Ty Simpson, Dan Lanning lead top quotes from College Football Playoff first round

The College Football Playoff is here, and with it, a unique opportunity for programs to showcase their brand and their stars in front of the entire country. The scene couldn’t be much bigger. The spotlights couldn’t be brighter.

Of course, this also means that funny post-match banter that would normally be written off in the moment gets increased attention. In addition to high-stakes football, this weekend brought many such quotes. From Ty Simpson referencing Geno Smith to Dan Lanning morose after a win, there have been plenty of memorable moments in front of postgame microphones across the bracket.

Here are the top quotes from the first round of the College Football Playoff.

“We won’t answer!” » — Alabama QB Ty Simpson

The Crimson Tide made College Football Playoff history Friday night, becoming the first team to win a playoff game on the road (all four home teams won their first-round games in last year’s bracket).

Victory did not come without some initial difficulties. Oklahoma took a 17-0 lead, and in the second quarter it seemed possible that Alabama would be left in the dust. But Simpson and the Crimson Tide rallied, scoring 27 unanswered points to erase the deficit and enter the final quarter with a 27-17 lead. The Sooners didn’t go away, but Alabama ultimately closed out the game for a 34-24 victory. After the final whistle, Simpson referenced Oklahoma’s early lead, paying tribute to Geno Smith by co-opting the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback line for the 2022 season.

“I couldn’t find enough wipes to clean myself.” — Miami coach Mario Cristobal

Even though Miami-Texas A&M wasn’t exactly a high-scoring affair, the game was far from disappointing in terms of entertainment and drama. The two teams combined for a remarkable four missed field goals and four turnovers, with the Hurricanes eventually intercepting Marcel Reed in the end zone with less than 30 seconds left to stop a potential Aggies tie.

Miami’s victory sparked a jubilant scene on Cristobal’s sideline — including former Hurricanes and superfan Michael Irvin hugging the coach during his postgame interview. Cristobal said Irvin was “great,” but made his opinion clear on the health nature (or lack thereof) of this form of celebration.

“PG is not going to change if you change a label in front of his name.” – Joe Judge, Ole Miss quarterbacks coach

You’d be hard-pressed to find many head coaching debuts better than that of new Rebels boss Pete Golding, who took over at Oxford at the end of the regular season when Lane Kiffin accepted the LSU Tigers job.

Golding got off to a 1-0 start Saturday, leading the Rebels to a dominant 41-10 victory over Tulane. The Rebels amassed 497 total yards of offense in the triumph. After the game, former Giants coach Joe Judge, one of Kiffin’s former staffers who will remain at Oxford with Golding, complimented his new boss’s ability to stay the course after being promoted under chaotic circumstances.

“You have to be able to suffocate someone. We didn’t do that. – Oregon coach Dan Lanning

Make no mistake: Oregon beat James Madison 51-34 to advance to the College Football Playoff. But if the way the Ducks played in the second half is any indication, Lanning was right to be concerned.

Leading 34-6 at halftime, Oregon let James Madison score 28 points in the second half while only scoring 17. Even though his team never really threatened to lose the game, Lanning clearly wasn’t happy with the way they closed things out.