On weather this weekend
“It’s probably sunny and 85 out there in LA. We ignore it. It’s the way this program has been since the day I got here. It’s nice to get out there on those grass fields, I know that. When I got here a year ago those things were not very good and it was tough to go out there and practice with that surface. We don’t have that excuse. The surface is good. The practice conditions are good. Football is meant to be played out there.”

On Dylan Raiola leaving the tough stuff behind
“He has done a good job of just playing the next play. He was so excited when we got the ball back. I was with him on the sideline and it was tough because they had momentum and they tied it 21-21 and we just went out there and gave them the ball right back. That’s a tough moment. Coach Rhule talks about complimentary football all the time. We got two turnovers and 14 points off those turnovers. We gave them the ball twice and they got 0 points off turnovers. That’s how you measure complementary football and when Javin (Wright) got the ball back off that pick Dylan (Raiola) put his helmet on and just sprinted out there. He was just so excited that the defense got him the ball back and he had the confidence and the poise to put together probably his best drive that I’ve seen. We converted on four third downs and he made some great plays. Then the final play was a run pass option and then Emmett (Johnson) ran hard for four yards to get us that touchdown. To answer your question, I saw excitement after he got the ball back. He was very thankful that the defense did that for him.”

On what stands out about USC
“They have unbelievable athletes. They do a great job. I have known Lincoln (Riley) for a long time and I know those defensive guys as well. They are very well coached, they have four or five star guys out there. Every one of their D linemen is 6’5”, 275lbs; I’ve never seen that before. They have one big one in there, but they’re big up front. Their linebackers are active and their secondary does a good job so it’s gonna be a huge challenge.”