March 20, 2010
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke
On the game:
"We've had a good spring. I think both teams were pretty equal. I think we're a better football team than we were a year ago at this time and I think we're a more athletic team. I think we have some guys in the secondary who are going to make plays for us, guys who are going to get after you.
"Our running game wasn't as good as we would have liked it to be today, but I think you can see that Ronnie Hillman has got some juice to him, even though he was a little beat up. Overall, I think we're developing quarterbacks. Again, I think we're a better team now than we were at the end of last season, but we've got a long way to go.
"With all of the football that he's played, Ryan (Lindley's) leadership has been really good. What Andrew Preston has done in terms of being a leader has been real positive. I think guys are getting into those roles, and the conditioning period we'll go through right now will say a lot about (leadership)."
San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley
On the game overall:
"It went well. Guys really came out and worked hard and played hard. There's a lot of improvement that is needed still. We need to be a more consistent team. It's going to come with time."
On new additions to the team:
"It's great. The guys have been really working hard and there's a lot of competition out there. It's probably contributing to what guys are doing in the weight room. We just need to continue to work in the weight room and get better."
On the outcome of the game:
"To be on the losing side is tough, but I think overall guys played hard which is what you want to see. We'd like to be more consistent than we were. We want to play better and on offense we would like to see more points than 10-7. But this is spring ball and this next session of conditioning in the weight room will help us out a lot. Coming into the fall, we will be a much better team than we were."
On playing intensity:
"It's a competition and a lot of guys really stepped up to the challenge. There were times before when guys were in a tough spot and there's an option to quit but no one does. Guys are going all four quarters and it's good to see."
On the coaches second year:
"It's completely different. It all comes with how comfortable we are with the offense and the coaching the staff. We really worked on getting guys in the film room and in their playbook to really have an understanding of the offense and defense and having it come as second nature."
San Diego State defensive back Andrew Preston
On the team this year:
"We have a year in our system. Defensively, we all know exactly what we need to do now. Offensively, they are looking good too. Obviously, we aren't exactly where we need to be. We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of strength conditioning to do in the summer and get out there in the fall."
On the coaches second year:
"The coaches have to feel you out and you have to feel the coaches out. We already have that year under our belt which helps a lot. The coaches have a better feel of what we can do athletically and I think it will be good this year."
On spring game overall:
"No day is ever perfect, but we went out there and competed as hard as we could. We got the win and we get to eat the steak."
On his new position:
"I love it. It suits me really well. I get to cover receivers and tight ends and just play all over the field. I really like it a lot."
On defense:
"We work on man-to-man more than anything else in practice. We are working on it every day and hopefully it pays off when the season comes around."
On the motivation of eating steak after the game:
"It's even more than the steaks. It's bragging rights. The white team was talking all the trash and the black team just wanted our pads to do the talking. Now we have the bragging rights for the rest of the year. Seeing the white team's faces when we are eating those steaks will be awesome."
On Logan Ketchum:
"He's one of my best friends on the team and he's a great player. He kind of reminds me of myself because we are both kind of that safety/linebacker (position) but he's a little bit bigger than me. He's fast and has good football instincts. He works really hard and that's what I love about him."
San Diego State punker/kicker Brian Stahovich
On the offseason:
"Directional punting is probably the biggest thing I have worked on because a lot of what qualifies you as a good punter from a great punter is the control you have. That and trying to get good hang time and good yardage to really put the other team at a disadvantage."
On his performance:
"I felt today was okay but not great. There are some things that I still need to work on. I'm going to get them hammered out during the summer for the season."