Opening statement…
“After looking at the tape, we were disappointed in how we played. We have to give USC a lot of credit, they played really well. We faced some adversity. However; we did have a positive report on our quarterback. The x-rays coming back good. We are disappointed in how we played, but we have to bounce back and get to work this week with UCLA.”
On if Manny Wilkins will be back this week…
“I don’t know yet. The good thing is that he shouldn’t be out for an extended period of time. He is out of his boot, so we will see how he’s feeling. The good news is that it was not anything significant.”
On preparing the backup quarterbacks, including Dillon Sterling-Cole…
“We have been preparing. Obviously Brady (White) is our two guy and Dillion is our three guy, but we have been preparing him (Sterling-Cole) as we also have a plan for a fourth person. Depending how quickly Manny (Wilkins) recovers, we will get the guys ready that need to be ready.”
On USC’s defense…
“They did do some things they have not done yet this season, especially defensively. They pressured and brought zero-blitz most of the night. Going back and looking at it, we did not adjust very well. The adjustment was to stay true to the plan and take what they give us. We were doing that early, but did not continue it throughout the game. We had one penalty on offense and it was catastrophic which resulted in them scoring. Moving forward, we need to eliminate the penalties that we have control over in the game because I feel as though that played a large role in the end score.”
On the challenges UCLA offers with Defensive Coordinator Tom Bradley…
“I like their corners they are very physical. They’re a team that will play a lot man-free. Coach Bradley, I have known him since I was at PITT, he does a very good job with their defense and has really evolved it. They are very strong up the middle defensively. Their secondary group is a veteran group that does a good job covering.”
On possibility of seeing Kyle Williams or Robbie Robinson at corner…
“We’ll see. We are trying to get James (Johnson) healthy, but he’s just not there yet. We’ve been missing tackles back there but, it’s not because of a lack of effort. It is from a lack of technique. We have to get better at what we are doing and we are going to go out and compete. We will be competing throughout the week, and then we will be putting the best guys out on the field.”
On Kyle William’s transition to defense…
“It’s hard. It’s the same transition for a guy like Gump, he’s never played corner in his life. We have had some injuries to guys like Mo Chandler who we expected to play already. That’s been tough and it’s hard for a person to play a new position because there is so much to learn. Kyle is doing a great job learning and he is going to be a great player for us. We just have to get him ready and make sure he is ready to compete in a game.”
On the team’s confidence in Brady White…
“We have great confidence. Brady is a guy who I talk to every week about being only one play away from being in the game and I think he went in very prepared. It’s tough in those games because every quarterback is different and the team has to adapt to their strengths. I think he did a really nice job. He is a guy who watches a lot of film, is very dependable, has high character and is really smart. He did a good job and we have a lot of confidence in him going forward.”
On UCLA’s offensive changes from last season…
“They are very different. Their offense really spreads the field, has a lot of open sets, their base formation runs with two tight ends and it’s very similar to what we just faced with USC. They are really fast with their outside receivers and they have a lot of speed with their inside receivers. If I had to describe it, it would be very similar to USC’s offense. What makes it work is their quarterback. He makes all of the throws, is very efficient with throwing the deep ball and he makes their whole offense come together. They are physical, they like to run the ball and they are strong on their play-action.”
On Pac-12 teams winning at home…
“You better play well at home. That is one thing that we have always been able to do. For the last four years, we have played really well out here. You have to win at home; you better win them all if you want to compete in this league. With that said, we have to play better on the road than the way we have played. That’s the reality. You have to be able to go on the road and win. We haven’t done very well on the first two times out but we cannot worry about that. We have to figure out a way to beat a very good UCLA team here at home and we need our fans. We need them loud and proud for this one because we want to really impact their offense and make it loud for them.”
On bouncing back from tough losses…
“It’s not something you do that week, it’s a byproduct of what you do all the time. Bouncing back isn’t a given, you have to have an enormous of heart and determination. I really wish we would stay ahead and not have to bounce back but it says a lot about our heart. I was proud of our sideline and I was proud of Fiso. We were trying to take him out at the end of the game and there was no way he was allowing us to take him out. We have a lot of heart and a lot of values built into our program. It’s life, you have to get back up when you get knocked down. We have to learn, we have to be humble and we have to correct all the mistakes that we made. There are some things from a personnel standpoint that we have to look at but I am very proud of the way our team responds to adversity on and off the field. It’s a byproduct of our culture and the players we have here. It’s something I’m proud of and something that I look forward to doing this week.”
