Oct. 16, 2010
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SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State-Air Force Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
SAN DIEGO STATE HEAD COACH Brady Hoke
Opening statement:
"I was very happy to get the win, obviously that was an understatement. I like our football team. I like how they really complemented each other from a defensive and offensive standpoint. Then D.J. Shields made two tremendous plays at the end with the hands team. We coached the heck out of (the onsides kick plays) and talk about it that those are the plays you can win championships with. We made it exciting, probably a little more exciting than we should have at the end with that last (Air Force) drive. I'm proud of the kids and how they kept fighting and played 60 minutes of football."
On confusing the Air Force offense with all the shifting before the snap:
"Rocky (Long) is the defensive coordinator. He was a triple-option quarterback at New Mexico, so he understands that style offense awfully well. We wanted to give them different sets and different looks, and then take it away from them to see where they were going to check and where they were going to run the ball."
On the defensive play tonight:
"These guys played their tails off. We had a couple problems on some double-option plays and obviously in the passing game. I thought for the most part we eliminated the fullback a decent amount in terms of yards and that's where you have to start."
On what the win means to the San Diego community:
"There are some great alumni, great fans and people that care an awful lot about this program and our university. We play for them because we represent them. We see it as a win and we have six guaranteed opportunities left. We're glad we made some people happy for the week."
SAN DIEGO STATE PLAYERS
Defensive End Ernie Lawson
On confusing the Air Force offense with all the shifting before the snap:
"We were just standing up front. We tried to do it after (Air Force) looked back to the offensive coordinator and made adjustments to the front that we showed. It was just us trying to confuse them a little bit and give them a little bit harder time making their reads and line calls. It worked out for the most part for the entire game. It was a good gameplan by Coach (Rocky) Long and Coach (Brady) Hoke."
Running Back Ronnie Hillman
On the 44-yd touchdown run after Air Force's failed two-point conversion:
"It was pretty much a power play. The plan was to run out the clock, but the line did a great job of opening up the hole and we ran to the end zone."
On the 65-yd touchdown run in the second quarter:
"I just ran it and followed the blocks. The receivers did a great job of harrassing the DB's all game. DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown did a great job of blocking down field."
On his patient running game:
"I didn't always have it. (Running backs) coach (Jeff) Hecklinski has been telling me to slow down and let everything develop."
Quarterback Ryan Lindley
On beating a ranked team:
"Every game is big, and you want to get a win. For the way this team won, we fought. We stumbled out of the gate, and we were not as good as we could have been, but we were still up at halftime. We fought all 60 minutes, and that's something you have not seen out of an Aztecs team in a long time. We are proud of that."
On the replay booth determining the fate of the game:
"As an offense, you can't control it. We knew on the sideline that we had to drive the ball when we got it, no matter what. Whether it be a two-minute drill or a four-minute drill, we knew we wanted to run the clock down. Our mentality as an offense was to move the chains."
On the play of running back Ronnie Hillman:
"He's great. The kid has wheels. He gets out there and breaks through the hole. He's a powerful break considering how little he is. He breaks out into that second level and they can't catch him."
Defensive Lineman Neil Spencer
On preparing for the Air Force offense:
"Their offense is a simple offense, they just try to get the ball down the field. It's kind of like three yards and a cloud of dust. The one thing about them is that they are extremely physical, and that's how they beat teams. They will pound you and pound you until you give up. One of the things we did today was we played well together, and that is extremely important. Their physicality is the most important thing to prepare for."
On getting the win instead of just a moral victory:
"It feels great. The thing I am focused on is the game film. I want to see how we actually did. It was not a perfect win, and we have a lot of things to work on."
Linebacker Andrew Preston
On getting stops on defense against Air Force:
"All week the coaches preached not to give up the big play. We did a good job of not doing that. It is Air Force, so you expect them to run the ball. As a defense as a whole, we did not allow that big play for the most part. Everything was good until that last drive."
On beating a ranked team:
"It doesn't matter that they are ranked. Any win is a big win for us. Even if it is the number one ranked team it doesn't matter. This season being my senior year, the game being Homecoming, and just knowing that I am never going to face Air Force again is an awesome feeling. We have a lot of work to do on defense, and we are going to prepare for New Mexico next week."
AIR FORCE HEAD COACH TROY CALHOUN
On the game:
"Incredible effect, both teams played that way. Offensively, we have to complete the drives for more points. I think we had three different drives that went inside the 30-yard line in the first half for a total of six points. I give (San Diego State) credit, too. They are a heck of team. It's pretty obvious how athletic they are. They should easily win eight games this year. "
On how SDSU slowed down the defense:
"They're good. If you think about it, they are averaging 44 points a game on offense at home and only giving up 3.5 points a game at home."
On Ronnie Hillman:
"He was everything that we anticipated and even more. He's fast. He's physical. He's a great talent. Their team is that way, too. Their receivers are that way. Their defense is that way. Talent wise, they are loaded. They are a loaded squad."
AIR FORCE PLAYERS
Quarterback Tim Jefferson
On the offense:
"We left a lot of points out on the field. We failed to make a field goal in the first quarter. Then we got down to the red zone twice and the offense couldn't put the ball in the end zone. We also had a touchdown called back. Those are the points that we can't leave out there against a good team like San Diego State. They are a pretty good team and they showed it. We are going to have to be far better next week."
Defensive Back Jon Davis
On Ronnie Hillman:
"He's a slippery guy. He's a good running back. He had a couple of big runs. "