ASU press quotes are available at CalBears.com.
Cal Head Coach Sonny Dykes
Opening Statement:
"It was a fitting end to the season for the seniors. As I was walking up after the game I was thinking about what these guys have been through and I thought that this was a very fitting end to the season because what these guys had to do is that they had to have guts though all the things that they've been through and they had guts today and I think that showed. Guts is a hard thing to have and a lot of people don't have it and they showed that they had it tonight and I was really proud of them for hanging in there, believing and continuing to fight. It didn't look good at times but they just kept believing in each other and kept doing the right thing over and over. We tell them to do that all the time, to ignore the scoreboard and keep playing and expect something good to happen and that's what they did so credit to them and I'm really proud of them. Fun football game, it was really fun to watch and fun to be a part of."
On Jared's performance
"It was frustrating early because we didn't sync and that hurt us at times this year. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Once the guys settled in, (they) caught the balls and made those routine plays and Jared did a great job. Arizona State blitzes from every which way and he got the ball out quickly. I thought our offensive line played really well, that's a good defensive football team and it's tough to pass protect against those guys. It's tough to run the ball because they are blitzing and moving around so much. We ran the ball well enough to take the pressure off of Jared. I thought Tre (Watson) continued to play well. Jared just played with a lot of guts, and just kept making plays and giving guys opportunities to make plays."
On the defensive performance
"It was a little bit of a role reversal this week compared to Stanford last week in some ways because we were forced to kick field goals and today our defense did a great job of tightening down and they kept us in the ball game. We were scoring, had some momentum on offense and we gave up some yards but when we needed to get a stop they found a way to do it and made some big plays on the third down, especially in the red zone and forced Arizona State to kick field goals. Our kids had a lot of confidence. Sometimes you get a sense on the sideline of what's going to happen almost, their attitude and demeanor almost determines what is going to happen. But the guys had a lot of confidence and again they believed in each other."
Cal Players
Jared Goff, Quarterback
On the locker room scene
"It's a once in a lifetime thing right there, the locker room scene right now. It doesn't get much better than that. It's the last game at home for a lot of the guys on the team (and) it was a good way to send them out. I'll remember this for the rest of my life, that's for sure. (Matt) Anderson came up huge."
On Arizona State's 21-point lead in the second quarter...
"We weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing on offense and we knew it. Coach Dykes talked to us at halftime and said (Arizona State) isn't stopping us; we are stopping ourselves. And we really were. We were getting stopped by penalties and bad balls, missing assignments, little things, and that was the reason they really were able to take such a big lead. But, we knew that if we do what we were supposed to do, they wouldn't be able to stop us, and that sure is what happened. I don't know how many points we scored in the second half, but it was a lot. We knew that, for the most part, teams aren't going to stop our offense; we are going to stop ourselves. They (Arizona State) have got a hell of a defense over there but we were just clicking very well the entire game, except for the first quarter and a bit into the second. We knew we were killing ourselves, and we knew if we fixed that, we would be fine, and sure enough we scored 38 points in the second half."
Matt Anderson, Kicker
On the final field goal...
"I figured that I would get the chance, once they (the offense) had the big play that got us down to the five with two minutes left. I was going through my regular routine, taking some dry swings, just getting right mentally and getting in the zone. I wasn't thinking of anything (on the sideline), and once we got out of the field, my mind really went blank. Nothing was going through my head. They (Arizona State) iced me, so I did my thing where I go away from the team for a bit, go through my dry swings and then went out there and I really didn't see the kick go through, I just got swarmed by my guys. It's the best feeling in the world, it's the nice thing about being the kicker that you get the glory at the end of the game if you had a game winner, but it was really the offense that set that win up."
Bryce Treggs, Wide Receiver
On the game
"It was crazy in the locker room after a close game like that. You have to understand, we have been through so much. We've been 1-11, 3-9, we've struggled a lot. In the past, we never could get over the hump and win these close games. To put a drive together at the end of the game to find a way to win the game, it's a huge deal. It's a huge testament to our team."
On Jared Goff's performance
"Jared (Goff) is a baller. He threw for 540 yards, and it was really a gutsy performance. He's been beaten up a lot this year, but he always finds a way to fight and deliver throws in the pocket. I don't know if he's coming back next year, but if that's his last game in Memorial Stadium, he sure went out with a bang."
Stefan McClure, Cal defensive back
- This game defines this team. Down, we persevered, did what we needed to do to win. Offense, defense, special teams. Great to go out with a win.
- Lots of guys encouraging each other. After touchdown in the 3rd, we really believed we would win this game.
- 1st quarter, guys were complaining about cold and stuff, after that, we didn't allow any of that.
- Jared is as advertised, he played great, nice to see him bounce back and compete.