Nov. 9, 2010
SDSU Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
Head Coach Brady Hoke
Opening Statement:
"Number one, thanks for coming out. Obviously, we have a heck of a challenge this week. We didn't play well last week in a lot of different areas, but particularly holding onto the football. You can't go down and do that against a team like TCU. They're extremely talented and extremely well coached, very productive in all areas. I don't think there's a weakness when you look at them as a team. I think Gary Patterson and his staff have done a great job of coaching those kids. We have to play much better and improve. Our goal every week is to improve as a team. We need to have a great week of work."
On how to stop TCU's multiple offensive looks:
"You have to be able to defend their favorite plays. That's always a part of it. I think we have familiarity with their offense because of the people we've played so far, but what we do this week until game time is going to be important. They have talented guys up front and that makes the workload lighter for the guys behind them."
On dealing with TCU's speed:
"They have great speed and great talent, but I don't think that we're a slow football team by any means. We have to do a great job in reactions and aggression from a defensive standpoint. Offensively, it starts with being able to run the ball. They're leading the country in rush defense, so it'll be a great challenge."
On avoiding a slow start on the road:
"We've talked about that a lot. I don't know if there's a magic wand. It's just one of those things. Do we want to start faster? Yes. Are we trying to start slow? No. We just have to keep pushing it and keep making sure that we've prepared well enough to play and start fast."
On whether or not TCU is the best team in the country:
"They're awfully good. I don't know, I don't get to watch college football so I have no idea. I know I've watched them enough to know that if they're not the best, they're one of the best."
On the possibility of playing at home in the Poinsettia Bowl:
"I think our championship game is in Las Vegas. That's where we'd like to play."
Junior Quarterback Ryan Lindley
On TCU's defense:
"They're a great group. They play together with the scheme they run and they run it very well. You can see they have guys with experience that know what they're doing. They complement each other. They're a fast group and play physical. It's up to us to execute and play our best football."
On his ankle:
"It's feeling great. I've been in the training room with Mark (Haines) and Allison (Miner). It's going great; I feel a whole lot better than I did last week. I'm pushing 95-100 percent right now and feeling really good."
On winning despite mistakes:
"It's a whole new attitude. Between last week and in New Mexico, it's a new feeling to be upset with yourself after a win. It's a testament to what Coach Hoke has done and how he's changed all of our mindsets to make us better as players and as a unit."
Junior Linebacker Miles Burris
On TCU:
"It comes down to preparing the best we can. We have to treat every game the same and play the best football that the Aztecs can play whoever that is, whether it's the No. 3 team in the nation or the worst. The coaches will gameplan and try to make it as simple for us as they can, so we can go out there and be instinctive and do what we do. We just have to listen to that, get the gameplan down and have a great week of practice."
On playing without seniors Marcus Yarbrough and B.J. Williams:
"It hurts. Losing guys is part of football. We love Marcus and B.J., and we're praying for them. We have guys that can step in for them. That's part of football. One guy goes down and another has to step up. We're confident with the players we have that can step in and fill those roles.
On winning despite mistakes:
"It really is a changed mindset. We go into every game confident that we can win, and expecting to win. Our goal is to win the MWC Championship. When we go into games and we're down, we know we can still come back and win. In past years, we might have gotten down and been, `Oh, here it goes again.' It's refreshing and a great feeling to know you can win games."