Players Mentioned
Colorado-UCLA Quotes
September 29, 2012 | Football
Colorado Head Coach Jon Embree
General
"Well, obviously we are disappointed. I thought our kids competed hard, played well in spurts, but we didn't do a good job tackling. We had two critical turnovers that (UCLA) converted to 14 points, and then we were never really able to recover from that. Hats off to Coach (Jim) Mora and his staff and their team, they've done a good job with them all year. We knew we were going to come in here and they were going to come after us; and congratulations to them for the win."
On How To 'Kick-Start' Offense
"I don't (have an answer), I wish I did, but that will be something that over this bye week period we will have to address and see what we can do, and get done within our system, and get better starts. For whatever reason, we have not played well. We have 8-10 plays that we know we're going to start with and we practice it against the looks we are going to get, but for whatever reason we're just not able to do anything."
On Running Game
"I haven't seen stats, inconsistent would be the best way to describe it."
On Getting Pressure On Opposing Quarterback
"We've had different pressure packages and blitz packages, but we haven't gotten there. It seems like every time we do get near the quarterback and get a sack, there's a holding call, so it's like we can't get penalties from the other team at the right time. There are some pressure packages we would like to do, but again, you have to pick and choose your spots with young corners being out there."
On Defensive Performance
"Our defense gave us a chance in that third quarter, they gave us opportunities and we didn't take advantage of it. We needed to get points, somehow offensively, and we weren't able to do it."
On WR Dustin Ebner
"Dustin is a fifth-year senior, he is a kid that has been here and worked hard. I put him on scholarship this year. I was happy for him, he made a few plays out there (today). We don't have a lot of depth at wide receiver, so you'll obviously be seeing more of him. He runs good routes and does a good job catching the ball with his hands. It was good for him to make that play in traffic."
On Team Learning How to Compete
"We are, we're growing up, we don't have a lot to show for it, but we have taken strides. You know, there were tears in the locker room, and guys still care and are still competing and fighting. At times, were just over matched, but we have to find a way to create some plays or create something to help us. That is why (avoiding) turnovers are so critical for us, we need to move the ball. We are not at that point where we can overcome mistakes like that."
On Defense Feeling Tired
"I don't think the defense was tired, we just put them back on the field in bad situations. I think Chidera (Uzo-Diribe) and Will (Pericak) were battling a little bit from fatigue, but for the most part we just can't do that (put defense in bad situations). Good teams will capitalize on those turnovers, and that's exactly what they did."??
On Protecting Home Field
"That's the first step, I haven't said anything to the players about this being another home loss. We talked about that back in training, when they were running stadium stairs with (strength and conditioning coach) Malcolm (Blacken) and the importance of being able to protect home field, so they're aware of that."
On Bye Week Coming Up
"It would have been nice to go into it with a win. It will give us a chance to really focus on the younger kids and work on some fundamental things, some more individual technique stuff that you don't necessarily maybe get during a normal game week."
On Play Of Defensive Line
"I think the inside guys have done pretty good. Josh (Tupou) didn't get many reps in practice this week, because he got a concussion last week. I think he has played well, same with Justin (Solis). Samson (Kafovalu) has his moments, he still needs to get better about where he is with his eyes, which gets him in trouble sometimes. Their effort, without a doubt, has been good. They are hanging in there, for the most part, from a physical standpoint too, so that's been good."
UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora
General
"I feel like offensively there are a lot of things we can do better. We hurt ourselves in the first half with penalties and drops not executing in the way we're capable of executing but it's a conference win on the road so that's a good thing. I thought that Jonathan Franklin played really well, I thought that Brett Hundley did some good things, he keeps getting better and better every week. We just need to remember the good things we did and keep doing them and improve on the things we need to improve on.
On The First Half
"You know I think they played well, they played inspired football coming off a win last week. We had some penalties that we should have avoided and we dropped a couple passes that we could have caught but it's always important to give credit to the other team and they did a good job in the first half."
On UCLA's "Killer Instinct"
"You know I don't know if I would use those words (killer instinct) but its execution. It appears to be a killer instinct when you execute. Like I said the penalties, a couple drops, a couple missed reads between the quarterback and receiver just slowed us down a little bit but fortunately we were able to gather ourselves at halftime and come out and play well in the second half."
On QB Brett Hundley
"Brett continues to get better and he'll continue to get better as he gets more work. There are still some things we would like to see him accelerate in his play but I think at the same time we just have to be patient and take it step by step but Brett's going to be a really good player. The thing that's great about Brett is he's unflappable, when he comes to the sideline if there's a mistake that's been made he gets it corrected. It's going to be really fun to watch him grow."
On The Offensive Line
"We were more solid up front, we just played better. Simon Goines and Torian White were going against a really good player, they flipped flopped 83 (Will Pericak) back and forth and he's a really good player and I thought they both did a good job throughout the game.
On Turnovers
Last week we had a couple takeaways and we weren't able to capitalize on them but this week we got two takeaways and turned them into two touchdowns and when you can do that it's a big deal.
On WR Devin Lucien's Injury
We don't have a definitive prognosis but it looks like he broke his clavicle. We'll do x-rays and evaluate it from there and then we'll see what we have to do from there.
Colorado Players
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QB Jordan Webb
ON THE TEAMS PERFORMANCE ? "We are playing a good team so you have got to give them credit. It just came down to everyone doing their job, especially me, we have to do a better job.
ON THE TWO THIRD QUARTER TURNOVERS ? "They were huge. We were still right in it. Even when we were down 28-7 I think we all felt like we were still in it. Those turnovers just really put a damper on our chances."
ON WHY THE RUNNING GAME STRUGGLED ? "I don't know. We have been working really hard at it, and we will continue to work hard at it and I expect us to get better. I feel like our offensive line handled themselves really well tonight when I was in the pocket, but we have got to get better in all facets of the game.
ON UCLA'S PASS RUSH ? "I felt like our offensive line played really well in the passing game; that was a talented bunch they were going up against, pretty high powered and I think they held their own.?
ON HIS INJURY ? "It was just a little tweak, I tried to get back up after that but they had blown it dead before I did."
ON HOW TO USE THE BYE WEEK ? "Throughout the week we work our butts off. We have a lot of young guys learning how to play at this level. But we never come out here expecting to lose, and we don't expect to lose to anybody, that is just our mentality."
ON A POOR PERFORMANCE ON THIRD DOWN ? "I will take the blame for that, third down is a quarterback down. If you don't have good quarterback play you won't convert a lot on third downs. We will have to look at the film and see where I made the mistakes on third down."
ON HOW HE PERFORMED ON QUCK PASSING PLAYS ? "I think our quick passing game was good today. It was effective during the game for the most part. They made a few adjustments that limited things. But I think our overall game plan was good, we just have to execute it better."
ON THE UPCOMING BYE WEEK ? "I am not familiar with a bye week here, but a bye week is good for getting back to the fundamentals. Really focusing on the little things and getting back to what we were doing really well during camp. Getting back out there and converting on third downs and getting guys healthy will be pretty good.
ON KORDELL STEWART AND MICHAEL WESTBROOK BEING ON THE SIDELINE ? "It is awesome. They are guys that we all looked up to when we were younger. I always remember watching Kordell play for the Steelers, he was an exciting player. It sucks to lose with those guys on the sideline. Those guys helped start a tradition here. It is not a good feeling whenever you feel like you let someone like that down."
ILB Derrick Webb
ON THE UCLA OFFENSE ? "They have a really fast tempo. As they converted first-downs they get going really fast. They have a lot of motion and set screens. They motion their tailback and run effective plays."
ON HOW THE DEFENSE FELT AFTER THE OFFENSIVE TURNOVERS? "We were not demoralized. It is a part of football and you have to be prepared for sudden changes. That is something we train for all season and always being ready. The mentality of our defense was to get out there and get the ball back for our offense and give our offense another chance. But we don't hang our heads on turnovers."
TE Nick Kasa
ON IF THE OFFENSE TOOK A STEP BACKWARDS TODAY ? "No not at all. We will keep moving forward, we are disappointed in how we played but we can't reflect on turnovers."
TB Tony Jones
ON THE LOSS TO UCLA -"It's a lot of frustration. We've got to just stay with it. We've got to keep grinding. That game is done now. Now it's on to next week. We've got to worry about next week now. This game is done."
ON FORMER BUFFS AT THE GAME -"It was great having all the former players come back and show their support for the CU program. With [Kordell] Stewart and [Michael] Westbrook coming back, we definitely felt their passion. They talked to us about sticking with it and fighting. It was a great thing."
ON THE RUN GAME -"I think we moved the ball well. A couple of mistakes happened, that's one of the things that went wrong. We just have to keep grinding and fix our mistakes."
LT David Bakhtiari
ON COLORADO'S RUN GAME? -"I actually liked our run game a lot. When we had to go to the run, we did. I was pleased with it. I felt that we were moving pretty well to get the yards that we needed."
ON TURNOVERS -"It's hard. Our defense kept us in the game very early. They were fighting. Turnovers are never a good thing for the offense, especially against a good opponent. We've got to maximize our opportunities."
ON OFFENSIVE PRODUCTIVITY -"It was missed opportunities. When you come out, you've got to execute. Our biggest thing is that you just have to do your job. I don't care about plays going far ? I just want four yards. All the coach asks for is four yards every play. Every time he calls a play, he wants four yards."
ON MORALE AFTER THE LOSS -"Personally for me, I've been through a lot of this stuff. I'm on to the next week. Even though it's a bye week, I'm on to Arizona State. I'm going to start looking at film and getting ready for that."
WR Dustin Ebner
ON HIS SECOND QUARTER TOUCHDOWN -"I feel like all my hard work finally paid off. It was awesome."
ON THE SCORING DRIVE -"When I lined up, the corner was in press. As the call went and Jordan [Webb] made his calls, the corner kind of backed off and had outside leverage. Then I saw the safety in the middle of the field so my eyes got really big because I knew I was going to be his choice. It was awesome."
