Quoting Head Coach Ron Zook...

Opening Statement
"I said last week that as a football team we had to make a lot of improvements. I think we did. Obviously, we have to make some more improvements this week. Last night's practice was very good; the players were into it. They are excited to have the opportunity to play a good opponent. As a coaching staff, we've talked about the fact that it's going to give us the opportunity to see where we're at. We keep on saying that every week, but every week there are tests involved. This is the next test to prepare us for the Big Ten Conference."

...on the health of the team:
"Health-wise, we are probably going to be good as you can be. Anthony Thornhill's ankle kept him from practicing last night. He ran and did everything, so he should be ready to go on Saturday.

"Steve Weatherford punted at the beginning of practice. He was fine; he didn't show any signs of his ankle injury from Saturday.

"Kendrick Jones was in a boot yesterday, but he's hoping he can go on Saturday. It's sore and stiff. It'll just take time, but we feel pretty good about him. On the good side, Derrick McPhearson was out there running around. He went through the entire practice, and he feels pretty good. We'll do the same thing with him this afternoon and just get him to a speed he can handle.

"Justin Harrison ran last night at the pool and some on the field this morning. He felt great this morning. The thing with Justin is that we have to be smart and make sure that we don't push him too fast. We have to make sure he feels great and that there is no pain. With the opponent we have coming up this week, it's important that we keep raising the bar in practice. This whole week we'll have great practices and get to know our opponent as much as we possibly can."

...on changing the mindset of his players:
"We feel like we have made some strides. In the spring and summer, one of the concerns I had was changing the mindset. We always talk about how winning is a habit, but unfortunately, so is losing. It takes 21 days to make a habit. How do you continually press and force and push them to believe? We've put ourselves in some situations in the last two games that you don't necessarily want to be in, but they hung in there. I have to believe that some of it is getting through. I don't think we are anywhere close to where we have to be yet, but once gain, the more positive things that can have happen after adversity, the more that is going to help with our attitude."

...on California:
"If you watch them, they are very talented. Their offensive line and running backs are good. They have a stable full of running backs. I remember watching their bowl game when I first got this job and thinking, `Holy smokes, I can see why these guys are upset about not playing in the BCS.' They were supposed to lose 26 guys, but it looks like they've reloaded. Their offensive line is huge. They lost receivers, but they have a receiver who has already had 11 catches in one game. They are going to be the best receivers we've seen to date. Their quarterback--we didn't recruit him. but we know of him. He's a very talented young man out of junior college. Evidently he has come in, and losing their starter didn't have a big effect on them. They play extremely well. They play with great effort, and I think that is one of the reasons why they have had so much success."

...on Jason Reda:
"Our special teams player of the game was Jason Reda. Not only was he 4-for-4, but he kicked off extremely well. I think you can just see it in his face that he has become more confident. He just has to keep on doing what he is doing. I feel really good about him."

...on field goals:
"There are just so many things happening during a field goal. The snap has to be right on. The hold has to be at the right spot. The ball has to be spun. The kick has to go through. Kicking is truly about the whole team. The protection has to be there. The one thing I've told Jason is, `you can kick. No one is going to beat you up. You are the guy and we'd love for you to make 100 percent of them. I'll probably put you in some situations that are going to be hard, some long field goals.'"

"It didn't take long for me to realize that he has a leg. Sometimes knowing that people have confidence in you, it's a lot easier. He just needed the experience. In the first game, I told him that we are going to win this game regardless. If you make the kick great, if not, don't worry about it. He goes back and looks at the kick and if he would have kicked it like he has all the other kicks, it would have gone, too. There is no question about his strength. He just needs to kick it through rather than aim it through. It's a part of being young. Some players think that the kicker isn't a player. They may only get one play, but in that one play, there is a lot to lean on."

...On making progress from the second to third game:
"I think we did make a lot of progress from the first game to the second game, as we should have. On the same token, I think this football team is going to be a work-in-progress, week after week. I told them last night that we are going to have to make just as much progress this week as we did the first week. That is going to come from preparation, work, and getting confidence in the system. We went through 15 practices in the spring and all the other practices we've been through, somehow it's still a little bit new. Football is a reaction game, and if you have to think, that is a fraction of a second. Hopefully we are going to improve that way as well."

...on the offensive line:
"This week's game will be a great test for our offense and offensive lines. This defense chases the ball very well. If you cut the defensive line, they get up right away and chase the ball. I don't think that there is any question that our offensive line has to continue to improve."

...on creating turnovers against California:
"When you are looking at tape throughout the week, you are always looking for ways to get extra possessions. We stress more turnovers. The interception last week was executed exactly how it was drawn up. Good things happen when you create turnovers. We can't turn the ball over. We have to play a lot better on special teams. Those two plays can lose you a football game. We have to continue to improve in that."

