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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Weekly Press Conference Transcript
9/16/2002 | Football
Sept. 16, 2002
Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Comments
I would like to start off by reviewing the last ball game. It's hard enough to win on the road, but when you have mistakes in the kicking game - particularly in the punting game - that we had, it makes it even more difficult. We also had an unusual play with the interception on the screen pass. It was a stroke of luck where the guy was. When those types of things happen to you, there is not a lot you can do.
There were a lot of things that went on in the game that we were better than we had been the two previous weeks. We have to build on those things. We also have to correct mistakes. We don't practice sloppy, and I don't expect us to play that way. You can't afford to shoot yourself in the foot and be successful at this level. We continue to build on the positives, and correct the negatives.
We have an issue with Cody Ridgeway separating his shoulder, so he will be out today. He is day-to-day. We were able to get him back late in Saturday's game, and he held on the last extra-point kick. A.J. Kiamie had a dislocation on his snapping hand, and he'll be out today. He was able to finish Saturday's game. We have a few others I'm concerned with, but after today's practice, I'll know a lot more.
Looking at Vanderbilt, they are a very well-coached football team. Coach Johnson and his staff do an outstanding job. They play extremely hard, and are very competitive. They are playing a lot of people on both sides of the ball. They present problems on both sides of the ball, and they are fundamentally sound in the kicking game. It's going to be our first SEC football game, and we're looking forward to that challenge.
From our standpoint, we have to get better, and we know we have had wars with Vanderbilt each year I've been here. Vanderbilt will be a great challenge for us.
Q: What seems to be the problem on offense to start the games? Is it execution or the play calls?
A: We're not doing anything differently early than we do near the half. In this game, we did some things well. We had a great first play, and we moved the ball downfield. We just didn't get it done on third down. We haven't been as good on third downs, period. We were a little better in this game, 50 percent I think. When you don't convert third downs, drives stop. That's what has happened to us early. A lot of times a year ago, we were a very fast-starting team. We converted third downs at a phenomenal rate early. When you keep drives alive, you may score on the next play. I think that's the biggest issue offensively. We've got to convert third downs and cash in. I'm not pleased at all that we scored seven points in the first half. I felt like we could've been more productive and had more opportunities to be productive. Again, it came down to missing on some third downs. I felt like if we would have executed a little better, we would've maintained possession of the ball.
Q: Are you concerned that the slow starts are becoming a mental thing?
A: Yes, because I keep getting asked about it so much. I'm not totally concerned about it. I'll talk to our squad about it because you don't want that to become something that is an issue. I'd be lying to say it won't (become an issue). I'm not going to ignore it, and I don't want it to become an issue. It's something that I'd better be conscious of.
Q: You said earlier you did a lot of things better this weekend. Could you clarify that?
A: We caught the football much better than we have been. I thought we did a phenomenal job of pass protection and picking up a number of different looks. They did a lot of things, and I knew that going in. Our pass protection has been good, but it continues to get better. We still didn't give up a sack in 57 throws, and that's very positive. We played the run extremely well. We got off our blocks better than we've been getting off blocks. We've been able to play a lot of people. I saw improvement from a lot of young players. We just shot ourselves in the foot in some areas that we couldn't overcome. I'm disappointed we didn't overcome it. I felt like we had a real chance, as a team, to overcome it, but we didn't take advantage of it. When we had a chance to cut their lead to seven points with our second possession getting the ball inside their 10, that was disappointing. That's when you have to find out a little bit more about yourself as a team. I'm going to challenge our squad. You can't let that happen to you. When it's 2nd and 2, find a way to get it in. Get it done.
Q: Talk about Tre' Stallings' play.
A: Tre' Stallings played well. Like any other football player, he would tell you he could play better, but he's playing well as a redshirt freshman. Adell Duckett's big plays weren't all necessarily against Tre'. He sort of drifted into that interception, and wasn't always involved with Tre' when he got his hands on some balls. We blocked him some, too. I'm real pleased with Tre' Stallings' progress and what he's accomplishing as a redshirt freshman. He is a good player, and he's going to be a really fine player.
Q: Is there anything you can do to prevent passes from being batted down?
