Arkansas/USC Postgame Quotes

Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt

“The turnovers really hurt us tonight. I think Robert (Johnson) executed beautifully the first series but that fumble really hurt us. We were put in bad situations tonight and had very bad field averages. Mitch (Mustain) did some good things tonight for his first time on the field.

“They (USC) have got some good weapons and good receivers. Their (running) backs are solid. They are young and you might know their name but they are good. When they get the ball on the 45 or 50, it makes things easy for them and hard on our defense. You’ve got to give them credit.

“From now on we will be focused. We’ve got some excellent seniors who played hard. We’ve got to grow up in a hurry. We’ve got 11 more games. It’s a long season a head of us. This game is over and we can’t do anything about it.

“Felix (Jones) is distraught. He had a tough game. Felix is not a fumbler. We are going to have to tell him: ‘We believe in Felix Jones.’

On Darren McFadden

“He started running full speed on Tuesday. He surprised me how quickly he recovered. We knew he wouldn’t be ready for his normal 25 or 30 carries but we got the ‘okay’ from his doctors and decided to take a chance. We knew he would be involved in the game and not have a chance to reinjure his toe.”

Robert Johnson

“We didn’t capitalize on the opportunities we had. We have to fix the little mistakes. You can’t give a team of that caliber extra opportunities.”

Darren McFadden

(Regarding his playing time) “I was just glad to be out there with my team.”

(Regarding his toe) “I was about at 85%.”

Jamaal Anderson

“We just have to go out there and work harder. This one game won’t direct our whole season. They just out executed us in the second half. I guess we lost focus after those turnovers.”

Marcus Monk

“I’m sure next week we’ll have a different game plan. We have to earn our respect. We have to bounce back, plain and simple. We really killed ourselves.”

USC head coach Pete Carroll

“This was a very difficult situation and a tough environment to play in. J.D. handled it beautifully. We were very aggressive all night. I am really proud of our team. J.D. got us off to a good start. Our receivers all made plays tonight and it was a heck of a first game. Now we can go home with a break and then get back in competition and get ready for Nebraska.

“Our defense did really well tonight. Arkansas tried lots of new things and we played hard. We were in a good position all night. We are on our way to a good thing. To get five turnovers and give up none, that’s how you want to play. That is our philosophy in action.

“I really respect Arkansas. They have good players and a good team. I hold them in high regards. It is really fun to come back here and to reconnect. It really makes you feel good to come back here and do well. This will always be a special place in my heart. It is a great program.”

USC Quarterback John David Booty

“Early on, I was playing too fast. In the second half, I was really able to slow down and get into a rhythm. We hurt ourselves early, but, we just came back and kept playing. Some people doubted us, but our offensive line and running backs did a fantastic job tonight.

(On his receivers) “It’s always good to have big targets. But, they’re not just big, they’re fast and can really catch.”

USC Wide Receiver Dwayne Jarrett

“We’ve been working so hard all summer, and we just came out here to do what we do.

(On not getting the ball early in the game) “You have to be patient. If you got out and try to make plays, and take advantage of your opportunities, then you’ll make your share of plays.”