Postgame Quotes – UCLA vs. North Carolina Central
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 59, North Carolina Central 7
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
September 16, 2023
To view the complete UCLA postgame press conference, click here.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly
on takeaways in a game with such a large margin of victory
“First off, you watch the tape, and what can we correct from a technique and fundamental standpoint? The one thing I was impressed with, with our team, was just their approach. They had a great week of training and a great week of practice. I think that’s a sign of maturity. They are focused on getting better on a daily basis and that is something that we preach, but it’s not always followed. We understand that. But I do think it was followed this week. These guys went out this week, Sunday through Wednesday, of trying to get better as football players. There’s a standard that we train at. We have continued to train better each week. We were better in San Diego State than against Coastal [Carolina]. And our numbers told us that, and our numbers were better this week than during the San Diego State week. They are continuing to grow. They’re continuing to build. The fact that we got an opportunity to play so many guys is a good deal. It’s awesome to see those guys’ faces, they’ve worked so hard during the week and it does pay off for them and they get to play on Saturday. It looks like we are relatively healthy coming out of this. We’ve got to be ready to go. League play starts this week, coming up. There are eight teams in the Pac-12 who are in the top 25 in the country. So this conference play for everybody is going to be a battle.”
on UCLA’s five quarterbacks who played on Saturday
“I thought Dante did a really good job, again. He’s extremely poised. He does a great job throwing the ball and giving guys catchable balls when there’s territory there. I think he fits the ball in really well. You saw Colin next. I think Colin’s athleticism has shown in both games that he has played in. We’ve been up by so much that we really haven’t got an opportunity to let him throw very often. Garbs did a really nice job when he was in there, and Ethan has played a lot of football for us. We are really comfortable with Ethan, and when he runs our offense, I think that we do a really good job. We click. And then it was really good to get Chase [Griffin] and Justyn [Martin] in, in the second half, and to get them some experience and some snaps. Because again, in this league, you never know. You don’t know what you are going to get to and where you are going to be. We feel like depth is a strength of this team right now, and the fact that we could play five guys is a positive.”
on UCLA’s Anthony Adkins as the team’s leading rusher
“He’s a big, physical back but he is very nifty on his feet. I think that he has really good vision. I’m not sure we knew how athletic he was, when we got him. Obviously, he played in a different style of offense at Army, being the fullback in the wishbone, and just pounding it between the A gaps. But he’s got a little bit of side-to-side in him and I think he is tough to tackle. He runs with good body lean. I think he is continuing to develop. He’s one of those guys that each week, as he starts to get more comfortable in what we are doing, you will see him getting better and better, and that’s a positive. You can’t have too many running backs. I think that we’ve got two in Carson and TJ right now. But Anthony is starting to push and get into the mix. That’s a good thing as we go into league play here.”
on UCLA quarterback Dante Moore and his room to improve
“I think we can improve with decision making, timing, just like anybody. It doesn’t matter who it is. And I think that he’s played really, really well. We are just still starting with him. And pre-snap recognition, where the ball is going, and he’s really good at it, but he’ll continue to work on the fundamentals and the decision-making process.”
on the performance of offensive lineman Siale Taupaki
“He came in, in I think the second drive and then the fourth drive. Siale is a kid who has worked extremely hard at the rehab aspect. He’s been out for over a year now and he’s fought and battled. I was really happy that he got an opportunity to get in. He was certainly on a pitch count of how many snaps he could get, and I think that we got that early in the second quarter. So you didn’t see him after that. But to see the smile on his face after the game, and really happy for him because we know how hard he has worked from a rehab standpoint.”
on what it’s like to be up 35-0 after the first quarter of a game
“Obviously, that first quarter was a little interesting. Just because of the, I think we had two one-play drives and one two-play drive. It got moving very quickly, for the opening play of the game to be a touchdown, and then Schlee’s first play was a touchdown. Then we got another long run, going bang-bang-bang and I’m not sure what the total count was. But we may have scored more points than plays we ran today, and that’s not a common occurrence, but I think that it’s a credit to our guys and how they prepared for the game.”
on how good it was to see quarterback Chase Griffin get into the game
“It was awesome. Chase is a special player here. We have leaders at each position and he was the hands-down, unanimous, pick at the quarterback spot even though he isn’t the starter at that spot. But I think that it’s the players’ respect for him and his approach on a daily basis, and what he does, I think he was the scout team player of the week for three days in a row this week. He was simulating the other team’s quarterback because their quarterback is an NFL prospect. The look that he gave us as a scout team player this week was awesome. So to get him in there today, we were excited that we could do that.”
on his reactions to UCLA’s defense
“I think they played well today. Because of what happened on the offensive side of the ball, some of those guys didn’t play as much as they’d normally do – just because we jumped to such a big lead early. But when they’re in there, I think that we’ve got a front that can cause some problems. And we’ll see as we continue to grow. We have had three big tests now. But we understand what the task is at hand that we have this Saturday, coming up going to Utah. We are playing the defending conference champs. We’re pleased with where we are right now, but we know that we have to continue to progress.”
