USC vs. Arizona State Postgame Quotes
October 04, 2014 | Football
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
USC Head Coach Steve Sarkisian
"In the end, it's the old adage, `That's why you play 60 minutes, that's why you play four quarters.' When you go up at the end of the game like that with three minutes left, it's never over. You learn the hard way in games like this. I feel bad for our kids, I thought they fought hard, competed well and gave amazing effort. But we didn't get it done in the end. We have great group of guys and tremendous leaders. We'll bounce back and fight back and play a hard-fought game on Saturday night."
On why Cody Kessler was punting tonight:
"Our starting long snapper was out with a concussion. We didn't feel great about the operation of our normal punting team. We went with a spread punt with Cody and we felt that gave us the best chance."
On the 73-yard ASU touchdown pass:
"It looked like the quarterback flushed to his right. It looked like a curl route that turned to an out route. Kevon [Seymour] went to knock the ball down to undercut the play, and missed and then there was nothing but green grass. That's what I can now until I watch the film. I know we were in double coverage on Strong, and that left Kevon isolated and hopefully we can learn from it and live to fight another day."
On if he thought ASU was going to throw the Hail Mary:
"That's the tricky part with seven seconds left, we were trying to plan for both. Hindsight is 20/20, you defend the Hail Mary, but we didn't get it done. It was an awkward Hail Mary. The ball floated back to the middle of the field and it was a heck of a play by 21 tracking the ball and making the play on it."
On defending a Hail Mary:
"Strength in numbers is one thing. You like to have a lot of people around the ball when it's there. Again, you have to ask them. I don't know if that ball was thrown where it was intended to be thrown. Sometimes when it's not how it's drawn up, it's better. We would have liked to have more bodies around the ball. You have to identify certain guys who can jump up and make a play. But I'll have to see the film to tell more specifically."
On rushing strategies:
"We were trying to help our secondary as best we could. Good recognition trying to keep our coverage and not to have too many one-on-one matchups. We like our guys rushing, to their credit he (Bercovici) stepped up in the pocket a few times and made some throws. And we gave up yards in chunks, which in the future I don't think will happen but we need to learn and move forward."
On whether Hail Marys come down to luck:
"I hate to say it's luck. Since 1st grade you play three flies up and if you catch it you get to throw it. Now it's how many years later and I've seen two, and I've never seen one before. You try to practice and execute and you try to get people on both sides of the ball. We practiced it and I'm sure ASU did too and they made the play."
On the offensive rhythm:
"Physical errors are physical errors. If a guy drops a pass, I don't know if he's not focused, it's a physical error. Sometimes that's going to happen. It feel like we had the opportunity on offense to make some big plays. I'm proud of Buck [Allen] challenging people to miss in open field. He did a good job of that tonight. There are areas of our team that got better tonight and there are areas that we need to get better from tonight."
On where this leaves the team:
"It leaves us with one loss in conference play. It leaves us with a stinging with a sick feeling in our gut. It leaves us a chance to show who we are and our mettle and our resiliency. We have a tough game coming up at 7:30 at Arizona. We need to get ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally ready to play and I'm confident that we will do it."
MILB Hayes Pullard
On the final play of the game:
"It was great execution by the offense. Every team fought and 21 went up there and got the ball and got the job done."
p>On if he's practiced deep in the middle defensively before:
"Not completely in those scenarios, just boxing out defenders."
Arizona State Coach Todd Graham:
"Words can't express what that felt like. It was one of the hardest fought games I've been a part of. Give them a lot of credit. They battled. I'm so proud of our team and coaches and how hard they worked and prepared. We talked about this in the locker. Growing up as a little boy, playing football in the pasture. And we reflect on everyone's path here and come to the Coliseum and to win like that on the last play, I don't know if it gets any better than that. That was awesome.
"For all those young kids out there, everyone tells you to transfer or quit because you're not getting to play. Go somewhere else. Look at Mike Bercovici. He didn't quit. He chose to stay a Sun Devil. He would've missed out on the greatest moment of his football career if he had transferred. I'm so proud of him. I'm proud of Taylor Kelly how he worked and my heart breaks that he didn't get a chance to play. And all the freshmen that played. They're having to grow up in a hurry. It's pretty hard on them.
