What San Diego State coach Sean Lewis and the players said after Oregon State's 21-0 win

SAN DIEGO – Here are some comments from San Diego State coach Sean Lewis, tight end Jude Wolfe and cornerback Chris Johnson following Oregon State’s 21-0 win Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium:

Sean Lewis

For presentation:

“Tonight wasn't nearly good enough. We've got to do a much better job at our club and get the guys set up the way they need to be for a tough opponent like Oregon State tonight. I take the loss completely. We've got to do a much better job. We've got to prepare a lot better next week for a really good, talented Cal Berkeley team that went to SEC country today and got a big win; they're going to want to go high.”

“We've got to bounce back big. I told the guys, 'Every opportunity you get, you're either going to win or we're going to learn from it.' We've got to learn our lessons as we go through this thing, and the adversity we faced tonight is part of that. We can grow from it and get closer because of it. I'm excited for the next step in this process as we move forward together as a team.”

How penalties affect SDSU’s offensive rhythm:

“We've got these self-inflicted wounds that really hurt. (We beat ourselves) tonight in a lot of areas, including those penalties. That puts you behind, a little bit off schedule against a strong team and a strong opponent. Our opponent can sit back, catch up and get momentum. That pays off for us as a team, especially for me, making sure we put our guys in the best position to be successful and do what they do best. Play in and play out.”

On the resilience of the state of San Diego:

“(We) are not giving up. This was an incredible performance. At no point have I seen anyone hang their head. They are going to fight, they are going to be resilient, and we chose to respond to that, and that's what they did in every way, in every facet of the game. Now we have to do it at a higher level. There's a desire to compete; they're a close-knit group, and I'm excited to see that bond grow. Great bonds are formed under heat and pressure. We're feeling a little heat and pressure for the first time. Let's embrace this and come together as a unit, as a team, through this adversity, through the ups and downs.

“I'm looking forward to seeing how we respond. We've shown week after week that we're going to respond well and bounce back. We're going to learn from these tough lessons. Unfortunately, that's part of the deal. When you walk into the arena, there are going to be moments.”

What the team needs to do to be successful against programs like Oregon State:

“If we can operate with the efficiency that we're capable of because of the plan that we've put in place, we can play the game our way. It's all about our execution and our understanding of the plan. Let's come up with a great plan to help the kids be successful and then go out there and execute it play by play to have sustained success.”

Tight End Jude Wolfe

On the offensive performance:

“It was subpar. We didn't play to the level we can play. We got penalties before the snap and made other mistakes that we can control. We can't keep making those mistakes and then not capitalize on them when we have opportunities. We had some good shots, but overall we need to capitalize on it. We need to play a better game.”

How to help the team become resilient:

“Us older guys need better leadership. When the going gets tough, sometimes you see the guys on the sidelines hanging their heads. It's up to us as leaders to inspire and rally the troops, keep things going and keep our heads up no matter what just happened to us.”

On Oregon State’s offense, which controls the ball for a long period of time:

“In terms of warm-up play, it's certainly frustrating that Oregon State had the ball for so long. It's difficult to find a real rhythm when you're not on the field for so long. But there's no excuse for the offensive performance today. We had a lot of opportunities and didn't capitalize on them.”

Chris Johnson

On Oregon State’s running game:

“They've got some great runners. It's always hard to stop a great runner, and then you add a great offensive line. We matched up perfectly with the running backs. We've got a great interior, outside, secondary, all that. Obviously, they just ran more often and were able to make bigger plays than we could.”

To turn the page and concentrate on the next game:

“Tomorrow we'll be back at it, going through the tape, training, removing all the bumps and bruises, and the day after tomorrow we'll be done with this game. Some of these parts aren't very pretty. We have to get through them.”

–Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, [email protected] or @nickdaschel.

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