Oct. 1, 2005
Arizona State Head Coach Dirk Koetter
On ASU's effort:
"I just told the players in the locker room that all you can ask them to do is leave it all out on the field. We did that today. They left it all out there from an effort standpoint. We didn't have enough, but I can't fault our guys for lack of effort."
On the offense and defense:
"Our defense did a great job in the first half. The thing that was disappointing was we couldn't get our offense in a rhythm until well into the second quarter. Our defense had to be on the field so much in the first half. They were really pounding us a lot and our defense was continuously rising up and doing nice things and I think that got to us a little in the second half. We made it look easy moving the football at times, but we were very out of synch on offense at times. We just couldn't play well on both sides of the ball at the same time."
On Sam Keller:
"We just made some mistakes. Sam (Keller) has been playing great and he made some beautiful plays today, but we made a couple of mistakes. I wouldn't trade Sam for too many guys out there. I love the way that guy plays and he's going to have plenty of great plays and plenty of big games over the next year and a half."
On the fans:
"The fans did a great job. It was awesome to see Sun Devil Stadium like this and the fans played a huge part in the game. I really appreciate the fans coming out and they've got a few more opportunities to do it. I hope they'll all come back next week at 7:00 p.m. for the Oregon game."
On Reggie Bush and LenDale White:
"It wasn't enough today and I want our fans to know we realize it wasn't enough. We certainly understand that close doesn't count, but USC is a heck of a football team and you have to give them their credit. When Reggie Bush and LenDale White get it going they're awful tough to stop. I'm real proud of how we competed today."
Arizona State QB Sam Keller
On the game:
"I felt like we were right with them, played with them. We should have won this game but when you turn the ball over that much you don't have a chance. Like Derek was saying our whole mentality was to be aggressive, not back down from them at all. So we were aggressive, we moved the ball up pretty good. Maybe sometimes we got overaggressive and I tried to make some plays I shouldn't have. It seemed like they were always in position to make the play. When it was a bad throw, they were right there just to get it. It's a tough one for me personally. It was a tough one for the whole team."
On going up against a talented defense:
"Yeah that was a really talented defense and we had them. They couldn't really stop us. If we just didn't beat ourselves. But they were somehow always in position, in all of those plays. Like when the ball was tipped a couple times. It was just a bad decision on my part and they made the plays. You have to give the credit to them. They made more plays than us in the second half."
On getting into a rhythm during the first three or four series:
"It felt like we were sidelined a lot. And especially when we got the punt return which kept us on the sidelines a little longer; so you could say that took us a little while to get going. Once we did get going, it was our offense. And we showed what we could do against a good defense. But I don't think that really had that much of an effect on us, we got it going and we were doing really well in the first half. Most of it is on me. I'll take responsibility for it, for this one."
On talking with his team about his responsibility when leaving the locker room after the game:
"I said it to a few guys and I'll probably say it again. They probably know already. It's a team game, but I'll take responsibility."
On coming up short in the game:
"It's really tough to come up short like that. At the end of the day, it's just painful, because through the whole game we fought so hard. Our team will never be out of a game until it is over."
Arizona State WR Derek Hagan
On moving on after this game:
"We left everything on the field, but we didn't come out with the one thing that we needed and that was a victory. We'll try to keep our heads up and prepare for Oregon. We should have won the game but a few plays here and there turned the game around."
On the second half, what did USC do to slow your offense?
"During the second half they were pretty much doing the same thing and we were stopping ourselves. We made some stupid mistakes that we normally don't make which cost us."
On the costly turnovers:
"The turnovers are going to happen, but you just have to put them behind you and just keep on playing, because Sam (Keller) had some turnovers, some interceptions and not all of them were his fault. But once we make a turnover, we just have to keep our heads up. The defense is going to come out and play as hard as they can to stop their offense and once we get back on the field we just have to execute again."
On being up by 18 at the half:
"One thing we always talk about is finish. We didn't finish well enough in the second half. We were up by 21-17 but we didn't finish, USC played a great game they kept fighting and came up with the victory."
On Kevin Ellison's interception:
"Well, that play is just one of those plays that I should make. I was jumping up and the ball just came out and USC got a lucky break on that. The ball happened to fall right into the defender's hands. He really wasn't paying attention to the ball; he fell down and got hurt, so its just one of those plays that I should make every single game. I make those in practice. This one just went the other way.
