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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Weekly Press Conference Transcript
11/3/2003 | Football
Nov. 3, 2003
Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Comments
We continue to do some good things. I'm really pleased with our effort and emotion. We started the game pretty well. We certainly didn't finish it like you would like to finish a game for numerous reasons. Our focus continues to be on getting better. We've got to continue to do that in all phases. We are facing our biggest challenge by far this week, and to this point. Auburn is an outstanding team, and I don't see a weakness. They have a lot of athletes. They play hard, intense and very physical. We'll be challenged this week.
Q: What's your injury situation coming into this game?
A: It's been better than maybe it has in the past, particularly with some of the big injuries. We didn't suffer the blow. We got a lot of people banged up. We'll evaluate some of those on a day-to-day basis. We are still in a day-to-day mode with Vashon Pearson, with him being probably the most prominent. It's the seventh game in a row for some of these guys and we have a lot of bruises. We've got to heal up and do a good job in the training room. I don't think there's anyone who is going to miss, but we're going to need to be the best we can be.
Q: What's been the biggest difference in your team for this stretch?
A: I think the thing that's been there is consistency in a lot of areas. That's what you don't know early in the season is how consistent are we going to be. We've been pretty consistent. We've had some flashes of doing some things we don't like to do in each one of these games. But, for the most part, our effort has been outstanding, and our execution has been better and consistent. It gives us a chance, and we have learned so much more about our team. We have a gained a lot of confidence and know what we are capable of doing when we play our best. I don't think we've played our best football game yet. We've got to put together four quarters.
Q: Can you talk about Kerry Johnson a little bit?
A: Kerry Johnson has come into his own as a wide receiver. It was his first year at wide receiver last year, and it takes a little while to get completely comfortable. He's a really good athlete, a highly conditioned athlete. I'm really proud of the fact he can catch a touchdown pass, turn right around and cover the kickoff, and likely make the play covering the kickoff. He's a very unselfish and quality football player.
Q: Can you talk a little about Auburn's running game?
A: It starts up front, and Auburn is big and does an outstanding job up front. They know what they are doing, they're physical and play hard, and they compliment each other well. Their backs are quick. They're tremendous. I don't know if I have ever seen a team with that many quality backs before. It starts with Williams. I think he's exceptional, but I think they are all exceptional. I don't know how to defend him except to play the best football you can play. They have a lot of other ways to beat you, too. They are not one-dimensional. They can throw and catch the football well, too. They have playmakers at all positions.
Q: Can you talk about Auburn's linebacking corps?
A: They're real big and they're real fast. That's a good beginning. They're good football players. They finish plays well, tackle well, and cover well. There's not a phase of the game they don't do well. Thomas and Dansby are the best tandem linebackers I have seen in the country.
Q: Could you talk about the strides Eli has made and how the improved running game has helped him?
A: Well, Eli Manning has had an outstanding season. He had an outstanding inaugural season, and an outstanding season a year ago. He's just taken it to another level. I think he's just been tremendously consistent whether it's throwing the ball, making decisions, or taking care of the ball. The running game has taken some of the pressure off of what was a one-dimensional offense. He's a part of the running game, too. He's managed the line of scrimmage extremely well. I can't imagine anyone playing better at that position than he is playing now.
Q: Can you talk about Eli's decision to stay and what message does that send to other athletes in that situation?
A: Every situation is different for every individual player. I don't think you can ever completely go wrong by deciding to stay in school and stay with your classmates. Eli is having fun. He had fun last spring in practice after making that decision. He put everything he had into this team. These are guys he's been going to school with for three or four years and developed relationships with. You'll never have this type of team relationship again. Professionally it's just a little different. I think it's a great statement for college football and says a lot about the type of person Eli Manning is.
Q: Can you talk about what changed on the offensive line to prompt the change in the running game?
A: Experience. We have a lot of the same people back, so more veteran players. They are stronger physically. They had great off-season and committed themselves to having a great off-season. We've played much better as a unit. The continuity has been outstanding. We've been able to play six or seven people regularly. All of them have played pretty well consistently.
Q: Can you talk about Brandon Jacobs?
A: He's able to play fullback or tailback. He's a big guy, weighing between 235 and 240. He's got good skills at tailback and is big enough to play fullback. He's a threat catching the ball out of the backfield. He's a good runner and a good blocker. He's stayed healthy for the first time since he's been here, and that's given him a chance to be consistent. His added contributions have been based on being at practice and giving us good work. He's going to be important down the stretch.
