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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Weekly Press Conference Transcript
10/7/2002 | Football
Oct. 7, 2002
Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Comments
I was pleased with our effort, going back and looking at the tape (from the Florida game). A lot of things were done extremely well in every phase of the game. As usual, there are a lot of things that we've got to address and do better, just like I thought there would be. A lot of things we're going to go back immediately and work on. There are a lot of things we need to improve drastically to be as good as we can be. We've still got some people beat up. Robert Williams is still limited. Chris Herring looks like he is limited. Bo Hartsfield is a little banged up. Eric Rice is a little banged up, which means the tight end position is a concern going into the week. We're going to have to see more what each day brings for some of those guys. It's been an on-going story with us, fighting to get through these injuries. We've got a challenge in front of us in Arkansas State. They're on a three-game win streak, and that's been earned. They're playing good football in every phase of the game. Coach Roberts and his staff have done an outstanding job. They've improved as much as any football team I've seen this year, week after week after week.
Q: Have you noticed injuries becoming more of a problem each year?
A: I think so, but I don't know if I have any statistics to back that up. I just talked with the staff about that last night and this morning again. Whether it's me imagining it, I haven't asked (Head Athletic Trainer) Tim (Mullins) to go back and look where we were three or four years ago as compared to now. But it certainly seems like you hear of a lot of prominent players going out at other places as well.
Q: Is it a difficult task this week to bring the player back from the emotional high and focus on the mistakes from Saturday?
A: I think we've already done that. You grade the tape and show them the things that we've got to do better. I think they're around us enough that they believe in that. That's our way of doing things. It is a problem sometimes coming off a big win to refocus yourself on the work at hand. But we had early meetings this morning. We showed them the tape, and I think that they see a lot of those things that are realistic that we've got to do better. So hopefully we'll have the focus that I expect us to have, and that starts today. We try to do a good job of that every Monday.
Q: Is it even harder when you're preparing for a non-conference opponent like Arkansas State?
A: Anytime any of us get outside our conference, you don't have the same types of stakes on the line, whether your Arkansas State playing out of their conference or your Ole Miss playing outside of your conference. But this is a game we play every year. Both teams know each other pretty well. We're in close proximity. This is more of a rival game, then some other non-conference game.
Q: Is respect for the opponent a concern for you this week?
A: I don't really think so, when you look at the tape. The players haven't seen all of the tape that we've seen as coaches, but they've also played against this Arkansas State team. This Arkansas State team has done a lot of good things against us. Hopefully they understand that challenge, because it's real.
Q: In what ways has Arkansas State improved?
A: Defensively, they put a lot of speed on the field. They've gone to that mood. They've had some players that have grown up. They're some tough experiences and have gotten better. You can certainly see that they can move their feet, and a lot of explosion and speed on defense. They've got some quality players back at the skill positions on offense with more experience. And they have some quality linemen, that are blocking well. And the coaching staff and the schemes they brought in are coming together. As the players learn them and get more experience with what the coaches are asking them to do, they've gotten better at those things.
Q: Were there any execution issues after watching the tape?
A: I'm evaluating this thing not on one football game, but I have said all along that we're not running the football as well as I'd like to see us run the football. We've done a lot of looking at that and talking about what we think we can do to improve that. We worked on that during the open date. It's an on-going process. It's not something you can't fix in a day. Our players have to realize the amount of hard work that's going to have to go into being better in all the little things to be better at running the football.
Q: What are some of the recurring problems you see?
A: It's different things at different times. You have to give the opponent credit, that's part of it. You just have to be truly fundamentally sound to be successful against real good football players. Whether it's steps, base, footwork, body angles, hand placement, or hat placement. It's not any little one thing. You just say fundamentally we have to be as sound as we can possibly be against real good players. Assignment wise, you can't afford not to be correct 100 percent of the time. All it takes is one breakdown. We may have something right and a chance for a big play, and one breakdown somewhere along there eliminates your chances of being successful. Consistency from that standpoint would be the other thing I would point at.
Q: Talk about energy on defense, particularly from the linemen.
A: Success is no question the best confidence booster you can have. They went in with a lot of determination. When you feel much maligned, it decreases the determination you have, there's no question that's human nature. They went in with hopefully something to prove, but as the day went on and the confidence level went up, I think that increased their energy and enthusiasm.
