ASU Head Coach Todd Graham
Opening statement
“What a game. Hats off to Coach Dykes and their team, what an incredible team they have. I think we played about 60 plays on defense in the first half, which is not what we planned but I am really proud of our guys. I am proud how they fight back and proud of the heart they show and how they find a way to get it done. We wanted some takeaways and 100 percent ball security and we did that. We figured out a way to get it done and we went out there and won a football game. I keep saying that this team has a lot of heart and I think they showed that in this early stage. This is only our first game in our conference so we get to celebrate for ten seconds and then we have to get ready for USC.”
Overall thoughts on the game
“We have to get them some credit. They got us on a couple of fades really early but you have to tip your hat to [Cal WR Chad] Hansen, that guy is a heck of a receiver. I am really proud of our guys because this was a huge win for us. Obviously, having Laiu [Moeakiola] and Salamo [Fiso] out there helped tremendously but we still have to grow up the young guys. A lot of the mistakes our young guys make is self-inflicted. The young guys are having trouble getting guys lined up and then they think Cal is going to run every down and then they throw it, so we have to really grow that up a little bit. But I am really proud of our effort, especially our defensive line. I really challenged them to put pressure on the quarterback in the second half and they did it so I am really proud of them. I am proud of offense too, they scored on five consecutive drives but I think it is really silly to point out stats in a game like this. Everyone that came to this game really got their money’s worth and the Sun Devils came out and showed the heart and determination of a great team.”
On the Latu brothers, ball security, and recovering from mistakes
“The Latu brothers [Alani and Viliami] played great, they both play with a lot of heart every game. We had a couple blown coverages tonight that resulted in a few big plays and we cannot let that happen. It doesn’t matter because we have to learn from these mistakes. What I am really proud of is the ball security and the turnover ratio that we had tonight. It is great to get three takeaways and obviously we did a great job on the onside kick.”
On the fans and atmosphere
“I am really proud of our staff all the way around. We beat Texas Tech and Cal who are number one and number two in passing, maybe even in total offense. I am also really proud of our fans. Even when we were down two scores, they stayed positive and cheered the entire time. We aren’t done until the bell goes off at the end. I am proud of our fans, our students and our band because it was a great atmosphere tonight. We had a few chaotic plays in the beginning but we calmed down at halftime and we came back. We do have to give them credit, they beat the 11th ranked team last week and they are a pretty good football team so we beat a pretty good organization tonight.”
ASU Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Manny Wilkins
On the late game explosion
“I just have to give it to these guys. They just played their heart out. One thing I think we have been preaching since the beginning is to keep playing no matter what the issue is at the time. This team is built of warriors. Defense played a very good game. The first half, that’s on me, I just have to get things rolling a bit quicker, but we’ll be good.”
On running the ball so much and taking hits
“I just play ball. It’s just football and at the end of the day, some of those hits I can’t take. But I tell these guys every day that I’m going to give it my all and I’m never going to give up. When I get to the ground, I’m never going to stay on the ground. I’m going to get back up and keep fighting.”
On the difference between first and second halves
“That’s on me. I have to make sure we get things going. The first half, that’s on me.”
On Kalen Ballage’s injury
“He’s a warrior. This team is built of warriors. He’s good, he came out and was the momentum shifter and got things rolling for us. He’s just a warrior.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Linebacker Salamo Fiso
On the emphasis to get turnovers
“Definitely. I mean every week we stress the importance of getting takeaways and it hasn’t stopped. And we’re just going to keep trying to do that.”
On the interception
“They ran that play twice on us in the first half, and after the third time I saw it, DJ made him climb up, so it was really DJ. DJ is the reason why we got that pick because we made him go vertical. They tried to push me away and I read it, and I was lucky that he threw it in my direction.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Linebacker Laiu Moeakiola
On what he attributes the second half changes to
“It basically goes back to what coach does. Just buckling down, getting guys settled and reminding one another to just do your job, because a lot of the stuff is self-inflicted like Coach Graham talks about. It’s not doing your assignment, guys trying to make plays outside the system, so the biggest thing is just doing our job on the team as an individual, and no doubt we will come out with a victory every time.”
ASU Sophomore Defensive Back Kareem Orr
On defending against Cal’s Chad Hansen
“He was a good receiver and he did what he had to do. I executed my game plan against him coming out in the second half.”
