Oct. 22, 2001

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State Head Football Coach Mick Dennehy Press Conference Quotes

On the Idaho State Game

"It's nice to get on the winning side of the ledger. I think that we did about everything we possibly could to dig ourselves as very deep as we possibly could have. I just thank God that the guys refocused at halftime and came out and did what they had to do. I think the key to the whole thing was not getting in too big of a rush and being patient. We finally started doing some things in the second half, particularly offensively that we have been doing all along."

"I think we are a pretty good team if we are productive on first down and we get ourselves into second and short situations where we have the ability to really mix it up. We didn't get that many first downs in the first half. I think it was really critical that we got that going in the second half. The guys did not lose sight of the objective. Thank goodness. That would have been a tough one, really tough to get it back from there on. We are real pleased with the fact that they came out and did the things they needed to do to get back in the game. I think for the first time all year long we played well together. Our defense came to play. They knew what they needed to do in the second half. Our offense did what they had to in the second half as well. I think our special teams really helped us in this game. We knew it wasn't going to be easy going in. We made it little harder on ourselves than we perhaps needed too, but it was a real gut check, a real character check, and I am real proud of the way the guys came out of the locker at halftime."

On Injuries

"We lost a couple of guys. Ryan Solomona, his career is over. He sustained a spinal cord injury. He is fine, but for all practical purposes he has a condition called spinal stinosis that will not allow him to play again. It's too big of a risk and danger for him to do so. We are really saddened by that. But Ryan is doing just fine. John Roberts broke his humerus (left arm) and is done for the season, and for practical purposes his career as well, being a senior. We also lost Tony Newson and Ryan Duncan at least for this game (knee injuries). So the price of victory was pretty costly."

On Central Florida

"They are very impressive. I have not had much of a chance to look at them on film. I have only seen essentially one game. I would categorize them as a team probably as more athletic than any team that we have played. They have great speed, particularly good on the defensive side of the ball. They are big and strong and mobile up front. Their linebackers make plays all over the field. The secondary is as fast, athletic and aggressive as we have seen. We certainly have our work cut out for us to come out and play them for 60 minutes. We have played teams that are pretty similar, and we have played them pretty well. I think it is going to be important that we show up on that side of the ball and improve as a football team."

"Offensively, Central Florida will spread you out. They are a throwing team and they really emphasize the forward pass. They do run the ball effectively, but are more of a spread offense, in which Ryan Schneider has been pretty darn good throughout the course of the season. He has some great weapons to throw to. We are going to be challenged again defensively in terms of making plays. Hopefully we will show up and play on that side of the ball as well. They are very athletic, perhaps more athletic in the kicking game than most people we play."

"We are going to see a very exciting game. They are truly an outstanding football team. They have played a schedule that has prepared them throughout the first part of the season to become the kind of football team that they have become, much like ours. They have played Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Clemson. And they played most of them pretty darn well. I think there are a lot of similarities. They have had a stretch of three home games in which they got out of their big games and have played very well. Their situation is much like ours. They have been an independent. There are a lot of unknowns. There are not the rivalry types of things, as this is obviously our first meeting. We are really excited about it. This is another really good football team on our schedule this year."