Nov. 30, 2010
San Diego State Football Press Conference Quotes
November 30, 2010 - Aztec Athletic Center
Head Coach Brady Hoke
Opening Statement
"Saturday (against UNLV) was a huge day for us as a program and for our seniors. It was a great win. I thought our kids played with great intensity for 60 minutes of football. I thought they played for the seniors and our seniors responded and played their tails off. Offensively, obviously time of possession was huge. It always helps when you control the football and being able to run the ball was part of that. I thought we had a very good balance. Defensively, stopping the run is a big part of making them one-dimensional. I thought as a team the biggest negative was on kickoff coverage. That's something that has shown itself as of late and something for game 13 we've got to do a better job with."
On his coaching philosophy over the next few weeks
"We've got a lot of young guys who we believe are going to be pretty good football players. We've got the schedule done in how we're going to practice and the days we're going to practice. We're really going to take some time, particularily the first six to seven practices, getting the young kids a lot of work. It's important to their development. From a defensive line perspective, those young guys who we think are going to be pretty good players, it's going to be a great time to get back to some of the basics and fundamentals, and really give them great coaching."
On being a candidate (he won it later in the day) for the MWC Coach of the Year award
"When awards are given, those are team awards. For us and the way we look at things as a team, it takes everybody from the guys who are marking the balls for us to our mangers during practice to the people who are taping the ankles; those are all team things. I'm not real big on the individual awards but they all go toward this team and the program and how the kids and seniors have responded to the (coaching) transition. That begin said, that's great but we're a team."
On handing all the rumors about other job opportunities across the country
"To be honest with you, I haven't talked to anybody but one school. It doesn't distract me or what we're trying to do. We're trying to win football games here. I know San Diego State is committed to football and that's an important piece of it. (Director of Athletics) Jim (Sterk) and I have talked like we said we would after the season was over. We're happy in the direction that we're going here and happy with the response from President (Stephen) Weber about this football program.
"All I can say is that Jim and I have talked and I'm excited about our conversations."
On TCU leaving the Mountain West Conference for the BIG EAST
"I'd be lying if I'd say I'm disappointed because I am. I think they were a great team to play for us and a great gauge for us. I like (TCU head coach) Gary Patterson, I like how he coaches. But at the same time, it's like when BYU and Utah left, I really think this conference is a heck of a conference. There are tremendous teams in this conference. When you look at Boise (State) coming into the conference, when you look at Fresno (State) and having that natural rivalry and Nevada. Those are good football teams and good football programs. I think our conference is going to survive and will be as strong. In saying that, that means we have to pull our weight as a football program and make sure the conference stays strong."
On the priorities for his coaching career
"At the end of the day, being with those kids on Saturday night in that locker room and seeing their faces from how they've come together as a team and a program; that to me is what it's all about. I'll use (quarterback Ryan) Lindley as an example. Watching him grow in the last two years as a quarterback and a leader has been one of the most gratifying things. That's why we coach. Do we want to win every game there is? There's no question about it. Winning national titles and that kind of stuff? In the back of your mind, that's there. It's how you develop 115 kids and how you're there for them. You're a father, a mother, a grandfather - you're everything in a lot of cases. That's why you coach. I like the game, but that's not why I coach. I coach because of those kids."
San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley
On having six players earn first-team all-conference honors:
"It's a team award. If you look at it, too, individual performances get noticed more when you're winning. Obviously, as individuals, you come together and form a team and we've done some good things on the field. We're excited about what we've done, to put ourselves in a position to play in December. It's just a great team honor, especially with Coach Hoke and Ronnie (Hillman) and everything else going on, it's just good to see people get recognition for that."
On if earning individual honors was an individual goal:
"Not really. With where we've been and where we're coming from, just having a winning season is great. Winning is fun. It's always a great experience and a blessing to be able to be around a group of guys for a season. We get a reward of having an extra month where younger guys get to spent extra time around the seniors like Andrew (Preston), Ernie (Lawson) and (Vincent Brown) and all those older guys where the last three years it's been, after last week's game, see you guys later, see you at the banquet, probably won't see you much after that. So it's an awesome thing that we get to come together and have fun this month and play in a bowl game."
On how Brady Hoke has helped him:
"It's a lot of different stuff. When you get older and you have experience, your perspective gets wider and he's helped me out a lot with that. Just in a lot of different ways, we've talked, on Mondays we'll talk about the past week's game or just other stuff that's going on. He's really helped me mature a lot, like you said, as a leader, as a player and as a person. I'm extremely thankful. It's been awesome how each one of us has grown."
San Diego State defensive back Andrew Preston
On having six players earn first-team all-conference honors:
"It's a credit to all the coaches, the way they've coached us up ever since they got in here, Coach (Aaron) Wellman getting us stronger, faster, and the seniors and the leadership that we've had on this team and getting those wins, you get noticed a lot more when you win eight games. It's awesome to get that recognition, but at the same time, we have to give credit where it's due with the coaches and all the players."
On if earning individual honors was an individual goal:
"Going through what I had before since I've been a senior, those losing seasons, I just really wanted to win as team. That's all I really wanted before the season, to get that Mountain West championship, we played for it, didn't get it, which is disappointing, but we still have a good opportunity to play in a bowl game. It's going to be fun."
On how Brady Hoke has helped him:
"Coach Hoke, he always stresses playing for the seniors. Once you get to be a senior and you get to be in the senior meetings and you're already put into a leadership position, it gives you an opportunity to be a leader already. You're already put in that position because Coach Hoke stresses it so much that we play for our seniors. They coach for our seniors. Everything that he's done here has made me realize that it's a team game. It's not about individual statistics, it's not about how well you do, it's not about if you lose and you still had a good game, you shouldn't be happy with that because everything that matters is about the team. I'm glad my senior year we finally got to put it all together, get to a bowl game and be successful and it's all because of what Coach Hoke stresses in team-first attitude."