Q: How do you feel like your team feels and how do you handle the added pressure of being in the lead, and in the SEC West race at this point of the season?
A: It's certainly more fun. I don't know if it's added pressure to be in the race. That's the most important thing, to be in the race. It's all right there in front of us. It's what you dream of as a player, the chance to compete for championships in November. As for handling the added pressure, it's hopefully the way you handle getting there. You prepare the best you can prepare each day. You stay focused on your job and getting your job done. You just enjoy the whole thing along the way. It should increase focus along the way, and not be a distraction.
Q: Can you evaluate Auburn as a team?
A: I don't think there's any question Auburn is the most talented team we've seen. I said they don't have a weakness, and I don't see one. They have great athletes at most every position and they play that way. They started the year with people talking about national championships, and I think they are that type of football team.
Q: Can you talk about being 5-0 in the SEC at this point of the season?
A: Since we've been here, what I can speak of with that situation, we've not been in this position in November from a conference standpoint. That's exciting. Each one of these games, if you win, every game gets bigger. That's what you play for. That's what you come play in the SEC for. It's what you want to be a part of this kind of scene for. Hopefully we will handle that well.
Q: How has the running game helped Eli get better?
A: I don't think anyone wants to play quarterback in this league when you can't run the ball. Just look at any game, when you lose the ability to run the ball, with the ability of the defensive players in this league, it's difficult to become one-dimensional. It puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback physically, and mentally it just wears on you. I think at this stage of the year he's been better at every aspect and a big part of it is we have not been one-dimensional.
Q: When you were struggling through the first four games of the season, did you see anything that led you to believe this type of stretch run might be coming?
A: I thought I saw something this spring that told us we could compete in our league. We had senior leadership, quality players, and a little more depth than what we have had. I felt like this team had a chance. When we started off not playing as well early, I knew there had to be reasons. It wasn't just because we weren't good enough. We focused on finding those areas and improving on them. I have liked this group of players and seniors all along. I don't know that I saw them being 5-0, but I don't think that way. I thought this team could play as well as it possibly could play.
Q: Can you look at this game, with everyone else having one loss, as playing with house money?
A: No. It all comes down to head-to-head football in the SEC Western Division. Yes, we've positioned ourselves well, but we're just in the race like everybody else. It all comes down to how well you play on Saturday, and that's the way it should be.
Q: Can you talk about Auburn and how they have played since their first two losses to open the season?
A: I haven't studied Auburn's early season as much. I've seen the USC and Georgia Tech games, but like us, they didn't have a long period of time to get a team ready. We went through a different set of circumstances in the preseason than we have been through before. Sometimes you don't know exactly where you are coming out of the gates. I do know this about Auburn; they've gotten better every week. You can see that in where they are right now. They are an outstanding football team.
Q: Can you talk about how much your team has gotten better since beating Florida?
A: I think we have improved a great deal since the Florida game. We played well at Florida and did some good things on both sides of the ball. We've gotten better every week. We just haven't played our best game yet. We haven't put four-quarters together like I think we can.
Q: Can you talk about LSU and their defensive line and how they were able to shut down Auburn's running backs?
A: LSU is exceptional defensively. They are one of the better teams in the country. They are big, physical and make plays at the line of scrimmage. When you control the line of scrimmage you are going to be successful. We have a long way to go to be talking about that. Auburn is good enough to run the football on anybody on any given day. It's a big time challenge, not just playing the blocks, but tackling those backs.
Q: Did you see anything LSU did scheme-wise to shut down the run?
A: It wasn't scheme; it was just a matter of players in my opinion.
Q: Is it too late in the season to consider personnel changes at positions?
A: I think for the most part it's too late to have any kind of major change. I don't foresee that at all. I don't know that we have the answer that way on our team. If we did, we'd have made the move earlier. We've had some good moments back there. We have to focus on the things we've done well and correct some of the little things that have happened. We've gone back to the mode of not making plays. We were close, but we weren't making the play. For a while there we were making every one of them. I believe we can do that. I am confident we will and we'll look at everything we can and study everything we can to help the players, and help the players help themselves.
Senior quarterback Eli Manning
Q: Since ending the homestretch 4-0, talk about the areas of improvement that you and the team have made?
A: I think offensively we are playing smart football. We are not generating a lot of turnovers. We are getting great production on first and second downs and not getting into a lot of third and long situations. We are also playing better defense. They played well (against South Carolina) until the fourth quarter. I think we (as whole team) relaxed a little. We were able to get the first down at the end and win the game, but we got too relaxed. You can't do that in the SEC.
