Nov. 18, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
ASU/UCLA Post Game Quotes
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State Head Coach Dirk Koetter
On the game:
"We had chances tonight, but we couldn't finish drives in the red zone. If we do a better job of finishing drives and scoring touchdowns this game might have had a different outcome. UCLA is playing well on defense right now. Our guys battled hard and I'm proud of the way we competed, but we just didn't make enough plays and UCLA did."
On the Bruin defense:
"The main factor of the game was their (UCLA) red zone defense and goal line defense. They did some blitzing on the goal line that we hadn't seen them do before. They fooled us a couple of times on those short plays inside the five (yard line) and we turned a guy loose in the run game. They did a good job of mixing man and zone in the passing game."
On the play of the defense:
"Other than two big plays I thought our defense played excellent tonight. Our defense played well enough to get the win. Our defense has continued to get better and better and stop the run. Unfortunately, we gave up two pass plays. That second one was an excellent catch by the receiver. The interception that we threw that they ran back to the one, that's another touchdown. The story of this game is that our offense just didn't have the firepower to knock them in and you need to score more than 12 points to win in the Pac-10."
On throwing the ball downfield:
"We are what we are. There's nothing wrong with Zach (Miller) being the leading receiver, but you've got to be able to throw the ball down the field. We had a couple of chances. We did see a glimpse with Rudy's (Carpenter) pass to Kyle Williams. It was good to see Kyle make that play."
On younger players gaining experience:
"Our players are giving everything they have. Those guys in the locker room are really hurt. I feel so bad for our seniors that played their last game on Frank Kush Field. I'm proud of how hard we've competed. We do lack some firepower in some areas and that's what injuries will do to you, but you can't use that as an excuse. The young guys that are getting to play right now are getting valuable experience that's going to help them down the road."
Senior Kicker Jesse Ainsworth
On the U of A rivalry:
"I think no matter what we don't want to lose to . IT is a huge game for us. We have to brush tonight off and come back tomorrow and get ready for next. It is not going to be easy going down there. Both teams are pumped. We are both six and five and we need that last win to be bowl eligible. It is going to be a huge game. I can't wait."
Senior Cornerback Keno Walter-White
On the offensive problems:
"Some plays the offense didn't execute like we thought they would have. You can't blame [the loss] on the offense. Football is a team sport with offense and defense. Tonight they didn't come out and have the best game they could have had. UCLA played a really physical game. They stopped us on some big conversions. The offense played their hardest."
Senior Linebacker Beau Manutai
On the U of A game:
"The game is a big game for us. It is every year. We are going to be fired up and give it our best.
On the loss to UCLA:
"This game came down to turnovers. We had a few opportunities to get the ball back on defense and we didn't. They fumbled and we didn't get it back and we almost had an interception. We really have to focus on getting the ball back to the offense so they can score for us."
UCLA Head Coach Karl Dorrell
On UCLA's performance:
"Great win for our team. We wanted to prove to everyone out there that we are getting better. We still have a lot of character, we still play this game the way you should, which is everything you have. It may not be the prettiest, but you do as well as you can. That's what the effort you saw today was."
On limiting ASU's offense:
"We had them stopped on the goal line and all they kicked were field goals today. That's great defense keeping them out of the end zone. Offensively, we had a couple touchdowns but we didn't have much rhythm. It was kind of sporadic, but when we needed to make a play in the fourth quarter when we needed to score, it was good to see those guys come up with a big play, and that shows some growth. We won on the road, which we haven't done all season. We took care of the football and did what it took to win the game."
"They ran the ball decently against us, which we weren't anticipating them doing, but we covered them very well. They had one big play in the passing game, but that was really it. Our defense did a nice job today really containing their offense."