Raiders 15, Dolphins 13
Q. What is it like to suit up for the Dolphins and play your first game had in Hard Rock?
ERIK EZUKANMA: Everything I ever dreamed of. You work your whole life for this moment. I feel like I went out there and put my best foot forward for sure.
Q. You and Skylar were able to connect a couple of times throughout the game. (Indiscernible). How much of it did it feel like you were back at practice getting these reps in --
ERIK EZUKANMA: Ever since rookie mini-camp, I just felt like it's a connection there. I don't know if it's a Big 12 connection or anything like that, but just me and Skylar, it's just natural I feel like when I'm out there. We're able to communicate and talk through things, and when the ball is in the air, I just go up there and make plays.
Q. What was the key to the 34-yard completion I think that was on the right side? What happened on that play? What was kind of key to making the play work?
ERIK EZUKANMA: On the contested catch?
Q. Yeah. What was the 34 -- was it a 34-yarder?
Q. Contested.
ERIK EZUKANMA: Called the play and made a release on the guy. Skylar told me the ball was a little -- I mean, he got hit on the play, and the ball was a little short, and I was able to adjust accordingly while the guy was face-guarding me and made a play on the ball.
Q. You said it was like a dream come true to be out there for the Dolphins. When you are playing big plays like that, contested catch, and an almost catch in the end zone, it's got to feel good. What's that like for you?
ERIK EZUKANMA: You go every day at practice, and you practice hard so the game is easy. I feel like going out there in Hard Rock in front of the fans for the first time, I just wanted to make a statement that you didn't make a bad draft choice picking me. Hopefully I'm able to keep proving that every game, every day.
Q. Being able to get some catches too, what has it been like working with other rookies? There's a lot of big names, a lot of talent. (Indiscernible). What has that been like?
ERIK EZUKANMA: Me and Braylon, we're the young guys of the group. We take a lot of the criticism and the coaching, the hard coaching, and we take it with a grain of salt, and we just go out there and work.
Braylon got to go out there early on. I watched him, and he was making plays, and I knew I had to go in there and make plays too. Every time he came off, it was to uplift each other and keep pushing each other so we can keep going and making plays.
Q. What's something Coach Wes Welker has told you since you have reported to South Florida here that has really resonated with you, kind of really helped you?
ERIK EZUKANMA: Coach preaches that you have never arrived. You always got to go to work every day. In the middle of the game actually I was kind of messing up a little bit early on, and he told us, you're here to take a grown man's job. That really resonated with me. I went back out there and just did everything I could to make plays when the ball came my way.
Q. I didn't realize it until I looked on the Bleacher Report. It's a handy app. You had 100 yards. Do you remember the last time you had 100 in a game?
ERIK EZUKANMA: College ball. I think it was against Oklahoma for sure. No, I didn't know I had 100 yards in the game. I was just out there playing, for sure.
Q. Before that I think Skylar on third and 12, third and 13 there I think, the last series, did he tell you in the huddle specifically, just go get open, I'm going to you? Did you have that trust between the two of you already?
ERIK EZUKANMA: Something like that. Coach schemes up plays for guys to get open. I feel like Skylar knew who he wanted to go to. And he kind of told me, like, hey, look, do this and do that, and I just listened. The ball was in the air coming towards me, and I just wanted to go up and make a play.
Q. What's it like getting introduced by Tua Tagovailoa?
ERIK EZUKANMA: Tua is always like that every day. We're locker buddies. Basically three lockers away from each other. Every day we see each other, saying what's up? He is always smiling, happy, saying what's up? I love the guy.
Thank you. Appreciate you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports