Postgame Quotes – UCLA vs. Coastal Carolina
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 27, Coastal Carolina 13
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
September 2, 2023
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly
on his impressions of this team in the season opener
“I think that selfishly, to be honest with you, you’d like to win games like this because there were a lot of things that you can correct. There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds that I think were on us, that weren’t from the opponent, that we can iron out. They will make us better as a football team. But the one thing that we talk about is that competitors respond, and I think the way that we responded in the second half, with Dante and J.Mike hooking up there where our offense didn’t have a lot good things going for a couple of stretches – but for them to hook up on that drive, for our defense to go on the field and John Humphrey to have an interception, I think that was a really good answer. That’s what competitors do – they respond. It was not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes as a coach, you like it not pretty – then we can get their attention when we get to film tomorrow.”
on UCLA’s two quarterbacks
“Yeah, I think that Garbs [Ethan Garbers] wants the first one back. But the other two interceptions were protection issues, and the quarterback is getting hit while he is throwing the ball. I don’t fault the quarterback in that. We will look at the film and figure out where the breakdown was and how do we make sure that we handle that a little bit better. The one that Dante threw in the end zone was just a very bad call by the play-caller, so he’ll get reprimanded but I thought they performed and we are excited about the next step. But it is a lot easier when the next step is coming after 1-0, not 0-1. You know, half the teams in the country lost today and half the teams in the country won today. And we are fortunate to be on that side of it, so there is a lot that we’ve got to work on, but it’s in a positive vein.”
on UCLA’s outreach toward those affected by the wildfires in Maui
“We could do some great things, and I’ll thank Josh Rebholz and Martin Jarmond and the rest of our athletic department for putting together the support, with what has gone on in a tragic situation, using our platform and UCLA football to at least shed some light on how we can help those people.”
on quarterback Dante Moore and his touchdown pass to J.Michael Sturdivant
“Yeah, it’s something that we have had the opportunity to see because he did it there in the spring and he did it during preseason camp. It was just a heck of a play by him – it was an off-schedule play. He got flushed from the pocket, but he does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field. We work on scramble drill a lot. And for J. Mike to take it deep and for Dante to have his eyes up, that’s a special quality with quarterbacks. Sometimes with quarterbacks, when they get flushed, their eyes go down and they’re looking – are they going to get hit and who are they running away from? But the special ones keep their eyes up, and big plays can happen and that was a huge play for him at a point in time where we needed it. I was really pleased with him on that.”
on the touchdown pass from Ethan Garbers to Carson Steele in the first quarter
“Yeah, he went through his progressions. So he got through everybody on that. He had two routes into the boundary and then two routes coming from the field, and the back was the final check down. As he got flushed out, I think he understands the timing in his head. And at that point in time, when you have to step up in the pocket, it has to come out to the last guy. Carson was wide open. I thought that it was a good play on both of them.”
on his secondary and the Bruins getting two interceptions
“I don’t know if people know how good a quarterback Grayson McCall is. You know, coming into this, he’s the all-time leader in Division I football history, he had 78 touchdowns and eight intecpetions in his career. And for us to come in here and pick him twice, I think that’s really rare. He’s a heck of a football player. So, I was pleased with how our guys played. But there are a lot of things that we can clean up, and we will get back to work tomorrow.”
on self-inflicted wounds and potential first-game nerves
“We’ve got to fix it, so we will address that tomorrow.”
on UCLA running backs T.J. Harden and Carson Steele
“I think they both complement each other really well. They both run very physical. You could see them run through, sometimes when there is an unblocked safety, they’ve got some physicality to them where they can run through a tackle. And that is always a bonus. I thought both of them really complemented each other really well. They’ll continue to grow. Now T.J. has played for us. And Carson has played a lot of football, but now it is Carson’s first time with us. It’s the first time you’ve got a game in the Rose Bowl, so that is a first for him. We’ve got our chance to take our first road trip this week. We will continue to see him grow. He’s a special player, and so is T.J. They’ve both special players.”
on if decisions to play certain UCLA quarterbacks was pre-determined
“We had talked about Garbs playing at least the first quarter, and then putting Dante in at some point in time in the second quarter, and then putting in Collin [Schlee] situationally. Collin missed the beginning of camp. He’s just getting back into rounding into shape, and he’s done some really good things. But Collin not playing is 100 percent on me. We explained that to him. You’ll see Collin next week. Collin will play against San Diego State.”
Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck
opening statement
“First of all, hats off to UCLA. They did a nice job tonight, and Coach Kelly is a great coach. They did a good job in earning the victory tonight. I’m really proud of our team. I thought our team came here and fought hard and played hard. We have a lot to build on from that. I told them in the locker room, ‘Life’s weird. You’re going to get called to fight, and you’ve got to fight every fight.’ Sometimes you just don’t win every fight, and unfortunately, tonight was one of them. But I’m really proud of the way these guys fought.”
on the decision to kick the 55-yard field goal
“One thing I’m learning our team a little bit too, see what we can do and how the season goes. This is just game one. But he [Liam Gray] was banging them in pre-game, and he’s got a really strong leg. He’s got the distance; he just missed it. I want to let him know that we trust him, believe in him. I felt like defensively for the most part we were playing pretty good and making them work for their yards and their points, so that was part of it.”
on the team’s defensive play
“I’m really pleased. Coach [Craig] Naivar and the defensive staff had a really good plan together. Our players played really hard, played really well, never quit, kept fighting and made plays when they had to. The game of football, you move the ball up and down the field. Everybody does it, any game you watch on TV you see it. It comes down to who can score touchdowns and who can’t. We didn’t, and they were able to a couple of times, had a couple of big plays, and we ended up on the short side of the stick. But I thought our defense really played well and gave us an opportunity to win the game; we just didn’t finish offensively.”
on wide receiver Sam Pinckney’s play
“We all know Sam Pinckney’s a great player, and boy, he really had a nice game today. I thought, again, the guys played hard. They tried, and I love them. I love our guys. I love Grayson McCall. He tried. He willed. He was trying everything that he could to make plays to help us win the game. We’re going to win a lot of games. We’ve got a good football team. I think our guys know it. I’m proud of them. I’m proud to be their coach.”
on Clayton Isbell’s play, with three interceptions
“Unbelievable, right? What a great game. He’s not only a great player, but a great young man, and I’m proud to have him on our football team. Very fortunate to get him, and he’s been playing like this all spring, all fall, really. He’s really elevated our secondary, very smart, instinctive. He’s fast, good tackler. He’s the ideal NFL safety, and we’re blessed to have him.”
on playing strong against a Power 5 team
”I feel like we’re in a good spot. Now what we do from here, that’s going to be a question, right? It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. Championships are still won in November. It’s a long season – it’s just one game. You’ve got to grow from it. You’ve got to learn from it, you’ve got to keep getting better every day.”
on all the teal in the stands
“It was awesome. It was great to see our fans. They traveled all the way, and it’s beautiful. I love them. Teal Nation is the best. I’m so proud to be at Coastal Carolina and be the coach. It was just awesome. I really thank them all for coming and being loud.”
on UCLA quarterback Dante Moore
“He had a great game. He did a really good job, very composed for a true freshman coming in. And obviously, you saw we were kind of sending the house at him a little bit there, seeing if we could rattle him, but he did a nice job staying in there and making some plays, made good decisions with the football, for the most part. We knew we were going to have that, and Coach Kelly mentioned a few times, we thought we’d see all three guys, to be honest with you. We didn’t have a whole lot of film of those other guys playing, so we weren’t really sure what they were going to do, so we just kind of had a plan in place and played it.”
on what to work on next week
“Red zone. We’ve got to score touchdowns in the red zone. That’s what we’ve got to do first. That’s got to be one of the biggest things we’ve got to emphasize. Special teams – I think we’ve still got to continue to improve there. That one kid boomed the punt, and Jared [Brown] just lost where he was at and pinned us deep. I think we rallied from it, but it kind of changed a little of the momentum of the game. We had scored and stopped them, I believe, and then they had that punt and backed us up, and then we punted, and it changed the field position in the game. So just that. Just got to continue to get better at all the things. But stuff we talked about – trying to protect the football and not turning it over. Tackle good, play hard. I think for the most part, our guys did a lot of that.”
UCLA wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant
on his touchdown reception
“It was just ‘Go.’ I ran it; the DB, he bailed at the snap, and I was like, ‘I’m going to keep running’. I ran past him, Dante [Moore] put a good ball on me, and I got in the endzone.”
on multiple quarterbacks
“They’re all great. Whoever’s in the game, we just have to catch the ball when they get it to us – run the right routes, run full speed, and play the best that we can.”
on running backs Carson Steele and T.J. Harden
“They’re both great backs, it’s a blessing to have them both on the team. Just give them the ball, and they’re just going to run. It’s great to have players like that in the backfield.”
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers
on the rhythm of the game
“It is a little tough to go in, then come out, then come back in, but, hey, that’s part of the job. When you have a room with a lot of good players, and they’re going to play a lot of other guys, it is what it is and you do what you do.”
on the first drive
“With everything we ran, there were guys wide open. Them on defense, they didn’t do the best of the job those first two series, then they started to pin their ears back and bring it a little bit. You know, all the stuff we worked on during the week, it was open, and it was there. The play was there, and we made the play.”
on running backs Carson Steele and T.J. Harden
“T.J. and Carson, those guys are workhorses. When they get the ball, they run with anger and they try to hurt the opponent, which is pretty weird to see but awesome to have that guy on your team.”
on UCLA’s offensive line
“They did a good job. They really did a good job in the run game, helping T.J. and Carson get loose. The O-Line was tremendous – they did their job and we got the dub.”
on his first touchdown of the night
“All week in practice, when we ran that play, Colson was getting the ball. When I was looking out, the corner was staring at me and I saw Carson slip right behind him. I just made the throw.”
on the new timing rules
“It was weird – in the first half, I think we had four series. Last year, we’re used to getting four series in a quarter. It’s a big rule change, and the flow of the game is much faster. When you’re out there playing, you look up and it’s already the third quarter and you’re like ‘oh wow.’”
on the defensive mentality this week
“Coach Kelly this week was really big on being physical and being the tougher team – those guys showed it, I think our whole team showed it. Our defense played amazing; they got stops when they needed to, they got after the quarterback, they played great. That mindset definitely transfers over to everybody on the team”
on the quarterback ‘brotherhood’
“At the end of the day, we both want to see each other succeed. That’s all it is. It doesn’t matter at that point what’s going on. What matters first is the team and winning games, and pretty much that’s it. Those are the two priorities.”
UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano
on the Bruins’ mindset against Coastal Carolina
“We were out there for quite a while, but it’s just next-play mentality for us. We just have to keep moving on to the next play – if they hit a big shot, we just have to keep moving on and just get to the next down. I’ve got unbelievable faith in our corners to do what they did tonight – they came off with a couple picks – but at the end of the day, it’s just survive the down and get to the next down.”
on how the defense flowed
“You look up there, rushing yards I think they had under 100. I thought we flowed good – you know, there were a couple of things that we could correct, and we’ll go back tomorrow to look at it and we’ll go and correct those things. But for it being the first game with Coach [D’Anton Lynn], I think it went well.”
on his offseason work
“I just put my head down and grinded this offseason. That was my main thing. I wanted to come in and get that starting spot, you know, but just because it was game one doesn’t mean it’s solidified for game two. So I’ve got to go back next week and put my head down, continue to work, continue to make my plays, and do whatever I can to help this defense out.”
on the linebacker and defensive core
“We have the best D-line in the nation, hands down, I’m a strong believer in that. It’s fun to let them get loose and do what they do – you saw that towards the end, they were sacking the quarterback, QB hurries, and then when we brought pressure it just hit that much harder. We’ve got the best D-line in the country and one of the best linebacker rooms in the country as well to play behind them. Playing off the D-line, that’s what linebackers do, and I thought we did that pretty well.”
on offside penalties
“I think we were just eager to get in the backfield. Those guys were feeling great tonight – being on the sideline and hearing them, they felt great. They were just eager to get a sack or they weren’t watching the ball, but that’s what we’re going to watch film on Sunday and correct, and move onto the next.”
on disrupting Coastal Carolina’s quarterback
“He’s a good quarterback – I give all kudos to him. We just had to get to him, we had to hit him and hit him hard. I think coming out of the second half, we started to do that a little bit more. Just getting in his face and trying to disrupt that.”
on the depth of the defense at work
“I saw it work pretty well. A fresh set of legs a lot of the time, we were rushing and sending blitzes. The D-line might need a break, so we send in four new guys with no drop off. That goes to the depth we have on this team, we can rotate eight guys on the D-line – even possibly 10 guys – and there’s no drop-off, even at the linebacker room. The whole defense. Being able to have that much depth that we can rotate and have fresh legs on the field at all times helps keep it to 56 rushing yards.”
on the new timing rules affecting mindset
“I’m just out there playing ball, at the end of the day. I play every play how I was in high school, how I was in elementary and middle school. It’s no different, you know, just on a college, collegiate level. I’m just out there playing ball, I don’t really pay attention to that. I’m getting my play, looking at my keys and going.
on quarterback Dante Moore’s first appearance
“I thought he looked great. I love the quarterbacks, I have a lot of fun with them. We compete in practice all the time, so there’s a lot of offseason – me and Dante and Garbs, and Schlee was talking a little smack. ‘Oh, I’m going to throw it over your head,’ you know, whatever it is, but it makes both of us better, it makes all of us better. Just seeing Dante coming out and doing what he did, and Garbs doing what he did, it was just amazing to see. They’ve been working and waiting all offseason and they finally got to do that.”
