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Postgame Quotes vs. USC
9/20/2019 11:52 PM | Football
Postgame Quotes
Utah vs. USC
Sept. 20, 2019
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Opening Statement
"Tough loss obviously. Give credit to USC, they played well. We just had too many penalties, we have to play
cleaner than that. We got deep in the red zone in the first half and then turned the ball over and came away
with nothing. Left some points on the field there. Mostly we just had no answer for their receiving core.
Michael Pittman did a number on us. We as coaches have to do a better job of coaching it and allowing our
players to be more equipped to deal with a receiving core like that. We have to rethink some things
coaching wise. I thought Tyler (Huntley) played well and we ran the ball well. We out-statted them, but that
doesn't mean anything. We did move the ball up and down the field and they couldn't run the ball on us at
all, but those three things cost us. The penalties, inability to score on that last drive in the first half and the
deep ball."
On the penalties:
"We played pretty clean through the first two games. Tonight, both teams had bad penalties and it almost
cancelled each other out, but still, we can't get penalized 16 times for 120 yards. I firmly believe no one is
going undefeated in the (Pac-12) south, and we were in this position last year, so it's nothing new to us,
nothing we can't handle. It's just disappointing to come so close, but come up short."
On the uncharacteristic night of the secondary:
"That's a really talented group of receivers, I'm not sure we'll see a group that talented the rest of the year.
We just couldn't locate the ball and go up and make a play. Still, if you had shown me the numbers after the
game, I wouldn't think we would have lost."
On Tyler's night against USC defense:
"They did a good job and they have good players on that defense. We still moved the ball, though. Tyler had
a good night. He had a good completion percentage and no interceptions. The big play for us was just that
turnover before the half."
On if they can bounce back:
This is a tough group. They're proud, they're hard working, they're mature and they have great leadership.
Like I said, I'll bet any amount that no one is going through the south undefeated, so we still have a shot. We
have a lot of football left to play."
Tyler Huntley, QB
On the fumble at the end of the first half:
"We need to take better advantage of our chances."
How to rally the offense after this game
"We all know the plays were there we just had to make them."
On losing Zack Moss
"Yeah we definitely missed Zack but (Devin) Brumfield came in the game and had some great plays."
How do you rally the troops after this loss?
"We have to move forward, we have to go in the film room, we have to go hard at practice and that's all
we can do."
Why did you have trouble in the redzone:
"We had penalties. When it mattered we didn't lock in."
Julian Blackmon, WR
On starting 0-2 last year and still winning the south:
"We have a lot of football left. It's only our fourth game, so we know that we have a lot of football left. We
know what happened last year, so we just have to be ready for the next game. We play Washington State
next. It's time to be over this game already."
On seeing similar stuff from Washington State next week:
"I think we come with the same game plan, but this week we get to redeem ourselves. We let them get us in
the secondary. We expect the same thing coming next week."
Francis Bernard, LB
On needing to figure out a balance between stopping the run and the pass:
"Going into this game we expected them to pass, but towards the tail end they started to run and we just
have to adjust. Overall in the game, collectively as a defense, we just didn't adjust well when we needed to
and unfortunately that hurt us."
What is it about the Coliseum that makes it a hard place to win:
"I don't think its anything in particular. I think going into this game USC had momentum coming off the loss
from BYU they definitely had a chip on their shoulder coming into this game. It took us a while to adjust and
when we finally did adjust it was too late."
Terrell Burgess, DB
On the string of completions to start the game
"I feel like we came out and we weren't ready. We came out a little slow and just kept on going"
Are you surprised they did this with a backup
"No it didn't surprise me. They have a great team, we have a great team they made plays we made plays
they just came out with a better gamelan this game"
On interception
"I'm one of those guys that just wants to help the team win so I'm going to do anything I can do to help the
team win and obviously that didn't happen tonight but anything I can do to help the team that's what I did. I
made a good play on the ball but we lost the game so it doesn't matter""
Having lost the conference opener…
"We get back on Monday and we go as hard as we can. Nobody in the south is going undefeated so we just
got to keep moving forward and get ready for next week"
USC Head Coach Clay Helton
Opening Statement
"Glory to God and a bunch of great teammates that are the definition of Fight On and who don't know how to quit. I'm so
proud of this team. I thought it was team effort all the way around. Some guys made big plays, and some guys garnered
some opportunities, and we needed every play to beat a good Utah team. I can't tell you how proud I am of this guy (Matt
Fink). In today's world, things don't always go your way and you live through adversity and you say 'You know what, when the
opportunity comes I'm going to make the most of it.' In a world where everybody goes different places, this one stayed for
his family and waiting for his moment and waiting for his memory. And what a memory it was here tonight. He's one of the
most special people I've been around and when his number was called he made the most of it tonight. It's a great story and
I hope you all tell it. In a world where people go different place this guy fought for his family and I love him for it."
