Like its offense, the Louisiana-Lafayette's defense is full of athletic playmakers. The Ragin' Cajuns have an impressive seven interceptions returned for a touchdown, the second most in the country. ULL has 455 return yards on its 14 interceptions on the season. Linebacker Lance Kelley leads the defense with 107 tackles, and also has 8.5 tackles for a loss, three interceptions, six breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Kelley was joined on the all-Sun Belt first team by cornerback Dwight Bentley (65 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3 INT's, 6 PBU's and 2 FF) and defensive end Bernard Smith (40 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 1 FR).
Head Coach Rocky Long commented on Louisiana's defense during the New Orleans Bowl Media Day.
"They've got eight or nine starting seniors on defense. I know they don't get the same notoriety as some other schools in this state, but they're a great football team. I don't think they started out that way, I think they've gained the confidence now if you've watched the last three or four games they've played. They're confident, they're talented, they're coached really well and they're enthusiastic."
ROCKY LONG on how things have gone since arriving in New Orleans:
"Things are going fine. I think the players are enjoying themselves. We sure appreciate the New Orleans Bowl inviting us. I thought our team was well-deserving of a bowl bid. There were some questions of whether we were going to get one near the end of the season, but (the New Orleans Bowl) was kind enough to invite us. We appreciate it and hope to put on a good show for them."
On running back Ronnie Hillman:
Ryan Lindley" height="59" src="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/sdsu/sports/m-footbl/auto_headshot/3350522.jpeg" width="44" />
RYAN LINDLEY - "He's just an awesome player; a guy that's just got a ton of ability. God's blessed him with a whole lot and he'll continue to do that. He'll show up and do some great things when you give him the ball."
KURTIS GUNTHER - "Whenever Ronnie scores, we score. That's always a nice feeling for us. Whenever he gets the big break, that's a nice feeling for us. We get that feeling, too, because obviously most of us are never going to get a chance to score a touchdown. It's always good because when people are cheering for him, whether they know it or now, they are also cheering for us."
On Louisiana-Lafayette's defense especially their defensive backs:
Ryan Lindley" height="59" src="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/sdsu/sports/m-footbl/auto_headshot/3350522.jpeg" width="44" />
RYAN LINDLEY - "They're a good group and they've put some good things on film - a lot of interceptions, a lot of pick sixes. Their group is very athletic. We'll have to be on our toes, run our routes well and be precise on what we're doing. Hopefully we'll do some things that will set us up in position to move the chains and get first downs."
KURTIS GUNTHER - "They're a good team. They've got some big guys in the middle and some fast guys on the edge. They're obviously good enough to get that 8-4 record and get into the bowl game with us. We're just doing our best and studying all the film we can. We've done our homework and studied a lot of film. Coach is getting us prepared really well."
COLIN LOCKETT - "They're all athletes. They're supposed to be one of the better defensive backfields to come in and make plays. They've got a couple of guys that can run and a couple guys that are quite tall. Overall they're a pretty good group and we'll see how we do on Saturday."
DYLAN DENSO - "They've shown to be real athletic backs on the field and through tape. You can tell they've got speed. Some of the times they'll give up some open guys in their coverage, so I guess the tough part is recognizing the coverage and seeing what we have to do to get open."
MILES BURRIS on the keys to the game:
"The keys to success are starting fast and playing four quarters at 100 percent. Not coming out all ragged, but just playing as hard as we can every snap to get the ball."
RONNIE HILLMAN on Marshall Faulk:
"Everybody knows about (Marshall Faulk). If you are going to be a good running back, you'll have to chase his records. All you can do is chase right now. I just need to keep running and let the offensive line keep doing what they are doing. Eventually, if my time comes, I'll get there when I get there." On his season so far: "I think I've had an OK season. Once again, I have to give a lot of credit to my offensive linemen, (quarterback) Ryan Lindley and the rest of the offense. It takes a lot of attention off of me having Ryan back there with the receivers and the tight ends. Without them, it would just be a one-man show and that's never a good thing in college football."
KURTIS GUNTHER on establishing the run early:
"We always try to get the run game going. We've averaged almost 200 (yards) a game up to this point. If we hit that 200 mark again, that's going to hopefully give us a victory."
COLIN LOCKETT on Louisiana-Lafayette's ability to return interceptions for touchdowns:
"They're athletes. They know what to do with the ball when it's in their hands and even when it's in the air. It'll be competitive throughout the whole game and I'm looking forward to the matchup."
DYLAN DENSO on getting out to a fast start after some slow starts this season:
"We know we're a second half team, we know we can do that. I think we need to prove to ourselves that we can go out and try to put a team away early in the game. I think that's going to be the main emphasis on our offense and our defense, just try and get a fast start, put points on the board and start rolling from there." On the play of the SDSU offensive line this season: "We have a lot of seniors on our line. They're a big, cohesive group. Staying together and staying away from injuries, they've been able to get their timing down. They've given (quarterback) Ryan (Lindley) plenty of time in the pocket, so that's going to give us time to run routes, get open and hopefully make big plays."
AZTEC OFFENSE NOTES
SDSU's 357 points this season are the second most in the last 15 seasons (since 1996), trailing only last year's 455 points.
Since the beginning of the 2010 season, San Diego State has 56 rushing touchdowns (over 25 games).
The Aztec offensive line has allowed just 10 sacks, which ranks 10th nationally.
SDSU's Ronnie Hillman ranks third in the nation in rushing yards per game (138.00).
San Diego State's Ryan Lindley has broken career school records this season in passing yards (12,277), touchdowns (87), quarterback starts (48), total offense (11,996) and completions (933).
| 
