ASU Head Coach Todd Graham
Opening statement
"Obviously, we started off sluggish. We had a lot of guys out, including Mitchell Fraboni, which hurt us. We had a walk-on snapper snapping the ball. We did not fake that punt – it was a bad snap. It was snapped way out to the right and that ended up being a turnover. We had our first targeting foul since I have been here and that was also really tough for us."
Overall thoughts on offense and defense
"I thought our defense played extremely hard and conservative. We had a lot of fourth down stops and did a lot of other things to stop the NAU offense. I thought we had a stellar performance with the number of guys we had out. Obviously, we allowed too many passing yards, but that one long touchdown is what really offset that. We were really sluggish on offense. We started off with a bang, driving down the field and scoring, but then we became very sluggish after that. I'm very proud of Manny. There was that turnover and he did some things that a first-time starter would do, but then he did a great job moving the ball and moving down the stretch. Our guys did a great job taking over in the fourth quarter and dominating."
On fouls and Zane Gonzalez
"We had three or four disciplinary fouls. We have really high standards and one hundred percent accountability, so we had some guys that were out due to fouls, along with some guys out due to injury. I am really proud of Zane. He did some really great things for a new snapper. Going four-for-four with a fifty-three yarder is awesome. We would have liked to score four more touchdowns rather than Zane kicking four more field goals, but he did a great job."
On a strong finish to the game
"Tim White is a warrior; he's a guy you're going to have to really tackle, but he did an incredible job. We got some hard yards on the ground, but we struggled with some simple things like the slant in front. I thought N'Keal Harry showed up and did some big things with a touchdown. We showed up and got better every single snap and that's how you win a game. I like how we showed up and scored 34 points in the second half after only scoring 10 in the first. I am really happy with how we finished."
ASU Redshirt Sophomore QB Manny Wilkins
On the first game
"I have to have better ball security. I feel like I can't make those mistakes when the momentum is going. I will obviously get better there. I'm just really proud of the guys, really working and getting a dominating win."
On scoring an early TD then struggling to score
"We will be fine and I take complete responsibility. Next week we will get rolling faster."
On things that broke down
"We have to keep continuing when there's adversity and keep bouncing back. We will look at the film and go from there."
On what he remembers about hurdling over his defender
"I knew I just had to make the play for my team. I had to get my momentum going, get down the field, and put some points on the board. But I probably won't do that again because I can get hurt."
On play calling and what to expect
"We just run what Coach Lindsay calls. We put points on the board, run down the field, and score points. We are going to do what works."
ASU Junior RB Demario Richard
On offensive strategy
"We just tried to be patient with the offense. We knew they were going to come out and shoot a lot of the gaps. We made a couple adjustments at halftime and started being a lot more patient with the ball. When we started to get our rhythm going, we started making big plays."
On the sideline demeanor
"We were just playing our game. Every team goes through adversity. We've seen that this week with teams losing to teams they're not supposed to lose to. We just have to keep it to ourselves and speak positively. We didn't start saying 'It's your fault, it's your fault', we just stayed positive. There's always going to be another play so if someone messes up, we have another play. We will correct it on film. We have a big game coming up next with Texas Tech."
ASU Redshirt Sophomore DB Armand Perry
On working with a new defense
"It was just the first game, playing out there with some new guys, just getting the rhythm and feel for the game. We just need to get back to the drawing board and watch what we did tonight and correct it."
On how they did against NAU offense
"I thought we did a good job. They got a couple 50/50 balls but I think we played pretty solid. We just need to go back to the film and get ready for Texas Tech."
On whether or not NAU's offense will compare to Texas Tech's
"Teams watch film so if they see us mess up something, you can expect that they'll focus on that next week. We're just going to celebrate this win tonight and tomorrow we'll get back to work and start breaking down Texas Tech. That's all we're focused on, just going out and winning every week."
NAU Head Coach Jerome Souers
On how the team played
"I'm proud of our football team and our program. We've worked very hard in the offseason to develop into more of a complete team than we were a year ago. I think that, at times, we showed ourselves to be very capable to play with a high tempo, but I'm concerned about our ability to deal with adversity in the second half."
On what went wrong
"We had some problems with our punt game and it kind of started to build up against us. I think the longer the game went on, the more they started to wear us down. They had some excellent ball carriers and some really quality personnel on the perimeter. Their offensive line was also very physical; they were some big humans out there. I think that took a toll on us in the third and fourth quarter and it started to feel like the wheels fell off. We were trying to do some things with our offense to shorten the game and we wanted to run off more. We're normally a faster tempo team, but we wanted to do something different. We had to maintain possession of the ball and reduce the number of reps that our defense would have to play against ASU's offense. It felt a little awkward, but it was the attack strategy that we felt gave us the best chance to compete for four quarters."
