Postgame Quotes – UCLA 35, Rutgers 32
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 35, Rutgers 32
Piscataway, N.J. (SHI Stadium)
Oct. 19, 2024
Head Coach DeShaun Foster
opening remarks
“My players are resilient and they continue to show that each game. Ethan (Garbers) came out and played a really well game. I think these are all career highs for him: completions, attempts, touchdowns and yards. So that was really huge. All three running backs scored a touchdown and they are receiving. I was just fired up the way they played. (Linebacker Carson Schwesinger) got his 10th tackle, she he’s at five in a row. I’m just fired up for the way this team played, you know? We were up more than what the score shows, but the team kept fighting and I’m just glad we kept executing in the fourth quarter and pull the victory out.”
on how happy he is for quarterback Ethan Garbers
“He was trending last week, too. He just had three picks that were very unfortunate. I think he threw for the most yards against that defense (Minnesota) that was ranked pretty high in pass defense. He just did it again this weekend. He threw for 383, so that was huge for him. He played a great game. I’m just proud of the guy. The team really rallied behind him. He’s a true team player and a real captain and a leader on this offense.”
on if focusing on screen passes to the running backs was part of the gameplan
“(Garbers) was just going through his reads. ... That wheel route to Keegan (Jones), nobody covered him, so that’s why he hit him on that. He was just getting through his progressions and when he didn’t see anything, he was either tucking it or getting to the back. It was just good that our backs were able to make a couple miss and get to the endzone.”
on the receivers’ yards after catch
“That was really huge because we hadn’t seen a lot of that this year, so we wanted to get our YAC up and just our yards after catch, it was really good. I’m just glad guys were being successful, playing hard. They just didn’t quit and they didn’t get complacent after having a big lead like we did in the third quarter. I’m just proud of these guys. We’re going to enjoy the plane ride home.”
on the team’s rushing offense taking a step forward
“Yeah, most definitely. You still want to be able to run the ball with your backs. I know Ethan might have had the longest run of the season, but it was still huge for us to get a bit of a run game going and establish the run.”
on Schwesinger’s performance this season, given that he is a former walk-on
“We see it every day. The way that he plays this game and the way that he approaches it, it’s all in his training. Everything that he does, he trains like that. Everything on special teams, he’s on. And he’s a guy who wants to be out there. We’re not forcing him. He doesn’t like to miss reps. When you have players like that, he’s truly a captain on this team. People respond to him. He might not say much, but actions speak louder than words and they try to follow the way that he leads.”
on getting his first Big Ten win
“It’s more about the guys. I’m excited to get a Big Ten, but we’ve got a few more games and I would like to get bowl eligible. We’re just going to continue to play and hopefully we can get there.”
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers
on beating Rutgers
"It felt great, I'm not going to lie. But nothing is better than ultimately getting that W, that's the best feeling in the world. All the stats, all that stuff, it doesn't really matter. It's just seeing my guys smile and knowing that on this five hour flight, we're going to have a good time."
on sharing his postgame celebration with fans in the crowd
"I didn't see my parents, I'm sure I'll see them after the game, but, no, I was just sharing it with my teammates and with Coach Foster because, I mean, this one was definitely for him. And, you know, we just love playing for that guy. And it just it's just finally good to see that all our, all our hard work come to come to fruition. And, yeah, it's just great."
on the team’s locker room celebration
"Pretty loud. Loud music. You know, we were jumping up and down, having a good time, spraying water everywhere, doing our fight song. It felt good to do that, for sure."
on his career-long rushing touchdown
"It was great, honestly. You know, I've always said that before, they call me ‘sneaky athletic.’ But, when I get out of the pocket, you know, I'm just looking to get four or five yards. And in that case, I mean, I made one man miss, and then those guys – the receivers set up fantastic blocks. You know, it couldn't be more perfect. I didn't get touched until I got in the end zone. And I mean, all the credit for those guys blocking downfield. And I mean this guy [Keegan Jones] too, he took one to the house as well."
on the success he found throwing to running backs
"On the first snap, on our first play actually we had the back motion out and I threw a little stick route, but, just from then I knew that they didn't cover the back there. And then, we got later in the game, they just they just didn't really cover the running backs or do a good job of covering that. So, yeah, I was definitely looking to exploit that, with a guy like Keegan Jones back there. I mean, you get him the ball at the line of scrimmage, he turns that thing into 20, 40 yards. Today he turned it into a house call."
on UCLA’s offense coming together for the win
"You know, we still had a good amount of mental mistakes, but we were able to capitalize on drives when we needed it. We still got things to clean up, but, we're looking to build off of this performance and I'm looking to finish these last games strong."
on UCLA’s defense stepping up
"It’s great. You know, I think I was Bryan Addison who made that interception. That was huge, huge for our defense. You know, our defense did a great job. Carson [Schwesinger], Kain [Medrano] - those guys do a great – and Jay [Toia], they do a great job leading the defense, and you know, making tackles. Carson’s a beast, we got some great players in the back end. It’s really good to see them get out there and make some plays, get some stops for us."
