What CSU coach Jim Mora said after win over San Diego State

Colorado State is back in the win column.

>The Rams won a 56-49 shootout over San Diego State on Oct. 24 at Canvas Stadium to snap a four-game losing skid.

>Hauss Hejny accounted for five total touchdowns for the Rams.

>Here's a look at the highlights of what CSU coach Jim Mora said after the game.

class="exclude-from-newsgate">Watch his full postgame press conference in the video at the top of the story.

Jim Mora opening statement after win over San Diego State"Proud of our young men. Proud of our players. It has not been an easy month. I’ve continued to harp on their character and the way they stay connected and they needed all of that tonight because that was a bit of a barn-burner there. I didn’t think they blinked. I didn’t think there were any cracks in the armor. They were persistent, they were committed, they showed great resolve. We talked all week about what it takes to overcome adversity… They buy in. They embrace in the things that are important and it shows up in moments like this when you’ve lost four in a row and you’re in a game where it could easily go one way or another and you find a way to get a win.

>"These are the games you really learn from and you apply those lessons going forward and you build on the things that work. We still have a ton of work to go on defense. You walk in here and you’ve given up over 500 yards and 49 points and you say we’re playing better defense and people go ‘your bar is pretty low.’ The bar is not low, the bar is very, very high, but what we need to see is improvement. We saw improvement. Improvement doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet or on the scoreboard. It shows up in the way you play, the way you fix errors, the way you respond to plays made against you.

>"It shows up in making plays. We were much more consistent stopping the run. We had more negative plays. We still gave up too many big plays in the pass game. We gave up a couple plays in the run game but the positive is we understand now and most importantly our players understand how to fix the issues we have when they happen during a game. That’s a step we need to continue to make."

Jim Mora on offense is more confident, calm with Hauss Hejny"Not confidence because K’saan (Farrar) did such a great job. Not more calm, no. Just Hauss’s energy is infectious. Hauss is different. He prepares like great NFL quarterbacks prepare. I’m not saying he’s going to be a great NFL quarterback or he’s not going to be a great NFL quarterback, but he prepares the way the great ones prepare all week long. He has faith in his ability. When you combine the preparation with the ability you get the results. That’s impressive. We love his energy. Of course, I would love to see us eliminate the two turnovers but I don’t ever want to tell Hauss not to be Hauss. Hauss has got to go be Hauss. He’ll take the turnovers harder than anybody and make sure they get fixed. He’s a difference maker."

Jim Mora on Hauss Hejny's confidence and it's impact on team"They see how he works. He has a voice, he doesn’t use it a lot but when he does it’s meaningful. His teammates respect him. If you’re named Hauss, you better have some damn swagger. I mean, your parents named you Hauss, you’ve got to live up to it."

Jim Mora on receiver Tommy Maher"He was our spark man tonight along with Hauss… Tommy’s like a hidden gem. He’s so reliable. He’s so consistent. Along the lines of Hauss, he’s a hard worker. He knows what to do all the time. When your quarterback trusts you, they’re going to sling it to you. Tommy made great plays. I was really happy for him. He deserved that. We’re missing RJ Vick, he’ll be back next week. When you’re missing a player like that, or Juice (Vereen) goes out, you need somebody to step up and do a nice job and Tommy did a nice job tonight."

Jim Mora on if win is more happiness or relief"I think it’s both those things. Probably for me, it’s probably relief. For the players, they’re kids, they’re jacked up. They just won a game, they’re fired up. Then you have to bring them back down (Sunday) and get back to work and remind them what allowed us to get ourselves in position to win the game tonight. I’m feeling a little bit of relief right now but I’m not going to feel relieved when I look at the film. I’m going to be ready to go back to work."

>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 CSU coach Jim Mora said after win over San Diego State