Here’s the transcribed quotes from Washington coaches, players, and BYU coaches and players, courtesy of UW Media Relations
Washington Head Coach Chris Petersen
Opening Statement
Excited about that performance. A lot of respect for BYU, and on both sides of the ball we really executed the plan to the T. I was really excited about how we ran the ball. I know everyone is talking about Jake, and his great completion percentage tonight, that’s awesome. That’s the Jake we see all the time. When the offensive line blocks like they do, and he can sit back there and really look at things he’s a hard guy to stop. Most impressively was how we ran the ball, that set up the pass game. On defense, hats off to those guys, that’s an awkward offense to go against. They’re a highly efficient offense, I think Mangum had only a couple incompletions himself. We got some key turnovers, we stopped the running game too. Really impressive team effort.
Do you feel like you’ve been building towards this win through the season?
Whether we play good or not, we always feel like the players play their tail off, so yes. I would have said that two games ago. Every week is different and you just want them to prepare their tail off and come out with a really good energy. When they come out with a really good energy, we are splitting hairs sometimes and that’s all it takes. The momentum of the game can change things, that play by Ben Burr-Kirven right before half was great. We are playing good on both sides of the ball, but then we get that turnover, we get into the end zone, those are game changers right there. That was the play of the game. A little luck, a little momentum, and a lot of hard play, good stuff can happen.
What did you see from the offensive line as things seemed to be clicking more?
I was really pleased with how those guys were blocking out there. I didn’t even realize how many passes Jake completed because I was so focused on the run game. They had some good players out there, Sione Takitaki number 16, he’s a heck of a player. That was quite a battle going on on the edge with our tight ends, and I’m pleased how that turned out, but our hats off to him, he’s a good player.
Did you see this career arc from Ben Burr-Kirven?
I’ve been saying for the last couple weeks, we’ve always thought he’s a really good player. That’s why he started last year, that’s why he played the year before. When we recruited the guy we thought he was a fierce competitor and a tough guy, the number one thing was that we hoped he would stay healthy because he was fearless the way he would throw himself at the ball. He’s smart, crafty, and fearless and that’s a good combination for a guy.
Did you see anything in their defense that led you to believe you could have success in the run game?
We knew we had to get something done in the run game because they play conservative in the back end so it’s hard to get shots down the field. It’s almost impossible unless you are running the ball. We were so fixated on that, and it allowed Jake to set his feet a little bit and take some play action shots downfield. It was a good balance.
What are you seeing from the pass rush?
From an offensive perspective, it’s really hard when they are bringing pressure from the secondary, it’s something you are always concerned with on offense. We do a lot of that, and we have really good players we bring off the edge or up the middle, and the name of the game is getting to the quarterback, it doesn’t matter how you do it.
When Salvon gets to the second level are you anticipating he is going to break one of those?
I really am. He will, he’ll break some of those arm tackles that are getting him, but he’s doing a great job. He and Myles are that one-two punch right now and we’ll keep going until we get something big.
Are you going to live with those big third down plays in order to stay aggressive?
We are always going to stay aggressive, it’s frustrating as heck because some of those were really long yard situations. It’s one thing to convert those shorter yard situations, but they had a couple long third downs. I think our third down defense wasn’t that bad overall, but they hit us on a couple extra long ones. They had a couple things they set up and executed pretty good.
Is this your teams best overall performance?
Yes, for sure, as a whole thing. Both sides of the ball were making strides. It was probably our best.
HUSKY PLAYERS
RB Salvon Ahmed:
How did the win feel?
It feels good, nice to get a good win with the team against a good team.
How is it having the offensive line take a step forward yet again?
Those guys work so hard in practice and I can see them get better so it’s not a surprise. Now you guys can see it come together in games too.
Do you owe Nick Harris a steak dinner?
For sure! He really bailed me out on that play. He really hustled on the play to get that far down field so I definitely owe him.
WR Aaron Fuller:
How is the connection with you and Jake?
You know it’s a lot of reps. From fall camp and on we’ve worked together a lot. We have a connection now so that we always know what each other are thinking.
How is it having Jake playing at such a high level recently?
Jake is a really smart guy, probably one of the smartest on the team. He watches a lot of film too, so he’s locked in on game day and we all know he’ll do whatever it takes to win.
Is it nice to have the score reflect the way the game went?
It’s always nice to have a comfortable win but the score doesn’t matter that much. If we’re in the game we’re fighting as hard as we can to win.
LB Ben Burr-Kirven
On limiting BYU to seven points…
I think we played our best game of the season by far. They do a lot of shifting and smoke and mirrors type of stuff, to try to get your eyes out of alignment. I think we did a really good job of understanding what they’re trying to do pretty much from the onset. We had it figured out pretty good. We shut down their sweep, a lot of their base stuff, they had to go deeper into the playbook and eventually they had to throw the ball a lot more than they wanted.
On dominating on both sides of the ball…
You want to have a game like this where by the third quarter you feel pretty good about it. You can start rotating guys in. The offense came out explosive to start. We shut them down, I think before the fourth quarter they had nine yards rushing. It’s a running football team, so when you see that on the board, you’re probably having a pretty good game.
On if the past week was a good practice week…
You never know what is going to happen. We expect a really tough game every week. These guys are obviously a really good football team, they knocked off Wisconsin at Camp Randall. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We executed the kind of detail oriented football we’re looking for.
OL Nick Harris
On if this game was a step forward for the offensive line…
Oh definitely. We had a great week of preparation. I think that’s where it started, we had a great scout look. Those guys really gave us a good look to mimic BYU’s interior guys. When it came to the game we just executed, and we were dialed in.
On what the scout team did so well…
They’re not lazy. They’re giving us a good luck because they understand how important the scout team is. Every week, they’re giving us a good look, and they’re challenging us. When it comes to the games, we just execute and roll off of the ball.
