Pat Hill Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
The Bulldogs' sixth-year head coach talks about how the team is going to regroup after a lopsided loss last week at Boise State.
Oct. 21, 2002
On Boise State game
"The film bared out what everybody got to see on TV. We got physically dominated and outplayed in every phase, from coaching to special teams to everything else. It was a tough pill to swallow, but like everything else in life you grow from those experiences."
"I've got to give credit to Boise State. I've been in coaching 29 years and that was about as well a coached and executed game plan as I've seen. I felt that we were well-prepared going into the game, but obviously we didn't take the classroom and practice to the field in a big game. Once the game got into a scoring game, that played into their hands, not ours. We had two very small openings to get back into it, but were shut down both times."
On going back to live hitting during practices this week
"It's going to get us back to tackling better. [Against Boise State] is the poorest we've tackled in a long time. I think the kids have to feel the pads on them. I think if you practice to [back] off, then that's the speed you start playing in. When you go up to tackle, you're used to a tag-off speed."
"I've never changed practice, until this year, on how we do things as far as Tuesday practices. We're going to go back to live cut-drills. We haven't done live-cut drills in four weeks and that's something I've done every Tuesday since I've been here. I got soft and got away from the things that have made us what we are. I'm not going to worry about the young men that are hurt. I'm going to worry about the ones that are healthy and make them better. If we're going to make a run at a bowl game for the fourth time in a row then we're going to have to start playing the way we're use to playing and that's hard and full speed."
On regrouping from the Boise State loss
"I've said this before, that players are a lot more resilient than fans and coaches. The players were humiliated and humbled in the [Boise State] game and they know they missed tackles and got dominated physically on both sides of the ball. They want to have a chance to re-establish themselves. We haven't gone through many games like that in six years. In the time I've been here we've had maybe three or four games like that. That's about 70 games in that span."
"That kind of exposure puts a bad label on you and we need to earn our reputation back. If we win this week we're back over .500 again. Then we have a bye week, which will allow us to regroup and get some people back. I don't know which people that will be, but like I said, I'm not going to worry about the ones that are hurt. I'm going to worry about the ones that are healthy and they're going to play the way our expectations are as a team."
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"The players were humiliated and humbled in the [Boise State] game and they know they missed tackles and got dominated physically on both sides of the ball. They want to have a chance to reestablish themselves."
Fresno State head coach Pat Hill
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On defending Hawai`i's run-and-shoot offense
"We'll be more in our nickel package with [McGill] at linebacker. Hawai'i is going to spread the field and we're going to have to get guys involved in the coverage part of it. Depth is very important [against Hawai'i]. We're going to have to keep the defense off the field. We really don't have many choices."
On rebounding after a lopsided loss
"I think it's about having confidence. We have great confidence in the scheme and in the players and coaches. We just have had a lot of little things we've had to overcome this year. Every team has their own set of problems that they have to overcome. As long as the players are aware of the things that we have to overcome then we can take our weaknesses and make them into strengths."
"The players have to believe in the plan we're putting on the field and execute it. I'm never going to say we can't do this and we can't do that. I believe we can do whatever we set our minds to. Each week the hard part is the consistency and making the little changes. We have to make a plan that protects our guys and gives them a chance to win. We're going to do that and our players understand that."
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The Bulldogs' sixth-year head coach talks about how the team is going to regroup after a lopsided loss last week at Boise State.
Oct. 21, 2002
On Boise State game
"The film bared out what everybody got to see on TV. We got physically dominated and outplayed in every phase, from coaching to special teams to everything else. It was a tough pill to swallow, but like everything else in life you grow from those experiences."
"I've got to give credit to Boise State. I've been in coaching 29 years and that was about as well a coached and executed game plan as I've seen. I felt that we were well-prepared going into the game, but obviously we didn't take the classroom and practice to the field in a big game. Once the game got into a scoring game, that played into their hands, not ours. We had two very small openings to get back into it, but were shut down both times."
On going back to live hitting during practices this week
"It's going to get us back to tackling better. [Against Boise State] is the poorest we've tackled in a long time. I think the kids have to feel the pads on them. I think if you practice to [back] off, then that's the speed you start playing in. When you go up to tackle, you're used to a tag-off speed."
"I've never changed practice, until this year, on how we do things as far as Tuesday practices. We're going to go back to live cut-drills. We haven't done live-cut drills in four weeks and that's something I've done every Tuesday since I've been here. I got soft and got away from the things that have made us what we are. I'm not going to worry about the young men that are hurt. I'm going to worry about the ones that are healthy and make them better. If we're going to make a run at a bowl game for the fourth time in a row then we're going to have to start playing the way we're use to playing and that's hard and full speed."
On regrouping from the Boise State loss
"I've said this before, that players are a lot more resilient than fans and coaches. The players were humiliated and humbled in the [Boise State] game and they know they missed tackles and got dominated physically on both sides of the ball. They want to have a chance to re-establish themselves. We haven't gone through many games like that in six years. In the time I've been here we've had maybe three or four games like that. That's about 70 games in that span."
"That kind of exposure puts a bad label on you and we need to earn our reputation back. If we win this week we're back over .500 again. Then we have a bye week, which will allow us to regroup and get some people back. I don't know which people that will be, but like I said, I'm not going to worry about the ones that are hurt. I'm going to worry about the ones that are healthy and they're going to play the way our expectations are as a team."
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"The players were humiliated and humbled in the [Boise State] game and they know they missed tackles and got dominated physically on both sides of the ball. They want to have a chance to reestablish themselves."
Fresno State head coach Pat Hill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On defending Hawai`i's run-and-shoot offense
"We'll be more in our nickel package with [McGill] at linebacker. Hawai'i is going to spread the field and we're going to have to get guys involved in the coverage part of it. Depth is very important [against Hawai'i]. We're going to have to keep the defense off the field. We really don't have many choices."
On rebounding after a lopsided loss
"I think it's about having confidence. We have great confidence in the scheme and in the players and coaches. We just have had a lot of little things we've had to overcome this year. Every team has their own set of problems that they have to overcome. As long as the players are aware of the things that we have to overcome then we can take our weaknesses and make them into strengths."
"The players have to believe in the plan we're putting on the field and execute it. I'm never going to say we can't do this and we can't do that. I believe we can do whatever we set our minds to. Each week the hard part is the consistency and making the little changes. We have to make a plan that protects our guys and gives them a chance to win. We're going to do that and our players understand that."
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good luck to us....have a good one gregg