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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Head coach David Cutcliffe's Press Conference Transcript
9/30/2002 | Football
Sept. 30, 2002
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Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Comments
Coming off the open date, I was glad to have the chance to get some people healthier. I do know that we are going to get Eddie Strong back to work today. We're going to take a look at him, and take a look at Toward Sanford. Ronald McClendon was a little banged up last week, but should be back today. The biggest concern I have right now is Robert Williams. He is still day-to-day, and I don't think he'll work today. We'll see how much progress he can make the next couple of days.
We had good work last week. We had to fight the elements a little bit with the tropical storm last week. It brought a lot of rain, but we got a lot of good work despite the rain. I'm anxious to get started, and glad it's gameweek again. I'm sure the players are ready as well. We've got a big challenge ahead of us in a fine Florida team that we will play on Saturday. We'll have to be at our best and that's what I anticipate us doing.
Q: Are you doing anything special or different in your preparation for Florida?
A: I don't think you have to do that. It's pretty obvious to our players that they will be taking on an outstanding team in Florida, which is ranked No. 6 in the country. All the challenges are real obvious to them. Our team is aware and excited about the opportunity. The reality is if you are going to play well, you have to go out and prepare and practice well. You have to have yourself mentally and physically ready as good as you possibly can. It's a great challenge. I don't think it's something I have to lay out in front of our players.
Q: How did the defense stand last week in practice and where you do stand this week?
A: Certainly, we feel we have made progress. We made a lot of mistakes in the Vanderbilt game that hurt us. We didn't tackle as well in that game. We got a lot of physical work done. I feel good about our physical preparation. After that, it's a matter of executing on both sides of the ball. In response to your question about the defense, we've challenged some people. We have some competition going on at some positions. I like where we are now, and looking forward to see what the week brings.
Q: What changes have you seen in Florida under Ron Zook?
A: I don't think there is any great deal of difference. They do an outstanding job. They are multiple on offense. They can throw the football as well as anybody in the country. They also run the ball well. They have good balance. Defensively, they're very multiple. John Thompson is a multiple scheme guy. They play hard and they compete hard. I know Ron Zook is a fierce competitor, and his team displays that competitiveness.
Q: What did you see in the Florida-Kentucky game?
A: Kentucky had to make big plays in the kicking game. They weren't as productive as they might like to have been offensively against Florida's defense. Then you realize that Florida is very physical on defense, and has a lot of athletes. They made it difficult for Kentucky. Kentucky only had 180 yards passing and about 250 yards of total offense. Florida is as solid as I thought they were on defense, and offensively, they can explode on anyone. They are capable of scoring a lot of points and a lot of points fast. We study every team they play, and we look at match-ups and schemes. What we have seen is that they are good across the board.
Q: What kind of roles do you see Doug Zeigler and Lanier Goethie having now that they are possibly out for the rest of the season?
A: Every time they are around, it is positive. They are positive-thinking people. They are the kind of young men you want to be a part of your program. When they are walking through the Starnes Center, they are patting teammates on the back and encouraging the rest of the squad. They are having a positive impact on our program. I see them doing everything they can in that way. There's not much more they can do physically, but emotionally, they are leaders. They are well-respected among their peers. Anytime they are around, it's good for us.
Q: Will they help work with the younger players?
A: Certainly, they will talk with the younger players. They will watch the practice tapes and offer advice. They'll be involved with the team. They're too much an integral part of who we are and what we do. I can promise you they'll both stayed involved.
Q: You coached Peyton (Manning) at Tennessee, but when you moved to Ole Miss, were you surprised by the magnitude of the Manning name in the state of Mississippi?
A: When we're driving 18 miles per hour on campus, that got my attention when the speed limit is in honor of Archie. I was somewhat aware from growing up and working in the Southeastern Conference, but it is truly a special relationship between Archie and the University and the Ole Miss family. I've learned how deep that relationship is for so many people, but it didn't take me by surprise.
Q: Does the magnitude of the Manning name weigh on Eli?
A: I don't think his personality allows it to weigh on him. He is very aware of it, probably more so now than when he came here. I don't think it affects him in any adverse way.
Q: What's the primary area on defense you are looking to improve?
A: It's two-fold. You have to whip blockers first. You have to get off blocks in both the running game and pass protection. We need to get people in the right places, and once they are there, make the tackle. Tackling was an issue for us in the last game. We have tackled well and played defense well early, but we have had some lapses. We have created competition at some positions, and we may see a new starter or two. We have to get off blocks and get ourselves in position to make plays. It's not necessarily schemes. It's a matter of execution and being able to make the play to be successful. We've worked hard on the physical part. We've done a lot of live work. We had to take some risks to do that. We were in a spring practice type mode this past week to get ourselves better.
Q: You worked with Ron Zook at Tennessee. Do you have an anecdote or memory that revealed how competitive a person Ron is?
A: We lived in the same neighborhood when we were at Tennessee, and occasionally we would be near each other in traffic. I think Ron competed when he was driving a car. I'm serious. He thought he was a part of NASCAR. I kind of laid back and got there when I got there, and Ron would be passing cars on North Shore Drive. He'll remember the road where you're not supposed to pass. He doesn't know what a double yellow line means. (Laughter)
Q: Any more thoughts about playing any true freshmen this year.
A: We will probably not play any more true freshmen this season. Bryan Brown is leaning toward a redshirt until we think he is 100 percent ready.
Q: Talk about the linebacker situation.
A: At linebacker, we've been in and out of healthy players all fall, not only during the season but also in the preseason. The linebacking rotation has changed due to who we've had available. The first thing we're doing this week is evaluating the linebackers and see who is healthy. Justin Wade, Rob Robertson and L.P. Spence have missed a lot of practice time. I would like to get our people healthy, get them lined up and go. Eddie needs to be a part of the rotation this week. I may also take a look at Ian Bass taking a few reps, and make an early decision on who we're going to line up this week. We need to find at least four people who are healthy and can give us some consistent practice time and consistent play.
Q: Talk about your competition in the secondary.
A: We've moved Travis Blanchard to get some work at corner. Travis Johnson is more and more in the mix there. It's a competitive situation that's been created. The two starters, Desmon Johnson and Chris Knight, have got competition, and I'm not ready to say who's going to start at this point in time. It was good work last week, and the competition was good for us. It was very positive. I expect them all to keep competing. Travis Johnson is a young player that continues to get better and better. I think you'll see more and more of him.
Q: Talk about Bryant Thomas coming back and being in that mix.
A: He's back, and it was great to see Bryant out there. He'd certainly be in the mix, but he is rusty. We're talking full-speed work for the first time last week, after being out for about five and a half months. We'll just have to see how quickly he comes. He's had a little problem with this knee, but not from the surgery.
Q: How daunting a task is it to face the Florida offense?
A: It's a challenge. People haven't been able to stop them running or throwing the football, because they execute extremely well. They're very talented. They have a good scheme. The combination of those things present a challenge, and we know that going in. We're going to have to beat blockers, like we do in any game, get pressure on the quarterback, cover them as close as we can and compete. That's what it's all laid on the field for. We've got an opportunity to compete. We just have to compete at the best level we know how.
Q: What are your impressions of Rex Grossman?
A: He's got tremendous accuracy. Just plain throwing the football, he throws a great ball. He puts the ball where he needs to put it. He's got really good mobility. He's a strong player in the pocket. He's strong when he's out of the pocket. He's a physical athlete. He's also a guy that will stay in the pocket until the last second and make a throw that makes you say 'geez'. He puts the ball where he needs to and sees the field real well.
Q: Were you satisfied with the practices during the off-week?
A: We've always had good practices. Our practice was good, and our practice intensity was good. Our players know how to practice. We had some good teamwork against each other, some good group work and some good individual full-speed contact that I thought was good for us. We're going to continue to build on that.
Q: What kind of season has Eli Manning had to this point?
A: Eli's had an outstanding season. We're never as good as we want to be. Eli has done everything we've asked him to do. He is a great competitor. He's fought through some pain and some injury. He got beat up a little bit early, but he fought right back from that. He's doing everything we would expect him to do. He's a tremendous football player, and we have great confidence in his skills and ability to play quarterback.
Q: Do you draw anything on playing Florida from your experience coaching at Tennessee?
A: I just realize the speed of Florida's team. I know going in, don't underestimate their speed. These kids can run. They'll make plays on defense you don't think people will make. They'll cover ground when you don't think people can cover that kind of ground. You know that in your planning going in. I guess that's drawing on past experience - not underestimating the kind of talent they have.
Q: How do you simulate that kind of speed in practice?
A: You never quite get the speed of the game from your scout team, but you ask them to be the very best they can be. We want them to play as fast and as hard as we can. The other way we simulate the speed of the game is to go good against good. We'll take our first offense and go against our first defense in pass coverage, in some team pass periods and even some team run periods. As best we can without beating ourselves up too much, we'll get some of the speed of the game from each other.
Q: Talk about Jesse Mitchell.
A: Jesse Mitchell has really turned out to be quite a leader. He's a great competitive youngster. He's one of the strongest people we have on the team. He's a physical football player. I thought he played with great intensity particularly in the second half against Vanderbilt, when things weren't going quite the way we wanted them to go. I thought Jesse really picked it up a level, and that's good to see. We need to see more of that. I was really pleased with that, and want him to continue on that path.
Junior Quarterback Eli Manning
Q: How do you feel physically?
