What CSU football coach Jay Norvell said after the win at Air Force

AIR FORCE ACADEMY – The Rams are winners of the rivalry game.

The Colorado State football team ended an eight-game losing streak with a 21-13 victory over Air Force on Saturday.

It was CSU's first win at Air Force since 2002. Here's what coach Jay Norvell said after the game.

Jay Norvell opened up about his thoughts on defeating the Air Force

“This is not an easy place to win. I was really proud of our kids and how they fought. We had a few injuries and that kind of affected us in the second half, just our continuity, the ability to run. We lost Peter Montini. He's a guy that doesn't show up in the stats, but he really influences a lot of different things that we do. Really proud of our defense. Our defense played extremely hard tonight and ultimately came away with the win. Really proud of how our boys played football. Avery had another big night. If we had been able to keep the football going without a few of those ball losses, it wouldn't have been as close as it ended up being. Really proud of our achievement. It’s a big win for our team.”

Jay Norvell on CSU's defensive efforts

“I was really proud of her. I gave them the game ball tonight. I thought her performance was really outstanding. Anytime you can keep these guys (Air Force) under control, it's a big night. It wasn't a perfect game, but it was a game we had to win. Our guys found a way to make it happen.”

Jay Norvell on how important it was for CSU to win a rivalry game

“It is important. We beat Boise last year, which hadn't happened yet. When I started talking to the kids this week, we talked about how the CSU (Air Force) hasn't hit (on the streets) since 2002. That was 22 years ago. I think we only have three children who were alive the last time this happened. A long time ago. Completely overdue. We are very proud that we were able to do it tonight.”

Jay Norvell on what made the staff believe Gabe Kirschke could be a great asset

“We just thought he was an up-and-coming guy who was going to be a really good player. He was extremely consistent for us. Plays really hard and his teammates love him. They know he's consistent and he's really going to give it his all every time he's there. We just have a lot of selfless guys that play and really sacrifice for each other. Once you have that, things start to build on each other. I feel our team getting closer and closer together. I’m really excited about what we can achieve.”

Jay Norvell wonders if this felt like a breakout game for Gabe Kirschke

“I hope so, yes. I think he's a guy who trains extremely hard. He's a guy who sacrifices for his teammates and can only get better. That's what's exciting about him. He will only get better. We need to start stacking these types of benefits on top of each other.

Jay Norvell on how CSU has grown since the first month of the season

“I think we've been working on this since the spring, since last season. We have made many changes. We made a lot of changes to the way we train, we made some changes offensively, we made some changes defensively. We try to play as a team. We played a pretty tough schedule at the beginning of the year, we played the No. 1 team in the country (Texas). I really felt like once we started conference play we were getting going. We still have to find a way to create more turnovers and protect the ball. That's a big part of it. Our ability to control the football, control the clock and keep it away from the other team is starting to pay off. It helps our defense get through the phases and keep them fresh. I just think we complement each other better. If we can continue to have big performances on special teams, I think that will help us win games.”

Jay Norvell on Kirschke's blocked field goal and forced fumble

“The field goal was huge. That was really good free football at the end of the first half. The turnover was big, then we reacted and put the ball in the end zone.”

Jay Norvell at the start of the game

“The first ride broke my heart. We went straight down and then fumbled right at the 1/2 yard line. That would also have changed the complexion. We just have to do a better job of sticking to it. We just have to keep improving as a team. If we continue to improve in these five weeks, we can have a nice season.”

Jay Norvell on Caleb Goodie's long touchdown

“It was a great catch. Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi) did a good job reading that and getting the ball to Caleb Goodie. Our young receivers continue to progress and gain confidence each week. I think they'll continue to improve and we're capable of making explosive plays like that. We just have to keep giving them opportunities. Brayden has to keep taking her with him. Every week we make plays like that, we gain more confidence.”

Jay Norvell about not being able to run out of time late snapped before the 2 minute timeout

“We had the penalty. We were called for a high-low block, which is very rare. I don’t know, I have to watch the film, but the punishment really hurt us.”

Jay Norvell on what allowed Air Force to get back into the game in the fourth quarter

“We just didn’t have the continuity we needed offensively. We needed more continuity and first downs, but we just couldn't get that. We struggled to find our rhythm there. After Peter got hurt, we were trying to figure out who we could play at tight end. Vince (Brown) went down. As far as our tight end positions go, things just got a little hairy there. This is something we will overcome, learn from this performance and make corrections.”

Jay Norvell on whether he felt pressure to win a rivalry game

“I've been under pressure as a football coach for 40 years, so I honestly don't even know how to answer that question.”

Jay Norvell says if he feels relief if he wins the rivalry game

“No, I mean, we wanted to win the game. It was important for us to win it and we’ll get another chance when we play Wyoming.”

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