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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Comments From Ole Miss Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe
11/15/1999 | Football
Nov. 15, 1999
"I thought we had a productive open date, getting some people healthy and getting on the practice field and getting some really quality work. I'm looking forward to getting on the practice field today. We should have a group of guys back on the field. We'll know more about our health situation after we evaluate today's practice. It's good to get back in game week mode. We have a big challenge in front of us this week, playing an outstanding Georgia team. We need to obviously have our best week of practice."
Q: Did you spend most of last week working on Ole Miss or preparing for Georgia?
A: We spent some time on Georgia but we spent most of our time on ourselves. We got some good work going against each other. I thought we did some really quality speed-of-the-game type work, offense vs. defense, best vs. best. We got some quality work in with our young people. That was important to us. We did get the reps, and for the most part, I thought our practices were very productive.
Q: Talk specifically about Charles Stackhouse and the progress with his injury?
A: Charles Stackhouse, I thought, improved physically a great deal last week and looked like himself again. He should be back this week were he can run and change directions. I think he's gained some confidence after playing in a game and getting a few licks in. He feels like part of the hurdle is mental and he is ready to go.
Q: Talk about the health of other players including Armegis Spearman?
A: Armegis should be back at practice today. Again, we'll know more after we evaluate these guys at practice today but Armegis Spearman should be back to work today.
Q: Are you concerned about the players having seen the Auburn-Georgia game and underestimating Georgia?
A: When you watch the Auburn-Georgia game on tape, I think you get a little different perspective of the ballgame. Obviously, Georgia didn't play as well as they would like to have played. It is a challenge to do that every week. Auburn just hit every big play on offense they could hit and Georgia just couldn't make the plays early and kind of got shocked. The second half certainly showed what you know about the capabilities of the explosive Georgia offense and certainly their defense is very physical and runs very well and is just an outstanding group of athletes. I think the game got away from them. I think after our players look at the tape, I don't think the game will have that effect on them. I think they will realize just how good this Georgia team really is. I think we all realize that anything can happen on any given day. The thing we have to continue to do is focus on Ole Miss and to be as good as we can be on that day.
Q: Talk about what preparations you are making for the Egg Bowl.
A: We have a plan going in. We are certainly aware that it is going to be physically a tough thing to go through but we talked about that last week. We are preparing for this ballgame against Georgia as we would any ballgame, not changing the routine this week. We will go right back to work on Sunday after this ballgame. We have a plan. We will alter a little of the amount of time we are on the field. Coming off an open date, we won't have to be on the field quite as long this week and practice as long as we normally would. It's going to balance itself out as best it can. It's what you have to deal with, but we will go right back to work on Sunday. We've got our plan in place of what we are going to do following this game already. We have our practice plan in place, and the players know the schedule and we will just go from there.
Q: Talk about the senior class.
A: I think this has been an outstanding group for a number of different reasons. Certainly, the contributions these guys have made on the field have been big. They are outstanding players. I think the thing this senior class has established here, in the period of time that I have been here, is the work ethic we are looking for. I said all along that this team had good attitude last spring and those were not just words. Starting back last winter and going through spring practice, I think our senior class set the tempo with the attitude we expected from the team. I think the contributions they have made is much greater than what we see on the field. I think the contributions they have made to the attitudes and the work ethic of our program will be felt for quite some time.
Q: Talk about Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter.
A: I think Quincy Carter is a tremendous player and a tremendous competitor. I was familiar with him coming out of high school, and I thought he was as talented in high school as anyone you would ever want to see. He's got a tremendous arm, great vision down the field and has great speed and power. He's a very physically strong young man but I think what he's done in a very short period of time, after sitting out of football for several years, tells you what kind of football player he is. I think he's just a tremendous player.
Q: What will you do in order to contain Quincy Carter?
A: I think you have do some things up front because you have to deal with his ability to run the football. I'm not going to get in to the technical parts of that but like anyone else playing them, you are going to have to contain him. Certainly, you have to stop him from throwing the football. He's outstanding when he throws the football, but he's also very outstanding and very dangerous when he takes the ball and runs it, whether its on the option or a scramble or a quarterback draw. I think you need to have a lot of thought go into your planning when you try to stop Quincy Carter.
I think the Georgia offense is very multiple. I think that their ability to run and throw the football, their balance, makes them outstanding. They are very talented. They've got numbers of different types of weapons. They have tight ends that are weapons, they have wide receivers that are weapons, they have running backs and to top all of that off they have Quincy. I think they have as many weapons as anyone you will play on your schedule.
Q: Talk about the contributions of Ronnie Heard.
A: Ronnie Heard has been very versatile in our scheme of things. He can certainly play safety. He can play man-to-man coverage, but he also comes up in the run support situation and plays very much like a linebacker. Ronnie has the respect of his teammates and coaches, because he is the type of guy that pushes through and comes to work. I don't remember him missing much practice time in the time I have been here. He's a guy that loves to compete and prepares himself to play as well as he can play.
Q: How much has Ronnie been able to help his brother (Grant Heard)?
A: I think that Ronnie has been important for Grant. I have talked to Ronnie a lot about Grant and the emotional support that he has given him. I think they are very close, and it has been fun for Grant to see Ronnie be successful and play so well. Ronnie has certainly helped Grant make it through a difficult time. Grant was certainly hoping that he would be physically able to play this year, but it was very obvious rather quickly that he couldn't do it.
Q: Talk about Ronnie wearing Chucky Mullins' number this year and how important it was for him to play in the spirit of that award.
A: I think it was important to him. Going back to last winter at the banquet, I could tell it was important to him. He felt very honored that he was chosen to wear the jersey and I think he has certainly done it in the tradition of the Chucky Mullins jersey.
Q: Do you worry about a letdown now that you can not get to Atlanta and the SEC Championship game?
A: We obviously know that we can't get to Atlanta, and that was something that this team was very focused on. But I don't think we have any potential letdown. I think our team is focused on being the best Ole Miss team that it can be, and the best way to do that is to focus on the next game. Certainly during the last part of the year when we weren't in control of our own destiny, all that we had to focus on for some time has been to focus on Ole Miss, being the best we can be and focus on the opponent we are getting ready to play. I think that is the way that you have to play. Period. I think it really doesn't change where we are because of what occurred last weekend. Our challenge is to remain focused on being the best we can be and prepare for the upcoming opponent.
Q: How do you think the team has developed this season?
A: We're working with some things and trying to constantly grow with this package. We certainly are going to work with some different combinations of personnel on the offense and utilize those different guys. I think we have to have the best weapons we can get on the field. Georgia is a very multiple defensive team and most importantly we have to able to handle them and what they do. We'll have some things but you never know how they are going to work out. We certainly hope whatever we add makes a big difference for us.
I think our football team feels good about competing with any team we might play. I said it all along that I felt like we had a chance to win every game we played, and we need to think that way. The thing that you have to realize is that you have to play extremely well to do that. That's certainly the case against a team of the caliber of Georgia. I think this team has felt all along that we were capable of competing with anyone, but we know we have to play well. We can't just go out and play. We have to play well to put ourselves in that position, particularly against a team like Georgia.
Q: How do you rate the progress of this team compared to what you thought going into the season?
A: I really didn't have a picture in my mind or a number in my mind of how we would do. I really knew that the focus was going to have to be one week at a time. I felt that going into this season. There are certain teams that you get a great feel for, and you might be disappointed if you don't win this many games or if you lose too many games or what ever the case may be. At the start of the seasion, I wanted this team to be able to be competitive in every game, and I certainly thought we would win a lot more than we would lose. We were trying to win every game we played. There have been some disappointments that we have all had, when we didn't play quite as well as we should have, whether it was a win or a loss. For the most part I think this team has competed on a consistent basis real well, and that is pleasing to them and to the staff.
Q: Talk about Deuce McAllister's performances the past two weeks.
A: Deuce started the season off with a pretty severe injury and missed a ballgame and played sparingly in other ballgames. He's probably without a question our most explosive athlete with the ball from a speed standpoint, the combination of speed and power is very important to him. He's really a versatile athlete. He's got outstanding hands, an outstanding kick and punt returner, an outstanding receiver as well as being an outstanding back. He's as versatile a player as I've been around in my coaching career.
Q: Talk about Romaro getting hurt last year against Georgia and David Morris coming into a tough situation. Do you feel that Romaro will be thinking about last year's game going into the game and how has David Morris progressed this season?
A: I don't think that it enters into a players mind. I think Romaro's focus is on competing and playing and you certainly can't play quarterback being timid at all. I think Romaro got that out of his mind and proved to me that he had it out of his mind the way that he played in the Independence Bowl. I thought he played with great courage. I don't think he will focus on it because it was the game he was injured in. He's going to be concerned about a lot of things Georgia does, they are an outstanding defensive team.
David Morris is continuing to get better. He works hard, and it is a difficult position to play. The back-up quarterback, particularly in all the competitive games that we have had, is not going to get a lot of playing time. He's done a good job of getting himself ready on the practice field, making each week important enough to prepare himself as if he were the starter. He and I talked about this a long time last week and he has to keep that edge. He remembers that it can happen. That's probably on his mind. He was thrust into a tough situation in the last game last year, and I think he realizes that you have to stay ready. That's a plus for him because he has been there and done that before. Hopefully he will maintain that attitude, and we certainly hope and pray that we keep Romaro Miller healthy.
Q: Do David Morris and Eli Manning both work the scout team?
A: They both stay with us, and we have other kids that run our opposing team. At times they go down there and throw against the defense. We work a lot against our defense, so our defense sees Romaro, Eli and David on a regular basis, which I think is still important.