On sensing hesitancy or worry in USC during the first half:
"It seemed that like they were very worried. We just wanted to keep coming out and keep pushing the ball, and moving up the field. That's our mentality. USC was out there getting tired. They were breathing hard and had their hands on their hips. We wanted to come out and continue what we did in the first half.
On Reggie Bush and LenDale White's play:
"That's thunder and lightening for them. That is what everybody calls them. They are two great players, who played a great game. Reggie Bush, he's a game breaker. Our defense played pretty well. They came out stopping Reggie Bush from doing things and the main focus of our defense was to stop him. And their receivers didn't really do too much. It was just Reggie Bush and LenDale, and that was the main thing we focused on. Now we just have to turn it around. We can play with anybody. And now we just have to get ready for Oregon next week."
Arizona State LB Dale Robinson
On the start of the second half:
"We didn't make the plays we needed to make. I should have been making plays that I missed, but I didn't."
On being the defense being on the field for the majority of the first quarter:
"I don't think it was a factor. We were prepared for everything; our coaches prepared us for everything. It did help us a lot being able to go out and make plays in the first half.
On the play of Reggie Bush and LenDale White:
"They made big plays for their team. I should have been out there making plays, but I didn't get it done today. They were able to make big plays that hurt us in the second half.
On being able to play with USC the whole game:
"After today we are right there with the nation's Top 10. We were stopping them and had the game and everything was the way we needed it to be, we just didn't come out with the victory."
On the defense making plays against Reggie Bush and LenDale White:
"That was real big for us. When one guy made a hit we all had to be there to stop them. We didn't always get it done and they were able to break loose and make plays."
Arizona State S Zach Catanese
On USC's offense in the second half:
"They ran the ball more up the middle, and switched up their running backs and tailbacks to make it harder for us to read them. They exploited some weaknesses and took advantage of the mistakes that we made."
On Matt Leinart's difficulties in the first half:
"We kept our defense the same the whole way. We played in a soft zone and used man to man pressure. We stayed with the same stuff."
Arizona State TE Jamaal Lewis
On the missed opportunities on offense in the second half:
"I don't want to say that our attitude changed at halftime, but we came out and they matched us on offense. I don't know what it was; we just didn't make as many big plays as we did in the first half."
USC Head Coach Pete Carroll
On second half adjustments:
"For the second week in a row, we were just on a torrid pace for self destruction in the first quarter. I can't even tell you what it was other than the fact that after a while, our offense was on the field for so long is that they got tired in the first half. What's really great about that is that in the third quarter and the fourth quarter, we weren't tired a bit. We came back from that and wore on us a bit that we kept working in the wrong direction (with penalties) and we couldn't execute. We couldn't do anything. ASU did a great job and took control of the game. They were totally in command of the game in the first half."
"We have `our way' at halftime. Our guys know that situation well enough that they know what is going to come from me and I know how they are going to respond. They are going to go about their business in a particular manner that gives us a chance to win, basically, because they believe that they cannot be beat. They would not let it happen. There was too much will in that room to let it happen and so we did everything right. We are capable of playing like that in both halves and that is what is frustrating to the coaches to see it happen. But it is powerful to see it happen for the second week in a row. We outscored them 35-7 in the second half. That's pretty incredible and special .It took everybody in the room, all 64 guys and every coach. We knew that our energy was not going to be just that of the guys on the field, but that it was going to be everybody together. We went after it and we were able to get it done."
On the defense:
"Defense played really good after we got going, ASU had a couple really good drives and did a nice job out there but we played well to keep us in it in the first half for a while. But they got on us. They are a good team and they have some very nice players. Sam Keller did a great job and Derek Hagan is really big time. Jamaal Lewis had a great game as well. Those three were really all that they needed. But after awhile, our guys just kept coming up with the ball. They have been phenomenal in executing in a great fashion, but we were able to get the ball away from them today. To go against a guy who had thrown 130 balls without a pick and then he throws five in a day, that's what we needed for the win. Everybody contributed and everybody was rolling."
On this game being one of the closest calls during the streak:
"There are a number of games. We have had a lot of close, hard fought wins. These are great for us. We need to be challenged and we need to be under the gun to respond. It makes us stronger and it will help us down the stretch to finish this season. This one today, I felt that Arizona State was up for the task. We beat Oregon State last year and they felt like they could win the game on that day. That's what ASU had today and I think that it was what made it more difficult for us today. As it turned out, we finished so strong and so well in the fourth quarter. We just pounded the football in the second half and it was a beautiful job by the offensive line. A beautiful job by Reggie Bush and LenDale White. It was also a great job by Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffen to figure out how to move the ball down the field. We just went after the line of scrimmage and took care of it."
