Postgame Quotes - UCLA vs. Washington (Sept. 30, 2022)
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 40, Washington 32
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
September 30, 2022
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly
opening remarks
“Our guys really competed, I thought our defense did a great job. You know, [Michael] Penix led the nation in passing coming into this game. For our guys to get us that lead when we needed every inch of it, to put [Washington] behind on the scoreboard so it turned into a big throw game for them in the second half was huge. I thought our guys did a great job in coverage, and we know how explosive their offense can be, to get them to turn it over twice in the first half was really big for us on the defensive side of the ball. It was important for us to not to turn it over at all – when you’re playing in conference games, if you win the turnover battle, you have a shot.”
on DTR’s performance
“I just thought [Dorian Thompson-Robinson] was clutch. We have total confidence in everything that Dorian does, I think he has a great grasp on what we’re trying to do. You look at the last play, it’s third and six and we call a passing play, he put the ball exactly where it needed to be and converted the first down. That’s the confidence we have in him as a quarterback.”
on significance of this game
“We were excited, any time you get to play a conference game against a really good Washington team – you watch what they did against Michigan State and Stanford – we knew we were going to get everything they had. They’re a really well-coached team, they’ve got a lot of skill on that team, and I think their quarterback has been a difference-maker for them. We were excited to get one in the books on Friday.”
on offensive pieces working together
“I thought Kam Brown really contributed. I think we’re getting great production from our outside receivers. For the last couple of years, we had a lot of talent with our inside receivers – Greg Dulcich, Kyle Philips, both of those guys have gone on to the NFL so you know how talented those guys are. But for our outside receivers, for Jake [Bobo] and Kam [Brown] to step up like they did today and become a matchup problem, that was big for us. We can get the ball distributed to the perimeter, and if you have to cover the perimeter it opens up some holes for Zach [Charbonnet] in the middle of the field. I thought Zach carried the load like he’s done in a lot of games.”
On defense making stops
“I was really proud of them, especially in the first half. I thought their energy and how they were playing, the different looks they were doing to disguise and the ability to get two turnovers in the first half against this team … because this team had been clicking on all cylinders in the first four games. If you watched them on tape you could tell this was a really impressive football team. So for us to kind of hold them at bay a little bit, I think was the difference really – how our defense played in the first half.”
On the Blaylock interception and Kam Brown touchdown
“We talk about responding all the time, so when we get a turnover, if our offense doesn’t do anything with the turnover, then it really doesn’t count. So when you have a turnover, we have to respond on the offensive side of the ball. So if our defense can create turnovers, then we have to respond on the offensive side of the ball and turn it into points, and I thought that’s what they did in that situation.”
On the loud crowd
“I think it’s really important. It was good that we got the kids back on campus. It’s a little bit different. I was talking to Kalen (DeBoer) about it. Washington’s a quarter school also. But to get our kids back on campus and for them to come up; for the first time, they’re back, and we’ve got to play a Friday night game in L.A. traffic. I saw three accidents on the way to the game … For the people that came out, especially at 7:30 at night on a Friday night to come and see a team that I think is fun to watch, hopefully we continue to grow on that. We’ve got a huge game next week against Utah at home here on Saturday, and hopefully we’ll continue to get more on that.”
On the importance of the game being on national television
“This game is a race to maturity, and I think you’re going to get tested. But competitors respond to those situations, whether it be momentum swings, adversity, or just random events that happen in a game. But it’s about playing the next snap, not being down, and having a little bit of resolve, and I think our kids continued to build that as they got going. There’s a resiliency to this group. They’ve been through a lot. We’ve been fortunate to be on the pretty good end of the score the last couple of games. Each week they get a little bit better, and each week has new challenges depending on who you play. We got about a day to enjoy it, and then we have the defending Pac-12 champions coming in here in Utah, so that will get your eyes up getting ready for that one.”
on Dorian Thompson-Robinsons’ maturation over 5 years
“He has played in a lot of really big football games for us. I go back to his freshman year. His first start was at Oklahoma playing in front of 93,000. The one thing about him is he doesn’t get fazed, doesn’t get rattled. He’s as tough as they come, he takes hits, and he gets up and he continues to play. He is a competitor, so it was really cool to see the game end the way it ended. He had three options on the play went to one right away and ripped it on time. It was really a microcosm of how we feel about him.”
on how his teammates feel about him
“They all fester off each other. The great thing about this team is I think it’s really selfless. We use the word mudita a lot that I vicariously derive joy from other people’s success and I think our players really enjoy that. Whether it was a pick by JonJon [Vaughns] or a pick by [Stephan] Blaylock. You look at this team they had a bunch of energy a bunch of juice tonight.”
on being assertive and going for it on 4th downs
“That’s just analytics. We know when we’re going to go for it and we know when we’re not going to go for it. It’s not a feel thing. You try to take the emotion out of those decisions. Those decisions are made during the week so we kind of have an algorithm of what we are going to do depending on where the ball is and what the distance is. So when it comes time to do it no one is surprised. The numbers will tell you when you should and when you shouldn’t, and we just follow that.”
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson
opening remarks
"I think for me, I’m reading all the articles out there throughout the week saying that we are the worst 4-0 teams out there. They’re writing us off. My boys came here with a chip on their shoulders. I think I told you all on Monday to see if Washington can run with us, not the other way around, so that’s my answer. I’m turned up. Ooh-wee.”
on the importance of a strong start
"Offensively, the message was to take it one play at a time and execute each play as it is. Not thinking too far ahead and where we are at with coach Kelly’s play calling. Coach Kelly and the offensive side called a great game plan and the defense side prepared for their offense. Our guys came out and executed really well and I’m proud of our guys for sure.”
on changing perceptions tonight
“I couldn’t care less about perceptions. I care about these boys in the locker room and seeing smiles on their faces. The flash plays are cool and all, but all I care about are those Washington huskies running off the field at the end of the game. That’s how I play. We keep going until the whistle is done.”
UCLA defensive back Stephan Blaylock
opening remarks
“It was a great team win. We knew coming into the game it was going to take all of us to win the game and that’s what it took. Offense, defense, all the way around, and that’s what it took. It was a great team win.”
on the fans at the Rose Bowl
“It was huge! Shoutout to the fans that came today; they made a huge impact. They were loud and caught them off guard. We got a few penalties off their loudness. It was huge. We didn’t break, and we didn’t fold. We were strong and love to fight.”
UCLA wide receiver Jake Bobo
opening remarks
“For us, it all started with defense. The defense gets going in the first half and the offense and special team feed off it. When you put a team like that in the hole early, you have a good shot to come out with it. The defense started, and the offense finished it. It was a good team win.”
Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer
opening remarks
“Obviously, a tough loss. We played ourselves [into] too deep a hole in the first half and early third quarter. It was a team thing. You look at … you’ve got to get a stop, to match some scores early in the game. We hurt ourselves, some penalties, field position, weighed heavily in their favor I think. There’s a team that’s hurting in there, because they expect to win. They came out at halftime, had genuine belief that we could go win the football game. It didn’t go our way, we have to be better in so many things, but the guys are going to fight.”
on penalties contributing to the outcome
“The penalty thing is where I think you start, because those are things that you control, the foolish penalties. It takes more time to score, and we needed more time at the end of the game. We have to be better in the penalty area, those add up. We converted some first downs on third-and-shorts, holding or push in the back isn’t necessarily a foolish mistake, but it’s something we have to be better.”
on the team’s mentality
“They had a good football team, you have to give them credit as well. We know that no one is going to overlook us, I think what our guys now realize is that we’re a team that people are going to get up to play. Not that we went into the game thinking otherwise, but we have to emotionally and physically get ready to play. The guys fought, they emotionally stayed in it the entire game. The sideline was positive, fighter’s mentality.”
on not getting rolling offensively until the second half
“It took a lot longer than, I think, what we’re used to. Their defense did a great job of making us earn it, they weren’t just going to give you anything down the field. They challenged us to move the football. As time went on, we pieced drives together, guys made plays, we got those one-on-ones.”
on the first-quarter safety
“That safety is something that hasn’t really happened to us. We had a couple turnovers tonight, but we just haven’t made those big mistakes like that. Based on the resiliency I thought we showed, I don’t think [the safety] was something that made the difference in the game, but it certainly wasn’t something that help us. It put us behind the eight ball.”
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
on first-half offensive struggles
“We just weren’t executing. We’ve got to do better. Personally, I need to take care of the ball better. That’s really all it was, poor execution.”
on his two interceptions
“Bad eyes. I’ve got to move up through my progressions.”
on the halftime message for his team
“Just stay at it, don’t worry about the scoreboard. Just keep playing, keep executing, don’t look at the scoreboard. You’ve just got to fight, fight all the way to the end. The game isn’t over at halftime, a lot can change.”
UCLA 40, Washington 32
Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
September 30, 2022
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly
opening remarks
“Our guys really competed, I thought our defense did a great job. You know, [Michael] Penix led the nation in passing coming into this game. For our guys to get us that lead when we needed every inch of it, to put [Washington] behind on the scoreboard so it turned into a big throw game for them in the second half was huge. I thought our guys did a great job in coverage, and we know how explosive their offense can be, to get them to turn it over twice in the first half was really big for us on the defensive side of the ball. It was important for us to not to turn it over at all – when you’re playing in conference games, if you win the turnover battle, you have a shot.”
on DTR’s performance
“I just thought [Dorian Thompson-Robinson] was clutch. We have total confidence in everything that Dorian does, I think he has a great grasp on what we’re trying to do. You look at the last play, it’s third and six and we call a passing play, he put the ball exactly where it needed to be and converted the first down. That’s the confidence we have in him as a quarterback.”
on significance of this game
“We were excited, any time you get to play a conference game against a really good Washington team – you watch what they did against Michigan State and Stanford – we knew we were going to get everything they had. They’re a really well-coached team, they’ve got a lot of skill on that team, and I think their quarterback has been a difference-maker for them. We were excited to get one in the books on Friday.”
on offensive pieces working together
“I thought Kam Brown really contributed. I think we’re getting great production from our outside receivers. For the last couple of years, we had a lot of talent with our inside receivers – Greg Dulcich, Kyle Philips, both of those guys have gone on to the NFL so you know how talented those guys are. But for our outside receivers, for Jake [Bobo] and Kam [Brown] to step up like they did today and become a matchup problem, that was big for us. We can get the ball distributed to the perimeter, and if you have to cover the perimeter it opens up some holes for Zach [Charbonnet] in the middle of the field. I thought Zach carried the load like he’s done in a lot of games.”
On defense making stops
“I was really proud of them, especially in the first half. I thought their energy and how they were playing, the different looks they were doing to disguise and the ability to get two turnovers in the first half against this team … because this team had been clicking on all cylinders in the first four games. If you watched them on tape you could tell this was a really impressive football team. So for us to kind of hold them at bay a little bit, I think was the difference really – how our defense played in the first half.”
On the Blaylock interception and Kam Brown touchdown
“We talk about responding all the time, so when we get a turnover, if our offense doesn’t do anything with the turnover, then it really doesn’t count. So when you have a turnover, we have to respond on the offensive side of the ball. So if our defense can create turnovers, then we have to respond on the offensive side of the ball and turn it into points, and I thought that’s what they did in that situation.”
On the loud crowd
“I think it’s really important. It was good that we got the kids back on campus. It’s a little bit different. I was talking to Kalen (DeBoer) about it. Washington’s a quarter school also. But to get our kids back on campus and for them to come up; for the first time, they’re back, and we’ve got to play a Friday night game in L.A. traffic. I saw three accidents on the way to the game … For the people that came out, especially at 7:30 at night on a Friday night to come and see a team that I think is fun to watch, hopefully we continue to grow on that. We’ve got a huge game next week against Utah at home here on Saturday, and hopefully we’ll continue to get more on that.”
On the importance of the game being on national television
“This game is a race to maturity, and I think you’re going to get tested. But competitors respond to those situations, whether it be momentum swings, adversity, or just random events that happen in a game. But it’s about playing the next snap, not being down, and having a little bit of resolve, and I think our kids continued to build that as they got going. There’s a resiliency to this group. They’ve been through a lot. We’ve been fortunate to be on the pretty good end of the score the last couple of games. Each week they get a little bit better, and each week has new challenges depending on who you play. We got about a day to enjoy it, and then we have the defending Pac-12 champions coming in here in Utah, so that will get your eyes up getting ready for that one.”
on Dorian Thompson-Robinsons’ maturation over 5 years
“He has played in a lot of really big football games for us. I go back to his freshman year. His first start was at Oklahoma playing in front of 93,000. The one thing about him is he doesn’t get fazed, doesn’t get rattled. He’s as tough as they come, he takes hits, and he gets up and he continues to play. He is a competitor, so it was really cool to see the game end the way it ended. He had three options on the play went to one right away and ripped it on time. It was really a microcosm of how we feel about him.”
on how his teammates feel about him
“They all fester off each other. The great thing about this team is I think it’s really selfless. We use the word mudita a lot that I vicariously derive joy from other people’s success and I think our players really enjoy that. Whether it was a pick by JonJon [Vaughns] or a pick by [Stephan] Blaylock. You look at this team they had a bunch of energy a bunch of juice tonight.”
on being assertive and going for it on 4th downs
“That’s just analytics. We know when we’re going to go for it and we know when we’re not going to go for it. It’s not a feel thing. You try to take the emotion out of those decisions. Those decisions are made during the week so we kind of have an algorithm of what we are going to do depending on where the ball is and what the distance is. So when it comes time to do it no one is surprised. The numbers will tell you when you should and when you shouldn’t, and we just follow that.”
