Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
9/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 29, 2003
On the Portland State game
"I'm just glad we got a win. There's not really much to take out of the game both positively or negatively. I don't think we improved as a team and I don't think we went down as a team. I have to give Portland State a lot of credit. I think they played very, very well and I don't think we played with the same emotional spark that we usually do. We took care of business and won the football game and that's the bottom line.
"I think we now move forward into the toughest part of our schedule as we have four of the next five games on the road.
On Colorado State
"This is a program that over the years has been excellent under Coach [Sonny] Lubick. I think if you are going to draw a line in the sand and say you've got to make a statement, this is the week they are going to do it. We know we are going to be in a very, very tough football game. That last two games with Colorado State have been big time football games. I think we are going to see a very physical game. I expect we'll see Colorado State's best performance of the year. We are going to have go in there and play very, very well to win this game.
On the status of QB Paul Pinegar
"How much time is he going to see at practice? We'll find out tomorrow. Playing catch and warming up in pregame is not like playing a game. To ask him to go in and play an entire game I don't think is realistic. He's going to see all the reps with the twos. If we can build his reps up where he doesn't fatigue, he will get playing time in this game."
"If he's 100% following the Colorado State game, and there's no fatigue and he's able to play at a high level, then hopefully by Hawaii he'll be able to go at game time. We'll know a lot more tomorrow and then we'll see how he is when he comes back Wednesday."
"He's not qualified for a medical redshirt. He's already had a redshirt year. Paul Pinegar is not waiting for anything; he's playing this year. We just have to get him into a game. First thing we have to do is we have to get him into practice. This guy has not thrown a ball in a live situation for six weeks. I'm worried about his timing, his arm strength, his accuracy and his ability to see things going full speed. Thank goodness his legs and conditioning are good. We'd love to have him in this game playing, getting reps, hopefully getting some timing down and gettting him ready for the Hawaii game."
On the team's performance in the Portland State game
"Even if this incident (the passing of WR Jaron Fairman's father just prior to the game) wouldn't have come, I don't know if we would have played with the same intensity we had for the prior four weeks. We always talk about having kids up and ready to go every game but I haven't found the secret to that yet."
"I knew coming into this game there might be a little bit of a down time. We had good practices on on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, Thursday, I had to kick them off the practice field and start all over again. I thought it was a little lackadasical. We picked it up after that point but going into the game we knew that Portland State would come in and play exactly like they did. Give Portland State credit for really coming off the ball and us being a step slower and not really wrapping up. I don't really see a big drop-off in our team because of that game."
On the passing of WR Jaron Fairman's father
"That was just a different situation. I don't really hope to go through that again in my coaching career. I think the family is doing well but there are some hard times ahead because they have to figure out what to do. These are big changes for a kid. Jaron is a special kid. He's a young man who has passed over 40 units already, well above a 3.0 GPA, and is just a great young man. That last play of the game for him wasn't designed for that part of the field but he made a great play and scored. Obviously, there was a lot riding on that play for him and for the team. That was the most emotion I saw out of the team after he scored."
On the Fresno State program's similarities to Colorado State
"I think they have a different situation in that there are only three schools in that state with Colorado and Air Force and they are all highly respected programs. In California, there's definitely a caste system between the Pac-10, WAC and Mountain West. Of course the Big 12 does rule with the University of Colorado but Colorado plays Colorado State every year and it's played in Denver. I'd love to have deal where get to play Cal, USC, and UCLA. That's where I see the difference is. We don't have the opportunity to play against the in-state power conference teams where Colorado State gets to open every year with them. I think that's a big advantage."
"I think the support of the football program at Colorado State is very, very high. I think they're making great strides to move forward with the program and Sonny. Hopefully we are moving in the same direction here. Facility-wise and budget-wise we are not close with them but I think football-wise we are. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact we are in a state that is very rich in talent. Colorado State does not have that advantage because they just don't have the population base but they do a very good job of recruiting in California. I see a lot of similarities between the two programs. I see Colorado State materialistically being a lot more big time than we are."
"When I got here in 1997 after they beat us 41-3, my statement was I hope someday we can look like that football team. I think they are a team we have been chasing as far as can we look like them, can we be like them, can we have a program that's looked at nationally like them? That was a goal of ours when I got here. I thought Colorado State was the ship to follow and we have tried to pattern ourselves after them."
"I think our program is not nearly as mature as theirs yet but I think we've definitely shown that we can play with Colorado State. I've seen Sonny Lubick take that program that was really nonexistent to a great level. They are a first class program."
On Colorado State
"Colorado State gets guys down field because you are busy trying to stop the run. Van Pelt can run and throw it. He's so strong through the legs and the hips that he breaks a lot of tackles. He's had some big games against us. He's a warrior."
On Fresno State's wide receivers
"I think we have very good receivers and I am rotating them. Just like we are at running back and it is about production. I think right now, the way we are going, we need big plays and I want to see who's going to deliver them for us. When you have young men competing for playing time on production I think that's a healthy environment.
On his interest in the Arizona job opening
"It's a Pac-10 job. It's got a chance to win not only in the Pac-10 but at the national level. Dick Tomey already proved that. Whoever they hire has a great opportunity to win. But I have two concerns right now: No. 1 is winning here and No. 2 is getting our facility built. I want to see our locker rooms improved. Those are my two biggest crusades on a daily basis. I want to make sure those things get done. I don't think I'm asking too much. It's never been about Pat Hill. It's about taking care of these kids here. I just want to get things done here. It's not just about winning football games, it's about building a program."
