Sept. 23, 2007

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UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell
(opening statement) "Well, it was a good response from the previous week. I was very excited about how our team came out ready to play. They were excited and understanding of trying to play better. The energy was positive. The team was running and doing some very positive things early and putting some points on the board. We really, for the most part, did a nice job against their offense and their quarterback [Jake Locker]. He's a heck of a player. He made a few plays in the second quarter that really stretched us. They got to us some in pass coverage, a little bit, and those are things we can continue to correct and get better with .We have played four games against teams that have spread us out and made things difficult for our defense. We had a big turnover that went for six points for us with Dennis Keyes. That definitely helped the momentum of the game.

(on UCLA's offense): "Offensively, Pat [Cowan] played very well considering his limitations going into the game. He really made some nice plays, engineering some drives. It is unfortunate that the one turnover we had he got hurt on. [McLeod Bethel-Thompson] came in and did a tremendous job in the fourth quarter, given it being a serious time in the game. I was impressed with how our running game and offensive line took over the game late in the fourth quarter."

(on what UCLA can improve upon): "We're still making some mistakes and that's the disappointing thing. It was a very important win for us, but we are making too many mistakes. There is a lot we can get better at. I was pleased with our efforts, but we have to be better if we're going to have an opportunity to win in this conference. As a staff, we'll continue to improve in that area. The penalties were out of sorts today, and I'm very disappointed with that. We're going to have to get those things corrected this week."

(on quarterback situation): "The quarterback situation - there is no situation until we get to talk about the situation. The running game was very important to us today. It was good to see our running backs come alive. Both of those guys were very impressive today. It was encouraging to see our running game come alive when we needed it. That was a brighter spot in today's performance."

on urgency in this game: "We needed a difference in me this week. It was important for me to coach hard. I have good coaches on this staff, but I'm the added coach who is coaching every area. I was trying to emphasize what my role is given the circumstances from the week before. I like challenges and being put up to the task like this. I answered the bell, and I'm going to continue answering the bell like I did this week."

Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham
(on not giving up): "I think our team without any question kept fighting. I don't think there was any issue about that. There was an execution issue where we didn't get it right and do things to be in position to jump on top. We had some penalties, an interception, and some dropped balls that affected our ability to really get it done."

(on poor tackling): "It just may have been one of those days. It's not like our guys weren't trying. We didn't execute, and that's something we have to continue to work at."

(on UCLA's big plays): "Obviously the kickoff and the interception return for a touchdown, those are plays that we can't give up. We have to find a way to avoid those. There were probably about 30 points there on plays of that nature that you can't do. We put our defense in a really tough position to start the second half. We had short fields a lot. It's hard to win when you do that."