Oct. 19, 2002
Recap|Box Score|Notes|Photo Gallery
Stanford Head Coach Buddy Teevens
We did what we had to do. We had our scoring opportunities; penalties knocked us out of a couple. There are things that have haunted us. We're there, but not in the quantity we've seen previously.
We went to more of a running presentation in the second half, and our offensive line responded tremendously.
Kerry Carter played physically, ran hard, ran tough, and Kenneth Tolon offset that as well.
We were able to move the ball, especially on that last drive. We controlled the ball, took off 7-8 minutes off the clock. We didn't put it in the end zone, but Mike Sgroi got the critical one.
We did what we needed to do. The enthusiasm was great on the sideline. Guys were into it and pulling for each other, and I really thought that as a team, we took a step forward. The offense, the defense, the special teams, there were some ups and downs, but it was a team effort and we didn't flinch.
I thought Chris (Lewis) made some good decisions early, threw the ball well and I was impressed that he ran the ball. It was the first time we've really seen that, and they came at the right time, picked up some first downs.
We did the things we needed to. We didn't do all of them correctly, but we're playing as a team. I think that was absolutely critical for us, and can trigger things down the road for us. Emotionally and mentally, this was a huge step for us.
Stanford quarterback Chris Lewis
We have the capabilities of doing that. We were taking time off the clock, got the pass offense going, ran the ball well.
A win's a win. When you have three losses in a row, your food tastes horrible, you can't get any sleep.
Stanford running back Kerry Carter
It (the running game) wasn't really something that we talked about focusing on. It was just more something that we went in with the attitude that we needed to improve our offense. We still had some mistakes today, but once we saw the running game was working today and after we started taking time off the clock, if it's not broken, don't fix it.
Stanford quarterback Kyle Matter
The rest of the team made it really easy on us today. The defense played great all game, and the offensive line did a great job of giving us lots of time to throw.
Alex (Smith) had a great game overall. He was reliable on any third and long. We focus a lot of our throwing on the outside receivers, so when were looking inside, Alex was a big part of that.
Arizona Head Coach John Mackovic
Opening Statement: I thought this was the worst game we have played all year. After playing well against some good opponents, I thought that we would play much better today. We practiced well all week, but we did not have any enthusiasm. We did not generate anything and defensively we could not get them off the field in the second half. They completely controlled the ball. Offensively we did not make anything happen. We were slipping and sliding on that field and we have a lot of work to do next week against Washington State.
On Stanford taking the deep ball away: They took it away by playing those deep safeties and we tried to go through the coverage a couple of times. Jason Johnson just did not have the time to go back and find those throws. We tried to go to the tight end and move the ball to other guys, but we were not effective.
On the third quarter: That was a killer. I told the guys that we need to do a better job with our game plan next week and get ready to play. We just did not play very well.
DB Darrell Brooks
On holding Teyo Johnson: They had a number of weapons. I came into this game with the assignment of shutting Teyo down, that was my responsibility and I did the best I could.
On this being the low point: Coach put us in the right position and no one can take the blame except for us. We should have made the plays. The only way now is to go up. We just have to have confidence in ourselves and know that we can play. We need to have the mindset that we can play with anyone.
On the third quarter: It was draining, but you have to know that you can make a play at any time.
QB Jason Johnson
On the game: This was a game that we really felt we could play well and win. It just hurts that we were not able to do that today. Stanford played great and used many different defenses and offensively they had the ball most of the time:
On being on the sidelines the second half: It is hard to get into a rhythm. Sometimes when you do get back out there you press too much and we had some plays that did not go our way.
On this being the low point: The only way to go is up. It is a long season and you just have to go back to work on Monday. I give Stanford the credit; they played a good ballgame today. I don't think their record reflects how good of a team they are. We just need to come back next week against Washington State.