Sept. 26, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Football
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Sept. 26, 2006
Aztec Athletics Center
Head Coach Chuck Long
Opening comments:
"We are in a new (game) week. We have San Jose State coming up. We're excited about this opportunity. We have a great plan in place already. We had a good practice on Monday. We are committed to making this thing work. I talked to our staff and our team, and we're in it for the long haul. We know it will happen in time, and again, I'm excited for the opportunity for our team this week.
"The blueprint for our program is in place. It's not as visible on the field right now, but it is starting to form. We have great kids on our team. I'm getting to know them more and more, not only as players on the field, but as student-athletes as well. I really like what we have."
On San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey:
"Coach Tomey is an excellent coach. We've crossed paths four or five times, even once when I was a player at Iowa. Wherever he's gone, he's turned things around. They're a much different ball club than they were last year. They're starting to win and feel good about themselves."
On the injuries that have occurred during the first three games:
"We've been thrown a curveball with some of the injuries we've had. It has enabled our young guys, though, to get into the game. We feel good about our reserves, especially on the offensive side. We don't have a lot of starting experience there, but you have to gain it at some point. You have to figure out a way to do it. With injuries, you don't like them to happen, but they're part of the game. You have to move on and get your reserves ready and give them valuable time. It's also forced us to take smaller steps. We've had to cut back, not to the point of getting off our path, but altering it a little bit to get to the same result. We'll get to that result. We have a good plan in place for this program, and it's going to happen. Right now though, we're taking smaller steps to do that."
On the Utah game:
"The bright spot was the play of our offensive line. This was a group that was questioned the day I got hired. The first question that people asked me was what I was going to do with the offensive line. That has been a lingering question since day one, but they were the bright spot of the team last Saturday. Out of 65 snaps, they had one missed assignment. That was a result of cutting back, too. We decided as a staff last week to cut back on what they were doing, because we didn't have a lot of starting experience there. We cut back, and they were able to perform better. We had results. We rushed the ball for 200 yards or so and had great pass protection all day. They did their job, and that was very encouraging to see that happen."
On the team's confidence:
"I've researched teams that haven't been winning a lot, and after talking to some other coaches, the thing that they've said is that you're going to have some heads go down quickly after some adversity. The toughest challenge for a new coach is to create a positive mindset toward winning, and I've noticed that (here). I've noticed that we get our heads down too quickly at times, and we've addressed that issue. The one solution I know is to keep working, keep striving to get the systems down and getting more confident in them -- essentially, doing your job. Don't worry about what the other side of the ball is doing, just focus on what you need to do, and as a result, the team will become more confident."
On the loss of running back Lynell Hamilton:
"We have two captains on offense now who are hurt. That's something you don't realize sometimes. Not only are we missing a player, but a captain, a guy who's well-respected and looked upon. Lynell does everything well. He blocks well and knows all of the assignments. That part will be missed, but again, it's a great opportunity for young guys to get in. We believe in our reserves. We believe in Atiyyah Henderson and Brandon Bornes, and now Tyler Campbell gets a chance. As I've said since the beginning of camp, we like our running back position. With Lynell and (quarterback) Kevin O'Connell, our two captains, not in there, you have to pick up the slack somewhere else. As an offensive coaching staff, the coaches have to become the leaders of your team."
On running back Atiyyah Henderson:
"We were planning on using him more and more since spring (practice). He came into the fall and was putting the ball on the ground more early in camp, but he rectified that. He started working on that midway through camp and gained our confidence back in him. Now we want him on the field. He can get into the open field and make people miss, and that gives you a great dimension for your offense."
Running back Atiyyah Henderson
On making the first start of his career this Saturday:
"I'm feeling really good. I've been ready for this the whole time. I've been working to be a starter, but I feel really bad about Lynell (Hamilton) and his situation though, because he is one of our four captains. We're going to miss him."
On entering the game on Saturday vs. Utah:
"I wasn't nervous, because I was ready to compete. I was ready to get on the field and show people what I could do."
Quarterback Darren Mougey
On the loss of running back Lynell Hamilton:
"It's tough. Early in the season, we lost Kevin (O'Connell) and now we lose Lynell for a little bit. But we're fortunate that we have guys like Atiyyah (Henderson), Brandon Bornes and Tyler Campbell who can step in and do good things for this football team, and they will."
On his confidence level:
"I'm ready to keep going for it. Anytime you play a game like that (where the) outcome wasn't too good, it's tough. I'm a competitor and a positive guy, so I'm going to put a smile on my face and go to work, roll up the sleeves, practice hard this week and prepare to beat San Jose State."
On San Jose State:
"They're a much improved team from last year. They've got some guys who can make plays, and they have created some turnovers on defense. They have five interceptions all from one guy (cornerback Dwight Lowery). They're a tough team, but we're going to prepare hard all week and go up there and get it done."
On the difference between the offense in the second half vs. UTEP and the last two games:
"I really couldn't tell you the biggest difference. Maybe I was a bit looser; I'm not sure. I know it is hard to believe, but there were a lot of positive things that happened in this last game. The offensive line really stepped it up. If they continue to play like that every game and I don't throw four interceptions, which I don't plan on doing, we are going to win some games. We've got guys like Atiyyah (Henderson), Brandon Bornes and Tyler Campbell who are going to come in, and I trust them to carry the ball. I trust all the receivers to catch the ball and get yards after the catch. It's easier said than done, but once we put all the pieces together and play as a team, we're going to be good."
On learning the offense:
"Everyday out there in practice, I get more and more comfortable with it. We'll try and change some things up to make it easier for me, and I'm looking forward to those things. I think it's a positive, and I think we are moving in the right direction."
Linebacker Joe Martin
On the defense:
"We're confident. We have gone through three games and each game we've learned different mistakes that we've made and we've corrected them. The past game is no different - we had a fair share of mistakes. We identified them, we fixed them and we are confident to go into San Jose."
On what the defense needs to do against San Jose State:
"It doesn't change from game to game. We need to dominate the line of scrimmage. We need to shut down the run, and as soon as they start passing it, we need to get some interceptions and get our offense some turnovers so they can start putting the ball in the end zone."
On being a team leader:
"I'm pretty lucky being a leader for this team. A lot of our guys don't need to be pushed. They're confident. They already understand the game of football. They know they need to go out there and have fun and dominate and compete. That's what they do. They're competitors."