Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
11/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2001
General comments on the Rice win
"I think the game that we played Saturday was a very complete game in all phases. I thought we played good defense. We had very, very good special teams."
"Defensively, I thought we played great. I had a question [from a member of the media] after the game about the tackling. I thought the tackling was outstanding. The quarterback got away a couple of times, but they rushed for a lot more yards against Nebraska than they did against us. I thought defensively, we played outstanding. We shut down the option. The fullback's longest gain was four yards, and he's the guy you've got to shut down."
"I thought it was an outstanding game by our players. They were really focused on the task. So I'm very pleased about that game. And I know it was 52-17 with five minutes to go in the third quarter. But people should know me well enough to know that I'm going to play all our guys. I think a lot of men that work very hard every day should get an opportunity to play."
"I still feel like there's a lot to play for. There's a lot of good things that can happen here. We are just looking forward to getting going tomorrow. Coaches are working hard on the game plan. This is a big game for us. We have not played well against SMU. Inside that locker room, those guys know they can play with Fresno because they have."
"It was a game where we really dominated the football game. I'll tell you what, early on that game was tough. That was a tough football game. That was a good football team, and I think people understand that's a good football team. They are going to end up 9-3. They are a good squad."
On the offense's performance
"David Carr was outstanding, and our wide receivers were outstanding. Our line blocked well except on two occasions. And at the end of the game when we were just running the ball, it was good to see Therrian [Fontenot] hitting it like he was. He definitely has speed."
"I think it was good to get everybody involved. We thought we could throw the ball successfully and spread the field. Not all our formations were out of four wideouts. Some were out of two wideouts and two tight ends. I thought our staff put together a great play. And the great thing was that we executed it. We hit some big plays on them, and we knew they were plays we could make as long as we executed. And David was just really accurate, and our receivers ran very precise routes. And that what happens when you have big games."
About SMU
"I don't know if anyone has watched SMU or knows much about them, but we haven't had much success against them in the last two years. We lost to them in 1999, and we beat them 14-7 last year. I think their players have a lot of confidence that they can play against us. They are a very good defensive team. They are 16th in the NCAA in defense and first in the WAC. But they are first in the NCAA in turnovers, and that's a big problem. But they play great defense."
On last year's game against SMU
"Last year, when we played them in Fresno, we didn't have any wide receivers healthy. That was one of the toughest games I've ever been through in my life. That was one of those games where you say you've got to do what you've got to do to win. We didn't have a healthy wide receiver in that game. Even Dave Shabaglian had bruised ribs, and he was the only one that was healthy. We played three tight ends most of the game. It was very tough maneuvering through that football game. But it was by means pretty, but we did it and stayed on course."
On facing more road games
"Our players have come a long way, and they realize that there is still a lot of good things in front of them. We've just got to go down to Dallas and win. Then we play in Reno, and that'll be seven road games in the first 11 games. It's been a very trying year as far as travel and things of that nature. But those are the things you have to face when you are trying to do what we are trying to do here."
On SMU's defense
"They are very well coached, and they are very simplistic. They have guys that have been in that system for a long time. They are not a big chance-taking team. They do a good job with their zone coverages. You are going to have to make balls fit. They are going to keep things in front of them. They don't give up a lot of big plays. If you get them on a short field, like a lot of people have, then it's a little different. But long drives against SMU are tough. People taking the ball 80 yards, it's tough."
"We are going to have to run the ball against these guys. They are going to play coverages that are going to take away the pass. I'll promise you that. The running game is going to have to be important in this game."
On the middle screen Fresno State runs so well
"We've thrown 49 middle screens this year. We've completed 43 of them. That's 88 percent. The average [yardage] per completion is 10.67. That's an amazing stat as far as production goes. In the last game, we threw three. One was knocked down, one went for 24 yards and one went for a touchdown. It's a big part of our offense, and we execute it well."
"We change formations off it a lot. It looks different to the defense, because if it didn't we wouldn't have completed 43 out of 49 of them. That's a pretty good average."
On going for turnovers against SMU
"I think you talk more about being in a position to make a play. Maybe you talk a little more about stripping the ball away. Making sure on the tackle if someone is held up, you go for the ball. We've done well on the turnover ratio this year. The only two games where we've had turnovers are the one's we lost. Overall, I'm very pleased with how we are playing right now."
On the conference
"I think this conference is getting better. I think we are going to have five bowl eligible team. Rice is going to end up 9-3. That's a good team we dismantled here the other night. Louisiana Tech, I told you all four weeks ago I thought they were a good team. Boise State is a good team. Hawai'i is a good team. Hawai'i has a chance to get nine or 10 wins. This is the best I've ever seen this conference."
On the travel the WAC schedule demands
"The thing that makes it really hard is the travel. Not only are the teams getting better, but the travel really evens things out. I look at next year's schedule, and we've got Louisiana Tech on the road, Boise State on the road. Those are going to be tough, tough road games next year. I've already got those ear-marked."
"Our kids are doing a great job with the travel. We are handling travel better than we ever have. We've gotten good at it. We've traveled a lot more than we've been at home since I've been here. You look at a lot of teams, like Hawai'i - they've only got three road games. I think it makes a big difference getting to play at home each week. We've got an outstanding record at home. I know we lost one game here in the last three years, but we've had a great record in our stadium."
On the 1999 game against SMU
"The worst game. The worst game I've ever been associated with. I've said it on the record many times. That's the only game since I've been here that we have not played Bulldog football. We did not play hard. And they didn't play very well either. It was a bad atmosphere. The seagulls were louder than the fans. It was during the fair, and it was just a terrible environment for a football game. And we had a lot to be playing for. It was a great education game for our players."
