ASU Head Coach Todd Graham
Opening Statement
“I am just really proud of our football team. I am proud of [QB] Brady [White] and the way he came in during a very tough situation against an excellent defense. I don’t think many people thought we would win tonight, but we did. I challenged our guys not to listen to what other people say because all that matters it the turnout of the games. UCLA ended up with -1 rushing yards and we had a championship defensive performance. I told our guys in the locker room that I don’t remember the score of the Texas Tech game, all I know is that we won. That’s what matters. It doesn’t matter what anyone says because at the end of the day we are 5-1. We are in first place and I am so proud of our guys and our heart. That was a tremendous team effort tonight and I am so proud of the team.”
On the defense
“[Defensive coordinator] Keith [Patterson] went upstairs and I think he called a great game. We had a nice balance of communication and I think it helped us having someone up in the box. I had both of our coordinators up in the box and I think it helped tremendously. Maurice Chandler also played great and I am so proud of everyone stepping up. We are really getting back to Sun Devil defensive football by getting TFL’s, sacks and putting the heat on. People are going to talk about the yards, but everyone here tonight knows that our defense got after one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
On home advantage and late game dominance
“The biggest thing is that we had three turnovers, but we got four so we were up one on that. I am proud of our whole staff and I love how we had a great late win. I love the fact that our guys take pride in this house. We are now 25-6 at home and four of those games have been this year.”
On QB Brady White
“I know one thing, Brady is 1-0 as a starting quarterback and I am so proud of him. He did some nice things distributing the ball and you have to give him a lot of credit for going against this talented defense.”
On beating UCLA
“This is the third time in the last four years we beat UCLA and that’s a big deal. We take a lot of pride in that. To win the south, we know how vital it is to win against the California schools first and foremost. I said before the game that this was going to be the weekend of back-up quarterbacks and I guess it was.”
On Zane Gonzalez
“I am really proud of Zane and the young man that he is, not only on the field but also off the field and in the classroom. This was a monumental accomplishment for him.”
ASU Senior Place Kicker Zane Gonzalez
On relief on breaking the record and if he’s heard from his dad
“Yeah he left me a text, he already went back to sleep. He has work tomorrow. It is definitely a relief now that it’s over. It’s only half way through the season. We still have half way to go.”
On not thinking about the record
“We just kept going out there trying to put up points on the board. Matt [Haack] has one of the best foots in the nation. We had a bunch of punts and field goals, and put up points on the board and we came up on top.”
On setting the record
“Honestly it hasn’t set in yet. Anytime you can hold a national record, it just speaks volumes. It hasn’t hit me yet. Once it does, it’s a great accomplishment. It’s a good way to go out for my senior year.”
On emotions
“It wasn’t exactly the best kick; I was nervous about it. I was looking at it the whole way. It was a perfect snap and a perfect hold. I thought I didn’t hit it the best I could have. I was watching it the whole way and Matt hit me and I was like I guess it went in. It was awesome.”
On not thinking about the record before taking the field
“The game was tied. We just needed three points at that point. It was in the back of my head I’m not going to lie. At that point we needed them. It was the three points that ended up winning the game so it was awesome.”
ASU Senior Punter Matt Haack
On what makes Zane Gonzalez stand out
“First off his work ethic. He goes out there every day. Even in practice he’s not missing many kicks and even when he does he is kicking that kick over again and making it. He is very meticulous in his routines. He’s about as solid mentally as any kicker out there. I think that helps a bunch for him.”
ASU Junior Long Snapper Mitchell Fraboni
On what makes Zane Gonzalez stand out
“I’d say that he is really dedicated to the entire process and he takes pride in what he does. He makes sure that everything is perfect.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Tim White
On a second half surge to win
“It felt good to get a victory. I think we played a great game in the second half, we and put up a couple points to take the victory. Our defense did a great job.”
On working with QB’s Brady and Manny in the off-season to build chemistry
“Off-season definitely helped, but games are much different. We are still trying to build the game chemistry, but Brady did a great job coming out, and the off-season definitely helped with that. We’re just trying to build that chemistry on the field every game and run with it.”