On this being the first time in a tight game for the new offensive coaching staff:
"They did awesome. They had it the whole time. The thing that we couldn't stop was all of the darn procedure penalties at the line of scrimmage. That was just disrupting and it's a great illustration once again of how no matter how good you are, you can't perform if you keep killing yourself. It was disappointing because we went from nine penalties in the first half to one in the second half. I don't know how that happens. It's about focus and getting things done,
On FB David Kirtman:
"When all else wasn't happening for us, David Kirtman just kept pounding away. He had a great game. We had nothing in the first half that felt right except for Dave. It was a number of plays that he made and he blocked his butt off."
"The whole group was sloppy. There were too many loose errors in there. It was like throwing the ball away in basketball. We didn't give ourselves a chance. At halftime, we talked about it and we stopped it from happening. The way to stop it was for each guy to do the right thing: settle down, take care of business, and make sure that we know how good we are. It just stopped and it was a beautiful thing."
"You could feel it. Once the tide turned, the productivity, urgency, and energy was even greater. Even when we broke down at the line of scrimmage our quarterback was moving and ducking and dodging, unlike he was earlier in the game. We had some great momentum plays by the defense too. It gave us the juice we needed to get us going on offense."
On the comeback:
"Arizona State was so good. That is a really good team and they are going to win a bunch of teams. I think that they were the ones that made it hard and it was a long ways back. Last week was different because we were up after the first drive in the second half. It was a terrific day for the young guys to understand the conversation and the philosophy of what it takes to get back in a game, to right the ship and win a ball game. It was a valuable lesson for the future of our team."
USC QB Matt Leinart
On being down after the first half:
"We were down 21-3, probably the biggest half we've been down in a long time. We did enough as an offense to get the job done. We never gave up. We continued to work hard."
On the halftime talk:
"We talked about being there before. We don't have to go out there and make great plays, we just have to execute them. We were moving the ball all over them in the first half. ASU brought a lot of blitzes and caught us off guard a little. I wasn't my better game mentally. I had a few dropped balls. We just battled back and that's what a championship team does."
On the hit by Robert James:
"I got hit on one play. My head was hit pretty good. I don't know if I was all there the whole game. I just sat there for a little bit and got my composure back. It's probably the hardest hit I've had in a long time. I just did my job. I didn't do a lot, but I didn't make mistakes. I just did what a leader does. I just moved the ball down field."
On ASU's toughness:
"We've had a lot of tough games. It came down to the last couple minutes of the game. We know every game is not going to be easy. This just shows what type of team we have. Everyone expects us to put up 80 points. This just shows we have composure, character. We've been in this situation before. We aren't afraid if we are losing at halftime. We just go out and play the way we want to play. We don't change any thing. We didn't make adjustments at halftime. We just settled down. It took us a little bit to get going, but other than that we were awesome."
On ASU's offense:
"ASU has a talented offense. They have great players in the skilled positions. Derek Hagan is the best of the best you are going to face. I think the defense as a whole kept us in this game. My hat goes off to the secondary for not giving up and just making play after play."
On the first half:
"The passing game wasn't as there as we'd like it to be. We're dropping a few balls. I made some poor decisions on my own. The o-line did a great job and we made big plays when we had to. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times. But I was going out there as a leader trying to the best that I could."
On playing ASU:
"This is a great game for us. [ASU] is a tough team to beat; a tough team to beat in the Pac-10. We came out and they gave us their best shot, but it wasn't good enough."
On being nervous about being down:
"We were never nervous. I guess when it gets 21-3 you know you start thinking you should put some points on the board and we can't let this game get out of our way. We know we can score at any time. We did it in the second half a lot. It's my job, the leaders job, to keep the guys up. I'm sure some guys were having a few doubts. That's what championship teams do, they come back from behind. We expect every team we play to give us their best shot."
On USC's offensive line:
"I'm very proud of our offensive line. They played great; through adversity and heat. We just wore out their defense. They were tired the second half. Our running back ran the ball extremely well. Some times the passing game isn't going to be there. We just pounded the ball and made a ton of big plays."
