Sept. 21, 2010
Hoke Press Conference | Lindley & Preston Press Conference
SDSU Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
Coach Hoke's opening statement:
"Number one, it's never good to lose. I always say it's good to win; well, it's not good to lose. At the same time, we've moved forward. It's going to be great to play at home in front of our fans and loved ones. We have quite a challenge in Utah State, a team that's really athletic. (Diondre) Borel, their quarterback, is a guy who's made a lot of people look silly. He's a fun guy to watch, but not to defend. They're a good football team that went into Norman (Oklahoma) and lost by seven. We've got our work cut out for us."
On what he learned from the Missouri game:
"I like our team. I like how they fought. I like how they represented themselves as a team and how they played together. I like how they travel. Their demeanor was very businesslike. All those things, coaches get a little paranoid about. It was good to see our senior leadership do such a great job."
On getting over the close loss at Missouri:
"I'm very big on consistency in how you do things. We came in Sunday and they were disappointed, and they should be. It should hurt a little bit or a lot of bit, to some degree. But they understood that there were plenty of opportunities that we have to take advantage of and execute. They did a great job in the weight room and what we do practice-wise. Yesterday, on their day off, there were tons of guys in here getting an early start on Utah State. I think they've done a great job. "
On what it takes to finish off a big win:
"Play better. There's no real magic formula. You're also skewing your perspective. It's one of 12 opportunities. It doesn't matter if they're a ranked team or an elementary school. You're playing a game; you're playing 60 minutes of competition. Each guy has to compete at his highest level and you put yourself out there and see what happens. I think sometimes, there's way too much made about who you're playing. It's really about how we play, it doesn't matter who we play. It's about how we treat each other, how we're accountable to each other, how we respect each other and how we prepare as a team. To me, that's what it comes down to. And I talk to our seniors every Sunday and every Thursday to see where they're at. And the first thing that was said was that this was "THE game." It's one game, move forward. We have nine more guaranteed opportunities. "
On past letdowns following games against marquee opponents
"This is a different team. I think this is the 87th football team at San Diego State. It's a different team with different leadership from the senior class. It's different expectations and it's a different feel. I've been doing this pretty long. You sense how your team feels and where they're at. I like our guys. I like the hell out of them."
On a Sky Show Crowd
"I hope they get there (Qualcomm Stadium) a little early and hopefully we can start the Skyshow a little early. But it's good for our community and for our kids. Any time you can play in a stadium where there is an excitement and intensity about it, I think that's great."
Junior Quarterback Ryan Lindley
On maintaining the team's energy level
"The maturity level on this team and the leadership of the players and coaching staff is a lot different. We really let this game go on Sunday night when we looked at the film and reviewed what we needed to do. We're onto the next team. Yesterday, guys were getting in and watching film more than I've seen all year and I take that as a positive thing. We've really used it as motivation after last week's game and I'm excited to see what we do this week in practice."
On gaining confidence from the Missouri game:
"I think there are things that you can take. I know that on the offensive side of the ball, there was a lot of frustration on my part and a lot of people's part. It was more about seeing the opportunities we missed and that we could have had where the game wouldn't have even been close. It's something we need to move on from and learn from. We'll come out motivated this week."
On his struggles:
"It all comes down to fundamentals. There were points where I just didn't do the basics. It's a lot of stuff coach has been harping on. I didn't do what I was coached to do. That's on me and it won't happen again. It's tough to see when you know it's stuff that you can do and what we've worked on for 18 months. It's something I need to work on in practice and have it transition over."
Senior Defensive Back Andrew Preston
On the team's leadership:
"Back then was the past. We didn't have the same kind of leadership and the same kind of coaches that we do now. Coach (Aaron) Wellman, Hoke and our position coaches have really drilled that mentality into us whether we're coming off of a win or a loss. When it comes to Monday and Tuesday, we're getting to that next opponent and I think we'll be a lot more focused than we have been in the past. We're excited about Utah State on Saturday."
On the opportunity to play in front of a big crowd:
"Every game is an opportunity. We love playing in front of big crowds, whether it's a home game or an away game. All we have to do is take care of what we can do and that's getting wins. With that, it will take care of itself with the fans. We're not worried about that, we appreciate all of our fans that come to all of our games. We're excited to play in front of a big crowd, and hopefully, it will lead to more big crowds."
On what he learned:
"It's all about staying together as a team. We've learned in the past against Wyoming, BYU and UNLV, where we let the game go in the fourth quarter. We have to stay together, which we've done a great job of so far this season. Coach Wellman and all the other coaches have really instilled the need to finish games. That's one thing we're going to work on really hard this week."