Nov. 23, 2010
SDSU Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
Head Coach Brady Hoke
Opening Statement:
"We look forward to Saturday night. In this program, we always play for our seniors. This is an opportunity; they'll always remember their last home game as a class. We have 17 guys who have done a tremendous job of leading this team and handling a transition. They've done a great job of understanding expectations that we all have. It's been a great group and one that we want to do a great job of honoring with loved ones and family. We're going to go out and play our tails off for them."
On the legacy of the senior class:
"The legacy of any senior class can be somewhat skewed at times. It has a lot to do with the season itself. Just like last year's class, they've built a strong foundation for what we want to do as a program. This class has continued that."
On if he feels the same connection with the seniors after just two years together:
"We're pretty close with our players. Obviously, there are things that pop up that you may have known if you had been in their home during recruiting. I think those relationships continue to grow, and I'm awful proud of these 17 guys. My most emotional time will come at the banquet when they get up and talk. I'm a pretty emotional guy."
On the Utah game:
"We had plenty of opportunities and it goes back down to executing. We didn't execute on those four, six or eight plays that are going to determine the outcome against a good football team."
On UNLV:
"I think Bobby (Hauck) is a tremendous head coach that did great things at Montana. There are a lot of guys that are good coaches on his staff. They have some experienced guys and they're much more physical. They've played their best football these last four weeks, which is the sign of a team that's improving and staying together. They're going to be a heck of a challenge for us. We have to keep relying on each other and playing together."
On Ryan Lindley's performance against Utah:
"I thought he played well. Everyone will talk about the three interceptions, but the worst throw he made all night was the 90-yard touchdown throw. He has to get rid of that one and live another down. The throw at the end of the game was the right throw. It was the right throw and read. It may have been a click late because he dealt with a bit of a mess in the pocket. He's progressed and is playing really well.
Junior Quarterback Ryan Lindley
On the offensive performance against Utah:
"I thought we did a good job of executing the things that coach (Al) Borges wanted us to do. In the second half, we could have played better and scored more points. It comes down to the little things like the high throw to DeMarco (Sampson) at the end of the first half. But other than that, we did a good job. We moved the ball pretty well, but need to execute when we get down into the red zone."
On the alumni's reaction to this season:
"I think it's big. We talk about the legacy and our program. It's not just about us, we play for our seniors every year. We're going to go out there and this game is going to be big for us. It's going to be a big week of practice for us with what we do for our seniors. It's awesome; you take pride and ownership in what you do. To have guys come back and say they're proud of us is great. You always look for that as an Aztec family, especially in the football community."
On facing UNLV after two ranked teams:
"They have some great athletes on the outside. I was telling the defense that at this time of year, I've probably seen more UNLV tape than they have on offense. They have some guys who can get down the field on the outside. Omar (Clayton) is a good quarterback who can make things happen if you give him space. On the defensive side of the ball, they have some athletes up front. We have to go out and play good football, it doesn't matter who we play. You saw against Colorado State, we messed around in the first half and kept them in the game. It comes down to what we do with our execution."
Senior Defensive Lineman Ernie Lawson
On the legacy of the senior class:
"Hopefully, we left the program better than when we found it. That's probably the biggest goal for us and we've felt we've accomplished that, but we could have done a lot better. We're going to go out and try to win Saturday. That might be our biggest legacy. We just want to win."
On if a bowl game diminishes Senior Night:
"Knowing that we're probably going to play another game at Qualcomm, it might lessen it a little bit. It's still a big game for us, though, so it's still significant."
On the defense:
"We have to play better, there's no two ways to go about it. We haven't played up to our standard for the last two weeks and it's been really disappointing. The offense has come out and played really well. For us to not perform at their level and complement them is very disappointing. We have to get back to the basics. Play hard, execute and just play better."