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Utah Football Player Quotes: Washington State
10/25/2022 2:37 PM | Football
Sophomore Defensive End Jonah Elliss
On offensive similarities between Washington State and USC…
"They're an explosive offense. They're really going to try and get us tired, and get big plays off of that. We just got to be really conditioned and mentally prepared for that. That's really what it is, they're a fast-paced offense. Just like USC, we're going to have to keep tempo with that, which is something we've struggled with and are working on a lot in practice."
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On Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward…
"I think he's really similar to USC's, just in the fact he's really elusive. It's hard to get him down…I think he's really similar to a lot of these athletic quarterbacks."
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On avenging some road struggles this season…
"Coach always says 'great teams win on the road.' At home, you have such a big advantage, but on the road it's like you guys versus the world. You just got to take that mentality, you're the underdog there and just got to take it to them instead of having them take it to you."
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On carrying momentum from USC through the bye week and into this game…
"The bye week was really good for us, gave us like a 10-day rest. A big win like that, [the fans] storming the field, it's a feeling that you love and want to keep repeating. Although we're away, we're still trying to get that feeling of winning and dominating."
Junior Quarterback Cameron Rising
On the Washington State defense…
"They do a good job disrupting the quarterback and making it hard for him to stay in the pocket. I know it's going to be a challenge for the O-Line and the receivers to make sure they can get out and get open fast."
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On their defensive ends…
"Both sides of the line of scrimmage, they have some great players over there. They really do a good job disrupting and trying to make the quarterback uncomfortable. It's going to be a fun battle."
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On the bye week and the chance to clean some things up…
"We just made some corrections here and there, and make sure we were taking care of our bodies. Now we're ready to go."
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On takeaways from last year's matchup vs. Washington State…
"They're a competitive team. We've just got to make sure we're preparing the right way and doing everything we can, so that when we're out there, we're just flying around, making plays and reacting rather than just trying to guess what's going on. That's where it's going to come down to the preparation for us."
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Sophomore Defensive Tackle Junior Tafuna
On whether offensive or defensive concepts have been simplified…
"Everyone just needs to do their jobs. I think that's the biggest thing that stood out. If one person doesn't do their job, you know it's going to be downfall on both sides of the ball…we've been practicing and working. It's only up from here."
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On how similarities between Washington State and USC might help in back-to-back games…
"I think it does [help]. They're both tempo teams. I think playing USC definitely helps us defensively, just because of how fast they move on the ball, how fast they get their plays down. I think playing USC prepped us for this game."
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On adjustments in the USC game and how those can carry over to Washington State…
"I think the biggest thing is trying to get after the quarterback. I think that's what happened the second half of USC. That's what we need to take into this game as a defensive front. He's the heart of that offense."
Â
How does your job change against a pass-heavy team?
"If anything, it's probably my cardio that changes. [laughs] They're going to be throwing the ball more, so I've got to be ready to get back on the ball, pass rush every down, swap out…get the other boys rolling. Tempo, getting out there and getting after it."
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Sophomore Wide Receiver Devaughn Vele
On the wide receivers group stepping up following Dalton Kincaid's performance vs. USC…
"That's actually a great point. I think about that all the time. Dalton's a hell of a player, so obviously they're going to be game planning around him. They're going to make sure he doesn't get the touches he normally would get. As a receiving group, we've got to understand that and exploit those weaknesses. If they're doubling him, that means we're going to have one-on-one matchups or somebody's going to be open. But we've just got to make sure we're executing. We've got to make sure that when the ball is thrown our way, that we catch the ball. Or that we're running the right routes. Block the right person. Like I mentioned earlier, it's just execution. That's all it comes down to. Football is all about execution. The team that is executing better than the other team is usually the one that comes out with the win."
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On this Washington State team vs. last year's…
"They've got a good quarterback this year. He's very mobile, he reminds me a lot of the USC quarterback. I feel like they're always a great team. Washington State's always been a team that gives us a good fight. They went toe-to-toe with Oregon. They almost won that game. We can't overlook these guys…we approach every game like it's a championship game, or how we did against USC. Every game is monumental toward our goal of trying to make it to the Pac-12 Championship."
Â
On WSU's defense…
"They're just making plays; that's the biggest thing. They're very fundamentally-sound. They play hard. They try not to trust too much in individual effort, but more in team effort. Everybody's making sure they're doing their own jobs, and making sure they understand everybody [else] is doing their own jobs as well. That's what's making them such a great team defensively that they keep it low-scoring games. Offensively, we understand that if we want to win games, we need to score a lot of points."
