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In his weekly press conference, coach Tony Sanchez started by discussing the team's loss to Idaho last weekend, noting that it was disappointing but the team has to move on and get ready for Fresno State. When asked what his message was to the team as they progress towards Saturday, Sanchez preached that they have to have an "0-0 mentality" going in.
When the two teams meet this weekend, the Rebels will be a little thin at the quarterback position as Tony Sanchez revealed that starter Johnny Stanton will be out for the next 3-4 weeks with a knee injury.
Redshirt Freshman Dalton Sneed will start in his place, and Kurt Palandech will remain the No. 2 as he continues to heal from a shoulder injury. With a new quarterback taking over, the game plan for the Rebels will be to rely on Lexington Thomas and their stable of backs.
Thomas, of course, had two touchdown runs against Idaho last week, including a 55 yard run. While good news for the Rebels, this could be terrible for Fresno State as they rank near the bottom of the Mountain West Conference when it comes to stopping the run.
Other takeaways from the press conference included coach Sanchez being asked whether or not he felt the team lacked heart, to which he immediately shot down, saying the team did not lack heart, just execution.
You can watch the full press conference below: