Nov. 3, 2009
SDSU Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
Coach Hoke's opening statement:
"We've got our work cut out for us this week, obviously. (They are the) fourth-ranked team in the country. It's a tremendous challenge for us, a tremendous opportunity. There's nothing in their game that they do poorly from offense to defense, their kicking game, their return game. (They are) well coached, Gary [Patterson] and his staff continue to do a great job of coaching and having those guys ready to play. We've got a big challenge and a great opportunity and a lot of work to do in the next couple of days."
On what is the biggest concern for his team:
"(TCU defensive lineman) Jerry Hughes gets a lot of the credit and hype and all that and he's a great player, but all four of those guys up front do a tremendous job of putting pressure on the quarterback, getting off blocks in the run game and holding the integrity of the defense. I think on both sides, they're averaging, I think, 38 points a game or 40 points a game, so offensively they've got great speed and great skill. I don't know if you can put your thumb just on one aspect. When you look at their return game and the kickoff and the punt, they've got good players and they do a great job executing together."
On the SDSU offensive line:
"I think there's a lot of concerns, but we're young there and we're still trying to find out what the right mix is and we'll do that during the week too. I think Tommie [Draheim] got in there and did some things pretty well but Mike [Matamua]'s done some things well too. There's no question that that's one of the factors and one of the things we've got to keep working on."
On what Air Force did to slow TCU down:
"Air Force has really played good defense. They got some turnovers. They got ball back. I think in there when you look at their offense, Air Force's offense possession-wise, kept ball away from [TCU] a little bit. If you'll remember, it was also that weekend when Utah and Colorado State played and they played up in the snow and it was kind of not a great field up at Air Force. Maybe that hurt a little bit of the athleticism that TCU brings. I think you really have to give a lot of credit to Air Force, because they play good defense they've been real sound in everything they've done."
On TCU outscoring opponents in last three games:
"We're going to just worry about what we have to do. Our kids know they're a good football team. I don't have to talk to them about it, to be honest with you. That's three games and that's history and now what's going to be ahead of us and ahead of them."
On how to attack a team like TCU that's fast and athletic:
"We're going to try to figure that out. You see a lot of different people try different things. Remember, we've got to be who we are and what we do best. We'll stick with that, first of all, and we'll try and find some other ways that we think we can attack them."
On how impressive TCU's defense is:
"Oh man, they're fast. They're big and athletic and that's a pretty good combination. They play with tremendous effort and that's Gary (Patterson), that's how he coaches and that's the style that they play with. They play physical, they play at full tilt. I think the way when you're looking at defense and how they fit the integrity of the defense and playing fast, they're fun to watch. I don't want to watch a whole lot of them, but they're fun to watch."
On how critical it is to have a "real" home game:
"Obviously, and I've said this before, (I) hope people understand that these kids work hard academically, they work hard in the classroom and they're committed and work hard in what we do. It'd be great to have the students and the community support them. I'd love to see people out there and I'd love to have a really 12th man. It'd be obviously important when we're playing big games."
On what can improve the crowd:
"Winning helps everything, let's face it. I can't answer for everybody else. I don't know."
On if the attendance is surprising to him
: "I don't know. To be honest with you, I get so locked in [with] tunnel vision, I don't probably notice as much as maybe ... that's a big facility we play. I couldn't tell you.
On if it bothers the players:
"I would think they would, to some degree, but one of them was asked the other day (about that) and [he] didn't notice, because they were worried about what they had to do."
On how the offense did the first game without Vincent Brown:
"I thought the receivers did a good job. The problem a little bit the other was they schemed some pretty good blitzes and got some pressure on us so [Ryan Lindley] couldn't set his feet like you'd like especially early in game. I think as a team, I think everyone understands [that if] one guy goes down others have to step up and we've got to move forward."
On if Vincent Brown was missed:
"I don't know. I don't look at it that way. Sure, he's a good talent and he's a big part of our offense. Any time you have a kid not there at any position, a player, even like in Tuesday's practice when we're going against each other and the scout team. They're always missed."
On if TCU reminds him of any other team:
"I told my wife they remind me [when] we played Alabama in the Orange Bowl in 2000. The speed of that team reminds me of the speed of this team."
On Brandon Sullivan:
"I think he's the guy with the experience. Brandon ran the ball pretty well the other night, (with) 88 yards. We're still going to try and run the football. We ran it 29 times, not for what we wanted, but I think we're making some progress, we've just got to do a better job of finishing blocks and being a little stronger at the point of attack."
On whether it's surprising that TCU's ranked as high as they are and whether the Mountain West Conference has elevated to the level of others:
"I think they are. I've coached a lot and been a lot of different places ... you look at the talent level of Utah's team a year ago and the talent level of this team that we're playing this week. They're as talented as other teams in this country. I'm not surprised, no."
On if it's easier to build an offense, because of the way high schools are playing their offenses:
"That's an interesting question. I think it might be. I don't know. Never thought of it in that context. I think everything is so cyclical in football. I think things come and go, the zone blitzes that are so big, and still are to a certain point, that's where the spread came to try and negate some of that. In the NFL you see them with the wildcat now; using that form of an offense is really just single wing. They kind of go in cycles."
