Sept. 23, 2008
Coach Long News Conference | San Diego State Student-Athletes News Conference
Head coach Chuck Long
Opening statement:
"It's football time again and I can say that coming off a bye week, we are excited to get going. We got back to our training camp attitude, which was very positive. We treated that bye week like we were going into training camp again and wanted to get that feeling back that we had going into camp. I believe we achieved that and our guys are excited to play again. We had a good week of practice in the bye week and so far this week.
"We have three returning players on defense that have helped us move guys back to their original positions. Siaosi Fifita, Corey Boudreaux and Ryan Williams are the three that are back in. So, we are a lot closer now to where we started. I have admired the guys that have played a different position than where they have been developed. But, after a while you can see that it wears on them a little bit. You can see they are not producing as well as they would like and at some point in time you have to say you want to go back home, and we are a lot closer to doing that."
On the Idaho game:
"It is a new beginning. We are finally home again and going into the Idaho game, it feels like another home opener. This is a big week for us, obviously coming off a rough start, but it is also a big week to get on track before conference starts."
On getting healthy during the bye week:
"We are starting to get some guys back. We used the bye week to get them healthy. Some of them took the whole week off and we think that has helped them quite a bit. With our defensive line starting to come back, I think you will see improvement in the front seven as a whole, just because of guys playing their original positions. My hat goes off to the guys who were out of position. They played really well, but they just didn't have the time to learn all of the little nuances."
On senior safety Corey Boudreaux:
"Corey just hasn't had a lot of time on the field, but when he's been out there, he has been an impact player for us. It really helps when you have an impact player, especially at the safety position where he can come down and make the hits like he did against Notre Dame."
On Idaho's defense:
"They mirror us in a lot of ways. I was looking at their roster last week and they have a young team. I know coach Akkey is trying to build that team like I'm trying to do here. They are playing a lot of youth out there and they are trying to find the best chemistry. You can sense that when you watch their tape. They play a very traditional defense, a cover four type scheme with four deep, and they try to get their safeties involved in the run game. But, their defense is trying to find their way and we are not in position to take anybody lightly. We have work to do ourselves and we have to find a win. This is a big week for us to work toward that."
On what the team needs to improve on:
"One of the things we need to work on is third down production on offense. We have been really good on third down production defensively, which has improved from last year. But, on offense we get into third and long way too much and that goes back to second and first down. So, we went back and studied our second down packages and all the way back to first down. Some of those problems are attributed to a lack of run game. If we get a better run game and a better flow that way, it will significantly help second and third down. But, our whole study was how do we get into manageable third down situations and what can we do on second down that will prevent getting into third and long."
On the running game:
"The problems with our running game were more schematic. When we self scouted last week, we sat down as a coaching staff to figure out how we could get the running backs in better positions. So, it's more schematic than anything. We looked at what we like to do, what we've been good at and what schemes have worked in the past and that will be our starting point. With us, you'll probably see more of a shotgun run game than you will underneath the center. We have some running backs who are better at the shotgun run game so we want to play to that."
On staying positive after a rough start:
"It's a matter of holding it all together. I told our guys that wishing, wanting and hoping are all mental states. You have to pursue it, which is very active. You have to have pursuit toward that goal and work toward it in practice. We have to get over not just wanting, wishing or hoping. It is a matter of actively pursuing it that makes a difference. When you finally get to that point, you expect to win instead of hoping or wanting to win. And that comes with confidence from work. You don't gain confidence unless you work toward it in practice.
"What I like about our team is that I love being around these guys. They work hard and stay positive. There has been no finger pointing, whatsoever. Those are all good signs, especially when you've had a rough start. Their attitudes have been tremendous. They still come up and watch tape on their own and they work hard in the weight room with a lot of energy. So, you see the guys staying together and our team holding together."
SDSU Player Quotes
Freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley
On the team's production on third downs:
"Third down is a big part of the game - on defense you need to stop the other team from getting a first down and on offense, you need to get a first down. That is something that our offense definitely needs to work on. We need to give some extra effort, maybe rally some guys around. `It's third and five, it's third and three; whatever we need to do to get to the stick.' As long as you are getting first downs and are moving the chains, you should be playing pretty good football."
On Idaho's defense:
"You have to be confident every week. Guys are excited every week and we want to go out there and score points. We're looking to put enough points on the board to hopefully get a `W' this week."
On the team not getting a victory yet:
"It's disappointing, but what can you do except win the next one? We are focusing on moving onto this week. There is nothing you can do except learn from the past three games and basically don't make the same mistakes you did before."
Senior linebacker Russell Allen
On playing at home:
"We love playing in front of our home crowd. That's what you want to play for. It'll be fun, especially after we didn't open up at home the way we wanted to (against Cal Poly). This is a new home opener for us after a bye week and a couple of weeks on the road. We have an opportunity to play in front of our home crowd and get a `W.' This is a good opportunity for us."
Junior defensive lineman Jonathan Soto
On playing defensive end again:
"It feels good to be back. I'm glad that Russell gets to move back (to linebacker) and I get to play (at the defensive end). I just want to do whatever is best for the team. I've played defensive tackle before. It wasn't too unfamiliar for me, but I'm glad to be back at defensive end."
On his first impression of Coach Nelson:
"He has a lot of energy. If you are ever out there watching practice, you always see him out there first, walking laps. I have no idea where he gets his energy from, but it is really inspiring."