bleedCrimson.net: Obviously it's important when you're playing a team that's down to get out to a fast start and keep them down and not let them or the fans get into the game and obviously you did that quite well.
DeWayne Walker: Yeah that was something I know we needed to do, we needed to get to a fast start to try to take the will out of them. I was a little worried if we would match touchdown for touchdown that it was going to go down to the wire. I was really impressed with our offense coming out and putting it on them and our defense playing well enough to get the score to a point to where it was almost going to take a miracle for them to come back and win the game. Our special teams played better, we still need them to continue to improve but I thought they played well enough not to put us in a position to have to fight an uphill battle.

bc.net: Matt Christian had a career day with four touchdown passes and a touchdown run. In the first quarter on the second touchdown drive the ball he threw to Austin Franklin on the far sideline and then the touchdown pass to Franklin were maybe the two best passes that he's thrown not just this season but all of last season as well.
DW: He's really improved. Coach Martin has done a good job working with his mechanics and he's taken it upon himself to step his game up. It's kind of what you expect out of a guy that's started some games and a guy that's a senior. As far as I'm concerned I expect that out of him.

bc.net: Austin Franklin also had a breakout game, you talked a lot about him when you signed him, you talked a lot about him in fall camp as being a potential big time player and he really showed that on Saturday.
DW: Yeah that's why we recruited him and he's a guy I knew could do these things, it was just a matter of him doing it in the game. I know a lot of people were wowed at what he was able to accomplish but he was pretty much what I've expected out of him all season.

bc.net: On defense Donyae Coleman has been a turnover machine this season. What's been the major factor in him being such an impact player on defense?
DW: It's just passion. The thing I love about him and you'd love to have all your players follow, he's a guy that does exactly what you tell him to do and he does it with passion. He's a great example of doing what you're supposed to do and trust what you're asked to do and it's going to work. I'm just real happy for him and real happy that he's having a good season.

bc.net: What is your team's injury situation as you head into the bye week?
DW: B.J. [Adolpho] is dinged up a little bit so we'll rest him this week to ensure he's ready for Idaho. I think we'll get Robert Clay back. I know Matt [Christian] is dinged up a little bit but I think he'll be okay for practice, we've just gotta watch him. This is a good time to try to get guy back healthy and try to get ready for a good Idaho team.

bc.net: This is obviously a really good time for a bye week as far as injuries go but coming off of five straight weeks, two rivalry games, a game against a BCS team, the opening game against Ohio and then the conference opener against San Jose State, from a mental aspect and being able to rest a little bit and clean up some things, how important is this bye week for you?
DW: It's coming at a decent time for us. It's pretty close to the midpoint. It's good timing for us. Our guys are still going to get three good days of practice then we'll give them some days off at the end of the week and try to get them freshened up and ready to play.

bc.net: You used Travaughn Colwell in the game against UNM. What's your plan to try to work him into the offense the rest of the season?
DW: We'll probably utilize him in our wildcat packages to take some of the heat off of Matt with the quarterback run game and take some of the hits off of him. We need to get him some snaps just to get him conditioned on what Division I football is all about so we'll be careful how we use him but I think there's a place for him to help our run game.

bc.net: Heading into the bye week what are some of the biggest things you want to work on with your team as you head into the second half of the season?
DW: What I've told the players and the coaches, we just have to be real constructive on some of the things that we need to do better. We've got to look it in the eye and not be sensitive about some of the things that we definitely need to improve. Obviously we want to continue our run game and really just to create more consistency offensively of scoring points. That's where most of our players are and it was designed that way from a recruiting standpoint because you have to score points in college football. We need them to be able to score consistently and defensively we've gotta get stops to ensure victories. I think our defense has played pretty good in spurts but we're going to have to create when the game is on the line, we've got to get those keys stops to help our football team. Special teams, I thought our cover teams have improved but now we've got to get our punt return team and our punt team improved on this bye week.

bc.net: One of the things that the offense has been able to, regardless of whether it's been Andrew Manley or Matt Christian, is your team has been pinned deep in your end several times throughout the season and you've been able to put together some really long sustained drives and flip the field position and a lot of times score a touchdown out of that.
DW: That's big because that field position, that's where our special teams is going to have to help us flip the field at times and then obviously we need our offense to continue to be consistent to flip the field at times too for us when we're trying to play the field position game. They've done a great job in that area.

bc.net: One other thing that's been a staple for your team even through the first two seasons is you've had a knack for putting together the one big drive that chews a lot of time off the clock.
DW: Yeah, again, I think we're getting better but we've got to be able to run the football. You've gotta be able to move the sticks and you've got to be able to run the football. That's offensive football. That's just mandated. Just like it's mandated for our special teams to do certain things and our defense is mandated, we need to move the sticks. I think we've done a good job of executing when we need to, especially in the games that we have been able to win.

bc.net: Obviously the UNM game was a big win and you had big win over Minnesota and after the San Jose State game you talked about wanting your team to respond a little bit better to a big win. With the bye week you've got some time off, what are some things that you specifically want to see improvements in in the way they handle a big win.
DW: I'm going to be pretty adamant and I'll preach to the guys that we have a game Saturday. The mindset and the practice demeanor as if we're preparing to play a game on Saturday. Understanding we don't have a game but I want that type of mindset and attention to detail this week in practice.