UCLA Postgame Quotes
September 18, 1999 | Football
Sept. 18, 1999
UCLA head coach Bob Toledo:
"Obviously, this was an interesting football game. We were up at the half and then when we came back they made some plays and all of a sudden we were down 21-20 in the second half."
"We pride ourselves on never giving up and never quitting. We learned a lot."
(On Drew Bennett) "I told him to keep his chin up - you never know what's going to happen. You never know when you're going to get another opportunity and he did. He led us to victory and he threw the ball extremely well."
"Paus injured his ribs, (Brian) Polak was cramping, and he's sick, (Mike) Saffer and (Pete) Holland didn't play, (Danny) Farmer didn't play - but that's why you have a team. When certain guys go down, you have to go on. It was a nice win - anytime you win it's nice."
"I'm happy we're 2-1 starting, but we need to do a better job on first downs and running the football, especially on first downs."
"To have a young man told he can't start is of course discouraging, but he kept his chin up, kept competing and fought back. He and Cory (Paus) are good friends. That's why college football is so great - a guy gets benched and comes out and becomes a hero.
UCLA Quarterback Drew Bennett
"I had fun tonight, and the game meant a lot to me. Coming into tonight's game, the people around me were very supportive, and Coach helped me keep my confidence up."
"I was more relaxed before the game tonight because there was no pressure on me for starting the game. I went into the game (after Paus was injured) much more relaxed than I have been."
(About his feelings before Paus went down) "My first thought was how serious is he hurt. I thought he would be back in after a few plays, but it turned out to be worse than that. I really felt bad for him because it was his first start and he was playing very well." UCLA Flanker Freddie Mitchell
"We decided to open up the offense - our offensive line gave us a lot of protection tonight."
(About Fresno State's defensive backs) "They were small DBs but they were the most physical group we've played against this year. Our size advantage didn't really matter."
(About the Stanford game) "You have to get up to go on the road, and we'll have to play well when we get there."
Fresno State head coach Pat Hill:
"We didn't come down here to be close or respectable - we came down here to win. You can't make two turnovers for 10 points to a good football team like UCLA."
"We had some opportunities for big plays, we just didn't hit them. But overall I was proud of the way our team played today, especially physically. I'm very disappointed."
"It was a real physical game, and I thought our players did a great job stopping their running game. I thought our team never lost confidence. We really felt like we could win this game."