Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
11/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 26, 2001
On the San Jose State game
"I thought we played very well. I thought San Jose State played very well. They pulled out all the stops for us. But it wasn't enough. You hear coaches talk about things like 'if it weren't for the six turnovers' and things like that. Well, that's part of the game. We got over 600 yards. I really feel like we played well in that game. It started out like the other games. The other team comes out firing on all cylinders, but as the game drags on, the adrenaline wears out."
"If you look at San Jose State, except for a couple of plays, we really held them to one touchdown drive. They can talk about if it weren't for the turnovers and this and that. But that's part of the game."
On the Utah State game
"We are going to have [to deal with a difficult opponent] this week with Utah State. They are a very good football team. They played LSU tough. They played Utah tough. They played BYU tough. They've played in hostile environments. This is Utah State's bowl game. They will play their best game of the year Saturday at Bulldog Stadium."
"These are the types of games that can sneak up on you if your not careful. We need to make sure our team is really focused, because Utah State is a very, very good opponent. I think they have very good skill on offense. They're a team that's going to spread you out and move the ball. It's hard to stop a lot of these offenses."
"Utah State is a team that's going to get a lot of yards. Most of these teams get a lot of yards. The main thing we need to do on defense is keep them out of the end zone. You can't take away everything. They have a good running back and a good quarterback. They have one very good wide receiver. They are capable of moving the ball. If you watch the LSU game and the Brigham Young game and the Oregon game, they had those teams on the ropes."
"There'll be a lot of yards in this game. You're talking about two very highly explosive teams. I think in this day and age, the stat this is more critical than yards given up is points given up. If you can hold teams to 24 points or less, or 20 points or less, you're doing a really good job. Points are collected in big numbers around the country. You're going to see some exciting football players on both sides of the ball. There will be a lot of exciting plays."
On the inspiration for this week's game
"It'll be the last game for our seniors, I think that's plenty of inspiration. It's a chance to stay in the rankings. It's a must game for us. It's the biggest game of the week, like I say all the time. We've got to make sure these players are really focused. If they aren't, Utah State is the type of team that can beat us."
On the rankings and David Carr
"I know we have a very good football team. I know we are capable of playing with anybody. Depending on how we show up. If show up ready to play like we usually do, we're a very good team. I'm a little surprised we didn't move up more. But we've kind of been out of sight, out of mind for a while. It's amazing, but [the media] don't even talk about David Carr for Heisman anymore. To me, that's really a shame because of what he does each week numbers wise. But television, and playing on the big stage, playing against big-name opponents in big-name leagues, that's what you've got to do."
On if he has a preference for an opponent in the Silicon Valley Football Classic
"Well, only because they are close, UCLA. I'm not going to ride that. I'd love to play them every year. But whoever they bring, it's got to be the best business decision for the conference. There are certain teams that are guaranteeing ticket sales, guaranteeing crown and overnight business. I think there's a lot more to it than just inviting someone. UCLA has got to bring some things to the table. But since I'm a west coast guy, I'd love to play the Bruins. We've never beaten them. I'd sure like to play them. I'd like to play them on a neutral field with our crowd being the larger of the two."
"I think they'd have a lot to gain by beating us. Why is it such a no-lose situation for us to play UCLA? I think it's a great advantage for them to play us. Let's see if their program is as good as ours. They've been better than us for a long, long time. And now it's our chance to see if we're better. I'd love to play the game. We haven't beaten them yet. It'd be a great challenge for our program to play them. We're not going to see them in the regular season. Getting them in the postseason will give us a chance to see if we've caught them. We've played them very tough the last two years, but the bottom line is they've beaten us twice."
On the football and men's basketball teams both being ranked
"I think it's a great tribute to have our football and basketball programs ranked in the top 25 in the country. I don't think there are many universities that have that. I think our Valley and our people have a lot to be proud of with what's happening at this university with athletics."
On the changes teams make against Fresno State
"San Jose State came in and changed everything defensively. The last three weeks we've seen a lot of changes against us from a defensive standpoint. We prepare all week for certain things because that's what they've done all season, and then they change what they're doing. Eventually when you make those changes, it doesn't help you. It helps in the beginning, but as the game goes on, as you figure it out, and our players figure it out, they aren't as good at executing things. But early on the last couple of weeks, it's been very tough. You work all week on certain things, and then they aren't there. So you have to switch gears."
