ASU Head Coach Todd Graham
Opening Statement
“I’m real proud of our football team. They showed so much heart and when we would turn the football over, we’d drive them back 20 yards. The incredible effort that they give, I’m really proud of them. Obviously, very disappointed. It was five, six, seven plays. We give up a couple big plays through mental errors that’re tough. That’s what tough to deal with: making mistakes in key situations. I’m extremely proud of the freshman. I thought Dillon [Sterling-Cole] battled and, for a freshman who hadn’t had very many reps, I thought he did a great job. Manny [Wilkins] has great courage. I’ve never seen a guy with more courage than him. I’m just very proud of our team. I love these guys. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for these fans because we should’ve won that football game. I think our guys showed great heart coming back.”
On what made the difference in tonight’s game
“We gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown. That was the difference in the football game. There was no way on Earth that that should’ve went for a touchdown. It’s one of those things that we emphasize all the time. We thought the kicker was going to tackle him but guys just pulled up. That play was really, really frustrating. I promise you we got after the quarterback. We gave up two fade balls that we played poor technique on. Other than that, we got after the quarterback and we tackled better. We had a lot of missed tackles, though, from our linebackers early that weren’t good. They couldn’t run the football. We did what we wanted to do there. I don’t know what they had rushing but it was negative. I think we did decent. Our best corner gives up a fade route and we’re playing outside leverage man free. That one was a give me there. We gave them that touchdown. Give a kickoff return for a touchdown. It was a hard-fought game. We had the ball on the ground and we tried to scoop and score it instead of getting on the ball. That could’ve been the difference in the game. We just didn’t execute to score. We were playing good defense. I thought ‘We already kicked the field goal’ and because it was fourth and really long, I probably should’ve went for it but I felt like we had enough time to hold them. But then we gave up three slants and I called timeout and I said, ‘Hey look guys, we’re playing inside leverage, just don’t give up any slants,’ and we went and gave up three slants there for them to ice the game.”
On mistakes made and sacking WSU QB Luke Falk
“We sacked him seven times, I believe. We got after him and hit him a lot more than that. There’s lots of things that are really stellar but I’m just so disappointed in the mistakes. That’s what really hurts: the mistakes. I really felt because it was fourth and so long that we could kick the field goal and then kickoff to them and hold them and then pin them and go in to beat them. I’m just disappointed for our kids but I’m really proud of them. I’m proud of their effort.”
On N’Keal Harry and Dillon Sterling-Cole
“N’Keal [Harry] was great. That’s two really great freshmen out there. I was real impressed with Dillon [Sterling-Cole]. He’s a guy that basically came into the season as our fourth-team quarterback. He played tonight and I thought he showed great courage and really got out there and made some fantastic throws and did some good things. I was really proud of him.”
On offensive lineman Tyler McClure and missing players
“We had two starting offensive linemen out, starting linebacker and a starting free safety. I’m really proud of the guys that stepped up and filled in there. I was really proud of Tyler McClure. He’s a winner, a champion, a kid that this program is all about. I’m really proud of him. I thought he played great.”
On the team playing with heart
“The heart. That’s what I’m proud of. I think our fans know that our guys are going to give them everything they’ve got. I’m just disappointed and I wish I could’ve done more to help us win because I thought we were going to win that game.”
ASU Redshirt Junior Linebacker Marcus Ball
On communication challenges on defense with numerous injuries
“It’s the next guy up. We obviously had a couple injuries, a couple guys that didn’t play but just like any program, you have to have the next guy up prepared and he has to be ready to play. Some guys stepped up, Carlos [Mendoza] came in and played well, Malik Lawal came in and played his butt off, but that’s what happens when a guy goes down. A guy has to be confident in his play. That’s what happens when you practice your butt off Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and you trust your training so you don’t have to make anything go when you play a game on Saturday. You can just go out and be confident in your play.”
On linebacker Salamo Fiso going down
“Salamo is definitely one of our leaders. He leads this team by example and he is a great role model. He now has 60 minutes left to play at Arizona State on this home field. When he went down it was definitely important to us, but even before that, it was important to us. The guys on the field, some of them have been here for four and five years. They have been here, worked, and dedicated so much to this program. Every time we take the field it’s to honor those guys, and to do our best for this program. This program means so much to the guys next to me [Tim White and Koron Crump] but Salamo was a guy that is a role model to this defense. So when he went down, we had a sense of urgency to play for him, and to play a lot harder.”
On sense of urgency due to constant change in QB’s
“I mean there was definitely a sense of urgency trying to get to the quarterback. It’s no surprise that we had about three sacks today. It’s no surprise everyone knows we’re coming with pressure. It was sense of urgency trying to get to him but we knew he was going to get the ball out quickly. From here on out, every game is going to be on us, that’s how every defense in America should look at it. Defense wins ball games, no doubt about it. We’re not going to hang our heads about the loss, we’re going to go back to work and show up next Saturday.”
ASU Junior Linebacker Koron Crump
On sense of urgency due to constant QB changes
“We don’t look at the quarterback situation, we just keep playing. It’s the defense, it’s on us.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Tim White
On getting banged up early in the game and then returning a punt for a TD
“I got banged up earlier in the game, but that is part of the game. Coaches and players were able to draw up a play and execute it. It felt great getting into the end zone, but we didn’t get the victory, and that is all that matters. We had to put points on the board for our quarterbacks and our offense, and that is what we accomplished, but without a victory it doesn’t mean anything.”
On getting into a rhythm with so many changes at QB
“Manny [Wilkins] did a great job, clearly scoring on his first series. Dillon [Sterling-Cole] did what he could do, he played with heart and all we had to do as an offense is keep him motivated and confident because you never know what can happen on the last series of the game. We like to run the ball and that’s something we like to utilize, we just get down there and grind it out. We know our situation and we know we have to rely on the run and I think our offense did a great job we just have to finish strong.”
On QB changes, continued
“It’s no surprise to anyone what it looks like for us at the quarterback position. Manny did a great job on his first series, like I pointed out earlier, and all we could do is try to grind it out and run the ball to put our young quarterback Dillon [Sterling-Cole] in the best position he can be and to be comfortable. That’s a big step for a freshman, you know, especially just being thrown into that spot. So with our special teams unit, the defensive side of the ball, and running the ball, that’s what we have to do to put him in the best position for our team.”
WSU Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Gabe Marks
On personal feelings
“One thing that you can expect from Arizona State, is that no matter what they are doing, they play hard and fast with their defense. They know how to hit and they know how to make it hurt. This game can really take a toll on you so we have been preparing to not allow the hard hits to affect how we play in a negative way. “
On the first quarter
“Sometimes Luke [Falk] takes a little time to figure out what they are giving him and what they want to take away from us. They were blitzing us so much that he did not really get the chance to see the whole defense in a couple plays so it took him a drive or drive and a half to see what they were doing. Once we figured out what they were giving us, we were taking it and able to perform well.”
On blitzing
“Arizona State does a good job of disguising their blitzes. They had basically everyone on the box, the line of scrimmage and they would drop out at the snap. It made it hard to decipher it for a little while.”
WSU Junior Defensive Back Robert Taylor
On his first kick return
“It goes by like a blur. We had a good game plan going in with that kick return and when I saw that green grass, I knew that I just had to hit it. It was a blur, but a blessing too. This was the first one we had in about 13 years so we take great pride in that as a team.”
On moving from JUCO to Division I
“It is such a blessing and I thank God every day. I want to thank my supporters and everybody who helped me push for that decision. I am so blessed to be in this position now.”
WSU Redshirt Junior Linebacker Isaac Dotson
On the challenge of Arizona State changing up the offense
“We just stick to our guns and play our brand of football, its downhill. We have seen it on film and prepare for it all week so we were just doing what we have been coached to do.”
On the excitement of knowing when the run is coming right before the snap
“It’s a lot of fun when you get to just fly and hit somebody, you don’t have to worry about dropping back into pass coverage for the most part.”
On how Washington State has won the last two games and what it says about the team
“We are gritty guys and we are battling to the end. Coach Leach has been stressing playing the full sixty minutes and we have had a lot of games both this year and last year that have come down to the wire. We have shown that we can finish in those games. It just comes down to sticking together, doing our job like coach Leach stresses, and playing hard until the clock hits zero.”
On what it feels to be 4-0 in the Pac-12
“It feels good. We have to cherish these ones. We are going to have a blast celebrating this one with the teammates and then tomorrow it’s back to business.”
On the return by Robert Taylor
“It was exciting because it has been since 2003 since we have had a kick-off return for a touchdown. We tease him because his Instagram name is “Run It Back Rob” but he hasn’t “run it back yet”. Now we can finally call him that. It was exciting. It was an awesome play by him with great blocking. It was just a huge special teams play that we really needed.”
