Arizona State Head Coach Herm Edwards
On the defensive improvement in the second half:
“We talked about it, I said ‘look, third quarter now, this is when we really have to hone in on some things.’ I think our coaches did a great job at correcting some things on defense, as well as offensively. The quarterback (UNLV’s) was hurting us at the beginning of the game. He made a couple first downs with his legs, kept the drive alive, and you have to give him credit. They did a nice job. I think we went into the game feeling that we needed to stop their run game, and for the most part we did. They have a dynamic runner, and he didn’t do a lot to us. Offensively, we just shot ourselves in the foot a couple times. First drive we go down there, we throw an interception. It was a low possession game in the first half, we only had it [the ball], I think, three times. It was just one of those methodical games. In the third quarter we got going, and our offense started making first downs, and we ended up with 76 plays, so that is a good number”.
On the defensive adjustments made in the second half:
“We started to play a lot of man-to-man on the back end, and we just felt like we could get to the quarterback, if we brought in another element to the rush, and we were able to do that. I thought for the most part, what we ended up doing, especially when he was running that dive, the quarterback was taking it from the back and running it. We had to make sure we knew our assignments, and once that got done, we played pretty well”.
Arizona State Quarterback Jayden Daniels
On dropping back and looking in the first half
“They combined a lot of our routes. They played us really well in the first half in the passing game, especially down the field. That’s why I used my legs to hurt them.”
On the game plan to find holes in the open field
“It was just in the moment. The game plan is never for me to rush around every yard, it’s to run the ball, action pass, get the receivers going, get the running backs going. Rachaad (White) and all of them did a hell of a job, my receivers did a hell of a job, but if they’re going to give me those opportunities then I’m going to take them. As long as we can stay on the field and as long as I can help the team win, I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
Arizona State Defensive-Back Chase Lucas
On turning around the defensive intensity after halftime:
“I think we were doing what we were supposed to the entire game. UNLV’s quarterback was finding lanes to scramble, but after halftime we talked to one another and said we were going to set up a spy on the quarterback, which worked in our favor to get the pressure that we needed to give our offense the ball. We did a great job in the end, but we have to start better defensively.”
On what he saw for most of the game:
“The entire game I was playing in the middle, then I was playing inside a lot. Tonight was the first time I played cornerback. I asked my teammates what routes they were running, which was a lot of deep outs, as I trusted my eyes and made some good plays tonight on the ball.”
UNLV Head Coach, Marcus Arroyo
Opening Statement:
“I’m excited about the way our guys’ mindset was coming in here. This was a big opportunity for our group to come out here on the road versus a ranked opponent and to see where we’re at. I thought that they did a nice job in the first half. We have to continue to coach our tails off, be very introspective of ourselves in regards to how we can finish a game and put two halves together. That’s our goal. Again, we’re not into moral victories. There are a lot of things that I think we did very well. I think we’ve turned a page in regards to guys’ fight and their resiliency and how they see themselves. I think there are some good things in that, but we have a sour taste in our mouth in regards to how we can put the whole thing together. We’ve got to put two halves together; on all three phases of the game there are a lot of things we can fix. So I’m excited about going to work and getting that fixed and starting with myself and with our staff, and then making sure we give these guys the right plan and finish a game.”
On a strong start and second half play:
“I think that’s a top-25 football team that’s been together for four years. They made some good adjustments. We tried to make some adjustments as well, but we have to execute better. I think our guys came to play in that first half. We had some nice drives, but the second half we struggled to put some things together. We have to start with the way we look at first as coaches and give these guys the right plan, but we’ve got to execute. It’s going to take two halves of football to beat a team like that. On the road and with where they’re at in the stages of their depth we knew that they were good, and that’s a good football team. Ain’t no doubt about it. With experience and good coaches. But I’m really excited with the way our guys responded and stuck to the challenge.”
