Aug. 28, 2007
Head Coach Rocky Long
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Listen to Coach Long’s Press Conference 
On Saturday’s match up with UTEP:
” I think the two teams are very well matched. I think the athletic ability’s almost equal. I think both teams take pride in how hard they play. They’ll be ready to play and I think that we’ll be ready to play.”
On the importance of the offensive line playing well:
” A lot of our success this season will be determined on how well they play. I think we have as great of a running back as anyone we will play but the big boys up front have to block or he won’t be worth a darn. I hate to put all the pressure on one group but that’s where it is. “
On sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie:
“I think Donovan Porterie is going to turn in to one of the best quarterbacks this school has ever had. He has all the traits. He has the mental traits, the psychological traits, and the physical traits. I just like his demeanor, I like how he handles the team. He’s in control and relaxed what else could you want from a quarterback?”
On UTEP in general:
“We don’t know them very well. We don’t know much about their quarterbacks. They have their whole offensive line back, they have their running backs back and they have a couple of really good receivers back. So we anticipate that they will be explosive on offense. They have a great group of linebackers and a really good secondary and all four defensive linemen are new guys that we have never seen before. That’s a concern because we don’t know them. They may be really good and we should be doing things differently then we are now.”
Junior Safety Blake Ligon
Listen to Ligon’s Press Conference
On facing the first opposing team of the 2007 season:
“When ever you go up against the same people for months and months and months, you know it gets kind of mundane and you’re just ready to see if you can take it with you on the field against somebody else and see how they’re going to respond to it. So we get anxious to see what we can do and the one thing that you are really worried about is if it doesn’t work. Like when we’re coming out and doing so well against our offense and then we go against someone else it’s not the same. I don’t feel like that’s going to happen though. I have real high confidence in both our offense and defense”
Senior Wide Receiver Marcus Smith
Listen to Smith’s Press Conference
On whether the team’s early morning practices made them tougher:
“Yes, because you have to get up at 5 a.m. every morning. It makes you disciplined after football. When you go home, you don’t stay up as late, you don’t stay up watching your favorite TV show because you know you have to get your rest because you know you have to get up in the morning. If you come out flat, you know that coach is going to yell at you.”