WSU Redshirt Junior Quarterback Luke Falk
On how difficult it is going against Arizona State’s defense
“They did a lot of different things today. I think they are a tough defense to go against. Once we got a read on them we did the things that made us successful, like good tempo, making good reads, and putting the ball in play. Ultimately we did a nice job of having a gutsy win and finishing the game on that last drive the way we wanted to.”
On diagnosing the ASU defense
“I didn’t have my eyes in the right place early on. Everything they did today we have seen on film. I just needed to get a beat on it. Once we got that, we were rolling.”
On receivers River Cracraft and Gabe Marks
“They are awesome. They are our go-to guys. They want the ball in the clutch. Gabe [Marks] is always on me about how he is open. We have a bunch of great guys out here that can do a lot of things with the ball in their hands. It’s a great luxury when you get it in their hands and your job is a lot easier.”
On Gabe Marks’ 52-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter
“He was singled up and the safety rolled over. I’m surprised they even pressed him. Gabe [Marks] just shook the crap out of them. I really just had to put good air on it and he made the rest happen.”
On if the team works on the “extended taking a knee”
“Every Thursday it’s part of our deal. It’s just a routine play to us. We executed it pretty well tonight.”
On how he feels after the game
“I feel pretty good after that win. It’s a tough place to play, it’s a tough environment, and it’s hot. I thought we did a nice job, it was a team effort. We had our first kick-off return [for a touchdown] and it came at a great time. Our defense stepped up when they needed to and our offense did things when we needed to.”
On how Arizona State’s defense took away the run tonight
“They loaded the box, gave different looks and different fronts. If the numbers aren’t right, we aren’t going to do it. It’s a bad call. We are a pass-heavy team, so why wouldn’t we do it (pass). If they want to load the box that’s what this offense is designed around is to throw the crap out of it. We kind of got back to our roots I guess. If the numbers are right, we are going to run the ball. We have three great backs. I think they are the best coached position and the most well-rounded position. Tonight there were some times where they were trying to take it away and we just had to throw it.”
On sign stealing and being discrete
“We aren’t too worried about that. We are just going out there and trying to do our job. You always want to go out there and be discrete with your signs. If they have a beat on them, oh well. In our mind if we execute the play it doesn’t matter if they know what it is. I think our guys did a really nice job of that tonight. We played with a tempo where it’s tough for them to even look at them (signs).”
Opening Statement
“I’m real proud of our football team. They showed so much heart and when we would turn the football over, we’d drive them back 20 yards. The incredible effort that they give, I’m really proud of them. Obviously, very disappointed. It was five, six, seven plays. We give up a couple big plays through mental errors that’re tough. That’s what tough to deal with: making mistakes in key situations. I’m extremely proud of the freshman. I thought Dillon [Sterling-Cole] battled and, for a freshman who hadn’t had very many reps, I thought he did a great job. Manny [Wilkins] has great courage. I’ve never seen a guy with more courage than him. I’m just very proud of our team. I love these guys. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for these fans because we should’ve won that football game. I think our guys showed great heart coming back.”
On what made the difference in tonight’s game
“We gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown. That was the difference in the football game. There was no way on Earth that that should’ve went for a touchdown. It’s one of those things that we emphasize all the time. We thought the kicker was going to tackle him but guys just pulled up. That play was really, really frustrating. I promise you we got after the quarterback. We gave up two fade balls that we played poor technique on. Other than that, we got after the quarterback and we tackled better. We had a lot of missed tackles, though, from our linebackers early that weren’t good. They couldn’t run the football. We did what we wanted to do there. I don’t know what they had rushing but it was negative. I think we did decent. Our best corner gives up a fade route and we’re playing outside leverage man free. That one was a give me there. We gave them that touchdown. Give a kickoff return for a touchdown. It was a hard-fought game. We had the ball on the ground and we tried to scoop and score it instead of getting on the ball. That could’ve been the difference in the game. We just didn’t execute to score. We were playing good defense. I thought ‘We already kicked the field goal’ and because it was fourth and really long, I probably should’ve went for it but I felt like we had enough time to hold them. But then we gave up three slants and I called timeout and I said, ‘Hey look guys, we’re playing inside leverage, just don’t give up any slants,’ and we went and gave up three slants there for them to ice the game.”
On mistakes made and sacking WSU QB Luke Falk
“We sacked him seven times, I believe. We got after him and hit him a lot more than that. There’s lots of things that are really stellar but I’m just so disappointed in the mistakes. That’s what really hurts: the mistakes. I really felt because it was fourth and so long that we could kick the field goal and then kickoff to them and hold them and then pin them and go in to beat them. I’m just disappointed for our kids but I’m really proud of them. I’m proud of their effort.”
On N’Keal Harry and Dillon Sterling-Cole
“N’Keal [Harry] was great. That’s two really great freshmen out there. I was real impressed with Dillon [Sterling-Cole]. He’s a guy that basically came into the season as our fourth-team quarterback. He played tonight and I thought he showed great courage and really got out there and made some fantastic throws and did some good things. I was really proud of him.”
On offensive lineman Tyler McClure and missing players
“We had two starting offensive linemen out, starting linebacker and a starting free safety. I’m really proud of the guys that stepped up and filled in there. I was really proud of Tyler McClure. He’s a winner, a champion, a kid that this program is all about. I’m really proud of him. I thought he played great.”
On the team playing with heart
“The heart. That’s what I’m proud of. I think our fans know that our guys are going to give them everything they’ve got. I’m just disappointed and I wish I could’ve done more to help us win because I thought we were going to win that game.”
ASU Redshirt Junior Linebacker Marcus Ball
On communication challenges on defense with numerous injuries
“It’s the next guy up. We obviously had a couple injuries, a couple guys that didn’t play but just like any program, you have to have the next guy up prepared and he has to be ready to play. Some guys stepped up, Carlos [Mendoza] came in and played well, Malik Lawal came in and played his butt off, but that’s what happens when a guy goes down. A guy has to be confident in his play. That’s what happens when you practice your butt off Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and you trust your training so you don’t have to make anything go when you play a game on Saturday. You can just go out and be confident in your play.”
On linebacker Salamo Fiso going down
“Salamo is definitely one of our leaders. He leads this team by example and he is a great role model. He now has 60 minutes left to play at Arizona State on this home field. When he went down it was definitely important to us, but even before that, it was important to us. The guys on the field, some of them have been here for four and five years. They have been here, worked, and dedicated so much to this program. Every time we take the field it’s to honor those guys, and to do our best for this program. This program means so much to the guys next to me [Tim White and Koron Crump] but Salamo was a guy that is a role model to this defense. So when he went down, we had a sense of urgency to play for him, and to play a lot harder.”
On sense of urgency due to constant change in QB’s
“I mean there was definitely a sense of urgency trying to get to the quarterback. It’s no surprise that we had about three sacks today. It’s no surprise everyone knows we’re coming with pressure. It was sense of urgency trying to get to him but we knew he was going to get the ball out quickly. From here on out, every game is going to be on us, that’s how every defense in America should look at it. Defense wins ball games, no doubt about it. We’re not going to hang our heads about the loss, we’re going to go back to work and show up next Saturday.”
ASU Junior Linebacker Koron Crump
On sense of urgency due to constant QB changes
“We don’t look at the quarterback situation, we just keep playing. It’s the defense, it’s on us.”
ASU Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Tim White
On getting banged up early in the game and then returning a punt for a TD
“I got banged up earlier in the game, but that is part of the game. Coaches and players were able to draw up a play and execute it. It felt great getting into the end zone, but we didn’t get the victory, and that is all that matters. We had to put points on the board for our quarterbacks and our offense, and that is what we accomplished, but without a victory it doesn’t mean anything.”
On getting into a rhythm with so many changes at QB
“Manny [Wilkins] did a great job, clearly scoring on his first series. Dillon [Sterling-Cole] did what he could do, he played with heart and all we had to do as an offense is keep him motivated and confident because you never know what can happen on the last series of the game. We like to run the ball and that’s something we like to utilize, we just get down there and grind it out. We know our situation and we know we have to rely on the run and I think our offense did a great job we just have to finish strong.”
On QB changes, continued
“It’s no surprise to anyone what it looks like for us at the quarterback position. Manny did a great job on his first series, like I pointed out earlier, and all we could do is try to grind it out and run the ball to put our young quarterback Dillon [Sterling-Cole] in the best position he can be and to be comfortable. That’s a big step for a freshman, you know, especially just being thrown into that spot. So with our special teams unit, the defensive side of the ball, and running the ball, that’s what we have to do to put him in the best position for our team.”
WSU Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Gabe Marks
On personal feelings
“One thing that you can expect from Arizona State, is that no matter what they are doing, they play hard and fast with their defense. They know how to hit and they know how to make it hurt. This game can really take a toll on you so we have been preparing to not allow the hard hits to affect how we play in a negative way. “
On the first quarter
“Sometimes Luke [Falk] takes a little time to figure out what they are giving him and what they want to take away from us. They were blitzing us so much that he did not really get the chance to see the whole defense in a couple plays so it took him a drive or drive and a half to see what they were doing. Once we figured out what they were giving us, we were taking it and able to perform well.”
