Nov. 4, 2000

Recap| Box Score

Head Coach Mike Price, Washington State
On Matt Kegel "I thought he played great. Luckily, he got to take half the reps in practice this week. That was great. As it turned out, he needed it. He was right on top of the offense. It's not very easy to do that when you haven't played a lot. He was cool, he was energized. I was pleased with the way he competed. He wasn't nervous. He had his wits about him pretty good."

On Dave Minnich
"He is a soldier. He is a tough guy. He ran and slashed. He broke tackles. It helps when you can run the ball like that."

The Overtime Period
"We made some mistakes. It wasn't just the kick. The holding call, geez. That was an error on our part. We had too many guys in the huddle. As soon as you come in, another guys has to leave. I guess he got mixed up. They got a good push up the middle. It was so fast, I didn't see it. I didn't even look at the replay. That was the only holding call we had all game. It was a dive."

Special Teams Coverage
"I didn't like the special teams coverage. I didn't like the punt coverage. We had some guys hurt. We are going to see who is not making those plays for us and see if we can get some guys that can make the play."

Fourth Downs
"I felt confident. I feel confident with Kegel on the quarterback sneak. He can run. He is a strong kid. We are lucky that we have Matt Kegel. He is a top-notch quarterback."

Gesser's Leg
"He has a broken leg. He is obviously just crushed. I didn't see it and I don't know how it happened. It will be six to eight weeks and he should be fine. This is just tragic for this kid. He worked so hard and it means so much to him and then not to be able to finish the season will be very disappointing. But he will be right there coaching the heck out of Matt."

Overcoming the loss to Oregon
"I am real proud of this team. They have great character and great integrity. They are a disciplined group of kids. We haven't had any problems. We didn't play very well at Oregon. For them to come back and play like this against the seventh-ranked team in the country was an excellent effort."

Oregon's Big Plays
"That's why they are ranked, because they can make plays, and they definitely did. They made plays all game long. They are a good team and they are well coached. They made plays when they had to."

On Joey Harrington
"He is a damn good quarterback. That guy is a player. Today was not one of his better games because we really kept him off balance."

Head Coach Mike Bellotti, Oregon

Yet another gutsy win by this team.
"I don't have a lot to say. We didn't play very well offensively. I have to give credit to Washington State, both their offense and defense. They made some big plays. I thought we played good defense and a lot of times we were right there in a position to defend the ball and their kids went up and made big plays. Kegel came in and did a great job for them, too. Our kids are not to be denied. They found a way, whether it was offense, defense or special teams. I knew if we could to the fourth quarter close, that wind was quite a factor in this game. Obviously it was very good that we had it (wind) in the fourth quarter."

Kicker Josh Frankel
"Those were big, pressure-packed kicks. He hit them tight down the heart. I'm very proud for him. I think it's sort of divine retribution for him to get a chance like that, and he took full advantage of it."

Team falls behind and needs a "punch in the mouth" to respond "I may need to start doing that (punch) in the locker room sometimes. We're obviously better at this point coming from behind. We play better with a sense of urgency, but I have got to get us to start with a sense of urgency. Every game is tough, I've said that before. With the parity in the conference, whether you're at home or on the road, you've got to play well. You've got to play hard and execute, otherwise there's too much talent or too good of coaching (to win)."

Final play of the game (Jed Boice blocks the kick)
"There's no question (that was a big play). I don't know where it (the kick) was going, but I'm certainly glad that Jed got it. We were talking about a block, and Jed has become a force this year. He's able to penetrate because he's using his size and strength and speed effectively. That was obviously a huge play."

Consecutive overtime games. What did you tell the team after the game? "I told them they're making me an old man before my time. I told them I'll take it anyway we can get it. I'll take a one-point victory, overtime or not. I'd just like to get it done a little earlier for our fans sake. But we found a way to win. We never thought we were out of it. "

Injuries
"Sonny Cook (82, WR) tore his ACL and is lost for the season. I don't think there are any other serious injuries at this point. Losing Sonny is a huge blow to our special teams. He's a great player and has been battling a hamstring injury all year, so it's really unfortunate for him. He's a great young man."

Morris out, Amundson did a nice job
"Allan did a very nice job. We had talked earlier in the week about needing to play them both. One to rest Maurice (injured ribs). Two because Allan is playing so well."

Harrington (QB)
"He did a nice job. He was not real sharp today. He was not very accurate until it counted in the fourth quarter, and obviously he came up with some big plays. We did not have a consistent running game today. The elements weren't great for throwing the ball, but their kids did a great job. We just need to be better."

Matt Kegel, WSU QB
"He did a great job. He has a high release point and a stronger arm, I think, than Gesser. He did a great job. I talked to him after the game, and congratulated him. He didn't play like a backup quarterback. They didn't drop off (talent-wise) at all."

Nike CEO Phil Knight in Oregon locker room?
"It's obviously great for our program. Phil lends a presence that gives us national recognition and it's nice to have him back. Whether he pledges money or not, it's nice that he can indulge his passion and be around our players."