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Cal vs. USC postgame quotes: Sonny Dykes & Jared Goff unhappy with Pac-12 refs

Press conference video above and below.

Sonny Dykes

  • On the Pac-12 refs: "You guys see the officials every week, so draw your own conclusions. I'm not gonna say anything about it. Pretty obvious."
  • On Goff: "We're all frustrated. O should be better. Gotta figure it out and play better."
  • On Cal defense: "Played well enough to win. We gave them field position and turned the ball over. Play hard & sound football. Defense let them have a few screens, but overall good."
  • On the run game: "Good early in the game. Then a few series where they couldn't get going. Must run to get the QB time & protection"
  • On USC: "Not surprised that SC played well b/c great players. Not trying to take anything away from Clay."
  • On losing streak: "Winning & losing has to do with whom you play. Schedule is backloaded these 2 yrs. Want to get to the point where we beat good teams"
  • On lack of takeaways: "Reduces your margin of error when you can't get takeaways. Probably the biggest difference these past 3 weeks."
  • On if teams are playing us differently. "More press coverage, more man. Offense has to execute at a higher level. Zone means lots of grass. Must make plays against man, when there's less grass."
  • On establishing the run: "Offense can be explosive when we make big plays. Credit the SC D. Lots of 2 deep, daring Cal to run. We had number advantage in box."
  • On Jalen Jefferson: "Jefferson in a sling, but don't know details." Hasn't met with medical staff.
  • On moving forward: "Team is disappointed. didn't play well enough vs. UCLA, but vs Utah & USC, we had chances in the 4th quarter. That's the next step."

Jared Goff

  • "Defense played well. Unfortunately we couldn't score. SC played well."
  • On improvement from last week's loss: There's s lot more fire out of us this week. Offensively, defensively...there's a lot more...
  • Team is "fine, confidence-wise. Not looking down the road. Focused on Oregon."
  • On Lasco coming back: "He did a good job early. Their D made plays and adjusted. They played the run better than they did in the 1st."
  • On bad field position: "It doesn't bother our O too much. We practice against our own end zone. We've gone 90, 95 and scored before.
  • On having Muhammad & Lasco in same play: "More pass protection and more for USC defense to think about"
  • On the interceptions: "First one, I kind of got my hand hit, so it fluttered. I had Bryce open over the middle. They got a piece of my arm on the way out. The second one, I was upset, but I'm not going to talk about why, because I'm not going to talk about the officiating."

Daniel Lasco

  • "When there are 2 minutes left, the offense raises its level of play. Defense played great, but offense didn't do enough."
  • "Feels good to be back with my team and contribute in different ways, but I'm not there yet. Didn't capitalize on 1-on-1 opportunities"
  • At end of game, SC "played hard-nosed & have athletes all over the field. O didn't execute. Playcalls were good."

  • "Don't want to put it on 1 player, like a WR to climb the ladder or Goff. But we have to get the job done."

  • We must "figure out where our edge is. We had it in beginning of season. We have to make plays."

  • "It hurts. The seniors and I wanted this game. It's huge for the community, Berkeley, Cal alums. It hurts. To say the least. It really does hurt. Not a good feeling to be here 5 yrs and not beat SC."

  • "Everything happens for a reason. Great depth at RB means my absence wasn't tremendous b/c others can step up."

  • I had lots of support from the team. Frustrating to not be 100% and not be able to contribute"

Bryce Treggs

  • On his father being there as he caught a TD: "Great honor."
  • On offensive woes: "Offense has too much talent to only score 28 per game. In future, can't get ahead of themselves w/ #drop50 or #drop60. Must establish the run game. All good teams can run. Then make plays"
  • On missing opportunities: "We had shots, but just didn't take as many as we should have."
  • On man coverage: "We know that means Goff has more pressure, so we focused this week on getting open quick."
  • On moving forward: "Comes down to senior leadership. We can sulk or move on. Tomorrow, we come back to work."

Stefan McClure & Hardy Nickerson

  • Hardy on 3rd down play: "We had him. I tripped, dove, and missed. These are the kinds of plays you have to make."
  • McClure on 1st down: "We have to see how we did on 1st downs and 3rd downs. Have to limit 1st down plays to < 2 yards."
  • McClure on the offensive struggles: "We have to get takeaways so the offense can get rhythm and make big plays. That helps the defense with energy."
  • Hardy on the future: "We can turn things around. Have to look at film and prep for ORegon. Excited to face Ducks. Should be a game we can get."