Coach Petersen

Opening Statement:

Really good team win. We faced a high-level team. I am extremely proud of our defense, those guys played at a high level. We did just enough to keep them off balance. We had some really good turnovers in that area. They did a good job of huddling the ball, they mixed it up well. Our special teams were very solid. Our protections on the PAT, punt, and field goal were really good, that was awesome. Our offense played well, there were a couple of times we sputtered, but we will continue to get better.

How important was Elijah Molden’s interception?

That was game changing. That saved us. That was a 14-point swing. He picked it off and two plays later, Salvon Ahmed goes the distance. That was the sequence of the game. It was game changing for sure.

How advanced is your defense in terms of the variety of calls?

I think they do a nice job of keeping enough on their menu to keep teams off balance and not oversaturate our kids with too many things. They did a nice job of scouting USC. On the sideline they were aware of what was coming. We weren’t always on it, on the field, but our staff were on it. Our guys will learn from that. USC hit us with some big runs. I was not fitting the runs correctly, I missed a few tackles. But all of that is learnable, teachable things.

What did you see out of Salvon Ahmed today?

The one run made it a career day. That was a game changer. To be able to get an 80-plus yard play in the run game – that doesn’t happen too often. When you have explosives in the run game (that) go for touchdowns, that is what you want to do.

What went wrong on the trick-play fumble?

They blitzed us. We wanted to be aggressive in that situation, we may have been a little too aggressive. That is on me. We really felt like we wanted to go after them and score. We probably had three or four things at our fingers. USC did a nice job penetrating us and we just didn’t execute in getting it around the corner.

How much faith is there in the younger secondary?  

They do a good job. Trent Mcduffie is a true warrior. He plays at a high level. I think it is awesome what Cam Williams is doing back there, we are starting to get a feel of what we want from him out there. We play our safety deep so that he can roam and pick off passes. Now we are starting to see him get his hands on some things. He will continue to flourish in that role.

Is the confidence growing in the younger guys?

I think every game they are getting more confident, especially when they play hard teams and talented guys. There are so many things that happen to us and I think ‘okay we are going to get that right and that isn’t going to happen again’. That is our mission every game, whatever the score is – ‘how do we improve?’ We have been doing it every week, slowly but surely.

How much confidence do you have in your top two tight ends right now?

They are doing a nice job. Cade Otton is stout and hungry. He has picked up his blocking performance. Both of them are starting to get into the pass game, we know with Hunter Bryant, that is kind of his thing. Bryant has upped his blocking and Otton has upped his receiving. We can stay in that personnel but try a bunch of different formations. 

How hard is it to keep your guys’ head’s in the game and not get chippy with the other team?

It is obviously harder than you think it would be. We will take a good look at that. That is just taking the bait. That is just hurting the team and cutting our own throat. It is a game, don’t take the bait. We have to play right to the edge and not cross over the line. That message never changes. We have to play with an edge, but we can’t cross the line.  

How critical was it for you to get your first Pac-12 win?

It is important. I honestly don’t think of it like that. Every game is critically important to us. We just think ‘who is our next game?’ Even those first games that we played feel equally important as anything we are doing in the league. I think there were some good players on that other side, and they have a good team, so it was good to get this win. I am glad that we had it at home. I thought the crowd was really good.

DB Myles Bryant

What was your favorite play that you made out there today?

I would say the pass breakup at the end of the game. I mean, fourth down at the two-yard line, if they scored it would have been a one possession game. But, I think all of us just played well today. We got it back to our offense. Helped them out and just ended up playing big.

Did you think that game was chippier than usual?

Oh yeah. I mean, it was just a competitive game. I mean, I know guys down there and we competed for a long time. I just know how they get down there. I know how I can get. Just being from that area everyone is pretty competitive. So, we were just out there having a lot of fun.

What did you think of Cam Williams today?

He came up big. On the first interception, I wanted him to score on it. He was pacing the ball a little. The second interception was even bigger. That was just to shut out the game. They were going in to try and make it a one possession game again. So, for him to do that was pretty big.

DB Elijah Molden

Did you feel like you blacked out after that big interception?

Yeah, we kind of joke about that sometimes. Like after someone makes a big play you just blackout a little bit. You can’t really explain it. It happens so fast.

Does it get in your head when you’re trying to get that first interception?

