Nov. 9, 2004
San Diego State Football
Tom Craft Weekly Press Conference
Aztec Athletics Center
Nov. 9, 2004
Head Coach Tom Craft
General comments:
"(Quarterback) Kevin O'Connell sustained a substantial bruise on his throwing arm. The x-rays were negative and he came out today and practiced very well. We expect to start him on Saturday. (Quarterback) Matt Dlugolecki's ankle is getting better and we expect to have him ready to play if needed."
On the BYU game:
"We felt that in the first half we played really good defense and controlled the ball. We had 44 plays to their 20-something plays. We kept it close and it was still a tight ball game. The turning point of that game was when they (BYU) came out in the second half and had a 14-play drive that just wore on us. They were a very good football team and I compare them to Utah."
On Air Force:
"It will be a big challenge going up there as the weather is supposed to be quite cold. It will be the first opportunity for some of our players to play in some unique weather conditions. They started a freshman at quarterback early in the year and are now going with a junior. He's been really solid for them. We expect to see either one of them in their triple-option and we've got to be able to keep their offense off the field. Our linebackers are the key for us. We had a lot of success last year and we hope to build on that this year. I'm sure they're looking forward to playing us after we knocked them out of a bowl game last year."
On the disappointing season:
"I think it has to do with expectations. When I came in here, we were predicted last and we finished third. Last year, we were supposed to finish seventh and we were fourth. We've been an overachieving team and the expectations have increased considerably. We've been building each year, but our health issues haven't been able to fan the flame. It's beyond our control. You can't lose (All-American) Lynell Hamilton, arguably the best running back in the league, and a number of people on the offensive line and expect to compete. We're getting a solid effort from our young guys, but starting six freshmen on offensive is too much. We're still competing each game and I expect the young guys to be a very dynamic team next year. There have been circumstances beyond our control and we just have to deal with it. I'm disappointed and the other coaches, players and fans are disappointed, too. I like the progress, but we just have to keep playing."
On the fourth quarter problems:
"Most of it has to do with inexperience. It's been something different each week. One week it was the special teams, specifically the punting. We threw a touchdown last week against BYU to Jeff Webb, but it was called back because of a penalty. That play could have changed the momentum. We are working on those type of plays and learning how to recover from them. A couple of plays here and there could change our whole season."