Stanford 14, Notre Dame 45
Q. How does it feel to get the win?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, really good, especially just because I wasn't happy with how I performed, just the ups and downs of it all. I just got to keep going. It's all part of the process.
We're going to keep getting better. It feels really good to go home having a win. Ultimately that's the goal, is to win the game, and so I'm really happy we were able to pull it out. I thought the guys battled. The defense played awesome. Held them to not doing much on offense.
I thought they did an awesome job. I thought the guys up front battled and all the way to the very end. It's awesome to be able to learn from a win.
Q. How much of your ups and downs do you attribute to being out for the month versus just having an up and down day?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, I don't blame anything on that. I expect myself to, no matter -- I mean, you could say the same thing, hey, you had the whole off-season. It was the first game of the year. There is no excuses. You got to be able to come out and play well.
I've had this whole time to watch and learn from everybody else. I thought I had my best week of practice, and now I just got to put it to the field and just get better and understand it's part of the process and just have that chip on my shoulder.
Q. There were a couple plays today early on those first few drives you guys had where it looked like guys were open short, like within five, six yards, maybe at the line of scrimmage, and you put a fast ball on them that either sailed over their head, was too wide, really quick. From the vantage point it's like just don't throw it as hard. But when you're in the game, what do you have to tell yourself to take maybe a little bit off some of those?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, my mentality is to rip the ball, and that's why. I'm not playing timid, and that's why some of those are coming in fast. I'm telling myself to rip it, play free, and let it go.
I got to adjust. And I will. I'm going to work on that with those guys. But that's why some came in like that, because I'm trying to play fast.
Q. What happened on the play where it looked like you might have tweaked your knee.
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, and that was something I knew coming in. I think it happened earlier in the game as well when I ran the keeper and threw it away. It's going to do that sometimes. It's not fully healed, and we understand that. But I feel good to play and that's why I'm playing.
I understand that sometimes it's going to shift and stretch it a little bit, but there is no damage that can come from that. You just got to walk it off and move on. I still got to throw that ball away. I kind of just let it affect me right there and I got to just find a way to get that ball out of my hands.
Q. You mean you should have thrown it away sooner?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, I didn't mind extending it to when I did, but I tweaked the knee and my body just shutdown and I kind of just forgot about everything that was going on right there because of it.
I knew that happens sometimes, so I just got to throw the ball away.
Q. Did you think you might have to come out of the game?
ZACH WILSON: No.
Q. What did you see from the interception? You decided to flip it, and...
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, I knew it was third and long. We had slant at the top. Corner did a good job just holding onto Keelan the seas kind of just parted, I stepped up, and I figured rather than me going and running and getting blasted by somebody or trying to slide, just flip it to my checkdown in front of me.
Just one of those unfortunate things I think. Maybe I have got to him sooner, but Ty was just turning around to try and block for me at that point. I just it's one of those things just unlucky sometimes.
Q. Talk about the second drive in the second half when you came in and hit Elijah on the 22 and 16 yards, and just how it seemed to get the momentum going.
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, I mean, those big plays, I told the coaches on the sideline, I'm like even though things are rough, keep calling it. I'm going to get into that rhythm, that flow. You got to be able to just hit that reset button and on to the next play. That was a challenge for tonight, is how can I keep going and keep pushing through.
We got some good plays there, and Elijah made some great catches, but we got to get that going from the beginning. I got to get those going. These guys have showed they can do it, and so it's me. I got to hold myself accountable for the way I start and get those guys going from the beginning.
Q. From your perspective seems like when you're in rhythm, you're seeing it, trusting it, you let it rip, you're very efficient. There are times when you're a little bit hesitant, and that can lead to some issues. What do you think leads to some hesitation that pops up for you?
ZACH WILSON: Just not trusting what I'm seeing at times. I think I got to understand it's part of the process and I'm going to keep getting better every week. I'm just as frustrated myself as to why I'm not just letting it and playing efficiently like I have my whole entire life.
So I just got to tell myself it's part of the process, get back to work, and keep getting better. Just understand there is a lot of work to do.
Q. Did the knee bother you at all the two times you said you kind of tweaked it? Were you conscious of the knee today?
ZACH WILSON: No, not at all. The reason is because I knew in practice it's not fully stable and that's going to happen sometimes. There wasn't any risk of reinjury by doing that stuff, so in my head I was just like, Walk it off. Just felt a little bit weak at the time and I knew within just a couple of minutes it was going to feel perfectly fine.
That's kind of what I told the guys, I'm good. Once I go back on the field I don't even think about it. I knew it was just one of those things I have to deal with.
Q. On the fourth and five play obviously they put the ball back in your hands and you were able to deliver. What did that mean for you to put the ball in your own fourth and five and execute and get the job done?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, I thought it was really cool decision by the coaches. I think it means a lot. Even when things aren't going well they got to understand that I'm learning and I'm going to hit the reset button every single play as far as having that trust in me, that I'm going to make the right decisions, even when things haven't gone exactly how I wanted them to.
So I thought that was a good growth experience for everybody right there going forward.
Q. How was the operation today with -- this was the first time with you with Mike upstairs. No Cavenaugh. Just how did it go on the sideline today?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, really smooth. I enjoy working with Rob on the sideline. I think it's just an efficient. I think Mike probably enjoys being up there more, and so the only issues we had today was just sometimes the headset and helmet cutting in and out which made it difficult to hear the play calls.
We tried to figure that out on the sideline. For whatever reason it was a little bit sputtery in and out as far as just hearing him clearly. I'm not sure what the difficulties were, just made it tough to get lined up correctly sometimes, hearing the right play calls, but it's something we got to figure out.
Q. How much did you communicate with Mike during the game?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, really it's just -- it all gets -- it's the same voice passing through, whether it's Rob telling me he's communicating with Mike, what they're seeing, what he's thinking. My direct contact of talking with Mike is just in the headset as the game is going.
You know, so as far as what I'm hearing from all those guys, it's the same message.
Q. You already admitted you didn't play up to your standards. What did it mean to have the run game, rush for 157 yards?
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, it's huge. You saw how it opened everything else up in the play pass and getting guys to step up. So it was awesome that those guys were able to come through. Backs were running their butt off. It's nice when you can have that balanced football that helps each other on both sides.
We got to do our part and I got to do my part to help that even more.
Q. Guy like Austin Walter, he's on the practice squad, gets a shot, couple key plays.
ZACH WILSON: Yeah, just an awesome dude. Just does things the right way, and I've known this since he's come on campus as far as his mindset, the way he approaches the game. You know, he had as amazing camp I thought.
Ended up letting him go after that and he ends up making his return and comes back. He's a guy that's going to take advantage of his opportunities, so I thought he did an awesome job tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports