Postgame Quotes – UCLA at Stanford
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 35, Stanford 24
Stanford Stadium (Stanford, Calif.)
September 25, 2021
on quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson
“I don't think it's mentioned enough with Dorian, is how tough he is. He's been tough from the get-go. I remember really the first game he played in the opener against Cincinnati, but then started again Oklahoma and got bounced around. I just remember seeing his mom after the game and saying, You have a tough son right there. It's as underrated a quality for a quarterback to be a tough guy, to be able to stand in there and play. I think that was on display today. It’s something we've known for four years now, but I think he really showed that tonight. I was really proud of how he played.”
on quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and returning in the fourth quarter
“He didn't miss any time in the first half, so they just tell me when he's out, and then they told me he could go back in. So, he is a competitor. He loves to play. I think that was on display today.
“The trainers and the medical team look at him and tell us if he's cleared. They just told me he's out, and then they tell me if he's cleared to come back in.”
on what helps make Dorian Thompson-Robinson so effective, especially in the second half
“We don’t have a ton of data points from this season. It's so early in the year. Didn't play in the second half, very rarely, so you can't really use that. But he's a competitor and he competes, and the longer [he] plays the more he learns, and that's what we talk about. We prepare each week. We compete each week and we learn. He can digest information during the game of what's happened, so that if we get back to this again we want to do this. We knew what we were doing. They had big personnel on the field, and we knew we wanted to try to get Kyle down the seam. They had a big outside linebacker on him. It's bang, bang. He made the play. But it's exactly what we talked about on the sideline before that. We're going to get an open set and see if we can get a seam ball here, and he handles it. Really, really impressive performance by him today.”
on UCLA throwing to the backs out of backfield, in particular
“Yeah, they tried to man up our outside guys, so just trying get the matchup and running backs and the linebackers. That was something we felt like we could exploit there a little bit. They were back in the box, so let's loosen them up and get the ball. How can we get the ball to Zach [Charbonnet] and get it to him on the perimeter? Both him and Brittain [Brown]. I thought Brittain was going to break that one but he slipped. I thought both him and Britain gave us something there in the pass game.”
on the performance of UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich
“Okay, we’ve only played four games. So, again, it’s the same thing. If you are going to play man coverage, we have to go to our best matchups. We really felt like the tight end and Kyle [Philips] and then Zach a little bit were some of the matchups. Dorian understands that when they play man coverage, we want to find out what are matchups are and then how do we exploit those matchups.”
on outlasting Stanford (after UCLA lost to Fresno State last week)
“Yeah, I don’t know, I mean I don’t think that you can look to that. Again, we prepare. We compete and learn, and we talked about what happened in the Fresno game. That is part of what we do on Mondays. We’ll sit down and watch film – what’s the reason for what went on, whether it is a W or an L, and how we can correct our mistakes and build on what we did well. I thought those guys did a great job. They were eager on Monday in our training session, and that followed through the whole week. I thought they would respond well and obviously they did. To be up 21-7 and to be tied and come back is a credit to those guys. To score twice after they tied it up was a real big deal for us.”
on UCLA’s defense in the first half (and not taking as much of an advantage on offense)
“We actually planned that. We said, ‘Let's keep it close.’ We told our guys, ‘Hey, let's not make this one. We don't want to go crazy and score too much in the first half.’ But I am joking. The mistakes we made in the first half were us. We had a couple bad snaps that we have to correct. We had a holding penalty we have to correct, and now all of a sudden now we're first and 20 when we are moving the ball. I really felt in the first half that the stops that occurred on those drives were self-inflicted. It was us making mistakes. It wasn't a great play by a defensive player, and sometimes you got to tip your cap to them, but we got to get the snap problem straightened out. We had too many errant snaps today. I think there were three that I counted that put us off schedule. When you're playing a good team like Stanford you can't be off schedule. That's a really well-coached team. They were under-manned today because they had some kids out with the COVID restrictions. I tip my hat to David and the coaching staff, because they didn't have all their weapons today, and I've been where he is. That's a tough deal. No one feels sorry for you, but I do think they did a hell of a job coaching against us.
on both teams having some long pass plays for touchdowns, midway through the game
“We are not trying to show anybody. We're just trying to exploit what the defense is in, and they got a lot bigger and brought in two outside linebackers. They went nickel defense against us – even though we were in a spread formation. If they were going to do that, then they're trying to stop our run game. We tried to spread them out a little bit and throw it. We got the look that we wanted and it was favorable, and give Kyle [Philips] credit for running a great route. In finishing, sometimes guys catch that. But it's just a big game. To finish in the end zone like he did was a big deal for him. He hit him in stride, so if he hits him in stride we got a chance to finish. Credit to those two guys. Good job in the protection for those guys up front, but a credit to Kyle and Dorian for making that play. I was very pleased that we answered in one play. I don't like it to take longer than that. We'll take it.”
on Bruins’ wide receiver Kyle Philips
“You know, the punt return, to set the tone and start the game you always want to get off to a good start. For him to set you us up where we were and get the ball that tight in the red zone, after that return. You know, we felt like we had an opportunity in the return game with him. I thought our guys did a really good job all week with the plan that Coach Sage and the special teams guys had of getting a good hold up return in there. Again, any way we can get the ball in his hands, it's positive. It's tough because the return game in college football, it's really nonexistent. They kick the ball out of back the end zone and you don't get an opportunity that much. I think our guys took pride in really doing a good job in the hold up aspect of it. They know if they give Kyle time to catch and set his feet, we got a shot. I think the punter just kind of miss-hit him a little bit. Most of the other punts he hit because he's a great directional punter. Pinned us on the sideline when we didn't have an opportunity for a return, but that one, they tried to kick it back across the field and we took advantage of it. Give those guys, the whole group on that punt return team, for doing a good job.”
on the Bruins’ run defense and holding down Stanford
“I think that they’re aggressive. I think we have some tough kids on that side of ball that are – they do a really good job of not staying blocked. When they can get off the blocks and try to make some plays. When you have a quarterback that's not a huge run threat, and we have been fortunate because we haven't had a quarterback – now, give David [Shaw] credit. On a key third down they had him keep it, and I think everybody in the stadium was on the running back, and McKee is running down the sideline, but for the most part we had the ability to kind of contain Peat and keep him in front of us. I thought our guys did a good job we will look at the tape, but I thought our guys did a good job by and large tackling. But it's a lot easier to tackle and get guys down when your gang tackling, and I thought we had a lot of guys running to the football tonight.”
UCLA defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight
on securing the win at Stanford on Saturday
“I say, it just took guts to want to finish the game. Last week, versus Fresno, we weren’t able to go in and finish the game the way we have been coached. This week during practice, that is the main thing that Coach Kelly was harping on – ‘Finish, we have to finish, we have to finish, Bruins finish.’ This game got down to a fourth quarter game, and we knew Stanford wasn’t going to just roll over. Deep down, in our head, we knew we were going to have to come finish this game. That is what we did. I’m proud of the guys.
on seeing quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson finish the game in the fashion he did
“That was great. Dorian literally put the team on this back. He was really down bad, throughout the whole game, he took a couple hits. It was great to see him go in, literally, I’m going to win this game for us. I think he went down one play and came right back in, threw a touchdown. I told him, ‘That’s what we need from you.’ That was amazing.
on the Bruins’ strong run defense all season
“Just having the guys up front. I feel like we have a great group of guys up front that’s not only good with pass rush – literally, they’re just going to run to the ball all the time. That is what we do. Even on the back end, secondary, linebackers, everybody on the team just going to run to the ball. That's how we're pretty good at run game.
on Stanford tying the game, if last season’s game against Stanford crept into his head
“Oh yeah, most def. Once we got to that 21-21 mark in the fourth quarter, I said, ‘We been here before.’ We literally have been here with this team last year, and we been here before with a team last week. We had two examples of what not to do and what to do, so I feel like we finished very well today.
on Carl Jones being very active, getting a lot of action in the backfield
“Oh, man, Carl Jones, he's definitely a great player. [We] have conversations all the time because we basically have the same job. You know, we say it's going to be me or you, and [he] basically says am I going to make the play or you going to make the play. Carl Jones is going to get better throughout the season, and I'm excited to see what he does.
on UCLA making a statement today after having lost last week against Fresno State
“Yeah, most def. We definitely did that. But it's not about making statements, to us. It's about doing our job. Whatever the other people see from that is up to them.”
