California Head Coach Justin Wilcox
Opening Statement:
"First and foremost, we need to give USC a lot of credit. They're a very talented team, well coached, good schemes and they made good plays when it counted. So we give them a lot of credit. We were disappointed. We came into the game expecting to win and we just didn't make enough plays at the critical times. Our guys, they fought and played extremely hard, and we knew it would be a battle against a team like that, and it was. We were tight there until the fourth quarter and then there were a series of plays that we went from 16-13 down 3 getting the ball, and within a matter of minutes it was 30-13 and the end of the game. We have so much to learn from and so much room to grow. Everybody  in that locker room is disappointed, but we can't be discouraged. We have some really good guys who are doing good things. We just didn't do what it took today to get the win. So you have to give them credit, but we need to learn and grow from this. No one win or loss will define our season, so we will get back to work on Monday."

On The Turnovers:
"They all come up for different reasons, and we will see why on the tape. You can't turnover the ball six times and expect to beat a team like that, so it's not all on the quarterback. Everyone is involved in that. We need to do a better job on defense. If we turn the ball over on offense, it's an opportunity to make a stop, and we didn't do that enough. There are going to be a lot of plays, but obviously you can't turn the ball over six times against a team like that."
 
On No Moral Victories:
"Nobody in there came into the game hoping to keep it close. We came in there to play to win and we took that attitude going in and did some good things. We put together some really good drives on offense, did some good things in the return game on kickoff returns. Defensively, we were getting some stops and had some takeaways there, some fourth-down stops. We take plays like that. We just didn't make enough of them. There were some missed opportunities in every phase, offense, defense, special teams and some chances we had to make some plays and didn't make them. When you play a team like that, that's what you need to do to win."
 
On Bowers:
"It was a tough second half for him. Ross will bounce back. Ross is a tough guy. He plays with guts. He is going to have a lot to learn like a lot of the other players on the team. He'll learn from that and grow from it. I am not worried about Ross. Obviously, we have to clean up the mistakes, but Ross will be okay."
 
On The Defense:
"We had our opportunities to get off the field a couple times on third downs, but we didn't. We did some good things, made some plays, we just didn't make enough of them. Our tackling could've been better. When you're tackling really good athletes, it's different. You need to run at the ball, and you're probably not going to be a 100 percent on tackles against that team, even though you want to be. No matter what drills you do, they have really talented guys. We had some opportunities for some of those one-on-one finishes we didn't quite make. Every player in every phase has a lot to learn from the tape, and that's what we are going to do.
 

California Players
Ross Bowers, QB
On assessment of the game:
"I think we came out pretty good today, but we just can't turn the ball over. It's hard to win when you keep giving the other team the ball. We were trying to make too much happen and trying to manufacture something that wasn't there. We weren't executing and they were. A couple of the fumbles hit my arm and were tipped. The first interception was tipped. I have to get the ball out quicker and find ways to get it past them. Credit to them on making plays and they capitalized on our mistakes. We just have to be better in the future."
 
On what Cal can take away from game:
"This is going to be our motivation. When you're not wanting to work or you want to take a break, we're going to remember this one for a long, long time. This is going to be one that sticks with you. It's going to be hard to get over, but I'm going to use it as fuel to my fire. It hurts right now. I'm really disappointed in how I played, but I'm going to go back and watch the game. We'll figure out what we did well and what we did poorly."
 
Josh Drayden, CB
On his interception:
"On the play, I saw the USC quarterback look at Deontay Burnett; I think that was his favorite receiver. I pretty much knew the ball was coming my way. They tried to test my leverage and I turned around and saw it. I was like 'let's go get it.'"
 
On positive aspects of game:
"Coach Jerry (Azzinaro) always tells us that it's never as good as it seems and it's never as bad as it seems. We lost this game, we did. There's a lot of stuff we can correct to prepare for Oregon. At the same time, we did do some good things in the game and I think we can't just let that fact blow over our heads. We have to keep adding onto that."
 
Patrick Laird, RB
On Cal's expectations:
"I don't know if there is any good team that doesn't have high expectations for itself. I would never go into a season, game or practice thinking, 'I hope we only lose by 20' or something like that. We're confident in ourselves. We don't really care whether people think we're going to win or lose. We go into each game expecting to win."
 
Raymond Davison III, ILB
On Cal's feelings after game:
"There's disappointment right now. We can't hang our heads, but we know that was a game we let slip through the cracks. When it boils down to it, we didn't make enough plays. We need to look at the film, correct the mistakes and prepare for next week."

USC Head Coach Clay Helton
General Comments:
"Going on the road in the Pac-12 and getting victories is always hard. I'm very proud of our football team for being 1-0 on the week and 4-0 on the season. Tremendous defensive effort, especially in the second half. To have 17 points created off of six turnovers and to hold them – an offense that can put up points in the second to half – to only scoring on that last drive in the second half, credit our defense and the effort by them."

"I really thought we did a good job in mixing up coverages, using some coverages that we hadn't done before. We really challenged our defensive line to get home with three-and-four-man rushes, and I thought they did a fantastic job."

"Offensively, we struggled in the first half. I thought we didn't make the most of our opportunities once we crossed the 50. We had two turnovers that slowed us down and missed a fourth-and-one that could have separated us. In the second half, the run game and Sam Darnold taking what the defense gave him, and really being poised, helped us continue our run of being a good football team in the second half this season."

On Cal's Improvement This Season:
"Very impressed. The thing that just jumps off the page – I told Coach Wilcox before the game and it held true during the game – is their effort and the way they play. They are really becoming a physically tough football team. I thought the way they ran the ball was impressive today. You can see that team is developing an identity. Credit to Coach Wilcox and his staff. He's got his kids playing extremely hard and it made a major challenge for us."

On Struggles In The First Half:
"We've had some good starts, but credit the other team too, they have good players. We hope that when you get into these games you can look up and can be a good second-half team. It's 13-13 at halftime in a Pac-12 Conference game, you're trying to go 2-0. Credit our kids, they came in at halftime, took a deep breath, made some changes and really elevated the whole level of play in the second half."

USC Players
Sam Darnold, QB
Thoughts on the offense:
"There was such a relentless pursuit by the d-line, linebackers and DBs that rushed when it was a pass play. I felt a little bit of pressure, but I think it's mostly our fault for not connecting on some of the deep balls and some of those opportunities. We need to take advantage of those when they come our way."
 
On the start of the season and playing in close games the last few weeks:
"They've been a rough two games, but we are 2-0 in that stretch, so that's really all that matters to me and I know that's all that matters to the team. We are going to look at the film, look at the mistakes we made and correct those and move on from here. I think we can only get better as an offense. We are just going to continue to practice, watch the film and get better from here."
 
On interceptions this season:
"It's a hundred percent my fault, first of all. I'm not getting the ball out far enough on deep routes or whether it's balls being tipped, not seeing the d-linemen and him getting a big paw on the ball to tip it in the air. I'm going to continue to just play, that's all I can do but, obviously, be more consistent for my team and continue to take what the defense gives me".
 
Jack Jones, CB
How the D-line getting pressure helps the secondary:
"It helps us out a lot. With the d-line getting in there and putting pressure on the quarterback, it rushes the quarterback and gives us an opportunity to make a play on the ball".