On the mindset of the team now:
"I think this is a mentally tough bunch. I know some folks have made fun of me for 'So what? Now what?' but that's our motto.
Stuff is bad sometimes. And what are you going to do? Are you going to make an excuse or get the job done. They don't
pay you to make excuses, they pay you to find the answers. And to have plan after plan and prepare everybody not just the
first string, the second string, the third. Put your kids in every different situation, put them through adverse conditions. And
this group did everything together. this offseason. Not everything was perfect tonight, far from it. We have a lot to clean up.
But I tell you this team is special and by the end of this season they're going to be a very special product. You'll see it. We
need some luck, we need to stay healthy, but this team can do some special things and they did it tonight."
On the success of the deep ball tonight:
"We said coming into training camp, this is the most unique situations I've ever been in. The four quarterbacks that went
through that competition can play anywhere. We believed in each and every one of them. I told our team, 'You don't know
God's plan, you don't know when you're going to get your opportunity, you don't know when it's coming, just be prepared for
it.' This guy (Fink) trained as hard as anybody, even when he was named the third-string quarterback, he kept being engaged
and preparing like a starter. First game, one goes down, now he's the backup. Now he's got to be prepared to raise his game
up even more. He took advantage of each and every rep and when it was his turn he made the most of it and I just can't tell
you how proud I am of him."
On Matt Fink's decision to stay at USC:
"I thought, in Matt's case, we talked a bunch. He had done everything possible to help this team. He had competed for the
job. He had gone into this Utah game last year and broke ribs for the team. And he graduated from this university. When
that happens, graduating in three years, he and I sat down and I said, 'Matty, if you choose to leave, I love you and I support
you, but I want you to know the door is always here. You are a member of our family. And I'm leaving it open to you because
of how you have competed, how you have represented this university, getting your degree. And I'm not totally sold that it's
the right decision. It's a decision that you've got to make personally. I want you to be able to evaluate it and research it.
And know if you want to be a part of this team I want you here for the fall. Going into training camp we're going to compete
and wherever it lies, don't have any regrets. When he got told the bad news, that he was third he took it like a man and said
'Coach I'm going to keep on competing. I'm gonna show you I'm a great player.' And I said 'I know you're a great player. Just
keep being ready. Your time's coming. You just don't know when. And today, it came."
On being out-possessed and out-rushed by Utah:
"I really got to credit our defense. They were put in situations where they had to play great red-zone defense. Getting the
turnover right before the half, to keep it 14-10 coming into halftime, I thought that was a huge play. The field goal block, you'll
go back and look at that and it's gonna be a huge play. Credit our defense, Utah got some yards. They've got some special
players over there. I'm glad Huntley is an old person. I don't want to see him again. He is a special player and he's going to
be playing for a while. We did enough to win a huge ballgame against a very good team."
MATT FINK, QB
On his thoughts when he went into the game:
"Just do my job. Simple as that. I don't think that this moment was too big for me. I've been in the era of Sam Darnold and
I've seen things that were much crazier. But I think getting in today and showing what I can do was what I really wanted to
do by staying here."
On people telling him his time would come:
"That's something that kept me motivated through this whole process. I have a great team of brothers that continue to
push me forward."
On his decision to stay at USC:
"Like Coach Clay said, I did some research, I went to some schools. Had some unofficial visits and an official visit with Illinois
and met some great coaches and great players and built some good relationships. But this team is stacked. You have
the best players in the nation here. I'm saying that SC is on the rise. We have guys that are going to push us to the top here."
On the receivers:
"Shoot, I could show you (Michael) Pittman's stats tonight. The guy's a monster. You can't guard him. And that goes for
Amon-Ra (St. Brown), it goes with Tyler Vaughns, it goes with Drake (Jackson). We're stacked all across the board. With
weapons like that, you can't do anything about it."
DRAKE JACKSON, DL
On the safety:
"It was just a simple rip move. We really just wanted to keep him (Huntley) in the pocket so we were just rushing at a certain
rate to where he couldn't get out or get around us."
On the defense tonight:
"Really just what we were doing in the offseason. We were all together, grinding it out. Tonight we had to grind it out again."
On injuries and adversities:
"Exactly what Coach Helton said. It's just 'So what? Now what?' When someone goes down, it's just the next man up."