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson
opening remarks
"I think for me, I’m reading all the articles out there throughout the week saying that we are the worst 4-0 teams out there. They’re writing us off. My boys came here with a chip on their shoulders. I think I told you all on Monday to see if Washington can run with us, not the other way around, so that’s my answer. I’m turned up. Ooh-wee.”
on the importance of a strong start
"Offensively, the message was to take it one play at a time and execute each play as it is. Not thinking too far ahead and where we are at with coach Kelly’s play calling. Coach Kelly and the offensive side called a great game plan and the defense side prepared for their offense. Our guys came out and executed really well and I’m proud of our guys for sure.”
on changing perceptions tonight
“I couldn’t care less about perceptions. I care about these boys in the locker room and seeing smiles on their faces. The flash plays are cool and all, but all I care about are those Washington huskies running off the field at the end of the game. That’s how I play. We keep going until the whistle is done.”
UCLA defensive back Stephan Blaylock
opening remarks
“It was a great team win. We knew coming into the game it was going to take all of us to win the game and that’s what it took. Offense, defense, all the way around, and that’s what it took. It was a great team win.”
on the fans at the Rose Bowl
“It was huge! Shoutout to the fans that came today; they made a huge impact. They were loud and caught them off guard. We got a few penalties off their loudness. It was huge. We didn’t break, and we didn’t fold. We were strong and love to fight.”
UCLA wide receiver Jake Bobo
opening remarks
“For us, it all started with defense. The defense gets going in the first half and the offense and special team feed off it. When you put a team like that in the hole early, you have a good shot to come out with it. The defense started, and the offense finished it. It was a good team win.”
Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer
opening remarks
“Obviously, a tough loss. We played ourselves [into] too deep a hole in the first half and early third quarter. It was a team thing. You look at … you’ve got to get a stop, to match some scores early in the game. We hurt ourselves, some penalties, field position, weighed heavily in their favor I think. There’s a team that’s hurting in there, because they expect to win. They came out at halftime, had genuine belief that we could go win the football game. It didn’t go our way, we have to be better in so many things, but the guys are going to fight.”
on penalties contributing to the outcome
“The penalty thing is where I think you start, because those are things that you control, the foolish penalties. It takes more time to score, and we needed more time at the end of the game. We have to be better in the penalty area, those add up. We converted some first downs on third-and-shorts, holding or push in the back isn’t necessarily a foolish mistake, but it’s something we have to be better.”
on the team’s mentality
“They had a good football team, you have to give them credit as well. We know that no one is going to overlook us, I think what our guys now realize is that we’re a team that people are going to get up to play. Not that we went into the game thinking otherwise, but we have to emotionally and physically get ready to play. The guys fought, they emotionally stayed in it the entire game. The sideline was positive, fighter’s mentality.”
on not getting rolling offensively until the second half
“It took a lot longer than, I think, what we’re used to. Their defense did a great job of making us earn it, they weren’t just going to give you anything down the field. They challenged us to move the football. As time went on, we pieced drives together, guys made plays, we got those one-on-ones.”
on the first-quarter safety
“That safety is something that hasn’t really happened to us. We had a couple turnovers tonight, but we just haven’t made those big mistakes like that. Based on the resiliency I thought we showed, I don’t think [the safety] was something that made the difference in the game, but it certainly wasn’t something that help us. It put us behind the eight ball.”
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
on first-half offensive struggles
“We just weren’t executing. We’ve got to do better. Personally, I need to take care of the ball better. That’s really all it was, poor execution.”
on his two interceptions
“Bad eyes. I’ve got to move up through my progressions.”
on the halftime message for his team
“Just stay at it, don’t worry about the scoreboard. Just keep playing, keep executing, don’t look at the scoreboard. You’ve just got to fight, fight all the way to the end. The game isn’t over at halftime, a lot can change.”