The University of Mississippi Athletics
Arkansas State at Ole Miss Postgame Quotes
10/11/2003 | Football
Oct. 11, 2003
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ARKANSAS STATE POSTGAME QUOTES
ARKANSAS STATE HEAD COACH STEVE ROBERTS
"I'm disappointed with the way we played. We have to do things the way that they are being taught. When we don't, it really doesn't matter who we are playing. We have no chance, if we only do these things in spurts. We have to execute all the time. There were things we did well that were negated by not playing well. That is disappointing. You have to give Ole Miss a lot of credit for playing the way the did after a big game against Florida."
"Field position hurt us in the first quarter, as did our inability to protect Elliot Jacobs. I thought in the second quarter, we played really well. We played hard and we moved the ball. We are not a good enough team to take the first quarter off."
"We have to step back, refocus and get some confidence. When we get some confidence, something negative seems to occur. We have to get out of that 'here we go again' mind-set and play more consistent. We can still end up where we want to be at the end of the season. We have five conference games left and there is not a team in the conference that is not in the same place we are. Hopefully, this is the point we look back on and say that it is where we realized that we were not where we wanted to be."
"Eli is for real. As soon as he was looking at receivers with his eyes, the ball was gone. He has a good quick release. He took advantage of his opportunities."
"Ole Miss has a definite speed and strength advantage. We just haven't gotten there as a program."
"We could not get it done on the line. Elliot Jacobs did a good job when we gave him time. He did a good job under pressure and well on the play action. When we had time to throw, we had receivers open and had some good catches. But the front four of Ole Miss did a good job and that kept us from being consistent. Ole Miss did well on both sides of the line."
ELLIOT JACOBS (Jr., QB)
On the ASU passing game
"They brought some stunts at us on defense, but I thought our line did a good job. There were a couple of times I wish I could have had a couple more seconds, but you can't expect that with good defensive players like Ole Miss has."
On the second quarter
"We were happy with the way things were going. We would have liked to have made that field goal. We have got to work more on getting the ball in the end zone. We needed to make the big plays. We came out flat in the second half. They weren't, and they jumped on us early and put us away."
On Eli Manning
"I've seen him play for three years and he's good. Everybody says he's overrated, but he's not. Even if his last name weren't Manning, he'd be a star for a Big 12 or Pac-10 team or somewhere. I don't know if he was born for it or what, but he's a hard worker. He takes his leadership role seriously and he's a spark for his team. He's a good one to watch and pattern your game after."
MIKE COX (Sr., WR)
On openings in the passing game
"The second quarter we found weaknesses in their secondary and started to exploit them. We just weren't able to convert. We moved the ball well against their secondary. Their defensive line was tough and physical and we weren't able to establish much with the run, so we started opening things up with the pass. We found a lot of lanes and holes in their zone."
On the Ole Miss defense
"They started out physical. We had hoped to establish the run, but we were able to throw the ball and move the chains and get first downs. We just weren't able to get the ball in the end zone."
On the second half
"They came out and hit us early. More and more we started putting our heads down and we didn't get things going."
(On the off-week)
"When you play a game and get beat like this, your confidence level starts to drop. People start to point fingers and blame each other. We have got to come together and gel like we did in two-a-days. We can get a lot done in these last five games if we come together. This off-week is crucial."
OLE MISS POSTGAME QUOTES
OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe
"I want to congratulate our team and staff on a job well done. There are two things that come to mind. One, we got better as the game went on, which is positive every time that occurs. We were able to play a lot of people, and that's always a positive.
"We need to assess a lot of things. We are going to look at this like we do anything else. We know we've got to get better because we are stepping back into conference play. We are going to have to be as good as we can possibly be starting next week.
On first shutout here since 1993
"I was excited at halftime. It crossed my mind that we had not given up a point. As the game progressed that is something the defense took pride in. We got to play a lot of people. We didn't keep the first team out there to try and preserve a shutout. We wanted all the players to participate and try to be a part of the game. It became important to the defense as the game wore on. It's hard to do in this day in time."
On the running game
"Our running game was better in the second half. I was concerned at halftime. Our staff did a good job of making adjustments to put our players in better positions to be successful. We got better running the ball as the game continued. We are getting ready to play against some really good defensive teams, so we are going to need to be able to run the ball down the stretch."
On the 17-0 start
"The first quarter was excellent. I think the second quarter we relaxed a little bit after getting off to such a good start. We didn't play as well in the second half. It's great to go out and get a stop on defense and get good field position on offense. It was a big play to open up with. Our execution was where it needed to be."
