Postgame Quotes – Penn State 27, UCLA 11
POSTGAME QUOTES
Penn State 27, UCLA 11
University Park, Pa. (Beaver Stadium)
Oct. 5, 2024
UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster
opening remarks
“Defense came out and played well. We were not able to get as many points as we’d have liked, but I thought my defense played well, other than offensively we kept putting them out on the field, in situations that were not exactly ideal. But the way that my guys fight, how resilient they are, those are really good things to build off of. This team has rushed for what, 250 yards their last few games? And we held them to 85. That’s most definitely a positive. Offensively, we were able to run the ball a little bit better. It still wasn’t enough. We are going to continue harping on the positives. Justyn Martin came in and played well. For him in this type of an environment, for his first game – Sam Yoon at center, this type of an environment for your first game, I think that they played well. But all losses, you have to learn from these, and we will learn from this situation and go from there.”
on how close Ethan Garbers was to begin able to play at quarterback
“I think that if it wasn’t as slick as it was out there, the turf conditions were just a little bit better, he might have been able to go. But I did not want to put him in a bad situation, and the type of a competitor that Ethan was, he wanted to play. That was me that held him off.”
on Bruins’ sophomore quarterback Justyn Martin in his first career start
“Very encouraged. Just knowing that we do have a backup quarterback that can play, he was able to execute and he did exactly what he did this week. He took command of the offense and just made plays. We will just need to build off this and hopefully we can build some momentum and get going.”
on if he thinks that Ethan Garbers will play next week against Minnesota
“I think so. I think so. If he continues to progress like he did toward the end of the week, I think that he’ll be able to play.”
on if Justyn Martin could push for playing time as the Bruins’ quarterback next week
“We’ll probably have to watch the film to see that. But, you know, this is Ethan’s team. He’s our quarterback. I think that everybody has rallied behind him. But the type of a player that Justyn is, I thin kthat he’ll understand the situation. And he will continue to get reps and just continue to get more growth throughout the season.”
on the play of offensive lineman Sam Yoon and changes on the Bruins’ offensive line
“Just mostly just trying to find a group of five that is better. [Niki] Prongos was playing right guard and we ended up losing Reuben [Unjie] so we had to move him out to tackle. We had to move [Josh] Carlin to right guard and put Sam at center. Hopefully Reuben can come back and we can get him back out there, and we can go from there.”
on Bruins’ quarterback Justyn Martin and the final touchdown drive
“It was huge, just for the offense. You know, we stopped saying, ‘Let’s get some points, and let’s get in the paint.’ I just think it was big for their confidence, for the offense’s morale – to just come out there and get a touchdown. Hopefully we can build off that and like I said, we’ve still got some more games. Any time you have more games, it’s a positive. We are going to learn from this and we are turn this around soon.”
on the defense showing some promise and possibly getting worn down as the game continued
“Just a little bit. When you are playing high-powered offenses, it’s tough to stay out there. You know, they continued to make plays. Our depth isn’t exactly where we want it to be, so a few guys will get tired in these situations. Offensively, if we can just find a way to cut the game in half and to keep the clock moving, I think that we’ll do a good job.”
on ending the first half with a little momentum and the team’s mindset at halftime
“Really didn’t want anything bad to happen. I just didn’t want anything bad to happen. Any time that we can get into a passing situation and we are, they can get their ears pinned back a little bit, they were coming, I really didn’t want to put them in a bad situation. I knew that we were getting the ball back at half, and just wanted that.”
on the Bruins’ running game
“It was in spurts. It’s still not exactly where we’d want it to be. But we were able to have 22 attempts at rushing. It’s getting there. It’s not exactly where we want it to be. Keegan Jones came in there and had some explosive runs. T.J. [Harden] had a couple. Jalen [Berger] actually did the same thing. Our run game is there. I think that the o-line is taking a pride in trying to get a little more running. I am just glad that we could show a little bit of the run game and get in going.”
on adjustments that he saw from Penn State’s passing defense in the second half
“It was mostly that they brought more pressure. The front. I mean this is a really good defense. Any time that you get into passing situations and they know that it’s a passing situation, it’s going to be tough. They were able to pin the ears back and come a little more. They pressured us a little more, but we didn’t play exactly how we wanted to.”