On what a win over TCU would mean:
"It would mean we've won another game and we'd be over .500. You're in the middle of the season and we've got to take ... every day like today, we've got to win today, right now, in how we practice and our preparation."
On the 3-3-5 defense:
"I think it's been pretty good, to be honest with you. We're much better at doing that than we would if we sat in a 4-3. [It] causes a heck of a lot more problems and I think it fits our personnel better."
On if there is pressure on the team this week:
"We got pressure at the end of last week and we played better. Pressure is always a key to having success defensively."
SDSU Players Ryan Lindley and Davion Mauldin
On what it means to be .500 this point in the season:
Ryan Lindley: "Especially from what we've done in past, it's a great improvement. I think it's a testament to the hard work we've put in. There's also things that look at from the past and just know that we could better than where we're at right now. We've been in every game and we've made some mistakes that we've improved on. There's ups and downs to the season as always and we're just striving to keep improving."
Davion Mauldin: "The same thing he said, but right now at this point in the season it makes it a lot more fun than last year. It makes it easier doing some of the bumps and bruises we're going through. The things we've worked through in the spring and in the winter [are] starting to pay off now."
On TCU's pass rush:
Lindley: "I think he's (Jerry Hughes) a great player to start off. There's also as a defense as a whole they have a ton of guys on their team [who] can make plays and they've got a lot of speed. I think there's just some things we might try to protect against him and make sure we've got a couple of guys on him. I think really based on that, you can't really think about that or it'll get you off your game. You just need to keep going on your reads, doing what you need to do on offense."
On if substitutions on the offensive line mid-game effect his confidence:
Lindley: "Not at all. With the depth that we have I have complete confidence in guys even on the two deep. I think Tommie [Draheim] and Ikaika [Aken-Moleta] have both been working had and same with [Erik Quinones] and Mike [Matamua]. I think we've got a good group of guys that work hard so there's no lack of trust or worry when somebody come out or go in."
On progress of defense in understanding 3-3-5:
Mauldin: "Right now, I'd say we're understanding it pretty well considering how many guys we have rotating in and out and considering how many guys we've seen go down to injury. We've had younger guys step in and do the job pretty well. I'd say as far as understanding it, we're doing pretty good week to week, adding more things in, taking some things out, whether it be simple or not. I think we're handling it pretty well."
On keeping concentration with TCU being a highly ranked opponent coming in:
Lindley: "I think you take every team for the challenge that they are, but when it comes down to it, it's about us executing no matter who we play. It doesn't matter who you play, if you don't execute, you're not going to be successful, you're not going to win. This is a game we just need to go in, get game plan down, and just execute within the game plan."
On the game plan:
Lindley:"We'll see. We've still got to put it in and there will obviously be changes between now and Thursday, our last practice. We'll just iron things out throughout week and we'll get a good look from the scout team as we have all year and just go from there."
On the effect of come-from-behind wins on the offense's confidence:
Lindley: "We've known it helps, having done it a couple of times, that we can come back and we can strike quickly. We have the opportunity and the potential to make plays and make things happen quickly and we know that even if we get down, even if we're down by a couple of scores that we can make things happen, and as a team we can come back into games."
On TCU's offense:
Mauldin: "Up front they're vey solid at the linemen, at the receiver corps, I think now this [is] probably the best group we've gone against. Of course, every team gets better week to week. They have some receivers that also play special teams. We see that they're very versatile. They have a quarterback that's a good leader and he can also run well and pass well. They have a complete offense."
On how much pressure there is on the secondary with a running QB:
Mauldin: "I wouldn't call it pressure. We just have to stay in coverage if he starts scrambling. If they start to convert outs, we just have to stay with them. Mostly we do that so it's alright, it's not that much pressure."
On how important it would be to have a true 12th man:
Lindley: "It'd be awesome. Obviously with the effect you have on a team coming in, being the away team, there's always that home field factor you get if it's tough, usually on the offensive side of ball. Defense is not as big of a deal. I think it'd help out our defense a ton, help out our team a ton, give us a little extra boost. We appreciate the people who have been coming out every week. We'll continue to go out and give our best effort."
On lack of community support:
Lindley: "I think we've still got a ways to go. Our goal is the championship and people want to see you win game in and game out. I think we'll continue to improve strive toward that goal but I think there's probably a lot of different factors. We do appreciate the people that are coming out every week."
On whether they notice when there aren't many fans in the stands:
Lindley: "Not really. You're kind of focused on the game and obviously, this past weekend when you see afterward (that) overall the factor [was that] kids have Halloween and trick-or-treat. My own little cousins were out trick-or-treating; they come to every game. I'm not mad at anybody for that. Things happen and in San Diego there's a lot of other stuff to do, but we love when people come out and support (us)."
On whether he notices that there's excitement from students on campus this year:
Lindley: "Yeah, I think obviously when you start winning more games, people notice. It's a good thing to see. I still think you can't get complacent in that, but it is encouraging to see that this school is kind of receptive for a productive football program and a good football program. It's been nice to see this year."