Grove Bowl Postgame Quotes And Stat Leaders

March 29, 2003

OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE
(On the game)
"The first thing anyone sees in a game like this is no one was injured. Doug Buckles turned his ankle, but it's not anything serious. As far as the Red Team is concerned, I told them we would see some positives when we looked on the tape. The score was a little lopsided, but several players on that team positioned themselves to be on the two-deep in the fall."

(On the competition for playing time from the Red team members)
"We'll see some good things when we look at the tape. A number of people catch your eye when you are looking at the tape. There may be some people from the Red team who wind up starters in the fall."

(On Flatt and Spurlock)
"They did some good things. Their mechanics were very good. Spurlock had a chance to respond when he was put on the Blue team, and he did that. He did some good things for them."

(On Eli Manning and the first team being ahead of the Red Team)
"Eli got hot, and when he and the receivers get on a roll, they make some big plays. Eli has more focus now than he ever has. He's more focused on taking things to higher levels and he's made some good decisions."

QUARTERBACK ELI MANNING
(On the game)
"It felt good to get out there. That was the last scrimmage we are going to have this spring, and I didn't get a lot of repetitions in the other ones so I was excited to play. It was good for me to get some reps in a real game situation."

(On his effectiveness)
"I felt pretty effective, but I got my team off to a slow start. After we got ready, we played well and put up some points."

(On the importance of having good backups)
"We put some pressure on Micheal Spurlock and Ethan Flatt to get them some experience in a real game. We were trying to see what is next in line, and after I leave, what's in store for Ole Miss. I thought they handled it real well. We're not worried about that."

RUNNING BACK TREMAINE TURNER
(On the game)
"I think it went well. We were ready to play and come out and put on a show for the crowd. We love playing for them. Everyone was having fun and we're just glad we can now start our summer preparations and get ready for two-a-days. That's where it all starts."

(On what he's looking to improve on for the fall)
"I want to get more mentally focused in the game and be able to read a defense better. I just want to do whatever I can do to help my team win games."

(On the offense's goals)
"Our offense is going to be good. We are going to be better at running the ball. With Eli Manning, the passing game is always going to be good. We just want to put it all together. When we do that, our offense will be phenomenal."

WIDE RECEIVER TAYE BIDDLE
(On the game)
"Both sides played well. We had a lot that we accomplished. I think the team got better today."

(On what he's looking to improve for the fall)
"I'm looking to improve my strength and get more speed. I want to work on my routes so I can run them better. Hopefully that will pay off and I can come out and have a good season."

(On the offense's goals)
"We should be pretty good. We'll be as good as last year if not better. We're all a year older and have a year of experience under our belts, so that should pay off."

(On the receiving crops being a year older)
"The year will help us. We're still young in some ways, but most of us were here last year. We know what's expected of us and we have to just come out and do it."

CORNERBACK TRAVIS BLANCHARD
(On the defense)
"We knew we had a slight advantage since we were going against the second team offense. We still had to go out and work on our fundamentals and get our positioning right. We had fun and played well."

(On his interception and fumble)
"I saw the quarterback's eyes. I knew where he was throwing it and I just went for it and came up with the ball. On the fumble recovery I saw the ball drop loose. One defender tried to get the ball and it popped loose. I just picked it up and took off for the endzone."

(On next season)
"We're very excited about next season because we didn't lose many starters. We have a lot of people coming back and have a lot of seniors who want to lead this team to a championship. Having Coach Driesbach return is big because we know his system and are very excited about him working with us in the secondary."

LINEBACKER JAMIL NORTHCUTT
(On the Chucky Mullins award)
"It's a great honor and a great privilege. Coach Petri and Coach Driesbach were here when it happened and they imparted the importance of it on me. Chucky had the spirit of Jesus in him, and even when he got hurt he had great faith. I'm a Christian and hope I can play with the same spirit and play for the Lord."

(On the importance of faith to the team)
"It affects the team incredibly. When we had that skid last season, faith in Him brought us through. It's all we can depend on when your back is against the wall."

(On the game)
"I think the defense overall played exceptionally well. We're going to have a good defense next year. We're deep at linebacker and we're deep at defensive line. We have a veteran team and everyone is growing up. I'm excited about this season to see what we can do. We have a lot of leadership here. Some are vocal and some play hard to lead by example. I'm excited about this team."

(On Coach Knowles)
"He's a great coach. He has a lot of techniques that he's teaching us and has a great knowledge of the game. He's shown us a lot. We've had to learn some new things, but they work. We just have to get in the habit of doing what he's teaching us. He has an Ivy League degree and wants things done right. I like that about him."

LINEBACKER ROB ROBERTSON
(On being most improved player in the spring)
"It feels good to know you have been doing something right, but it makes you wonder what you came from. It definitely feels good to know the coaches were watching you and noticed you playing hard."

(On the game)
"We've been beating up on each other all spring, but I think we did well. The intensity was good and the attitudes were good. We've had good leadership this spring. We're ready, there's no doubt about that. I am ready for the fall with high hopes and expectations."

GROVE BOWL STAT LEADERS

Rushing
Blue
Pearson -- 15-83; Turner -- 13-43

Red
Bowers -- 3-6; Pilcher 9-4

Passing
Blue
Manning -- 14-20 for 233 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; Spurlock -- 4-5 for 122 yards, 2 TD

Red
Flatt -- 9-15 for 120 yards, 2 INT; Spurlock -- 3-7 for 21 yards

Receiving
Blue
Hill -- 4-62; Collins -- 3-97, 2 TD

Red
Myers -- 5-43; Lilly -- 2-37

Tackles
Blue
Anderson -- 6 (5-1), 3 QB sacks; Johnson, T. -- 5 (4-1), 1 TFL

Red
Bournes -- 7 (3-4); Ayodele -- 6 (4-2); J. McClendon -- 5 (5-0)

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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