Football: Hatfield's Monday Quotes
11/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
"As to why, a couple of things when you look at the game. One, rain is a great equalizer. We said that last year when we went up to TCU. We knew that we couldn't execute a lot of the gameplan.
"Second, there were going to be a lot of backup players who had to play. You get injuries this time of the year, and other people have to play. We had several halfbacks play for the first time. We lost our first two fullbacks and other people had to step up and play. The same thing happened in the secondary. You lose Dan Dawson, a great, big-play man.
"Other people are going to have to step in and play. Maybe I expected them to play like starters all the time without having the experience. We're hoping they'll learn from it."
On the Fresno State game "We look forward to the challenge. Fresno State has not lost at home. They've won two overtime games, big games, at home, and they'll have a sellout crowd for the game. We're just thankful to be playing in it and hopefully we'll make some improvement.
"Fresno's good. Their quarterback (Billy Volek), lord of mercy, has only thrown three interceptions in 258 passes, leading our league in passing efficiency. He's about to break every quarterback record that Fresno has. They make a very difficult challenge for us."
On the importance of the Fresno State game "It's this week. When everything comes down to it, both of us have one loss in the conference and everyone has at least one loss now. We're down to two weeks left and to playing on the road. We know what's at stake in this game. We'll go out and try to play our best."
On the Rice injuries "I don't know what the whole situation is until we go out and practice. Without an open date, you get worn out at times. You have nicks and bruises that slow you down, and you're not quite as fast as you were earlier. We just have to go out and practice and see who is able to function. You have to play with pain this time of year.
"Dan (Dawson), of course, is out for the year. Dan had great support from the SMU people. Cash Birdwell and all their trainers really went the extra mile. We appreciate genuinely all they did. They helped a difficult situation. The operation was a success and he's resting right now. The doctors feel like the bone will heal completely."