On the change in the third quarter
“We stuck to what we have been doing and we just began to run the ball better. We were connecting on third downs, and that led us to the points. Brady definitely started to get more comfortable; you could see it in his body.”
ASU Redshirt Junior Linebacker Marcus Ball
On a late game surge to win
“Like Tim said, it was a tremendous game. We have to give UCLA credit for coming in here with a fight, but we have a tremendous group of guys in our locker room. Going into this game, we knew it was going to be a defensive game. Brady White and the receivers definitely stepped up, but we knew, going into this game, we would need tremendous defense. We did that in the second half. We came up plus three on turnovers and got the win.”
On pressuring Josh Rosen and turning points in the game
“The first turning point was Gump on the interception. But the second half interception was a big play. Coach Graham kept telling me to keep going, keep pushing. I saw the ball in the air and made a play on it. I was just doing my job, doing my assignment, but God had his hand on me tonight.”
On the team coming together as a unit
“We had a lot of guys come together today when our players went down. We knew it was going to be a defensive game, but we stepped up and played tremendously. Every week we have missed assignments, but we kept our focus and came up with the win.”
UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora
Opening statement
“Our offense and defense played their hearts out that first half. You can only hold up for so long. We have been struggling with offense the past few weeks. We have been unable to run the ball and protect the passers. It is very, very disappointing. We will get back to work for Washington State.”
On QB Josh Rosen’s shoulder
“He is beat up. He has taken some horrible hits because we cannot protect for him. “
On the offensive line
“Number one, we can’t run the football. When you can’t run the football and you have to run it and you have to run it every down they can come right back after you which they do. Unfortunately, we couldn’t protect tonight either. Arizona State didn’t do anything tonight that we haven’t seen. It really starts with us as coaches, we are obviously doing a horrible job and we need to adjust that.”
On defense
“Our defense has been stellar since BYU. It has been about as good as defense is played really since I have been here so it is unfortunate that our offense has been substandard. It is so unfortunate we missed opportunities tonight. Our men need to take ownership, it is the only way that sports move forward, athletes own up and correct mistakes for the next go-around. “
On the defense, cont.
“Obviously we did not do well enough to win. This is a team game and you have to complement one another. We have been asking our defense since BYU to just keep going out there and eventually in this league you are going to give up a play here and there while playing against great athletes and teams. We need to find a way to work even better together so we can be a better team.”
On QB Mike Fafaul
“He was put in a tough spot since we couldn’t run the football. They were rushing him hard and he approached it as well as he could. We have to help him. We did not help him enough.”
On moving forward
“It is what you do. We don’t have an option besides getting ready for Washington State. In this business, there are great wins and tough losses. You bounce back. It is what you do. That is what I expect our team and staff to do, bounce back.”
UCLA Redshirt Senior Quarterback Mike Fafaul
On the weak running game
“You win as a team and you lose as a team. I was just trying to do everything I could to help me team win. I’m not really too focused on that, I’m more focused on my performance. There’s a lot of things I left on the table that I’m disappointed I couldn’t do but that’s football and you have to bounce back.”
On biggest personal takeaway from the game
“Just being out there for the first time in a real game is just a little different. I feel like I got used to the speed and the style of play and the way the plays fit. I think just experience overall is the biggest takeaway for me.”
On being prepared to play if Rosen is hurt
“I feel like I’m very prepared. I’ve been working for this for four years now and I’m going to give it the best I can. I think I can help us win.”
On ASU’s defense
“They played their butt off out there. I felt like they dialed up some pretty complex blitzes. Hats off to them, they really played well. We just didn’t play up to our standard and I think that’s the main reason why at the end of the day we lost the game.”
UCLA Junior Linebacker Kenny Young
On the defense playing well and not the offense
“We just need to pick it up on all three phases. The defense is playing well, we played better in certain aspects. But it’s a team thing. It’s a team sport and we just need to play UCLA standard of football. We’re not at that standard and we just need to find it. Consistency is the key and we just need to keep moving forward and make it better for us to meet December 2nd.”
