Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham:
On factors he saw in the secondary:
“We couldn’t create a pass rush with four and if you can’t create a pass rush with four and you play good wideouts, it’s hard. So all year, pass rush has been one of our top things. Early in the year, we were able to scheme up more pass rush pressures. But at the end of the year, teams just said no, we will let two or three guys get into route combinations and we’ll max pro you and play that game.”
On fight team showed in the second half and building a culture:
“I didn’t take this job and expect to go win eight games. So the buy-in, what we’re doing and the direction we’re going, 100 percent. It’s the direction that needs to be headed, it’s what needed to be done this year even though it’s not fun to lose games this year. It’s not fun for all of this stuff, sometimes it’s needed. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to bounce back up and where we were as a program in the direction we’re going. I have 1000 percent confidence that the ball’s bouncing up, not down.”
On what OL Joey Ramos has meant to this team:
“He’s been battling through god knows what. Just a fight. He’s a competitor, a competitor, he’s a fighter. He went there, we ran the ball pretty well today and the game was getting away from us so we couldn’t continue to run the ball like that which was unfortunate. I thought those guys played well leading with Joey.”
On how important is that he got through to veteran players and laying out a foundation:
“Everybody out of this room is going to look at this year and say “Oh its a failure, I’m a part of one of the worst junior and senior classes that have ever come through ASU.” I said that the people in this room, I’m going to look at this room, will look back as the people who set the foundation for where you’re going. You guys come back and watch us play in two years, three years, four years, twenty years. You guys are going to get to say we were the ones who had to drag people to be there five minutes early, who had to say yes. Who had to sit somebody because they were late to something. We were the ones who made the sacrifices and that’s what I told them is I’m proud of the group for being the people who started to lay the foundation, although the outside world won’t appreciate it, I do.”
On what next few weeks will look like for team:
“I have exit meetings with all the players, coaching staff starting Monday. 180-190 meetings or whatever that plays out to be for the next four days. Then fundraise. I can go recruit. But I’m going to go fundraise. Because that’s what the name of the game is now. So what are we doing? I’m going to go and fundraise, fundraise, fundraise,. Staff is going to go our and recruit players, I’ll go out and recruit some players but I’m going to get people who want this place to win as well and that has nothing to do with players. And that’s one of the biggest factors in college football right now. And that’s my job as the head coach. It’s not just the coach, its not just the culture. It’s not just to get people to graduate and have the highest GPA they ever had here. The first Spring we were here it’s not just that. It’s all inclusive. The longer I’m the head coach here in year two and year three, there are no excuses. There’s never excuses. Because that’s where college football is different than the NFL. It’s different because you pick everything that happens in your program that you’re in control of. So when we’re in year two and in year three and year four. Everything is one-hundred percent a reflection of what’s allowed to happen. And that starts with donors and fundraising and getting people involved so I got to go do that.
Arizona State TE Jaylin Conyers:
On pride on how team handled second half:
“Yeah, we weren't gonna quit, we could have just sat there, we could have let them put up as many points. Obviously Tre went up there with a big interception, we were able to score some points. I don't think it's in anyone's DNA on this team to give up and quit and just be done. We didn’t lose as badly as U of A did a couple of years ago. It sucks and it's two years in a row now that we've lost, but we gotta work and, if we decide to come back wherever the situation may be, we'll be ready to go.”
Arizona State DB Jordan Clark:
On secondary getting coverage:
“If you are not getting past rushes, it's hard for anybody to cover. But at the same time, if you're not covering the rush, you're not gonna get there. They need time. It goes hand in hand. It's not on the D line. We got to make plays at the end of the day in the secondary, we gotta make plays and we didn't, that's why they won the game.”
Arizona State LB Tre Brown:
On culture coaches have built in first year:
“I can say for myself, I've been a part of five different cultures and this is the first culture I genuinely bought into whether it was the weight room, whether it was the playbook on defense, whether it was special teams and just believing in what coach echoes every day. And I love this culture. I wouldn't trade any place for where I am right now and I love the guys that are in that room. I love the coaches, I love these players as you can see, these players are dedicated to each other. You know what I mean? This is more than football. So, for me, the culture that coach has built is only gonna get stronger and bigger. And I'm just saying for the future man, it's gonna be something to see.”