Â
Utah vs. USC
Sept. 20, 2019
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Opening Statement
"Tough loss obviously. Give credit to USC, they played well. We just had too many penalties, we have to play
cleaner than that. We got deep in the red zone in the first half and then turned the ball over and came away
with nothing. Left some points on the field there. Mostly we just had no answer for their receiving core.
Michael Pittman did a number on us. We as coaches have to do a better job of coaching it and allowing our
players to be more equipped to deal with a receiving core like that. We have to rethink some things
coaching wise. I thought Tyler (Huntley) played well and we ran the ball well. We out-statted them, but that
doesn't mean anything. We did move the ball up and down the field and they couldn't run the ball on us at
all, but those three things cost us. The penalties, inability to score on that last drive in the first half and the
deep ball."
On the penalties:
"We played pretty clean through the first two games. Tonight, both teams had bad penalties and it almost
cancelled each other out, but still, we can't get penalized 16 times for 120 yards. I firmly believe no one is
going undefeated in the (Pac-12) south, and we were in this position last year, so it's nothing new to us,
nothing we can't handle. It's just disappointing to come so close, but come up short."
On the uncharacteristic night of the secondary:
"That's a really talented group of receivers, I'm not sure we'll see a group that talented the rest of the year.
We just couldn't locate the ball and go up and make a play. Still, if you had shown me the numbers after the
game, I wouldn't think we would have lost."
On Tyler's night against USC defense:
"They did a good job and they have good players on that defense. We still moved the ball, though. Tyler had
a good night. He had a good completion percentage and no interceptions. The big play for us was just that
turnover before the half."
On if they can bounce back:
This is a tough group. They're proud, they're hard working, they're mature and they have great leadership.
Like I said, I'll bet any amount that no one is going through the south undefeated, so we still have a shot. We
have a lot of football left to play."
Tyler Huntley, QB
On the fumble at the end of the first half:
"We need to take better advantage of our chances."
How to rally the offense after this game
"We all know the plays were there we just had to make them."
On losing Zack Moss
"Yeah we definitely missed Zack but (Devin) Brumfield came in the game and had some great plays."
How do you rally the troops after this loss?
"We have to move forward, we have to go in the film room, we have to go hard at practice and that's all
we can do."
Why did you have trouble in the redzone:
"We had penalties. When it mattered we didn't lock in."
Julian Blackmon, WR
On starting 0-2 last year and still winning the south:
"We have a lot of football left. It's only our fourth game, so we know that we have a lot of football left. We
know what happened last year, so we just have to be ready for the next game. We play Washington State
next. It's time to be over this game already."
On seeing similar stuff from Washington State next week:
"I think we come with the same game plan, but this week we get to redeem ourselves. We let them get us in
the secondary. We expect the same thing coming next week."
Francis Bernard, LB
On needing to figure out a balance between stopping the run and the pass:
"Going into this game we expected them to pass, but towards the tail end they started to run and we just
have to adjust. Overall in the game, collectively as a defense, we just didn't adjust well when we needed to
and unfortunately that hurt us."
What is it about the Coliseum that makes it a hard place to win:
"I don't think its anything in particular. I think going into this game USC had momentum coming off the loss
from BYU they definitely had a chip on their shoulder coming into this game. It took us a while to adjust and
when we finally did adjust it was too late."
Terrell Burgess, DB
On the string of completions to start the game
"I feel like we came out and we weren't ready. We came out a little slow and just kept on going"
Are you surprised they did this with a backup
"No it didn't surprise me. They have a great team, we have a great team they made plays we made plays
they just came out with a better gamelan this game"
On interception
"I'm one of those guys that just wants to help the team win so I'm going to do anything I can do to help the
team win and obviously that didn't happen tonight but anything I can do to help the team that's what I did. I
made a good play on the ball but we lost the game so it doesn't matter""
Having lost the conference opener…
"We get back on Monday and we go as hard as we can. Nobody in the south is going undefeated so we just
got to keep moving forward and get ready for next week"
USC Head Coach Clay Helton
Opening Statement
"Glory to God and a bunch of great teammates that are the definition of Fight On and who don't know how to quit. I'm so
proud of this team. I thought it was team effort all the way around. Some guys made big plays, and some guys garnered
some opportunities, and we needed every play to beat a good Utah team. I can't tell you how proud I am of this guy (Matt
Fink). In today's world, things don't always go your way and you live through adversity and you say 'You know what, when the
opportunity comes I'm going to make the most of it.' In a world where everybody goes different places, this one stayed for
his family and waiting for his moment and waiting for his memory. And what a memory it was here tonight. He's one of the
most special people I've been around and when his number was called he made the most of it tonight. It's a great story and
I hope you all tell it. In a world where people go different place this guy fought for his family and I love him for it."
