Nov. 20, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SAN DIEGO STATE FOOTBALL
NEWS CONFERENCE QUOTES
AZTEC ATHLETICS CENTER
NOVEMBER 20, 2007
Head coach Chuck Long
Opening Statement:
"We're excited to be back at home this week against TCU. It seems like we've been on the road for a long time. Before I get into (discussing) TCU, I wanted to say we had a tough outing against Air Force. Overshadowed by the game were some really good performances by our offense and special teams. It's a tough pill to swallow when you have two of your three phases play well. Defensively, we obviously did not have a great day. We aren't going to panic because our defense has kept us in games lately that allowed us to win in the end. Our defense has made great strides up until the last game. We'll get back on that path. We still need to get all three phases going at the same time, much like we did in the first half against UNLV."
"It was great to have Chaz Schilens back. He had 215 yards receiving (against Air Force) and it's good to have him back for the home stretch after not having him for parts of this year. People have been doubling Brett Swain a lot and Chaz really stepped up."
"I would like to note Kevin O'Connell, who scored his eighth rushing touchdown (against Air Force) and set an SDSU season record. He already has set the record for career touchdowns by a quarterback earlier this season. In the last two games, Kevin has had as good of quarterbacking play as I've been around. That's saying a lot because I've had some good ones in the past. The last few games he has really thrown the ball well. He's been showing the type of stuff that will catch the eye of the NFL scouts."
"Michael Hughes is having a great stretch and is ranked 11th in the country in punting. Our special teams, all the phases, have been playing well. That's been a plus for us and guys are starting to take pride in that."
"We have a big challenge in TCU. TCU is a team that plays very well in November. They are starting to get hot. We haven't beaten them since they joined the Mountain West Conference and that's a challenge. We want to close out our home schedule in a big way."
On rebounding from Saturday's loss to Air Force:
"I don't think that game will be tough to shake off because we did play well in two of three phases. We played well offensively and for the first time this season we met the goals we set ahead of time for our special teams. Defensively, they've played well and made strides this year. We know some of the issues there, especially youth, and they've grown and have helped us win games. Let's not forget those moments. If you look at every conference game, they've kept us in a position to win. They kept us in the game against Utah and offensively we didn't come through. Every game but one, this last game, they've kept us in it."
On the team's final two games:
"We still have a lot to play for here at home. You always want your guys to play with pride and protect your home stadium. We have a bunch of seniors on this team that you want to send out on a good note. I believe with the captains the way they are and how the leadership has been, that we'll fight on. They've already seen some building blocks for the future and they are excited to be a part of that. We are going to reach a bowl game soon and they'll look back on that with pride because they've started something special."
On playing TCU:
"TCU embarrassed us last year and that should be a motivating factor along with the fact that we have not beaten them since they joined the Mountain West Conference. I know our guys are hungry, starting with Kevin (O'Connell). He's played very well the last few games and I know we'll get back out there and be ready to play."
On replacing senior quarterback Kevin O'Connell:
"That's college football and you have to move on to the next guy. Our quarterback situation in the spring will be very competitive. Kevin has meant so much to our offense and has had a huge year. Kevin has made great strides as a pocket passer. He was polished enough early on. We knew he was an athlete and could run, but he has grown as a passer with his accuracy, timing and decision making."
On the team's current injury situation:
"Our injury status is good. We came out of the game with no significant injuries. Darren Mougey is touch and go right now. He's hurting a little bit, but he did play some (against Air Force). T.J. McKay is coming back and Brett Martin is already back. Our injury situation coming out of the (Air Force) game is the best it's been."
Senior quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On the importance of the last two games of the season:
"These last two games (vs. TCU and BYU) are big. Even before we had the rescheduled game (against BYU) we were looking at the last game of the year against TCU. We were hoping to be playing for something then, and we still are. We are defending our home turf against two teams that beat us last year. Anytime that happens, you want to come back the next year and beat them at home. We'll definitely give it our best shot and try to get a victory."
On SDSU's loss at TCU last year:
"I think it was just one of those games where we could have had the perfect play drawn up on the board, but it just wouldn't work. Last year we learned a lot and we had gone through adversity with some injuries, but for the most part it was just one of those days. We moved on from that game and were able to get a couple of wins after that."
On the Aztecs' quarterback situation for next year:
"(Kelsey Sokoloski and Ryan Lindley) are two guys who both have bright futures. They are very smart guys, and I think that gets overlooked sometimes. They also have the intangible of leadership. Kelsey has already been voted on to our leadership committee, and I am sure that when given the opportunity, Ryan will also get voted on. They are both solid in terms of leadership, studying the game and being hungry to get better. They will compete (for the starting spot) next year and the competition will bring out the best in them. I know that I have improved a lot over my four years here, just from good guys pushing each other everyday. I have no doubt that the position is in good hands for many years to come. They are both young and don't have much experience, but they are going to compete, and through that competition, the team will be better off."
On freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley:
"In the summer, (Ryan) was here everyday, when he could have been taking some time off and enjoying his last summer before college. I made a point to try and get him some repetitions in our 7-on-7 drills just because he was making the effort and trying to learn before the gun had even gone off. (His hard work) showed, because he had a good fall camp. I think the biggest thing he will have to learn is the speed of the game. You can go through it as much as you can in practice and spring ball, but it is a whole different gear on Saturday's in the fall."
Senior wide receiver Chaz Schilens
On the importance of the last two games (vs. TCU and BYU) of the season:
"It is important for me because of the fact that I missed a couple of conference games (due to injury). I am looking forward to (Saturday), especially because of the fact that we didn't play that well against (TCU) last year. These last two games will be a big challenge. They are both good teams and we will do our best to prepare for them."
On the team's feelings heading into Saturday's game vs. TCU:
"Our feeling about last year is that (TCU) played better than we did. They played well at home and didn't make very many mistakes. TCU is a very physical team and I think as far as we're concerned, we are a different team this year. We are more physical and I think we will be able to meet that challenge. I know we will do some different things on offense, but we'll save that for Saturday."
On SDSU's loss at TCU last year:
"Personally, I was up for that game and I was looking forward to it. I think for our team, it was just one of those days where nothing really worked for us. It just seemed like everything that we ran (TCU) was prepared for. We just have to do a better job of executing on our end. The coaches will come up with a good game plan and we will have to follow through with it."
Redshirt freshman linebacker Andrew Preston
On last week's loss to Air Force:
"We are really hungry right now. We want to forget about last week and are trying to bounce back to get ready for TCU. We know that we can play better than we did last week, as we have shown it in the past."
On how the defense will bounce back from last week's loss:
"We will work really hard in practice to forget about last week's performance because TCU will not be running the same type of offense. There is no excuse for the way we played, but we have to get ready for Saturday. I think we can get back to what we were doing before the game against Air Force."