on the travel experience for UCLA, arriving on Friday and playing on Saturday at noon
“It’s football. We could have played at 6 a.m. We would have been ready to play. Our defense went out there and stopped them with three and out on the first drive. So travel didn’t bother us.”
on the impact of having Josh Carlin at right guard
“It was mostly because of Reuben [Unjie]. If Reuben had been there, he might have been at center. But just the fact that Reuben went out. He was not able to travel this week. We had to move him [Josh] at right guard because [Niki] Prongos had to go to left tackle and he played right guard in the last game. So it was more putting Carlin somewhere he is comfortable and getting Sam in there. Sam was able to play in his first game in this type of an environment, and it was huge for him. It was big that we could execute.”
on if offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy shortened the playbook to help out Justyn Martin
“I wouldn’t say shortened the playbook. But we called a little more of a quick game in situations just to help him get the ball out of his hands.”
UCLA redshirt sophomore quarterback Justyn Martin
on if he knew he would start at Penn State
“Just in case, I didn’t know too much about starting or anything. I was just kind of focused on the task at hand. They told me that I would get reps in practice. I prepared as if I was going to start and I gave it my all. The coaches did a good job of preparing me.”
on when he found out that he would start as UCLA’s quarterback
“Yeah, it was kind of a last-minute decision. I didn’t really know too much, kind of going in, just the same mindset regardless of if I wasn’t going to play or if I was. We still wanted to win.”
on a strong individual start, completing nine of his first 11 pass attempts
“I think the Coach E.B. [Eric Bieniemy] did a great job, just understanding what we are good at as an offense. He called some great plays that put us in position to win. I didn’t really have to do too much thinking. How we prepped during the week was pretty much what we saw out there. It was pretty easy to just go out there and execute the plays we called.”
on if he had any nerves heading into the opening kickoff
“No, I didn’t have any nerves. I was more excited since it was my first game in about three years. I was really excited to get to his moment. We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted. I am proud of how our offense played and how our whole team played. They supported me throughout the entire week up to now, so I really appreciate all of them.”
on the best advice that he received pregame
“Yeah, so Ethan and Chase Griffin, really everybody, they were supporting me throughout the week. Garbs was just saying to understand the moment and that not a lot of people get a chance to play in front of 100,000 people. And I was appreciative of this opportunity to play at Penn State, a great legendary college environment. So he was just saying to appreciate it, and to not really get too sunk into it being your first start or this or that. Just enjoy it and play ball.”
on UCLA’s final drive, scoring the touchdown, and what that meant to get on the board
“The biggest thing for us is finish, no matter what the score is. We didn’t come out here to lay over. We came out here to win and play until the last snap. That’s just not how I am as a person and that’s now how our team is. We are going to finish, regardless. Actually, finishing the drive was good for us. And finishing on a positive note is something that I’m proud of.”
on what looked like very good chemistry between him and wide receiver Logan Loya
“So me and Logan, he has been one of my guys since I got on campus. Just helping me get used to everything, so it worked out that way, that he got a lot of targets and was open for me. Going into this game, I didn’t want to feed my receivers and I wanted to let them loose, but Logan was just the one today so that is how it worked out.”
on if he’s heard any positive feedback or messages on his phone since the game ended
“Yeah, I have a lot of support coming in. Just all of the staff members on our team congratulated me and just said that I did pretty well. My teammates have shown me support since day one. With family, I just have a great support staff all around. And I just appreciate the coaches not giving up on me and taking their time with me and pushing me to be the quarterback that I want to be.”
UCLA senior linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo
on the first sack to get some pressure on Penn State, secure a couple of three-and-outs
“Yeah, it felt good. We knew that we had been struggling in the last few weeks. We were really trying to get after it. It felt good. You know, I thought that we left something on the table and we have some improvements to work on and more work to do as we keep going.”
on if he felt like this was a step forward for UCLA’s defense
“Yeah, definitely. Obviously we knew that this team wanted to pass. I believe that they have reached 250 yards each game, so we knew that we needed to step up. But like I said, some mistakes on the field so a lot to correct.”
on defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s comments earlier in the week and if he noticed any helpful changes
“I think that the whole staff did, offense and defense. I think that the whole staff did. We’ve been working day in and day out. It’s about how we approach things, what to correct from the film, and we have to make it happen as players.”