UCLA quarterback Dante Moore
on his first career drive resulting in a touchdown
“First, being in this position, I know it’s a true blessing to come out here and play my first college football game. Since we first took off from the facility, I just couldn’t believe how there was no traffic, we were escorted. I was like ‘Wow, I’m really in the college experience” and I just know with everything going on, I just couldn’t believe it. I just knew when things happen, like I’ve said, one thing I stand on is God’s timing. And I just knew when my chance got called to go on the field, going out there and seeing Duke [Clemens] look in my eyes and I said ‘Take care of the front five, and I’ll take care of the rest.’ A lot of times, the little plays, having Carson in the backfield, having dominant receivers and T.J. Harden in the backfield as well, it’s a lot. It’s a real good thing. When we had that drive, when I rolled out, J.Mike (J.Michael Sturdivant) is a 10.3 100-meter dash runner and seeing him open in the field and raising his hands, I had to give him the ball because I know he’s a playmaker, and you’ve got to to give playmakers the ball … It was a good drive, it was many good drives, and I’m glad we got a team win.”
on coming into the game cold
“All my life, I’ve worked and always been the starter. In high school, coming in as a true freshman I always took the first snaps and always started the first drive. Through the hard work Garbs [Ethan Garber] put in, he earned the start – congratulations to him – but really when my chance got called and being in college football, going on the field and always taking a deep breath and appreciating the moment. I prayed about this, and I’m blessed to be here.”
on arriving at the Rose Bowl
“I know when I took my visit here, just walking into the Rose Bowl Stadium and the tradition that is has, it’s really amazing that I get to call this my home field. Really just come out here with my teammates and have a blast. I walked out onto the field, and I was just smiling at how beautiful it was. The craziest moment was when we were running out and the lights were flashing and seeing all the fans shouting and screaming. It was really an amazing moment. I went to the field goal posts and just sat down. It was an appreciative moment, like I can’t believe I’m playing in the Rose Bowl.”
Coastal Carolina senior wide receiver Sam Pinckney
on what led him to return to Coastal Carolina for one more season
“I couldn’t do it without the coaching staff. Coach [Tim] Beck and the offensive coordinators and everyone bringing me here to play one more year. I’m excited to see how this season turns out and I can’t wait to get to work.”
on the biggest offensive adjustment at halftime
“Just make our plays work. Just attention to details. Just got to execute on the details as well. I just feel like we’re going to get better each and every day. We’re going to watch film on it and we’re going to make plays.”
on his team’s difficulties in the red zone
“Just getting lined up fast, getting play calls and being able to finish. We’ve got to work on finishing and we’re going to get better at it.”
on having a good game in the Rose Bowl
“Man, I couldn’t do it without everyone else. The o-line did a very good job. The other receivers getting open and the quarterback. I can’t do it without each and every one of them. … Just taking a deep breath and enjoy the moment. We didn’t turn out on top, but everything happens for a reason and we’re going to be successful.”
on matching up with UCLA’s tough corner backs
“I love each and every one of the guys on our team, man. They fight their tails off. We go to work every day. We keep our head down. We’re here for a reason. We’re here to get rings. Each and every day we’re going to go out there and bust our tails and listen to what the coaches have to say.”
on finding a connection with the new staff and players
“It’s actually (gone) really well. We listen to what they have to say and we execute what they have to say. They are a great coaching staff. I’m blessed to be in this situation and organization. Chants up.”
on if the team missed any scoring opportunities
“We have to go back in the film room and watch and correct the things we missed out on. I’m well aware that our team will come back together and that we’ll fight. We got another game next week, so we can’t dwell on what just happened tonight. Everything happens for a reason. Just take it one day at a time and enjoy.”
on playing Jacksonville State next week
“Start watching film on them. I mean you can’t do anything unless you watch film on them. We’re going to find out their weaknesses and we’re going to attack them. We’re definitely going to prepare. Coach is going to get us right. Can’t wait for it.”
Coastal Carolina senior safety Clayton Isbell
on his three interceptions
“I really forget the first one, but the other two though. The D-line men, linebackers got good pressure on the quarterback and forced a tough throw, and I was able to be in position to catch that one. The third one as well, there was a lot of good pressure by the d-line and linebackers on the quarterback, so I was also able to be in position for that one.”
on assessment of overall play versus a power five
“I think we played hard, and it starts up top with Coach [Craig] Naivar. He coaches us very toughly and he is a great coach, so we just want to play for him and, we want to play for each other. There are some things we have to work on, but overall, I think we played well and are getting better as well.”
on missed field goal and long touchdown
“They just made a good play. Five percent play. Nothing much you can do about that.”
on traveling fans
“Coming into this program I knew it was a great fanbase, so watching them and seeing them travel was very cool to see. It was very exciting and gave us a lot of energy when we were running out and coming back out at halftime as well. “
on corrections after opening drive
“It is just the first game. First drive a lot of things happen fast and then as you play the game slows down. I think it just slowed down for us throughout.”
on the biggest takeaway from game
“There are some things we need to improve on, but overall, we played fast, hard and we will just continue that going into next week.”
on he has ever had three interceptions before
“No sir. No sir, I have not.”
on playing in the Rose Bowl
“It was a dream. You grow up playing college football and then you pull up to the stadium on Rose Bowl Day and the atmosphere is nothing you can expect. It was a very cool experience.”