Arizona Head Coach Jedd Fisch:
Opening Statement:
“Fantastic game by our team today. Certainly excited by the way all of our guys played. I thought it was a really, really dominant performance by our program, by our team, by our seniors. (LT) Jordan Morgan had a fantastic game, (RB) Mike Wiley three touchdowns. To see our seniors do that, it was pretty awesome. There's about 13 guys that were on the team in 2020 that are still remaining. To be able to have them walk out with a win like today was a great one and obviously can't say enough about (WR) Tetairoa McMillan, 266 yards receiving. (TE) Tanner McLachlan set the single-season tight end record, I believe, here today with his seven catches, two touchdowns. (QB) Noah (Fifita) threw for 526 yards today. I think that was our single-game record. So, all of those things in turn were just a fantastic day. Defensively, we took the ball away three times. (DB) Dalton Johnson got an interception, (FS) Gunner Maldonado got an interception and then (DL) Jacob Kongaika recovered a fumble. So, it was one of those games that our guys just played fantastic ball and had some short fields, capitalized. Had some long fields, drove the ball. So, just really proud of our team.”
On seeing the growth of this program happen so quickly and how it’s happened:
“Well, I think the biggest thing is when Dave (Heeke) and Dr. Robbins interviewed me for the job I didn't say that I wanted to just win five games or four games. I had high aspirations for what we were gonna do here. If I didn't think we could win nine games, I wouldn't move my family here. That's what we wanted to do. We wanted to win. What we learned, I told our team this last night, that we're the seventh team in Arizona football history to hit nine wins. That's been done only six other times prior to this year since 1930. So, now it's our goal to get to 10, which has only happened three other times since 1930. And if our guys can continue to believe and trust the process and keep getting better, I think we can not just do that one year. I think we can do it each year.”
On the job that Defensive Coordinator Johnny Nansen has done:
“I can't believe he's not one of the 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award, the best assistant coach of the year. I don't know if anybody statistically has made nearly the jump that he made. I'm not exactly sure how that happened. In my mind, it was a situation where he has done just a fantastic job of getting our defense better every single week, as has the entire staff. And from the back end, the emphasis from (Cornerbacks) Coach (John) Richardson and (Defensive Backs) Coach (Chuck) Cecil and (Senior Defensive Assistant/Secondary) Coach (Duane) Akina to getting the ball and getting after the ball, the amount of coverage, the design we're doing there and then the way the front's playing with (Defensive Ends & Outside Linebackers) Coach (Jason) Kaufusi has done a great job with the D-line and then Coach Nansen coaching the backers. It's just been a heck of a job by Coach Nansen and hats off to him and I'm not sure 15 guys have done a better job than he's done.”
Arizona RB Michael Wiley
On the Feelings on ending the regular season with a win over ASU
“For me, it felt great to be able to represent the past seniors that were here. And to be a part of what they had to go through, and to finally be at a point where it's basically opposite from what it was two or three years ago. It feels great.”
On how far the program has come
“Yeah, to be able to come in when the program was already kind of going downhill. The bottom point of losing 70 to 7, then losing to NIU, and then to come back from that and even last year going five and seven and this year, winning 9 games is special. I wanna say I believed it from the jump, but the grind, the work that we put in the off season. It was beautiful and I should have expected it. So, I'm happy to see that.”
On what allows Noah Fifita to play at a high level
“His poise. His approach to the game is always at an elite level. I'm not surprised at all. He's back there calm. He takes the game seriously. You see how he plays out there, it's like he's just going through the motions, doing what he's supposed to do and it looks normal out there.”
Arizona Safety Gunner Maldonado
On the Feelings on ending the regular season with a win over ASU
“It feels amazing. I grew up coming to this game, so being able to play in it was a lot of fun. It meant a lot.”
On turning point in this season:
“I think Washington State was a great game for us. We kinda thought don't be surprised when you beat a team by a good margin. I think that was a game where it was like, we could do this, and don't be surprised when it happens. So I think that was a good point in the season for us.”
