USC Quotes
September 02, 2007 | Football
Sept. 1, 2007
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
USC Head Coach Pete Carroll
"It was a workman-like game. I think we were ready to explode in the first, went quiet in the second, came out the third ready to go, and then quieted again in the fourth. But it was an opportunity to get lots of guys in, get information, see how they do and put the first game behind us.
"We missed a few opportunities. Idaho did a good job. They have tough kids and did good stuff and gave us a good game. I'm just happy that we got here, won a game and let's get ready for the next one. Hopefully the guys that didn't get in there will get back out there. I'm thrilled to get ready for a big challenge like Nebraska.
"There are a lot of areas that we can do better in. We didn't shut down the run as well as we'd hoped. I was really disappointed that we turned the ball over three times. It's a bad start for us in that regard.
(RE: Mario Danelo's tribute on USC's first PAT attempt)
"It's a really emotional situation for all of us that never has quieted down. We do what we can but I like that we gave him a special moment in the game. We don't want this to go away. We love the guy and hate that he's not with us."
QB John David Booty
"Guys came out and played hard. At times we played how we expected, at times we didn't. The times when we weren't moving the ball, that was on the offense."
(On freshman C Kristopher O'Dowd)
"The biggest thing is, he's getting me the ball. He made calls and communicated. He did a great job."
(on USC TBs)
"I'm extremely proud of their effort, down after down. Sometimes it wasn't there, but they kept hitting the holes. The great thing was their pass blocking, picking up the corner blitzes and crashes."
TB Stafon Johnson
"The line did a great job opening holes. We had a couple mishaps but we fought through it.
(On his performance)
"I don't really rate it that high. It's a process of improvement. I did the best I could and will go from there."
Idaho Head Coach Robb Akey
"There were some things we did that we can build off of. Against a good team we were able to execute at times, and that's what we will focus on."
(On Idaho QB Nathan Enderle)
"It was his first game in two years, on national TV, and that kid handled himself very well. I'm proud of him. He ran the show well, saw things well. We can build off of that."
"The kids played hard throughout the course of the game ... Defensively, it took an awful lot to get into the game. We had bodies where they belonged, but were not making plays, which is not unusual in your first game and it also had something to do with who we were playing.
"If we can put some things together and grow up some more, we could turn into a good football team."
Idaho QB Nathan Enderle
"We did OK. There are some things we can work off of. Some things we did well, some not. It was a give and take.
"We knew we had to get in their face to play well. We did a few things but at the same time ...
"We tried not to listen to too much (talk about the game). With a new head coach, we expect to be underdogs for a bit. We can only control what we can control. We can't control USC, just try to minimize our mistakes."
