Quotes: Erickson rebounds from UCLA, ready for WSU

ON WHAT STOOD OUT FROM THE UCLA FILM:
“There were times that we played pretty well. We moved the football. I thought running the football, it was the best we ran it all year. I thought Cameron (Marshall) had an extremely good football game. I think he’s playing like we hoped he would. He’s finally starting to get healthy. Overall, as a team, we just didn’t play very well. We had our opportunities. I think the game gets down to what it always does: making plays. We did not make plays when we had to. We had some opportunities, offensively, which I said after the game. We went ahead by five points, and then missed that field goal. We had a chance to really put that football game away on offense and we just didn’t do it. Obviously, on defense we gave up some big plays that were costly and they made plays. In situations like that, you lose. We didn’t turn it over and they turned it over twice. You should win games like that. We just didn’t make plays like we have all year, in particular offensively. We haven’t given up big plays on defense either and we gave up one with a couple passes and one with a run. It was a disappointing loss for us, very gut-wrenching for all of us involved. Now you just put it behind you and get ready for Washington State. We feel like if we do what we have to do, then we have a chance. We don’t control anything now. We went from controlling to just control. We have to control what we do. We have to control what we do in Pullman on Saturday and worry about each week. I thought for special teams, obviously the field goal situation was not very good. I thought (Josh) Hubner punted it pretty well.  Jamal (Miles) almost broke one. I give UCLA credit. They came out, which we knew they were going to, at their place in that situation, and won the game. We just have to rebound, that’s about where we’re at right now.”

ON UCLA’S BIG RUSH AND PASS ON THEIR LAST DRIVE:
“We just missed a couple tackles on the run. It’s what I’m talking about with making plays. We had the right call on defense; we just missed two tackles. On the long pass, we just got way on top of the receiver and they back-shouldered him. I’m sure if we had to do it over again we’d be in something different, but we weren’t. It’s like I said, their receiver and their call and what they did on that thing, it was a back shoulder. Whatever it was, third-and-29, you have to play that route, and we didn’t play that route. They made a great throw and a great catch. “

ON SAVING A TIMEOUT FOR OFFENSE ON THEIR LAST DRIVE:
“Well, I was (saving the timeout) to start out with. It kind of happened fast on me, but that’s my job. We wasted about 25 seconds. I wasted 25 seconds. It’s all on me and not anybody else. When they got the first down on the six, and then they lined up, I was going to save a timeout originally on the first one. Then I called two timeouts. I had trouble getting to the official, and that’s not anybody’s fault but mine. As I went through the tape yesterday I looked at it a number of times. I cost us 25 seconds basically by not doing what I’m supposed to do. I talked to my players about being accountable on every play, and in that particular case I wasn’t accountable, and that’s my fault.”

ON FAITH IN Alex Garoutte:
“Obviously, he’s kicked pretty well up until that game. He has to get that straight. It’s not like you can go into the magic wand and say ‘Start kicking good’. As you look at kickers all over the country, unfortunately, in college and even the NFL some, they’re kids. They miss them. They just miss them. I think it becomes a confidence factor. I spent some time with him yesterday; he doesn’t miss them on purpose. But, again, he has to go out and work with the holder and the snapper and just have to get back into the groove. It’s just like everyone on our football team; we have to go out and do what we have to do beat Washington State and carry on the season like we have early.”

ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE:
“That’s as good as our offensive line has played run blocking. Cameron (Marshall) had some great runs but he had a lot of holes to run into, too. If we can continue to do that in the next three football games, it can continue to help us. Having him healthy really makes a difference.”

ON ADVICE TO Alex Garoutte:
“The basic thing that we talked about was, he’s been kicking good. What were you doing when you were kicking good? What were you doing wrong? Like one, he stubbed just before the half. To me, it’s just about getting back and hitting the ball solid. He’ll do that. There’s nobody that feels as bad as he does.”

ON FUTURE IMPLICATIONS BECAUSE OF MISSED FIELD GOALS:
“It depends on where we’re at on the field. Still, those are always game-time situations. I talked to him about where they think they can kick it from when they’re warming up and that kind of stuff. We’ll just see how he does this week and go from there.”

ON WASHINGTON STATE DEFENSE:
“They’re very similar to what they were last year. They’ll play a lot of four-down, and then they’ll play some three-down. Paul (Wulff) has done a nice job there from where that was when he got there, talent-wise to where it’s at now. Their secondary is awfully good. They’ll blitz you some. They played a lot of good football games. Offensively, they’re extremely talented - particularly at the skilled areas. Marquess Wilson might be as good as a receiver as there is in the league. They score points. They’ve had a lot of opportunities this year. Obviously, I know a lot about Pullman having been up in that area, and we have our hands full. We have to go up there and be ready to play. “

ON ANY ADDED EMPHASIS ON BEATING WASHINGTON STATE:
“I think a lot of those times (6-2 record against them) they weren’t as a good as they are now to be honest with you. Now is a different deal. Every game I put the same amount of emphasis.”

ON POSSIBLILIY OF IMCLIMATE WEATHER CONDITIONS:
“We do what we do. We’ve played in bad weather before. They have to play in the same weather. It’s like the heat. Everyone says that we get home field advantage playing in 120 degrees, but I’m afraid not. We get as hot as the teams that come in here. You still have to execute. One thing about weather is unless it’s just a downpour, then it doesn’t affect the play as much as people think.”

ON REBOUNDING FROM THE LOSS:
“Well, their back is pretty much against the wall. It’s about pride, it’s about our program and it’s about our seniors on our football team. We have good leadership on our football team—we’ve shown that all year. That was an important game and we lost it. In saying that, there’s a lot of football left and our guys know that. They’re very competitive and they’ll come back and do what they have to in order to compete.”

On STOPPING THE RUN:
“We’ve got to tackle better. To me, that’s probably – fundamentally - the biggest thing that you can correct. There were times where we weren’t in the correct gaps against run teams. If people aren’t in the correct gaps then they break runs off, so probably those two things more than anything. “