Postgame Quotes

Aug. 30, 2003

OLE MISS POSTGAME QUOTES

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe
I'd like to commend our players for not giving up when things weren't going well and finding a way to win. I'd also like to commend Vanderbilt and their staff, who did a great job on both sides of the ball. They are a good football team.

First games always reveal a lot of things and now we see what we need to improve on. We will evaluate our injuries and get back to the field.

We didn't execute our offense as well as I would have liked to. Our rhythm wasn't good and we were not very crisp on defense. We just didn't tackle well. These are all things that we need to work on.

This first game is huge because it counts twice, in SEC standings and overall. So, you can't take that for granted. Road wins in the SEC don't come very easily, but this team found a way to win.

On Eli Manning:
He played well when it wasn't easy. Vanderbilt had a great scheme, but Eli responded and made great decisions.

On place kicker Jonathan Nichols:
He was just outstanding. I really didn't know whether to go for it or kick it. But (holder) Cody (Ridgeway) came up and gave him (Nichols) a vote of confidence, so we gave him a shot and he made it.

On Benji Walker touchdown pass:
We really thought they were going to run, but our corner bit and it was great call on their part. Walker's a good football player.

On Vanderbilt's team:
After watching their season last year, you could tell they just got better. A lot of credit goes to them. They do a great job with the option and play-action game. It's very hard to defend. They have a nice package. Bobby Johnson is a proven winner and he's done a great job with his recruits and coaching staff.

QB Eli Manning
We stayed strong, we kept our poise, we never got down. We just knew it was going to come down to the end and we were going to have to get into field goal position. I didn't think we were close enough. We had a couple of drops and a couple of miscommunications. But Jonathan Nichols hit a 54-yarder to win it. That was incredible.

On running:
I don't try to do it, but when there is a hole I'll try to take it.

On SEC
A win is a win in the SEC. None of them are going to come easy. It always seems to come down to the fourth quarter. We played hard and had some mistakes, but it was a win and we'll improve from here.

DE Charlie Anderson
We came out kind of rusty. The first game is always kind of tough. The first game to the second game will be a big jump in performance. We're going to come back and correct our mistakes. A lot of our problems were mental.

On Vanderbilt offense:
They pretty much stuck to the run, which we expected. They came out and executed and made plays and that's what we had to make our adjustments on.

VANDERBILT POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH BOBBY JOHNSON
Opening statement...
"Our guys played extremely hard today, and they played well most of the time. Obviously, we didn't do everything we needed to win the game, but we saw a lot of good stuff. A lot of people played well. Jay (Cutler) played well even though he tired by the end of the game. Our defense played well. Our kicking game may have hurt us a little. Overall, we were close, but people will ask what we need to do to win these (close games). We have to get fresh people to put out there, more football players. We played less people today (than Ole Miss) and we were tired."

On Erik Davis
"We thought coming into this year that we were better as a group in the receiving corps. Erik is one of the best. He came through today."

On Chris Young
"He made some good catches and some real nice runs after the catch. That's what we expect from our inside receiver - to make short catches and then make something happen. He had some key first down receptions in the first half."

On the VU kicking game
"Competition is always open for that position. The worse part is that we didn't do today what we've been practicing. Today we were starting to guide the kicks and in practice we've been killing them. There's a big different between the atmosphere of practice and a game. But (Tolga Ertugrul) is a good kicker."

On comparing Jay Cutler to Eli Manning
"I don't think I have to apologize for Jay. I like my quarterback. I wouldn't trade him."

On the difference between winning and losing the game
"Maybe it was experience, but today I thought depth was more of a factor. Our guys were tired in the fourth quarter. Unless you've been out there, you don't know how it is. We asked a lot of our players and they played hard. I was satisfied with the effort they gave."

On what he told his players after the game
"I said I was proud of their effort and I told them we'd find out why we lost the game. We would examine ourselves closely and be very critical. We're not going to leave the season on the field with today's loss."

RB KWANE DOSTER
"We just need to player harder toward the end of the game. Our team motto is 'focus until you finish.' We especially need to do this in the red zone."

"It hurts when you lose. I wanted this win because it would've been an SEC win. But we let it slip away."

On the play of Jay Cutler
"Jay took some shots today. He's a good player and made good throws today. He also made some great reads."

DE CHRIS BOOKER
"Our depth has always been an issue. The coaches have been getting everyone ready during practice."

"At halftime we were excited. We held them to only two field goals in the first half. We just wanted to go out and do the same things in the second half."

JAY CUTLER
"Erik (Davis) and Brandon (Smith) have been there for me all spring and summer. They want to make good plays. These guys are going to be good this year."

On VU's last drive of the game
"With a 1:15 left and no timeouts there wasn't much of a chance (of scoring). They blitzed on first down and we missed it. That put us behind."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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