On positives of the game
"I'm proud of the way our guys hung in there in the first half and they played well at times. We demonstrated that patience and, at times, when we were given the opportunity to strike, made some plays down the field. I feel better about our passing game and what our offense is capable of. To beat a team like Arizona State, consistency is the key. That consistency eluded us tonight and, ultimately, is what cost us the game. Again, we are a work in progress. I am pleased with the things we did well because it was a quality team we went against. I think that some of the things we need improvement on compelled us to learn from this situation and to build towards next week. I really believe the strength, resolve, and relentlessness lies in our program. We're not going to give up. It was disappointing tonight but I think we learned something about ourselves – some of our strengths and, definitely, some of our weaknesses."
On penalties at the one-yard line
"That's the loudest part of the stadium. I don't think we handled that well. We were trying to get the ball up before they could regroup and it had been working on previous snaps on the drive. This time, when we got down there, there was an itch in us that we had to score. I give credit to their defensive front; they didn't give literally an inch so we have to tip our hats to those guys. We felt like we needed touchdowns to beat this team. Three points are great, but it would not have given us the points we needed in the second half to win this."
NAU Sophomore QB Case Cookus
On the offensive line
"I think that was a big plus. I came in knowing I would take a few hits; they may have sacked me on the one I ran. I don't know how many sacks they ended up with, but it was pretty awesome. Our offensive line held up great. I think overall there were a lot of positives to the game and just a few mistakes here and there. I thought we were right in it the first half. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result and happy with what we can work on for next week."
On other targets stepping up
"It's huge. I think today Emmanuel Butler was double-teamed pretty much every snap once he caught a couple. When Elijah Marks stepped up, he made a couple big plays that were huge for us. We got some inside guys as well that can make some plays so they're going to have to choose [who to defend]. If they're going to double team everyone, we are going to keep running the ball and get some new plays going. So they're just going to have to choose and pick their poison."
NAU Junior WR Elijah Marks
On the play before halftime
"It was just a fun, quick little play. We wanted to try to get the ball up and see if he could make a play on it. I was trying and he just came and caught it out of nowhere. You know how football goes, crazy plays just happen."
NAU Junior WR Emmanuel Butler
If he thinks scoring before the half would've changed the game
"I try not to think about it. It's a play I wish I could've gotten in the end zone to put some more points on the board for us, but I didn't. I mean, maybe it would've effected the game but who knows. At the end of the day, there were other plays that we should've made as a team that probably could've helped us win."
On getting double coverage
"I feel like it was good for everyone to know that we have other playmakers in our core. Elijah Marks had a great game tonight. He kind of put the team on his back when I started getting double covered so it was good to let people know I'm not the only playmaker at the wideout spot."
Opening statement
"Obviously, we started off sluggish. We had a lot of guys out, including Mitchell Fraboni, which hurt us. We had a walk-on snapper snapping the ball. We did not fake that punt – it was a bad snap. It was snapped way out to the right and that ended up being a turnover. We had our first targeting foul since I have been here and that was also really tough for us."
Overall thoughts on offense and defense
"I thought our defense played extremely hard and conservative. We had a lot of fourth down stops and did a lot of other things to stop the NAU offense. I thought we had a stellar performance with the number of guys we had out. Obviously, we allowed too many passing yards, but that one long touchdown is what really offset that. We were really sluggish on offense. We started off with a bang, driving down the field and scoring, but then we became very sluggish after that. I'm very proud of Manny. There was that turnover and he did some things that a first-time starter would do, but then he did a great job moving the ball and moving down the stretch. Our guys did a great job taking over in the fourth quarter and dominating."
On fouls and Zane Gonzalez
"We had three or four disciplinary fouls. We have really high standards and one hundred percent accountability, so we had some guys that were out due to fouls, along with some guys out due to injury. I am really proud of Zane. He did some really great things for a new snapper. Going four-for-four with a fifty-three yarder is awesome. We would have liked to score four more touchdowns rather than Zane kicking four more field goals, but he did a great job."
On a strong finish to the game
"Tim White is a warrior; he's a guy you're going to have to really tackle, but he did an incredible job. We got some hard yards on the ground, but we struggled with some simple things like the slant in front. I thought N'Keal Harry showed up and did some big things with a touchdown. We showed up and got better every single snap and that's how you win a game. I like how we showed up and scored 34 points in the second half after only scoring 10 in the first. I am really happy with how we finished."
ASU Redshirt Sophomore QB Manny Wilkins
On the first game
"I have to have better ball security. I feel like I can't make those mistakes when the momentum is going. I will obviously get better there. I'm just really proud of the guys, really working and getting a dominating win."
On scoring an early TD then struggling to score
"We will be fine and I take complete responsibility. Next week we will get rolling faster."
On things that broke down
"We have to keep continuing when there's adversity and keep bouncing back. We will look at the film and go from there."
On what he remembers about hurdling over his defender
"I knew I just had to make the play for my team. I had to get my momentum going, get down the field, and put some points on the board. But I probably won't do that again because I can get hurt."
On play calling and what to expect
"We just run what Coach Lindsay calls. We put points on the board, run down the field, and score points. We are going to do what works."