Cal Head Coach Sonny Dykes
Opening statement
“It was a tough game. I felt like we had a chance to win that one. We made too many mistakes in the second half, while playing pretty much mistake-free in the first half. We had a pretty good lead as a result then made a bunch of mistakes in the second half which cost us against a good football team. You have to give Arizona State a lot of credit; I thought they played really hard and I believe they hung in there well. I think they made a lot of plays down the stretch and that made a difference in the ball game.”
On the interceptions
“I know we were trying to throw a post and the linebacker came from the backside and I don’t think we saw him. Frankly, when he threw the ball I didn’t see him either. I think we were a little late on the throw; I will go back on the film to clarify that. On the second one, they’ve been playing a lot of man coverage and they zoned it off. The flat player just ran underneath the slant and made a nice play.”
On what changed in the final six minutes of the game
“Turnovers were the biggest thing that lost the game for us tonight. We just didn’t make any breaks for ourselves down the stretch and you need to do that in order to win against a competitive team. We have plays in three of these games this season where it boils down to the second half and last few minutes of the game. We made some plays and didn’t turn the ball over against Texas and the games we lost, we turned the ball over. In the end that’s what it comes down to that we attribute our losses to.”
On planning strategy for tonight’s game
“They have good personnel and that’s really what it comes down to. When you look at their personnel, they have pretty experienced guys who have played a lot of football. I am really impressed with their defensive personnel. We did not run the ball particularly well in the second half and I think that hurt us. It was also the little disciplined plays that we usually do well that cost us in the second half.”
On what he’d tell his QB following tonight’s interceptions
“I think we first have to execute better early in the game so we are not in those situations. He clearly executed well in those situations last week, today was just different. I think we have to just do a better job running the ball. When you can run the ball, it takes a lot of pressure off of your quarterback so he doesn’t feel like he has to make every single play. We did not run the ball well today in the second half and as a result, it put an additional pressure on him and forced him to make a bunch of plays. He’s at his best when he’s executing the offense and not forcing things.”
On the difference between the first and second halves
“They hit us for a couple big plays that hurt us. They got us on the big play to the tight end and got some momentum at that point. We, on the other hand, had a couple unnecessary penalties that put us in long yardage situations and we were not very good on third and long. No team is.”
Cal Senior Quarterback Davis Webb
On the last six minutes
“Yeah we have to watch the video. We will do that as a team tomorrow. We left too many opportunities out there, myself included. You can’t throw two picks in the fourth quarter and expect to win. That’s on me; if you turn the ball over you’re probably going to lose and that’s what happened tonight. We need to get better. We have a tough one next week against a ranked opponent in Utah so we have to come back to work tomorrow in practice.”
On the two picks
“I need to watch the film. Coach Graham and Arizona State, I give them all the credit in the world, they did a great job scheming and getting after us defensively in the second half. They did a great job. We just need to learn from mistakes. We had a lot of mistakes out there, myself probably the most and we need to get back to the grind.”
On the difference between the first and second halves
“We just had too many miscues. The quarterback position is the most important and I didn’t play very good in the second half, in the fourth quarter particularly. I have to be able to play better. My teammates fought their butts off, I’m very happy for them. The offensive line did a great job opening holes up for the running backs, our receivers did a great job getting open, but you just can’t have turnovers and I had two tonight, I guess three including that last fumble. If you turn over the ball three times you’re probably going to lose.”
On if ASU did anything different defensively in the second half
“No, they just kept playing. They did a great job in the first half scheming us up and they kept doing it. They did a good job taking away the run a little bit in the second half. The first half we kind of gashed them a couple times. They did a great job and their defensive front did awesome. Coach Graham is one of the best in the country when it comes to calling defensive schemes. A lot of credit in the world to those guys. They out-played us in the third and fourth quarters.”
On improvements to make
“I think we’ll watch the film and there will be a lot of positives out there but right now we just kind of soak in the loss. We have a 12-hour rule and wake up in the morning and get after practice tomorrow. It kind of sucks right now, we just lost a tough game, but at the same time we have the opportunity for a great opponent next week in Utah.”
On WR Demetris Robertson’s continued development
“He’s getting better each and every week. I can’t imagine how good he’s going to be next year and the next three years. I think he’s the best freshman receiver I’ve ever thrown to and if he continues to have a great work ethic and a great mindset there’s no telling what he could do.”
Cal Freshman Wide Receiver Demetris Robertson
On his break-out game
“Each and every day I practice, keep working, getting on the same page as Davis and the quarterbacks. Knowing my stuff for my routes, knowing the defense, stuff like that. Coach Dykes does a great job preparing us for that.”
