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Spaulding Roundup: Ishmael Adams and Marcus Rios Speak, and Honoring David Quessenberry

UCLA wraps up the Cal game and starts work on Colorado.

By !x!
Thearon W. Henderson

The press conferences after practice today focused mainly on the UC Berkeley win.

Marcus Rios briefly spoke to the media about Saturday's game and his interception:

Video courtesy of Ryan Kartje of the OC Register.  If your room is dusty, beware. Your eyes may water.

  • He only watched the pick once but he saw it everywhere on the internet and found out he was #5 play on SportsCenter.  He got a lot of texts and voice mails after the game, and was happy about the support.
  • As for the game, UC Berkeley thought he was in press coverage, and UCLA was in man, so he had the option to stay on top, which he did. He felt that they were going to take a shot deep (or run a draw, but he had his man covered.)  When he saw the ball in the air he knew he had to get it to stop them from winning.
  • Coach Mora had never given out a game ball, and it meant a lot to him to get the first one ever.  He thanks teammates, staff and coaches for supporting him.
  • This is the healthiest he's ever been at UCLA, and his first real game experience.  He acknowledges that he made a lot of mistakes but he'll keep getting better.
  • When he was in the hospital, he specifically requested a room that overlooked Spaulding.  He would wake up at 6am so that he could watch practice, giving him motivation to get better and return to football.
  • He had about 12 family members at the game who left very happy.

Ishmael Adams spoke to the media:

Video Courtesy of Ryan Kartje at the OC Register.

Some of the things Adams had to say, amid the background noise of construction:

  • There were some places where the team missed putting points on the board but overall they played great as a team.  As Mora says, they believe in their technique and they're in the position to make the plays they need to play.
  • As for Marcus Rios' pick, he was very happy for him to make that play, and yes, it was a catch. He was happy that Marcus got the game ball. Adams then goes on to say that what Coach Mora said rings true - for all the struggles they go through as a team, he has been through the most and he kept pushing through the struggles and wanted to be out there with his teammates, and he respects him a lot for it.
  • He thought Jared Goff did a great job of extending plays, running with his eyes down the field and it makes it hard for the secondary to adjust.  It was fun playing against him.
  • He was annoyed by the squibbed kickoffs but he takes it as the ultimate sign of respect. He feels sooner or later one of his teammates will take one back.  He was happy when Mossi Johnson had a good return, along with Jayon Brown.  He laughed when he said Johnson was tackled by the kicker, the indignity.
  • He felt like the defense improved, and even in the short yardage fields they want to come out with the least amount of points possible. He felt there were at least two plays near the end of the game that he missed that would have gotten the team off the field faster but at the end of the day the W is the most important thing.
  • When asked about how it changes how he plays when the defensive line is getting pressure, he says that they cover to create sacks, no matter how long it takes.

Looking ahead to Saturday, UCLA and Colorado will honor David Quessenberry, Scott Quessenberry's older brother as he battles cancer:

In case you're wondering why those schools:

It just so works out that UCLA is playing Colorado, and Navy is playing SJSU this weekend.

Go Bruins.

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