Oct. 21, 2008
Aztec Weekly Football Press Conference
Aztec Athletics Center
Head Coach Chuck Long
Opening statement:
"We are excited that it is a new week. The great thing about football is that you can try to sweep the last game under the rug, good or bad, and then move on as quickly as possible to the following week, which we have to do after a horrible loss last Saturday. I want to apologize to San Diego State, the great supporters that we have and former players for what happened Saturday. Although we are going through a mass injury and youth issue right now, that is no excuse and I want to make sure I apologize again.
"We have a big week ahead of us. It is going to be a challenge for me and our staff to get these guys prepared for Saturday night. There is pride on this football team and it is Homecoming, which is always a big and special week in any football program. We will play on that note and get after it on Saturday night. Obviously our goal is to play a lot better than we did last week."
On the injury situation:
"We have had a great challenge here trying to put lineups together week-by-week. I commend our coaching staff for what they are doing, because it has certainly not been easy. We currently have only 10 players who have started all seven games. Defensively, we only have two left that are still playing their original positions and haven't been injured."
On preparing for Saturday's game vs. Colorado State:
"My challenge as the head coach is to get our guys fresh going into the Colorado State game. I am trying to mix up practice a little bit. We are in between getting them fresh for the game and practicing at the same time. We don't have much rotation going on, especially on defense, so I have to find a way as a head coach to get them fresh and playing at their best on Saturday night. I believe we will get them to that point."
On the team's work ethic:
"I am very proud of the way our guys have worked. We have some young, true freshmen in there working their tail ends off in the game and that is good to see. You would like them to have more experience, but they are working really well and doing some good things. Even out of the (New Mexico) game we had some guys, who we weren't necessarily counting on at the beginning of the year, come out and produce. Guys that come to mind are Jerome Long and Henry Simon, and even Darias Jones got in there and did well. Eric Ikonne for the first time, being a young sophomore defensive lineman, was the player of the game on defense. He really played well and has come on strong."
On motivating the team after a tough loss:
"You tell your seniors that this is their last Homecoming at San Diego State and that these are their last five games. You want them to give it their all going out. We are struggling right now, but they still have a chance with the games remaining to set something in motion in a positive way. To the younger guys, you tell them that this is their chance to go in and show us what they can do. There are going to be a lot of people fighting for jobs for the rest of this year as well as next year, and this is their chance to get in the mix."
On turning the program around:
"I believe we will turn it around. It is not happening right now, but I wouldn't have taken this job if I didn't think it could (happen). There is a really good foundation in place already, but we are not a healthy program yet. I believe, barring any unforeseen situation, that we will be there a year from now. We are getting to that healthy state and once we get there, that corner will be turned. We thought we were on a good path at the beginning of this year and all of a sudden injuries have set that back, but we will get past that. Once we get more depth in our program, we will be able to overcome injuries faster. But, we didn't come here thinking we couldn't turn the corner. We did realize it was going to take some hard work and I knew after the first summer that we had a ways to go. Our mindset was to build a foundation a little at a time and then once you turn the corner, you stay there instead of going up and down. I still believe that can happen and that it will happen."
On the importance of Saturday's game:
"This is a critical game. They are all important to me, but this is critical in that we are coming off such a tough and disappointing loss. To be able to rally the guys back from that makes it critical for us. We need to get them from that low back to a high at home and we have six days to do it. I want to make sure I get these guys ready to play on Saturday night."
On Colorado State's offense:
"We have to find a way to stop the run. That has been our biggest issue so far this season. They will watch our tape and see our statistics and feel that they can just run the ball on us. When teams are able to do that consistently, it makes it a very long and hard game. The other part of that has to fall on our offense. Our offense has to score more points, keep the ball and finish drives. Offense and defense plays off of each other and we are not doing that very well right now. So, our offense really needs to step it up and keep our defense off the field."
On redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley:
"Ryan Lindley is healthy again. He had two weeks off from practice and then he split the reps last week. He wasn't 100 percent in terms of being in the groove, but he is back this week for full practice."
On the team's character:
"We have some great kids on this football team. I am proud of their efforts and I am proud of the young guys who have stepped in. Some of them are still finding their way and scrapping around in there, but that is a good reason to come watch these guys play. They give a good effort and are great kids on and off the field. We still have a ways to go and we know it."
On Colorado State's defense:
"(Colorado State's) defense is very sound. They don't do a lot of different things and they don't have a lot of heavy blitzes. They have a cover four scheme and want to try and keep things in front of them. They rarely get out of their gaps on defense and I believe with a new staff they are trying to establish a base first and then go from there, but they do have guys that have been around. If you look at their roster, they don't have a lot of young guys out there and they are playing well for a first-year coaching staff. Offensively, we have to move the ball, maintain and finish drives. We got our run game going a little bit last week and that is something that we want to build on and keep that balance."
Senior linebacker Russell Allen
On Colorado State's rushing attack:
"Colorado State does a good job of coming after you and running the ball. Their running back is a good, physical runner. What we need to do is to match the level of physical play they have. We need to get off the ball, re-establish the line of scrimmage and make tackles when we get there. If we can't make the play at the point of attack then we're not going to have any success."
On the importance of Saturday's game after a tough loss at New Mexico:
"Obviously, last week was a game that nobody is proud of. We all feel terrible about it, but we have another opportunity to put that game in the past and this week we will be going out and working hard. If we play well, everything will feel different for us."
On how the team has been able to keep their confidence:
"If you're a competitor, it's just something you do. We know it's a 12-game season and each week is a new game. Regardless of what happens, each week is another chance to compete, and our team understands that."
On how not to let a loss affect the atmosphere in the locker room:
"It's important to come out, work hard and keep the same energy you've had all season. It's important to keep that same energy on the practice field, in the weight room and the meeting rooms, and prepare like we've been doing every week. We have to lead by example in that way and have the energy and excitement for the upcoming game and everybody follows that."
On moving on from the New Mexico game:
"Everybody is still hurting and obviously this is a tough game to put behind us. As far as the 24-hour rule goes, by Sunday everybody was ready to move on. We haven't forgotten about it, but everybody has moved on and we are ready to prepare for this week."
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley
On how he felt going into the New Mexico game:
"I felt great. I felt really good as the week progressed. During the week's practices I felt between 70 and 80 percent, but at game time I was around 90 to 100 percent."
On Colorado State's defense:
"They are pretty normal as far as schemes go. It's nothing crazy like we've seen before. It's a basic defense. They like to keep everything in front of them and they're not trying to get beat deep. They'll keep everything underneath and we'll try to get them on that. If we get our guys to make them miss, like we have in the past, we can make some big plays."
On the team's senior leadership:
"Everybody looks up to the seniors. From where we were at with the win against Idaho to last week's loss, everybody has been level-headed. The older guys like Darren Mougey, Russell Allen, Mike Schmidt, and Lance Louis have been keeping everybody up. It's really great senior leadership."