ON TEAMMATE'S REACTIONS -"They were really excited. They all gave me some love. It was a great experience for me."
ON PLAYING TIME -"Coach [Bobby] Kennedy has been saying that he's going to rotate me in with Tyler [McCulloch]. He's been giving me opportunities the past couple of weeks and I really appreciate that."
ON THE LOSS -"UCLA is a great team. I'm not disappointed in our guys at all. I think our effort was outstanding. We've just got to make the plays that we know we can make."
ON HIS CAREER AT CU -"I come here every day to work. I just put in the effort. These coaches are outstanding. I know that they are going to put the right people in the game at the right time. I go with the flow and do what I can do."
ON FORMER BUFFS AT THE GAME -"It definitely motivated the team. When the older guys come back, it shows us what we're striving to be. Having them cheer us on was great. It was definitely a motivating factor more than anything else. I think when guys that have been around the program and done so much for the program come around and speak to us, it definitely gives the team a boost."
FROM HALFTIME: ON HIS TD CATCH - "When I got to the line of scrimmage, I saw their corner was in press coverage.? Jordan backpedaled and I saw their safety back off.? My eyes got big because I knew it was going to be a big play.? Jordan gave me a good ball and I was able to get into the end zone."
DE Samson Kafovalu
FROM HALFTIME:
ON HIS FUMBLE RECOVERY?"It felt awesome, this has been my dream to play in the Pac-12 and make plays just like that one."
ON THE PLAY OF THE DEFENSE?"We are playing extremely hard and fast, trying to make plays.? We need to get our hands on their quarterback, he's really tough to get to."
UCLA Players
RB Johnathan Franklin
ON? THEIR MISTAKES ? "We made a lot of mistakes today, but we have to get better; I'm happy we came out with a win. I'm happy to see Jeff Baca back and our offensive line did a great job and the receivers did a great job blocking out field. When you have great players like Stan McKay who got an interception today and gave us a lot of opportunities on offense."
ON HOW MUCH JEFF BACA AFFECTED THE LINE ? "Of course he's a great player but just his leadership; he brings a lot to the table so I'm excited to run behind Baca but we have get better."
ON HOW THE TEAM HAS IMPROVED ? "It's great. Of course it's no surprise, we had a great week at practice and it showed today. We made a lot of mistakes but we're happy we came out with the big win. We just got to get better."
ON COMING BACK AFTER A LOSS LAST WEEK ? "It was vital for us to get this win. We got to keep working; we're not satisfied at all, We got to push each other; our leaders have to step up and we'll be okay."
ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE ? "They are the best offensive line I felt I've run behind since I've been here at UCLA. They are great group of guys, have great leadership. I'm just excited to get ready for Tuesday and get better."
ON NOT PUTTING AWAY COLORADO IN THE FIRST HALF ? "Like I said, the defense gave us the ball a lot of the times. We need to capitalize on those opportunities; we have to get better. We made too many mistakes; as long as we keep working, we'll fix those."
ON HAVING A KILLER INSTINCT ? "We can and we will have that instinct. We just have to keep working. It's coming, I believe that."
ON CAPITALIZING ON FIRST HALF TURNOVERS ? "It was great, we needed that. Watching what Colorado did last week against Washington State; we definitely didn't want that to happen tonight at their home stadium. So I'm happy the way my defense played; I'm very happy. They got us the ball back and we capitalized on the opportunities and got some touchdowns."
QB Brett Hundley
ON COLORADO'S SECOND HALF TURNOVERS ?"That was big time. Our defense has been doing a great job on the turnovers. Just getting the ball on those extra possessions helps so much."
ON BEING ON TARGET ? "Yeah, for sure. We came out there and not all throws are perfect but we can always get better. I can be better on both sides of the ball. We'll come out and do what we need to. As long we know the throws are there and that not everyone's going to be perfect. As long we're putting points on the board, we're cool,"
ON THE TOUCHDOWN THROWS ? "[Darius] Bell ran some crisp routes tonight.? Just had to put the ball over his shoulder and let him make a play. He's doing a great job out there. I was sitting there in the pocket and [Joseph Fauria] was just sitting back in the end zone. There was no one over him.? It's pretty funny how the biggest guy on the team is wide open in the back of the end zone."
ON THE TEAM'S IMPROVEMENT ? "There's a lot to learn in this game. You can't settle for each game but you got to learn from each game.? But you got to keep coming out and progressing. The team's doing it also. It's only my fifth game in college so I'm having a good time but you got to come out to learn every week and continue to impress."
ILB Eric Kendricks
ON BOUNCING BACK -"Coach [Jim] Mora did a great job talking about adversity and how to bounce back from last week's loss and the team did a great job tonight."
ON CONTINUING THEIR SUCCESS ? "That's the plan, right? To win every game, I'm going to enjoy this for 24 hours then focus on the next one [against Cal].
OL Jeff Baca
ON JOHNATHAN FRANKLIN ? "That guy runs hard. We love having him back there and all those running backs really do run hard. And the receivers block and it's great when we get those big runs. Or when we just get five, six, seven [yards] at a time and just grind it out.?
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