Nov. 6, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2
SAN DIEGO STATE HEAD COACH BRADY HOKE
Opening statement:
"We found a way to win. It was ugly offensively, especially in the first half. You can't turn the ball over five times and expect to win a football game; that is unacceptable. I thought the defense kept us in the football game and I thought they played their tails off. We were not happy with the drive [that Colorado State] had at the end, and I don't think anybody who is an Aztec fan was. I think we like keeping people in the stadium; the excitement of it. Our defense stepped up a ton, especially in the first half. Offensively, we moved the ball a little better in the third quarter. It's a good win; it's a conference win and those are always important. It's a win that we obviously needed to get as a football team, but if you play that way, 90 percent of the time you aren't going to win."
On the team finding a way to win:
"We don't look at how things work, we look at the expectations we have. Our expectations are much higher so we have to continue to cultivate the execution we want to play with, the fundamentals, the effort, the toughness and all those things that build a succesful program."
On how the team responded in the second half with the run game:
"I think we blocked the power better, honestly. I thought that there were a couple things offensively that we did [better] and I thought Ronnie Hillman got in a better rythm, that helped. I think the other part of it was that Ryan [Lindley] was better in the second half too, and those two things go hand in hand. With his ability to throw the football and Ronnie and the line up front with the running game."
On what he would say to critics who suggest that the Aztecs play down to their competition:
"I wouldn't say anything to them. They don't know. They don't know what these kids do and what they have been through. They are not at practice every day, they are not out there and they aren't out in the weight room. What they say doesn't bother me."
SAN DIEGO STATE PLAYERS
Running Back Ronnie Hillman
On what it means to rush for 1,000 this season:
"It means nothing. If the team wins, I'm fine. I could rush for 1,000 yards and be on a losing team. I would rather rush for 500 yards if it meant we were a better team."
Quarterback Ryan Lindley
On his overall personal performance:
"I missed a lot of throws, and that's on me. I told the guys at halftime that I was killing us, and that I needed to get it together, and I did. You never want to turn the ball over five times, but we got the `W' and that's all that counts."
On the health of his ankle:
"I felt good. The trainer worked with me a lot all week and helped me get there so I could play."
Running Back Brandon Sullivan
On what his touchdown at the end of the first half did for the team's confidence:
"We had confidence the entire game. We realized we were making a lot of mistakes and had plays that were not going our way, but we went into halftime and made some adjustments so that we could come out in the second half and execute as best we could."
On being more involved in the offense:
"We've been running our normal playbook all year. There's certain defenses that we see we can make some plays on and Coach (Al) Borges does a good job of putting us out there so we can find the holes and attack the defense."
Linebacker Miles Burris
On the Aztecs' defense bending but not breaking throughout the game:
"It was encouraging. I am proud of the defense. We were put in some tough positions, but when you play hard, great things happen."
On the ability of the Aztecs' defense to pressure Rams Quarterback Pete Thomas:
"We knew if we took them out of the running game that they were going to have to go to the pass. Previous to this game, they have given up a lot of sacks, so we knew that if we forced them to pass we were going to get in the backfield."
COLORADO STATE HEAD COACH STEVE FAIRCHILD
On the game:
"I think we are improving as a football team. I thought we played well. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. San Diego State is a good team. I give them their credit."
On the CSU offense:
"Their (SDSU) defense is obviously a pressure defense. I thought we'd run the ball a little bit better than we did. I'm anxious to look at the tape.
COLORADO STATE PLAYERS
Linebacker Mychal Sisson
On not being able to stop SDSU offense:
"We had a couple of coverage breakdowns and missed tackles, which is what they thrive on. They thrive on the big plays, and we let them have too many of those."
Fullback Zac Pauga
On the SDSU defense in the red zone:
"Their defense is crazy in the first place. Then it seemed like they knocked it up a notch when we got down into the red zone, and we just didn't match their intensity."
Quarterback Pete Thomas
On having so many friends and family at the game:
"It feels great to have a lot of support, but I'm just disappointed and at a loss of words because this is a game that we had. We just didn't execute."
On pressure from the defense:
"I don't know what they are doing up front because I'm looking down the field. The coverages that they were doing down the field showed that they were doing some different stunts and twists. The offensive line played good, though. There were some open shots that I didn't hit and I obviously wish that I could have them back, but I can't. I take responsibility for that. "