UCLA Quarterback Dante Moore
on winning the first three games of the season
“When you have great teammates around you, great fans, shoutout to the fans of course, and Westwood, a beautiful area, with beautiful weather every day, it’s a lot of things that bring positivity around me.”
on confidence as a team
“Outside of football, the little things matter, having that camaraderie around the team is a true blessing.”
on the Black Excellence game
“Understanding the history of everything is really important. How Coach Kelly and the UCLA program acknowledge HBCU games is something that we all appreciate. I love how we make sure to let people present on the jumbotron and talk about black history, and that’s something I really appreciate about this program”
on five UCLA quarterbacks entering this game and the chemistry between them
“How the quarterback room goes, we always want to see everybody succeed. I love how we all get out there and spit the ball around and how we’re always being ourselves.”
UCLA Running Back Anthony Adkins
on the team rushing six touchdowns
“We pride ourselves on running hard, playing physical and playing aggressive every week, week in and week out. Doing our jobs, we take the load off the quarterback a little bit, and we pride ourselves on that.”
on team chemistry while maintaining a 3-0 record
“Our confidence and our chemistry is really high right now. When you have really good chemistry and can play well together, the confidence will come. I feel like they go hand in hand and right now, we all love each other.”
on this week’s practice
“There's been an improvement every single week. The way we play in practice really translates into the game. We practice as hard as we can, as fast as we can. So far, we’ve practiced so hard and fast, and it’s translated very well.”
UCLA defensive lineman Choé Bryant-Strother
on forcing the fumble
“It was a pass rush situation, and whenever we pass rush, we have this thing called ‘vision line.’ Basically, everyone on the D-line is helping each other out. So, I noticed that my tackle to my right was getting really wide so I decided to make him right and go inside and it worked out. The QB was right there for me. And then Dovid [Magna] on my left was in the right place at the right time because he does everything right. Everything worked out in that moment.”
on the defense’s performance so far this season
“All I can say about that is that we’re paying attention to detail.”
UCLA defensive lineman Dovid Magna
on forcing the fumble
“Like Choé [Bryant-Strother] said, it just was a good play call. We got to the QB. Choé got it out and I just saw the ball and jumped on it right there and then. It was a good call.”
on the chest bump celebration after
“The whole defense just crowded us as soon as we got off the field. I couldn’t tell who was who in that moment but I’m sure he was in there somewhere.”
on how ready they are for conference play
“I don’t think it matters who’s up next. We pride ourselves on being ready for whatever opponent we have, whether it’s home or away. Whoever it is, we’ll be ready for them come Saturday and it will be a great game.”
on the defense’s performance so far this season
“A big thing we pride ourselves on as a defense is over-communication, relentless effort and just making big plays. When we all trust each other and got each other’s backs and we all do our job to the best of our abilities, we get to make those big plays all day long and that’s the amazing part of it.
on teammates making the most of their playing opportunities
“For me, it’s something that’s really special. Obviously for me, I started my career here as a walk on. Those players [made those plays] I got to have in my early career. I remember all the way back to the COVID year and our first game against Cal here. Those were my first snaps at UCLA and those were the most amazing moments for me, so to be there on the sidelines and now getting to watch them, the guys who work their butts off every single day to service us and give us a great look for the offensive guys who come over to the defensive field and vice versa. … To see them in there and make plays or not make plays, but even get a snap and be on the field at all, I couldn’t be any happier for them because I know how much pride they have for it.”
North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver
on falling behind early
“That’s exactly what we were trying to avoid. We could not give these people anything. That’s a great football team out there, and we couldn’t get behind early like that to give ourselves a chance.”
on playing at the Rose Bowl
“Obviously, being able to play in this historic venue, it means a lot to our school and our players. For us to be able to represent [NCCU alum] Ernie Barnes and what he’s done for the world was an honor. And then for us to be able to represent our school, North Carolina Central, out here on the West Coast.”
on key goals to Saturday’s game
“We wanted to win the football game, first and foremost. Secondly, we wanted to play better than we did last week. Lastly, we wanted to play better throughout the game. I thought we played awful in the first half. We played a little bit better in the third quarter, and then we played a little bit better in the fourth quarter. Our guys did not give up. We got beat up pretty bad, but our guys did not quit, so that was a plus.”
on the team’s postgame morale
“Obviously they’re disappointed. I’m disappointed, but that’s one game. We got to work to get better, we obviously knew this was a very good football team that we were playing, but this right here is going to help our program work to get to the next level.”
UCLA 59, North Carolina Central 7
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
September 16, 2023
To view the complete UCLA postgame press conference, click here.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly
on takeaways in a game with such a large margin of victory
“First off, you watch the tape, and what can we correct from a technique and fundamental standpoint? The one thing I was impressed with, with our team, was just their approach. They had a great week of training and a great week of practice. I think that’s a sign of maturity. They are focused on getting better on a daily basis and that is something that we preach, but it’s not always followed. We understand that. But I do think it was followed this week. These guys went out this week, Sunday through Wednesday, of trying to get better as football players. There’s a standard that we train at. We have continued to train better each week. We were better in San Diego State than against Coastal [Carolina]. And our numbers told us that, and our numbers were better this week than during the San Diego State week. They are continuing to grow. They’re continuing to build. The fact that we got an opportunity to play so many guys is a good deal. It’s awesome to see those guys’ faces, they’ve worked so hard during the week and it does pay off for them and they get to play on Saturday. It looks like we are relatively healthy coming out of this. We’ve got to be ready to go. League play starts this week, coming up. There are eight teams in the Pac-12 who are in the top 25 in the country. So this conference play for everybody is going to be a battle.”
on UCLA’s five quarterbacks who played on Saturday
“I thought Dante did a really good job, again. He’s extremely poised. He does a great job throwing the ball and giving guys catchable balls when there’s territory there. I think he fits the ball in really well. You saw Colin next. I think Colin’s athleticism has shown in both games that he has played in. We’ve been up by so much that we really haven’t got an opportunity to let him throw very often. Garbs did a really nice job when he was in there, and Ethan has played a lot of football for us. We are really comfortable with Ethan, and when he runs our offense, I think that we do a really good job. We click. And then it was really good to get Chase [Griffin] and Justyn [Martin] in, in the second half, and to get them some experience and some snaps. Because again, in this league, you never know. You don’t know what you are going to get to and where you are going to be. We feel like depth is a strength of this team right now, and the fact that we could play five guys is a positive.”
on UCLA’s Anthony Adkins as the team’s leading rusher
“He’s a big, physical back but he is very nifty on his feet. I think that he has really good vision. I’m not sure we knew how athletic he was, when we got him. Obviously, he played in a different style of offense at Army, being the fullback in the wishbone, and just pounding it between the A gaps. But he’s got a little bit of side-to-side in him and I think he is tough to tackle. He runs with good body lean. I think he is continuing to develop. He’s one of those guys that each week, as he starts to get more comfortable in what we are doing, you will see him getting better and better, and that’s a positive. You can’t have too many running backs. I think that we’ve got two in Carson and TJ right now. But Anthony is starting to push and get into the mix. That’s a good thing as we go into league play here.”
on UCLA quarterback Dante Moore and his room to improve
“I think we can improve with decision making, timing, just like anybody. It doesn’t matter who it is. And I think that he’s played really, really well. We are just still starting with him. And pre-snap recognition, where the ball is going, and he’s really good at it, but he’ll continue to work on the fundamentals and the decision-making process.”
on the performance of offensive lineman Siale Taupaki
“He came in, in I think the second drive and then the fourth drive. Siale is a kid who has worked extremely hard at the rehab aspect. He’s been out for over a year now and he’s fought and battled. I was really happy that he got an opportunity to get in. He was certainly on a pitch count of how many snaps he could get, and I think that we got that early in the second quarter. So you didn’t see him after that. But to see the smile on his face after the game, and really happy for him because we know how hard he has worked from a rehab standpoint.”
on what it’s like to be up 35-0 after the first quarter of a game
“Obviously, that first quarter was a little interesting. Just because of the, I think we had two one-play drives and one two-play drive. It got moving very quickly, for the opening play of the game to be a touchdown, and then Schlee’s first play was a touchdown. Then we got another long run, going bang-bang-bang and I’m not sure what the total count was. But we may have scored more points than plays we ran today, and that’s not a common occurrence, but I think that it’s a credit to our guys and how they prepared for the game.”
on how good it was to see quarterback Chase Griffin get into the game
“It was awesome. Chase is a special player here. We have leaders at each position and he was the hands-down, unanimous, pick at the quarterback spot even though he isn’t the starter at that spot. But I think that it’s the players’ respect for him and his approach on a daily basis, and what he does, I think he was the scout team player of the week for three days in a row this week. He was simulating the other team’s quarterback because their quarterback is an NFL prospect. The look that he gave us as a scout team player this week was awesome. So to get him in there today, we were excited that we could do that.”
on his reactions to UCLA’s defense
“I think they played well today. Because of what happened on the offensive side of the ball, some of those guys didn’t play as much as they’d normally do – just because we jumped to such a big lead early. But when they’re in there, I think that we’ve got a front that can cause some problems. And we’ll see as we continue to grow. We have had three big tests now. But we understand what the task is at hand that we have this Saturday, coming up going to Utah. We are playing the defending conference champs. We’re pleased with where we are right now, but we know that we have to continue to progress.”
UCLA Quarterback Dante Moore
on winning the first three games of the season
“When you have great teammates around you, great fans, shoutout to the fans of course, and Westwood, a beautiful area, with beautiful weather every day, it’s a lot of things that bring positivity around me.”
on confidence as a team
“Outside of football, the little things matter, having that camaraderie around the team is a true blessing.”
on the Black Excellence game
“Understanding the history of everything is really important. How Coach Kelly and the UCLA program acknowledge HBCU games is something that we all appreciate. I love how we make sure to let people present on the jumbotron and talk about black history, and that’s something I really appreciate about this program”
on five UCLA quarterbacks entering this game and the chemistry between them
“How the quarterback room goes, we always want to see everybody succeed. I love how we all get out there and spit the ball around and how we’re always being ourselves.”
UCLA Running Back Anthony Adkins
on the team rushing six touchdowns
“We pride ourselves on running hard, playing physical and playing aggressive every week, week in and week out. Doing our jobs, we take the load off the quarterback a little bit, and we pride ourselves on that.”
on team chemistry while maintaining a 3-0 record
“Our confidence and our chemistry is really high right now. When you have really good chemistry and can play well together, the confidence will come. I feel like they go hand in hand and right now, we all love each other.”
on this week’s practice
“There's been an improvement every single week. The way we play in practice really translates into the game. We practice as hard as we can, as fast as we can. So far, we’ve practiced so hard and fast, and it’s translated very well.”
UCLA defensive lineman Choé Bryant-Strother
on forcing the fumble
“It was a pass rush situation, and whenever we pass rush, we have this thing called ‘vision line.’ Basically, everyone on the D-line is helping each other out. So, I noticed that my tackle to my right was getting really wide so I decided to make him right and go inside and it worked out. The QB was right there for me. And then Dovid [Magna] on my left was in the right place at the right time because he does everything right. Everything worked out in that moment.”
on the defense’s performance so far this season
“All I can say about that is that we’re paying attention to detail.”
UCLA defensive lineman Dovid Magna
on forcing the fumble
“Like Choé [Bryant-Strother] said, it just was a good play call. We got to the QB. Choé got it out and I just saw the ball and jumped on it right there and then. It was a good call.”
on the chest bump celebration after
“The whole defense just crowded us as soon as we got off the field. I couldn’t tell who was who in that moment but I’m sure he was in there somewhere.”
on how ready they are for conference play
“I don’t think it matters who’s up next. We pride ourselves on being ready for whatever opponent we have, whether it’s home or away. Whoever it is, we’ll be ready for them come Saturday and it will be a great game.”
on the defense’s performance so far this season
“A big thing we pride ourselves on as a defense is over-communication, relentless effort and just making big plays. When we all trust each other and got each other’s backs and we all do our job to the best of our abilities, we get to make those big plays all day long and that’s the amazing part of it.
on teammates making the most of their playing opportunities
“For me, it’s something that’s really special. Obviously for me, I started my career here as a walk on. Those players [made those plays] I got to have in my early career. I remember all the way back to the COVID year and our first game against Cal here. Those were my first snaps at UCLA and those were the most amazing moments for me, so to be there on the sidelines and now getting to watch them, the guys who work their butts off every single day to service us and give us a great look for the offensive guys who come over to the defensive field and vice versa. … To see them in there and make plays or not make plays, but even get a snap and be on the field at all, I couldn’t be any happier for them because I know how much pride they have for it.”
North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver
on falling behind early
“That’s exactly what we were trying to avoid. We could not give these people anything. That’s a great football team out there, and we couldn’t get behind early like that to give ourselves a chance.”
on playing at the Rose Bowl
“Obviously, being able to play in this historic venue, it means a lot to our school and our players. For us to be able to represent [NCCU alum] Ernie Barnes and what he’s done for the world was an honor. And then for us to be able to represent our school, North Carolina Central, out here on the West Coast.”
on key goals to Saturday’s game
“We wanted to win the football game, first and foremost. Secondly, we wanted to play better than we did last week. Lastly, we wanted to play better throughout the game. I thought we played awful in the first half. We played a little bit better in the third quarter, and then we played a little bit better in the fourth quarter. Our guys did not give up. We got beat up pretty bad, but our guys did not quit, so that was a plus.”
on the team’s postgame morale
“Obviously they’re disappointed. I’m disappointed, but that’s one game. We got to work to get better, we obviously knew this was a very good football team that we were playing, but this right here is going to help our program work to get to the next level.”