Nov. 6, 2007
New Mexico Head Coach Rocky Long
Listen to Coach Long Press Conference
(on Colorado State’s performance this year):
“Come down and watch all nine games that Colorado State has played. If you watch the games and not know the score you can’t tell who the better team is on the field. Their record is not impressive, but they are an impressive football team. It’s even more impressive now when you consider the struggles they’ve had with their record. You kind of wish you would see some players that didn’t care. They’re playing with great effort, they’re playing very physical, they’re running the ball down people’s throats, they’re chasing people down on defense. They look more like a 6-3 team than a 1-8 team.”
(on how competitive the recent UNM-CSU series has been):
“I think we play the same style. That’s why, because of history, it tells me it’s going to be a very close game on Saturday. Both teams want to run the ball and they want to use the running game to set up the passing game. In my opinion, both teams play better than their athletic ability. I think the two teams have the same philosophy on offense. Both teams have a little similar philosophy on defense and we are fighting with a short stick, so there is a natural rivalry between us.”
(on Colorado State quarterback Caleb Hanie):
“He’s an experienced quarterback that our defense doesn’t seem to bother. Some quarterbacks, our defense seems to bother them, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. He really throws the ball well if he is given time and protection. He will scramble. He doesn’t really want to, but he’ll run quarterback draws even though he doesn’t want to. He’s more like (New Mexico QB) Donovan (Porterie). He’d just as soon sit back there and throw the ball and hand it off.”
(on the how fan base can affect the bowl selection process):
“If it gets down to which team they are going to pick and it’s two or three teams on equal footing, it’s basically decided by the fan support that you have. If you have proven over the years that you will bring 10, 12, 15,000 fans, they’re going to pick you every time. In our league there are certain teams that bring a lot of people no matter what game it is. There are certain teams that don’t bring a lot of people no matter what game it is. We’re kind of in the middle. We bring people, but we don’t bring the numbers with us that would guarantee that the bowls are going to pick us.”
Senior OG Bart Miller
Listen to Miller Press Conference
(on the performance of the Lobo offensive line vs. TCU):
“Something we take pride in is dominating the line of scrimmage. I think we definitely lost that last weekend. I think as goes the line, as goes the game and that’s kind of what happened. So this week we need to come out and really show that we are a dominant offensive line and we are a dominant offensive football team. We need to get it done this weekend against Colorado State.”
Senior S Tyson Ditmore
Listen to Ditmore Press Conference
(on the impact of the loss to TCU):
“Everybody is ready to get back on the field. It’s one game, but it will also stick with you for a long time, getting beat like that. A lot of it is our fault for not being prepared and not being mentally ready. Going over there and playing like we did, it doesn’t really feel good. It’s always good to get back out and play another game (after a loss).”