On what happened in the last six minutes
“We just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities. I haven’t really gone back and watched the film like Davis said, but we just have to capitalize on the opportunities that we have.”
On being in control most of the game
“I felt like we were in control. The defense did a great job scheming and things like that but overall we just had some miscues but we’ll get them fixed and back bounce for Utah.”
On the attitude in the locker room
“Prepare for the next team. We’re trying to prepare for Utah and get ready to play those guys next week.”
Cal Junior Safety Luke Rubenzer
On thoughts and emotions coming back to home state
“I definitely didn’t play my best game. I think it was on the defensive, you know we played a really solid first half. We really only held them to a field goal until that last drive. I couldn’t tell you what happened the second half, we just didn’t come out ready I guess.”
On what does Arizona means to him and his football development
“It means a lot, and I’m sure there were a lot of people in the stands that I knew. It was a really important game for me. Coming from Arizona, there were a lot of people in the stands I knew and I’m sure there’s more I know of that weren’t even there.”
On game-tying touchdown in fourth quarter
“They were just running power, out of that formation all night. I take responsibility for that one, that was my guy. I was supposed to guard the tight end on the vertical release and he had me.”
On how things turned so quickly
“I thought we were still playing pretty well through the second half. They were scoring a little bit, no big plays, for the most part, but no I don’t really know, yeah I really couldn’t tell you, I’m sorry.”
Cal Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver Chad Hansen
On the locker room mood
“We know we missed an opportunity and whenever you know that, the mood is sort of down right now. But we know we’ll bounce back next week, with a ranked Utah team at home, which should be a nice challenge for us moving forward.”
On young wide receivers stepping up
“It’s awesome seeing them grow from fall camp when they first got here and through the first three games and then exploding today. Like Demetris Robertson, he really stepped up today, we need some of the young guys to step up like that. He did really well today.”
On shaking off loss and moving forward
“When we get home, we practice tomorrow to get rid of the bugs, but once we step foot on that practice field we don’t think about the loss. That’s sort of the mind set we have to have. This is a tough loss, but we’ll get through it and come back stronger. We’ll learn from our mistakes and come back stronger against Utah.”
Opening statement
“What a game. Hats off to Coach Dykes and their team, what an incredible team they have. I think we played about 60 plays on defense in the first half, which is not what we planned but I am really proud of our guys. I am proud how they fight back and proud of the heart they show and how they find a way to get it done. We wanted some takeaways and 100 percent ball security and we did that. We figured out a way to get it done and we went out there and won a football game. I keep saying that this team has a lot of heart and I think they showed that in this early stage. This is only our first game in our conference so we get to celebrate for ten seconds and then we have to get ready for USC.”
Overall thoughts on the game
“We have to get them some credit. They got us on a couple of fades really early but you have to tip your hat to [Cal WR Chad] Hansen, that guy is a heck of a receiver. I am really proud of our guys because this was a huge win for us. Obviously, having Laiu [Moeakiola] and Salamo [Fiso] out there helped tremendously but we still have to grow up the young guys. A lot of the mistakes our young guys make is self-inflicted. The young guys are having trouble getting guys lined up and then they think Cal is going to run every down and then they throw it, so we have to really grow that up a little bit. But I am really proud of our effort, especially our defensive line. I really challenged them to put pressure on the quarterback in the second half and they did it so I am really proud of them. I am proud of offense too, they scored on five consecutive drives but I think it is really silly to point out stats in a game like this. Everyone that came to this game really got their money’s worth and the Sun Devils came out and showed the heart and determination of a great team.”
On the Latu brothers, ball security, and recovering from mistakes
“The Latu brothers [Alani and Viliami] played great, they both play with a lot of heart every game. We had a couple blown coverages tonight that resulted in a few big plays and we cannot let that happen. It doesn’t matter because we have to learn from these mistakes. What I am really proud of is the ball security and the turnover ratio that we had tonight. It is great to get three takeaways and obviously we did a great job on the onside kick.”
On the fans and atmosphere
“I am really proud of our staff all the way around. We beat Texas Tech and Cal who are number one and number two in passing, maybe even in total offense. I am also really proud of our fans. Even when we were down two scores, they stayed positive and cheered the entire time. We aren’t done until the bell goes off at the end. I am proud of our fans, our students and our band because it was a great atmosphere tonight. We had a few chaotic plays in the beginning but we calmed down at halftime and we came back. We do have to give them credit, they beat the 11th ranked team last week and they are a pretty good football team so we beat a pretty good organization tonight.”