On the offensive line’s pass protection…
That starts with the practice. We were dialed in with the protection. Every week we’ve progressed with the pass protection because it takes time. Everybody expects everything to be perfect in the beginning of the season but all that stuff takes time. It’s not just the o-line that has to communicate on pass protection, it’s the running backs, it’s the tight ends on some plays, even the receivers. The communication is starting to come along. When the pressures come, and we give that guy time, he’s going to throw the ball perfectly.
DB Byron Murphy
On limiting BYU’s running game…
I think we had our eyes in the right spots. They got us a little in the first half and then in the second half we made those adjustments to prevent them from doing that. We understood what they were trying to do, where they were trying to hit us at. We were able to stop it. We also were able to do a good job of poking the ball out.
On the forced fumbles…
Those are always game changers. Turnovers are what we pride ourselves on. For us to do that and put our offense in a better position, so they could go and score, that’s big.
On almost holding BYU to a shutout…
That’s a goal for us every game, to keep their offense from scoring. If they have zero points and our offense scores, obviously we win.
COUGARS’ PLAYERS
QB Tanner Magnum
What can you attribute the penalties on the offensive line to?
It comes down to focus and our concentration and our discipline and we didn’t have it. That is frustrating because that is not who we are, we pride ourselves on being smart and taking care of the football, and tonight we killed ourselves with penalties. It is something that we have to learn from and bounce back from.
How big of an emotional blow was that fumble right before the end of the first half?
Any turnover sucks, especially right before the half, that is less than ideal. It is tough. To have to put the defense back out there was a big blow that we weren’t happy about. We have to learn from it, we are going to come back this week and work hard. We have been working hard every week, but you have to come out on Saturday and execute. We didn’t do that today. We are going to work extremely hard and get better and make sure that we take care of the football.
What were they doing to shut down the runs so effectively?
The have a very good defense, they fly around, they have a lot of athleticism in their linebackers and their defensive lineman are very stout and strong. They don’t move easy, they are very good at holding their position. We didn’t play tough tonight, we didn’t execute the way we wanted to. It is a matter of execution, and they just defeated us tonight. We have to give credit where credit is due.
DL Corbin Kaufusi
What were they doing that allowed them to have so much success?
I think one of the big things was they made the big plays when it counted. We weren’t able to execute the way that we wanted to on their run game, we knew what we had to do but we weren’t doing it. Hats off to them.
Why weren’t you able to get more pressure on the quarter back?
One of the main things is that they do a good job of switching up their game plan. They pass it when we thought it would for sure be a run. They kept us on our toes and kept us from getting into our pass rush mode.
How much does the defense miss the speed that Zayne [Anderson] and Dayan [Ghanwoloku] bring?
We miss them, they are great players. We have guys in there now that are capable of doing that, so it is just a matter of learning to work through that. We have guys that bring speed as well, it is just about making sure that everyone is doing their job at the right time.
What can you take from a game like this?
I think the biggest thing is that the defense didn’t have a great game at all. We need to do our job. When you think you have to do more than you should, that is when you start to miss assignments. You want to play hard, and make the plays, but at the same time you want to trust that your teammates can do their job. For us it is just about learning to stick to your job no matter what is happening.
BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake
Opening Statement
Well, tough game. But we’ve got to on, get it working, and learn as much as we can from this one. But, I’ll take any questions you guys have.
How big was the Washington score at the end of the first half?
You know, that was frustrating to have the turnover. We were trying to run the ball out and run the clock out, and go in and try to recover. It doesn’t help going down another seven points. We just made, as a team, we made way too many mistakes to even have a chance in this game. Washington is a great team and you can’t give great teams that opportunity. Otherwise, what happened tonight happens. They got everything rolling and we were on our heels the entire game and that’s what great teams do when you make mistakes. I don’t mean to diminish anything they did because that’s a great team. They are a national contender every year. They are in the playoffs. So, we knew coming into this game that we’d have to play as disciplined, as good as we possibly can, but we didn’t even have a chance at that because they are such a great team. When they make mistakes they capitalize on that. A lot of credit to coach Petersen and that staff and that team. I think they are going to do some really good things this season. But, it’s an opportunity for us to learn from this game and get better. We don’t have time to sulk. We have to play a game in less time, we play on Friday, so we won’t have time to think about it. Utah State is coming off a bye so I’m sure they are ready for us, and we’ll be ready for them too. You know, we just need to bounce back from this loss. We can’t let this loss effect next week’s game and sometimes that can happen but we can’t allow that to happen. The leaders, the players, and the coaches need to make sure that doesn’t happen this week.
How did the penalties effect your first drive?
Yeah, it was just like a bunch of mistakes at that happened at the worst time, you know what I mean. So, we’ll go back and fix it and get better. I felt really comfortable with our preparation and with what we did all week and I think they just beat us. You know, we just didn’t give ourselves a chance. They’re a really good team. I’ve been really impressed with them as I’ve watched them for a while now, you know, since coach Petersen, I think this is his fifth year, he’s been establishing his culture and working on it, and it’s a really good machine right now. So, I keep repeating myself but we didn’t give ourselves a chance with the mistakes that we made and penalties, and there are other things we could have done better. I felt like our guys were pressing a little bit too much, you know. And on defense we had a lot of mistakes, and offensively mistakes, because guys are trying to do too much. Again, you can’t beat great teams when you’re doing that. You just focus on your one eleventh, and we talked about doing their one eleventh, and trusting their teammates to do that. And I appreciate the energy and the want to, but we made, not only one person made a mistake, but then he’d try to cover up by doing somebody else job and that’s not going to work in this system or in our program. So, tough lesson to learn but we’ll learn from it and get better.
