Ole Miss Football Weekly Press Conference Transcript

Nov. 4, 2002

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE
OPENING COMMENTS
We have a huge challenge in playing a great Georgia football team in Athens. They are outstanding in every way. They are outstanding offensively, whether they are running or throwing the football. They are very dangerous defensively. They have tremendous athletes with excellent speed and size. I believe in this football team. This football team has great heart. I know that we will prepare well. We are getting better. We did some outstanding things on Saturday. We have to continue to play smarter, and we can't afford to make mistakes. I am looking forward to the challenge.

Q. How long will the team continue to play hard if they see no reward on Saturdays?
A. We will play hard. We are an improving football team. We are young in so many areas. We are certainly hungry. There is something positive happening every week. This program is a program that will lend itself to players playing to the best of their ability. I believe deeply in my heart that they will do that.

Q. What are the positives that you have found?
A. I am pleased about the emotional parts of the game. The last two weeks have set the tempo. We came out early in the game and made plays and played with great energy. Then we lost that edge. The most encouraging thing about this last game is that after setting the tempo and then getting behind, we came back and took the lead. That's a great sign of the spirit, attitude and focus of the team. We weren't able to hold on, but we were able to give ourselves a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. We didn't give them a lot of things easy. Yes, we made some mistakes and had a few turnovers. Those were just kind of odd things. We played more physical on offense. We had some players play extremely physical on defense. We need more of that. We saw some of our younger players improve and continue to take it to another level. All of those things are encouraging signs. We are anxious to go play again.

Q. If Robert Williams can't play again, did Ronald McClendon maybe assert himself in the starting position?
A. I'll have to address that later in the week, but obviously Ronald did some great things late in the game.

Q. Do you expect Robert back?
A. I hope we get Robert back. He needs some work. We need to test his shoulder. He had only limited action going into last week's game. We might have been able to use him in an emergency. Hopefully the rest he got will pay off, and he'll be available this week.

Q. Talk about the year Eli is having. Is he having to shoulder more than he has in the past, this year?
A. Eli has had a tremendous year. We have been very inconsistent running the football this year. I don't think there is a tougher job in the country than playing quarterback in this league when you're not running the ball effectively. With the defensive fronts we see and the ability of the defenses to rush the passer, it's difficult to play quarterback in this league. He's throwing the ball well. Everybody has freak things here and there. It's amazing how few plays he has had where he made an errant throw or an average decision. His toughness has been outstanding. He has done everything that I thought he could or would do.

Q. Do you think the running game is coming along after what you saw in the second half against Auburn?
A. We are better. We are getting better. It's encouraging that we played more physical. We have to show that on a consistent basis. I see it on the practice field. We are making progress.

Q. It appears that you guys did play considerably better Saturday. Coming off two losses before that, in your experience what is the best way to get out of a funk, make football fun again and put yourself in a position to win a football game.
A. We put ourselves in a position to win. What we have to do now, is get out of the funk and not just put ourselves in the position to win, but to actually win. It's like everything else. If you are working hard, if your confidence level is rising and you know you are improving, then everything becomes more fun. When you are more confident and more sure of yourself and you believe in what you are doing you have more fun. It may be as simple as tackling better or blocking better. When you are more consistent in the skills you've got to have to be successful then it becomes fun again. We have a lot of young players that have improved over the last couple of weeks. I am excited about what they can do and where they are going to end up.

Q. Do you think the players feel a little better about themselves today than they might have Saturday evening?
A. It's encouraging when you look at the tape and see the positive things. You have to evaluate what you are doing win or lose and critique yourself. We as a staff and the players watching the tape, see a lot of progress.

Q. Would you have a better run defense if you could run better on offense?
A. Running the football solves a lot of things. It keeps the ball away from the opponent. Obviously all the way back to spring practice we weren't as good at running the football as we needed to be or at stopping the run. Maybe it didn't appear so going against each other. When you can effectively run the football, it helps your football team all they way around.