ASU Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Manny Wilkins
On the late game explosion
“I just have to give it to these guys. They just played their heart out. One thing I think we have been preaching since the beginning is to keep playing no matter what the issue is at the time. This team is built of warriors. Defense played a very good game. The first half, that’s on me, I just have to get things rolling a bit quicker, but we’ll be good.”
On running the ball so much and taking hits
“I just play ball. It’s just football and at the end of the day, some of those hits I can’t take. But I tell these guys every day that I’m going to give it my all and I’m never going to give up. When I get to the ground, I’m never going to stay on the ground. I’m going to get back up and keep fighting.”
On the difference between first and second halves
“That’s on me. I have to make sure we get things going. The first half, that’s on me.”
On Kalen Ballage’s injury
“He’s a warrior. This team is built of warriors. He’s good, he came out and was the momentum shifter and got things rolling for us. He’s just a warrior.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Linebacker Salamo Fiso
On the emphasis to get turnovers
“Definitely. I mean every week we stress the importance of getting takeaways and it hasn’t stopped. And we’re just going to keep trying to do that.”
On the interception
“They ran that play twice on us in the first half, and after the third time I saw it, DJ made him climb up, so it was really DJ. DJ is the reason why we got that pick because we made him go vertical. They tried to push me away and I read it, and I was lucky that he threw it in my direction.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Linebacker Laiu Moeakiola
On what he attributes the second half changes to
“It basically goes back to what coach does. Just buckling down, getting guys settled and reminding one another to just do your job, because a lot of the stuff is self-inflicted like Coach Graham talks about. It’s not doing your assignment, guys trying to make plays outside the system, so the biggest thing is just doing our job on the team as an individual, and no doubt we will come out with a victory every time.”
ASU Sophomore Defensive Back Kareem Orr
On defending against Cal’s Chad Hansen
“He was a good receiver and he did what he had to do. I executed my game plan against him coming out in the second half.”
Cal Head Coach Sonny Dykes
Opening statement
“It was a tough game. I felt like we had a chance to win that one. We made too many mistakes in the second half, while playing pretty much mistake-free in the first half. We had a pretty good lead as a result then made a bunch of mistakes in the second half which cost us against a good football team. You have to give Arizona State a lot of credit; I thought they played really hard and I believe they hung in there well. I think they made a lot of plays down the stretch and that made a difference in the ball game.”
On the interceptions
“I know we were trying to throw a post and the linebacker came from the backside and I don’t think we saw him. Frankly, when he threw the ball I didn’t see him either. I think we were a little late on the throw; I will go back on the film to clarify that. On the second one, they’ve been playing a lot of man coverage and they zoned it off. The flat player just ran underneath the slant and made a nice play.”
On what changed in the final six minutes of the game
“Turnovers were the biggest thing that lost the game for us tonight. We just didn’t make any breaks for ourselves down the stretch and you need to do that in order to win against a competitive team. We have plays in three of these games this season where it boils down to the second half and last few minutes of the game. We made some plays and didn’t turn the ball over against Texas and the games we lost, we turned the ball over. In the end that’s what it comes down to that we attribute our losses to.”
On planning strategy for tonight’s game
“They have good personnel and that’s really what it comes down to. When you look at their personnel, they have pretty experienced guys who have played a lot of football. I am really impressed with their defensive personnel. We did not run the ball particularly well in the second half and I think that hurt us. It was also the little disciplined plays that we usually do well that cost us in the second half.”
On what he’d tell his QB following tonight’s interceptions
“I think we first have to execute better early in the game so we are not in those situations. He clearly executed well in those situations last week, today was just different. I think we have to just do a better job running the ball. When you can run the ball, it takes a lot of pressure off of your quarterback so he doesn’t feel like he has to make every single play. We did not run the ball well today in the second half and as a result, it put an additional pressure on him and forced him to make a bunch of plays. He’s at his best when he’s executing the offense and not forcing things.”
On the difference between the first and second halves
“They hit us for a couple big plays that hurt us. They got us on the big play to the tight end and got some momentum at that point. We, on the other hand, had a couple unnecessary penalties that put us in long yardage situations and we were not very good on third and long. No team is.”
