Sept. 13, 2005
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Football
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
September 13, 2005
Head Coach Tom Craft
On the Air Force game:
"We came away from that ballgame feeling that we have a chance to be good. They had a great fullback. Their quarterback had a key play in the fourth quarter when it was second and 13, and the scramble really made a big impact on that game."
On Ohio State:
"As we prepare for Ohio State, the attention is obviously the three linebackers. The defensive line has a number of players who are competing for attention on the defensive side of the ball. It is probably one of the best defenses I've seen in my 29 years. The one they had two years ago was really good, but this one looks like it is faster and has more to it. Offensively, we expect to see (Troy) Smith at quarterback. We've got to try to neutralize Ted Ginn and Santonio Holmes. Ginn may be the best return specialist in the country, too. They make an effort to put it in their hands and see what they can do with it. They are fast and a very good football team."
On playing at Ohio Stadium
"It is a great environment for us to go in and measure ourselves. We're going to have to work hard."
On preparing the young guys on going to play at Ohio State:
"You can talk about it and show them on film, but there is only so much you can do until (the players) get out there and feel (the experience). A lot of people say we are a young defense. We're not a young defense; we just have a lot of players who are inexperienced playing together."
On the season so far:
"What we're trying to take with us right now is that we are leading the (Mountain West Conference) in third-down conversions and in first downs. We're doing some good things, but just making critical errors now and then. When you play good teams early, that is the difference in the game. If we can alleviate those things, we'll be a lot better."
On quarterback Kevin O'Connell
"Kevin played a lot better last Saturday, but his mistakes were critical. He gets the majority of work in practice. He's our starter and he knows that."
On the special teams
"We've got to be really good and focused like we were last week at Air Force. That was as good of an effort in special teams as I can remember. Our coverage, protection and punting were all excellent. Garrett Palmer didn't miss a field goal. There is some good development to our special teams right now."
On playing Ohio State after its tough loss to Texas
"If you are going to play football or any sport, you are going to want to compete. Sometimes it is a bit challenging to motivate yourself when you are expected to win. This is not the case here. We've lost two rounds of a 12-round fight with two losses this season. This is our biggest opponent we've faced so far. The players are looking forward to the challenge. Our focus is on improving each week."
SDSU Wide Receiver Jeff Webb
On what the team needs to do to not be intimidated by Ohio State:
"(The team needs to) execute and do their job. Don't be intimidated by the crowd because the crowd is very intimidating. Just execute every play."
On the anticipated large crowd:
"It's amazing. You try to not (look at the crowd). You try to balance everything out, stay disciplined and have toughness. Just go out there, compete and do your job and hopefully everything comes out well."
On the last week's Air Force game:
"Like Kevin (O`Connell) said, we made mistakes, but they are not excuses. We came in this week, reviewed film and looked at our mistakes. We're ready to play Ohio State and just play football."
SDSU Quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On the team's mindset going to Ohio State:
"I was able to make the trip (to Ohio State) during my redshirt year and take it all in. It is a wonderful atmosphere, but it's a wonderful home advantage for (Ohio State). Going in there, you have to have a lot of mental toughness as a team. The (team's) characteristics are under the microscope when you're in a situation like that. We're excited. They're a very, very good football team. We are coming off a couple of tough weeks and we're excited to get back on the field as soon as possible."
On whether the team's offensive youth is a concern:
"Absolutely not, even if you were to ask us that question last year. We are prepared for every game by this coaching staff to go out there and be successful. I know we're going out there, racking up yards and moving the football and that's good, but we need to start putting points up on the board. That's a testament to us, as players, and I don't think it is an excuse to say that we're a young offense. We have Jeff (Webb), we have an experienced core of running backs and we have a very good offensive line, so there is no reason why we can't go out there every game and constantly put points up. It just takes a little more consistency in a couple different areas."
On playing tough teams every year:
"It's definitely something that we, as a team, look forward to. Even though things haven't started the way we might have hoped, every team hopes to go undefeated going into the season. That is what you work for all summer, but we've learned about our team the past couple of weeks and I'm sure we are going to learn a lot more this Saturday. We're going to be able to apply that to every game in conference. When we come back to Qualcomm Stadium to play San Jose State and then move on to the rest of our schedule, we're definitely not going to be able to call ourselves a young and inexperienced football team, because we will have already gone to tough places in Air Force and Ohio State going into conference (play). I think it's a good situation to be in."
SDSU Free Safety Marcus Demps
On the team's defensive problems:
"It's just too many mental mistakes. Coach (Thom) Kaumeyer is putting us in great schemes and putting us in positions to make plays and we just haven't been able to do that."
On Ohio State:
"This year's team is really different, totally opposite of the team that we played two years ago. Two years ago they just ran the ball and pounded it in. This year they try to get the ball to their playmakers. We are just going have to try to limit their touches."
On playing in front of 100,000-plus fans:
"Words can't even explain it. You just walk out there and look straight up. It's a great place to play and we're excited about the opportunity."