Q. How has the confidence level of the team been effected by the losses?
A. I will know more about how we practice today as far as how our confidence has been effected. Certainly there are signs all the time. You hurt and it's more difficult to take. All that is real, so you can't ignore it. That's something that is an ongoing process. We've been attacking that the last two or three weeks. I know this team cares about the program and getting better. I know they care about winning and getting better. If you do the right things long enough winning will take care of itself. I want our team to believe that, and I believe they do.

Q. Talk about the two quarterbacks at Georgia and rotating them in and out?
A. They are both outstanding players. They put up some phenomenal numbers when they go in. Certainly one is different than the other. They are able to do some things when they have (D.J.) Shockley come in. He is a quick, fast athlete. They are capable of using him in the running game. He throws the ball extremely well and has a strong arm. David Greene is playing as well as you would expect him to play. He comes up with big plays. They throw the ball down field effectively. He knows their offense well. Anytime you have two quarterbacks and one different than the other, that can be difficult.

Q. Talk about Georgia's defense, and the (David) Pollack kid?
A. Their defense is physical and fast. They have numerous stars including (Johnathan) Sullivan, Pollack, (Boss) Bailey and (Tony) Gilbert. You could go on and on. They have the ability to make big plays. For the last two years they have been consistent on defense. It's difficult to make big plays against them. They are a solid, sound defensive football team.

Q. In watching the Georgia/Florida game, could you tell a difference in the lack of depth at receiver starting to take a toll on Georgia?
A. They have great players there. Obviously they started the year with great depth. When you don't have a player like (Fred) Gibson and (Damien) Gary there, it effects you more. What's amazing, is the quality of receivers they do have available, regardless of who they have out of the ballgame. I am sure if you asked their coaches and players, they would prefer to have all their weapons on hand.

Q. Talk about Chris Collins?
A. Chris has a knack for making big plays. He is very tough and focused. He covers a punt just as hard as if he were running a corner route with a chance to score a touchdown. He has always been that type of player. He's the epitome of a team player and he's as solid a player as there is in this league.

Q. Do you see anything on special teams that maybe hasn't allowed Jason Armstead to return any punts or kickoffs for big plays?
A. There have been some difficult punts to handle. Some punters have had some nice days against us. The punt return game has been difficult. Our kickoff return game has been somewhat of a frustration. That's a tribute to the athletes of the teams we're playing getting down the field better. We've come close on two or three occasions. Early on, Jason wasn't hitting the kickoffs as good as he had in the past, but recently he's done a good job. If he keeps hammering away, he will bust one and hopefully it could prove big down the stretch.

Q. Talk about Eli's frame of mind. How has he improved from last year to this year in addition to the natural experience he's picked up?
A. In watching some of last year's games against opponents we are playing, he is throwing the football better. He is more versatile in what he can do at the line of scrimmage. He is more in charge of the game. He is a better player. Experience is a great teacher. He's made some unbelievable throws in tight circumstances that only he could make. He has a better understanding of what we are trying to do. He is better physically and mentally.

Q. In your mind, are statistics vastly overrated considering the numbers Eli put up last year as opposed to this year?
A. I don't really pay much attention to the numbers. I don't look at pure statistics. I don't coach him that way.

Q. So in your mind he is playing as well or better than last year?
A. Yes. There is no question in my mind.

Q. Talk about Jonathan Nichols and his improvement since the Memphis game?
A. He has a good work ethic and good practice habits. He has worked extremely hard. For a placekicker, if he focuses and works like that in practice and he has tremendous ability, it will take care of itself. I think he is a very confident kicker at this time.

JUNIOR QB QUARTERBACK ELI MANNING
(On what kind of challenges Georgia's defense will present the Ole Miss offense)
"Georgia will be a big challenge for us. They are a good team and we need to go out to practice today and get prepared for them. I know we will have a good game plan, we just need to execute it. We need to try to get out to a quick start, get some points on the board and play good football."

(On whether or not he feels like he is pressing more now than he was at the beginning of the year)
"We are throwing the ball more now. Our running game has not been there so we are throwing the ball a lot. Sometimes I may be trying to get things started too much or trying to get something going when things are going our way. That is part of being frustrated a little with the offense not doing as well as I think we could. You have to play smart football and try to make good decisions all the time. You can't force the ball. You have to just try to move the football, play the game and have a shot in the fourth quarter."

