What They Said: WSU Cougars

Washington State came to Auburn in hopes of upsetting the nation's No. 4 team. However, they were sent home after a 40-14 beating at the hands of the Tigers.

Here's what the Cougar coach and players had to say about the loss to Auburn...

Washington State Head Coach Bill Doba:

On Auburn's defense...

"I thought their defense was better than we thought they would be. They were quicker and had good team speed."

On the fake punt...

"We got the three-and-out, had good momentum going and they ran the trick punt on us. That really hurt, but I think we learned from it."

On Auburn RB Kenny Irons...

"He is as good as I have seen, and he was good tonight. There were a lot of times I thought we had him, but he ran right through our arms. We didn't tackle very well. What he does so well is that he gets that flow going straight up the field and he has such great vision."

On the game...

"You are never happy with a loss, but I thought our kids battled hard. Our defense was put in some bad situations, but they never quit."

Washington State QB Alex Brink:

"We were fighting an uphill fight from the beginning. We got off to a slow start. With the No. 4 team in the country, you can't get off to a slow start. We didn't quite execute the way we needed to. Their defensive ends are fast. Their linebackers are fast. At times, we took advantage of it and had them on their toes. For the most part, they had us on our heels."

On playing in front of 87,000 fans...

"It was a great experience. It is something we will be better for. I am glad we did it."

On Auburn's defensive pressure early in the game...

"We didn't start fast. We were fighting uphill against a really good football team. The early pressure got us off-balance. We knew they were going to be fast. We didn't protect right offensively."

WSU back-up QB Gary Rogers:

"They said I was going in. I was stoked about it. I felt like I was really prepared coming in. I thought the coaches did a good job preparing me, and I had a great opportunity tonight. I just went in and tried to do my thing. I feel like I am ready to play, and when I get the opportunity, I want to make the best of it."

On the touchdown pass...

"I was in shot-gun. I noticed they had a single safety. He rotated to the left. I dropped back, looked off to the left and found (tight end) Cody (Boyd) wide open. I just didn't want to miss him."

WSU WR Jason Hill:

On Auburn's defense...

"Their scheme was better than we thought. We weren't able to adapt to it. They played with a lot of safety help, and the middle was wide-open. We just didn't hit it early in the game."