Nov. 16, 2002
Stanford Quotes
Head coach Buddy Teevens:
Opening Statement - "We talked all week about playing sixty minutes, competing to win, taking them in the fourth quarter. [Oregon State's] a good football team and they run the football really well and they have some talented guys. We did some things to get ourselves out in front and we didn't hold out in the end. The interceptions were extremely costly. We had a lot of opportunities against a good football team. [Our players] did everything that we asked of them, but unfortunately we didn't come away with the win."
"My comments at the half were basically to disregard the scoreboard. We talked about sixty minutes and nothing could change. Our big push was - fourth quarter, we want to be in the position to have success. We obviously didn't start the half the way we'd hoped, but still we had the opportunities to put points on the board."
"We had our senior dinner last night for the moms and dads and it was really touching just to see how much Stanford Football has meant to the families. We talked with our players about wanting to do something special for the seniors with their last walk, their last opportunity in Stanford Stadium. We regret that those guys didn't go out with a win, but I admire the effort across the board, they played hard."
Player Kerry Carter:
"[Big Game] makes or breaks the season every year. You throw the records out for the year. It's a one-game season, it's our bowl game. We will definitely be up for that. There is no question."
"We weren't trying to hold on, we wanted to come out and win the second half. They got it done. We had a couple of turnovers that hurt us and we just weren't efficient in moving the ball. It was disappointing for a lot of reasons."
Player Luke Powell:
"We were talking about playing for sixty minutes [all week], so we came in at half and we were just saying that the game's not over. I don't think guys got content being up 15 points at the half. [OSU] stepped their game up two notches and we only stepped it up one."
"Right now it hurts more because it's the last home game for the seniors and we were up and we feel it was a game we should have won."
Player Greg Schindler:
"Every game we go out and take the field, we plan on winning. We put so much pain and hurt into it, planning on nothing but a victory but when we keep coming up short time after time, you ask yourself why. But if we knew why, we would have solved it a long time ago. It's not a fun way to go out."
"This next game is huge because it's the next game and because it's our last game and because it's Cal. We want next year's team to get some momentum going into the off-season and the seniors, we don't want to go down like this. It's been frustrating, it's been painful. I don't believe that we can make our whole season feel good with one win, but it will take away some of the sting."
Oregon State Head Coach Dennis Erickson
Opening Statement:
"We did not play very well in the first half, and they made some big plays to go ahead. We talked about it at halftime and we felt that if we could come out and score early we would be okay. It was huge to score on that first drive and we started running the football. Steven Jackson had a big day for us. It has not happened that we have had to come from behind like that and win in the second half. It shows a lot about this football team and for Derek Anderson. It was a tremendous effort by Derek."
On Jackson:
"He is extremely important to our offense right now. Dwight Wright also came in and did some great things. If you don't have Steven Jackson that takes a big weapon away from you. That is our plan to run the ball. We were blocking well and we came up with some big plays."
On the defense:
"We shut them out, with the exception of a couple of big plays in the first half. We played real well and we thought we would have a chance to win if our defense stepped up."
TE Tim Euhus
On the second half:
"We were talking in the lockeroom at halftime and we said that we had to pick it up and get it going on both sides of the ball. The defense had to do their share and we had to do ours. We came out and took the first play to the house and everything went smooth. We came out, played hard and took advantage in the second half."
On going to a bowl game:
"At half we said if you want to go to a bowl and get all those nice things, then you better go out and play in the second half. Guys went out there and played hard and it went well. We just kept grinding the whole time and we knew that we would get another break. We scored the two-point conversion, got up by three and then they missed a field goal. It was a hard-fought battle on both sides, but I think the key was running the ball in the second half."
On winning on the road:
"It is really exciting, and the fact that we came down here and stayed focus and even more in the second half and pulled a victory off. It was one of the most exciting victories I have had."
QB Derek Anderson
On coming back and playing well:
"It was really nice to see today and our confidence is high right now. Winning on the road was huge for us, getting that first road win in the conference is big. We struggled, but it gives us a lot of confidence going into our game next week."
On the defense playing well:
"We pulled our end of it today and our defense played great for us."
On the touchdown pass to James Newson:
"As soon as I let it go I knew it was a touchdown. It was a nice route and a relief to get us going."