(On if he replayed his final interception of the Auburn game over in his mind over the weekend and how is he getting past it)
"I have thought about it. It is hard to get over a play like that. You have to move on though. Sometimes you are going to be the hero and other times you are going to be the guy that didn't make the play. On Saturday, I was the guy that didn't make the play. I made a bad decision. You have to live with it. You go back to work and start thinking about Georgia and how you are going to get better."

(On his Thursday night talks with Peyton)
"We talk about football. We talk about the game plan for each week and what they are doing. We are not complaining about things or trying to pick each other up by telling each other what we should be doing. We chat with each other like brothers. We talk about other things besides football. Our conversations have stayed the same. They haven't changed any because of what has happened the past couple of weeks."

(On if his conversations with Peyton were more lively at the beginning of the season)
"No. They have been pretty much the same. We are not depressing each other the phone. It is not our goal to do anything like that. I think both of us have kept our heads on straight. We have not gotten down. Once you get down it is really hard to get back up. We are trying to get better and win games. We are trying to be competitive and play our best. I think we are doing all we can to go out there and play a good game."

(On what he remembers about playing Georgia last year)
"They were a good team. They tackled really well. We were able to throw the ball, but we didn't have any guys break tackles and get those extra yards. Right when our receivers caught the ball, they were there to make the tackle. We could only get short gains. I remember us being in the game until I threw an interception and they scored. They are a good team. We just need to go out and practice hard and do our best."

(On what his dad (Archie Manning) had to say after Saturday's game)
"I talked to him. He told me it was a tough game and that I had played well. He told me that my last play was just one of those things that happens. He told me to that people were going to ask me questions about the game and that I needed to just answer the questions and move on. He told me to put this game behind me."

(On if he feels like he has to take risks to win games)
"I think there are times to take risks, but you can't just go out there and throw the ball whenever you want or force plays. You have to be smart and know when it is the right time to take a risk. When I threw my first interception against Auburn we had just taken the lead in the game. My guy slipped and I threw an interception. The scored on the next play. On the second interception, I thought I forced that play. It was a bad decision on my part and they scored again. You can't make bad decisions at that time in the game. We needed to stay aggressive even though we had the lead. That was our plan the whole time. That is how we scored our points by being aggressive and throwing the ball down the field. You just have to play smart football the whole time. If you are down at the end and you need to make a play to get something started you might be willing to take some risks, but early in the game or when you have a lead is when you need to play smart football and not take too many risks."

(On if he knows Georgia QB David Greene)
"No, I do not really know him. I talked to him after the game last year for a second. He is a fun player to watch. I got to watch him play Florida this week. I think he is a good quarterback and he runs their offense well."

(On how he thinks the Florida loss will affect Georgia's emotional state for this game)
"You never know how a team is going to deal with a loss. They might come out fired up and try to get revenge on us or they could be down. They are a good team and we are going to go out there expecting their best on Saturday, so we need to bring our best game also."

(Talk about the play calling process during the game)
"You get the signals from the sideline. It comes to me and I tell the team in the huddle. Sometimes we will call a couple of plays at one time and sometimes we will just have one. I have to get the team into the right play at the line. We have checks and some no-huddle stuff. It is the same process. They give you a play you have to make sure it is a good play or if there is a better play you check off at the line and get into it."

(Who is involved in the conversation of what plays will be run)
"We have a couple of guys giving signals, so the other team cannot tell which play we are going with. I have to pick one and take it from him."

(On playing at Georgia his freshman year and how the stadium compares to others in the SEC)
"I got to play a little bit my freshman year. We were down a good bit, so they let me get some snaps in. It is a nice stadium. It is a beautiful stadium. It can get loud, it is big. It compares to Auburn and Alabama. It is probably up in there with that same atmosphere. It will be loud. They are having a good season, so I am sure it will be packed with people. It will be a fun place to play. I hope we can get a good start and play a good game."

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