Aug. 31, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State Football
Tom Craft Weekly Press Conference
Aztec Athletics Center
Aug. 31, 2004
Head Coach Tom Craft
General Comments:
"We've had a tough camp. We have a number of injuries to our offensive and defensive lines. Lynell (Hamilton) will be questionable for our first game, but will be our starting tailback if he is healthy. We have no plans of red-shirting him at this time. He is still banged up and will play when he is ready. If he can't play, we'll go with Michael Franklin. We have four new starters in the offensive line. Hopefully they can gel and work well as a team. (Matt) Dlugolecki will start at quarterback, but we have plans on playing both Kevin O'Connell and Darren Mougey. Our linebackers are solid and they will lead our defense."
On the quarterback situation:
"We're going to start with (Matt) Dlugolecki, but I am really confident in (Kevin) O'Connell and (Darren) Mougey. I think Dlugolecki has a better grasp on the passing game right now. He's worked hard in the off-season, too. There is a lot of upside in Kevin and Darren. They're both big, strong athletic guys and as they get more comfortable with our passing game, could be a bright future for us. The competition just makes our quarterbacks better."
On the quarterback rotation on Saturday:
"Matt (Dlugolecki) is our starter, but I do plan on playing (Kevin) O'Connell and (Darren) Mougey. I don't have it choreographed right now, but they will play. I can't remember moving the ball so well offensively - it's exciting. They might make some mistakes, but we'll be patient with them."
On the 50,000 or more fans expected for the game on Saturday:
"We're excited about it. I know the players are aware of the crowd and we want that to be an advantage for us here in San Diego. It's an opportunity for the community, who don't really know about us, to come and see an exciting style of football - the San Diego State brand of football. It has a positive effect on our team and it's a great opportunity for us."
On how they match-up with Idaho State:
"We're very similar. They play a spread offense and like to throw the ball. They have a good quarterback and wide receivers. They'll put it up 50 times if they can. Defensively, they have a lot of young people, but I think we match-up well against them."
On the expectations of this season:
"There is a little bit more continuity this year. We are more familiar with each other and the players know what we (the coaching staff) expect of them. We are perceived to be a stronger team than last year. It's nice to have those expectations, but we still have to go out and play the games. "