Dec. 14, 2010
SDSU Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center
Head Coach Brady Hoke
Opening Statement:
"This has been a busy time within our program. We're trying to stay on top of recruiting and do a great job in the breakdown and assessment of the opponent. We have a bit of a balancing act this week with finals, and there are things that go along with that with guys maybe missing part of practice or a meeting. We've had five pretty good days leading up to now. We'll start really focusing on Navy and our development of the game plan and the looks we want to have. If you saw the game last week, Navy is a tremendous football team. Ken (Niumatalolo) and his staff do a great job of coaching specifically what they do. We'll have our work cut out for us. They've lost three games by a total of 14 points, and they've won seven of their last eight. They're very efficient and productive in how they do things. I like what we've done to this point with our youth development, and the timing has stayed okay. Now we're almost into game week, so we've started that preparation."
On Navy having played its latest game on Dec. 11, as opposed to SDSU having last played Nov. 27:
"They've obviously had more structure, but at the same time, some of the things we've done have helped us. Separating the practices a bit has helped us avoid getting heavy legs. It's been pretty good timing overall."
On stopping the triple option:
"You have to stop the fullback first. (Navy quarterback Ricky) Dobbs is unbelievable and he proved a lot of things on a national scale when you saw how well he threw the ball against Army. You have to stop the fullback. Either after the fake or when he has it, he's the one getting down the field cutting linebackers and alley players. You have to stop him."
On the discipline of military academies:
"We have all the respect for those kids and their programs. But in terms of discipline, I think you can see that in a lot of schools. There has to be a great deal of structure and discipline offensively with what they do on the run in their offense. Dobbs does a tremendous job. They're good with snap counts and cadence. All of the academies do a tremendous job."
Senior Wide Receiver Vincent Brown
"We haven't felt what it's like to practice after Thanksgiving, so it's a good feeling to have that 13th game and get the chance to compete in a bowl game. We're taking it all in. We're excited to play in Aztec Warrior Stadium."
On practicing in December:
On the possibility of rust early in the game:
"We've been taking care of that in practice. We've been competing a lot and trying to keep our timing down to make sure that we're still in sync with each other. We shouldn't have any rust and we're hoping to come out firing."
On being named team MVP:
"I wasn't expecting it. There are a whole lot of guys on this team who could have won that award. I can't say enough about my teammates that I go to battle with. I'm not too big on individual awards, but it was an honor to get that from my teammates."
Junior Linebacker Miles Burris
"I think the coaches are keeping it at a good blend by helping us get our legs back and getting us into the weight room. It's kind of like a transition into the offseason in the sense of lifting and getting the young guys more reps. It's a blessing to be in a bowl game and it's helping everybody develop."
On balancing rest and preparation for Navy:
On Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs:
"He's a great player. He runs that offense really well. They're a fast offense in what they do, and very disciplined. He looks like a great leader and he keeps the ball more than anyone on that offense, by far. He's a great runner and can throw it around a little bit as well. He'll be a big challenge for us. We're excited."
On whether it's a home game for SDSU or Navy:
"We believe that it's a home game for us. Either way, it's going to be fun to have the stadium packed with the energy that's going to be there. We're really looking forward to it, (because) we're playing in our town and our stadium. It's going to be fun."