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Utah vs. USC Postgame Quotes
9/23/2016 11:35 PM | Football
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
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Opening statement:
"We kept fighting for all 60 minutes and kept making plays. We didn't allow any sacks and converted a bunch of fourth-down conversions. Credit to the offensive line because they were helping our running backs hit up in there.
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"Troy Williams with the composure he showed, never flinched. Our defense, it was not the best performance but we did enough good things to get the win.
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"I was disappointed on the Adoreé Jackson return because we served it up on a silver platter. USC has tremendously talented athletes all over the place, incredible talent. Our guys hung in there and slugged it out. Our assistants put the plan together and I'm proud of them.
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No one panicked. The start to the second half was not ideal. We stalled and they scored to extend the lead. No one panicked and we stayed within the game plan and had enough to get the win.
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On the fourth-down conversions:
"I didn't convert anything, our players did. The surge we were getting and with the confidence, our offensive line had to get our running backs in there. We were doing it all night and went back to the well again.
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"Our offensive line was so physical and USC was not getting in our backfield. We had a lot of confidence and that was the real reasoning behind going for it. We did a great job converting over and over.
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"That was not a 'gimme' field goal and Andy Phillips probably makes that, but we had momentum. We were making plays and our guys were believing. I'm glad we were able to punch it in."
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On recovering the fumble for a touchdown:
"It was huge and the complexion of the game changes there. There are four, five, six plays in each game that can change the outcome and you want to be on the right side of those plays. Luckily, we were."
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On how his team was able to grind out the win:
"We have mentally tough guys who believe in what we're doing and a great belief in the locker room."
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On the offense's play:
"A lot of personnel have turned over. We have a new quarterback and that's the guy who touches the ball every play. Three running backs are now doing the work and taking snaps instead of Devontae Booker [last season]. Our receivers are stepping up and making plays and the difference in the confidence level is a big change."
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On what happened defensively tonight that he was not pleased with:
"We were losing gaps inside and they have some offensive linemen that are outstanding. They have hard tough runners and talent."
Utah Offensive Lineman Isaac Asiata
On beating USC:
"Those are the games you dream about when you're a little kid, playing teams like that and winning. It's a childhood dream come true. It was a great team win."
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On playing against Stevie Tu'ikolovatu:
"It was different and you grow together with people, but when they leave, they're not a part of it any more. I hope him the best and hope he does great. He was great competition."
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On recovering the touchdown:
"It was a huge change of momentum. You have to score in the red zone and we made it a point of being efficient. Troy [Williams] had a heck of a game."
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On the last win over USC:
"That was my favorite game of my career until today. I am at a loss for words. It's very emotional and satisfying to work your tail off and get the win. We have a long season ahead of us and Cal next week."
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On what the offensive line is doing well"
"Communication. JJ Dielman did a nice job of sliding over and picking up the spins and blitzes. The receivers are up and coming. I know people don't say too much but they're developing and helping us."
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Quarterback Troy Williams
On the efficiency of the offense:
"The offensive line did a great job today and we had tremendous confidence in our offense. We knew no matter the play call, we were going to get it done. That's the bottom line."
Â
On the thought process throughout the game:
"We were in perfect position and we didn't have our head down and we knew we were in it. Adoree' [Jackson] made a great play, but we knew what we were doing offensively was working and the defense would have our back."
Â
On what happened during the final drive and converting all the fourth downs:
"We were able to run the ball down their throat the whole game and punch the ball in at the end. We have a lot of confidence in our offensive line and our offense. Whatever play was called we knew we would get a great push and make it."
Â
On beating USC"
"It means a lot. I got a call from everyone in my hometown and it means a lot. It was my dream to go to USC and it's a dream to compete against and beat them."
Â
On what this win means:
"1-0. That was a big message. We will enjoy this one tonight, a little more tomorrow and focus on the next week ahead. It ranks number one in my book because it's USC. Growing up watching Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Mike Williams and watching them on television. Growing up and wanting to play for them."
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On the game-winning touchdown:
"It was a great call by [Utah Co-Offensive Coordinator] Aaron Roderick. I knew it was a touchdown when the safety came down and Tim Patrick got away from Adoree' Jackson."
