Sept. 11, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Football
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Sept. 11, 2007
Aztec Athletics Center
Head coach Chuck Long
Opening Statement:
"It's week No. 2 of our season and we're excited to get started (preparing for Arizona State). We had a lot of positives coming out of our last game. I know the score didn't indicate that, but we did have a lot of positives. Our offense was better at just about every category compared to this point last year. We really liked how physical our team played. When you watch the tape of the Washington State game you can really see our guys knocking them backwards at the line of scrimmage. We had only one turnover in the game which was good. That was the first opener for us since 2000 where we only had one turnover. We do need to have a smoother operation where we cut down on our penalties."
On SDSU's special teams against WSU:
"Our special teams were a lot better (against WSU). I thought our punting was better with Michael Hughes. It wasn't one of his best days but he still ended up 10th in the country. We have injuries to three of our core special teams performers in Nick Sandford, Freddy Dunkle and Andrew Preston who are on all four phases of special teams. We'll have to see how they progress during the week."
On SDSU's struggles in the secondary:
"We did have a tough time in the secondary without question. We have a very young secondary. Ray Bass is probably our veteran guy back there and he doesn't have a lot of playing experience behind him. Corey Boudreaux started for the first time and hadn't played much in four years. Our corner position is going to have to be by committee for the immediate future until it settles down."
On SDSU quarterback Kevin O'Connell's performance versus WSU:
"I thought Kevin O'Connell displayed excellent poise throughout the game. The one thing I teach a quarterback is to not worry about the score of the game. I want them to play within the system. It is very easy for a quarterback, when you get down like that, to start thinking that you have to do everything yourself and force things. That's when the quarterback gets into trouble. Kevin never did and that showed poise. He took what the defense was giving him throughout the game. That was growth to me and I told him that."
On Arizona State:
"Arizona State provides a big challenge for us. They have a team laden with seniors and juniors that have grown up a lot together as a program. They have some guys that can play on Sundays and they will also challenge us with their good passing attack. Rudy Carpenter can throw the ball well and they have some good receivers. They also have a big offensive line. We have our work cut out for us, but our guys are excited to go to Tempe."
On the play of freshman wide receiver/kick returner Vincent Brown:
"Vincent was someone who I thought all along could play and produce for us this year. He came into training camp as a very mature young man and I thought he did well. We felt like we upgraded our return units and he is part of that upgrade. He missed one hole on Saturday and he knew it, but other than that he did pretty well. He's only going to get better as we go on. He got in a little bit at wide out and you'll see more of him at wide receiver in the future."
On changing the starters at the corner back position:
"The starters won't change going into this game. We'll still go with Aaron Moore and Scotty James. We will play others like (junior transfer) Vonnie Holmes and freshman Romeo Horn who got in the last game. We like what we see, but we're inexperienced. It's probably a position that will take a little while to settle down. We are going to keep working at it until it is settled."
On SDSU's struggles with Pac-10 teams:
"I don't know what the answer is. If you look at our conference last weekend nobody beat a Pac-10 team. They are a BCS conference that recruits significant talent. You would think along the way you would get one of those games (against a Pac-10 team). I believe in the future we will. I felt really good going against Washington State with the exception of its passing game. We are going to continue to strive to beat Pac-10 teams starting with this weekend and then in our next match up in 2009 against UCLA."
Junior linebacker Russell Allen
On the results of the team's off-season training:
"Well, I think we definitely saw some results of our off-season training (on Saturday). Some of the things we improved on were our special teams and our conditioning. We were in great shape and we were still fighting at the end of the game. (Washington State) was only one game. We have a lot more to play and we will continue to see the results of our hard work as the season continues."
On Arizona State's rushing attack:
"It is going to be a challenge for us because (Arizona State's) rushing attack is very good. They have a solid running back and a really good offensive line. We're just going to prepare ourselves for another great opponent and do the best that we can."
On the youth of the defense:
"I think the (young guys) are getting better everyday. Those guys are working really hard and they know now what it takes. They got a really good idea of where they're at on Saturday and they realize there's much improvement to be made. I think this week of practice will really tell a lot about their character. I have nothing but confidence in how they will play this weekend."
Senior quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On the team's feelings heading into the game this week:
"We have the same feelings we had last week. I know a lot of us older guys were looking forward to getting our feet wet and getting back out on the field again. It had been a long time coming for many of us. There were a lot of good things that we took away from last weekend's game and we want to apply those to Saturday's game because we have another very tough opponent this week. (Arizona State) is a very athletic and fast team, so we will need to play well."
On the performance of the offense last weekend:
"I think when we came out to start the game we saw the defense that we expected to see. We had a pretty good game plan going in and we were able to roll with that from the opening kick-off. As the game went on, (Washington State) made a couple of adjustments, but the biggest thing was our penalties. Overall, I was very happy with the way our offense played. I think we left a lot of points and yardage out there, but it's only game one. There's a lot of progress that has been made and I'm looking forward to 11 more opportunities to put as many points on the scoreboard as we possibly can."
On the team's feelings about a second-consecutive match-up with a Pac-10 opponent:
"We're definitely excited. I know Russell (Allen), Chaz (Schilens) and I have played against some really good football teams here. We've never shied away from anybody and no matter what we're going to bring our best step forward in practice to get ready for Saturday. We were looking forward to our first two games against Pac-10 teams all summer. Unfortunately, we didn't get some of the results we wanted last weekend, but we will have another opportunity on Saturday."
Senior wide receiver Chaz Schilens
On how playing at Qwest Field last weekend will help the team adjust to playing at Sun Devil Stadium:
"Qwest Field was awesome. It is a beautiful facility. It gets really loud up there, but we knew going into the game that it is one of the loudest NFL stadiums. ASU will be the same. There's going to be a lot of people and a lot of energy there. With this being our second game, I think we will handle it a lot better. At certain points in last week's game, we had trouble hearing and had a couple of false starts and other penalties. I think that we can easily correct those mistakes in practice. Playing at Qwest Field last weekend will put us in a better position for Saturday."
On the effect the Arizona weather will have on the team's play:
"The temperature will not be a problem for us. We practiced specifically at the hottest part of the day during fall camp here in San Diego. I'm from Arizona, so I know what it's going to be like. It's also a night game, so we won't have the afternoon heat. I really don't think (the weather) will be that bad and it shouldn't be a problem for us."
On the team's confidence level after a tough start to the season:
"We are still extremely confident. We know what our team is about and what we are capable of doing. We're happy with what we did last weekend. There is still some stuff that we can fix, but our confidence doesn't waver. We still feel like we are going to be a great team and we know we will put points on the scoreboard."