Sept. 29, 2007
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SAN DIEGO -
Sam Diego State-Cincinnati Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
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SDSU Head Coach Chuck Long
Opening Statement:
"We wanted a better showing; we practiced a lot better than what we showed tonight."
"I did tell our guys that with the non-conference schedule that we have, I do believe it will help us in time. You can't see it right now, but down the road it is going to toughen us up for our conference."
"The big thing is that we are heading into conference play now. We have to put this one behind us, go back to work and we have to gain confidence in certain areas of our football team. The only way I know how to do that is to keep working at it and practicing hard."
SDSU's Russell Allen
On Cincinnati's defense:
"The other team's defense performed really well. Cincinnati played us tough, which is always good to see. We tried our best to run the ball hard and ultimately that is all we can do."
On future games:
"Our team is coming together as a unit by placing trust in each other. We played three solid teams that were in the top 25, which can only make us stronger for future games."
SDSU Quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On what he can take from the game:
"Coach talked about the leadership on our team and I'm really happy with the guys like Russell (Allen), Mike Kravetz, Brandon Bornes and Nick Osborn. They were able to kind of rally the guys. I know from my experience that when you get down like that there's not many peoplewith you against the wall. You have to turn to your teammates, look at each other and decide either put up a fight or walk away. What I really like is that no one did that. That'll go a long way when we get into conference and we're on the road."
On the young guys on the team:
"I am really excited to see these young guys develop because I've been working for four years with them. I've seen some guys turn into really good football players."
On Cincinnati:
"They're a good team, make no mistake about it.  They've worked hard, they've started from the bottom and worked their way up. Its something our program is striving to do."
Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly
On Cincinnati's victory:
"I'm really proud of our football team. It's hard to come here and win when you travel across the country, and you're skipping times zones. We did that on a Friday to play on a Saturday. It's not an easy thing to do. This is the first time I told our football team they showed maturity. That's (maturity) going to allow them to complete for the championship."
On SDSU:
"I think they are a well-coached football team. Chuck Long has done a very good job with their quarterback; he's definitely one of the better quarterbacks we're going to see. I think they are very young on defense. (Defensive coordinator) Bob (Elliott) is going to do a very good job."
On Cincinnati Quarterback Ben Mauk:
"I think Ben Mauk had his best game of the year. He was very efficient and made some tough throws in tight coverage. I think he was, in my estimation, on top of his game."