Nov. 12, 2005
UCLA Quarterback Drew Olson
"I couldn't ask for anything better than to come out and play my best game of the year. Everything was in line. Our receivers took five yard passes and made 90-yard games out of them. Our coaches did a great job calling plays, and everything was clicking for us."
(On preparing for the game)
"My leadership has definitely grown. I came in Sunday and talked to the guys, and obviously they responded in how they played."
(On how this builds confidence going into the USC game)
"This game means the world. It is a huge confidence builder and is similar to last year when we beat Oregon. We gained some momentum before we get a chance to play the best team in the nation. Next month's game will be the biggest challenge of the year. They are the best team in the country, and it's going to be huge to go into that game with this momentum."
(On the team's ability to bounce back)
"This win shows the resiliency this team has. It showed in our comebacks during the year, and tonight we went from our worst loss and turned it around into one of our best games. That just shows the character of this team."
UCLA Head Coach Karl Dorrell
"This is a good performance after last week. We wanted to make a statement in this game, given the performance last week, and we definitely responded."
"We had a great week of preparation, and we were able to maintain our focus. We did what we needed to do to have a great game plan. We knew on our side we needed to take care of opportunities to put points on the board. This was a great game. Our D did very good things. I'm proud of how this team responded from the road block last week."
"This team has really invested a lot in each other, both the coaches and the players. We really know how to handle adversity. We know each time we step out on the field we are going to give our best effort, and our team takes a lot of pride in what we do."
(On Drew Olson)
"He has been playing well all season long. He has worked very hard to play at the level at which he has played. His play has made everyone else step up to his level. He deserves it all. He's a great player, and I'm very proud of him."
(On playing USC)
"This makes going into our last game a lot easier. We got the bad taste out of our mouths, and we are excited about the momentum in our program. We are ready to take our best shot. It will not be an issue about whether we are ready, it is just if we are healthy or not."
ASU Head Coach Dirk Koetter
"We competed hard tonight. We just didn't make enough plays. I give UCLA credit; they made the plays. There were a lot of big plays tonight. UCLA has been a big play team all year. They have three big-time players in Drew, Olson and Lewis. In my opinion, the turning point in the game was the back-to-back plays in the second half when we turned the ball over."
"All five losses we've had have been very, very tough because we know we're better than that. We didn't think this was going to be a 5-5 team, but I'm proud of the way this team has come together."
(On Derek Hagan)
"I told him that he tried to do too much himself. It wasn't about the record; he knew he was going to get that. Sometimes big-time players like that try to put too much on their shoulders."