Penn State 27, UCLA 11
University Park, Pa. (Beaver Stadium)
Oct. 5, 2024
UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster
opening remarks
“Defense came out and played well. We were not able to get as many points as we’d have liked, but I thought my defense played well, other than offensively we kept putting them out on the field, in situations that were not exactly ideal. But the way that my guys fight, how resilient they are, those are really good things to build off of. This team has rushed for what, 250 yards their last few games? And we held them to 85. That’s most definitely a positive. Offensively, we were able to run the ball a little bit better. It still wasn’t enough. We are going to continue harping on the positives. Justyn Martin came in and played well. For him in this type of an environment, for his first game – Sam Yoon at center, this type of an environment for your first game, I think that they played well. But all losses, you have to learn from these, and we will learn from this situation and go from there.”
on how close Ethan Garbers was to begin able to play at quarterback
“I think that if it wasn’t as slick as it was out there, the turf conditions were just a little bit better, he might have been able to go. But I did not want to put him in a bad situation, and the type of a competitor that Ethan was, he wanted to play. That was me that held him off.”
on Bruins’ sophomore quarterback Justyn Martin in his first career start
“Very encouraged. Just knowing that we do have a backup quarterback that can play, he was able to execute and he did exactly what he did this week. He took command of the offense and just made plays. We will just need to build off this and hopefully we can build some momentum and get going.”
on if he thinks that Ethan Garbers will play next week against Minnesota
“I think so. I think so. If he continues to progress like he did toward the end of the week, I think that he’ll be able to play.”
on if Justyn Martin could push for playing time as the Bruins’ quarterback next week
“We’ll probably have to watch the film to see that. But, you know, this is Ethan’s team. He’s our quarterback. I think that everybody has rallied behind him. But the type of a player that Justyn is, I thin kthat he’ll understand the situation. And he will continue to get reps and just continue to get more growth throughout the season.”
on the play of offensive lineman Sam Yoon and changes on the Bruins’ offensive line
“Just mostly just trying to find a group of five that is better. [Niki] Prongos was playing right guard and we ended up losing Reuben [Unjie] so we had to move him out to tackle. We had to move [Josh] Carlin to right guard and put Sam at center. Hopefully Reuben can come back and we can get him back out there, and we can go from there.”
on Bruins’ quarterback Justyn Martin and the final touchdown drive
“It was huge, just for the offense. You know, we stopped saying, ‘Let’s get some points, and let’s get in the paint.’ I just think it was big for their confidence, for the offense’s morale – to just come out there and get a touchdown. Hopefully we can build off that and like I said, we’ve still got some more games. Any time you have more games, it’s a positive. We are going to learn from this and we are turn this around soon.”
on the defense showing some promise and possibly getting worn down as the game continued
“Just a little bit. When you are playing high-powered offenses, it’s tough to stay out there. You know, they continued to make plays. Our depth isn’t exactly where we want it to be, so a few guys will get tired in these situations. Offensively, if we can just find a way to cut the game in half and to keep the clock moving, I think that we’ll do a good job.”
on ending the first half with a little momentum and the team’s mindset at halftime
“Really didn’t want anything bad to happen. I just didn’t want anything bad to happen. Any time that we can get into a passing situation and we are, they can get their ears pinned back a little bit, they were coming, I really didn’t want to put them in a bad situation. I knew that we were getting the ball back at half, and just wanted that.”
on the Bruins’ running game
“It was in spurts. It’s still not exactly where we’d want it to be. But we were able to have 22 attempts at rushing. It’s getting there. It’s not exactly where we want it to be. Keegan Jones came in there and had some explosive runs. T.J. [Harden] had a couple. Jalen [Berger] actually did the same thing. Our run game is there. I think that the o-line is taking a pride in trying to get a little more running. I am just glad that we could show a little bit of the run game and get in going.”
on adjustments that he saw from Penn State’s passing defense in the second half
“It was mostly that they brought more pressure. The front. I mean this is a really good defense. Any time that you get into passing situations and they know that it’s a passing situation, it’s going to be tough. They were able to pin the ears back and come a little more. They pressured us a little more, but we didn’t play exactly how we wanted to.”
