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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Head Coach David Cutcliffe Weekly Press Conference
10/23/2000 | Football
Oct. 23, 2000
Opening Remarks
I want to take the time to congratulate Dr. Khayat and the rest of the administration, faculty and The University of Mississippi on the Phi Beta Kappa announcement over the weekend. I know that has been a long time coming, and I am excited for our university. I think that is an outstanding accomplishment.
Coming out of an open date, we are trying to get some people healthy and get better as a football team. Sometimes those two things don't go hand in hand. There were a lot of people in the training room this past week. Deuce McAllister and Ken Lucas are still questionable. I will have to see where we are with some other people as we get on the field. We have improved as a team, and we are continuing to get better.
We are playing an outstanding UNLV team. I have been impressed the more I look at them. They are a well-coached football team, and a very talented football team on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game. We have our work cut out for us. We are going to have make great strides from where we were the last time we played to compete with this team. I am excited about our team's attitude and the work we got done last week. I am looking forward to seeing how we approach the week starting today.
Q. Any other injuries besides Deuce McAllister and Ken Lucas?
A. Until I see more of these others who haven't been out there, I don't where they stand with their injuries. I had some concerns about Anthony Sims as well. When we see them out there today, we will get a better indication. For some, today will be the first workout since the last football game. However, those three (McAllister, Lucas, Sims) are the most significant at this time.
Q. How are Deuce's injuries?
A. He is getting treatment and he's getting better. I don't know if you would call him well. He is getting better though. He is continuing treatment, and obviously not getting hit has helped his shoulder. We'll just have to see how he is with his ankle. From a shoulder standpoint, he's ready to go play. We'll have to see how the ankle responds this week.
Q. Talk about the feelings after the Alabama loss.
A. We did a lot of talking and soul-searching as a team. I think out staff knows how to respond. We have solid senior leadership and some younger players had the attitude that they had no choice but to go back to work. We have worked well this year for the most part, but we have to work smarter and more consistently. I think our team responded well from that standpoint, too. We have a lot of practice days left.
Q. Talk about the Ole Miss football team after the loss to Alabama.
A. I think you have to look at the reality of what you're not doing well--not just from that game, but the entire first half of the season. I don't think we were emotionally, mentally or physically prepared going in to the Alabama game. Some things that happen we could have and should have prevented. Some of those things happen in football. We are not going to dwell on it. As long as our spirit is good and our effort and intensity is good, then we have to focus on the reality of fixing some things. We have to execute at a higher level and with more consistently.
Q. Talk about the SEC Western Division.
A. As I've said, every team in the SEC Western Division realizes it has a chance at this time. The best lesson from all of it is that players may listen to you when you say, "Play one game at a time." Each game you play is critical to your season, and there is no reason to start wondering if this or that happens. Your total focus should be on the game you are preparing to play. With out that, you really don't have a chance to be a consistent winner.
Q. Talk about the UNLV football team.
A. On offense, they have two outstanding tailbacks, a good line, a very athletic quarterback and some athletic receivers. They are very efficient when they throw the ball. I think they are 16th in the country in rushing offense. They execute at a high level. They are really outstanding group of athletes.
Defensively, they are aggressive, fast and physical. I am impressed with their front and the defensive ends. Their linebacking corps is fast and aggressive. They have a good-looking secondary. They cover well, and they play a lot of man coverage. They do a good job of keeping people out of the end zone. They have an outstanding kicking game. Their kick-off man is talented. They are a good solid football team. I knew they would be well coached. John Robinson is a tremendous football coach and has been for a long time. He knows this game extremely well. I have been impressed with their talent.
Q. Have you coached against Coach Robinson?
A. No, I have not. I have obviously seen his teams in the past. I realize they are going to know how to run the football, play good defense and be very efficient.
Q. Who would you compare them to?
A. They are fast, and they look like a Pac-10 team. They are very athletic, and they do a lot of things well on both sides of the ball. They are just a good team.
Q. Any position changes from last game.
A. We are working Justin Sawyer at center. He has the ability to still play tight end. He had a good week at center, and for obvious reasons, we worked him there because our health and numbers are not great there. He responded well. He knows the offense, and he's played a lot of football. He's done a nice job. We are continuing to do that, although he will have the ability to play tight end in short yardage and certain situations where he has been a great help. Ian Bass is working some at linebacker. It remains to be seen whether he works himself into the playing rotation there. Justin would be the most significant change.
