Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
11/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 19, 2001
General comments about the Nevada game
"That was an overall great team effort. We played so well in all phases of the game. Everybody on the team got to play at least 15 to 20 snaps. Those are the games I like. Things were tough early, but they usually are tough early for us. We get people's really good shots early in the game. But we withstand them and fight through it. I think that says a lot for our team."
"We were really hitting on all cylinders. Early in the game, Nevada got two drives on us, then after that, it was over. There's something to be said for adrenaline. Teams come into the game with a lot on the line and something to win. But as the game wears on, the adrenaline wears off, and our team just keeps going at the same pace. That's the way, when you watch the great teams, their games are sometimes tight at halftime, but then methodically they put them away. Hopefully, we are developing a program that can do that. It's a four-quarter football game, and you need to prepare your football team to play all four quarters."
"I thought the opening drive after halftime was critical. I think that made it a three-score game. We talked about that at halftime. We really knew if we could put that one on the board we could really start putting it on them, and we did."
On the San Jose State game
"It's going to be tough against San Jose State. They are going to play as hard as they can play. They've got a lot of talent. I really have felt that when Coach Baldwin left last year, there were a lot of good offensive players there. And they are all back. Offensively, I think they are very, very good. I know that they've had to rebuild their defense a little and do some work there. But from an offensive standpoint, I think they are outstanding. And their defense will rally against us.
"Spartans and Bulldogs is always a big game. Our players will be very mentally in tuned to this game. When we walk down that ramp [at Bulldog Stadium], we'll have a lot on the line. We're going for our 10th win and a bowl game. A win over San Jose State would probably assure us of a bowl game. That's plenty of motivating information for us, but it's plenty of motivation for San Jose State to knock us out of one."
"This week, I promise you, when San Jose State comes in here, they will have their adrenaline flowing. Their whole season can be made by beating the Bulldogs. We've just got take their best shot and fight the whole game at a high level."
On the San Jose State-Fresno State rivalry
"I think you'll see a very heated football game, a very physical football game between two teams that have had a rivalry for many, many years. It's the longest standing rivalry at Fresno State. In the two communities, it's the biggest game of the year. I know it is in Fresno. It's a game that we look forward to."
"San Jose has always been a big game. I remember back to the 1980's. I was here six years when we had really good football teams, and we were 3-3 against them. And every game was for the championship. It doesn't have championship ramifications this year, but we have a lot at stake. And they have a lot at stake. They are playing for something that's really important, too, and that's pride. They've got us and Stanford left, and wins over those two teams would make it a very, very good season. We expect to get San Jose's best shot."
On the momentum generated after three consecutive big wins
"We've played well the last three weeks. And if you look at our season, there's 13 weeks of rankings, we've been in the rankings 10 weeks. This team has played throughout the whole season. Even with the losses to Boise State and Hawai'i, I thought we played hard, we just made some mental errors. And we lost two games on the last play of the game. There are only three teams left in the nation that are undefeated. I think this team has played hard all year. We've been going at it for 16 weeks now. We're playing at a very high level right now, which is good. It's good that we are starting to move back up and get into a position where we should be playing well."
On his team's ability to win in November
"I think that says a lot for the players here. They are in good shape. They're strong and in good condition. They play hard throughout the year. You see a lot of teams that don't play as hard toward the end of the year. I think that's a good sign that we are always playing hard at the end of the year."
On David Carr not being recognized as much for the Heisman Trophy lately
"I think he's biggest recognition will come on the first day of the NFL Draft. That's when you recognize people. David Carr is an outstanding player. To me, he's the best player in the country. I don't even know if you should include stats. To me, I don't know if there's anybody in the country better than David Carr. Hopefully, he can win some postseason awards. But I want to tell you, Dave Carr isn't too worried about that. Dave Carr just wants to win football games here and get us into another bowl game. He's the ultimate team player. He's having an outstanding year and he's an outstanding player."
On Bernard Berrian and the NFL
"Bernard Berrian is definitely an NFL-type player. Whether it's in his best interests to come out this year or next year, that's a decision he has to make. He'll get a lot of good guidance from a lot of my close friends who are either head coaches or general managers in the league. And if they tell him he's one of the top 15 picks in the NFL Draft, he should go. Because there's great money there. But in the NFL, when you have seven rounds, once you get past about number 20, it's not like it used to be."
"Bernard Berrian could be a top 15 draft pick next year. Because he'll get stronger and more mature and get better as a football player. But it's a decision he'll have to make. But if he's in the top 15 or 20 picks, and he hears that information from GMs and head coaches in the league - they don't want to take juniors. But if a young man is on people's boards, in that position, it would be tough for me as a coach to tell a young man no, because it'll get better next year. But if he's not in that position, I'll recommend him to stay. But he's still got to make the decision."
"I've coached in the league, and I'm never going to stand in a young man's way of a professional career in football. But Bernard's doing all the right things. He's in his third year, he's on track to graduate, his grades are good. He's not like some juniors that come out because they have to. He's doing well in school and in all phases of his life. And he'll just have to make a decision at the end of the year."
