Sept. 20, 2005
San Diego State Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
Sept. 20, 2005
Head Coach Tom Craft
On the Ohio State game:
"I think we came out of (this game) fairly decent in regards to injuries. (Cornerback) Donny Baker had one of his best games. He had a laceration to the face and got stitches, then came back in and had a tremendous ballgame for us (against the) run and pass. He almost had an interception that could have been a touchdown. (Cornerback) Terrell Maze was another big bright spot. He was one of our top special teams players for us this weekend. We got challenged by their return people pretty good, and Michael Hughes punted the ball pretty well.
"I thought another bright spot was on defense. For the amount of time we were out on the field, we did a terrific job. I think (linebacker) Freddy Keiaho had the 11th-highest tackling total in Aztec history for a single game. We did some good things.
"Offensively, we ran into one of the most dynamic defensive lines even though their linebackers get a lot of the attention. We also had that electrifying first play that had no follow-up to it. Their defense dominated the game. There was some improvement in certain areas, but it's really hard to make that evaluation when there was such a mismatch."
On the progress of the defense:
"We did some good things (against Ohio State). We handled the power-I pretty well. We neutralized their run game. (Buckeye quarterback) Troy Smith got a lot of yards from an improvisational standpoint, but when they tried to direct the run right at us, we were fairly good. That's an encouraging thing. That's a starting point for us. I also thought the secondary had their best game of the year. Those are some encouraging things and the more they play and the more they face different packages and get used to the communication with each other, we're going to expect better things from them every week."
On the team's physical and emotional health:
"From a physical standpoint, I think we've pretty much held together. We don't have a lot of injuries and we attribute that to our conditioning and our weight training program. I think psychologically, we're fine. It's early enough in the season. We've put this (streak) behind us now and we move on. We've acknowledged it, we've experienced it. We're anxious to be back here at home to play San Jose State.
"There's been some improvement in some areas and then there's some areas where we need to continue to improve on, and that's been our focus. We're not concerned with our record. We can't be. Our record is what it is and our schedule is what it is. Now we have to look forward to what lies ahead of us. We don't look beyond that."
On San Jose State:
"Looking at them on tape, they've got good team speed. They're very athletic at the running back position. They have two outstanding receivers who are as good as anybody we're going to see. We saw two good ones (at Ohio State) in (Ted) Ginn and (Santonio) Holmes, but they do a little bit more with the passing game. They have more of a West Coast-type passing offense, so they've got good skill people. They're going to have the speed and athletic ability that we're going to see (a lot) in the coming weeks, so it will be a challenge for us. We might have a size advantage over them, but they've had an extra week (to prepare) and I'm sure they're locking in on us."
SDSU Player Quotes
Senior Defensive Lineman Kurt Kahui
On the defensive play at Ohio State
"It's a lot to build off, but we know we still have a long way to go. We still want to build as a unit, not just as a (defensive line), but also the linebackers and secondary. We have to work harder in practice and in film and execute better on Saturdays."
On being 0-3
"It's frustrating to not get a victory yet, but we have to keep chipping away. We have a lot of fight left in us, but also in our opponents. We can't sit back and feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to keep fighting and getting better."
On playing in front of huge home crowd this weekend
"I love our home fans. It's a different environment with a packed crowd and everyone on your back - it's a lot of fun. We'd like to show (the fans) what we've been working for and we want them to come back and support us."
Junior nose tackle Jonathan Bailes
On the season so far
"The first three games haven't gone like we wanted them to, but we're building character and building as a unit. To get a win this weekend would be great. We want to show the community that there is a team here that you can get behind and we'll fight. Those first three games were against tough teams. I'm not making excuses, but we're not playing any old teams. I commend our team the way we've played the best teams in the country. We're going to get better."
Sophomore quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On the offensive play against Ohio State
"After the first play, we had high hopes. Frustration set in late in the second quarter. It seemed like (Ohio State) had our number every play. You've got to tip your hat to them, they have an unbelievable defense."
On the confidence of the offense
"We've had three games under our belt now and have had pretty much every environment thrown at us. We need to apply the experiences of what we learned and roll with it the rest of the year."
On being 0-3
"I think it comes down to a handful of plays. We're waiting to play that perfect game. We're realizing what needs to be fixed and every week, whatever the problems are, it is much better. I've never seen the defense play that well (against Ohio State). I have confidence they will play that well for the rest of the year. Offensively, we have too much talent and too much good coaching not to (improve). We're fired up to be (playing) at home."
Senior wide receiver Robert Ortiz
On turning around the offense
"Every game is an opportunity. We're just going to go out there and do the best that we can do. We look at the game film every week and we are right there. If a few plays go a different way, it's a whole different ballgame."
Senior linebacker Freddy Keiaho
On improving every week
"We've improved each week and it really showed against (Ohio State). We've got to improve every week if we want to be a winning football team."
On his 18-tackle performance at Ohio State
"To have a good game in front of such a large crowd was great. I'm really proud of my teammates, though. The (defensive) line played great and the secondary had an unbelievable game. I'm more happy for my teammates than I am for myself."