Posted on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
Brady Hoke's San Diego State background a 'huge advantage' current Aztecs coach says
By AnnArbor.com Staff
Rocky Long
Associated Press
Current San Diego State coach Rocky Long says that knowledge of the Aztecs' players will work against his team when they play Michigan on Saturday at Michigan Stadium (Noon, BTN).
“They know our personnel a lot better than we know their personnel, so I think there’s a huge advantage, yes,” Long said, according to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Long did what Hoke and two other previous coaches couldn't do -- beat a team from an automatically qualifying BCS conference. The Aztecs beat Washington State, 42-24, on Saturday, breaking a 23-game losing streak in such games.
Hoke was 0-2 against major conference teams while at San Diego State. The Aztecs are 3-0 for the first time since 1981.
Comments
MRunner73
Tue, Sep 20, 2011 : 2:32 p.m.
My take is OUR cooaching staff is trying to figure out what kind of team we have. This is especially true on offense. Can Denard execute a solid passing attack early on in the game. Can Vincent Smith or Fitz Toussaint break open a few good runs in the first quarter? Can the OL create some holes for our guys to run through? Can the defense really shut down the opposition on their first series? It sounds like figuring out SDSU is easier than the Wolverines. You would hope the SDSU does not have us figured out or we'll be in trouble. GO BLUE!!!
Blu n Tpa
Tue, Sep 20, 2011 : 10:56 a.m.
DVB Another nice job of setting the record straight and adding depth to the content of the story. Coach Long was comparing his knowledge of Michigan players vs Coach Hoke, and company, having vast experience with the Aztec team. But they are 3-0 for the first time in 3 decades and since BH appears to know how to bring in quality assistants, which he undoubtly did at SDSU, that will still leave it to the teams on the field. Should be a good game. Maybe even a little too close for some of us. TiM Go Blue!
David Vande Bunte
Tue, Sep 20, 2011 : 1:27 p.m.
Thank you...its one thing to just make a blanket statement like "Hoke is 0-2"...and while true, doesn't explain the circumstances that led to that 0-2. IE, it doesn't tell all of the story. If Missouri had been 3-9 instead of 10-3, and a bad Big XII team, that would be one thing, or TCU not only going undefeated, but beating Wisconsin in a BCS Bowl, maybe the 0-2 against BCS conference teams would mean more. The thing that people forget is that it was San Diego State. whining about Hoke being 0-2 against BCS conference opponents would be like complaining about Miami of Ohio doing the same. They aren't expected to.
David Vande Bunte
Mon, Sep 19, 2011 : 9:50 p.m.
Yeah, Hoke is 0-2 against "major conference" opponents. (I assume this means BCS) in 2009, he lost to UCLA, 14-33. in 2010, he lost to Missouri 24-27. He also lost to #2 TCU by a score of 35-40. Lost to Utah by a score of 34-38. Missouri finished 10-3 in the Big XII. That was a good football team. Hoke lost by a field goal. TCU went 13-0, their season speaks for itself, and Utah isn't exactly a slouch football team either. The fact that SDSU was even in those games is a testament to Brady Hoke as a coach. A team like San Diego State, with only half the talent, has no business losing to the #2 team in the country by only 5 points. The fact that it was so close means Hoke definitely coached them up. The 0-2 record is irrelevant, SDSU was supposed to get destroyed by both teams. Hoke defied expectations, and made actual games out of them.
JustfortheRecord
Mon, Sep 19, 2011 : 10:39 p.m.
I like this post a lot.
Tru2Blu76
Mon, Sep 19, 2011 : 9:20 p.m.
If I remember correctly, Coach Hoke has already acknowledged his former school by arranging for some kind of bonus payout for their coming here. So, hopefully, there'll be no hard feelings and we'll see an interesting game. Ironic that this probable win for the Wolverines will boost Hoke's career win/loss record to 51-50. The only additional thought I have is: I hope Michigan wins convincingly and does that by starting success earlier than the beginning of the 2nd half. :-)
ArthGuinness
Mon, Sep 19, 2011 : 9:03 p.m.
"Hoke was 0-2 against major conference teams while at San Diego State." Statistical significance is near zero here. In any case, it sounds like Hoke left the team in pretty good shape.
7718
Mon, Sep 19, 2011 : 8:14 p.m.
The game was on the schedule way before Hoke became The UM coach. Pretty sad when you have to say that the other coaches know you're team better than you do.
azwolverine
Tue, Sep 20, 2011 : 1:14 a.m.
I think he meant that Hoke knows SDSU better than he (Coach Long) knows Michigan.