On where the defense could play better
“I need to look at the film to see specifically where we need to play better. But everyone needs to play better. We just have to play UCLA standard of football and we aren’t at that mark yet.”
On the offense struggling
“Everyone has their struggles. I believe in the offense. They are going to fix things and get things rolling for next week.”
On Rosen’s injury
“It worried me a little bit because he’s my brother, Josh Rosen is my brother; everyone’s my brother on the football team. Anyone’s that injured and in that condition after a football game, it bothers me a little because I care about them obviously. I just talked to him and he said he’s okay so he’ll be alright. He’s a tough guy and a tough battler and we’re all behind him to get things moving for next week.”
UCLA Senior Linebacker Jayon Brown
On the defense playing well and other facets not
“Well football is a team sport so if all three of the teams, offense, special teams and defense, aren’t playing together it’s not going to be a good outcome. We’ve got to fix that on the next week coming up.”
On encouraging the offense
“I try to always keep a positive mindset on the sideline and they do too. We’ve just got to do a better job executing just all around so that we can get a win.”
On the defensive performance
“It was good but not good enough. They scored more points than we did and as a defense we want them to score less points so the offense can win so we didn’t do our jobs tonight.”
On ASU’s success in the second half
“They made plays when we didn’t and they executed better than we did.”
UCLA Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver Jordan Lasley
On making an impact in the game
“It was great. Whether it’s Mike or Josh, my job is to make the quarterback look good.”
On staying in rhythm with different quarterbacks
“Obviously it’s different but that doesn’t matter. Whoever’s back there our job is to make the quarterback look good.”
On adjustments in the second half
“We just played better. That’s all we basically have to do as an offense we just have to play better. Our defense is playing very hard for us so we can’t leave them hanging like that.”
On if Fafaul is the guy moving forward
“Well Fafaul is a very experienced guy so I have no worries if he’s the guy. I have no worries if Josh is the guy. Our job as receivers is to catch the ball when it’s thrown to us and make plays.”
On moving forward
“Obviously we just have to play better. Go back to the drawing board, make corrections, make adjustments, and play better next week.”
Opening Statement
“I am just really proud of our football team. I am proud of [QB] Brady [White] and the way he came in during a very tough situation against an excellent defense. I don’t think many people thought we would win tonight, but we did. I challenged our guys not to listen to what other people say because all that matters it the turnout of the games. UCLA ended up with -1 rushing yards and we had a championship defensive performance. I told our guys in the locker room that I don’t remember the score of the Texas Tech game, all I know is that we won. That’s what matters. It doesn’t matter what anyone says because at the end of the day we are 5-1. We are in first place and I am so proud of our guys and our heart. That was a tremendous team effort tonight and I am so proud of the team.”
On the defense
“[Defensive coordinator] Keith [Patterson] went upstairs and I think he called a great game. We had a nice balance of communication and I think it helped us having someone up in the box. I had both of our coordinators up in the box and I think it helped tremendously. Maurice Chandler also played great and I am so proud of everyone stepping up. We are really getting back to Sun Devil defensive football by getting TFL’s, sacks and putting the heat on. People are going to talk about the yards, but everyone here tonight knows that our defense got after one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
On home advantage and late game dominance
“The biggest thing is that we had three turnovers, but we got four so we were up one on that. I am proud of our whole staff and I love how we had a great late win. I love the fact that our guys take pride in this house. We are now 25-6 at home and four of those games have been this year.”
On QB Brady White
“I know one thing, Brady is 1-0 as a starting quarterback and I am so proud of him. He did some nice things distributing the ball and you have to give him a lot of credit for going against this talented defense.”
On beating UCLA
“This is the third time in the last four years we beat UCLA and that’s a big deal. We take a lot of pride in that. To win the south, we know how vital it is to win against the California schools first and foremost. I said before the game that this was going to be the weekend of back-up quarterbacks and I guess it was.”
On Zane Gonzalez
“I am really proud of Zane and the young man that he is, not only on the field but also off the field and in the classroom. This was a monumental accomplishment for him.”