UCLA running back Keegan Jones
on how the offense came together
"It feels good to finally click on offense. But I'll say, overall, as an offense today it finally came together and we finally showed what we can do."
on being open for his 67-yard touchdown reception
"I was surprised, I was like, 'E, E, E!' then I saw him look at me. I was like, yeah, here it comes and I got it. I was like, man, I got to take this thing to the crib. It was a good one, though."
on UCLA’s explosive offense
"I feel like we can be a little bit more explosive, too. I mean, I feel like that’s just a little bit of what we’ve got. I feel like we for sure have more in the bag."
UCLA defensive back Bryan Addison
on his fourth-quarter interception
"It was just one of those plays that coaches say 'it’s going to be a dogfight play.' Kind of just based on my training and technique we went over in practice. They love throwing corner routes to number zero, so I was just going through the plays in my head. And I got lucky pretty much, and, you know, broke on the ball and had a good play for the team."
on celebrating with UCLA fans in attendance
"I really just connected with people that kind of came to support you, saying, hey, this is a far game, you know, we’re the other side of the country, so it was just cool to see all those people come out and show that we can travel this far over here and play with these type of teams."
on the best part of getting UCLA’s first Big Ten Conference win
"Just seeing a smile on Coach Foster's face, you know, he does a lot for us. So for me, it was just seeing how happy he was for the team and to also just be a part of this big win in the Big Ten."
on stopping multiple two-point conversions
"Every play as big as the next one, so we kind of take for every play like it's the biggest play the game. So it didn't matter if that was for a touchdown or if it were just for two points, we kind of looked at it as you got to make it stop, regardless if it was for six points or if it was for two."
on the importance of having a guy like Carson Schwesinger on the defensive squad
“You know, Carson, just – I call him Captain America. He's just one of those guys who does everything right. He does everything for the team, you know? And then he comes out here on Saturdays and plays even better. But it starts in practice on Monday. You kind of can just see how he plays and how he flies to the ball starting on Monday. I kind of call him Captain America just because he kind of does everything for our team and he's just a true embodiment of a Bruin.
on Schwesinger’s “Captain America” nickname and his personality off the field
“That's just my little special nickname for him. I called them Captain America just because he's one of those guys who does everything. Carson is a real cool cat. He's one of those guys who is quiet. He has to get comfortable with you, but once he's comfortable with you, he's the coolest person you'll meet. You know, he's super down to earth. He's one of those types of people who will talk to you about things outside of football, but when he gets on the field, he’s a monster.”
UCLA 35, Rutgers 32
Piscataway, N.J. (SHI Stadium)
Oct. 19, 2024
Head Coach DeShaun Foster
opening remarks
“My players are resilient and they continue to show that each game. Ethan (Garbers) came out and played a really well game. I think these are all career highs for him: completions, attempts, touchdowns and yards. So that was really huge. All three running backs scored a touchdown and they are receiving. I was just fired up the way they played. (Linebacker Carson Schwesinger) got his 10th tackle, she he’s at five in a row. I’m just fired up for the way this team played, you know? We were up more than what the score shows, but the team kept fighting and I’m just glad we kept executing in the fourth quarter and pull the victory out.”
on how happy he is for quarterback Ethan Garbers
“He was trending last week, too. He just had three picks that were very unfortunate. I think he threw for the most yards against that defense (Minnesota) that was ranked pretty high in pass defense. He just did it again this weekend. He threw for 383, so that was huge for him. He played a great game. I’m just proud of the guy. The team really rallied behind him. He’s a true team player and a real captain and a leader on this offense.”
on if focusing on screen passes to the running backs was part of the gameplan
“(Garbers) was just going through his reads. ... That wheel route to Keegan (Jones), nobody covered him, so that’s why he hit him on that. He was just getting through his progressions and when he didn’t see anything, he was either tucking it or getting to the back. It was just good that our backs were able to make a couple miss and get to the endzone.”
on the receivers’ yards after catch
“That was really huge because we hadn’t seen a lot of that this year, so we wanted to get our YAC up and just our yards after catch, it was really good. I’m just glad guys were being successful, playing hard. They just didn’t quit and they didn’t get complacent after having a big lead like we did in the third quarter. I’m just proud of these guys. We’re going to enjoy the plane ride home.”
on the team’s rushing offense taking a step forward
“Yeah, most definitely. You still want to be able to run the ball with your backs. I know Ethan might have had the longest run of the season, but it was still huge for us to get a bit of a run game going and establish the run.”
on Schwesinger’s performance this season, given that he is a former walk-on
“We see it every day. The way that he plays this game and the way that he approaches it, it’s all in his training. Everything that he does, he trains like that. Everything on special teams, he’s on. And he’s a guy who wants to be out there. We’re not forcing him. He doesn’t like to miss reps. When you have players like that, he’s truly a captain on this team. People respond to him. He might not say much, but actions speak louder than words and they try to follow the way that he leads.”
on getting his first Big Ten win
“It’s more about the guys. I’m excited to get a Big Ten, but we’ve got a few more games and I would like to get bowl eligible. We’re just going to continue to play and hopefully we can get there.”
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers
on beating Rutgers
"It felt great, I'm not going to lie. But nothing is better than ultimately getting that W, that's the best feeling in the world. All the stats, all that stuff, it doesn't really matter. It's just seeing my guys smile and knowing that on this five hour flight, we're going to have a good time."
on sharing his postgame celebration with fans in the crowd
"I didn't see my parents, I'm sure I'll see them after the game, but, no, I was just sharing it with my teammates and with Coach Foster because, I mean, this one was definitely for him. And, you know, we just love playing for that guy. And it just it's just finally good to see that all our, all our hard work come to come to fruition. And, yeah, it's just great."
on the team’s locker room celebration
"Pretty loud. Loud music. You know, we were jumping up and down, having a good time, spraying water everywhere, doing our fight song. It felt good to do that, for sure."
on his career-long rushing touchdown
"It was great, honestly. You know, I've always said that before, they call me ‘sneaky athletic.’ But, when I get out of the pocket, you know, I'm just looking to get four or five yards. And in that case, I mean, I made one man miss, and then those guys – the receivers set up fantastic blocks. You know, it couldn't be more perfect. I didn't get touched until I got in the end zone. And I mean, all the credit for those guys blocking downfield. And I mean this guy [Keegan Jones] too, he took one to the house as well."
on the success he found throwing to running backs
"On the first snap, on our first play actually we had the back motion out and I threw a little stick route, but, just from then I knew that they didn't cover the back there. And then, we got later in the game, they just they just didn't really cover the running backs or do a good job of covering that. So, yeah, I was definitely looking to exploit that, with a guy like Keegan Jones back there. I mean, you get him the ball at the line of scrimmage, he turns that thing into 20, 40 yards. Today he turned it into a house call."
on UCLA’s offense coming together for the win
"You know, we still had a good amount of mental mistakes, but we were able to capitalize on drives when we needed it. We still got things to clean up, but, we're looking to build off of this performance and I'm looking to finish these last games strong."
on UCLA’s defense stepping up
"It’s great. You know, I think I was Bryan Addison who made that interception. That was huge, huge for our defense. You know, our defense did a great job. Carson [Schwesinger], Kain [Medrano] - those guys do a great – and Jay [Toia], they do a great job leading the defense, and you know, making tackles. Carson’s a beast, we got some great players in the back end. It’s really good to see them get out there and make some plays, get some stops for us."
UCLA running back Keegan Jones
on how the offense came together
"It feels good to finally click on offense. But I'll say, overall, as an offense today it finally came together and we finally showed what we can do."
on being open for his 67-yard touchdown reception
"I was surprised, I was like, 'E, E, E!' then I saw him look at me. I was like, yeah, here it comes and I got it. I was like, man, I got to take this thing to the crib. It was a good one, though."
on UCLA’s explosive offense
"I feel like we can be a little bit more explosive, too. I mean, I feel like that’s just a little bit of what we’ve got. I feel like we for sure have more in the bag."
UCLA defensive back Bryan Addison
on his fourth-quarter interception
"It was just one of those plays that coaches say 'it’s going to be a dogfight play.' Kind of just based on my training and technique we went over in practice. They love throwing corner routes to number zero, so I was just going through the plays in my head. And I got lucky pretty much, and, you know, broke on the ball and had a good play for the team."
on celebrating with UCLA fans in attendance
"I really just connected with people that kind of came to support you, saying, hey, this is a far game, you know, we’re the other side of the country, so it was just cool to see all those people come out and show that we can travel this far over here and play with these type of teams."
on the best part of getting UCLA’s first Big Ten Conference win
"Just seeing a smile on Coach Foster's face, you know, he does a lot for us. So for me, it was just seeing how happy he was for the team and to also just be a part of this big win in the Big Ten."
on stopping multiple two-point conversions
"Every play as big as the next one, so we kind of take for every play like it's the biggest play the game. So it didn't matter if that was for a touchdown or if it were just for two points, we kind of looked at it as you got to make it stop, regardless if it was for six points or if it was for two."
on the importance of having a guy like Carson Schwesinger on the defensive squad
“You know, Carson, just – I call him Captain America. He's just one of those guys who does everything right. He does everything for the team, you know? And then he comes out here on Saturdays and plays even better. But it starts in practice on Monday. You kind of can just see how he plays and how he flies to the ball starting on Monday. I kind of call him Captain America just because he kind of does everything for our team and he's just a true embodiment of a Bruin.
on Schwesinger’s “Captain America” nickname and his personality off the field
“That's just my little special nickname for him. I called them Captain America just because he's one of those guys who does everything. Carson is a real cool cat. He's one of those guys who is quiet. He has to get comfortable with you, but once he's comfortable with you, he's the coolest person you'll meet. You know, he's super down to earth. He's one of those types of people who will talk to you about things outside of football, but when he gets on the field, he’s a monster.”