...on their first away game:
"I'm looking forward to it. It will be our first trip, but we'll keep everything the same. I've been fortunate enough in the past to have success on the road. I like to keep things as much the same as possible. The more you can keep it thee same, the better off you are."

...on Remond Willis:
"I think Remond has a chance to be a very special player. Remember, when Remond was recruited, it wasn't positive if he was going to be a running back or a linebacker. He was hurt at camp last year and was red-shirted. I remember telling him in the spring when I saw him run, that 'you're going to be a linebacker here if you like it or not, and it won't be easy. We are going to demand you to play how you can play.' There have been a few practices that he has been upset with me."

...on how impressed he is with his players:
"What has impressed me the most is how these guys have tried to buy into what we have asked them to do. They are beginning to believe. You can feel it, you can see it. 'Coach' Guenther and I were talking about the first game. If you go back and see what Tim Brasic went through in the first two series, for him to come back like he did...you have to have some grit about you. As a football team, we screwed up those first two series offensively and defensively and on special teams during the game on Saturday. Yet we were able to hang in there. We can't let that happen. We have to go out there, even if we have to scrimmage in the locker room before the game (to get off to a good start), we have to do that. You also have to gain confidence in the fact that they were able to maintain poise. They were able to fight through the `Oh my gosh, here we go again,' and making sure that doesn't happen."

OT JJ Simmons

Quoting OL JJ Simmons...

...on what has impressed him about Cal:
"They are a well-coached team. They get off the ball really well, and they use technique really well. The defensive line works hard. I compare them to Rutgers' Ryan Neill--they never quit. They keep going and have great technique, coming out with their hands. The linebackers run well and have good blitzes. They are a pretty good team. They come out low and they are aggressive. They like to get in the backfield and penetrate. It will be a great test for us."

...on the possibility of going 3-0:
"(Going) 3-and-0 would be great. I haven't experienced a winning streak since I was in high school."

...on sensing more believers in the football program:
"It's hard after the past two years to have people jumping on our bandwagon after just two wins. I'll give them credit; I wouldn't jump on a bandwagon after just two wins, either. Three-and-0...and maybe people will start believing. All that really maters is the guys in the (locker) room, that's all I'm worried about."

...on the team benefits of a long trip together:
"I thought for us our trip to UCLA (in 2003) was a good thing. People had a good mindset when they got off the plane. It was a good relaxed feeling when we got out there. The weather was nice, and you don't have to worry about humidity, which is great for an offensive lineman."

...on the rough start of the first series of the season:
"Man, it was ugly. The first series against Rutgers and San Jose State. We needed to play a quarter before we got out there in a scrimmage or something. Maybe guys had first-game jitters, I don't know what it was, but we need to correct it before we get out to Cal, because a good team like that will jump on it and take even more advantage of it than San Jose State did."

...on where the offensive line has improved:
"I think our communication has improved. As the game goes on, guys are starting to get a better feel of the game and the situations. In our second year now, Martin (O'Donnell) and I have a better feel and we're getting after people a little more. Basically the communication between the players has really improved a lot, even since our scrimmages."

...on Cal head coach Jeff Tedford turning a 1-10 program into a 7-5 team in his first year:
"I remember when they came into our place and beat us in that close game. You could see them go up and us go down. You can definitely see a program like that get better, and it helps us knowing that we can do it, too. If they can do it, we can do it. "

...on the shotgun posing trouble for the younger guys:
"A year under your belt is so big in this game with the experience, but those guys are getting better each week. Just like me and Martin, we started clicking as the weeks went by last year. I'm anxious to see how those guys play against Cal."

WR DaJuan Warren

Quoting WR DaJuan Warren...

...on what beating California would mean for the team:
"It would feel great. This is the fist time we've been 2-0 since I've been here, so 3-0 would be excellent. That would boost our confidence a lot. To beat a ranked team and go 3-0 to start the Big Ten would be excellent for our program."

...on his impressions of the Cal secondary:
"(They have) so much speed. They probably have the most speed we've seen so far. They're physical guys, they play a lot of man, a lot of zone with a lot of zone blitzes. They're a good team."

...on his passing abilities:
"Coach (Zook) was cracking jokes on me the other day, saying I was 0-for-2 in my career. If they call my number again, I'm going to do it. Coach Dawson recruited me in high school, so he told Coach (Zook) I could throw the ball a little bit. We ran it in practice and it went well because the scout team gave us the look we wanted. In the game I made a bad read, but I was glad we got bailed out with the pass interference call."

...on the transition to a no-huddle offense:
"At first it was hard to go from huddling up to the no-huddle offense. But now it's pretty easy and like second nature. We had a few penalties from the snap count the last two weeks, but we're going to get that corrected this week."

...on Melvin Bryant's role:
"He blocks well, catches the ball well. The first game he didn't have many catches, but last game he showed everybody what he can do. He can flex out like a receiver, he can stay in tight and block. There's no limit to what Melvin Bryant can do."