Q: Could you talk about the early season games where you struggled, and were you worried about the decision to come back?
A: No, I never doubted my decision to come back. I knew when I made it; it was the right thing to do. I knew that whatever happened this season, that was the decision I made. It was the right one. I needed to come back to improve my skills and try to win the SEC West. I think I'm playing better football, smarter football than I have before. We are in good shape right now to contend for the SEC West. We just have to go out there and keep winning games.
Q: Name a couple of things that have benefited you by staying in school and what has helped you progress this year that the NFL could not?
A: I think just playing in more games. Last year, I had only played in 24 games. That is not a whole lot of games in college. I needed more experience and more time to learn more about defenses and get more comfortable with the offense. You can do more things as a senior. Your coaches have more trust in you because you are an experienced player. I think the thing that has helped us this year is the running game. That puts our team in better situations where we are not stuck in third and long situations. When we do get third downs, we are getting a lot of third and three's, third and four, where you can do a lot of things to convert those. I'm just taking what the defense is giving me and making plays.
Q: You were able to meet Karlos Dansby (Auburn LB) at an All-America function in Arizona. Talk about meeting him.
A: Karlos and I were in Arizona together. We hung out a little. He is a good player, and we have played against each other a couple of times. He is a real good guy, and it was fun to meet him. But I'm sure this Saturday he is not going to chitchat much during the game. He is going to be coming after me pretty hard during the game. But he is a good guy."
Q: Has this season seemed to go by faster than the others?
A: It really has. This whole season has just flown by. Think about it, we only have three games left in this month. And that is the season. But it has been fun. I guess that is the good thing. You would rather have a season fly by than have a slow season that is just dragging on. We are winning games, and it is fun right now. But in our minds, we have a long season left. We have three games right now that are all huge games, and it starts this week with Auburn. The three games we have coming up are the biggest games that I have ever played in, and probably anyone on our team has ever played in.
Q: How does this season compare to your sophomore season?
A: I'm more comfortable now out there with everything that I have seen. Even this past weekend against South Carolina, they changed defensively. They added some new fronts and changed some things. But I wasn't in shock. I had seen it before. I was comfortable. I knew our offensive line had seen it before. So I wasn't worried. You still know what they are doing and what they can do out of that defense. You make your adjustment right there and it is not a shock, whereas in my sophomore year when teams would show up in a new defense I would freeze and not know what to do. I didn't know what plays we liked and what ones we didn't. But now I'm so comfortable in the offense and have seen defenses before that I know what plays will work and what plays won't.
Q: Do you guys feel any pressure this weekend with this being a nationally televised game?
A: I think any game you have to play in the SEC, our team is going to be fired up. I don't think you play any differently or work any harder just because it's a TV game. You have to go out there and play smart football. You can't think that just because this game is on TV that I have to go out and make a big play. You can't play any differently. You have to play smart football and not make mistakes. When a play comes your way, and the opportunity comes to make a play you have to try and take advantage of it.
Q: Does the team have a sense of pressure knowing that you are facing former Ole Miss coach Tommy Tuberville?
A: I don't think there is a big deal with Tuberville. The players that are here now were not here when Coach Tuberville was here. When I was getting recruited he was still at Ole Miss. Then he left and coach Cutcliffe came in. So no one really knows that era, it has passed by. Since I have been here we have beat them once and they have beaten us the past three years. We know it is a big game and we need to beat them because we have not done that in a while.
Q: Talk about Kerry Johnson.
A: Kerry has become a big player for us. He is making a lot of plays. Obviously he makes a lot of plays on special teams. But offensively at receiver, he is making some big plays for us. He is in the slot a lot, making moves, and getting some great catches and making people miss. It's hard to cover him. He is a big, physical guy who can run for his size. Teams will have to look at how you are going to stop him. You can't just look at Chris Collins or some of the other receivers.
Q: Eli, you said that there were some other factors involved in your decision to come back, like your teammates. Talk about the decision.
A: A lot of guys that I came in with my freshman year are still here with us. There are 11 of us that are still here that I wanted to finish with. Also, there are some guys that I helped recruit that are here. Guys like Taye Biddle and Mike Espy. These receivers, I think in a way, came to Ole Miss because they wanted an opportunity to play with me. So I felt obligated to hold up my part of the bargain and finish my career with them and give them a final season.
