Nov. 4, 2008
Aztec Football Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 3008
Aztec Athletics Center
Head Coach Chuck Long
On preparing for BYU:
"We have a very challenging week going up to Provo and playing one of the great teams in the league and in the country this year. They have weapons on both sides of the football and are very sound in what they're doing. Obviously this will be a significant challenge for us, but we will practice hard and practice as well as we can."
On the team's effort:
"I really like the effort of our football team. We do not lack for effort. We are physically challenged at this point in time, but we do not lack for effort. I appreciate that with our guys. The other thing that has been happening is that guys are fighting to get back into the game through injury. We have a number of guys who are out that you know about, but we have a second batch who are playing with injury or playing hurt. Guys are fighting to get back in and we didn't see that in year one."
On the Wyoming game:
"We need to execute and finish. We were in the plus-18 (yard line) five times last week and we didn't finish the drives with enough points. We are getting the drives, but we need to finish. Our defense got Wyoming into some good third-down situations and we didn't finish it in that respect as well. That's something I've been talking about."
On players making position changes:
"Luke Laolagi is at the WILL (weakside linebacker) position during the game (at Wyoming) and is still making the (defensive) calls. He's really smart with the calls and gets our defense set. We moved him to WILL to bring in Marcus Yarbrough, who has really come on strong as a 245-pound linebacker for us (in the middle).
"Jonathan Soto is just a warrior for us. He's gone from defensive tackle to defensive end in the middle of a game and has done it a number of times. That's hard to do. Our punter Brian Stahovich and our kicker Lane Yoshida also really did well (at Wyoming). Brian had his best day punting as a young freshman."
On the team's youth:
"We had a young team going into the year, but through injury, we've gotten younger. People ask me where our program is and where it's going and I have some hard numbers now that we're deep in the season. Here is where our plan is unfolding. We have 10 seniors right now who have logged playing time for us, which is not a big class. We haven't had a big senior class yet, but this is our smallest one. They are all working well and hard, which is the glue that keeps a program together. Behind that is our biggest class as far as experience with 20 juniors currently in our system who have logged some kind of playing time. (We have) 17 sophomores and 11 freshmen and redshirt freshmen combined, which is 48 (non-seniors) who have logged some kind of playing time for us. Unfortunately, 29 of those 48 have lost games due to injury, but the positive for our program that is unfolding is that next year we'll have our biggest class of experience to date. We have an uphill battle coming up (this year), but there are a lot of young guys and underclassmen getting valuable playing time that we believe bodes well for the future."
On BYU:
"We are going into a BYU game in Provo that is a big challenge for us. They have great size and skills. Max Hall is as good a quarterback as I've seen in the country and he's been solid in every year he's been up there. They have running backs as big as our defensive line right now, which will be our challenge with match ups. All we can do as a coaching staff is to work hard. Our team is very coachable and we'll work hard this week to prepare for BYU."
On if the injuries will hurt the program's progress:
"As far as guys moving around (positions), we don't like to do that, but we haven't had much of a choice this year. Obviously, if you're injured it impedes your progress, because you're not out there playing and practicing. It does set you back, but many of the guys who have been hurt have (at least) played (some). They will get back to normal and get back to their playing weight and shape. They are a little bit behind, but we'll catch up and at least they've had (some playing time)."
On the team's physical size:
"We're still not there yet. We're still growing. The bulk of our team is younger guys. I'm big into development of young men and with youth, a lot of them (need to) grow literally with size and strength. (Defensive tackle) Jerome Long is a young, true freshman who is only 260 pounds, but he has the size and frame to get up to 280 or 290-plus at some point through strength and conditioning. Are we there size-wise yet? Not quite. Marcus Yarbrough gives you the size you need inside (at 245) as opposed to 215 or 220. We're getting there through strength and conditioning and we are recruiting to that. We have some young linemen who are capable of averaging at 305 to 310 across the board. Two and half years ago, we knew year four would finally be the time that experience would come into play and balance both sides of the football."
Senior linebacker Russell Allen
On if it's easier to get pumped up for a game when the opponent is a top-20 program:
"Yes, obviously it adds an element to it. It's a lot of fun to play teams that are successful and get credit for it. Every week is the same really, especially in our conference, because we play good teams every week. We just see it as another opportunity to go out, play hard and see what happens. They do a lot of things well. They have many guys back offensively and they are physically big. This is going to present a big challenge for us, but we're looking forward to it."
On the defensive line being challenged by the size of BYU:
"It's definitely a challenge. They are probably the biggest offensive line that we've seen all year without question. It's a challenge, but there are things we can do to counter that. We can stay on the move and do things that will catch them off guard."
On how they are able to stick together through the many setbacks:
"That happens in the off-season. You build that foundation and that bond a long time ago. We did that, we've stuck together and it hasn't wavered. We've had our share of tough times this season and each time it has happened, we've stuck together. We've showed it by coming back after the New Mexico game and fighting the whole game against Colorado State. That game came down to the wire and we showed we're never going to quit. Against Wyoming, we had a rough first half defensively and in the second half we rallied and played pretty well. Time after time when things don't go well for us, we showed that we will never quit."
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley
On if it's easier to get pumped up for a game when the opponent is a top-20 program:
"It's exciting. They definitely are a good ball club and they've worked hard to get to where they are at. You want to test your mettle against guys like that and you love to rise up to a challenge. We've got a lot of competitors that like to play up to our opponents' levels. Playing a team like this is another opportunity to go out and play guys who have shown they can win."
On BYU's quarterback:
"He is definitely a talented quarterback. He is one of the top in our league, and you might even say in the country. He has good numbers and he's has good receivers around him. A thing a lot of people overlook is that he has a great offensive line that gives him time (to throw). He's done pretty well this year, but I think TCU disrupted him a little in their game. If our guys can go out and disrupt him like TCU did, our defense can have a pretty good day."
Senior safety Corey Boudreaux
On the 35-point spread and if it's motivation:
"I don't really pay attention to it. We still are doing the same things with trying to score, trying to win and trying to do our jobs. Regardless of what everyone thinks on the outside, it's not about that. It's about this team and how we can stay together and do the best we can. Point spreads don't matter to us, we just keep fighting."
On BYU's passing offense:
"Their quarterback definitely knows how to run the offense. He's crisp and knows what he's doing, because he has been around for a while. He has his favorite targets and he knows what to do with the ball. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're ready for anything. Whatever happens, we are going to do our best."