On the mindset of the team now:
"I think this is a mentally tough bunch. I know some folks have made fun of me for 'So what? Now what?' but that's our motto.
Stuff is bad sometimes. And what are you going to do? Are you going to make an excuse or get the job done. They don't
pay you to make excuses, they pay you to find the answers. And to have plan after plan and prepare everybody not just the
first string, the second string, the third. Put your kids in every different situation, put them through adverse conditions. And
this group did everything together. this offseason. Not everything was perfect tonight, far from it. We have a lot to clean up.
But I tell you this team is special and by the end of this season they're going to be a very special product. You'll see it. We
need some luck, we need to stay healthy, but this team can do some special things and they did it tonight."
On the success of the deep ball tonight:
"We said coming into training camp, this is the most unique situations I've ever been in. The four quarterbacks that went
through that competition can play anywhere. We believed in each and every one of them. I told our team, 'You don't know
God's plan, you don't know when you're going to get your opportunity, you don't know when it's coming, just be prepared for
it.' This guy (Fink) trained as hard as anybody, even when he was named the third-string quarterback, he kept being engaged
and preparing like a starter. First game, one goes down, now he's the backup. Now he's got to be prepared to raise his game
up even more. He took advantage of each and every rep and when it was his turn he made the most of it and I just can't tell
you how proud I am of him."
On Matt Fink's decision to stay at USC:
"I thought, in Matt's case, we talked a bunch. He had done everything possible to help this team. He had competed for the
job. He had gone into this Utah game last year and broke ribs for the team. And he graduated from this university. When
that happens, graduating in three years, he and I sat down and I said, 'Matty, if you choose to leave, I love you and I support
you, but I want you to know the door is always here. You are a member of our family. And I'm leaving it open to you because
of how you have competed, how you have represented this university, getting your degree. And I'm not totally sold that it's
the right decision. It's a decision that you've got to make personally. I want you to be able to evaluate it and research it.
And know if you want to be a part of this team I want you here for the fall. Going into training camp we're going to compete
and wherever it lies, don't have any regrets. When he got told the bad news, that he was third he took it like a man and said
'Coach I'm going to keep on competing. I'm gonna show you I'm a great player.' And I said 'I know you're a great player. Just
keep being ready. Your time's coming. You just don't know when. And today, it came."
On being out-possessed and out-rushed by Utah:
"I really got to credit our defense. They were put in situations where they had to play great red-zone defense. Getting the
turnover right before the half, to keep it 14-10 coming into halftime, I thought that was a huge play. The field goal block, you'll
go back and look at that and it's gonna be a huge play. Credit our defense, Utah got some yards. They've got some special
players over there. I'm glad Huntley is an old person. I don't want to see him again. He is a special player and he's going to
be playing for a while. We did enough to win a huge ballgame against a very good team."
MATT FINK, QB
On his thoughts when he went into the game:
"Just do my job. Simple as that. I don't think that this moment was too big for me. I've been in the era of Sam Darnold and
I've seen things that were much crazier. But I think getting in today and showing what I can do was what I really wanted to
do by staying here."
On people telling him his time would come:
"That's something that kept me motivated through this whole process. I have a great team of brothers that continue to
push me forward."
On his decision to stay at USC:
"Like Coach Clay said, I did some research, I went to some schools. Had some unofficial visits and an official visit with Illinois
and met some great coaches and great players and built some good relationships. But this team is stacked. You have
the best players in the nation here. I'm saying that SC is on the rise. We have guys that are going to push us to the top here."
On the receivers:
"Shoot, I could show you (Michael) Pittman's stats tonight. The guy's a monster. You can't guard him. And that goes for
Amon-Ra (St. Brown), it goes with Tyler Vaughns, it goes with Drake (Jackson). We're stacked all across the board. With
weapons like that, you can't do anything about it."
DRAKE JACKSON, DL
On the safety:
"It was just a simple rip move. We really just wanted to keep him (Huntley) in the pocket so we were just rushing at a certain
rate to where he couldn't get out or get around us."
On the defense tonight:
"Really just what we were doing in the offseason. We were all together, grinding it out. Tonight we had to grind it out again."
On injuries and adversities:
"Exactly what Coach Helton said. It's just 'So what? Now what?' When someone goes down, it's just the next man up."
Â
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
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Monday, September 08