On factors he saw in the secondary:
“We couldn’t create a pass rush with four and if you can’t create a pass rush with four and you play good wideouts, it’s hard. So all year, pass rush has been one of our top things. Early in the year, we were able to scheme up more pass rush pressures. But at the end of the year, teams just said no, we will let two or three guys get into route combinations and we’ll max pro you and play that game.”
On fight team showed in the second half and building a culture:
“I didn’t take this job and expect to go win eight games. So the buy-in, what we’re doing and the direction we’re going, 100 percent. It’s the direction that needs to be headed, it’s what needed to be done this year even though it’s not fun to lose games this year. It’s not fun for all of this stuff, sometimes it’s needed. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to bounce back up and where we were as a program in the direction we’re going. I have 1000 percent confidence that the ball’s bouncing up, not down.”
On what OL Joey Ramos has meant to this team:
“He’s been battling through god knows what. Just a fight. He’s a competitor, a competitor, he’s a fighter. He went there, we ran the ball pretty well today and the game was getting away from us so we couldn’t continue to run the ball like that which was unfortunate. I thought those guys played well leading with Joey.”
On how important is that he got through to veteran players and laying out a foundation:
“Everybody out of this room is going to look at this year and say “Oh its a failure, I’m a part of one of the worst junior and senior classes that have ever come through ASU.” I said that the people in this room, I’m going to look at this room, will look back as the people who set the foundation for where you’re going. You guys come back and watch us play in two years, three years, four years, twenty years. You guys are going to get to say we were the ones who had to drag people to be there five minutes early, who had to say yes. Who had to sit somebody because they were late to something. We were the ones who made the sacrifices and that’s what I told them is I’m proud of the group for being the people who started to lay the foundation, although the outside world won’t appreciate it, I do.”
On what next few weeks will look like for team:
“I have exit meetings with all the players, coaching staff starting Monday. 180-190 meetings or whatever that plays out to be for the next four days. Then fundraise. I can go recruit. But I’m going to go fundraise. Because that’s what the name of the game is now. So what are we doing? I’m going to go and fundraise, fundraise, fundraise,. Staff is going to go our and recruit players, I’ll go out and recruit some players but I’m going to get people who want this place to win as well and that has nothing to do with players. And that’s one of the biggest factors in college football right now. And that’s my job as the head coach. It’s not just the coach, its not just the culture. It’s not just to get people to graduate and have the highest GPA they ever had here. The first Spring we were here it’s not just that. It’s all inclusive. The longer I’m the head coach here in year two and year three, there are no excuses. There’s never excuses. Because that’s where college football is different than the NFL. It’s different because you pick everything that happens in your program that you’re in control of. So when we’re in year two and in year three and year four. Everything is one-hundred percent a reflection of what’s allowed to happen. And that starts with donors and fundraising and getting people involved so I got to go do that.
Arizona State TE Jaylin Conyers:
On pride on how team handled second half:
“Yeah, we weren't gonna quit, we could have just sat there, we could have let them put up as many points. Obviously Tre went up there with a big interception, we were able to score some points. I don't think it's in anyone's DNA on this team to give up and quit and just be done. We didn’t lose as badly as U of A did a couple of years ago. It sucks and it's two years in a row now that we've lost, but we gotta work and, if we decide to come back wherever the situation may be, we'll be ready to go.”
Arizona State DB Jordan Clark:
On secondary getting coverage:
“If you are not getting past rushes, it's hard for anybody to cover. But at the same time, if you're not covering the rush, you're not gonna get there. They need time. It goes hand in hand. It's not on the D line. We got to make plays at the end of the day in the secondary, we gotta make plays and we didn't, that's why they won the game.”
Arizona State LB Tre Brown:
On culture coaches have built in first year:
“I can say for myself, I've been a part of five different cultures and this is the first culture I genuinely bought into whether it was the weight room, whether it was the playbook on defense, whether it was special teams and just believing in what coach echoes every day. And I love this culture. I wouldn't trade any place for where I am right now and I love the guys that are in that room. I love the coaches, I love these players as you can see, these players are dedicated to each other. You know what I mean? This is more than football. So, for me, the culture that coach has built is only gonna get stronger and bigger. And I'm just saying for the future man, it's gonna be something to see.”