UCLA 35, Stanford 24
Stanford Stadium (Stanford, Calif.)
September 25, 2021
on quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson
“I don't think it's mentioned enough with Dorian, is how tough he is. He's been tough from the get-go. I remember really the first game he played in the opener against Cincinnati, but then started again Oklahoma and got bounced around. I just remember seeing his mom after the game and saying, You have a tough son right there. It's as underrated a quality for a quarterback to be a tough guy, to be able to stand in there and play. I think that was on display today. It’s something we've known for four years now, but I think he really showed that tonight. I was really proud of how he played.”
on quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and returning in the fourth quarter
“He didn't miss any time in the first half, so they just tell me when he's out, and then they told me he could go back in. So, he is a competitor. He loves to play. I think that was on display today.
“The trainers and the medical team look at him and tell us if he's cleared. They just told me he's out, and then they tell me if he's cleared to come back in.”
on what helps make Dorian Thompson-Robinson so effective, especially in the second half
“We don’t have a ton of data points from this season. It's so early in the year. Didn't play in the second half, very rarely, so you can't really use that. But he's a competitor and he competes, and the longer [he] plays the more he learns, and that's what we talk about. We prepare each week. We compete each week and we learn. He can digest information during the game of what's happened, so that if we get back to this again we want to do this. We knew what we were doing. They had big personnel on the field, and we knew we wanted to try to get Kyle down the seam. They had a big outside linebacker on him. It's bang, bang. He made the play. But it's exactly what we talked about on the sideline before that. We're going to get an open set and see if we can get a seam ball here, and he handles it. Really, really impressive performance by him today.”
on UCLA throwing to the backs out of backfield, in particular
“Yeah, they tried to man up our outside guys, so just trying get the matchup and running backs and the linebackers. That was something we felt like we could exploit there a little bit. They were back in the box, so let's loosen them up and get the ball. How can we get the ball to Zach [Charbonnet] and get it to him on the perimeter? Both him and Brittain [Brown]. I thought Brittain was going to break that one but he slipped. I thought both him and Britain gave us something there in the pass game.”
on the performance of UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich
“Okay, we’ve only played four games. So, again, it’s the same thing. If you are going to play man coverage, we have to go to our best matchups. We really felt like the tight end and Kyle [Philips] and then Zach a little bit were some of the matchups. Dorian understands that when they play man coverage, we want to find out what are matchups are and then how do we exploit those matchups.”
on outlasting Stanford (after UCLA lost to Fresno State last week)
“Yeah, I don’t know, I mean I don’t think that you can look to that. Again, we prepare. We compete and learn, and we talked about what happened in the Fresno game. That is part of what we do on Mondays. We’ll sit down and watch film – what’s the reason for what went on, whether it is a W or an L, and how we can correct our mistakes and build on what we did well. I thought those guys did a great job. They were eager on Monday in our training session, and that followed through the whole week. I thought they would respond well and obviously they did. To be up 21-7 and to be tied and come back is a credit to those guys. To score twice after they tied it up was a real big deal for us.”
on UCLA’s defense in the first half (and not taking as much of an advantage on offense)
“We actually planned that. We said, ‘Let's keep it close.’ We told our guys, ‘Hey, let's not make this one. We don't want to go crazy and score too much in the first half.’ But I am joking. The mistakes we made in the first half were us. We had a couple bad snaps that we have to correct. We had a holding penalty we have to correct, and now all of a sudden now we're first and 20 when we are moving the ball. I really felt in the first half that the stops that occurred on those drives were self-inflicted. It was us making mistakes. It wasn't a great play by a defensive player, and sometimes you got to tip your cap to them, but we got to get the snap problem straightened out. We had too many errant snaps today. I think there were three that I counted that put us off schedule. When you're playing a good team like Stanford you can't be off schedule. That's a really well-coached team. They were under-manned today because they had some kids out with the COVID restrictions. I tip my hat to David and the coaching staff, because they didn't have all their weapons today, and I've been where he is. That's a tough deal. No one feels sorry for you, but I do think they did a hell of a job coaching against us.