Cal Senior Quarterback Davis Webb
On the last six minutes
“Yeah we have to watch the video. We will do that as a team tomorrow. We left too many opportunities out there, myself included. You can’t throw two picks in the fourth quarter and expect to win. That’s on me; if you turn the ball over you’re probably going to lose and that’s what happened tonight. We need to get better. We have a tough one next week against a ranked opponent in Utah so we have to come back to work tomorrow in practice.”
On the two picks
“I need to watch the film. Coach Graham and Arizona State, I give them all the credit in the world, they did a great job scheming and getting after us defensively in the second half. They did a great job. We just need to learn from mistakes. We had a lot of mistakes out there, myself probably the most and we need to get back to the grind.”
On the difference between the first and second halves
“We just had too many miscues. The quarterback position is the most important and I didn’t play very good in the second half, in the fourth quarter particularly. I have to be able to play better. My teammates fought their butts off, I’m very happy for them. The offensive line did a great job opening holes up for the running backs, our receivers did a great job getting open, but you just can’t have turnovers and I had two tonight, I guess three including that last fumble. If you turn over the ball three times you’re probably going to lose.”
On if ASU did anything different defensively in the second half
“No, they just kept playing. They did a great job in the first half scheming us up and they kept doing it. They did a good job taking away the run a little bit in the second half. The first half we kind of gashed them a couple times. They did a great job and their defensive front did awesome. Coach Graham is one of the best in the country when it comes to calling defensive schemes. A lot of credit in the world to those guys. They out-played us in the third and fourth quarters.”
On improvements to make
“I think we’ll watch the film and there will be a lot of positives out there but right now we just kind of soak in the loss. We have a 12-hour rule and wake up in the morning and get after practice tomorrow. It kind of sucks right now, we just lost a tough game, but at the same time we have the opportunity for a great opponent next week in Utah.”
On WR Demetris Robertson’s continued development
“He’s getting better each and every week. I can’t imagine how good he’s going to be next year and the next three years. I think he’s the best freshman receiver I’ve ever thrown to and if he continues to have a great work ethic and a great mindset there’s no telling what he could do.”
Cal Freshman Wide Receiver Demetris Robertson
On his break-out game
“Each and every day I practice, keep working, getting on the same page as Davis and the quarterbacks. Knowing my stuff for my routes, knowing the defense, stuff like that. Coach Dykes does a great job preparing us for that.”
On what happened in the last six minutes
“We just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities. I haven’t really gone back and watched the film like Davis said, but we just have to capitalize on the opportunities that we have.”
On being in control most of the game
“I felt like we were in control. The defense did a great job scheming and things like that but overall we just had some miscues but we’ll get them fixed and back bounce for Utah.”
On the attitude in the locker room
“Prepare for the next team. We’re trying to prepare for Utah and get ready to play those guys next week.”
Cal Junior Safety Luke Rubenzer
On thoughts and emotions coming back to home state
“I definitely didn’t play my best game. I think it was on the defensive, you know we played a really solid first half. We really only held them to a field goal until that last drive. I couldn’t tell you what happened the second half, we just didn’t come out ready I guess.”
On what does Arizona means to him and his football development
“It means a lot, and I’m sure there were a lot of people in the stands that I knew. It was a really important game for me. Coming from Arizona, there were a lot of people in the stands I knew and I’m sure there’s more I know of that weren’t even there.”
On game-tying touchdown in fourth quarter
“They were just running power, out of that formation all night. I take responsibility for that one, that was my guy. I was supposed to guard the tight end on the vertical release and he had me.”
On how things turned so quickly
“I thought we were still playing pretty well through the second half. They were scoring a little bit, no big plays, for the most part, but no I don’t really know, yeah I really couldn’t tell you, I’m sorry.”
Cal Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver Chad Hansen
On the locker room mood
“We know we missed an opportunity and whenever you know that, the mood is sort of down right now. But we know we’ll bounce back next week, with a ranked Utah team at home, which should be a nice challenge for us moving forward.”
On young wide receivers stepping up
“It’s awesome seeing them grow from fall camp when they first got here and through the first three games and then exploding today. Like Demetris Robertson, he really stepped up today, we need some of the young guys to step up like that. He did really well today.”
On shaking off loss and moving forward
“When we get home, we practice tomorrow to get rid of the bugs, but once we step foot on that practice field we don’t think about the loss. That’s sort of the mind set we have to have. This is a tough loss, but we’ll get through it and come back stronger. We’ll learn from our mistakes and come back stronger against Utah.”