Postgame quotes after the 31-7 ASU defeat
Arizona State Interim Head Coach Shaun Aguano:
On not being able to mount a comeback:
“No it didn’t and we played a very disappointing game in all phases. Our kids still played and they played hard, but it was disappointing on all sides. From a defensive standpoint we couldn’t stop them and from an offensive standpoint we couldn’t get anything going to play catch up. Missing a field goal and a muffed punt, so it wasn’t good enough. Just a huge disappointment.”
On the 4th and 9 call at midfield:
“We didn’t have anything to lose, a couple of times it was fourth-and-eight and we were way back in our territory and I had to punt it. There’s nothing to lose in these games so I made the choice to go for it.”
On the play calling from the offense today:
“I thought we were able to run the football pretty well, they were sitting on a lot of stuff. We had a couple of drives where we didn’t get to the sticks. When you have third-and-five you have those stick plays and when it’s fourth-and-six and you’re half-a-yard short because you don’t pass the play prior, it’s just awareness. A couple of drives we had penalties that we couldn’t recover from so it wasn’t good from an offensive standpoint and i’ll take the blame for that.”
On if there’s a emotional toll on the players and it carrying over to next week:
“I don’t think there’s a concern. People talk about a one game season and it truly is now a one game season for us. Have they been through a lot? Yeah, they have been through a lot with injuries but everybody else has played through injuries. But has it accumulated? Maybe a little bit but our guys are trying and so now we have five days to get ready for this one game season that means a whole lot to many people, especially our team as well. We got to get back on the horse and get going and get ready for Arizona.”
On if he wants his players to recall today’s game or to immediately forget about it:
“I think right after the game you should feel it. Because if you’re a competitor, losing is never good but again we got 24 hours. We don’t have a bye day this week and we have to get to work again tomorrow. Everybody is going to come in and get to work again tomorrow and practice on Monday so there is no time to think about it. Again we have to get right back on it and get ready for Friday because we’re losing that one day.”
On what he saw from Trenton Bourguet and the receivers and why the pass game didn’t work:
“I think just fluidity, they squatted a couple of times on themselves and gave us a chance to hit those. I think we’re on par. I think we have to have feet under us when we throw the football and things like that. From a fluidity standpoint we just weren’t getting it done.”
On the importance of next week’s game:
“Now, it’s all for pride, and that’s huge. When both teams don’t get into a bowl game, then it becomes all about pride. They have something to prove, and we have something to prove to make sure that we keep the Cup here. Now, it’s mano e mano, and who is going to be the best team. We're going to go down there and try our best and put out the best product that we can. We have five days, and we have to get ready to go.”
On what he saw with missed tackles against Oregon State’s run game in the second half:
“I just don’t think we are not following through on our tackles. We get them pinned up, then they run right through our tackles, and that’s not good. A couple of times we have them chopped in the back field, then they scored it out. Now it’s just from a fundamental standpoint. It’s just not tackling well, and we have to go about it and fix that.”
On if a game next week makes today’s game easier to flush out:
“Absolutely. We’ll forget about it tomorrow and game plan. I told the coaches, usually when they come in they have to watch film at 11 o’clock after they get home at 2 o’clock in the morning, but now we are going to have to go home and come in real early to prepare for U of A. We will flush this one and get ready for U of A. We have to have our practice scripts ready by Monday morning, so there is not going to be a lot of sleep for our coaches. Our kids deserve that.”
On what he saw with the coverage on Oregon State’s passing:
“I think they did a great job with their play action. They run the stretch really well, and when you're effectively running the stretch plays, all the boot stuff comes out. They are effective, doing that. You get dirty eyes, trying to stop the run and they did well with their tight ends, so I thought they game planned us really well.”
On uplifting the team no matter the result of the game:
“Absolutely I did today, they have nothing to be embarrassed about with this game. I went in there as soon as we finished and I apologized to the seniors because it wasn’t enough, but I praised them for playing hard and coming together. Nobody sees what’s in that locker room, but the way they’ve come together, it’s been hard keeping positive for them when there sometimes aren’t too many positives. They’re resilient, they’re great kids. The 16 of them that I shared a hug with before we went out was special because they really want the best for this team and they’ve shown that.”
On Xavian Valladay’s performance:
“Valladay is special. He’s a force, he’s going to do whatever it takes and I am proud of him. He’s the heart and soul of our football team and I’m proud of his fight.”
