Tuesday's Independence Bowl Practice Quotes

December 29, 1998

Head Coach David Cutcliffe

"The big advantage that (Texas Tech Head Coach) Spike (Dykes) had in his first game was that he had already been there, and many of the staff members stayed. They had a group that kind of knew the players. We had to learn names. We had to put tape on the player's helmets and we needed to put tape on the coaches' hats for anybody to know who was who. Its been a challenge, but its been a lot of fun. The players had a great attitude throughout the whole time, so it's going to be interesting to see what kind of results come from all of this."

Q: If you could ask Spike for some advice about doing all of this, what would you ask him?

A: I talked to him about that when we came down here (for the inspection visit), and of course, Spike is the kind of guy that says why should I help you.' It's just a side thing. You just got to do the fundamental things and take care of the little things you know you got to do. We got to try and play the kicking game as well as we can, take care of the football, and try not to outsmart yourself.

Q: Are you settled on a quarterback yet?

A: We'll be playing both Romaro Miller and David Morris. Romaro, again, hasn't been hit, so we really don't know. He's getting better. He's practiced better here. He's thrown the ball better once we've got to the bowl site. How much and how long he lasts is yet to be seen.

Q: Do you have any concerns about the Texas Tech defense?

A: Certainly. They got a great pass rush. They got an All-American up-front in Montae Reagor and a number of other people up-front that can disrupt you. It's just a solid football team. They've been an outstanding defensive team all year long. Very consistent.

Q: Do you feel like you need to throw the ball well to have a chance to score on offense?

A: When they line-up, they line-up to stop the run. Spike Dykes' defenses will always be that way. They're going to be an eight-man front and challenge you to throw the football. We're certainly going to need to throw the football to have a chance to score some points.

Q: Will Grant Heard play?

A: We still have some therapy time. He won't practice today and we'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.

Q: Do you feel better about the footing out here today at Southwood High School?

A: We've been trying to find a place. I hope this will provide a place where the footing is better. This is more of a football field, so this will give us an opportunity, hopefully, to have the kind of practice we want to have.

Cutcliffe following practice:

"Two days before the game, this is the last opportunity to really come out and break a sweat and get a rhythm. I thought we had better rhythm on offense that we've been having. I was watching the defense out of the corner of my eye and I thought they had good tempo and we covered a lot of situations. I thought the kicking game work was extremely good. Now it's mental and resting. We'll have a slight walk through tomorrow. Most of the work has been done. The hay's not in the barn until it's over with, but a lot of the work and preparation is done."

All-America junior tight end Rufus French

Q: You've seen Texas Tech's defense on film, what concerns you the most about them?

A: They're great up-front. They have an All-American defensive end in Monte Reagor. It's going to be rough on all of us. If we come out and play hard and limit the mistakes, then I think we'll be all right.

Q: One of the intriguing match-ups in this game is the possibility of you and Reagor going head-to-head, talk about that?

A: You love match-ups like that. You want the challenge. You want to go against the best and you want to be the best, and that's the way I'm approaching this game. The area that I've been knocked in is my blocking, and I'm taking this as a chance to improve my blocking and show the world that I've improved my blocking.

Sophomore quarterback Romaro Miller

Q: One of Coach Cutcliffe's concerns is that you haven't been hit.

A: That might be a worry for him, but not for me, because I never get hit in practice anyway. That isn't a big issue for me.

Q: What's it like to have big tight end like Rufus French to throw the football to?

A: Rufus was everybody's All-American. If I need a clutch catch, Rufus is the guy I'm going to. I remember early in the season, I was trying to throw a ball away and Rufus went up and got it. That's sort of sums him up. If you throw it out there to him, he'll go up and get it.

Q: Is Rufus like a wide receiver in a tight end's body?

A: I think he fits that mold. He's got a big body and the best hands I've ever seen. That's a tribute to him in to how hard he comes out and works everyday in practice. He deserves all the awards he's getting because he's a great player.

Q: Do you feel your throwing game is going to need to be successful for you to have a chance to win?

A: In every game you sort of have to have balance. Our running game has stepped up for us this year, and now we have new coaches, so our running game is going to have to be that much stronger. I feel like if our passing is called upon, these guys are going to come down with catches and make some plays.

Q: How frustrating has been bouncing around practice sites?

A: That's been real hard on us, but we feel like today that the fields are in better condition than they have been. I guess we've picked a couple of wet days to come down here getting ready for the bowl game, but Texas Tech has had to go through the same problems too.

Sophomore running back Deuce McAllister

Q: Obviously, you haven't had the best practice conditions the last couple of days, how much of an effect does that have?

A: I don't think it'll have too much of an effect as long as the guys come out working and focusing on what we need to do. We can't control the conditions we're practicing under. We're coming out to work. If you come out mentally focused and ready to work, you can't control anything else.

Q: Do you feel you have a little bit of a challenge to run the football well, looking at Texas Tech and seeing how well Ricky Williams ran the ball this year?

A: My challenge is go out and try to help my team win. If I can get five yards and we win then I'm happy. That's going to be made a point by everybody that you need to do as well as he does.' I'm not really worried about that as long as I go out and help my team win.

Q: If you look at them on film, they like to put a lot of people up front to try and stop the run?

A: With the defense they play, they try to stop the run. We're going to have our work cut out for us, and we're going to try to stay as balanced as possible.

Q: A team can really help the run by throwing the ball well and spreading out the defense.

A: We're going to try and loosen them up, make them uncomfortable and make them not want to get in their base defense that they're accustomed to playing. We're going to try and keep them off-balance, so they're not dictating what we're trying to do. They have a great defense, so it's going to be interesting to see.

Q: You must have some goals that you want to do in a ball game like this?

A: You just want to go out there and have fun, and put on a show for everybody that's watching.

Freshman quarterback David Morris

Q: Are you feeling a lot more comfortable in this situation as opposed to the Mississippi State situation?

A: I do. I feel like I've got those first-game jitters out of the way. It's still going to be a nervous feeling. That first game was a great experience.

Q: Has it been more difficult getting ready for this game with the change in coaches, or has been pretty much a regular game week?

A: I think it's been a little difficult because there's a lot of distractions. We're not on our same practice field, we're not on our facilities, and that's been a little distraction, and of course some of the new stuff we're doing. Really, I think there's been a good focus this week and we've gotten done what we needed to this week.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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