UCLA 27, Coastal Carolina 13
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
September 2, 2023
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly
on his impressions of this team in the season opener
“I think that selfishly, to be honest with you, you’d like to win games like this because there were a lot of things that you can correct. There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds that I think were on us, that weren’t from the opponent, that we can iron out. They will make us better as a football team. But the one thing that we talk about is that competitors respond, and I think the way that we responded in the second half, with Dante and J.Mike hooking up there where our offense didn’t have a lot good things going for a couple of stretches – but for them to hook up on that drive, for our defense to go on the field and John Humphrey to have an interception, I think that was a really good answer. That’s what competitors do – they respond. It was not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes as a coach, you like it not pretty – then we can get their attention when we get to film tomorrow.”
on UCLA’s two quarterbacks
“Yeah, I think that Garbs [Ethan Garbers] wants the first one back. But the other two interceptions were protection issues, and the quarterback is getting hit while he is throwing the ball. I don’t fault the quarterback in that. We will look at the film and figure out where the breakdown was and how do we make sure that we handle that a little bit better. The one that Dante threw in the end zone was just a very bad call by the play-caller, so he’ll get reprimanded but I thought they performed and we are excited about the next step. But it is a lot easier when the next step is coming after 1-0, not 0-1. You know, half the teams in the country lost today and half the teams in the country won today. And we are fortunate to be on that side of it, so there is a lot that we’ve got to work on, but it’s in a positive vein.”
on UCLA’s outreach toward those affected by the wildfires in Maui
“We could do some great things, and I’ll thank Josh Rebholz and Martin Jarmond and the rest of our athletic department for putting together the support, with what has gone on in a tragic situation, using our platform and UCLA football to at least shed some light on how we can help those people.”
on quarterback Dante Moore and his touchdown pass to J.Michael Sturdivant
“Yeah, it’s something that we have had the opportunity to see because he did it there in the spring and he did it during preseason camp. It was just a heck of a play by him – it was an off-schedule play. He got flushed from the pocket, but he does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field. We work on scramble drill a lot. And for J. Mike to take it deep and for Dante to have his eyes up, that’s a special quality with quarterbacks. Sometimes with quarterbacks, when they get flushed, their eyes go down and they’re looking – are they going to get hit and who are they running away from? But the special ones keep their eyes up, and big plays can happen and that was a huge play for him at a point in time where we needed it. I was really pleased with him on that.”
on the touchdown pass from Ethan Garbers to Carson Steele in the first quarter
“Yeah, he went through his progressions. So he got through everybody on that. He had two routes into the boundary and then two routes coming from the field, and the back was the final check down. As he got flushed out, I think he understands the timing in his head. And at that point in time, when you have to step up in the pocket, it has to come out to the last guy. Carson was wide open. I thought that it was a good play on both of them.”
on his secondary and the Bruins getting two interceptions
“I don’t know if people know how good a quarterback Grayson McCall is. You know, coming into this, he’s the all-time leader in Division I football history, he had 78 touchdowns and eight intecpetions in his career. And for us to come in here and pick him twice, I think that’s really rare. He’s a heck of a football player. So, I was pleased with how our guys played. But there are a lot of things that we can clean up, and we will get back to work tomorrow.”
on self-inflicted wounds and potential first-game nerves
“We’ve got to fix it, so we will address that tomorrow.”
on UCLA running backs T.J. Harden and Carson Steele
“I think they both complement each other really well. They both run very physical. You could see them run through, sometimes when there is an unblocked safety, they’ve got some physicality to them where they can run through a tackle. And that is always a bonus. I thought both of them really complemented each other really well. They’ll continue to grow. Now T.J. has played for us. And Carson has played a lot of football, but now it is Carson’s first time with us. It’s the first time you’ve got a game in the Rose Bowl, so that is a first for him. We’ve got our chance to take our first road trip this week. We will continue to see him grow. He’s a special player, and so is T.J. They’ve both special players.”
on if decisions to play certain UCLA quarterbacks was pre-determined
“We had talked about Garbs playing at least the first quarter, and then putting Dante in at some point in time in the second quarter, and then putting in Collin [Schlee] situationally. Collin missed the beginning of camp. He’s just getting back into rounding into shape, and he’s done some really good things. But Collin not playing is 100 percent on me. We explained that to him. You’ll see Collin next week. Collin will play against San Diego State.”
Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck
opening statement
“First of all, hats off to UCLA. They did a nice job tonight, and Coach Kelly is a great coach. They did a good job in earning the victory tonight. I’m really proud of our team. I thought our team came here and fought hard and played hard. We have a lot to build on from that. I told them in the locker room, ‘Life’s weird. You’re going to get called to fight, and you’ve got to fight every fight.’ Sometimes you just don’t win every fight, and unfortunately, tonight was one of them. But I’m really proud of the way these guys fought.”
on the decision to kick the 55-yard field goal
“One thing I’m learning our team a little bit too, see what we can do and how the season goes. This is just game one. But he [Liam Gray] was banging them in pre-game, and he’s got a really strong leg. He’s got the distance; he just missed it. I want to let him know that we trust him, believe in him. I felt like defensively for the most part we were playing pretty good and making them work for their yards and their points, so that was part of it.”
on the team’s defensive play
“I’m really pleased. Coach [Craig] Naivar and the defensive staff had a really good plan together. Our players played really hard, played really well, never quit, kept fighting and made plays when they had to. The game of football, you move the ball up and down the field. Everybody does it, any game you watch on TV you see it. It comes down to who can score touchdowns and who can’t. We didn’t, and they were able to a couple of times, had a couple of big plays, and we ended up on the short side of the stick. But I thought our defense really played well and gave us an opportunity to win the game; we just didn’t finish offensively.”
on wide receiver Sam Pinckney’s play
“We all know Sam Pinckney’s a great player, and boy, he really had a nice game today. I thought, again, the guys played hard. They tried, and I love them. I love our guys. I love Grayson McCall. He tried. He willed. He was trying everything that he could to make plays to help us win the game. We’re going to win a lot of games. We’ve got a good football team. I think our guys know it. I’m proud of them. I’m proud to be their coach.”
on Clayton Isbell’s play, with three interceptions
“Unbelievable, right? What a great game. He’s not only a great player, but a great young man, and I’m proud to have him on our football team. Very fortunate to get him, and he’s been playing like this all spring, all fall, really. He’s really elevated our secondary, very smart, instinctive. He’s fast, good tackler. He’s the ideal NFL safety, and we’re blessed to have him.”
on playing strong against a Power 5 team
”I feel like we’re in a good spot. Now what we do from here, that’s going to be a question, right? It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. Championships are still won in November. It’s a long season – it’s just one game. You’ve got to grow from it. You’ve got to learn from it, you’ve got to keep getting better every day.”
on all the teal in the stands
“It was awesome. It was great to see our fans. They traveled all the way, and it’s beautiful. I love them. Teal Nation is the best. I’m so proud to be at Coastal Carolina and be the coach. It was just awesome. I really thank them all for coming and being loud.”
on UCLA quarterback Dante Moore
“He had a great game. He did a really good job, very composed for a true freshman coming in. And obviously, you saw we were kind of sending the house at him a little bit there, seeing if we could rattle him, but he did a nice job staying in there and making some plays, made good decisions with the football, for the most part. We knew we were going to have that, and Coach Kelly mentioned a few times, we thought we’d see all three guys, to be honest with you. We didn’t have a whole lot of film of those other guys playing, so we weren’t really sure what they were going to do, so we just kind of had a plan in place and played it.”
on what to work on next week
“Red zone. We’ve got to score touchdowns in the red zone. That’s what we’ve got to do first. That’s got to be one of the biggest things we’ve got to emphasize. Special teams – I think we’ve still got to continue to improve there. That one kid boomed the punt, and Jared [Brown] just lost where he was at and pinned us deep. I think we rallied from it, but it kind of changed a little of the momentum of the game. We had scored and stopped them, I believe, and then they had that punt and backed us up, and then we punted, and it changed the field position in the game. So just that. Just got to continue to get better at all the things. But stuff we talked about – trying to protect the football and not turning it over. Tackle good, play hard. I think for the most part, our guys did a lot of that.”
UCLA wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant
on his touchdown reception
“It was just ‘Go.’ I ran it; the DB, he bailed at the snap, and I was like, ‘I’m going to keep running’. I ran past him, Dante [Moore] put a good ball on me, and I got in the endzone.”
on multiple quarterbacks
“They’re all great. Whoever’s in the game, we just have to catch the ball when they get it to us – run the right routes, run full speed, and play the best that we can.”
on running backs Carson Steele and T.J. Harden
“They’re both great backs, it’s a blessing to have them both on the team. Just give them the ball, and they’re just going to run. It’s great to have players like that in the backfield.”