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Safety Chase Hansen
On the defense's performance:
"I try not to think about the injuries during the game. They gashed us a lot. They have a great offense with a bunch of good receivers. The quarterback [Sam Darnold] played really well, he's a gunslinger. It was a team win. Every time we slipped we knew the offense would pick us up. It wasn't out best performance and we got a few stops that helped and got the win."
Â
On what the defense's mentality was during the game:
"There were a lot of different things. Every time we got a stop or gave up a score we'd go back to the sidelines and see what we did. We were able to get a big stop at the end and even though we made some mistakes and allowed some big plays, we got the win. That's what's great about college football."
USC Head Coach Clay Helton
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On the game:
"I thought it was a great game between two teams that competed extremely hard all the way down to the end. I can't tell you how proud I am of the kids in that room and the performance they just gave. We made some mistakes early that cost us to have a bigger lead early and slip away with three turnovers in the first half, but I was extremely proud of the job we did offensively with the balance. We pushed the ball for 213 yards, 2.5 a carry, and balanced that off of 253 yards passing. I thought it was a very balanced attack and allowed to us to move the ball and get in the end zone. I'm very proud of the quarterback and thought he did a very great job in a hostile atmosphere and really led this football team."
Â
On the decision to punt and how close they were going for it:
"I was waiting to see the spot and it looked like it was fourth-and-three. That was the information I got. We were at about the 40-yard line. We were down three and if you don't make that, they are basically 30 yards away from field goal range. We have one of the better punters in the league right now who can place the ball and put it down on the five-yard line and hope they can't go 95 yards. I changed the decision and it worked out how we wanted it."
Â
On quarterback Sam Darnold:
"I had the opportunity to recruit him out of San Clemente and watch him compete and saw the reign was never too big for him whether he was playing in high school or whether he was playing against Alabama or Stanford. You walk into a hostile environment like this on a rainy night and go out there and do what he did, throw for 253 yards and adds 41 yards worth of rushing. I thought for a guy making his first start this is as good as you can hope for."
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Opening statement:
"We kept fighting for all 60 minutes and kept making plays. We didn't allow any sacks and converted a bunch of fourth-down conversions. Credit to the offensive line because they were helping our running backs hit up in there.
Â
"Troy Williams with the composure he showed, never flinched. Our defense, it was not the best performance but we did enough good things to get the win.
Â
"I was disappointed on the Adoreé Jackson return because we served it up on a silver platter. USC has tremendously talented athletes all over the place, incredible talent. Our guys hung in there and slugged it out. Our assistants put the plan together and I'm proud of them.
Â
No one panicked. The start to the second half was not ideal. We stalled and they scored to extend the lead. No one panicked and we stayed within the game plan and had enough to get the win.
Â
On the fourth-down conversions:
"I didn't convert anything, our players did. The surge we were getting and with the confidence, our offensive line had to get our running backs in there. We were doing it all night and went back to the well again.
Â
"Our offensive line was so physical and USC was not getting in our backfield. We had a lot of confidence and that was the real reasoning behind going for it. We did a great job converting over and over.
Â
"That was not a 'gimme' field goal and Andy Phillips probably makes that, but we had momentum. We were making plays and our guys were believing. I'm glad we were able to punch it in."
Â
On recovering the fumble for a touchdown:
"It was huge and the complexion of the game changes there. There are four, five, six plays in each game that can change the outcome and you want to be on the right side of those plays. Luckily, we were."
Â
On how his team was able to grind out the win:
"We have mentally tough guys who believe in what we're doing and a great belief in the locker room."
Â
On the offense's play:
"A lot of personnel have turned over. We have a new quarterback and that's the guy who touches the ball every play. Three running backs are now doing the work and taking snaps instead of Devontae Booker [last season]. Our receivers are stepping up and making plays and the difference in the confidence level is a big change."
Â
On what happened defensively tonight that he was not pleased with:
"We were losing gaps inside and they have some offensive linemen that are outstanding. They have hard tough runners and talent."
Utah Offensive Lineman Isaac Asiata
On beating USC:
"Those are the games you dream about when you're a little kid, playing teams like that and winning. It's a childhood dream come true. It was a great team win."
Â
On playing against Stevie Tu'ikolovatu:
"It was different and you grow together with people, but when they leave, they're not a part of it any more. I hope him the best and hope he does great. He was great competition."
Â
On recovering the touchdown:
"It was a huge change of momentum. You have to score in the red zone and we made it a point of being efficient. Troy [Williams] had a heck of a game."
Â
On the last win over USC:
"That was my favorite game of my career until today. I am at a loss for words. It's very emotional and satisfying to work your tail off and get the win. We have a long season ahead of us and Cal next week."
Â
On what the offensive line is doing well"
"Communication. JJ Dielman did a nice job of sliding over and picking up the spins and blitzes. The receivers are up and coming. I know people don't say too much but they're developing and helping us."
Â
Quarterback Troy Williams
On the efficiency of the offense:
"The offensive line did a great job today and we had tremendous confidence in our offense. We knew no matter the play call, we were going to get it done. That's the bottom line."
Â
On the thought process throughout the game:
"We were in perfect position and we didn't have our head down and we knew we were in it. Adoree' [Jackson] made a great play, but we knew what we were doing offensively was working and the defense would have our back."
Â
On what happened during the final drive and converting all the fourth downs:
"We were able to run the ball down their throat the whole game and punch the ball in at the end. We have a lot of confidence in our offensive line and our offense. Whatever play was called we knew we would get a great push and make it."
Â
On beating USC"
"It means a lot. I got a call from everyone in my hometown and it means a lot. It was my dream to go to USC and it's a dream to compete against and beat them."
Â
On what this win means:
"1-0. That was a big message. We will enjoy this one tonight, a little more tomorrow and focus on the next week ahead. It ranks number one in my book because it's USC. Growing up watching Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Mike Williams and watching them on television. Growing up and wanting to play for them."
Â
On the game-winning touchdown:
"It was a great call by [Utah Co-Offensive Coordinator] Aaron Roderick. I knew it was a touchdown when the safety came down and Tim Patrick got away from Adoree' Jackson."
Â
Safety Chase Hansen
On the defense's performance:
"I try not to think about the injuries during the game. They gashed us a lot. They have a great offense with a bunch of good receivers. The quarterback [Sam Darnold] played really well, he's a gunslinger. It was a team win. Every time we slipped we knew the offense would pick us up. It wasn't out best performance and we got a few stops that helped and got the win."
Â
On what the defense's mentality was during the game:
"There were a lot of different things. Every time we got a stop or gave up a score we'd go back to the sidelines and see what we did. We were able to get a big stop at the end and even though we made some mistakes and allowed some big plays, we got the win. That's what's great about college football."
USC Head Coach Clay Helton
Â
On the game:
"I thought it was a great game between two teams that competed extremely hard all the way down to the end. I can't tell you how proud I am of the kids in that room and the performance they just gave. We made some mistakes early that cost us to have a bigger lead early and slip away with three turnovers in the first half, but I was extremely proud of the job we did offensively with the balance. We pushed the ball for 213 yards, 2.5 a carry, and balanced that off of 253 yards passing. I thought it was a very balanced attack and allowed to us to move the ball and get in the end zone. I'm very proud of the quarterback and thought he did a very great job in a hostile atmosphere and really led this football team."
Â
On the decision to punt and how close they were going for it:
"I was waiting to see the spot and it looked like it was fourth-and-three. That was the information I got. We were at about the 40-yard line. We were down three and if you don't make that, they are basically 30 yards away from field goal range. We have one of the better punters in the league right now who can place the ball and put it down on the five-yard line and hope they can't go 95 yards. I changed the decision and it worked out how we wanted it."
Â
On quarterback Sam Darnold:
"I had the opportunity to recruit him out of San Clemente and watch him compete and saw the reign was never too big for him whether he was playing in high school or whether he was playing against Alabama or Stanford. You walk into a hostile environment like this on a rainy night and go out there and do what he did, throw for 253 yards and adds 41 yards worth of rushing. I thought for a guy making his first start this is as good as you can hope for."
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Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K
/ Football
QB
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