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STANFORD UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 14, 2015

Kodi Whitfield

Stanford, California

Oregon - 38, Stanford - 36

Q. (No microphone.)
KODI WHITFIELD: Just can't play well enough to win the game. Just got to bounce back. Our goal's still obtainable, which is to win the PAC-12 championship. So that's what we're going to focus on one week at a time, one practice at a time.

Q. Is there anything that, I mean, I know they have been playing better than their record indicated, but is there anything they did that caught you guys by surprise that you didn't think you guys countered properly?
KODI WHITFIELD: They played great. They executed their play. They did what they wanted to do and our task, especially on the defensive side, was just to execute, go out there and do our job, stop the run, get to the quarterback, that's how great defenses play. And we left a couple plays out there, maybe on both sides of the ball. But, yeah, Oregon played well enough to win the game.

Q. Anything in particular about, especially, the big runs early in the game? It seemed like you guys shored it up after that.
KODI WHITFIELD: Just gaps. Got to control the gaps.

Q. You guys are in an unusual position now. You're still in command of the PAC-12 north. But that's kind of a devastating blow. Was there a message from anybody in the locker room to kind of quickly refocus on next week?
KODI WHITFIELD: The biggest thing is, like our goal is still obtainable to win the PAC-12 championship and get there. So really it just comes back to refocusing, getting ready for our next opponent, the Cal Golden Bears.

Q. The PAC-12 seems to be eating itself alive. This is another example of the team that's on top loses to the team that has a few losses. Week in, week out, how tough is this conference?
KODI WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's really tough. We always go in respecting our opponent, so it's not like we undersold Oregon or thought any less of them. They're a great team. They did everything they could to win the game and that was the result.

As far as the conference, like you said, really challenging, a lot of great teams, and I mean, just got to refocus and get ready for next week.

Q. Did you see anything on the -- were you in the game on the fumbled snaps?
KODI WHITFIELD: No. I don't know. Can't speak on that. I'm just a fan at that point.

Q. They got behind you on one of those touchdowns, what happened on that play?
KODI WHITFIELD: Just bad eyes. Not sticking with my man, covering him twice. Oregon does a great job. Their receivers are well trained to once the quarterback breaks down, tries to make a play and scrambles, get up and that's what they got to do.

Q. How difficult is it to play against Vernon Adams in a situation like that?
KODI WHITFIELD: He's a great quarterback, great competitor, keeps plays alive. So this means on the back end we just have to do our job extra thorough, cover guys for longer than usual.

Q. How do you feel about the fact that your playoff hopes basically evaporated here. You still have the PAC-12 championship to shoot for, but you can't get into the playoff at this point with two losses. What do you think of that?
KODI WHITFIELD: Yeah, our goal each and every year is to win the PAC-12. So our goal, right now, is still obtainable. Have another PAC-12 north matchup against Cal next week who is another great opponent, so that's our goal right now, and we're only going to take it one step at a time.

Q. Coach was talking about turnovers, giving up big plays, and how you guys made lots of plays, but gave up too many. Is that the way you saw the game?
KODI WHITFIELD: It really came down to execution. So there were times when we didn't execute on the defensive side.

I can't speak on offense. Just a fan of my teammates. So I think they played great. I think the defense as a whole, we just maybe let one or two get away.

Q. Coach was saying it's crazy Oregon wasn't ranked. He watched film of them coming into this game and he said they will be ranked this week. Do you see more talent than the rankings?
KODI WHITFIELD: Yeah. They're a great team. It's not that we came into the game thinking any less of them just because of their record. We knew they were a great team and they have a ton of athletes all over the field. So this game came down to execution and Oregon did a great job this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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