ASU Senior Place Kicker Zane Gonzalez
On relief on breaking the record and if he’s heard from his dad
“Yeah he left me a text, he already went back to sleep. He has work tomorrow. It is definitely a relief now that it’s over. It’s only half way through the season. We still have half way to go.”
On not thinking about the record
“We just kept going out there trying to put up points on the board. Matt [Haack] has one of the best foots in the nation. We had a bunch of punts and field goals, and put up points on the board and we came up on top.”
On setting the record
“Honestly it hasn’t set in yet. Anytime you can hold a national record, it just speaks volumes. It hasn’t hit me yet. Once it does, it’s a great accomplishment. It’s a good way to go out for my senior year.”
On emotions
“It wasn’t exactly the best kick; I was nervous about it. I was looking at it the whole way. It was a perfect snap and a perfect hold. I thought I didn’t hit it the best I could have. I was watching it the whole way and Matt hit me and I was like I guess it went in. It was awesome.”
On not thinking about the record before taking the field
“The game was tied. We just needed three points at that point. It was in the back of my head I’m not going to lie. At that point we needed them. It was the three points that ended up winning the game so it was awesome.”
ASU Senior Punter Matt Haack
On what makes Zane Gonzalez stand out
“First off his work ethic. He goes out there every day. Even in practice he’s not missing many kicks and even when he does he is kicking that kick over again and making it. He is very meticulous in his routines. He’s about as solid mentally as any kicker out there. I think that helps a bunch for him.”
ASU Junior Long Snapper Mitchell Fraboni
On what makes Zane Gonzalez stand out
“I’d say that he is really dedicated to the entire process and he takes pride in what he does. He makes sure that everything is perfect.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Tim White
On a second half surge to win
“It felt good to get a victory. I think we played a great game in the second half, we and put up a couple points to take the victory. Our defense did a great job.”
On working with QB’s Brady and Manny in the off-season to build chemistry
“Off-season definitely helped, but games are much different. We are still trying to build the game chemistry, but Brady did a great job coming out, and the off-season definitely helped with that. We’re just trying to build that chemistry on the field every game and run with it.”
On the change in the third quarter
“We stuck to what we have been doing and we just began to run the ball better. We were connecting on third downs, and that led us to the points. Brady definitely started to get more comfortable; you could see it in his body.”
ASU Redshirt Junior Linebacker Marcus Ball
On a late game surge to win
“Like Tim said, it was a tremendous game. We have to give UCLA credit for coming in here with a fight, but we have a tremendous group of guys in our locker room. Going into this game, we knew it was going to be a defensive game. Brady White and the receivers definitely stepped up, but we knew, going into this game, we would need tremendous defense. We did that in the second half. We came up plus three on turnovers and got the win.”
On pressuring Josh Rosen and turning points in the game
“The first turning point was Gump on the interception. But the second half interception was a big play. Coach Graham kept telling me to keep going, keep pushing. I saw the ball in the air and made a play on it. I was just doing my job, doing my assignment, but God had his hand on me tonight.”
On the team coming together as a unit
“We had a lot of guys come together today when our players went down. We knew it was going to be a defensive game, but we stepped up and played tremendously. Every week we have missed assignments, but we kept our focus and came up with the win.”
UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora
Opening statement
“Our offense and defense played their hearts out that first half. You can only hold up for so long. We have been struggling with offense the past few weeks. We have been unable to run the ball and protect the passers. It is very, very disappointing. We will get back to work for Washington State.”
On QB Josh Rosen’s shoulder
“He is beat up. He has taken some horrible hits because we cannot protect for him. “
On the offensive line
“Number one, we can’t run the football. When you can’t run the football and you have to run it and you have to run it every down they can come right back after you which they do. Unfortunately, we couldn’t protect tonight either. Arizona State didn’t do anything tonight that we haven’t seen. It really starts with us as coaches, we are obviously doing a horrible job and we need to adjust that.”
On defense
“Our defense has been stellar since BYU. It has been about as good as defense is played really since I have been here so it is unfortunate that our offense has been substandard. It is so unfortunate we missed opportunities tonight. Our men need to take ownership, it is the only way that sports move forward, athletes own up and correct mistakes for the next go-around. “
On the defense, cont.
