Nov. 3, 2007
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SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State-Wyoming Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
San Diego State Head Coach Chuck Long
Opening comments:
"It was obviously a great win for us tonight and I'm proud of our young guys. It was pretty special in the locker room after the game. I think that's the first time we've come back from 21 points since the mid 70's (records confirm that no Aztec team has overcome a 21-point deficit in any game since the beginning of the 1976 season). Just watching those guys out there, we had a rough first half. We gave them a couple (touchdowns). We were just giving it to them and I knew we were better than that."
On Kevin O'Connell:
"I told Kevin (O'Connell) after the game that that's Quarterbacking 101. It's not about statistics, it's about coming back after a rough start and we capped it off in a great way."
On the defense:
"Our defense, what can you say?  Our defense is just getting better and better. And the confidence is rising by the minute."
On the special teams:
"Mike Hughes with that big punt, 75 yards. Boy did we need that. I'm very proud of our special teams and the way he kicked the ball tonight."
On the importance of winning this game:
"I keep saying these are games that you celebrate. We'll celebrate for a night and then we're on to the next game. Having said that, we wanted to win this game for the firefighters and all of the people in San Diego that lost their homes. We just weren't going to be denied tonight. And doing something for them, it was our way of giving back. And I hope they enjoyed it."
On the touchdown scored in the first half after the rough start:
"We finally got one at the end of the first half when other people were doing it to us for the last year and a half. Any time you go in to the locker room with a spark, with a drive like that, it really carries over. And I'm very proud of my coaching staff. (Offensive coordinator) Del Miller came in at half time and said we need to go no huddle in the second half. We need to shake this thing up a little bit and we did. It worked."
On why the no huddle offense worked so well:
"We just needed a change of pace. Our huddle, they were blitzing a lot in the first half and often times when you go no huddle it will temper those blitzes, which it did. You try to get the edge that way and tire them out as well. That's what a no huddle can do for you. We just simply needed a change of pace. We spread things out and let Kevin [O'Connel] do his work. It paid off. Hats off to my coaching staff. The half-time adjustments were terrific."
San Diego State Quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On the last drive:
"We had a couple successful drives coming out of the second half, not to mention the one at the end. We kind of went through a no huddle process that we perform whenever we're out of rhythm. Wyoming had an amazing defense. No matter what they did, they were fundamentally sound. Players just make plays, it's just a matter of wanting to win. Every player on the roster just has a look of satisfaction on their face right now. It's so hard to come out successful, but by the way our defense played, it was just a matter of time before our offense got the ball rolling. They kept us in the game and we had a chance to beat them. That's all we wanted."
On the touchdown pass to Vincent Brown:
"It was the third or fourth option on the play. We were just trying to get the first down. With no doubt in my mind, I stood there for too long and should have been out sooner. The offensive line held Wyoming off tremendously. I was able to get behind a Wyoming player and was about to take off, but then I had to go find the laces again. The football definately fumbled around my hands a bit, but it was a heck of a play by Vincent. To be a freshman and be able to make a play like that is just a big deal."
On shaking off a tough first half:
"It takes some leadership out of some the guys up front. It was an odd night coming out here for some reason. We had to find a way to get back into the rhythm. I had some costly turnovers on my part in the first quarter that were uncalled for, but our defense really helped us out by holding Wyoming off. It's unbelieveable."
San Diego State Defensive Lineman Nick Osborn
On the defensive line in the second half:
"I was talking to my teammate the other day and we discussed how it's all about growing up fast in this game. That what our defense, as well as the rest of our team, is doing. From where we began at the beginning of the season to where we are now, it is a whole 180. Teammates in the beginning of the season that had hardly any experience are now coming out strong. They look as if they have been here for years.
"We came into the second half thinking we were going to put away the first half and come into a new game. We were ready for the change. This year's game is the complete opposite from last years. We started off ahead 17-0 then Wyoming scored and won it. We decided to reverse the role from last year. We knew it could happen."
Wyoming Head Coach Joe Glenn
On the game:
"We couldn't get them off the field defensively, we couldn't do much on offense and we let them punt the tail over our head and totally change field position. We got defeated down the stretch. They made plays and we didn't make plays.
"We had a 14-point lead. We got back on our heels on defense and played downhill and perhaps we lost a little confidence. We didn't make many plays after that."
On Kevin O'Connell:
"He's an exceptional player and I give him a lot of credit. He did a great job."