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers
on the rhythm of the game
“It is a little tough to go in, then come out, then come back in, but, hey, that’s part of the job. When you have a room with a lot of good players, and they’re going to play a lot of other guys, it is what it is and you do what you do.”
on the first drive
“With everything we ran, there were guys wide open. Them on defense, they didn’t do the best of the job those first two series, then they started to pin their ears back and bring it a little bit. You know, all the stuff we worked on during the week, it was open, and it was there. The play was there, and we made the play.”
on running backs Carson Steele and T.J. Harden
“T.J. and Carson, those guys are workhorses. When they get the ball, they run with anger and they try to hurt the opponent, which is pretty weird to see but awesome to have that guy on your team.”
on UCLA’s offensive line
“They did a good job. They really did a good job in the run game, helping T.J. and Carson get loose. The O-Line was tremendous – they did their job and we got the dub.”
on his first touchdown of the night
“All week in practice, when we ran that play, Colson was getting the ball. When I was looking out, the corner was staring at me and I saw Carson slip right behind him. I just made the throw.”
on the new timing rules
“It was weird – in the first half, I think we had four series. Last year, we’re used to getting four series in a quarter. It’s a big rule change, and the flow of the game is much faster. When you’re out there playing, you look up and it’s already the third quarter and you’re like ‘oh wow.’”
on the defensive mentality this week
“Coach Kelly this week was really big on being physical and being the tougher team – those guys showed it, I think our whole team showed it. Our defense played amazing; they got stops when they needed to, they got after the quarterback, they played great. That mindset definitely transfers over to everybody on the team”
on the quarterback ‘brotherhood’
“At the end of the day, we both want to see each other succeed. That’s all it is. It doesn’t matter at that point what’s going on. What matters first is the team and winning games, and pretty much that’s it. Those are the two priorities.”
UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano
on the Bruins’ mindset against Coastal Carolina
“We were out there for quite a while, but it’s just next-play mentality for us. We just have to keep moving on to the next play – if they hit a big shot, we just have to keep moving on and just get to the next down. I’ve got unbelievable faith in our corners to do what they did tonight – they came off with a couple picks – but at the end of the day, it’s just survive the down and get to the next down.”
on how the defense flowed
“You look up there, rushing yards I think they had under 100. I thought we flowed good – you know, there were a couple of things that we could correct, and we’ll go back tomorrow to look at it and we’ll go and correct those things. But for it being the first game with Coach [D’Anton Lynn], I think it went well.”
on his offseason work
“I just put my head down and grinded this offseason. That was my main thing. I wanted to come in and get that starting spot, you know, but just because it was game one doesn’t mean it’s solidified for game two. So I’ve got to go back next week and put my head down, continue to work, continue to make my plays, and do whatever I can to help this defense out.”
on the linebacker and defensive core
“We have the best D-line in the nation, hands down, I’m a strong believer in that. It’s fun to let them get loose and do what they do – you saw that towards the end, they were sacking the quarterback, QB hurries, and then when we brought pressure it just hit that much harder. We’ve got the best D-line in the country and one of the best linebacker rooms in the country as well to play behind them. Playing off the D-line, that’s what linebackers do, and I thought we did that pretty well.”
on offside penalties
“I think we were just eager to get in the backfield. Those guys were feeling great tonight – being on the sideline and hearing them, they felt great. They were just eager to get a sack or they weren’t watching the ball, but that’s what we’re going to watch film on Sunday and correct, and move onto the next.”
on disrupting Coastal Carolina’s quarterback
“He’s a good quarterback – I give all kudos to him. We just had to get to him, we had to hit him and hit him hard. I think coming out of the second half, we started to do that a little bit more. Just getting in his face and trying to disrupt that.”
on the depth of the defense at work
“I saw it work pretty well. A fresh set of legs a lot of the time, we were rushing and sending blitzes. The D-line might need a break, so we send in four new guys with no drop off. That goes to the depth we have on this team, we can rotate eight guys on the D-line – even possibly 10 guys – and there’s no drop-off, even at the linebacker room. The whole defense. Being able to have that much depth that we can rotate and have fresh legs on the field at all times helps keep it to 56 rushing yards.”
on the new timing rules affecting mindset
“I’m just out there playing ball, at the end of the day. I play every play how I was in high school, how I was in elementary and middle school. It’s no different, you know, just on a college, collegiate level. I’m just out there playing ball, I don’t really pay attention to that. I’m getting my play, looking at my keys and going.
on quarterback Dante Moore’s first appearance
“I thought he looked great. I love the quarterbacks, I have a lot of fun with them. We compete in practice all the time, so there’s a lot of offseason – me and Dante and Garbs, and Schlee was talking a little smack. ‘Oh, I’m going to throw it over your head,’ you know, whatever it is, but it makes both of us better, it makes all of us better. Just seeing Dante coming out and doing what he did, and Garbs doing what he did, it was just amazing to see. They’ve been working and waiting all offseason and they finally got to do that.”
