Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Media Luncheon
11/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2003
On the SMU game
"I felt the defense played really well. Offensively, the first half was tough but with three drive starts at the 1-yard line we didn't get much going. We're a good team win but offensively we're still a little hamstrung. Hopefully this week we can put together a plan that can get the ball in the hands of our guys to the best of our ability and have a very good game against a Nevada team that I think is a very good team."
On QB Paul Pinegar
"I think Paul has a tired arm right now. I think we're really pushing it too hard in that we throw too much in practice with him. I'm going to make sure his arm is fresh for this game and see where we go."
"He's 11-4 as a starter, so with Paul at the controls we've been very successful. As long as we keep winning that's the bottom line. That's why I don't feel right now as a coach I need to keep the pressure on him that he has to throw for 300 yards a game because he's the kind of guy that wants to."
"I don't care too much about statistics. I don't care about style points, which I get teased a lot for, but in his case I just want him to win games for us and I don't want him to lose confidence. I think we have a young man with a lot of pride that's trying to push through things and maybe isn't fully recovered strength-wise and endurance-wise. I want him to know that I'm behind him and we're going to win with him."
More thoughts on the Bulldogs
"I just want this team to just stay to the plan, work through it and do assignments to the best of their ability. It comes down to trust, just trust that your partner is going to do his job. The biggest deal in football is do your job and trust that we are all going to play 11-man football. I thought our defense did a real good job of that. On offense, we have some really good players on our team that are frustrated that have had success in the past, they want to make things happen. If everybody gets on the same page of doing their job, doing it correctly, things will fall into place."
On Fresno State's results in November
"I think this football team, we obviously have not seen the best game. I feel that in the month of November we've always come on, this team is going to come on. This is the week we got to do it too because it's a big game for us. It's great for us to get to go up there and play them at their place."
"I think our players are working hard. Sometimes they try too hard. We just have to play the way we practice."
"These are the big games in November when you have to make your push as a coach and as a team to get better and we've had success doing that. Hopefully it will continue."
On this week's game against Nevada
"They have a really good running game. They have an offensive line that's been intact for a long time. I think they're a team that has a lot of confidence. Obviously, the last two weeks with two losses there might be some questions in that confidence, but they know that this game for the senior class is a very telling game for them to be in a championship. I'd imagine we're going to get a great shot from Nevada."
"We want to prove that they have the ability to be a champion and that's hopefully the driving force that will get us there."
On the great Fresno State defensive performance against SMU
"It makes a big difference when Brian Morris, McIntyre and all the guys are in the lineup. Those are two inspirational players that play very, very hard and having them back gave us a lot of extra lift. I was very happy to see the way they played. We're getting good support out of our young kids in backup roles."
"Maybe we're starting to get that chemistry and leadership that we need on the defensive side of the ball because they did play inspired."
On Matt Rivera going on scholarship
"He's been a great contributor for us all season. He's our best pass blocker not only physically, but he's the smartest. I just felt it was time for him to go on scholarship because part of thing about our program is rewarding young men that have walked on that are going to fight through the rigors of it."
On Brian Morris' seven-tackle, three-sack performance at SMU
"Brian Morris has shown sparks of the kind of player he can be and hopefully he can finish strong. Brian has missed a lot of games here because of injuries and having him back healthy and seeing the way he can play when he's on, I love that kid. He's a heckuva football player. If we can get that kind of play out of him the rest of the year and going into next year, we're going to have a very good player in Brian Morris. That's obvious. He is a very fierce competitor. I have a lot of respect for him. He's played through a lot of stuff."
On Nevada's defense
"I think they are good on defense. We're going to make some plays on the perimeter. We're going to have to do some things with our football team to get us in a position where we can make plays against Nevada. It's going to be a tougher match-up against us. I think they match up well against our people."