On keeping the team emotionally locked in:
“You have to find the positives and make sure that you build up from those, and then quickly correct things in a positive way. Coming down on those guys, they all feel bad enough, and it’s my job as a leader to make sure that the fun part is still there. If the kids are having fun and the practices are hard but fun, and there’s a purpose and a why to play, that’s my job. In these next five days, I need to make sure that I keep that going.”
On having the opportunity to be head coach going into the Territorial Cup:
“It’s an honor to be up here and sitting as the current head coach of Arizona State when we go play down south, I think it’s going to be a great game for us. I’m very honored, and I’m going to do my best to make sure that we play a great football game and do what we have to do to win. I’ll give it my everything.”
Arizona State Redshirt Junior QB Trenton Bourguet:
On how not having a lot of time to pass complicated matters:
“They did a good job giving us hard looks, protection-wise. I thought our line, overall, did a good job. They rode us on defense, did a good job at taking the deep stuff away, and bringing some pressure early, which hurt us offensively. We have to learn from it and get ready for next week.”
On if Oregon brought out any new pressures in the second half:
“They did everything that we thought they would, they did a good job at dropping into zone coverages and deep crosses, but at the end of the day they play college football as well. It’s mano e mano, we’ve got to better ourselves at coming down to the ball.”
On the second half:
“I think we needed to come out faster both offensively and defensively. We need to come out as a team: we can’t wait for them to make a big play and then have a delayed reaction. As soon as that first kickoff is there, we need to come out ready to go. Defense did a great job at the first half holding them a couple times in the end zone, but at the end of the day we just need a full team effort.”
On what needs to be done to beat Arizona next week:
“Like (Kyle Soelle) said, we have to have a great week of practice. I hope everybody can lock in this week. It’s the biggest game of the season. Like Kyle (Soelle), like X (Valladay), if people can play with that effort and that emotion, we will come out victorious. We have to lock in and play for one another and put on for Arizona State.”
On why the offense could not get the vertical passing game going:
“I think protection was a big one. They were able to get some pressure [on us] early, and made me get off my read faster. They do a good job at bringing exotic looks and staying deep. Their DB’s are pretty lengthy. Their corners are both six-two, six-three. They had a couple of injuries that caused some other people to play out there, but they did a good job overall. We just have to play better.”
On if they brought anything pressure-wise in the secondary that was not seen in film this past week:
“They did everything that we thought they would. Like I said, they good a job of dropping into zone coverages and getting underneath our deep crosses. At the end of the day, we have to make plays. They play college football as well, so we have to do better ourselves to come down with the ball.”
Arizona State Senior LB Kyle Soelle
On what he saw in Oregon State’s offense in the first half:
“I’m just focused on next week.”
On if today was emotional because it was his last game at Sun Devil Stadium:
“Absolutely. It is emotional the way the season has gone. You never want your last season to go like that., but it is what it is. You don’t get to pick the cards you’re dealt, you just get to pick your attitude towards it. We have a big game next week. It’s hate week. That’s really my focus now.”
On what needs to be done to beat Arizona next week:
“We have to have our best week of practice. We have to have our best week of preparation. They are a good team down there. If we don’t prepare right, we will be embarrassed.”
On being captain this season and looking to his final game next week at Arizona:
“It means a lot. I feel like that game every year means a lot to me, to the local guys, to this school, to this program; to anyone who’s a Sun Devil, it means a lot. All my eggs are in that basket next week, and I know the rest of the team is thinking that way too. We’ve got to have our best week of preparation and we need to come ready to play. They’re a good team down south, we need to come prepared.”
On if there is difficulty getting guys to focus for next week:
“For next week it shouldn’t be. Next week I [feel like] the records are 0-0.”
Oregon State Head Coach Jonathan Smith:
Opening Statement:
“(I’m) Proud of the guys, came down here in a big road win for us. A lot of guys played and just proud of all three phases. Multiple guys who hadn't been starters stepped in and played really well. These guys were excited to play, played really well with each other and I think it showed out there.”
On the 3rd quarter coming out of halftime:
“(We) Separated the game there, I thought the end of the half that drive offensively to go up seven was big and then it’s a one score game. We come out and get the ball and we score, defense gets another stop, we score again with the long drive with the quarterback draw and so it was a good start to the second half.”
On Ben Gulbranson’s performance:
“I thought he was really good tonight, threw it well. Decisions extended the play, moved his feet around and protected him for the most part. I thought it was one of his better games.”
