Fresno State Athletics
No. 10 Fresno State vs. Louisiana Tech Game Quotes
9/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 30, 2001
Louisiana Tech
Running back John Simon
General comments
"We gave it our all. We aren't satisfied with just playing close. Any week we step on the field, we know that if we play our ball, we can win. It's not a matter of who they are or what they're ranked. We've just to got to finish. We've got to find a way to win. We're playing everybody close. We [lost to] Miami by 10. We [lost to] Oklahoma State by [seven]. Now we [lost to] Fresno by 10. We've just got to find a way to get over the hurdle."
Head coach Jack Bicknell
On whether they are a bowl team
"We have a lot of tough games ahead of us. I consider ourselves a good enough team to go to a bowl. I think we have a good team. We've just to take it one week at a time now. We've got a lot of good football teams ahead of us. It's going to be a long haul. But [getting to a bowl game] has been our goal from day one. Our guys proved to me that we are a bowl-caliber team."
On moral victories
"There are no moral victories. I'm sick of it. It's a struggle. You play some very good teams and when you come up short, it's disappointing. But, I really felt like it wasn't a fluke that we were in the game. I felt like we were playing right with them, toe to toe. From that point, I thought it was a very positive team for our team."
On the halfback options passes
"That was amazing. We just felt like we could get it. We felt like we needed to open things up a little more. Obviously, when you're playing a real good team, you might take a few more chances. We felt like we were a little bit conservative on offense, and we wanted to open it up a little bit. Plus, a guy like John Simon, when you get it in the hands of a winner, they find a way to make plays."
"It was amazing, the two balls he threw. He hadn't thrown a spiral, and we'd been working on it a lot."
"I am so impressed with the whole team and this whole place. It's a super, super team. I really feel like they are one of the top 10 teams in the country. I hope they run the table and get in the BCS, because they certainly deserve it. David Carr, to me, is a super quarterback. He's a tough kid, and he's a leader. You look out there, and you say, That guy's a leader. Any time you play against a quarterback like that, he's going to make it very tough on you."
Fresno State
Head coach Pat Hill
General comments
"I'm going to tell you one thing: Louisiana Tech is a hell of a football team. They have the best skill people. They were the fastest team we've played all year. This was the fastest game I've ever seen played at Fresno State. Both teams were very fast. They are going to win a lot of games this year. I thought McCown was very good. He ran the ball a lot better than I thought he would. He made some nice throws. He's only a sophomore. He's going to be a very good player."
"I have to give Louisiana Tech a lot of credit. They are a heck of a football team. But I did think the better team won tonight. And that's the most important thing to us is winning. One game at a time, one by one, 1-0 this week was all that matters."
