- On the injury front, LB Lamar Dawson and RB Tre Madden are both likely redshirt candidates, according to head coach Steve Sarkisian. Madden's turf toe continues to flare up with pain when he tests it out.
- If today's practice is any indication, the Trojans are not burying their heads in the sand after a brutal loss. "I loved what these guys brought today," said head coach Steve Sarkisian. "I just think it is a good sign moving forward through the week."
- While many fans blame defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox for the loss, Sarkisian provided a bit more perspective. "We played really good defense against a very good offense for three and a half quarters," said Sarkisian, who pointed to the last three drives as not indicative of the game as a whole. "Justin is a great football coach and we are lucky to have him."
- For his part, Wilcox shouldered the blame, especially for the late defensive switch on the Hail Mary. "You've got to defend two things: the quick field goal and the jump ball." Wilcox said. "One defensive scheme is better against one thing and one is better against the other and I was obviously wrong in what my judgment was."
- Hayes Pullard was not responsible for knocking the ball away, but he was in position to do so, and he regrets not challenging for the ball. He never saw Jaelen Strong at all until watching the film. "They said it wasn't my play to make, but I was there, I still take responsibility," Pullard said. "I should've just went up and knocked the ball down."
- On the positive side, the Trojans shut down Arizona State's rushing attack, which was the best in the Pac-12. However, Wilcox wants to see more consistency and a full 60 minutes of concentration and execution. "I feel like we - and I don't like using this word, but I can't think of a better one - we are schizophrenic," he said. "We play great pass defense one week and then we were not physical, we were soft in the run game against Oregon State. Then we played very physical in the run game, but the explosive passes were the difference in the game."
- As for the mental state of the defense, the Trojans are done sulking. "You feel like you've been kicked in the face and you've got to get up and keep swinging," said Wilcox. "You get 24 hours to feel as bad as you can possibly feel and then you've got to get up and go to work. That's the only way you can operate in college football and in life."
- Kevon Seymour is third in the Pac-12 with 8 passes defended, but he made a couple crucial errors late in the loss to ASU. "I believe in Kevon, I'm excited about Kevon," said Wilcox. "I think he's going to learn and get better and I'm going to put him right back out there."
- Arizona has two talented 6-foot-3 receivers in Cayleb Jones and Austin Hill, so Seymour and company will be under the gun again. "They are going to get challenged. They have a plethora of receivers at Arizona," said Sarkisian. "We need to have the confidence that we can make the play."
- The Wildcats also have a mobile quarterback, but Seymour expects the Trojans to respond better than they did against Boston College QB Tyler Murphy. "We learned early. We learned real early. We're ready for this quarterback," Seymour said.
- Hayes Pullard called this week's match-up a "championship," and in this PAC-12 conference you have to treat every game like it's a championship, said the captain.
- Here is head coach Steve Sarkisian's press conference...