"But man that was the most unbelievable night I've had in coaching. When he caught that ball, my heart stopped. There was never any give up or quit in them. You believe in each other. These kids have faith and character and love each other. That's what this game is all about. You can be where you were last week and be here this week. So proud of our team. You can talk about anyone individually. From a team standpoint, the best win we've had since we've been here. It was the most incredible moment I've had in coaching, that play."
(How often do you practice that play and how often is it successful)
"If you throw it to Jaelen Strong, you have a chance. I don't know, but I'll tell you this, there's been an enormous success in those this year and we practice it every Thursday. Our offemsive coordinator does a great job. To correct everything we did wrong last week - I believe we played a better defense this week - to have 100% ball security and correct those mistakes, that was big. We practice those things, we practice those onsides kicks. We should've got that first one, it was a perfect kick. We give up a punt return that puts us behind and that would've wound up being the difference if we don't get that pass.
"On that play, the line blocked, Mike executed dash protection precisely, he put the right air under the ball and big Jaelen went up and got it. That's how it's done.
"With seven seconds, you don't have a lot of time to think. You're going off your script and sticking to the plan. Great players make great plays and that's what happened. It wasn't just that one play. It was the effort offensively and defensively and the kicking game. It was a phenomenal effort.
Arizona State QB Mike Bercovici
"First off, it credit to Tyler Sulka, who stayed firm on the right side and Vi Teofilo, Nick Kelly, Christian Westerman and Jamil Douglas for setting firm. They brought three. We practice that play every Thursday and our coaches put the same amount of stress on a Thursday practice like it was on the field. It was a little bit of a prayer, I'll be honest. I didn't think I got it that far. It looked like a little bit of a duck. But I needed to give us a chance and who else but Jaelen Strong comes up with it.
(how often do you complete it)
"Sometimes we just air toss it to save our arm, but I think it's pretty good. But like I said, I don't know the percentage, but it's not too often we complete that pass.
"For this team, this is a win and another step closer to the Rose Bowl. But by gosh, I know I needed to get like 150 tickets if I could. I had friends in the USC student section telling me they were cheering for me. Wow. I can't wait to see my mom, dad, sister, girlfriend. It's going to be amazing.
"I've never been able to throw a Hail Mary before. I'd like to think I'd be good at it. To be honest I didn't think I threw it well. It looked like a duck but my god, I didn't know what happened to be honest.
"I think I need to do a better job of hydrating because my body started cramping and I just immediately fell to the floor. I saw Jaelen take a step into the end zone and I don't think I could've made it down 50 yards to the end zone. It was an indescribable feeling. I had people telling me, get up get up, but all I wanted to do was go upstairs and see my mom.
"They're such an outstanding defense. I know a lot of them and they're so athletic and talented and you have to be careful where you place it. But basically they wanted to take a different approach and play a prevent defense. I knew all we needed to do was make some completions. But I was calm and relaxed. I don't know if my body language was like it, but when I got there, it was like that and when I'm out there, it's like I'm at home.
"There were three levels of guy. But most important part of that play is Tyler Sulka and him stopping the edge rusher. They know we're not running the ball so they're coming nice and heavy, but he did such a great job to give me the extra second to slide right and let it rip. And it didn't drop.
ASU WR Jaelen Strong
"It was just a play we work on every week. It's a game of inches and that's the things we work for all off season. The last play. If DJ doesn't make TD, we don't have that chance. If Cam doesn't make that TD, we don't have that chance. If Gary doesn't make that big play to set us up for the Hail Mary we don't have that chance. If the defense doesn't get a stop, we don't have that chance. I just did what I was coached to do and did my job. Coach Alexander talks about attacking the ball. I saw the ball in the air and the first thing I thought was I'm going to get this. At first I thought I don't know if I can get to it, but I put my head down and kept running and got it. I don't even remember.
