Sept. 21, 2004
San Diego State Football
Tom Craft Weekly Press Conference
Aztec Athletics Center
Sept. 21, 2004
Head Coach Tom Craft
General Comments:
"We are trying to move on from the Michigan game and focus on Nevada. We think Nevada is evenly matched with us. There are some areas where we need some significant improvement. Defensively, up front we want to settle on six or seven people on a regular basis. Offensively, we think we have solidified the offensive line with Chris Pino moving to the right tackle position, Pat Justman at right guard and Brandon Dombrowski at the left guard spot."
On Matt McCoy's performance at Michigan:
"We came away from the Michigan game feeling that Matt McCoy played one of the best games we have ever seen a player play here. It was a great honor for Matt to be named national defensive player of the week. It's nice to see our players recognized on the national scene."
On the team's performance at Michigan:
"We had a great effort out of Blake (Lobel), who now leads the Mountain West Conference in sacks. On the offensive side, Robert (Ortiz) and Jeff (Webb) performed magnificently."
On Lynell Hamilton's condition:
"Lynell (Hamilton) will play this Saturday. He was rusty, but he looked good and we expect him to get 15-18 touches. He will share the load with Michael Franklin and Brandon Bornes. Just to get him back on the field and some extended playing time is good for him and for the team."
On improving each week:
"I think we have a chance to get better each week. We were rusty going into the Michigan game and we had five procedure penalties in the first quarter. Our defensive line was a little slow on the snap count, too, but we worked through it. You can see a real change from the end of the first quarter on through halftime. We played a very physical game and it was nice to come out of the Michigan game with a great effort. We expected to go in there and win, but we did play well and probably better than most people thought. Now it's what can we do from here? That's what we can control and it starts this weekend against Nevada."
On Nevada:
"They are fairly balanced offensively. They like to throw the football and they have an outstanding running back. Defensively, there is a huge improvement from their first game against Louisiana Tech and last week against Buffalo. They look like they are getting better. They have a two-game winning streak and will be confident coming into our place."