on the travel experience for UCLA, arriving on Friday and playing on Saturday at noon
“It’s football. We could have played at 6 a.m. We would have been ready to play. Our defense went out there and stopped them with three and out on the first drive. So travel didn’t bother us.”
on the impact of having Josh Carlin at right guard
“It was mostly because of Reuben [Unjie]. If Reuben had been there, he might have been at center. But just the fact that Reuben went out. He was not able to travel this week. We had to move him [Josh] at right guard because [Niki] Prongos had to go to left tackle and he played right guard in the last game. So it was more putting Carlin somewhere he is comfortable and getting Sam in there. Sam was able to play in his first game in this type of an environment, and it was huge for him. It was big that we could execute.”
on if offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy shortened the playbook to help out Justyn Martin
“I wouldn’t say shortened the playbook. But we called a little more of a quick game in situations just to help him get the ball out of his hands.”
UCLA redshirt sophomore quarterback Justyn Martin
on if he knew he would start at Penn State
“Just in case, I didn’t know too much about starting or anything. I was just kind of focused on the task at hand. They told me that I would get reps in practice. I prepared as if I was going to start and I gave it my all. The coaches did a good job of preparing me.”
on when he found out that he would start as UCLA’s quarterback
“Yeah, it was kind of a last-minute decision. I didn’t really know too much, kind of going in, just the same mindset regardless of if I wasn’t going to play or if I was. We still wanted to win.”
on a strong individual start, completing nine of his first 11 pass attempts
“I think the Coach E.B. [Eric Bieniemy] did a great job, just understanding what we are good at as an offense. He called some great plays that put us in position to win. I didn’t really have to do too much thinking. How we prepped during the week was pretty much what we saw out there. It was pretty easy to just go out there and execute the plays we called.”
on if he had any nerves heading into the opening kickoff
“No, I didn’t have any nerves. I was more excited since it was my first game in about three years. I was really excited to get to his moment. We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted. I am proud of how our offense played and how our whole team played. They supported me throughout the entire week up to now, so I really appreciate all of them.”
on the best advice that he received pregame
“Yeah, so Ethan and Chase Griffin, really everybody, they were supporting me throughout the week. Garbs was just saying to understand the moment and that not a lot of people get a chance to play in front of 100,000 people. And I was appreciative of this opportunity to play at Penn State, a great legendary college environment. So he was just saying to appreciate it, and to not really get too sunk into it being your first start or this or that. Just enjoy it and play ball.”
on UCLA’s final drive, scoring the touchdown, and what that meant to get on the board
“The biggest thing for us is finish, no matter what the score is. We didn’t come out here to lay over. We came out here to win and play until the last snap. That’s just not how I am as a person and that’s now how our team is. We are going to finish, regardless. Actually, finishing the drive was good for us. And finishing on a positive note is something that I’m proud of.”
on what looked like very good chemistry between him and wide receiver Logan Loya
“So me and Logan, he has been one of my guys since I got on campus. Just helping me get used to everything, so it worked out that way, that he got a lot of targets and was open for me. Going into this game, I didn’t want to feed my receivers and I wanted to let them loose, but Logan was just the one today so that is how it worked out.”
on if he’s heard any positive feedback or messages on his phone since the game ended
“Yeah, I have a lot of support coming in. Just all of the staff members on our team congratulated me and just said that I did pretty well. My teammates have shown me support since day one. With family, I just have a great support staff all around. And I just appreciate the coaches not giving up on me and taking their time with me and pushing me to be the quarterback that I want to be.”
UCLA senior linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo
on the first sack to get some pressure on Penn State, secure a couple of three-and-outs
“Yeah, it felt good. We knew that we had been struggling in the last few weeks. We were really trying to get after it. It felt good. You know, I thought that we left something on the table and we have some improvements to work on and more work to do as we keep going.”
on if he felt like this was a step forward for UCLA’s defense
“Yeah, definitely. Obviously we knew that this team wanted to pass. I believe that they have reached 250 yards each game, so we knew that we needed to step up. But like I said, some mistakes on the field so a lot to correct.”
on defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s comments earlier in the week and if he noticed any helpful changes
“I think that the whole staff did, offense and defense. I think that the whole staff did. We’ve been working day in and day out. It’s about how we approach things, what to correct from the film, and we have to make it happen as players.”