Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
9/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 8, 2003
On the Oregon State Game
"I thought our defense played very, very well. Not just during the goal line stand but the whole fourth quarter they were playing on a 40-yard field and we kept them out of the end zone."
"I thought our special teams -- at the start of the year we began with a new kicker, punter, snapper and holder -- that was a big question mark and except for the one mis-hold and one punt out of 11 at Tennessee being bad, our kicking game and our specialists have been outstanding. I don't think there's any doubt about that."
"I think on the offensive side of the ball, our performance on offense was better than against Tennessee. We made some plays at the end. I think the key to being a very good football program and being in the upper echelon is by playing great defense and having a solid kicking game. Offensively, we're going to get our yards as time goes on. When you take Tennessee, Oregon State and Oklahoma right off the bat it's not as easy getting those yards as it would be in other types of games if you opened up against Sacramento State or Saint Mary's."
On playing the No. 1-ranked team in the nation
"Between our coaching staff and our players, only three players have played against a No. 1 team in the nation at any level. We had two players play against De La Salle when they were No. 1 and (Defensive Line Coach) Kerry Locklin played against Nebraska when they were No. 1. It doesn't happen very often. This town should be excited about this opportunity. Our team is looking forward to the challenge and hopefully this community is excited about the opportunity to play against the No. 1 team in college football."
 | "He made big plays. He made plays that you have to make in a big game. I can't say enough about the performance of Jeff Grady against Oregon State." - Head Coach Pat Hill |
On QB Jeff Grady's status
"He was sore Sunday night and hopefully he'll be ready to go tomorrow. He'll be the quarterback at Oklahoma. Paul [Pinegar] is not ready to play. He's just going to start playing catch with the trainers this week. I don't know when he's going to be back and until he gets back Jeff Grady is going to be my starting quarterback."
On Grady's Fourth Quarter Performance
"He made big plays. He made plays that you have to make in a big game. I can't say enough about the performance of Jeff Grady against Oregon State. It's not about stats, it's about winning and he pulled us back and won the game for us."
On Oklahoma's Defense
"They are an outstanding defensive football team. They have great athletes and are very well coached in special teams. That is usually is an edge for us in most games. This is going to be a very critical game to win the special team phase. Offensively, they make big plays. We're talking about a team that will probably contend for a national championship. There aren't many flaws in the Oklahoma armor. This is an outstanding football team and playing them in Norman will be a tough challenge."
"I'm hoping that our defense can match up. Hopefully our secondary can match up with them. Special teams is where we want to try to match up with them. Offensively we're going to have to make some big plays at the skill positions just like Oklahoma had to do to beat Alabama."
On the secondary's five interceptions against Oregon State
"Give a lot of credit to those young secondary players and give a lot of credit to [secondary coach Randy] Stewart. He's doing a heck of a job with those kids. The defensive football team here is very young and very talented. Once again, they're earning their stripes against pretty good teams. This bodes well for the future. I think we have the development of a young football team here.
On beating a Pac-10 team
"We expect to beat them. I watched Cal play Colorado State at home and Colorado State comes in and thumps them. There's a lot of Pac-10 teams we can play with, home and home. It doesn't make any difference if it's there or here. It's a lot tougher, of course, beating those teams on the road.
On the progress of the offensive line
"I think we got a lot better this week. I'd say that Oregon State's front seven is very comparable to Tennessee's. Maybe not as fast but maybe more physical. Those linebackers played hard. That's a good football team. I have to give them a lot of credit. I think their young corners played very well. They played hard. I don't think there is any doubt they are very good defensive football team. They had everybody back on offense and were at full strength. I think we got their best shot."
