Sept. 1, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
ASU Head Coach Dennis Erickson Quotes:
On the game in general:
“It never changes, sometimes you look good and sometimes you put people in who don’t look so good. It ‘s kind of hard, I thought there were some good things, particularly in the beginning of the game on both sides of the football. I thought we played pretty disciplined. I think we had three or four penalties - three of them were on offense. We turned it over two times but that’s two too many times. That happens in games like this. We got a lot of guys in, got a look at a lot of different people and they earned it. They practice just as hard as everybody else.”
On what was done right:
“I thought we pass protected extremely well. They didn’t even get close to getting to [Brock Osweiler]. I think we ran-blocked pretty well. Our front men played pretty well and defensively after the first drive or two we kind of just dominated up front. I thought our corners played pretty well, it’s just hard to tell. I don’t know if anything just jumped out at me and that’s how it is when you play a game like this.”
On PK Alex Garoutte’s 49-yard field goal and special teams:
“I forgot about that. I’ve been so mad at the kicker for the last month that I forgot all about it. I’m the kicking coach; I’m really the kicking coach now. He knocked that thing through and he kicked the ball off really well, he was kicking that thing in the end zone and Josh [Hubner] did a nice job on that one punt he had. I thought our special teams played real well. I thought our return team obviously was good. Kickoff coverage had a mixture of different guys in there. We just have to look at the tape. We’re not where we need to be to beat that team coming in here next Friday I can guarantee you that.”
On playing a team like UC-Davis and what to take away from the game:
“Nothing against anybody but they are a Division I-AA team. That’s just how it is, they have 65 scholarships, we have 85 scholarships. A game like this should be like that, all over the country. What happens sometimes is that you don’t look as good as you think you should but you learn and tomorrow we are going to have to look at tape real quick and start getting ready for Missouri. That’s a key game for us.”
On the tempo of the offense in general:
“We got plays in and out. We were never to the point where we had too much time or anything like that with the substitutions. We were out there trying different formations and we have to do a good job at that. Particularly in the third or fourth quarter when you are trying to get guys in there it gets a little difficult. I was happy with that I thought the coaches did a good job.”
On the injuries this game:
“People don’t even understand what it’s like until you’re down there. That was the hottest I have ever been. Unfortunately, Ezekiel Bishop tore an ACL, so it looks likes he’s done. It’s not for sure yet, but that’s what our team doctors seem to think. Aderious [Simmons] sprained his ankle. We don’t think that’s very serious, he might miss a game but nothing season-ending. Other than that we came out of it pretty good. [Kevin] Ayers got in and who got here late got a chance to play at safety. It looks like we are going to need him. But yeah those are the two injuries we had.”
On playing Missouri next week:
“It’s a big game for us. They’re ranked something like 20th in the country and they are an awfully good football team. A lot of starters coming back, a lot of skill, a lot of speed. WE are going to have to play a lot better in that game than we did tonight but I’m excited for next Friday. Our players are really looking forward to it. It’s a blackout with all our fans. I thought our students tonight were exceptional, with the weather and all that it was unbelievable how many of them were there. Can’t wait until next Friday!”
ASU Player Quotes:
RB Cameron Marshall
On the offensive line:
“The first couple of times I got the ball there were huge holes out there. The offensive line did their thing out there, they did a really good job.”
On the variety he brings:
“I caught the ball well out of the backfield, I think. I had a couple of long pass plays. I think they told me I had a career high, so that’s good to do.”
LB Colin Parker
On the impressive looking defense:
“Our first unit came out early on in the game and played really well. We had some minor issues later on - they scored both touchdowns in the second half. Overall, it was a good first game but we’re going to have to make some corrections for next week.”
On the amount of blitzes called:
“I wasn’t surprised. We got the game plan early in the week and there were a lot of blitzes. Whether they call them or not, we’ll see in the games. When we got in (to camp) I feel like we’ve been blitzing pretty well. It’s time to show it off.”
QB Brock Osweiler
On the Offensive Line:
“Those guys were awesome. Like I said going into this first game, this group has a lot of experience and has worked extremely hard in the offseason. There are no other five guys I would take into battle. I thank them for their efforts tonight. They played a great game.”
On the Offensive Efficiency:
“It will be hard to determine until we break down the film tomorrow, but I thought at times we had a pretty good flow going, then we would have a turnover or a bad play and that would slow things down. Overall, for the first night, I was happy with it.”
On the In-Game Fatigue and Cramping:
“On my interception my right calf locked up. Then on the touchdown pass both calves and left hip cramped. I was pretty much shot down after that and could not do much out there. I just need to focus on better hydration and start preparing tonight for the Missouri game next week. I’ve never in my life had a cramp or anything like this before; it was definitely a new experience for me and one I hope to never go through again.”
UC Davis Head Coach Bob Biggs:
On the game:
“We knew going in that they were pretty athletic, they like to get the ball on the perimeter. We missed some tackles. I think when we go back and watch the film we missed some tackles and some opportunities. I think when we look back on it, I thought we came out very well offensively and were moving the ball. We hurt ourselves with some illegal movements when we were in third and short and ended up kind of putting ourselves in a hole. Arizona State is good. Their defensive line in particular I thought was good. They had a good blitz package and they put pressure on us, so we had a hard time converting third downs in the first half. And I thought our special teams let us down a bit. Our kickoff return was outstanding, but obviously we allowed them too many yards on kickoffs. I think that hurt us and obviously the punt return that we dropped. So overall, I think we can take a lot of positives away. Watching the films, I think our players and our coaching staff will feel the same way. Yeah, we have to clean things up, but that is a good football team. ASU has a lot of athleticism and a lot of speed and I thought we competed until the very end, and I’m proud of the way they competed.”
On facing the physical nature of the ASU offense:
“Our coaches have taught us to play hard and keep fighting, because Arizona State is a physical team with big receivers, so we couldn’t back down.”
On lessons learned from the game:
“We’re never satisfied but we feel like we have a lot to build on. We want to be the best secondary in our conference. We have a great coaching staff that prepares us and we work hard every day in practice.”
RB Josh Reese
On the volume on the field:
“The environment was intense. It’s hard to hear in the huddles. You just have to try and stay calm and collected. We made some environmental mistakes that killed us in the long run.”
On positives in the game:
“I’m really proud of our offensive line - we got a good push. We ran the ball a lot better than anticipated by a lot of people. If we can build off of that, our guys are going to be ready.”