STANFORD QUOTES
Head Coach Tyrone Willingham
(On the emotional swing from last weekend to this weekend)One is elation, the other is despair.
(On passing in first half)It was just trying out different things to find out the things that were working well. We were not trying to go to or away DeRonnie Pitts.
(On is it worse to lose this way)It never feels good to lose.
(On the rainy weather)We try to execute our game plan. The weather impacts our execution, but for the most part we stayed with our game plan.
(On emotion from onsides kicks and last score)It was the ultimate emotion when we got the final touchdown. At that point, we felt we had some control over what was taking place. There was no true emotion when we got the onsides kick because you still don't have control at that point.
(On Washington's final drive)Usually, it's a combination of things. They blocked well enough to get some extra time for their quarterback to pass.
(On penalties)Penalties always play a part. When you give them another chance, it definitely effects you. Three points could be the difference in the game.
(On Randy Fasani)Randy continues to play with great heart and courage as did our whole football team. When you do that, it gives us the chance to win.
(On lack of passing in first half)It wasn't our intent, it was more just the way the game was being played. We tried some things and our running game was in good shape.
(On going for the TD on Stanford's final drive instead of running out clock)We wanted to get into the end zone. We thought it was the best way to win the ball game. That's what you play for, not for the tie.
Quarterback Randy Fasani
(On thoughts after scoring TD)I thought we won the game. I couldn't believe they made a comeback. I thought it was the end of the game. They just had a great comeback just like we did. We let this one out of our grasp. It was a chance to beat the No. 9 team in the country and we won't forget it.
(On DeRonnie Pitts)I can honestly say DeRonnie is the best receiver in the Pac-10. He is probably the most underrated receiver in the country.
(On Stanford's comeback)I guess it was the greatest comeback we've had. I was disappointed in my play in the first half, but I knew I had to keep my head up. We just got our chances. It seemed like we were given the game basically.
(On emotion after Washington scored)It was devastating. I can't really explain it. I just sat there and watched and couldn't believe that they drove down the field and scored in three plays. I still can't believe it.
Wide Receiver DeRonnie Pitts
(On thoughts after Stanford went ahead)We knew the game still wasn't over at that time. It did kind of hurt to see it get away from us. They just didn't quit.
(On losing this way)Emotionally, it's a little trying, but a loss is a loss. This loss is the same as any other loss. You're still in the same place in the standings. It's still the same. I don't think this loss is worse, it's just any time you lose a game. We just want to get a 12th game. Now it's do-or-die because we just lost our margin of error.
(On lack of passing in first half)We weren't struggling, we just weren't passing. We only had four attempts. But when we get in the red zone, we have to score touchdowns. That's our goal.
WASHINGTON QUOTES
Head Coach Rick Neuheisel
Obviously, it was a tremendous football game, and our hats are off to Stanford for that rally they put forth. I know they're sick that it fell short. But, all that pales when you're dealing with a young man to whom you've come close with, who does everything you ask him to do, who you see making progress not only with his football, but with his life - to see him sustain a very serious injury, it becomes very difficult to celebrate the type win we were just able to achieve.
Our team is very, very much thinking of Curtis (Williams), very much looking forward to getting over to the hospital to say a prayer if nothing else, to offer our encouragement to his recovery.
If there's a tougher guy on our team, I don't know him. If there's a guy who can get through this, it is Curtis Williams.
Thankful, obviously, that we were able to win the game, but it's secondary at this point. I am very proud of our team, about their resolve, their character, their ability to find ways when other teams might not.
We are very fortunate to have Curtis in a situation where some of the finest doctors in our country are dealing with him, so we're hopeful we're going to get some good news.
(On rally) We were trying to maintain some time. We knew when Fasani scrambled down inside the ten (yard line), they were knocking on the door, so we took a timeout to try to save some time. It was just an excellent job by the offense. I am very proud of Marques Tuiasosopo and the entire offense for a big-time drive that gave us the win. Marques made three perfect throws.
(On Tuiasosopo's scrambling ability) Any time you have a QB who can run the ball, the defense has to play honestly. Marques' legs were a big factor on the last play.
(On what he said to team following Williams' injury) When you're dealing with the prospect of a catastrophic injury, it's a frightening thing. We got the kids together, said a prayer for Curtis, and tried to play as hard as we could. Obviously, any time that happens, its difficult to maintain the same focus you've had up to that time.
(On team's character) Mental toughness has never been a question with this team. We may not always block the people we're supposed to block, we may not always catch interceptions when we should have them, but what we do is we find something in the bottom of our guts to keep trying, and when you do that, good things are going to happen.
Wide receiver Todd Elstrom
Marques (Tuiasosopo) played unbelievable today, and that last drive just showed how he played the whole day. All the credit goes to Marques and the O-line, who did a wonderful job the whole game. Our two-minute offense is second to none, I believe.
We had a plan to try to hit some deep balls. We've been hearing all this stuff about not going deep and not having big play receivers, and we're kind of tired of it. We kind of wanted to silence our critics. I think we did a great job today, and hopefully we'll have a nice carryover to Arizona next week.
Quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo
Right now, our thoughts are with Curtis. You'd think that after a game like that, we'd be happy and upbeat. We're happy, but our thoughts are with our teammate and warrior Curtis Williams.
(After the Williams injury) Very emotional time, and it should have been. Curtis is a kid who, if you were to look up "Husky" in the dictionary, Curtis would be there - hard working, overcome adversity. At the same time, we still had a fourth quartrer and two minutes in the third. I just tried to rally the troops and say keep your composure, because Curtis would want us to do that - if that was someone else, Curtis would work his butt off to win for that guy.
(On last drive) The clock was winding down, so you have to go down fighting, whether you pull off a win or not. I have to give credit to the receivers and the line - I had great protection, and the receivers stepped up and made the catches. I can't say enough about those guys - they just perservere and play the game they love to play.