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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Weekly Press Conference
11/1/1999 | Football
Nov. 1, 1999
Comments:
"I thought we got better as a team last week on both sides of the ball. The kicking game did some really positive things in Baton Rouge and improved. I think this week we are playing the most balanced team that we've played so far this year. They are outstanding on offense, outstanding on defense and in the kicking game as well. They are a very balanced offensive team. They throw the ball really well and they are running the football extremely well. I thought they played an outstanding game themselves on Saturday. We have a great challenge in front of us. It looks like an outstanding Arkansas team."
Q: You said after the LSU game that you worked on Ole Miss, do you plan to continue that trend or do you start working on Arkansas?
A: You never quit working on your own team. I think we still have far to go, particularly when you are in our situation. Teams do not learn what you expect overnight. We are still in a new situation. We still have to focus on Ole Miss, there's no question about that, but we certainly are in preparation for Arkansas. They are an outstanding team so you have to spend time working on all the things they do. They do a lot of things on defense, they do a lot of things on offense. There's quite a bit of mental work to be done.
Q: Talk about the Arkansas offense and the experience of Clint Stoerner.
A: At different times they are playing eight, nine or ten senior on offense and they play like it. They execute extremely well. I think Stoerner got banged up a little bit early in the season but it looks like he's healthy and throwing the ball extremely well. I think their receiving corp is outstanding and they have an outstanding running back. They had some linemen that they had to replace this year but those guys have just continued to get better and better. They have some good football players up front. Their tight end and the plays that he's made in recent games have really added more to the mix. They are a very experienced senior team and they throw the ball real well and make a lot of big plays and are a threat running the football. They've got really good running backs.
Q: Talk about the injuries to Adam Bettis and Charles Stackhouse.
A: We don't know. I don't think they'll get any work today at all. We'll look and see how Charles feels getting out and just increasing the amount of work he's getting and intensifying his therapy. We'll just have to wait a few days on Bettis
Q: Can you talk about the play of Arkansas starting free safety Kenoy Kennedy.
A: He's just tremendous football player. I'd say he's every coaches dream. He's a guy that just plays as intent and as physical as you've ever seen any player play and I haven't seen one better.
Q: Talk about Todd Wade's improvement throughout his senior year.
A: I think Todd played his best game on Saturday in Baton Rouge. He was extremely physical. He had such a great summer. Todd put a lot into being a captain. He put a lot into preparation for his senior season. He's just so much stronger and so much more physical. He's a quick athletic guy. I think he played outstanding on Saturday and I think he made a big difference. He moved the line of scrimmage and when you've got a 6-8, 330 pounder that can move like that it's a great advantage.
Q: Talk about the rotation with the two running backs (Deuce McAllister and Joe Gunn).
A: I think they are an outstanding 1-2 punch. They really compliment each other. They are somewhat different. I think the open date helped to get them healthy. Tailbacks take a lot of licks and I think it takes something out of you. Deuce McAllister has been pushing through an injury the entire season and I think it is very evident he is feeling better. Joe needed the rest. He had taken a lot of hits and on lot of carries. The outstanding receivers and outstanding runners are very unselfish players and I think our running back position sets the tempo for our team.
Q: Is the talent at Ole Miss comparable to the talent you had at the skilled positions at Tennessee?
A: I think you have to look at the difference areas. I don't think you can just put them in a group. We certainly don't have the numbers in the receiving corp. We have an outstanding back here, they have an outstanding back there. We have an outstanding quarterback, they do as well. In certain areas we are certainly comparable, but I don't know that we have the depth or the numbers. We can't go as deep as they can go in any form or fashion.
Q: Talk about the progress Romaro Miller has made.
A: I think he has progressed in his knowledge of the game and understanding. I think his decision making is getting better and I think that it's got to continue to get better. That's something that's not easy when you are half way through your career and you change offenses. I want to see him be much more decisive. The thing that I have been pleased with is Romaro's work ethic. I'm pleased that we have taken care of the football. For the most part he's done a real nice job of doing that and he's not holding the ball as often. We try to do things in a rhythm at all times. I don't think that you can hold the ball and be successful. He's getting better at getting the ball out and throwing the ball in rhythm. He'll continue to improve and get better in that area as long as he maintains the work ethic. Romaro comes to practice every day as intense as any player that I've been around. If he stays directly focused in meetings, all of it will come together at the end.
Q: Talk about the two different styles of the running backs.
A: I think Joe Gunn, although he's physically the smaller of the two, is a guy that runs behind his pads really well and likes to run the ball inside. He's got outstanding speed. He's very physically oriented in his running style. I think Deuce is a big guy that can run over you but he's got such outstanding speed that he's able to use it in more ways than most backs I've been around. He can turn corners when you don't think a guy can turn a corner and when he gets into the secondary he's a threat to take it a long way every time. In our offense, they are obviously running similar plays, which makes them seen similar, but they just have different ways of going about doing things. I think that they compliment each other extremely well.
Q: Talk about their relationship.
A: They are very unselfish players and good friends. There's a lot of carries for the tailback in our offense and that's helped that situation. I think on Saturday, one had 25 carries and the other had 19 carries, so that helps I'm sure. Regardless of how many carries, they've both been great about that. They are both team players.
Q: Does it build character to win in Tiger Stadium in the cold, wet weather.
A: I think is has something to do with playing well in November. I think it's important that you have that ability as a team. It was a throw back game in some regards with the weather on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. I think our team enjoyed that part of it. I think you have to expect and anticipate that in November. That's part of what you develop your offensive philosophy around.
Q: With the return of Deuce McAllister, is he going keep returning punts?
A: They (Deuce McAllister and Cory Peterson) are different types of guys, and it just gives us a little different look. Cory is playing a lot of plays at wide receiver and sharing the role will help both of them. They are both good players back there and they both handle the ball extremely well and make good decisions. I think it is just a luxury that we have that we are going to use.
Q: Do you build off the big game atmosphere that was present at the Alabama game? A: I think as a team we talk about the fact that every game you win makes the next game a bigger game. The more you play in those types of games, it starts helping you get a better understating of the type of intensity level it takes to play in those games. Certainly, Arkansas has played in numerous types of those games in the last couple of years. We want that to become more common place but you have to earn that opportunity. Here we go again and we are facing a great challenge. The situation's not nearly as tough as the opponent. Arkansas is an outstanding football team. They weren't picked to win the west by accident. They certainly deserve that. They are just an outstanding, experienced football team.
Q: Talk about the feeling at the end of last year's Tennessee game against Arkansas and if there will be any spill over to the game this year.
A: I don't see any spill over or anything to do in comparison. Obviously, after that game last year we felt elated and fortunate with the way things occurred, but I don't think that this game has absolutely anything to do with that game.
Q: When a team loses as the Rebels did in Fayetteville last year, do you have to guard against being too keyed up to try to get back at a conference rival with so much talent?
A: I think you try to treat every game within our conference as close as you can to the same. I don't know if you can get too keyed up. If you lack confidence in preparation, emotion alone is not going to win the game. I think that's what we sometimes see when we think a team is too keyed up or too tight. The main thing was that they didn't prepare as well as they needed to or didn't have the focus that they needed to win. You still have to play football with great focus and your intensity level should be there every week but particularly when we play within our conference. I don't think last year's game, from one team to the next, whether it's these two particular teams, has that much to do with any one game. I know that I've been a part of streaks one way or the other.
Q: Does this go back to your college football days.
A: I think so. Rival games, especially against division opponents, are going to be emotional every year.
Q: Arkansas kind of cranked up their offense a little bit. Do you think this is going to be a very high scoring game?
A: I really don't know. Their defense doesn't give up too many points and they don't give up any yards. They are ranked fourth in the country in total defense and rank high in almost every category and especially high in scoring defense. I think you have to play extremely well to score a lot of points against a defensive team like Arkansas. Certainly, their offense is capable of scoring a ton of points so you have to go into the game knowing that you are going to have to play awfully well in all phases to just give yourself an opportunity to win. I never really can figure out which way it is going to go going in.
Q: Talk about Shawn Johnson (Ole Miss middle linebacker).
A: I thought Shawn made some really big plays in the game on Saturday. His speed is evident on the field. He's getting more comfortable with the playing time and getting more confident coming off that knee injury. He made two or three really big plays. I know Ronnie Heard was glad he made one of those big plays out there. He's got a great attitude and he works extremely hard on the field and is a very physical player. He's one of our more physical players. When he hits you, you realize that he's an outstanding tackler.
Q: Talk about achieving bowl eligibility on Saturday and what you are shooting for as a program.
A: I think we're like any other team in our division to start the season. Our focus has been all along on trying to win the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The only way to do that is to remain focused on every game you play, one game at a time. Our focus is purely on Arkansas right now. All we can do is take one game at a time and let the chips fall where they may. It's always great to get another win, whether it's the sixth win or the fifth win. I think you have to challenge your football team. As long as I've been in the business, that's how we've approached it. We have goals that we set before the season but our focus remains solely on the upcoming opponent, realizing that there is nothing any bigger than that and nothing that we can do about any other game other than the one we are getting ready to play. It's such a great challenge this week that our focus be squarely on Arkansas. Beyond that, we're just taking it one game at a time trying to play well and finish well.
