STANFORD UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 30, 2021

Levani Damuni

Postgame Media Conference

Washington 20, Stanford 13

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Levani.

Q. Obviously not the result you wanted, but how would you describe as a whole the way the defense played tonight?

LEVANI DAMUNI: Yeah, got some stops on the short yardages when things were on the line. At the end of the day we didn't win the turnover margin. That's a big deal. Whoever wins the turnover margin usually wins the game. We did our job at times, but it just wasn't enough. We just need more out of everyone, more play making, yeah.

Q. Why do you think the run defense hasn't been up to what you expect? You've had issues. Washington didn't have a productive run game coming in, but gained quite a few yards.

LEVANI DAMUNI: The numbers from today and from past games makes me sick looking at them. There's not enough gap integrity. Just need more of that grit, more of that nastiness on the first and second downs to make the third downs easier.

Especially in the run, that first down, they're getting six, seven yards a pop. Yeah, just need to bring it more. I don't know. Just has not been what we want this season.

Q. Early fourth quarter the sequence where UW had second-and-two, but then you stopped them. Take me through that, as you remember it.

LEVANI DAMUNI: Yeah, yeah, the first down they got a good chunk on us. But the second, third and fourth -- the second down, maybe it was a TFO. When we stopped then on third down, yeah, that was a big deal. We knew they were going to go for it. We just knew that look when they get short yardage, under center with backs, tight ends are close like that, that's their sneak look. Yeah, just yelling sneak, sneak to alert everybody. Got the A gap closed off. Got that good push.

Again, like what I said earlier about those downs could have been much easier if that first down wasn't so much. But, yeah, it was good. We stepped up right there when we needed to. Proud of the D right there, yeah.

Q. You beat Oregon, were on an upward trajectory, haven't won since then. What have been the biggest issues? Short week, not much time to turn things around. What is the plan for the week ahead?

LEVANI DAMUNI: Yeah, we did have some things that were looking up after Oregon. This week and last week, WAZZU week, just didn't make plays when we needed to. Defense had chances to put them away, offensive chances, and neither of us did it. We both dropped the ball there. With these close games, you can't really put it on offense or defense.

What was the second part of your question?

Q. Short week.

LEVANI DAMUNI: Yeah, short week. Just like ASU. Tomorrow is going to be huge for recovery, getting started on that day one, since we're one day shorter.

U-Dub is in the past already. Learn what we need to learn from it. Yeah, we got to move on. It definitely hurts right now. Yeah, it stings. Come tomorrow, yeah, it's on (indiscernible). Just got to learn and get better, got to start stacking these wins.

Q. Four games left. Three of the four are at home. How does this team gather itself for the stretch run? How would you look ahead?

LEVANI DAMUNI: We definitely have to take it one game at a time. It's so frustrating because we know how talented we are, how talented our quarterback is, guys on our D-line, defense, whatever. We have the talent.

It's not that they're just better than us. We just need to reach our potential. How we do that, you know, it definitely starts in practice. But, yeah, it's everyone, though. Everyone's just got to dig deep and be the best version of theirself come game day. That all starts with the preparation all throughout the week in practice. Definitely got to have better practices.

Q. How difficult is it as a defensive player to keep getting the stops, keep the team in the game when the offense is not clicking? Do you get fatigued mentally?

LEVANI DAMUNI: Yeah, I mean, we'll never blame the offense for anything. I'm not on offense. I don't know what goes on over there. Every time defense gets a chance to take the field, we see it as a good opportunity to go make a play, get some stops.

Yeah, it's never, C'mon, O. It's like, All right, let's get a D. Our team needs us right now, we got to get another stop, yeah. Don't know what's going on with the offense or whatever, but defense didn't play a great game either, so...

Never, like, talking down to them, but always seeing it as an opportunity to go do something good, go change the game.