UCLA quarterback Dante Moore
on his first career drive resulting in a touchdown
“First, being in this position, I know it’s a true blessing to come out here and play my first college football game. Since we first took off from the facility, I just couldn’t believe how there was no traffic, we were escorted. I was like ‘Wow, I’m really in the college experience” and I just know with everything going on, I just couldn’t believe it. I just knew when things happen, like I’ve said, one thing I stand on is God’s timing. And I just knew when my chance got called to go on the field, going out there and seeing Duke [Clemens] look in my eyes and I said ‘Take care of the front five, and I’ll take care of the rest.’ A lot of times, the little plays, having Carson in the backfield, having dominant receivers and T.J. Harden in the backfield as well, it’s a lot. It’s a real good thing. When we had that drive, when I rolled out, J.Mike (J.Michael Sturdivant) is a 10.3 100-meter dash runner and seeing him open in the field and raising his hands, I had to give him the ball because I know he’s a playmaker, and you’ve got to to give playmakers the ball … It was a good drive, it was many good drives, and I’m glad we got a team win.”
on coming into the game cold
“All my life, I’ve worked and always been the starter. In high school, coming in as a true freshman I always took the first snaps and always started the first drive. Through the hard work Garbs [Ethan Garber] put in, he earned the start – congratulations to him – but really when my chance got called and being in college football, going on the field and always taking a deep breath and appreciating the moment. I prayed about this, and I’m blessed to be here.”
on arriving at the Rose Bowl
“I know when I took my visit here, just walking into the Rose Bowl Stadium and the tradition that is has, it’s really amazing that I get to call this my home field. Really just come out here with my teammates and have a blast. I walked out onto the field, and I was just smiling at how beautiful it was. The craziest moment was when we were running out and the lights were flashing and seeing all the fans shouting and screaming. It was really an amazing moment. I went to the field goal posts and just sat down. It was an appreciative moment, like I can’t believe I’m playing in the Rose Bowl.”
Coastal Carolina senior wide receiver Sam Pinckney
on what led him to return to Coastal Carolina for one more season
“I couldn’t do it without the coaching staff. Coach [Tim] Beck and the offensive coordinators and everyone bringing me here to play one more year. I’m excited to see how this season turns out and I can’t wait to get to work.”
on the biggest offensive adjustment at halftime
“Just make our plays work. Just attention to details. Just got to execute on the details as well. I just feel like we’re going to get better each and every day. We’re going to watch film on it and we’re going to make plays.”
on his team’s difficulties in the red zone
“Just getting lined up fast, getting play calls and being able to finish. We’ve got to work on finishing and we’re going to get better at it.”
on having a good game in the Rose Bowl
“Man, I couldn’t do it without everyone else. The o-line did a very good job. The other receivers getting open and the quarterback. I can’t do it without each and every one of them. … Just taking a deep breath and enjoy the moment. We didn’t turn out on top, but everything happens for a reason and we’re going to be successful.”
on matching up with UCLA’s tough corner backs
“I love each and every one of the guys on our team, man. They fight their tails off. We go to work every day. We keep our head down. We’re here for a reason. We’re here to get rings. Each and every day we’re going to go out there and bust our tails and listen to what the coaches have to say.”
on finding a connection with the new staff and players
“It’s actually (gone) really well. We listen to what they have to say and we execute what they have to say. They are a great coaching staff. I’m blessed to be in this situation and organization. Chants up.”
on if the team missed any scoring opportunities
“We have to go back in the film room and watch and correct the things we missed out on. I’m well aware that our team will come back together and that we’ll fight. We got another game next week, so we can’t dwell on what just happened tonight. Everything happens for a reason. Just take it one day at a time and enjoy.”
on playing Jacksonville State next week
“Start watching film on them. I mean you can’t do anything unless you watch film on them. We’re going to find out their weaknesses and we’re going to attack them. We’re definitely going to prepare. Coach is going to get us right. Can’t wait for it.”
Coastal Carolina senior safety Clayton Isbell
on his three interceptions
“I really forget the first one, but the other two though. The D-line men, linebackers got good pressure on the quarterback and forced a tough throw, and I was able to be in position to catch that one. The third one as well, there was a lot of good pressure by the d-line and linebackers on the quarterback, so I was also able to be in position for that one.”
on assessment of overall play versus a power five
“I think we played hard, and it starts up top with Coach [Craig] Naivar. He coaches us very toughly and he is a great coach, so we just want to play for him and, we want to play for each other. There are some things we have to work on, but overall, I think we played well and are getting better as well.”
on missed field goal and long touchdown
“They just made a good play. Five percent play. Nothing much you can do about that.”
on traveling fans
“Coming into this program I knew it was a great fanbase, so watching them and seeing them travel was very cool to see. It was very exciting and gave us a lot of energy when we were running out and coming back out at halftime as well. “
on corrections after opening drive
“It is just the first game. First drive a lot of things happen fast and then as you play the game slows down. I think it just slowed down for us throughout.”
on the biggest takeaway from game
“There are some things we need to improve on, but overall, we played fast, hard and we will just continue that going into next week.”
on he has ever had three interceptions before
“No sir. No sir, I have not.”
on playing in the Rose Bowl
“It was a dream. You grow up playing college football and then you pull up to the stadium on Rose Bowl Day and the atmosphere is nothing you can expect. It was a very cool experience.”