“After looking at the tape, we were disappointed in how we played. We have to give USC a lot of credit, they played really well. We faced some adversity. However; we did have a positive report on our quarterback. The x-rays coming back good. We are disappointed in how we played, but we have to bounce back and get to work this week with UCLA.”
On if Manny Wilkins will be back this week…
“I don’t know yet. The good thing is that he shouldn’t be out for an extended period of time. He is out of his boot, so we will see how he’s feeling. The good news is that it was not anything significant.”
On preparing the backup quarterbacks, including Dillon Sterling-Cole…
“We have been preparing. Obviously Brady (White) is our two guy and Dillion is our three guy, but we have been preparing him (Sterling-Cole) as we also have a plan for a fourth person. Depending how quickly Manny (Wilkins) recovers, we will get the guys ready that need to be ready.”
On USC’s defense…
“They did do some things they have not done yet this season, especially defensively. They pressured and brought zero-blitz most of the night. Going back and looking at it, we did not adjust very well. The adjustment was to stay true to the plan and take what they give us. We were doing that early, but did not continue it throughout the game. We had one penalty on offense and it was catastrophic which resulted in them scoring. Moving forward, we need to eliminate the penalties that we have control over in the game because I feel as though that played a large role in the end score.”
On the challenges UCLA offers with Defensive Coordinator Tom Bradley…
“I like their corners they are very physical. They’re a team that will play a lot man-free. Coach Bradley, I have known him since I was at PITT, he does a very good job with their defense and has really evolved it. They are very strong up the middle defensively. Their secondary group is a veteran group that does a good job covering.”
On possibility of seeing Kyle Williams or Robbie Robinson at corner…
“We’ll see. We are trying to get James (Johnson) healthy, but he’s just not there yet. We’ve been missing tackles back there but, it’s not because of a lack of effort. It is from a lack of technique. We have to get better at what we are doing and we are going to go out and compete. We will be competing throughout the week, and then we will be putting the best guys out on the field.”
On Kyle William’s transition to defense…
“It’s hard. It’s the same transition for a guy like Gump, he’s never played corner in his life. We have had some injuries to guys like Mo Chandler who we expected to play already. That’s been tough and it’s hard for a person to play a new position because there is so much to learn. Kyle is doing a great job learning and he is going to be a great player for us. We just have to get him ready and make sure he is ready to compete in a game.”
On the team’s confidence in Brady White…
“We have great confidence. Brady is a guy who I talk to every week about being only one play away from being in the game and I think he went in very prepared. It’s tough in those games because every quarterback is different and the team has to adapt to their strengths. I think he did a really nice job. He is a guy who watches a lot of film, is very dependable, has high character and is really smart. He did a good job and we have a lot of confidence in him going forward.”
On UCLA’s offensive changes from last season…
“They are very different. Their offense really spreads the field, has a lot of open sets, their base formation runs with two tight ends and it’s very similar to what we just faced with USC. They are really fast with their outside receivers and they have a lot of speed with their inside receivers. If I had to describe it, it would be very similar to USC’s offense. What makes it work is their quarterback. He makes all of the throws, is very efficient with throwing the deep ball and he makes their whole offense come together. They are physical, they like to run the ball and they are strong on their play-action.”
On Pac-12 teams winning at home…
“You better play well at home. That is one thing that we have always been able to do. For the last four years, we have played really well out here. You have to win at home; you better win them all if you want to compete in this league. With that said, we have to play better on the road than the way we have played. That’s the reality. You have to be able to go on the road and win. We haven’t done very well on the first two times out but we cannot worry about that. We have to figure out a way to beat a very good UCLA team here at home and we need our fans. We need them loud and proud for this one because we want to really impact their offense and make it loud for them.”
On bouncing back from tough losses…
“It’s not something you do that week, it’s a byproduct of what you do all the time. Bouncing back isn’t a given, you have to have an enormous of heart and determination. I really wish we would stay ahead and not have to bounce back but it says a lot about our heart. I was proud of our sideline and I was proud of Fiso. We were trying to take him out at the end of the game and there was no way he was allowing us to take him out. We have a lot of heart and a lot of values built into our program. It’s life, you have to get back up when you get knocked down. We have to learn, we have to be humble and we have to correct all the mistakes that we made. There are some things from a personnel standpoint that we have to look at but I am very proud of the way our team responds to adversity on and off the field. It’s a byproduct of our culture and the players we have here. It’s something I’m proud of and something that I look forward to doing this week.”