A: Some of that was luck on their part. There are a lot of little things you do, and some techniques that you can use to wipe a lane clear. We tried hard to keep their hands busy and to keep them occupied. A lot of Adell Duckett's inability to rush the passer let him stop and block passes. At that point, you're trying to cut him and get his hands down any way you can. It's up to us to try to have those lanes. A lot of times you're just unlucky. They did a real good job. A lot of linemen just don't have a knack for it, and he obviously does. He's got quick hands.
As for Vanderbilt, they do a good job, but it's the same basic package. We've got the films of three ball games this year, so we know enough. Obviously, they have the ability to bring out some new wrinkles and different things, and they do a good job coaching. That's very evident from watching the tape.
Q: How will you evaluate Cody Ridgeway this week?
A: The first thing with a guy with a separated shoulder is his mobility. Can he get his hands above his head to catch a bad snap if he's punting? Can he get his hands above his head to catch a bad snap if he's holding? His range of motion is the issue. We'll have to see what each day brings. I'm not going to put a player out there who can't protect himself. We'll just have to evaluate that day-to-day.
Q: Will his injury require surgery?
A: Not right now. All those things tend to change. I never make any blanket statements, but right now, no surgery is planned.
Q: Who is going to be the backup punter?
A: That's a good question, too. I'm going to work on that on the field this afternoon. I was even thinking about whom we would've gone to if something had happened to Wesley (Bryan) in the game. Seth Smith can punt, and he works occasionally on special teams. Obviously, Shae Orrell was our backup a year ago. I'm going to look at the entire situation. Lee Rogers can punt, so we'll just have to evaluate that through practice.
Q: Talk about Eddie Strong's performance and his status.
A: He didn't play very much, and somebody fell on him and kind of bothered his ankle again. We're going to have to look at where we are again today. I know he enjoyed getting out there and moving around. He did some positive things. He's going to make a great impact when we get him back to full speed. He should practice today.
Q: Talk about your typical plan for the first quarter.
A: I don't know that there's any magic formula for it. Do you try to get the ball first and put the pressure on them? Or do you play defense and try to play for field position? There are a lot of ways to try to play well early, and field position is one of them. You do what you can to create that. Other than that, it's just having a good plan and believing in the plan, which we do. You have to go out and execute. I don't know any magic formulas for it. I've always been around fast-starting teams. I also like a team that gets better as the games goes on.
Q: Talk about some of the unusual penalties being called.
A: Some of the penalty situations - which many are being declined right now - are illegal formation. Breaking the beltline of the center is being called. I mentioned this earlier, but they're making an emphasis in the conference on alignment - on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We had a couple of them on punts this time. I'm really disappointed that we would have them by the same player. But we haven't been terrible. We haven't had a lot of quick false starts. We had an offsides penalty that helped them convert a third down, which you don't want to see. What you do is coach that like you coach anything else - you coach it hard. You expect the players not to make those kinds of errors. That's one of the demands on the practice field. It hasn't been horrible to this point, but it's something that we're trying to get better in each week. That's a fundamental, just like taking good steps and getting in a good stance.
Q: Talk about the start of conference play.
A: Well, I certainly hope we're resilient. You have to be to compete in the Southeastern Conference and Division I-A college football. Every week is a new week. Whether you won by 40 or you lost by 40 the week before, you really have to put that behind you. You have to put total focus on the game you're getting ready to play or you're going to be disappointed when that one is over with. Part of having a good football program is having a good, resilient team each year. Hopefully, I'm going to see this team go back out with a great attitude and work today like I expect them to work.
Q: Talk about Vanderbilt's use of the option.
A: They run a number of different styles of options. They have a very versatile offensive attack. They present a lot of problems when they're able to go out and execute.
Q: Talk about Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler.
A: Their quarterback certainly is a threat to run and throw the football. They've got all the option-pass looks. They have numerous different things that they can do.
Q: Talk about Vanderbilt wide receiver Dan Stricker.
A: He's a great playmaker. All of us that have played against him know that Stricker is a guy who's going to be there to make plays. He's got great speed, great size, and makes great catches.
Q: Talk about Vanderbilt's defense.
A: Defensively, they're a 4-3. They bring multiple looks out of the 4-3 package. They're pretty aggressive. They're able to teach a lot of things, but they're very sound and solid in everything that they do.
Q: Talk about the play of fullback Rick Razzano.
A: Rick has done well when we've called on him. Whether there will be any more opportunities or not, I don't know. That position has always been a position to provide big catches for us. He's a good, tough short-yardage runner. Our tailbacks are going to get their touches in the running game, and the fullbacks know that. What Rick has got to do is to keep blocking great, first and foremost.