“Obviously we did not do well enough to win. This is a team game and you have to complement one another. We have been asking our defense since BYU to just keep going out there and eventually in this league you are going to give up a play here and there while playing against great athletes and teams. We need to find a way to work even better together so we can be a better team.”
On QB Mike Fafaul
“He was put in a tough spot since we couldn’t run the football. They were rushing him hard and he approached it as well as he could. We have to help him. We did not help him enough.”
On moving forward
“It is what you do. We don’t have an option besides getting ready for Washington State. In this business, there are great wins and tough losses. You bounce back. It is what you do. That is what I expect our team and staff to do, bounce back.”
UCLA Redshirt Senior Quarterback Mike Fafaul
On the weak running game
“You win as a team and you lose as a team. I was just trying to do everything I could to help me team win. I’m not really too focused on that, I’m more focused on my performance. There’s a lot of things I left on the table that I’m disappointed I couldn’t do but that’s football and you have to bounce back.”
On biggest personal takeaway from the game
“Just being out there for the first time in a real game is just a little different. I feel like I got used to the speed and the style of play and the way the plays fit. I think just experience overall is the biggest takeaway for me.”
On being prepared to play if Rosen is hurt
“I feel like I’m very prepared. I’ve been working for this for four years now and I’m going to give it the best I can. I think I can help us win.”
On ASU’s defense
“They played their butt off out there. I felt like they dialed up some pretty complex blitzes. Hats off to them, they really played well. We just didn’t play up to our standard and I think that’s the main reason why at the end of the day we lost the game.”
UCLA Junior Linebacker Kenny Young
On the defense playing well and not the offense
“We just need to pick it up on all three phases. The defense is playing well, we played better in certain aspects. But it’s a team thing. It’s a team sport and we just need to play UCLA standard of football. We’re not at that standard and we just need to find it. Consistency is the key and we just need to keep moving forward and make it better for us to meet December 2nd.”
On where the defense could play better
“I need to look at the film to see specifically where we need to play better. But everyone needs to play better. We just have to play UCLA standard of football and we aren’t at that mark yet.”
On the offense struggling
“Everyone has their struggles. I believe in the offense. They are going to fix things and get things rolling for next week.”
On Rosen’s injury
“It worried me a little bit because he’s my brother, Josh Rosen is my brother; everyone’s my brother on the football team. Anyone’s that injured and in that condition after a football game, it bothers me a little because I care about them obviously. I just talked to him and he said he’s okay so he’ll be alright. He’s a tough guy and a tough battler and we’re all behind him to get things moving for next week.”
UCLA Senior Linebacker Jayon Brown
On the defense playing well and other facets not
“Well football is a team sport so if all three of the teams, offense, special teams and defense, aren’t playing together it’s not going to be a good outcome. We’ve got to fix that on the next week coming up.”
On encouraging the offense
“I try to always keep a positive mindset on the sideline and they do too. We’ve just got to do a better job executing just all around so that we can get a win.”
On the defensive performance
“It was good but not good enough. They scored more points than we did and as a defense we want them to score less points so the offense can win so we didn’t do our jobs tonight.”
On ASU’s success in the second half
“They made plays when we didn’t and they executed better than we did.”
UCLA Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver Jordan Lasley
On making an impact in the game
“It was great. Whether it’s Mike or Josh, my job is to make the quarterback look good.”
On staying in rhythm with different quarterbacks
“Obviously it’s different but that doesn’t matter. Whoever’s back there our job is to make the quarterback look good.”
On adjustments in the second half
“We just played better. That’s all we basically have to do as an offense we just have to play better. Our defense is playing very hard for us so we can’t leave them hanging like that.”
On if Fafaul is the guy moving forward
“Well Fafaul is a very experienced guy so I have no worries if he’s the guy. I have no worries if Josh is the guy. Our job as receivers is to catch the ball when it’s thrown to us and make plays.”
On moving forward
“Obviously we just have to play better. Go back to the drawing board, make corrections, make adjustments, and play better next week.”