On ASU’s second half adjustments:
“They did a couple things differently up front. They played a little more cover one. They’ve got a good group up front and they’ve got some DBs that can play for press. A few things here and there put us in a situation where we have to make some changes, but the field position is the thing that got us too. We’ve gotta get out of our end. We got backed up there a bunch, but they made some adjustments and we’ve got to adjust the same. They’ve got some more experience of doing that together, but we've got to make sure that we go back and look at it and communicate exactly what needs to happen in those regards. Even as young as we are, make sure that we’re talking together. That’s the work we’ve got ahead of us.
On growth and progress between week one and two:
“I think there were spurts of it. We’ll find some good stuff in there for sure, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to live on those small moral victories. There’s a lot of things in there we have to make sure we really own up to them to win football games. We took care of the football in this game. We weren’t explosive enough. We did a good job on third downs in the first half, we didn’t do a good job in the second half on third downs. You get 51 plays in a game, you have to be really good and they’ve got to be efficient plays to beat a team like that. So, there’s a lot of things I think we’re going to continue to add toward to things we can collectively teach to each other about how you win a football game. I think that we’re going to find some things that I think we’re going to like and I think we’re going to continue to find out that we’re got a lot of room to grow and we’re excited about that.”
UNLV Offensive Lineman Leif Fautanu
On what offensive line Coach Woods said to the team in the second half:
“Don’t fold even though there was a whole bunch of pressure when things don’t go our way. Just keep continuing to fight through it because adversity always happens in a game. So, he was just telling us to keep pushing through.”
On how the offensive line performed tonight:
“I think in the first half our goal was to really establish the run game. I think we did a really good job of executing in the first half, just trying to move the front, push the front but I think in the second half we just fell off a little bit seeing different looks and we just didn’t execute.”
UNLV ILB Jacoby Windmon
On the night and what the team can learn from it:
“I think we played well in the first half. Moving forward, we need to learn from our mistakes and do a better job finishing the game.”
On being a leader and encouraging his teammates:
“To expand on what Coach Marcus said, I think I will encourage my teammates to focus on what we did well, continue to grow from our mistakes, and continue to trust each other as a unit.”
On the defensive improvement in the second half:
“We talked about it, I said ‘look, third quarter now, this is when we really have to hone in on some things.’ I think our coaches did a great job at correcting some things on defense, as well as offensively. The quarterback (UNLV’s) was hurting us at the beginning of the game. He made a couple first downs with his legs, kept the drive alive, and you have to give him credit. They did a nice job. I think we went into the game feeling that we needed to stop their run game, and for the most part we did. They have a dynamic runner, and he didn’t do a lot to us. Offensively, we just shot ourselves in the foot a couple times. First drive we go down there, we throw an interception. It was a low possession game in the first half, we only had it [the ball], I think, three times. It was just one of those methodical games. In the third quarter we got going, and our offense started making first downs, and we ended up with 76 plays, so that is a good number”.
On the defensive adjustments made in the second half:
“We started to play a lot of man-to-man on the back end, and we just felt like we could get to the quarterback, if we brought in another element to the rush, and we were able to do that. I thought for the most part, what we ended up doing, especially when he was running that dive, the quarterback was taking it from the back and running it. We had to make sure we knew our assignments, and once that got done, we played pretty well”.
Arizona State Quarterback Jayden Daniels
On dropping back and looking in the first half
“They combined a lot of our routes. They played us really well in the first half in the passing game, especially down the field. That’s why I used my legs to hurt them.”
On the game plan to find holes in the open field
“It was just in the moment. The game plan is never for me to rush around every yard, it’s to run the ball, action pass, get the receivers going, get the running backs going. Rachaad (White) and all of them did a hell of a job, my receivers did a hell of a job, but if they’re going to give me those opportunities then I’m going to take them. As long as we can stay on the field and as long as I can help the team win, I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
Arizona State Defensive-Back Chase Lucas
On turning around the defensive intensity after halftime:
“I think we were doing what we were supposed to the entire game. UNLV’s quarterback was finding lanes to scramble, but after halftime we talked to one another and said we were going to set up a spy on the quarterback, which worked in our favor to get the pressure that we needed to give our offense the ball. We did a great job in the end, but we have to start better defensively.”
