Ole Miss at Auburn Postgame Quotes

Nov. 8, 2003

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OLE MISS POSTGAME QUOTES
Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe

"I just want to say that was a great football game. It was a gutsy effort by our kids and by our staff and certainly on Auburn's part. This was a great Southeastern Conference football game. We saw 15-20 plays that if we hadn't made them, we wouldn't have had a chance to win that football game."

On Eli's performance on the last drive
"The whole game he played smart under tough circumstances and a lot of pressure. He took care of the football and he took advantage of opportunities when opportunities presented themselves. He made the plays and that is what he does so well. I can't say enough about how good he played tonight."

On the offensive line's injuries
"We knew we had some tough matchups coming in. I can't say enough good things about Auburn's defense. They've got a good scheme and really good players. We had to change some of our protective schemes which made it a little more difficult. We tried to play a little more closely to be honest with you."

OLE MISS PLAYERS

Quarterback Eli Manning
"It is a tough place to come into and play at Auburn. They played physical and smart and the game came down to the last play and our defense just stopped them. I am happy the defense made the stop. I was on the sidelines talking to the wide receivers and offensive line to get a two-minute offense together, but in the end, we didn't need it."

"We are in control of our own destiny. We have two tough games ahead of us and the off week is a plus. This is the reason I came back for my senior year to lead this team to Atlanta."

Running Back Brandon Jacobs
"It was in my mind from the get-go that I was going to get the ball and score the touchdown. When my number was called, I knew I was going to score and I did."

"This team is about different players stepping up and making plays each night. Our goal from the start is to win the West and we are in control of that now."

Wide Receiver Mario Hill
On the touchdown catch
"It was a route called a middle clear. I was to run a post and Chris' (Collins) job was to take the defenders away and they bit. I was open and caught the pass."

"It feels great to be 6-0. Not many people believe in us, but we believe in ourselves and that is all it takes. We beat a very good Auburn team on the road."

Wide Receiver Chris Collins
On the team being 6-0
"It is a wonderful feeling. We knew going into this game that it was going to be tough, however, we kept our focus and came out with a big road win."

"Auburn has a great defense and they schemed us very well. They were always jumping on our routes and it seemed they did a great job of film studying."

Defensive Lineman Jessie Mitchell
"I look at it like the Lord shined down upon us tonight. We went out and played hard. At the end of the game, the break just went our way.

On LSU
"They are going to be tough. I think they are playing the best football in the conference. We just have to go out against them and play hard like we did tonight and see what happens."

Defensive End Charlie Anderson
On the last play
"I was just hoping the guys would play their game. On the play, I was trying to get to the quarterback. I am not even sure what happened the rest of the play, but we just made the play and won the game."

AUBURN POSTGAME QUOTES
Auburn Head Coach Tommy Tuberville
"We had opportunities. They whipped us pretty good up front on the defensive line and offensive line for the first three quarters. They gave us a chance in the fourth quarter, but we didn't take advantage. The difference in the game was third-down conversions. It was a good football game, we just have to come back and re-group."

On wide receiver Ben Obomanu's dropped TD pass
"He made a heck of a run to get us down there. He gave us a chance. It was kind of a broken pattern on the next to last one. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been down there. Somebody else needs to step up and make a play."

On the final two plays from the 3-yard line
"We decided to sprint out and from the 3-yard line you should be able to find somebody open. Jason did a good job."

"I felt if we kept them to 24 points, we would win the game. There first two touchdowns were third down conversions. The difference in the game was third down conversions. They did a better job converting on third-down conversions."

On Auburn's missed field goal
"You have to make those. We could have kicked one at the end instead of having to go for it. It would have been an extra point to win the game. We have struggled all year long in the kicking game. We have two field goal kickers and need someone to step up."

Are you disappointed on not being able to win the SEC Championship?
"It's disappointing. This group fought hard and worked hard. We ran out of gas. When you play a schedule like ours, you are going to lose some games. In the third quarter we kind of lost it but picked it back up. We played hard."

AUBURN PLAYERS Quarterback Jason Campbell
On his 68-yard TD pass to Ben Obomanu
"The play was called an x-corner. They brought a lot of pressure to my face. I saw Ben and just threw him the ball. Luckily, we got a good tip and he followed through with the touchdown."

On Auburn's final drive
"This no doubt gives me more confidence. We practice on this situation every day. Tonight, we showed why we practice on it. You never know when the opportunity is going to come. We just have to correct one thing for the next time the opportunity comes."

Offensive Tackle Mark Pera
"We know that Jason (Campbell) can get the job done. He showed tremendous leadership tonight and gave us a chance to win the ball game. If we play like that the entire game, we win.

"The fact that we didn't play all four quarter really stings. We know that we have to play for four quarters to win the next two. We have to play better on offense. The defense gave us a chance to win and they deserved to win. We have a lot of work to do starting tomorrow."

Tailback Carnell Williams
"Jason showed great leadership at quarterback. One thing about Auburn football is we are always going to fight until the end. Unfortunately, things didn't go our way tonight. We have two big games left.

"The seniors deserve to win these next two, and we want to win them for them. Unfortunately, we are knocked out of Atlanta. We should be able to win our next two and go to a pretty good bowl."

Wide Receiver Jeris McIntyre
"Our confidence in Jason (Campbell) rose tremendously tonight. I think his leadership rose, too. He was very vocal in the huddle and did everything he could to give us a chance to win. He got us downfield and gave us the opportunity. We just have to execute next time. We have to execute for four quarters these next two games. We can't slack off at all or we are not going to win."

Safety Junior Rosegreen
"We put some pressure on Eli (Manning), and we had some chances. He is a good quarterback. He came through for them. We just didn't capitalize on the mistakes that they made. We are going to be ready to play. We are going to come out jacked up and ready to go just like we did today when we play Georgia next week. This is still a great football team."

Defensive End Reggie Torbor
"It really hurts. We had a chance. We just didn't play well enough at the end. A lot of people talked all week about our secondary, but they forgot about the other seven guys on defense. We play as a family and lift each other up. That is how we are able to get pressure on Eli (Manning). He is a great player and is definitely going to play at the next level and showed people why tonight. We tried to get him out of his rhythm, and we were able to do that some, but he made plays when he had to. Tonight will be hard. We will come back tomorrow and face the music, put this behind us and be ready to play next week."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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