Golden Nuggets: Steve Sarkisian-"Tosh and Eric don't want it to be about them this week"

Today we check in with Steve Sarkisian and the Washington Huskies, who have to be feeling better about themselves after upsetting Oregon State on Saturday.

He doesn't seem too concerned about losing one day of prep.

"Like we said to the team, there's going to be plenty of stuff for us to continue to improve upon this week if we want to go down and win at Cal. It's going to be a great challenge for us, national audience, national television - in a ball game I'm sure they are going to be fired up for. It's a challenge for us if you look at our history on the road and what we've...moreso what we've not been able to get done on the road is really what's being addressed in our approach, our focus and what it's going to take to go get a win against a tough Pac-12 opponent like it is every week."

On how the short week impacts their preparation: "It's not going to affect us too too much because it's a night game there Friday night. So we'll treat Tuesday and Wednesday exactly the same. Thursday will be a little lighter load than we normally would have for a normal Thursday. And then we're going to do what would be our Friday walkthrough, we're actually going to do those Friday morning, the day of the ball game - so we should be okay."

Sarkisian addressed the team's year-long struggles on offense.

On the offense not scoring more than 21 points in any FBS game and if that's a reflection of the schedule or the Huskies: "It's all on us. It's on us. We just, granted we have played some pretty good teams, but our inconsistency is just glaring to me. It's not one guys, it's not two guys. I just feel like we keep taking our turns. Sometimes it's the playcaller that takes his turn. It takes 11 guys executing on every snap to win that snap and for whatever reason or another we just stub our own toes with mistakes we really shouldn't be making. That's the fight for us. I know that we are better than the way we have been playing. I'm waiting for the game to come where we put it all together and play consistently disciplined and executing plays down after down after down because when we do we'll be pretty good. IT's never too late to get there. Change is inevitable, either you're going to get better or get worse and so the goal for us is to get better and continue to work toward that."

Naturally, someone asked about hiring Kiesau and Lupoi away from Cal.

On the process of luring Tosh Lupoi and Eric Kiesau from Cal: "You know, it's our profession. It's just the protocol of the way things are done. Anytime you are hiring members of your staff ... ultimately I am the head coach at the University of Washington. My job and my obligation is to do what's best for this university and for this athletic department and this football program, and do it with good ethics and within the guidelines set by the NCAA. No coach ever likes to get the phone call, because I get them, too, when somebody says they want to talk to one of your coaches that you think is a really good coach. But you understand that it is part of the profession, and you do everything in your power to keep them, if you want to keep them. And if you are on the other side you do everything that is within your feasible power to get them on board. That's just the way it works."

On if having those guys will help this week against Cal: "I really don't try to put much into it. Credit ... last week we had Keith Heyward and this week it's Tosh and Eric. Those guys don't want this to be about them, believe me. Keith didn't want it to be about him last week and Tosh and Eric don't want it to be about them this week, either. It's about the football team and the journey that we are on this season and what we need to get done this week to be successful."

"Good ethics" Good one, coach.

Tosh Lupoi also spoke to the media (video).

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