ASU Junior RB Demario Richard
On offensive strategy
"We just tried to be patient with the offense. We knew they were going to come out and shoot a lot of the gaps. We made a couple adjustments at halftime and started being a lot more patient with the ball. When we started to get our rhythm going, we started making big plays."
On the sideline demeanor
"We were just playing our game. Every team goes through adversity. We've seen that this week with teams losing to teams they're not supposed to lose to. We just have to keep it to ourselves and speak positively. We didn't start saying 'It's your fault, it's your fault', we just stayed positive. There's always going to be another play so if someone messes up, we have another play. We will correct it on film. We have a big game coming up next with Texas Tech."
ASU Redshirt Sophomore DB Armand Perry
On working with a new defense
"It was just the first game, playing out there with some new guys, just getting the rhythm and feel for the game. We just need to get back to the drawing board and watch what we did tonight and correct it."
On how they did against NAU offense
"I thought we did a good job. They got a couple 50/50 balls but I think we played pretty solid. We just need to go back to the film and get ready for Texas Tech."
On whether or not NAU's offense will compare to Texas Tech's
"Teams watch film so if they see us mess up something, you can expect that they'll focus on that next week. We're just going to celebrate this win tonight and tomorrow we'll get back to work and start breaking down Texas Tech. That's all we're focused on, just going out and winning every week."
NAU Head Coach Jerome Souers
On how the team played
"I'm proud of our football team and our program. We've worked very hard in the offseason to develop into more of a complete team than we were a year ago. I think that, at times, we showed ourselves to be very capable to play with a high tempo, but I'm concerned about our ability to deal with adversity in the second half."
On what went wrong
"We had some problems with our punt game and it kind of started to build up against us. I think the longer the game went on, the more they started to wear us down. They had some excellent ball carriers and some really quality personnel on the perimeter. Their offensive line was also very physical; they were some big humans out there. I think that took a toll on us in the third and fourth quarter and it started to feel like the wheels fell off. We were trying to do some things with our offense to shorten the game and we wanted to run off more. We're normally a faster tempo team, but we wanted to do something different. We had to maintain possession of the ball and reduce the number of reps that our defense would have to play against ASU's offense. It felt a little awkward, but it was the attack strategy that we felt gave us the best chance to compete for four quarters."
On positives of the game
"I'm proud of the way our guys hung in there in the first half and they played well at times. We demonstrated that patience and, at times, when we were given the opportunity to strike, made some plays down the field. I feel better about our passing game and what our offense is capable of. To beat a team like Arizona State, consistency is the key. That consistency eluded us tonight and, ultimately, is what cost us the game. Again, we are a work in progress. I am pleased with the things we did well because it was a quality team we went against. I think that some of the things we need improvement on compelled us to learn from this situation and to build towards next week. I really believe the strength, resolve, and relentlessness lies in our program. We're not going to give up. It was disappointing tonight but I think we learned something about ourselves – some of our strengths and, definitely, some of our weaknesses."
On penalties at the one-yard line
"That's the loudest part of the stadium. I don't think we handled that well. We were trying to get the ball up before they could regroup and it had been working on previous snaps on the drive. This time, when we got down there, there was an itch in us that we had to score. I give credit to their defensive front; they didn't give literally an inch so we have to tip our hats to those guys. We felt like we needed touchdowns to beat this team. Three points are great, but it would not have given us the points we needed in the second half to win this."
NAU Sophomore QB Case Cookus
On the offensive line
"I think that was a big plus. I came in knowing I would take a few hits; they may have sacked me on the one I ran. I don't know how many sacks they ended up with, but it was pretty awesome. Our offensive line held up great. I think overall there were a lot of positives to the game and just a few mistakes here and there. I thought we were right in it the first half. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result and happy with what we can work on for next week."
On other targets stepping up
"It's huge. I think today Emmanuel Butler was double-teamed pretty much every snap once he caught a couple. When Elijah Marks stepped up, he made a couple big plays that were huge for us. We got some inside guys as well that can make some plays so they're going to have to choose [who to defend]. If they're going to double team everyone, we are going to keep running the ball and get some new plays going. So they're just going to have to choose and pick their poison."
NAU Junior WR Elijah Marks
On the play before halftime
"It was just a fun, quick little play. We wanted to try to get the ball up and see if he could make a play on it. I was trying and he just came and caught it out of nowhere. You know how football goes, crazy plays just happen."
NAU Junior WR Emmanuel Butler
If he thinks scoring before the half would've changed the game
"I try not to think about it. It's a play I wish I could've gotten in the end zone to put some more points on the board for us, but I didn't. I mean, maybe it would've effected the game but who knows. At the end of the day, there were other plays that we should've made as a team that probably could've helped us win."
On getting double coverage
"I feel like it was good for everyone to know that we have other playmakers in our core. Elijah Marks had a great game tonight. He kind of put the team on his back when I started getting double covered so it was good to let people know I'm not the only playmaker at the wideout spot."