Sept. 26, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
Oregon 42, Arizona State 31
September 25, 2010
Quotes
Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson
On what went wrong:
“Giving up the big plays. We gave up way too many big plays on defense and it just really hurts in the first half. Then we started the second half and we had the turnovers, the fumble that gave them the go ahead in the second half and then all the interceptions that we had. There were a lot of things happening in that football game I haven’t seen in a long time.”
On the lateral passes that were thrown:
“On our end what we are doing offensively every time you throw the ball like that you have to be aware that it could be a live ball depending on how it is thrown. I’m still not sure that it was but that’s how they called it. You give up seven there. Even at the end of the football game, we’re down there three times and throw three picks. It’s frustrating because we play hard, they didn’t beat us we beat ourselves there’s no question about it.”
On Steven Threet’s interceptions:
“I think he was trying to hit Jamal [Miles] down the middle and had the hitch outside and then the other one he scrambled trying to make a play. I think it’s more just trying to make a play than anything because he doesn’t do that. I thought he did some good things but obviously you can’t turn it over seven times like that.”
On what would make the difference:
“That’s the turnovers, the seven turnovers, that makes the difference. We were down in there a couple of times and we don’t get it and it’s kind of a nightmare for us really, to be honest with you.”
On the defense:
“I thought we played very well defensively in the second half there’s no question about it. That’s how I expected our defense to play. Offensively you just can’t turn it over like that and expect to win. Regardless, what we do offensively is a little bit of a high-risk offense, but it’s not that high-risk. “
On how the defense was able to contain Oregon:
“They tried to run it a little bit more but we played the run real well against them. You get them in long-yard situations that’s kind of where you want them as far as getting them to throw the football. We were able to do that. When we got that one turnover at the start of the second half we had the momentum going and we turned it right back to him and it just changed the whole momentum of the football game.”
On all the injuries and Vontaze Burfict:
“I don’t know what his situation is. I know he came in on crutches when he came into the locker room a little while ago but I don’t know what it was or what it might be. It looked like a knee to me. He had some cramps out there, as did [Oregon]. A lot of those were cramps that were occurring out there.”
On the fans for this game:
“The crowd was great. It was home field advantage. I thank the fans for that. They made it tough on Oregon. Our fans deserve to win and it just didn’t happen. If we keep getting them like that a lot of good things are going to happen around here.”
On how this compares to last week’s lost at No. 11 Wisconsin:
“This was much more frustrating than the Wisconsin loss. I mean, a league game, the No. 5 team in the country and we just beat ourselves. That doesn’t happen very often but you look at everything and we pretty much controlled the game physically but again it just boils down to the seven turnovers. You just have no chance.”
Junior quarterback Steven Threet
On disappointment of loss after playing so well:
“It’s very disappointing to play well and then make a couple plays that cost the team the game. You’re not going to win the game when you turn the ball over seven times. I think that it’s plain and simple. It’s the only way to look at it.”
On having eight games left in the season and how this team has to come together:
“I think we see the team that’s there and possible. It’s about continuing to work hard and finding a way to make the next eight games count.”
On attention to detail:
“Attention to detail, focus, however you want to put it. It comes down to we made too many mistakes. However, we solve that it has to get corrected.”
On sense of where the mistakes are happening and if they can be solved earlier:
“I think we had a great week of practice. We prepared well and did a good job of getting ready and knowing the game plan. It’s just down to executing consistently.”
Junior wide receiver Mike Willie
On the loss:
"It was a hard loss to take. We had a lot of turnovers. We should have executed on the turnovers. We just have to execute and finish.”
On the passing game:
“We had a lot of opportunities but stuff happens. A lot of turnovers happened. We just have to finish, that’s the main thing. We have to finish.”
On how much the loss hurts:
“It hurts deep, because we had them in our back pocket. We could have put them away. We let them back in with a couple of turnovers, and you can’t give a good team opportunities. We gave them some opportunities and they turned it up.”
On what it will take for ASU to be a top team in the nation:
“When we start finishing. When we start finishing, we’re going to be the top team.”
On what it takes to finish:
“Us coming together and being one. We have to all come together and just do it. You can’t just talk about it, you have to do it.”
Freshman running back Deantre Lewis
On the loss:
“It is kind of disappointing, when it came down to the red zone we couldn’t finish.”
On his performance:
“I did my thing on what I had to do, they gave me wholes and I hit them.”
Oregon head coach Chip Kelly
On ASU in general:
“[Steven] Threet threw some great balls, and he put some balls in the right spot. He's obviously a talented kid. That's a good football team. That team could easily be 4-0 right now. We're 1-0 in the league on the road right now and that's good for us. They did a lot of good things. That was the top defense in the conference last year and a lot of guys came back. We don't make excuses. We'll get better. It's great when you have teachable moments after a ‘W’.”
On halftime adjustments:
“That was a momentum swing. We got even and got back up, like against Tennessee. We kind of weathered the storm. We felt it would be like that. We knew we would have a great crowd and great atmosphere out here.”
Running back LaMichael James
On ASU's defense:
“Any time you can get a win on the road, it's always a good feeling, so I feel good right now. It's the best defense I've faced in my whole career in Oregon. They were fast and strong. It felt like they were everywhere. Everywhere I went, they were there. They had a great scheme for what we were doing. I think they really keyed in on our game.”