Fresno State Athletics
Pat Hill Press Conference Quotes
10/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2011
On losing a tough game to Mississippi
"Overall I think it was a game that there was lots of effort from both teams. Mississippi played very, very hard, our team played very, very hard and in the end in the fourth quarter, like in the Nebraska game, the playmakers for Mississippi made the plays."
On moving forward with back-to-back tough games
"That was a very tough game, we have no chance to really think about that, we're very fortunate because of the schedule we play that we got a great challenge to play this week, which gets the attention of the kids very, very fast."
On Boise State
"Boise State is one of the best teams to come down the ramp since I've been here, and one of the best teams we've ever played. When I say the word `Team,' that's why... they're a great football team in all phases. They might not have the five star [recruits] or the four stars like some of the individual athletes from teams we've played, but they play as a team which is a very strong compliment to them. They are tied together, they don't make many mistakes."
"They're going to beat you with big plays, not by athletic ability, but by design. They're really good at designing plays and formations."
"This is going to be a very intense game for us, not only physically, but mentally. I think we're going against them at the right time. We just got to execute, that's the name of the game. We're playing against the premier team in the country in execution."
How do you prepare for the Boise State defense?
"They get in so many multiple fronts and formations. Boise State, there are so many things to prepare for this week. We're not even going out in pads today, we're going out in shells. I know we'll hit in this game, practices this week will be a lot of mental work. Formation review, blitz review, understanding their fronts and personnel. They cause you those kind of problems and we'll see a lot of things this week that we don't normally see."
On preparing for Boise State's offense
"Defensively the key to game is going to be, you can't even chart or practice every formation they have, what you have to do is be able to understand what they're trying to do with the personal on the field and play defense to stop personal groupings, not formations, cause there's just too many formations to work on. They run multiple formations; we've got to work hard on being sound in our steam and making sure of the personal groupings that are on the field."
About going up against Boise State's defense
"On the defense side of the ball, their front four and linebackers are outstanding, good safety's--it's going to be a great challenge for us and we're really excited about that challenge. It's a chance for us to do something special here in Fresno on Friday night. We're looking forward to this game, we're going to have to play a great execution."
"It's all going to come down to pass protection. We got to protect against these guys. These guys are violent against the quarterback. It's not always in the amount of sacks, it's in the amount of hits. They put a lot of big hits on the quarterback and against Ole Miss we limited the big hits against the quarterback."
On giving up big plays on defense
"We played on a very high level against Ole Miss and Nebraska for a lot of plays, but the plays we missed on... you've just got to avoid those."
On the growth of the Boise State program
"If you look at their roster, their recruiting area has really grown. They're in Texas, they're in the south, and they've done a great job of recruiting. They have a great class of kids, they have a nucleus of guys playing together for five years that have got a lot of wins together, they've grown. You know, winning brings a lot of confidence and when you feel good about yourself, it's fun waking up every morning. They enjoy life, they have a good time and I think it's pretty contagious.
"Boise State has taken a group of athletes and won a ton of games with them and I give them all the credit in the world on developing that group. They got a great group of players right now."
On Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore
"The guy in uncanny accurate with the ball. Up until this last week against Reno, he was completing 80 percent of his passes. That's unheard of. That guy is really special and he has the eyes to be able to see where the matchups are going to come and he gets the ball delivered to where it's got to go, with pin-point accuracy."
Is it fair that your program gets compared a lot of times to Boise State's program?
"Yeah, that's who we got to win against. I think that's fair. Boise State right now, if you look at the numbers since 2000, they are the winningest program in the country. They've won more games than anybody because they are one of the top programs in the country football wise. They've worked very hard to do that and to sustain that is very difficult. I've got a lot of respect for them."
On playing another nationally televised game
"I think this is a great game for our fans. The Ole Miss game was a great game for our fans. Having Boise coming to Fresno for another national TV game, once again is a great treat for our fans and our community gets a great treat. It's a great selling point for our community and for our fans and for our program. Anytime you get that kind of time, three and a half to four hours to promote your city and program is great. Hopefully we can end it on the side of a win and not a loss."
What would a win against Boise State do for your program? "We're looking forward to this game. This is a game that gives us the chance to pick up a great win for this football program. There'd be nothing greater than for our fans to celebrate a win Friday night."