on both teams having some long pass plays for touchdowns, midway through the game
“We are not trying to show anybody. We're just trying to exploit what the defense is in, and they got a lot bigger and brought in two outside linebackers. They went nickel defense against us – even though we were in a spread formation. If they were going to do that, then they're trying to stop our run game. We tried to spread them out a little bit and throw it. We got the look that we wanted and it was favorable, and give Kyle [Philips] credit for running a great route. In finishing, sometimes guys catch that. But it's just a big game. To finish in the end zone like he did was a big deal for him. He hit him in stride, so if he hits him in stride we got a chance to finish. Credit to those two guys. Good job in the protection for those guys up front, but a credit to Kyle and Dorian for making that play. I was very pleased that we answered in one play. I don't like it to take longer than that. We'll take it.”
on Bruins’ wide receiver Kyle Philips
“You know, the punt return, to set the tone and start the game you always want to get off to a good start. For him to set you us up where we were and get the ball that tight in the red zone, after that return. You know, we felt like we had an opportunity in the return game with him. I thought our guys did a really good job all week with the plan that Coach Sage and the special teams guys had of getting a good hold up return in there. Again, any way we can get the ball in his hands, it's positive. It's tough because the return game in college football, it's really nonexistent. They kick the ball out of back the end zone and you don't get an opportunity that much. I think our guys took pride in really doing a good job in the hold up aspect of it. They know if they give Kyle time to catch and set his feet, we got a shot. I think the punter just kind of miss-hit him a little bit. Most of the other punts he hit because he's a great directional punter. Pinned us on the sideline when we didn't have an opportunity for a return, but that one, they tried to kick it back across the field and we took advantage of it. Give those guys, the whole group on that punt return team, for doing a good job.”
on the Bruins’ run defense and holding down Stanford
“I think that they’re aggressive. I think we have some tough kids on that side of ball that are – they do a really good job of not staying blocked. When they can get off the blocks and try to make some plays. When you have a quarterback that's not a huge run threat, and we have been fortunate because we haven't had a quarterback – now, give David [Shaw] credit. On a key third down they had him keep it, and I think everybody in the stadium was on the running back, and McKee is running down the sideline, but for the most part we had the ability to kind of contain Peat and keep him in front of us. I thought our guys did a good job we will look at the tape, but I thought our guys did a good job by and large tackling. But it's a lot easier to tackle and get guys down when your gang tackling, and I thought we had a lot of guys running to the football tonight.”
UCLA defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight
on securing the win at Stanford on Saturday
“I say, it just took guts to want to finish the game. Last week, versus Fresno, we weren’t able to go in and finish the game the way we have been coached. This week during practice, that is the main thing that Coach Kelly was harping on – ‘Finish, we have to finish, we have to finish, Bruins finish.’ This game got down to a fourth quarter game, and we knew Stanford wasn’t going to just roll over. Deep down, in our head, we knew we were going to have to come finish this game. That is what we did. I’m proud of the guys.
on seeing quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson finish the game in the fashion he did
“That was great. Dorian literally put the team on this back. He was really down bad, throughout the whole game, he took a couple hits. It was great to see him go in, literally, I’m going to win this game for us. I think he went down one play and came right back in, threw a touchdown. I told him, ‘That’s what we need from you.’ That was amazing.
on the Bruins’ strong run defense all season
“Just having the guys up front. I feel like we have a great group of guys up front that’s not only good with pass rush – literally, they’re just going to run to the ball all the time. That is what we do. Even on the back end, secondary, linebackers, everybody on the team just going to run to the ball. That's how we're pretty good at run game.
on Stanford tying the game, if last season’s game against Stanford crept into his head
“Oh yeah, most def. Once we got to that 21-21 mark in the fourth quarter, I said, ‘We been here before.’ We literally have been here with this team last year, and we been here before with a team last week. We had two examples of what not to do and what to do, so I feel like we finished very well today.
on Carl Jones being very active, getting a lot of action in the backfield
“Oh, man, Carl Jones, he's definitely a great player. [We] have conversations all the time because we basically have the same job. You know, we say it's going to be me or you, and [he] basically says am I going to make the play or you going to make the play. Carl Jones is going to get better throughout the season, and I'm excited to see what he does.
on UCLA making a statement today after having lost last week against Fresno State
“Yeah, most def. We definitely did that. But it's not about making statements, to us. It's about doing our job. Whatever the other people see from that is up to them.”