Yeah, I just kept telling myself that it was coming. Especially after a game like BYU where I had a ton of targets and a ton of opportunities. I mean, I had a feeling that this game was going to be the one and luckily it was.

Has Jimmy Lake been getting on you a little bit to get that first pick?

Yeah, he was at the beginning of the week. Now, Keith (Taylor) is going to be the main target now.

RB Salvon Ahmed

What was it like leading the charge against USC today?

I mean USC is obviously a really athletic team, a really good team, and we knew we were going to have to run the ball against them and as we saw last week everyone in that room can contribute to the run game. So when anyone gets in there, they get a chance, they make plays. Sean makes plays. Richard makes a lot plays. We know that offensive line is going to block for us and we’ve just got to make things happen. I couldn’t be happier to see all my guys out there killing it.

What did you see when you took that handoff on the big run?

I just saw a backside hole with one guy in there. I just tried to make him miss and try to go. When I was finishing the run I looked up at the screen there was a guy kind of close behind me so I had to kind of turn it around. Yeah, I mean, the offensive line created a hole on the backside and I made the play.

Were you surprised when you almost got caught on the run?

Man, I looked up at the screen and that saw that dude kind of getting close behind me and I had to give him a little detour.

TE Hunter Bryant

What did you think of the game today?

I think we showed a lot on offense. We still have a lot of room to improve and all that. Our defense stepped up huge today and that was great to see.

What did you see on Salvon Ahmed’s touchdown run?

As soon as I saw him get that crease, I knew he was gone. He’s one of the fastest players in the country so anytime he gets in open space it’s good for us.

Where do you see this team headed this season?

I think we have a great team here. It’s just a band of brothers and our culture is really contagious. That is one of our sayings: ‘The culture is contagious.’ I think we all bought in to what we’re doing here as a team and I’m excited to see what we do.

LB Kyler Manu

What did you see from the defense today?

You know, they hit us on a big run. You know, the night before we were watching a bunch of boxing videos. Coach Pete just said we’re going to take some hits, but we’re going to swing right back. That was our statement. Yeah, you’re going to get a couple plays on us, but we’re not going to shy away at all.

What changes for you guys in the red-zone?

We just now we’ve got to tighten up because, especially at home, we don’t want to lose at home at all. We did lose one. When they reach that red-zone we love to tighten up and shut them out. At least hold them to three. But to hold them to zero, that’s awesome. That’s big.

QB Jacob Eason

What does victory formation feel like for you?

Victory formation, that’s the best formation in the game. It was a great team win, our defense played well – really well – and it kept us in the game. I thought that it was a hard-fought battle and we got the result we wanted.

How did it feel to get that first conference win?

It feels good. USC is a big historic rivalry game and it was a great environment to play in. We got the result we wanted, and we are all excited for that. We will go and watch this film tomorrow and go on to next week.

What was it like to have Salvon Ahmed back in the game?

Having Salvon back there is always great. He played really well, he made some explosive plays, and you see what he does with the ball in space. He’s definitely a threat to have in the backfield and we’re glad to have him back.

Jimmy Lake

Is it fun to watch the young players grow from week to week?

I enjoy all of the guys, for sure. But it is definitely a proud moment when you see a player that you just recently recruited, that just signed and arrived here, learning the techniques, learning all of the coverages, and then for him to go out there and in a big game against a big-time opponent and make those plays. It was definitely a proud moment.

Was it surprising to see USC run Matt Fink as many times as they did?

That actually did surprise me. It was surprising but it was a good call on their part. We definitely weren’t looking for that. The thought of running your quarterback when your next quarterback wasn’t recruited to play quarterback there, that was definitely a surprise moment for us. They did it once, and we thought that there was no way that they were going to do it again, and then they did it again. But it was a good play call because we weren’t expecting it. Play calling is all about keeping your opponent off-balance.

How do you assess Cam Williams’ game?

He made that first big interception and then we really gave him that play, that second touchdown, but he bounced back. He bounced back and got that game sealing interception. That’s what we talked about on the sideline: “Hey, let’s calm down here, lets reload, let’s do what we’ve been doing all week in practice, and what we’ve been doing up until the third quarter, let’s revisit that.” And he responded. He was mentally tough and he made a big-time play.”

What went right for the secondary in the red zone situations?

Our playmakers had to show up. We said, “we need to put on a show for these fans.” And our guys made plays. Fourth down stops, interceptions, those critical stops in those critical moments. I can’t be prouder of these guys.