On the challenge today with the injuries:
“We were challenged, but also I think guys were excited about the idea of guys wanting to step up and go down there… If you would have said that in August it would have been kind of scary. These guys didn't bat an eye and shoot I think about Tanner Miller stepping in there and playing, Jeremiah Annoy gets a huge catch later in the game, the Irish wasn't our punt returner was our punt returner out there on punts, coop played good out there on corner as well, Jaden Robinson was playing corner early in the game because Bray (Bruener) went down but came back. Those were a bunch of examples of guys and I know our team is excited about having a lot of guys involved.”
On the benefits of being a veteran team:
“The older group that they are, we talk about adversity and the different ways it comes. So I was confident that these guys' approach was knowing that we have to play well on the road and they were confident to do it.”
On what separated the defense today:
“I know on that one drive, missed a lot of tackles and we didn’t fit it correctly and so a couple of missed assignments that led to longer runs. We got to get some guys on the ground, there's no panic on that side of the ball. Again we got some veterans on that side that kind of regrouped and understood the mistakes that they weren't going to make. Did a good job of stopping the ball on third down and forcing the ball to come out in the second half. Again you play in this league, they got good players, that back is a good player. So it's not going to be easy to keep them going 3 and out or punting all the time.
On key to what got Ben Gulbranson going today:
“We threw it early for the first couple plays of the game. I think it was for the first three plays of the game we were throwing it and wanted to get some completions for him. I think he prepares well, recognizes the coverage, I thought the offensive staff had a good scheme to have completions for him, to complement the run game. I think the first half the only time we got stuck was when we took a second down loss on the run game. So Ben was really good tonight and efficient and played with great effort running the ball.”
On Jack Bellamy being so open today:
“I give credit to the design. I don't think Bellamy is doing anything to get that open. The first one is play action pass so we're faking one way and he's going the other way. It was well designed by the staff.”
On Damien Martinez’s 100+ yards in five straight games:
“He's physical now, he isn't going down easy. I think some of those runs he's getting to the line of scrimmage, making guys miss, pushing the pile and finishing runs. He’s a good player.
On thoughts when the game became tied:
“That was huge, they tied this thing up and I think there was just under two minutes left and for us to be so efficient going down and making big plays that was a game changer. Momentum wise that whole thing added on to the second half.”
On if Jack Colletto’s absence changed anything in the offensive game plan:
“It changes a couple of things: short yardage, knowing that we are not going to use him as much, he plays plate fullback, so Malik Kelley came in and did a couple of carries for us there. Flip it on the other side, depth at linebacker, so that’s a piece, because he’s really Omar [Speights]. He plays when Omar goes and gets a blow, and that wasn’t available. That’s why I’m back to John Miller getting in the game and doing some good stuff. He affects special teams, so at all four phases we had guys running in for him. It was a big piece.”
On when he starts to look ahead to Oregon:
“I’m going to try to get on this airplane before we dive into it. Obviously, big game coming up and the approach is we’re going to digest this thing. We have things to clean up, and then we’ll be heading toward them.”
On if he feels they played close to as well as they have all year:
“I think around that. I challenged them to go back-to-back, because I think against Cal, in all three phases we played pretty solid, and I think we did it again today.”
On if he feels they are on the right track with the most important games being played late in the season:
“The last couple of weeks, no question. We have a big one to end November.”
Oregon State Freshman RB Damien Martinez:
On the culture pushing them to thrive:
“Definitely. Like Ben (Gulbranson) said, that next man up mentality. Everyone’s ready to make their play, everyone’s steady work, keeping each other up so we’re all ready to make a play when our numbers are called.”
On keeping the runs going:
“As a running back group, we just want to get the extra two. That is our mentality. After contact, keep your legs running and keep your head down.”
On have five straight 100 yard games:
“I guess I wouldn’t say I'm too excited or anything like that. I just want to keep working to be even better.”
Oregon State Redshirt Freshman QB, Ben Gulbranson:
On putting injuries behind them throughout the week:
“I think it goes to show the hard work that everyone on this team has put into it, whether it be the off-season or at practices this year. Just knowing that if my number gets called, I know I need to go in there and execute. It just goes to show that we’re a special team because of that. That mindset of the next man up. I will keep working hard knowing that my time will come up. Congrats to all the guys out there that made a bunch of really great plays. A lot of guys out there made a lot of really great plays and it was really fun to see.”
On what was clicking for him today:
“I just felt that this whole week we prepared really hard to go into this week. We watched a lot of tape, we were really planning for this. I think we were down and up in practice, executing cleanly. It’s fun to come in here as a collective unit and roll like that.”
On the drive right before half:
“Sometimes when you go fast like that, everything is just flowing. You’re not really thinking about it. Guys are making great plays. We work those two-minute drills in practice every week and it shows out there. The work that you put in outside of the game, and when it comes to game time it shows.”
On when they start thinking about the Ducks:
“Like Coach Smith said, right when the plane lands. We’re onto Oregon. Looking forward to getting *stadium name* packed and we want to get those guys. They’re a great team over there and we’re looking forward to it. Maybe we’re thinking about it a little bit. Coach was talking a little bit about what he was seeing coverage wise on the field as we were walking off. I think we’re looking forward to a great week of practice coming up.”
Oregon State Sophomore DB, Skyler Thomas:
On secondary being banged up:
“We talked about this all week that the standard is the standard. That’s something that we go by. Our first group of DB’s is really good. That next man up has to play by that standard as well and there’s no exceptions.”
On when they broke the ASU offense:
“After halftime, we came in and talked about how to get it going. As soon as we got into the third quarter, it was lights out.”
On what is going right for the defense:
I think our defense has been really good all year. With the injuries and us coming together and tighter, we were always one but now we’re even more so. Us coming together has made our defense even better.”
Oregon State Sophomore ILB, Easton Mascarnas-Arnold:
On the next man up mentality and dealing with injuries:
“I think it united us a little bit more. Knowing that we had to have that next man up mentality brought us together even more. We knew there were guys down and we knew there were things we had to do. I think we all came together as a group and performed a little bit better than we usually do knowing that we had guys.”
On offensive drive before halftime that extended their lead:
“It was vital. We knew the offense is a dominant offense and they showed it today. I think we did good on defense, keeping the points down and like Skyler [Thomas] said, we came out after halftime and got together. We did before the game but at halftime especially we knew we had to eliminate the run game and make them one dimensional. I think we did that in the second half.”
On thinking about Oregon:
“I’ve been thinking about the Ducks since before the season started. We’re ready for that one. We’re ready.”
Arizona State Interim Head Coach Shaun Aguano:
On not being able to mount a comeback:
“No it didn’t and we played a very disappointing game in all phases. Our kids still played and they played hard, but it was disappointing on all sides. From a defensive standpoint we couldn’t stop them and from an offensive standpoint we couldn’t get anything going to play catch up. Missing a field goal and a muffed punt, so it wasn’t good enough. Just a huge disappointment.”
On the 4th and 9 call at midfield:
“We didn’t have anything to lose, a couple of times it was fourth-and-eight and we were way back in our territory and I had to punt it. There’s nothing to lose in these games so I made the choice to go for it.”
On the play calling from the offense today:
“I thought we were able to run the football pretty well, they were sitting on a lot of stuff. We had a couple of drives where we didn’t get to the sticks. When you have third-and-five you have those stick plays and when it’s fourth-and-six and you’re half-a-yard short because you don’t pass the play prior, it’s just awareness. A couple of drives we had penalties that we couldn’t recover from so it wasn’t good from an offensive standpoint and i’ll take the blame for that.”
On if there’s a emotional toll on the players and it carrying over to next week:
“I don’t think there’s a concern. People talk about a one game season and it truly is now a one game season for us. Have they been through a lot? Yeah, they have been through a lot with injuries but everybody else has played through injuries. But has it accumulated? Maybe a little bit but our guys are trying and so now we have five days to get ready for this one game season that means a whole lot to many people, especially our team as well. We got to get back on the horse and get going and get ready for Arizona.”
On if he wants his players to recall today’s game or to immediately forget about it:
“I think right after the game you should feel it. Because if you’re a competitor, losing is never good but again we got 24 hours. We don’t have a bye day this week and we have to get to work again tomorrow. Everybody is going to come in and get to work again tomorrow and practice on Monday so there is no time to think about it. Again we have to get right back on it and get ready for Friday because we’re losing that one day.”
On what he saw from Trenton Bourguet and the receivers and why the pass game didn’t work:
“I think just fluidity, they squatted a couple of times on themselves and gave us a chance to hit those. I think we’re on par. I think we have to have feet under us when we throw the football and things like that. From a fluidity standpoint we just weren’t getting it done.”
