colorado State football team now has 13 straight wins against New Mexico.

The Rams defeated New Mexico 17-6 on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at Canvas Stadium.

CSU (5-3, 3-0 Mountain West) is now one win away from bowl eligibility.

This is what CSU coach Jay Norvell said after the win.

Jay Norvell opened up about his thoughts on the win over New Mexico

“Really proud of the team. We've settled in over the last month and started really mature preparation. We are really proud of how our team trained, how our coaches worked and prepared our players and how our players handled matchday. I think it just shows in the energy we play with, the physicality, the fundamentals we play with. We've really tried to go back and practice and really emphasize those areas to play consistently week in and week out. We're starting to see it. Really proud of our defense. The effort we showed tonight, the attention to detail, the turnovers, how we covered, how we kept that quarterback in the pocket. That quarterback (Devon Dampier) was their best player. They made yards as he scrambled and came out of the pocket. We made a special effort to keep him in the pocket and get him to throw. He is a very good player. They have a very good offensive team, but I'm really proud of the way our defense stepped up and played tonight. Our offense was physical. I have to take my hat off to Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi). I took him aside and said to him, “Listen, it's your job to put this team in a position to win and take care of the football.” That's what we did tonight, we didn't lose the ball. Our defense got four. That was the difference in the game in my opinion. We had more rush attempts than them. We kind of controlled the game. This is a really positive step for us.”

Jay Norvell on the sold-out crowd at Canvas Stadium

“Our audience stayed until the end. Our students were great. They were very loud on third down and that made the difference today. When I took this job I dreamed of playing at Canvas and having an atmosphere like that and we're starting to get it and I'm very, very excited about it. That might be the hardest place for people to play and we’re starting to make it difficult.”

More: Colorado State posts record attendance pace as Rams sellout New Mexico

Jay Norvell on CSU's defensive efforts against New Mexico

“I just think about consistency. I think we have some kids who are coming out of this confident. I really like the way we reported today. We were aggressive in our reporting. We challenged receivers. I'm very proud of our pass rush. We lost a guy like Mo Kamara (to the NFL), who was a dominant pass rusher. I knew we had to do it with technique, discipline and relentlessness and that's exactly what we did tonight. Many different types. (Gabe) Kirschke and Mukendi (Wa-Kalonji) and Nuer (Gatkuoth). DeAndre Gill played tonight, he hadn't played yet this year. Kennedy McDowell. I can't praise Cam Bariteau and James Mitchell enough. We have a lot of big guys on this team whose names are never mentioned. They get beat up and in pain during the week, but they give us everything they have. Those two guys (Bariteau and Mitchell) played really well tonight.”

Jay Norvell on the CSU's style

“To be honest, we don't really worry about style aspects. We want to do the things we have to do to win. That's exactly what we're finding out. We have to get better offensively in the second half.”

Jay Norvell on defense held firm in the second half

“I’m proud of that and that’s what I expect. We have excellent defensive leadership in Jack Howell, Henry Blackburn and Chase Wilson. They're doing a great job, along with Cam and J-Mitch. We knew it would be a long game. Completely different than the game a week ago (against Air Force). The style is completely different. Longer game, more attacks for defense, more coverage. I thought they adjusted and handled that. We try to keep them off the field offensively so they can rest. That helped too.”

Jay Norvell on the offense not turning the ball over

“It was good. I think Brayden did a great job taking care of the ball. He has significantly reduced his sales. We tinkered with the football and then just went back and mastered the basics. Turnover round, we want to go back to the first day of training camp. We must continue to do this. The boys were aware of this. We just have to build on that. I'm just determined to be a team that gets better and better at the end of the season. We were always very proud of that.”

Jay Norvell on Kobe Johnson

“I just think it shows how selfless he is as a player in finding ways to contribute. He threw a touchdown pass a week ago. He has the big punt return this week. I just had a lot of confidence when we lost Tory (Horton). Kobe is just such an experienced player. He has so much confidence in situations. I told Tommy (Perry) I wanted to see Kobe there again and give him a chance. It gives him a chance to get his hands on the ball. He doesn’t have the speed on offense that he used to have, but what a valuable player he must be.”

Jay Norvell at the goal line makes a stop to start the third quarter

“Really big. That goal line score was really big. Our boys just kept playing. There have been times in the past when we got a negative play or the team pushed the ball down and you could feel the momentum changing. We tried to emphasize to our guys that momentum is just a mindset. It's just a setting. To get it back you have to focus on the next play, focus on the techniques and fundamentals you need to apply and we can get it back right away. We have a lot of capable players. We have a lot of guys that have the ability to make big plays.”

Jay Norvell on the CSU's change of style

“You have to find ways to keep people’s scores down if you want to win consistently. Sometimes you don't do that when you're freewheeling. You're not on the field long enough, your defense doesn't settle down, and the other offense gets a chance to make more shots. It's like an analogy in baseball. If you give people enough attacks, they will finally take hits on you. We try to limit their attacks and play complementary football on offense and defense. I think it helps our defense be fresher and more effective. We have to find ways to improve performance and score more points. We will continue to work on this. I'm really proud of the special teams plays because that was important too…We're just trying to be on the right side of the slate. You count the W's the same, whether it's five points or 50 points. At the end of the year, people really don't care. We will continue to try to find ways to stay on the right side of the ledger.”

Jay Norvell on the importance of developing habits off the field

“I lay the key to victory and talk about all these things on Monday and then I talk about it on Friday. We are very aware of this. I think we are a more competent team. I think we understand football better. I think we have a lot of kids learning football. If you enter a program where they didn't win, they don't do that. It's a learned behavior to watch film every day, study the opponent, understand the game plan and communicate with the coaches. We have a lot of kids investing and improving as players and getting ready for Saturday games. In those critical moments when adjustments need to be made, doing so requires a lot of hard work and preparation. Our boys are learning how to do that and become a successful football team.”

Jay Norvell on becoming a successful program

“If you want to win, you have to take a tough path. It's not easy and it's not for the faint of heart and not for the weak. The weak are forgotten. We talk about it all the time. We have to make the decision to do those hard things to be able to win on Saturday.”

Keep following sports reporter Kevin Lytle X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.