On what he saw for most of the game:
“The entire game I was playing in the middle, then I was playing inside a lot. Tonight was the first time I played cornerback. I asked my teammates what routes they were running, which was a lot of deep outs, as I trusted my eyes and made some good plays tonight on the ball.”
UNLV Head Coach, Marcus Arroyo
Opening Statement:
“I’m excited about the way our guys’ mindset was coming in here. This was a big opportunity for our group to come out here on the road versus a ranked opponent and to see where we’re at. I thought that they did a nice job in the first half. We have to continue to coach our tails off, be very introspective of ourselves in regards to how we can finish a game and put two halves together. That’s our goal. Again, we’re not into moral victories. There are a lot of things that I think we did very well. I think we’ve turned a page in regards to guys’ fight and their resiliency and how they see themselves. I think there are some good things in that, but we have a sour taste in our mouth in regards to how we can put the whole thing together. We’ve got to put two halves together; on all three phases of the game there are a lot of things we can fix. So I’m excited about going to work and getting that fixed and starting with myself and with our staff, and then making sure we give these guys the right plan and finish a game.”
On a strong start and second half play:
“I think that’s a top-25 football team that’s been together for four years. They made some good adjustments. We tried to make some adjustments as well, but we have to execute better. I think our guys came to play in that first half. We had some nice drives, but the second half we struggled to put some things together. We have to start with the way we look at first as coaches and give these guys the right plan, but we’ve got to execute. It’s going to take two halves of football to beat a team like that. On the road and with where they’re at in the stages of their depth we knew that they were good, and that’s a good football team. Ain’t no doubt about it. With experience and good coaches. But I’m really excited with the way our guys responded and stuck to the challenge.”
On ASU’s second half adjustments:
“They did a couple things differently up front. They played a little more cover one. They’ve got a good group up front and they’ve got some DBs that can play for press. A few things here and there put us in a situation where we have to make some changes, but the field position is the thing that got us too. We’ve gotta get out of our end. We got backed up there a bunch, but they made some adjustments and we’ve got to adjust the same. They’ve got some more experience of doing that together, but we've got to make sure that we go back and look at it and communicate exactly what needs to happen in those regards. Even as young as we are, make sure that we’re talking together. That’s the work we’ve got ahead of us.
On growth and progress between week one and two:
“I think there were spurts of it. We’ll find some good stuff in there for sure, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to live on those small moral victories. There’s a lot of things in there we have to make sure we really own up to them to win football games. We took care of the football in this game. We weren’t explosive enough. We did a good job on third downs in the first half, we didn’t do a good job in the second half on third downs. You get 51 plays in a game, you have to be really good and they’ve got to be efficient plays to beat a team like that. So, there’s a lot of things I think we’re going to continue to add toward to things we can collectively teach to each other about how you win a football game. I think that we’re going to find some things that I think we’re going to like and I think we’re going to continue to find out that we’re got a lot of room to grow and we’re excited about that.”
UNLV Offensive Lineman Leif Fautanu
On what offensive line Coach Woods said to the team in the second half:
“Don’t fold even though there was a whole bunch of pressure when things don’t go our way. Just keep continuing to fight through it because adversity always happens in a game. So, he was just telling us to keep pushing through.”
On how the offensive line performed tonight:
“I think in the first half our goal was to really establish the run game. I think we did a really good job of executing in the first half, just trying to move the front, push the front but I think in the second half we just fell off a little bit seeing different looks and we just didn’t execute.”
UNLV ILB Jacoby Windmon
On the night and what the team can learn from it:
“I think we played well in the first half. Moving forward, we need to learn from our mistakes and do a better job finishing the game.”
On being a leader and encouraging his teammates:
“To expand on what Coach Marcus said, I think I will encourage my teammates to focus on what we did well, continue to grow from our mistakes, and continue to trust each other as a unit.”