Q: What did it mean for your defense to have Eddie Strong back, excluding his contributions on the field?
A: Just to have players with that kind of experience, I don't think there's a substitute that you can have for that. That experience, poise, composure and having played in these types of games before, I think, brings out confidence in other players. As I said going into the year, the thing I knew was that the most experienced players we had coming back were Lanier Goethie and Eddie Strong - two inside linebackers, which are always critical to your defense. It's been unfortunate not to have both of them, but it was good fortune to have Eddie back on the heels of losing Lanier. I thought that was an important factor for us.
Q: How did you think he played?
A: He played good. He's like everyone of us, there are things we could do better. But Eddie did some real positive things. He's a playmaker and has been a playmaker for a long time. He led this team in tackles a year ago, and not by accident. He finds a way to be involved in a lot of plays.
Q: Evaluate Justin Wade's play.
A: Justin Wade did really well. Justin had a really good spring. Justin Wade is a good quick football player, but he's been injured and not been himself. He didn't get any two-a-day practices at all. He's just now coming into his own. He did some real good things and played real well.
Q: What did you do after the game Saturday night?
A: I had a lot of phone calls. I was tired. By the time I got done with everything I had to do, I didn't get home until well after 6:00. I was hungry was the biggest thing I remember. I hadn't eaten since 6:45 in the morning. I just spent time with my family. One of the selfish things about early games for coaches and players is to get a Saturday night. I don't get many Saturday nights, so it was nice just to have time with my family.
Q: Who all did you get phone calls from?
A: A whole lot of people, including other coaches. Rod Barnes was one of them, which I really appreciated. Some of my coaching friends and just friends and family called. Mostly the only people I really had time to talk to much were people in my family."
Q: Did you talk to Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer?
A: We talked Sunday morning. He was really busy for quite a while on Saturday night. I watched all the overtime stuff. I was just anguishing through it. It brought back a lot of memories.
Q: Talk about Matt Grier.
A: Matt has been a playmaker since day one. Stepping off the junior college field and into a new position, he has steadily found a way to make big plays throughout his career for us. It's just his second year playing here. He started out as a backup last year, and came on as our starter. He is another one I should have mentioned (in the injury report). He is a little banged up and is questionable today. He can be a great football player. He makes plays already, but what is happening is he is becoming more consistent at doing that as he gets more comfortable in that position.
Q: Talk about his abilities.
A: He is just a tremendous athlete. I watched him win the state championship on tape when he was at Smithville. He was on both offense and defense and is such a performer. He was a tremendous back in high school. He knows how to run with the football. Last year at LSU, he got tripped up on an interception. He knows what to do when he gets the football.
Q: Any chance we could see him on offense?
A: No, I think he is tired enough and spends most of his energy on defense.
Q: Does a win like this give the players more confidence going into the rest of the season?
A: I certainly hope each win builds confidence because it will take a lot of confidence to play the schedule we will have to play down the stretch. What the team realizes is that every individual game takes on its own personality. Whatever it takes to win, they will have to figure that out. They understand that. The same token, you have to be smart enough to realize that if you don't play that good, then you are not going to win. It's a building block, to take these games one game at a time. Our total focus is on Arkansas State and nothing else. That is the most enjoyable way to focus on the schedule.
Q: Talk about the four goal-line stands that you didn't score on. Would you do it again?
A: That is something that we have to do better. I have learned throughout the years to never second guess what you do. You can say, "What if you threw on first down or second?", but you never know. You can't assume anything. You might have been thrown for a nine-yard loss and lost field position. You may get a field goal blocked from that. You make these decisions on what you believe. It's another one of those Patton principles -- let's make a decision and go with it.
Q: Talk about your short yardage offense. Do you think you are predictable?
A: They were predictable. I don't think we're executing. There is a lot of different things we have tried, none of them have worked. We have run the fullback, run the tailback, run inside, run outside. I'm disturbed that we are not good there. So that is something that we need to address, and I'm in the process of addressing that.
Q: Talk about Josh Cooper.
A: Josh Cooper has really played well. He got his hands on that blocked field goal. It took me watching the tape before I could tell it was him. He played really hard. All those guys did up front. Josh Cooper is a really good football player. He is one of those guys who doesn't get a lot of attention, but he is a very solid player.
Q: How do you keep the team focused?