Arizona Head Coach Jedd Fisch:
Opening Statement:
“Fantastic game by our team today. Certainly excited by the way all of our guys played. I thought it was a really, really dominant performance by our program, by our team, by our seniors. (LT) Jordan Morgan had a fantastic game, (RB) Mike Wiley three touchdowns. To see our seniors do that, it was pretty awesome. There's about 13 guys that were on the team in 2020 that are still remaining. To be able to have them walk out with a win like today was a great one and obviously can't say enough about (WR) Tetairoa McMillan, 266 yards receiving. (TE) Tanner McLachlan set the single-season tight end record, I believe, here today with his seven catches, two touchdowns. (QB) Noah (Fifita) threw for 526 yards today. I think that was our single-game record. So, all of those things in turn were just a fantastic day. Defensively, we took the ball away three times. (DB) Dalton Johnson got an interception, (FS) Gunner Maldonado got an interception and then (DL) Jacob Kongaika recovered a fumble. So, it was one of those games that our guys just played fantastic ball and had some short fields, capitalized. Had some long fields, drove the ball. So, just really proud of our team.”
On seeing the growth of this program happen so quickly and how it’s happened:
“Well, I think the biggest thing is when Dave (Heeke) and Dr. Robbins interviewed me for the job I didn't say that I wanted to just win five games or four games. I had high aspirations for what we were gonna do here. If I didn't think we could win nine games, I wouldn't move my family here. That's what we wanted to do. We wanted to win. What we learned, I told our team this last night, that we're the seventh team in Arizona football history to hit nine wins. That's been done only six other times prior to this year since 1930. So, now it's our goal to get to 10, which has only happened three other times since 1930. And if our guys can continue to believe and trust the process and keep getting better, I think we can not just do that one year. I think we can do it each year.”
On the job that Defensive Coordinator Johnny Nansen has done:
“I can't believe he's not one of the 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award, the best assistant coach of the year. I don't know if anybody statistically has made nearly the jump that he made. I'm not exactly sure how that happened. In my mind, it was a situation where he has done just a fantastic job of getting our defense better every single week, as has the entire staff. And from the back end, the emphasis from (Cornerbacks) Coach (John) Richardson and (Defensive Backs) Coach (Chuck) Cecil and (Senior Defensive Assistant/Secondary) Coach (Duane) Akina to getting the ball and getting after the ball, the amount of coverage, the design we're doing there and then the way the front's playing with (Defensive Ends & Outside Linebackers) Coach (Jason) Kaufusi has done a great job with the D-line and then Coach Nansen coaching the backers. It's just been a heck of a job by Coach Nansen and hats off to him and I'm not sure 15 guys have done a better job than he's done.”
Arizona RB Michael Wiley
On the Feelings on ending the regular season with a win over ASU
“For me, it felt great to be able to represent the past seniors that were here. And to be a part of what they had to go through, and to finally be at a point where it's basically opposite from what it was two or three years ago. It feels great.”
On how far the program has come
“Yeah, to be able to come in when the program was already kind of going downhill. The bottom point of losing 70 to 7, then losing to NIU, and then to come back from that and even last year going five and seven and this year, winning 9 games is special. I wanna say I believed it from the jump, but the grind, the work that we put in the off season. It was beautiful and I should have expected it. So, I'm happy to see that.”
On what allows Noah Fifita to play at a high level
“His poise. His approach to the game is always at an elite level. I'm not surprised at all. He's back there calm. He takes the game seriously. You see how he plays out there, it's like he's just going through the motions, doing what he's supposed to do and it looks normal out there.”
Arizona Safety Gunner Maldonado
On the Feelings on ending the regular season with a win over ASU
“It feels amazing. I grew up coming to this game, so being able to play in it was a lot of fun. It meant a lot.”
On turning point in this season:
“I think Washington State was a great game for us. We kinda thought don't be surprised when you beat a team by a good margin. I think that was a game where it was like, we could do this, and don't be surprised when it happens. So I think that was a good point in the season for us.”