A: I feel better. I banged up my knee in the Memphis game a little bit, but it's healed now. I'm not one to break from practice. It feels fine and normal.
Q: Talk about the Florida defense.
A: They're a good defensive team. John Thompson's guys do a lot of different stuff on defense - some three-down stuff and having guys in different positions. I've seen it before - last year against Arkansas and my freshman year vs. Memphis. We've got guys who have seen it, so we'll be able to manage it.
Q: Do you try to play up or play down the magnitude of this game?
A: This is a big game. Since I've been here, it's probably the best team I've faced so far. It's going to be a big game for us, and it's going to be a challenge for us. But we get to play them in Oxford, so hopefully we can get up for it and play smart football.
Q: What are the keys for Ole Miss in this game?
A: The same keys for every game: don't make mistakes; don't turn the ball over; just play smart football; get third-down conversions; put some points on the board; execute and do what you're supposed to do, just like for every game.
Q: Do you anticipate a high-scoring game?
A: You never know. Obviously if you look at the two offenses and the way we've been playing all season, you'd expect a high-scoring game, but once these contests get on the field, you never know what's going to happen. You just have to play the game and play smart, and if it turns into a 7-3 game, you've got to know what your job is and don't give them good field position if the defense is playing well.
Q: Does it help that Coach Cutcliffe faced Florida so many times while an assistant coach at Tennessee?
A: Florida has changed since Coach Cutcliffe was at Tennessee. He knows that they have good athletes and play good football, but they've got a new offense and a new defense. Obviously some things have changed since he left Tennessee.
Q: Is it a motivating factor that your brother Peyton never beat Florida?
A: It's really not. I don't think Peyton's career at Tennessee has anything to do with my career at Ole Miss. It's two different teams. Players are different. Coaches are different. Really I'm just trying to go out there and win this game for Ole Miss and for our season this year.
Q: What do you think about Rex Grossman?
A: I've gotten to see Grossman play quite a few times. He's an exciting player. He's probably one of my favorite players to watch in college football right now. Because he competes, they throw the ball a lot and he's had some great success at Florida. He's put up some good numbers. He's a fun player to watch.
Q: What similarities do you see between Grossman and yourself?
A: In our offenses, we both like to throw the ball. We try to set up the run by throwing the ball. Throwing wise, there is some different fundamentals. I think he competes hard and is a good player.
Q: How do you explain your fourth-quarter success?
A: I have no idea. I guess as the game goes, you just start getting a feel of the game. I guess I just loosen up more as the game goes along. In the fourth quarter, you have a feel for what the defense is doing. You feel comfortable back there making decisions and moving the ball down the field.
Q: How are you keeping your roommate Doug Zeigler's spirits up after his season-ending leg injury in the Vanderbilt game?
A: A lot of people have been coming by to visit him and check on him and see how he's doing. I've just been acting the same around him as I normally do, whether we're watching TV or whatever. I have to do some errands for him. When he wants something to drink, I'll go get it for him. I'm not letting him get used to that too much. I don't think he would want anything to change in our relationship or the way I act. I've been acting the same and joking around and trying to be the same person. I think it's helped him a lot. This weekend I stayed around here during our off-week, because I knew he'd be here. I didn't want to leave him alone here. We've been hanging out, and nothing's changed.
Q: Does it give you more incentive to play against a player you admire like Grossman?
A: Not really. It's going to be a fun game to play against Florida, just because they've had a tradition of success the past few years. I'm not really as worried about Rex as I am the Florida defense. That's where my concern is right now and putting points on the board. Obviously Florida's offense is known for putting up a lot of points. It's going to be my job to get the offense in rhythm early and get some points on the board. It's rare (to be able to play against someone you like to watch play), but a lot of guys in the SEC I enjoy watching. These are people I've got to meet a few times, and got to watch on film and TV. A lot of guys I like watching, but it's going to be fun playing against Florida and getting to see Rex play live football.
Q: Is it frustrating to constantly be compared to Peyton?
A: I've just accepted it. I've understood we're brothers, and people are automatically going to make comparisons between us. I just let it roll off, not worry about it and don't think about it too much. I just answer the questions and go on.
Q: What would you say is the biggest difference between the two of you?
A: I think our personalities are a little different. He's intense and I'm kind of laid back. When it comes to work on the field, I think we're really competitive and we work just as hard as the other. Off the field, how we deal with things is different. He shows a lot of emotion, while I don't show quite as much.
Q: Have you taken more of a leadership role with several of the team captains injured?
A: I think I'll stay the same. People are all going have to pick it up on the offensive and defensive sides, because we have some captains out. A lot of offensive guys are going to be looking for me to make good decisions and lead the team. I've accepted that since I've been a starter at Ole Miss. Some of these young guys are going to have to step it up and make plays. It's time to be vocal, practice hard and be leaders of this team.
