On the loss against Oregon State:
"They just whipped us both ways. Offensively, we couldn't protect, and we held them too much because we had trouble protecting. We held the run defensively, but they made big, key plays to keep it going. We had a couple of busts in coverage that gave them some big plays offensively. We had a
lot of misplays in the kicking game. We tried hard, but they were just a better team than we were last night, and they were better coached than we were."
"They (Oregon State) did a terrific job of executing. Their offensive line
is the best that we have played against all season. We just got stuck on
some blocks that we could not get off of like we had been able to do in
other games."
"We played hard last night, but we just couldn't make the plays when we
needed them. We had plenty of energy, but we just have to start making
plays that will give ourselves a better chance to win the game. We were
penalized way too much. We had some on defense that were undisciplined, and
we had a lot of holding penalties on offense. We had some major 15-yard
penalties, and those will always kill you."
On Arizona's seniors:
"I value the seniors on this team, and these are some of their final
opportunities to play. Unless there is a compelling reason to substitute
someone else, I am going to give them the chance to play. They deserve to
finish their season with a chance for success. If I feel like a
substitution will help us win the game (at any position), I will do it.
But, if it's a senior, I will take that into consideration. I think the
seniors earn an extra bit of opportunity to play for being warriors for a
such a long time. They deserve that opportunity."
On the Arizona State game:
"We are playing a team that's had some of the same kinds of experiences
that we've had, and it is just going to be a matter of who can handle those
experiences, who can put it all behind them, who can learn from them and
who can marshal the energy and the execution to go out and win this
football game. You have two teams coming from similar places, and it's a
matter of packing it all into 12 days and getting ready to play an
important game."
"ASU has done a really nice job of overcoming adversity with all of the
injuries they've had. Their defense has some of the best personnel in the
league, and it just seems like (Adam) Archuleta is making every tackle.
Their offensive game can also roll off the points."
"The winner of this game has the chance to have a really good feeling when
it's over. It's not about getting a bowl invitation. It's just about
winning this game because it is nothing like any other game you play all
season. This is going to be a game between two teams that have been through
a lot this season, so that just puts more on the line for both teams. This
game really gets everyone's juices flowing because you have the chance to
get out there and go for it against your rival. That's a terrific way to
end the season."