On blitzing
“Arizona State does a good job of disguising their blitzes. They had basically everyone on the box, the line of scrimmage and they would drop out at the snap. It made it hard to decipher it for a little while.”
WSU Junior Defensive Back Robert Taylor
On his first kick return
“It goes by like a blur. We had a good game plan going in with that kick return and when I saw that green grass, I knew that I just had to hit it. It was a blur, but a blessing too. This was the first one we had in about 13 years so we take great pride in that as a team.”
On moving from JUCO to Division I
“It is such a blessing and I thank God every day. I want to thank my supporters and everybody who helped me push for that decision. I am so blessed to be in this position now.”
WSU Redshirt Junior Linebacker Isaac Dotson
On the challenge of Arizona State changing up the offense
“We just stick to our guns and play our brand of football, its downhill. We have seen it on film and prepare for it all week so we were just doing what we have been coached to do.”
On the excitement of knowing when the run is coming right before the snap
“It’s a lot of fun when you get to just fly and hit somebody, you don’t have to worry about dropping back into pass coverage for the most part.”
On how Washington State has won the last two games and what it says about the team
“We are gritty guys and we are battling to the end. Coach Leach has been stressing playing the full sixty minutes and we have had a lot of games both this year and last year that have come down to the wire. We have shown that we can finish in those games. It just comes down to sticking together, doing our job like coach Leach stresses, and playing hard until the clock hits zero.”
On what it feels to be 4-0 in the Pac-12
“It feels good. We have to cherish these ones. We are going to have a blast celebrating this one with the teammates and then tomorrow it’s back to business.”
On the return by Robert Taylor
“It was exciting because it has been since 2003 since we have had a kick-off return for a touchdown. We tease him because his Instagram name is “Run It Back Rob” but he hasn’t “run it back yet”. Now we can finally call him that. It was exciting. It was an awesome play by him with great blocking. It was just a huge special teams play that we really needed.”
WSU Redshirt Junior Quarterback Luke Falk
On how difficult it is going against Arizona State’s defense
“They did a lot of different things today. I think they are a tough defense to go against. Once we got a read on them we did the things that made us successful, like good tempo, making good reads, and putting the ball in play. Ultimately we did a nice job of having a gutsy win and finishing the game on that last drive the way we wanted to.”
On diagnosing the ASU defense
“I didn’t have my eyes in the right place early on. Everything they did today we have seen on film. I just needed to get a beat on it. Once we got that, we were rolling.”
On receivers River Cracraft and Gabe Marks
“They are awesome. They are our go-to guys. They want the ball in the clutch. Gabe [Marks] is always on me about how he is open. We have a bunch of great guys out here that can do a lot of things with the ball in their hands. It’s a great luxury when you get it in their hands and your job is a lot easier.”
On Gabe Marks’ 52-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter
“He was singled up and the safety rolled over. I’m surprised they even pressed him. Gabe [Marks] just shook the crap out of them. I really just had to put good air on it and he made the rest happen.”
On if the team works on the “extended taking a knee”
“Every Thursday it’s part of our deal. It’s just a routine play to us. We executed it pretty well tonight.”
On how he feels after the game
“I feel pretty good after that win. It’s a tough place to play, it’s a tough environment, and it’s hot. I thought we did a nice job, it was a team effort. We had our first kick-off return [for a touchdown] and it came at a great time. Our defense stepped up when they needed to and our offense did things when we needed to.”
On how Arizona State’s defense took away the run tonight
“They loaded the box, gave different looks and different fronts. If the numbers aren’t right, we aren’t going to do it. It’s a bad call. We are a pass-heavy team, so why wouldn’t we do it (pass). If they want to load the box that’s what this offense is designed around is to throw the crap out of it. We kind of got back to our roots I guess. If the numbers are right, we are going to run the ball. We have three great backs. I think they are the best coached position and the most well-rounded position. Tonight there were some times where they were trying to take it away and we just had to throw it.”
On sign stealing and being discrete
“We aren’t too worried about that. We are just going out there and trying to do our job. You always want to go out there and be discrete with your signs. If they have a beat on them, oh well. In our mind if we execute the play it doesn’t matter if they know what it is. I think our guys did a really nice job of that tonight. We played with a tempo where it’s tough for them to even look at them (signs).”