A: You try to do what you have been doing. I think our players will go back to work with good focus. That is our Monday routine. I don't want to over emphasize anything. I want us to go out and do exactly what is expected of us as a staff and a team. You recognize the obvious that people think you are still on cloud nine. I really don't expect that.
Q: Talk about the ranking.
A: I think you learn through the years that, until you get late in the year, rankings don't mean anything.
Q: What has been the players' response to being ranked?
A: I'm sure there is a feeling of pride on being a ranked team, but we can't put really stock into it until late in the year at the finish.
Q: How does a game like that help in regards to recruiting?
A: It certainly is great exposure. That is a lot of airtime, and a lot of exposure on the regional and national level. That's certainly positive for us. It's just another positive step in the right direction for us and our state.
Q: Do you think Arkansas State plays you with a little more intensity since the two schools are so close?
A: I think they certainly have a lot of players that do. With the close proximity of the schools and the recruiting battles, both of us know each other real well. I know they will be well-prepared to play this game.
Q: What are your thoughts on the overtime system and should we change the current format?
A: I wouldn't want to tweak it. I want to change it all together. Personally, I want to go to the NFL's system. Everybody is worried about the coin toss. But I have heard -- I haven't researched this but have been told by someone who did -- that only 27 percent of the time, the team that won the toss won the game. What it does is it brings the kicking game into it. The entire football team is involved. Even if you lose the toss, you have the chance on the kickoff of covering the kickoff. What we have seen in the current system is that it can stay tied forever. That increases your chance for injuries. You have this great game that has been played all this time, and one critical error, because it is already in the red zone, dictates who wins the game.
Eli Manning
Q: With some of the hits you took this past weekend, are you more sore than you have been after other games?
A: Yeah, I am pretty sore, but it's part of the game. I'll be able to practice today. Yesterday I just kind of sat around and didn't do a whole lot, but I feel pretty good today.
Q: How critical is it to avoid a letdown after such an emotional win?
A: That is a big deal. We have to come out today and forget about last week. We have to forget that we got the win and focus on Arkansas State. We have a long season left with a lot of teams to play. It starts this weekend. We have a lot of things to work on. The offense needs to get better. We didn't play a great game this past week, so we still have a lot of room for improvement.
Q: After watching the tape, where do you need the most work?
A: Just everything -- our running game, passing game. I missed a couple of guys who were open. I need to work on moving in the pocket. We're still not converting a lot of third downs. We need to work on a lot of things.
Q: Do you think the team will be able to stay focused this week?
A: I think so. I think we should be motivated for next week. We have to go out there and execute and play well and get back to playing good football. They play good defensively and stop the ball. We have to work on some things. We played smart football and didn't turn the ball over against Florida, but we still have to work on the passes and moving the ball to get first downs when we need to.
Q: Talk about the running game against Florida.
A: Florida did a good job of stopping that. We moved the ball better in our three-wide and four-wide sets. We didn't really go to the running game that much until the end where we ran the ball to get those two first downs and ran out the clock.
Q: Both teams are coming off big conference victories. How do you feel about this game is sort of an interruption to the momentum of conference play?
A: We've played Arkansas State the past couple of years, and last year they played us tough. We're going have to come out and play well and be prepared. We can't show up and think this is a game where we win because we show up. We are going to have to have a good plan and execute our game.
Q: What do you have to do as a quarterback not to throw an interception?
A: You read the defense, and you read the safeties. You just know what receivers to read. A lot of the time, interceptions are caused by a pass rush and people getting in your face and you aren't able to see defenders or you throw off your back foot by throwing when you aren't ready to. You have to throw good balls that don't get tipped up in the air. You just try to hit your receivers.
Q: Translate that to your performance this weekend where you didn't throw any interceptions.
A: Sometimes it just depends on the game and the situation. This past weekend I knew our defense was playing well, and I thought we had to get another touchdown. I wasn't going to force a ball and give Florida a chance to get any momentum. I wanted to make sure they had to drive 70 yards or so to make it harder on them to get a touchdown.
Q: Talk about the goal-line stand and what you were thinking.
A: We had some stuff for the goal-line. We knew we had the ball on the two-yard line with four chances to get in. On first down we got one yard, so we had three plays to get in and we should be able to do that. I wasn't disappointed with the play calling. We called a good play, we just didn't execute. The defense and the linebackers were just piling up well and keeping us from getting across the goal line.
