California Head Coach Justin Wilcox
On today's offensive performance:
"We found a way to win, which at times can be challenging at this level. We knew North Texas would come in with a really special quarterback and active defense. For us, it was all about the level of execution. The guys competed. There were a lot of new faces getting reps out there. It started fast. We got a big turnover early. I would've liked to have scored a few more touchdowns when we had the opportunity, but we didn't get it done. The level of execution has to be better. The guys have been practicing hard, and our job as coaches is to give them answers. We'll look at the tape, evaluate everything and start working on answers for them."
 
On anticipating Chase Garbers run-heavy game:
"There'd be a few designed reads in there for him. Maybe one to two called runs, but a lot of them were max drop scrambles. We didn't anticipate him running the ball like that. It's just the way the game unfolded."
 
Comparing Mason Fine to the last two Cal QB opponents:
"They're all different. Fine's one heck of a football player. He can throw it, he gets out of the pocket and does a nice job throwing it on the run. There's a reason he's the leading returning passer in the country. He's played a lot of football for them and has been really productive. I thought our guys battled and made it tough on him at times. He put a couple drives together with some good plays. In the end, it was nice to see Cam Bynum and Weaver get in there and make plays when we needed them to.
 
Holding Mason Fine's offensive performance and limiting North Texas Offense:
"Our coaches did a great job putting a package together, and the guys ultimately went out there and executed it and made some nice plays."
 
On fresh faces stepping up:
"You don't anticipate losing 10 guys, but for playing on scout team all week, they did a pretty good job. There's a ton of guys playing who didn't practice a ton, and that's going to be a great lesson in the meetings. Even though you don't get the reps with the ones or the twos during practice, you have to be ready. It's just a play or two and all of a sudden, you're the guy. I'm proud of how they competed"
 
Marcel Dancy is a much different running back:
"I think he's definitely improved. We knew he had some juice coming in here. He's put on a little bit of weight and got a lot stronger. He's what we thought he was. I'm glad he's with us."
 
On biggest takeaway going into next week:
"Our guys play hard, the effort's really good, and we've set a standard for how hard and tough we need to play. Now, the execution needs to match that for us to do what we need to do."
 
No turnovers two weeks in a row:
"We won by one last week, and this was a one-score game. That's the difference."

California Players
Chase Garbers, QB
On the offense's success in the first half:
"We just executed well in the first half, especially the first quarter, and then kind of went into a lull but we have got to play better, a lot better."
 
On his rushing yards today:
"I don't think here, but probably in high school at some point."
 
On designed quarterback runs heading into this game:
"We saw, prepping for them this week, that the quarterback run game was going to be a big part of our game plan and we just had to go execute."
 
On why the offense slowed down after the first quarter:
"Well it starts with me, you know, just have to put balls in the right spot and everywhere else we just have to execute better."
 
On his run game and being two-dimensional:
"It's fun to be two-dimensional, be a dual-threat as they like to say. But as a quarterback you try not to take as many hits, so you just have to do what you have to do for the team."
 
Nikko Remigio, WR
On evaluating the offense:
"There is lots of potential in this offense. There are a lot of guys, a lot of playmakers in the offense, it's just a fact of getting it done."
 
On what was clicking early in the season for the offense:
"I think it was the scheme at first, but, really, it was most importantly the confidence that we went into it with. There was a lot of confidence and we were very well prepared. I think a culmination of all of those things is what really put it together."
 
Evan Weaver, ILB
On holding opponents to under 25 points:
"I think that a few ways we can get better, just knowing our communication, make sure we are talking out there, alignments are right and make sure that everybody — the ones, the twos, the threes — all know what they are doing. So when they get out there, the younger more unexperienced guys know what they are doing. That is a huge part of building success and staying successful is making sure that the young guys, when they have their chance, still know what they are doing for the future."

North Texas Head Coach Seth Littrell
General Comments:
"I thought overall we dug ourselves into a hole early on against a very good team. I think Cal is a very good team. I think they're very well-coached. Defensively, they're as good as any in the country, I do believe. Secondary-wise, they're tough. We had some early mistakes that put us in the hole. Once we settled in, the kids continued to fight and just took it one rep at a time, one play at a time, and continue to grind.
 
We knew it was going to be a great battle. We've got some mistakes to clean up, but I liked the way our team grew. You could kind of see it throughout the game. Our defense stepped up, we only allowed three points in the second half. I thought we outplayed them in the second half, but we dug ourselves a hole early and it's hard to overcome that amount of points, especially against a great defensive team like Cal."

On Quarterback Mason Fine becoming program's touchdown leader:
"I'm proud of all our guys. Mason gets a lot of credit and he deserves it, especially for being the all-time leader in a lot of different categories, but I'm proud of all team. I'm proud of the way they fought. Like I said, you don't have anything to hang your head about if you go out there and compete, and give it everything you have. You may make mistakes, but go out there and keep grinding, keep playing –  try to get a week better, get a play better. If we continue to do that, we'll get better and we'll win a lot of football games. In terms of mentality, I thought it grew throughout the game. I'm proud of the way we fought."
 
On defensive improvements over the course of the game:
"We put ourselves in poor situations early. We couldn't get anything moving offensively, I think the first three drives were three-and-outs. The fumble put us in bad field position. I think some of the field position hurt us in the first half. We need to find out some different ways, but it's a team thing. Defense has to get off the field and offense has to make sure we move the ball and manager the field position right. There's a number of things we can continue to grow on, but I think the biggest thing is we continued to battle and gave ourselves a chance on the road, against a Power 5 team, and had a chance to win at the end of the game. That's what you're looking for."

On whether today's result was a moral victory:
"We came here to win a football game. Every week we line up, we expect to win a football game. There are no moral victories. That said, you go out and give it all you have. Every individual knows - whether you're a coach or player - if you give it all you have, that's all you can ask. That's where you have to be sure you're critical when you go out there and look yourself in the mirror, each and every day, each and every moment. If you're doing the best you can, you can live with the rest of it. If we continue to grow as a team, and continue to fight hard and compete, I think we'll win a lot of football games. We have a group that can be special, and at the same time we need to clean up some mistakes. Especially against a team like Cal, it's hard to overcome the miscues that we had."

North Texas Players
Dion Novil, NT
On the defense getting stronger as game wore on:
"I just think we started executing better. The coaches just told us what we were doing wrong and we just fixed those mistakes. For me, I was looking in the backfield early and paying attention to some of the tip-offs they were giving."
 
On being down 20-0 early:
"We just didn't blink. We knew we were going to face some adversity. We just attacked it with a good mind set."
 
KD Davis, LB
On what helped shut Cal's running game down:
"Working from the d-line and studying the film, Coach just helped us and it's about us being coachable. We came out and weren't playing smart at first. They weren't beating us physically, they were beating us mentally. We just got it together and learned from our mistakes and went out and executed."
 
Mason Fine, QB
Becoming all-time leader in touchdown passes:
"My number one priority is to win football games and be the best quarterback I can be. At the end of the day, you've got to congratulate all the coaches and players. That record just shows how many great coaches and teammates I've had along the way to where we're all successful when it comes to those accolades."
 
On having a chance at the end:
"The defense did a great job of putting the ball back in our hands. I felt like there was a lot of time left and we could go down there and score. You've got to credit Cal, they did a great job. They mixed it up and made great plays defensively that didn't allow us to drive down the field. You've got to give credit to Cal and their coaches."
 
Cal defense making plays on UNT's final drive:
"They did make some plays, but I felt like there were some places we could have made some plays too. Cal put pressure on me all day, and our offensive line did a great job stopping them. Cal's a great defense and we knew that coming in, and their players made some plays when they needed them."
 
On what Cal did to slow UNT offense down:
"That's just what great teams do. They're going to be good at what they do. We knew Cal was going to be an aggressive, disciplined and well-coached football team and they showed that today. They have ballers on that side of the ball, and they're going to make plays instinctually and they did. We just have to make routine plays and execute the small things. When we did the small things, got in our rhythm, got in our tempo and got that first first down, we were able to drive it down the field. At the end of the day, Cal just made more plays than us."
 
On being down 20-0 early:
"We were in the same situation last week against SMU and we found ourselves in a hole again this week. It's tough to come out of that no matter who you're facing. When you're down three scores, it's going to be tough. We just need to do a better job of coming out and being ready to play. We were stagnant on both sides of the football. I felt like we had great preparation. We just need to figure out what's going on. It's cost us for two weeks now. Again, you've got to credit Cal, they came out and played and punched us in the mouth.