On the importance of next week’s game:
“Now, it’s all for pride, and that’s huge. When both teams don’t get into a bowl game, then it becomes all about pride. They have something to prove, and we have something to prove to make sure that we keep the Cup here. Now, it’s mano e mano, and who is going to be the best team. We're going to go down there and try our best and put out the best product that we can. We have five days, and we have to get ready to go.”
On what he saw with missed tackles against Oregon State’s run game in the second half:
“I just don’t think we are not following through on our tackles. We get them pinned up, then they run right through our tackles, and that’s not good. A couple of times we have them chopped in the back field, then they scored it out. Now it’s just from a fundamental standpoint. It’s just not tackling well, and we have to go about it and fix that.”
On if a game next week makes today’s game easier to flush out:
“Absolutely. We’ll forget about it tomorrow and game plan. I told the coaches, usually when they come in they have to watch film at 11 o’clock after they get home at 2 o’clock in the morning, but now we are going to have to go home and come in real early to prepare for U of A. We will flush this one and get ready for U of A. We have to have our practice scripts ready by Monday morning, so there is not going to be a lot of sleep for our coaches. Our kids deserve that.”
On what he saw with the coverage on Oregon State’s passing:
“I think they did a great job with their play action. They run the stretch really well, and when you're effectively running the stretch plays, all the boot stuff comes out. They are effective, doing that. You get dirty eyes, trying to stop the run and they did well with their tight ends, so I thought they game planned us really well.”
On uplifting the team no matter the result of the game:
“Absolutely I did today, they have nothing to be embarrassed about with this game. I went in there as soon as we finished and I apologized to the seniors because it wasn’t enough, but I praised them for playing hard and coming together. Nobody sees what’s in that locker room, but the way they’ve come together, it’s been hard keeping positive for them when there sometimes aren’t too many positives. They’re resilient, they’re great kids. The 16 of them that I shared a hug with before we went out was special because they really want the best for this team and they’ve shown that.”
On Xavian Valladay’s performance:
“Valladay is special. He’s a force, he’s going to do whatever it takes and I am proud of him. He’s the heart and soul of our football team and I’m proud of his fight.”
On keeping the team emotionally locked in:
“You have to find the positives and make sure that you build up from those, and then quickly correct things in a positive way. Coming down on those guys, they all feel bad enough, and it’s my job as a leader to make sure that the fun part is still there. If the kids are having fun and the practices are hard but fun, and there’s a purpose and a why to play, that’s my job. In these next five days, I need to make sure that I keep that going.”
On having the opportunity to be head coach going into the Territorial Cup:
“It’s an honor to be up here and sitting as the current head coach of Arizona State when we go play down south, I think it’s going to be a great game for us. I’m very honored, and I’m going to do my best to make sure that we play a great football game and do what we have to do to win. I’ll give it my everything.”
Arizona State Redshirt Junior QB Trenton Bourguet:
On how not having a lot of time to pass complicated matters:
“They did a good job giving us hard looks, protection-wise. I thought our line, overall, did a good job. They rode us on defense, did a good job at taking the deep stuff away, and bringing some pressure early, which hurt us offensively. We have to learn from it and get ready for next week.”
On if Oregon brought out any new pressures in the second half:
“They did everything that we thought they would, they did a good job at dropping into zone coverages and deep crosses, but at the end of the day they play college football as well. It’s mano e mano, we’ve got to better ourselves at coming down to the ball.”
On the second half:
“I think we needed to come out faster both offensively and defensively. We need to come out as a team: we can’t wait for them to make a big play and then have a delayed reaction. As soon as that first kickoff is there, we need to come out ready to go. Defense did a great job at the first half holding them a couple times in the end zone, but at the end of the day we just need a full team effort.”
On what needs to be done to beat Arizona next week:
“Like (Kyle Soelle) said, we have to have a great week of practice. I hope everybody can lock in this week. It’s the biggest game of the season. Like Kyle (Soelle), like X (Valladay), if people can play with that effort and that emotion, we will come out victorious. We have to lock in and play for one another and put on for Arizona State.”
On why the offense could not get the vertical passing game going:
“I think protection was a big one. They were able to get some pressure [on us] early, and made me get off my read faster. They do a good job at bringing exotic looks and staying deep. Their DB’s are pretty lengthy. Their corners are both six-two, six-three. They had a couple of injuries that caused some other people to play out there, but they did a good job overall. We just have to play better.”
On if they brought anything pressure-wise in the secondary that was not seen in film this past week:
“They did everything that we thought they would. Like I said, they good a job of dropping into zone coverages and getting underneath our deep crosses. At the end of the day, we have to make plays. They play college football as well, so we have to do better ourselves to come down with the ball.”
Arizona State Senior LB Kyle Soelle
On what he saw in Oregon State’s offense in the first half:
“I’m just focused on next week.”
On if today was emotional because it was his last game at Sun Devil Stadium:
“Absolutely. It is emotional the way the season has gone. You never want your last season to go like that., but it is what it is. You don’t get to pick the cards you’re dealt, you just get to pick your attitude towards it. We have a big game next week. It’s hate week. That’s really my focus now.”
On what needs to be done to beat Arizona next week:
“We have to have our best week of practice. We have to have our best week of preparation. They are a good team down there. If we don’t prepare right, we will be embarrassed.”
On being captain this season and looking to his final game next week at Arizona:
“It means a lot. I feel like that game every year means a lot to me, to the local guys, to this school, to this program; to anyone who’s a Sun Devil, it means a lot. All my eggs are in that basket next week, and I know the rest of the team is thinking that way too. We’ve got to have our best week of preparation and we need to come ready to play. They’re a good team down south, we need to come prepared.”
On if there is difficulty getting guys to focus for next week:
“For next week it shouldn’t be. Next week I [feel like] the records are 0-0.”
Oregon State Head Coach Jonathan Smith:
Opening Statement:
“(I’m) Proud of the guys, came down here in a big road win for us. A lot of guys played and just proud of all three phases. Multiple guys who hadn't been starters stepped in and played really well. These guys were excited to play, played really well with each other and I think it showed out there.”
On the 3rd quarter coming out of halftime:
“(We) Separated the game there, I thought the end of the half that drive offensively to go up seven was big and then it’s a one score game. We come out and get the ball and we score, defense gets another stop, we score again with the long drive with the quarterback draw and so it was a good start to the second half.”
On Ben Gulbranson’s performance:
“I thought he was really good tonight, threw it well. Decisions extended the play, moved his feet around and protected him for the most part. I thought it was one of his better games.”
On the challenge today with the injuries:
“We were challenged, but also I think guys were excited about the idea of guys wanting to step up and go down there… If you would have said that in August it would have been kind of scary. These guys didn't bat an eye and shoot I think about Tanner Miller stepping in there and playing, Jeremiah Annoy gets a huge catch later in the game, the Irish wasn't our punt returner was our punt returner out there on punts, coop played good out there on corner as well, Jaden Robinson was playing corner early in the game because Bray (Bruener) went down but came back. Those were a bunch of examples of guys and I know our team is excited about having a lot of guys involved.”
On the benefits of being a veteran team:
“The older group that they are, we talk about adversity and the different ways it comes. So I was confident that these guys' approach was knowing that we have to play well on the road and they were confident to do it.”
On what separated the defense today:
“I know on that one drive, missed a lot of tackles and we didn’t fit it correctly and so a couple of missed assignments that led to longer runs. We got to get some guys on the ground, there's no panic on that side of the ball. Again we got some veterans on that side that kind of regrouped and understood the mistakes that they weren't going to make. Did a good job of stopping the ball on third down and forcing the ball to come out in the second half. Again you play in this league, they got good players, that back is a good player. So it's not going to be easy to keep them going 3 and out or punting all the time.
On key to what got Ben Gulbranson going today:
“We threw it early for the first couple plays of the game. I think it was for the first three plays of the game we were throwing it and wanted to get some completions for him. I think he prepares well, recognizes the coverage, I thought the offensive staff had a good scheme to have completions for him, to complement the run game. I think the first half the only time we got stuck was when we took a second down loss on the run game. So Ben was really good tonight and efficient and played with great effort running the ball.”
On Jack Bellamy being so open today:
“I give credit to the design. I don't think Bellamy is doing anything to get that open. The first one is play action pass so we're faking one way and he's going the other way. It was well designed by the staff.”
On Damien Martinez’s 100+ yards in five straight games:
“He's physical now, he isn't going down easy. I think some of those runs he's getting to the line of scrimmage, making guys miss, pushing the pile and finishing runs. He’s a good player.
On thoughts when the game became tied:
“That was huge, they tied this thing up and I think there was just under two minutes left and for us to be so efficient going down and making big plays that was a game changer. Momentum wise that whole thing added on to the second half.”
On if Jack Colletto’s absence changed anything in the offensive game plan:
“It changes a couple of things: short yardage, knowing that we are not going to use him as much, he plays plate fullback, so Malik Kelley came in and did a couple of carries for us there. Flip it on the other side, depth at linebacker, so that’s a piece, because he’s really Omar [Speights]. He plays when Omar goes and gets a blow, and that wasn’t available. That’s why I’m back to John Miller getting in the game and doing some good stuff. He affects special teams, so at all four phases we had guys running in for him. It was a big piece.”
On when he starts to look ahead to Oregon:
“I’m going to try to get on this airplane before we dive into it. Obviously, big game coming up and the approach is we’re going to digest this thing. We have things to clean up, and then we’ll be heading toward them.”
On if he feels they played close to as well as they have all year:
“I think around that. I challenged them to go back-to-back, because I think against Cal, in all three phases we played pretty solid, and I think we did it again today.”
On if he feels they are on the right track with the most important games being played late in the season:
“The last couple of weeks, no question. We have a big one to end November.”
Oregon State Freshman RB Damien Martinez:
On the culture pushing them to thrive:
“Definitely. Like Ben (Gulbranson) said, that next man up mentality. Everyone’s ready to make their play, everyone’s steady work, keeping each other up so we’re all ready to make a play when our numbers are called.”
On keeping the runs going:
“As a running back group, we just want to get the extra two. That is our mentality. After contact, keep your legs running and keep your head down.”
On have five straight 100 yard games:
“I guess I wouldn’t say I'm too excited or anything like that. I just want to keep working to be even better.”
Oregon State Redshirt Freshman QB, Ben Gulbranson:
On putting injuries behind them throughout the week:
“I think it goes to show the hard work that everyone on this team has put into it, whether it be the off-season or at practices this year. Just knowing that if my number gets called, I know I need to go in there and execute. It just goes to show that we’re a special team because of that. That mindset of the next man up. I will keep working hard knowing that my time will come up. Congrats to all the guys out there that made a bunch of really great plays. A lot of guys out there made a lot of really great plays and it was really fun to see.”
On what was clicking for him today:
“I just felt that this whole week we prepared really hard to go into this week. We watched a lot of tape, we were really planning for this. I think we were down and up in practice, executing cleanly. It’s fun to come in here as a collective unit and roll like that.”
On the drive right before half:
“Sometimes when you go fast like that, everything is just flowing. You’re not really thinking about it. Guys are making great plays. We work those two-minute drills in practice every week and it shows out there. The work that you put in outside of the game, and when it comes to game time it shows.”
On when they start thinking about the Ducks:
“Like Coach Smith said, right when the plane lands. We’re onto Oregon. Looking forward to getting *stadium name* packed and we want to get those guys. They’re a great team over there and we’re looking forward to it. Maybe we’re thinking about it a little bit. Coach was talking a little bit about what he was seeing coverage wise on the field as we were walking off. I think we’re looking forward to a great week of practice coming up.”
Oregon State Sophomore DB, Skyler Thomas:
On secondary being banged up:
“We talked about this all week that the standard is the standard. That’s something that we go by. Our first group of DB’s is really good. That next man up has to play by that standard as well and there’s no exceptions.”
On when they broke the ASU offense:
“After halftime, we came in and talked about how to get it going. As soon as we got into the third quarter, it was lights out.”
On what is going right for the defense:
I think our defense has been really good all year. With the injuries and us coming together and tighter, we were always one but now we’re even more so. Us coming together has made our defense even better.”
Oregon State Sophomore ILB, Easton Mascarnas-Arnold:
On the next man up mentality and dealing with injuries:
“I think it united us a little bit more. Knowing that we had to have that next man up mentality brought us together even more. We knew there were guys down and we knew there were things we had to do. I think we all came together as a group and performed a little bit better than we usually do knowing that we had guys.”
On offensive drive before halftime that extended their lead:
“It was vital. We knew the offense is a dominant offense and they showed it today. I think we did good on defense, keeping the points down and like Skyler [Thomas] said, we came out after halftime and got together. We did before the game but at halftime especially we knew we had to eliminate the run game and make them one dimensional. I think we did that in the second half.”
On thinking about Oregon:
“I’ve been thinking about the Ducks since before the season started. We’re ready for that one. We’re ready.”