On keys to success:
"We didn't turn the ball over much. It was kind of out of our hands. Luck happens some times. I think our defense kept us in it. We just wanted to establish the run in the second half. We kept it simple second half. We knew we could run, so we just suck to the run."
On the "only team that can beat USC is USC":
"We just hurt ourselves committing penalty after penalty and getting out of sync and out of rhythm. It was the same as the first few plays at Oregon. We just had a few penalties, but we were moving the ball."
On what was said in the huddle before scoring to go ahead of ASU:
"We just go out there and play. It was great. That's what college football is all about. I think they moved the ball and scored on us right away and then we had some big plays."
On LenDale White struggling at the beginning of the season:
"LenDale has done fine all year. [White and Bush] are unbelievable running-backs."
USC RB LenDale White
On instituting more of a running game in the second half:
"It was just a question of staying in it [the game]. They [Arizona State] came out hard and fought for a couple of quarters. Here, it's not about how the first or second quarter ends, it's how the fourth quarter ends. We came out and gave it a lot. Our offense and defense stuck with it and came out with a victory."
On the showing of character:
"This is definitely a character building game. To be down all the way until the fourth quarter and to come out a fight the way we did and having to put together a game-winning drive together to come back just shows a lot about our whole team stepping up. These are games you like being in because it defines character and defines a champion."
On success against Arizona State:
"I don't know what it is. My team just called on me and we all needed to produce. Our offensive line also did a great job today. I have to give all the credit to them. They did a great job of clearing the holes for us."
On a close call during 26-game winning streak:
"The Cal game last year was also really close. They were on the nine-yard line and they also got to us. I don't think about the streak, I just think about it as game to game. This game is in the past and next week's game is with Arizona. Hopefully we can come out and get them."
USC RB Reggie Bush
On commenting of teams errors:
"You can't expect to score points when you make a lot of mental mistakes. In the first half, we only drove the ball 80 yards, made a lot of errors, but it was evident that when we stopped making mental errors we scored."
On the offense:
"LenDale (White) and I took over the game, we could tell like last week against Oregon that the defense was guarding against the pass, more than the run, we had to start pounding the ball and that's what we did, and hope to open something up for the pass."
On the offensive passing game:
"The passing game was not there today. It was just one of those games where the running had to take over."
On the defense:
"Interceptions were key for us today, especially that last one. Our defense played great, they stopped (ASU) and shut down Sam Keller, as much as they could. He really did a good job scoring today, but in the final analysis they (defense) won the game for us. We are so proud of them (defense). We have lost some key players to injury in the secondary, early in the season. (Without the defense) we would not have won those games. Those guys really came through back there and they are why we won those last two games."
On the team's will:
"We have a lot of heart on this team, we just don't give up. I think that sums it all up, we just keep fighting until we win the game. We came together in the second half, and we started playing Trojan football. We stopped making mental mistakes, and it took a lot of heart and it speaks for our team how much heart we have."
On sharing time with LenDale White:
"We prove today that we can share time and still make the plays and score."
On the game struggles:
"It was a dogfight from the beginning, but we made more of a dogfight then it should have been with mental mistakes and a lot of penalties in the first half. We shot ourselves in the foot today. We did not score as much as we wanted to cause of mental mistakes. There was no excuse for these errors. We are a National Champion team and we should not have made this many errors."
On what was talked about during halftime:
"(During Halftime) we talked about not making so many errors. We talked about leaders stepping up and leading the team, and for me too I did not do a good job of leading the team. We hung our heads but we regrouped and we came through with a win."
USC LB Oscar Lua
On interception in the fourth quarter:
"Yeah, it was a big play. I thin it changed the momentum of that drive that our offense had previous to that interception. The result was the points."
On the fourth down and one defensive stop:
"That was a huge play. We had to stop them [Arizona State] on that last drive and they were putting up a lot of points against us. I saw the line open up, I saw the running back put his head down and I shot my gap and stopped him in the backfield for a good loss."
On expectations of ASU offense going for it on fourth and one:
"Yeah, I knew they were going to go for it. I think the guys were very aggressive up front, and they're a great football team. Our coaches were very aggressive and it was a big play for the Trojans."
On any more question marks about the USC defense:
"I don't think so. I think our defense has proven itself, over and over, not once, but twice in tight games when we've faced probably two of the toughest teams in the Pac-10. In games like this it just comes down to who wants it more and who has more heart. I've never questioned our defense and I've always known we've had outstanding athletes and I think we just proved it again today."