Mendenhall: SDSU Will Be a Difficult Test

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Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall

Opening Remarks

Good morning. After watching our game film against UNLV I think it was a complete win. I think our offense played well, controlled the clock, was very balanced in terms of being able to run the football for almost 300 yards and not giving up any sacks and scoring a lot of points. Defensively, I also think it was a solid effort giving up 14 points to a team that I thought was a good offensive football team. Other than the miscue on the kick return for a touchdown I think our special teams also improved and so I think we’re carrying momentum going into this game and showing improvement.

The game at San Diego State is unique on a lot of fronts. Coach Hoke was, as many of you know, I was his graduate assistant coach at Oregon State, so he is certainly one of my mentors. Rocky Long, the defensive coordinator at San Diego State, I would consider another one of my mentors and I’ve learned a lot of football from them. And Dan Ferrigno is their special teams coordinator, he was on the same staff at Oregon State when I was a graduate assistant and I learned a lot from him as well. So that has put a unique take on this particular game.

Other than that, I think San Diego State is an improved football team. They are certainly playing with a lot more effort that what I have seen in the past. I think they are being coached very well and I think there is a resiliency that they have added that possibly has been missing in years past, at least since I have been in the league. So I think it will be a difficult test on the road and we’re anxious to play.

You had some special teams injuries last week. Did that reflect in what happened in the kickoff return for a touchdown and you trying some new guys in those positions?

There were, if I can answer the questions in order, I think it did affect our coveraging. There were five special teams players that were held out a week ago because of injury. Certainly some of the positions on kickoff were different and I was pleased that we did kick the ball off quite a few times, unfortunately the one is what we all remember, myself included. We did make changes immediately after the long return and so there were personnel that we even shuffled two or three times after that return. When we have our five players back into the mix this upcoming week, there will probably be re-shuffling again. Rather than a personnel mistake, there were just players that didn’t react to their blocks correctly and UNLV did a nice job of blocking most of our players one way, a lot of our players the other way and when that happens you have to cross the block to prevent lanes and we didn’t in a number of spots – three or four – right at the point of attack. That’s what led to it, I think, more than personnel. But the personnel contributed because newer faces not having much experience of seeing it probably played a little bit in that too.

Coach, San Diego State had a bye this week. Is that a big advantage or is that over-played in the team execution?

I think it depends on the team and depends on the opponent that you are playing. There was a stretch when I was with Coach [Rocky] Long that we never lost to an opponent after a bye week. In Rocky’s case specifically, he is very thorough and he works very hard, and he gives a little bit more time to scheme and strategize, which is his strength as well. And so I think from San Diego State’s defensive perspective, it will be an advantage to them because his track record show that it is even more difficult to move the ball against or score points against after a bye. I don’t know Coach [Al] Borges well enough from an offensive perspective, but I do know Coach Hoke and my guess is, when you’re talking about toughness, discipline and work ethic, they have been working very very hard to improve their football team, so I think this bye probably came at a good time for their program, knowing that they are all brand new. They have played five games, if I remember correctly, and now have a bye to assess, self-scout, do all that, and maybe will use this as a re-start to conference play. So in their particular case I think I’d see it as an advantage.

Coach, in Vincent Brown from San Diego State, do you see an NFL-caliber type receiver on the likes of what they have produced in the past?

I have been impressed. When you think of San Diego State you think about speed and athleticism and being able to throw and catch the football. And he’s along those same lines. The quarterback throws it very well, but that receiver at any time in any given play he can make you certainly pay and points can go on the board very quickly. There is a strategic choice, how much do you try and take him away or do you just trust your execution overall to be able to handle it – and I think that’s the dilemma all of us will have when we play against them.

Is it fair to say that it’s easiest to show the most improvement on defense in that respect as Rocky had the kind of impact they hoped to have in year one?

I think that’s the case. I watched film for the first time this morning and it only took two or three clips before I saw players running as fast as they can to the ball – jumping over miles to get there, game tackling, interceptions, forced turnovers and just chaos in general. So they are multiple, they’re tough and they play hard, and that’s who Rocky is.

Interesting that their quarterback threw 8-for-26 in the last game, yet it was a win. What do you see in Ryan Lindley and the offense right now?

Struggling for consistency. Certainly the schemes you see are very well designed, and strategies very well though out and now it’s just a matter of the execution catching up. And I think that’s where the bye is really going to help them. Because they have a chance to look at five week’s worth of what’s working, what’s not working, what direction they need to go. I like the plan, but now I think it’s just getting it more cleanly executed on game day.