Q: Talk about wide receiver Bill Flowers.
A: Flowers has played well and he practices well. I tell people all the time that you expect Bill to play well because he is truly one of those guys who makes practice like a game. He is full speed in everything he does.
Q: Talk about running back Ronald McClendon.
A: Ronald McClendon continues to make progress. He's got a lot left to learn, but he is a very explosive back and has great speed. I know he wants to get out and get loose into the secondary, but you have to earn your way to that point. He has a lot to learn about pass protection and the passing game in general, and he knows that. He's a great youngster and has a great work ethic and attitude. He's doing good things. I'm very pleased with him.
Q: Talk about McClendon's adjustment to your offensive system.
A: I think any player that is new in a system takes a little while to get used to the system. It's difficult to step right in and do every facet of what you do perfectly. There's a lot to learn about protection, and there's a lot to learn even in the run game because of subtleties in each offense and different styles of runners. Ronald hasn't disappointed me in any way.
Q: Is Vashon Pearson going to practice today?
A: I think so. We'll see how he is today.
Q: Talk about the pass interference penalties against the defense.
A: We've had some tough calls. It's a tough call to make. I'm being real honest with you, and I'm not being critical by any means. They're just tough calls. I want our guys to keep competing and that's all they can do. They've got to compete the best they can within the rules of pass coverage. It's a difficult position to be in.
Eli Manning
Q: What do you see on the field in the first quarter that have contributed to the slow starts?
A: We have really gotten into some bad situations. We have had some third and longs, and have not been able to connect on some of those. I don't really know what it is. We just haven't gotten into the groove. We didn't run the ball real well in the last game to open it up, and that makes for some tough situations. We will figure something out.
Q: Are teams maybe playing you a little bit differently on defense?
A: No, I think that teams are playing us pretty much the same. We're getting a lot of zone, and they are trying to blitz us at times. Against Texas Tech, I saw a few new things that they did, but pretty much it has been the same stuff over and over again.
Q: Describe what Texas Tech did differently to cause difficulty in running the ball.
A: They were doing some good stuff defensively. They knew our two best plays. They were putting the linebackers up close and making it hard for our fullbacks to lead block. They were bringing their safeties down and doing some other things. They played well. They did a good job of cutting off the lanes and running gaps for us to run through.
Q: How hard is it to come out on fire and just find a rhythm early in the game on offense?
A: It's not hard to do. It can be done. We have done it before where we have been out in the first drive, gone down the field, and scored. We came out in the second half and did it. We just have to figure out what is going to be working for us quick, what they are doing defensively, and for us to just get going and have some good plays. Start off and get the ball down field and get first downs.
Q: Did you see anything from Saturday's game that you need to work on?
A: We just have to go back to work. We have to continue to work on running the ball, throwing the ball, and catching the ball - the basic things. We still had some drops from the wide receivers. I missed some throws that I needed to make. So, we'll just continue to go to practice and just keep on working.
Q: Did you get a better read on what happened on the interception that was returned for a score?
A: Yeah, I knew what happened during the game. I knew the end didn't rush. It was kind of a little run in one direction and throw the other. It can be a dangerous play if that end doesn't rush and he didn't rush, so I saw him and I tried to get it over him a little bit. I just threw a bad ball and he made a good play on it.
Q: Would you like to see more no-huddle?
A: It really doesn't matter to me. The only thing about no-huddle is if you get in there and give their offense the ball back right away you don't give your defense much of a break on the sidelines. It really doesn't matter. If it's something they want to do every once in a while, it then it could be a good thing. It just kind of depends on situations in the game and how everything's going.
Q: What do you think you have to do differently offensively?
A: I think we have to do better offensively, and I think we know we've got to score some points in the first half. We've got to move the ball better than what we did. We're giving their offense a lot of possessions and we just can't do that. We've got to hold the ball and get some first downs and try to get some touchdowns.
Q: Do you think the offensive has gotten better since the first game? Are they more aggressive?
A: I think our offense did some better things in certain situations. I thought we threw the ball better the other day. We did a good job with pass protection. I didn't get sacked. I got hit a few times. When you throw the ball over 50 times, you're going to take some hits especially with the two good ends that they had. We're getting better.