Q. Talk about Ben Claxton and where is he as far as his injury?
A. I don't know until we get on the field because he wasn't able to do a lot last week after the game. I hope he's much better. He played a little bit more in the Alabama game and felt good. He is just not back where he was before the injury. I am anxious to see where he is. We are going to have a very physical practice today.
Q. Talk about the offensive line.
A. There is great room for improvement on the offensive line. We've had different combinations, trying to create some competition there. I think we can play better than what we have been playing there. I think it's had an impact on our team. They had a good week last week, and I am anxious to see a better week this week. The offensive line is an area where every player who improves has a great impact on the group. I want to see some competition there and some people grow rather quickly. We need to settle in. We have this stretch of five games, so we need to settle in and get busy there and see what will occur.
Q. When will you know about Ben Claxton's situation?
A. I would like to know after today where we are going to stand with him. I anticipate at this time, without seeing him, that Matt Koon will be our starter.
Q. Talk about the loss of Tutan Reyes and Todd Wade, two offensive linemen from the 1999 squad who were selected in the 2000 NFL Draft.
A. We miss those two tackles. We not only miss their playing abilities, but we miss their leadership and the tempo they set at practice. I thought they were both great practice players. You are always going to miss those kinds of players, and they had impact on our entire line.
Q. Talk about the player changes in the offensive line and center positions and how they affect the team?
A. It has been sporadic groups working at different times on the practice field because of our injuries, and I think it has had some effect. But, that is part of the game you anticipate coming in to every season. We have to be able to manage that.
Q. Talk about the passing game.
A. We have to improve our practice habits. The more you can make practice like a game, the greater the opportunity you have to improve from throwing, catching and protecting. All of those things put a great deal of pressure on our passing team going against our first defense. At times, we have been really good. They have to work better at practice. You have to ask your quarterback to step it up and focus in practice as if it were a game. I am more pleased right now from a practice standpoint.
Q. Talk about Charles Stackhouse.
A. Charles Stackhouse is a very physical player at practice. He sets a tempo you like as a coach. He is a great competitor and a very talented young man. He is a guy who can run and catch the ball, and he is a very physical blocker. He has had to fight through injuries this fall. His knee was the first injury, but he has also had to deal with injuries in the upper body and some severe bruising. He's pushed through it. Charles is a guy I like to watch practice. He has an impact on our team on gameday, and also Monday through Friday on the practice field.
Q. Could Charles Stackhouse play tailback?
A. I think he could play tailback. I don't think he's necessarily a proto-type tailback. I think he is more of fullback because he is a physical guy and can do so many things athletically.
Q. Talk about Jamie Armstrong.
A. The big thing is keeping Jamie healthy. He's been hurt most of the entire year with either his hamstring or an ankle. He got hot last year and did some really good things and then got hurt. Jamie had his best practices last week and did some positive things. Hopefully, he's over his hamstring. He is a very explosive and a 40-plus inch vertical jump, but needs to be healthy.
Q. Talk about Ole Miss football in relation to the SEC standings.
A. It's hard to speculate right now, and there is a lot of football left to be played. I really don't think beyond this UNLV game. All you can do is focus on the next team you are playing. You have to play great and fight like crazy to play that one. Trying to speculate how everything is going to unfold is difficult. You just have to focus on the next game.
Q. Talk about the balance in the SEC.
A. We have seen this coming as coaches. The balance in our league is truly here. The parity in the league is more this season than at any other time that I can remember. There are a number of good teams. I don't think the level of play in the SEC has diminished. I think there are more teams capable of beating other teams. As it gets more competitive, it gets interesting to see what happens.
Q. Talk about recruiting.
A. I think recruiting is tougher than it used to be. We are in a situation where our staff goes out six times in the fall--period. That's it. With only six days in the fall, you are talking about a very minimal amount of time to make evaluations. You just try to be thorough and maximize everyone's potential.
Q. Is that why there is an emphasis on walk-ons?
A. I think that the walk-on program at every university is extremely important. It is here. We have several of our scholarship players who were as walk-ons in the past. There are a big number of walk-on players here.