On execution in the red zone and finishing drives
"In the second half we did finish drives. It's difficult as the field narrows. Sometimes I think we are better off from the 20 than we are from the 10. We had better execution in the second half."
On Jamal Pittman and Jesse Mitchell's injuries
"It doesn't look good for Jamal on his knee. I am really concerned. He is going to get an MRI done on it tonight. It's not conclusive, but it doesn't look good. Jesse is also going to have an MRI tonight. He was hurt going in, but we thought we could get some play out of him. His has just mysteriously occurred. We are going to evaluate it, and we will know more in a few days."
On the rest of the season and what the team has learned from the last couple of years on winning games down the stretch.
"This is where you define yourself, down the stretch. We haven't been near as good as we would like down the stretch in previous years obviously. The players have been through that and the staff understand what it takes as well. It's about focus. Hopefully we stay healthy. There are a lot of things that have to fall into place. We are going to have play really good football."
Eli Manning (Sr., QB)
On the win
"It's always nice to have a win. We came out and got off to a good start with our defense getting the stop on the first series. On the first play, I hit Chris Collins on that pass and he took it all the way to the two. I thought he could have scored on that play, but that happens sometimes. We were able to run it in though on the next play, getting us off to a good start and we finished well."
On the play of the offensive line
"We ran the ball well and they protected well, not allowing a sack all day. They did a good job and the receivers did a good job of catching the ball."
On the reserves getting playing time
"It's always good for the guys who work with us everyday in practice, like Spurlock and the receivers and offensive linemen who don't get a lot of playing time, to get in the game and do a good job."
On the Alabama game
"It's going to be a good game. They've been playing some good football, so it's always going to be a tough battle in SEC play. We're going to have to come out ready to play, get off to a good start and make some plays when we have the opportunity."
Chris Collins (Sr., WR)
On their first offensive play of the game
"It was a nice pass by Eli. We called the play because we knew the type of defense Arkansas State ran. We knew the middle of the field was open and we were just kind of on the same page. Like he said, the first time I could have scored, but the second time I made my mind up that I was going to score."
On his touchdown catch
"It was kind of a pressure play because it wasn't really supposed to be like that. Eli had to get rid of the ball quickly and I just had to make a play. As a whole we did a great job of catching the ball and Eli did a great job of throwing the ball. We just have to put this one in the past, go out and get ready for Alabama."
On setting records
"One of my goals is to try to rewrite the record books at receiver (at Ole Miss), breaking all the records I can. With the help of my teammates I'm doing a good job so far. Hopefully I'll continue to remain healthy throughout the season and maybe I'll be able to break all of them."
Tremaine Turner (Sr., RB)
On the running game
"We did our part and I know that because we made plays when we had to. We came out after a good performance last week and did our part again."
On his touchdown run
"The line did a good job on that play opening up a hole and I made a move on their guy and the rest was up to God."
On the Alabama game
"We're just going to go to practice and work hard like we always do. If everything goes well, it'll pay off. This is a big game we've been looking forward to for so long, so we'll be ready."
McKinley Boykin (So., DL)
On six quarters of shutting out opponent
"Coach Driesbach challenged us Monday to be better than the other team, because their defensive tackles (Corey Williams and Jon Bradley) are pretty good. Coach just challenged us to be better than them and control the game. When Jesse Mitchell went out, I had to fill his shoes today."
On today's game
"Their (ASU) offensive line is pretty good, but they were lacking in height. I had to take advantage of that."
On stopping Alabama's running attack
"We have to work on that in practice. We want to go out there and beat them to get them back for last year."
L.P. Spence (Sr., LB)
On six quarters of shutting out the opponent
"We are trying to get to the ball faster than each other every time on every play. Every snap is a challenge to see who is the fastest."
One single standout play in the game
"Every play is a big play for us. We are trying to go three and out every time we are on the field. We did pretty good, but we still have some things to correct."
Arkansas State's difficulties on special teams
"We have a lot of speed on our special teams unit, and we were able to use that to our advantage."
Eric Oliver (Jr., DB)
Did Florida affect your energy this week?
"Yes, but we have to come out and play with great energy no matter if it is after a big win or a bad loss. The win last week did build up our confidence and we came out and played a great game. We pitched a shutout, and it's the first one at home since I've been here. We played with great enthusiasm."
How long do you think the defense can keep the scoreless streak going?
We can keep it going as long as we keep playing good football. There is no limit to what we can do."
Stopping the big pass plays
"There is not a magic formula. We just came out and played. We executed, and that is one thing we've been struggling with so far this season. We have to take it one game at a time and not overlook anybody."