Â
On offensive similarities between Washington State and USC…
"They're an explosive offense. They're really going to try and get us tired, and get big plays off of that. We just got to be really conditioned and mentally prepared for that. That's really what it is, they're a fast-paced offense. Just like USC, we're going to have to keep tempo with that, which is something we've struggled with and are working on a lot in practice."
Â
On Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward…
"I think he's really similar to USC's, just in the fact he's really elusive. It's hard to get him down…I think he's really similar to a lot of these athletic quarterbacks."
Â
On avenging some road struggles this season…
"Coach always says 'great teams win on the road.' At home, you have such a big advantage, but on the road it's like you guys versus the world. You just got to take that mentality, you're the underdog there and just got to take it to them instead of having them take it to you."
Â
On carrying momentum from USC through the bye week and into this game…
"The bye week was really good for us, gave us like a 10-day rest. A big win like that, [the fans] storming the field, it's a feeling that you love and want to keep repeating. Although we're away, we're still trying to get that feeling of winning and dominating."
Junior Quarterback Cameron Rising
On the Washington State defense…
"They do a good job disrupting the quarterback and making it hard for him to stay in the pocket. I know it's going to be a challenge for the O-Line and the receivers to make sure they can get out and get open fast."
Â
On their defensive ends…
"Both sides of the line of scrimmage, they have some great players over there. They really do a good job disrupting and trying to make the quarterback uncomfortable. It's going to be a fun battle."
Â
On the bye week and the chance to clean some things up…
"We just made some corrections here and there, and make sure we were taking care of our bodies. Now we're ready to go."
Â
On takeaways from last year's matchup vs. Washington State…
"They're a competitive team. We've just got to make sure we're preparing the right way and doing everything we can, so that when we're out there, we're just flying around, making plays and reacting rather than just trying to guess what's going on. That's where it's going to come down to the preparation for us."
Â
Sophomore Defensive Tackle Junior Tafuna
On whether offensive or defensive concepts have been simplified…
"Everyone just needs to do their jobs. I think that's the biggest thing that stood out. If one person doesn't do their job, you know it's going to be downfall on both sides of the ball…we've been practicing and working. It's only up from here."
Â
On how similarities between Washington State and USC might help in back-to-back games…
"I think it does [help]. They're both tempo teams. I think playing USC definitely helps us defensively, just because of how fast they move on the ball, how fast they get their plays down. I think playing USC prepped us for this game."
Â
On adjustments in the USC game and how those can carry over to Washington State…
"I think the biggest thing is trying to get after the quarterback. I think that's what happened the second half of USC. That's what we need to take into this game as a defensive front. He's the heart of that offense."
Â
How does your job change against a pass-heavy team?
"If anything, it's probably my cardio that changes. [laughs] They're going to be throwing the ball more, so I've got to be ready to get back on the ball, pass rush every down, swap out…get the other boys rolling. Tempo, getting out there and getting after it."
Â
Sophomore Wide Receiver Devaughn Vele
On the wide receivers group stepping up following Dalton Kincaid's performance vs. USC…
"That's actually a great point. I think about that all the time. Dalton's a hell of a player, so obviously they're going to be game planning around him. They're going to make sure he doesn't get the touches he normally would get. As a receiving group, we've got to understand that and exploit those weaknesses. If they're doubling him, that means we're going to have one-on-one matchups or somebody's going to be open. But we've just got to make sure we're executing. We've got to make sure that when the ball is thrown our way, that we catch the ball. Or that we're running the right routes. Block the right person. Like I mentioned earlier, it's just execution. That's all it comes down to. Football is all about execution. The team that is executing better than the other team is usually the one that comes out with the win."
Â
On this Washington State team vs. last year's…
"They've got a good quarterback this year. He's very mobile, he reminds me a lot of the USC quarterback. I feel like they're always a great team. Washington State's always been a team that gives us a good fight. They went toe-to-toe with Oregon. They almost won that game. We can't overlook these guys…we approach every game like it's a championship game, or how we did against USC. Every game is monumental toward our goal of trying to make it to the Pac-12 Championship."
Â
On WSU's defense…
"They're just making plays; that's the biggest thing. They're very fundamentally-sound. They play hard. They try not to trust too much in individual effort, but more in team effort. Everybody's making sure they're doing their own jobs, and making sure they understand everybody [else] is doing their own jobs as well. That's what's making them such a great team defensively that they keep it low-scoring games. Offensively, we understand that if we want to win games, we need to score a lot of points."
Â
Players Mentioned
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