To finish the year stronger, the Aztecs must have stronger finishes to their games. That was the message imparted by Brady Hoke to his San Diego State football team after reviewing the tape of Saturday night’s 35-19 win over Southern Utah. Hoke spoke about it to the media in his Tuesday press conference:
The Aztecs controlled most of the game against their FCS opponent but then wore down and lost the fourth quarter to the Thunderbirds. Hoke thought he saw the intensity drop on the field in that final quarter, which is probably why he was losing his voice after the game.
Observations from the press box on a night of cautious optimism at the Q…
Saturday night’s 35-19 win over Southern Utah demonstrated both the progress made under Brady Hoke, and just how far the Aztecs have left to go in their return to respectability. For the most part, San Diego State controlled the action at Qualcomm Stadium. Against a totally outmanned bunch of Thunderbirds, the Aztecs pushed their food around the plate a bit but generally ate well.
But when you are playing a team that is SO much smaller, SO much slower, and has maybe half the players on their sideline as you have on yours, you really need to do better than 35-19. Mistakes, sloppy defense, special teams breakdowns and turnovers left Brady Hoke red-faced and hoarse after the game, sounding more like an angry coach after a loss than a satisfied coach after a win.
Hear from Aztecs players Vincent Brown, Ryan Lindley, Nick Sandford & Brandon Sullivan after the jump:
