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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Weekly Press Conference
9/15/2003 | Football
Sept. 15, 2003
Press Conference Transcript in PDF Format
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Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Comments:
After looking at the tape, things were better than they have been. The third quarter and second half was the most pleasing. We got better as the game went on, which was good to see. We've still got a lot of things to work on. It's early in the season, and I'm sure everyone feels the same way we do as a team. You have to keep taking them one at a time and play as well as you can that week. This is something to build on. We're going to take the open date and work on Ole Miss. We'll get some work on Texas Tech. We want to try to get a lot of people back full speed. We've got a lot of people nicked up. It's going to be important to get a lot of people back and full speed for next week.
Q: What does the film show you that you might not have seen at the time about some of your backups?
A: We played physical at the line of scrimmage. It was good to see our number two linemen on offense be as physical as they were. That's always something to build on, just having the opportunity to play. Jamal Pittman, it was evident that he ran hard. They were a bit worn down, but you can't take away the fact that he broke tackles and he moved. It's always positive when you get a young number two quarterback in the game and he played pretty well. That's extremely important down the stretch, and I am happy for Micheal Spurlock.
Defensively, Charles Clark continues to do really good things. Patrick Willis did some good things. There were some positives on both sides of the ball in every aspect. Those young players played well.
Q: On Micheal Spurlock and two-quarterback systems.
A: There's no given we're going to play two quarterbacks. We have a great player who is a starter and a fifth-year senior. In tight ball games, he's more than likely going to be doing the playing. Micheal provides a lot of dimensions that Eli doesn't. He can run with the football and has explosive speed. He can throw the football and run our offense, he just needed some snaps. That was extremely important for that game. I hope it does lend itself to him playing some more. It will help us this year and in the future.
Q: Talk about your opponents' success on third-down conversions.
A: It's a concern. It's a combination of when we pressure, we aren't getting there in time, and they're able to hold the ball too long. When we aren't pressuring and have a normal rush, we haven't gotten to the quarterback well or haven't covered as well as we should. As to why that happens, you look to scheme and what you're calling. You look at personnel and try to make sure you feel like you are doing the things you need to be. That's frustrating to hold teams to third-and-nine and then giving up the conversion. It's something we'll spend a great deal of time working on this week.
Q: How is Eric Rice coming along, when do you expect him to play and what do you miss from him?
A: Eric will hopefully be ready for the next game. He had a severely hurt ankle. When we don't have him in there, we miss his experience and athleticism. He has great hands and great ability to run with the ball after it's caught. He has the speed to stretch the field at tight end. He has a lot of things he excels in so it'd be nice to have him back. Jimmy Brooks and Lawrence Lilly are doing a good job in his absence. They're gaining experience and that's a good thing. Hopefully it will strengthen that position that much more when Eric returns. We hope that's next week.
Q: How did Travis Johnson do in his first game?
A: He had some big plays. He was a little rusty from an assignment standpoint of being in the right place and doing the right things. He's got to be better. I was concerned he went out with cramps as early as he did. He's got to get back used to playing a complete game. We have a lot of little things to work on. All in all, we're glad to have him out there. He did some real positive things with the interception return for a touchdown and had another one go through his hands.
Q: Talk a little about the turf.
A: I've not heard anything but good things about our playing surface. We had rain that day and it didn't affect the turf at all. That's a great thing. We practiced a lot on it. Our players like the surface. They don't slip in reaction. It's about as normal as grass as you can possibly get. It's a consistent surface. You know what to expect. From our standpoint, it's been real positive.
Q: How much tape have you seen on Texas Tech and how dangerous is Wes Welker?
A: Wes is a great football player. He hurt us in the kicking game and on offense last year. We'll be looking at film on Texas Tech and doing preparation for them. Most of our preparation in the early part of the week will be on Ole Miss. We're still going to continue to improve ourselves. We'll get into the game plan as the week moves on. We'll have a light workout today and work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. As the week moves on, we'll get more into Texas Tech.
Q: Coach Driesbach talked about opening up some positions. Any comments on which ones he's talking about?
A: We're still trying to find some help at strong safety. We're going to look at some people and see where we are. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's the time to look for depth for the most part. We're not as deep as we need to be. We're going to look at some people and see how they respond. Whether you'll see any dramatic change, who knows?
Q: Talk about Chris Collins and the reception record and his ability throughout his career.
A: Chris Collins started off his career with a big one, having a touchdown catch against Kentucky. If that wasn't his first reception, then it was close to it. He's been good as a freshman right on through to his senior year. He's a consistent football player with good hands. He's made a lot of big plays throughout his career. One of the things I like is he's become a much better runner with the ball after the catch. He's a guy a quarterback feels real confident in because he is so consistent.
Q: Talk about your linebackers, and will freshmen like Patrick Willis get more playing time with their performances lately?
A: From a playing time standpoint, we're playing a lot of people. Justin Wade, L.P. Spence, Rob Robertson, and Brian Lester did a lot of the playing early. We said we would play four or five people. Patrick has got great speed and ability and brings a lot to the table. It's not easy to learn the speed of the game when you step on a major college football field. He is adapting to that each week more and more. We need those linebackers to play well. They're always going to be around the football and have the chance to lead your team in tackles. That's what we're looking for from that position. Ken Bournes is working back at linebacker to see if we can work him in the rotation. We are trying to get the best players on the field.
Q: Can you talk about how you will implement your Texas Tech game plan this week?
A: We'll do some Texas Tech periods tomorrow just within the practice. It won't be the basis of the practice, but we'll get some looks at their blitz stuff on offense, and we'll look at some of their sets and base things on a defensive standpoint to defend them. That will just be part of the practice. A big part of the practice will be fundamentals and working against each other. We'll add more Texas Tech work on Wednesday, and it will be mostly Texas Tech on Thursday.
Q: Can you talk about practicing on the turf and is that for perfecting routes or breaking in the turf?
A: It does take some breaking in. We had no choice early on. We were practicing on the game field every day during camp because our practice fields weren't ready. We got the breaking in process done. Some of the rain that we had put us on the field because of the potential for slipping and sliding on the regular practice fields and not wanting to tear them up. Some of the torrential downpours have out us on the turf because it gives us a good surface to practice on in wet weather.
Q: Can you talk more about the improvement in the backup offensive linemen?
A: I don't have the grades, but I have watched them. There were some positive things. Bobby Harris played early in the game and played well. I don't have the grades in front of me. Stacy Andrews got some snaps and they were positive. Tony Bonds, Ryan Jones and Ben Boyce did some good things and took us down the field. There's no substitute for playing time. It motivates you and matures you. It's good to see those players get those snaps.
Q: Playing Louisiana-Monroe after a difficult loss, is there a sense of eagerness about playing possibly a higher quality opponent in Texas Tech?
A: I think everyone here knows Texas Tech and their capabilities. They're explosive on offense and aggressive on defense. They made big plays in the kicking game a year ago. This is a big challenge for our team. We improved, but we're not there yet. It's early in the season and we have a lot to continue to improve. People ask what we're working on. We're working on all of it: blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, blitzing and covering. All the things you have to do, we have to do better. This is a good Big 12 team coming in here. They played well at the end of last season, and they have continued on that track to start this season.
Q: Was your overall execution more in line with what you were looking for?
A: Yes. The overall execution of what you have to do to be a better football team was better. You disregard parts of that. Some of that may be because of the opponent, but some you disregard the opponent and just see how well you are doing things. We executed better in practice and it started on Monday. That's what it's going to take every week. I hope it encourages the players to understand the importance of preparation. That's where you get better is on the practice field.
Q: Will you get a good look at them playing N.C. State since they are similar on offense.
A: I assume you are talking about N.C. State's offense and our offense. I am not that familiar with them, but I know they can throw the football. They have a good quarterback and are a good football team. From a formation standpoint, I don't know how similar it will be. They're going to have their hands full. It will be a good tape for us to study. People change from week to week and tweak little things, so you never know what you'll get.
Q: I know you base playing time on how you perform throughout the week, but do you believe in "gamers" or people who turn it on at game time?
A: I think there's something to that. I don't think many coaches want to admit that, but I think there are people who take it to another level when the lights go on. I still go back and tell our players, when you go to pro camps and see the great ones, they do it every day. There are very few people in the NFL who just step it up on game day that don't practice well. They may not act like it and look like they're nonchalant people, but when I've gone to camps and seen the great ones work, they have a level they work on all the time. If someone is a gamer then I want to see it everyday. Everyday is game day then.
Q: How difficult is it to take a team across country on a road game and follow that up with another road game like Texas Tech will do?
A: It probably bothers coaches more than players. Young people are resilient. I've been a part of going on long trips back to back. Players view it as fun. Sometimes that can channel your focus. Once that game gets going, all of that's forgotten anyway.
Senior QB Eli Manning
Q: Comments on Texas Tech
A: "In a way, we have kind of been waiting for the Texas Tech game. Last year we went down there and lost to them. We kind of let them have the game. I have been waiting for this game. I threw an interception for a touchdown last year to one of their defensive ends. I think the whole team will be fired up and it will be a big game for us."
Q: Talk about Micheal Spurlock
A: "I think Mike did a great job. He was well prepared. I talked to him on the sidelines and let him know what they were doing defensively. He went in there and made some good checks at the line of scrimmage. He was eager to get in the game. It was a game he expected to play in. He kind of knew he might have a chance to get in the game. He was excited. He went in there and was three-of-four with a drop. He should have been four-of-four. He had a touchdown and a nice run. Mike is going to be a good player. I look forward to watching him play, he is an exciting guy to watch."
Q: Talk about the offense against Louisiana-Monroe
A: "We played well offensively. We did not have a whole of mistakes. We had some penalties we would like to get back, but we were able to get some third and longs. We had a turnover on Bill's (Flowers) fumble, but other than that we really clicked out there. We got off to a good start by scoring the first time we had the ball off the turnover. We still have some improvements to make. We have to face some good teams, we have to get better, but it was a good win and the offense really clicked."
Q: Talk about your performance against Louisiana-Monroe
A: "I thought I threw the ball accurately. My receivers made some good catches on some high balls I threw. I threw a high ball to Taye (Biddle) and he did a nice job of catching it. I thought Taye played really well. He made some tough catches on a post and that deep one for the touchdown. My receivers were making plays for me. I thought I had a good idea of what Louisiana-Monroe was doing defensively. I watched a lot of film on them. I thought I had a good game plan and played smart football."
Q: Is the open date coming at a good time?
A: "I don't know when an open date comes at a good time. It is hard to take a break after a big win. You want to keep playing. We have the open date though, so we will deal with it. It will be good in some ways. We have some guys that are banged up and tired, so it will be good to get them rested up and ready for Texas Tech. It will be good to have a week to just practice and give the young guys a chance to do some work and rest some other people. It will be good to get some rest and be ready for Texas Tech."
Q: Will you watch the Georgia-LSU game?
A: "I probably will watch that game. That is a big game with two good teams playing. We don't play Georgia this year, but we play LSU in a big game. It will be fun to watch. I don't know what is going to happen."
Q: Talk about the new turf
A: "The turf did not give me any problems. It held up really well, especially when it rained. It plays really well when it rains. No one was slipping and the surface was good. I like playing on it."
Q: On his rushing touchdown
A: "I am not a running quarterback. I look to pass and if no one is open I might try to get a few yards. That was my first real rushing touchdown. I had a few quarterback sneaks last year, but that is the first one I actually had to run to get it into the end zone. It is fun. It is not anything I am going to be known for doing, but sometimes running is the right play. I am trying to think about running it more instead of always trying to hold it and wait for a receiver to get open. If I see a lane, I am going to try to go for a couple of yards on the ground."
Q: Do you think you will have an advantage over Texas Tech since they will be playing their second-straight road game?
A: "It is tough playing on the road. I know our first two games were on the road and they were not big trips, but it is tough playing on the road, especially in back-to-back weeks. I know I was excited to play at home this week. Texas Tech is going to be a good team. They are going to be well prepared. We have to come out and play good football. We can't make mistakes and turn the ball over. We have to be a smart team and play our game."
Q: Will you watch the North Carolina State-Texas Tech game this weekend?
A: "I am going to watch a lot of football on Saturday. With it being an off week, I am going to sit down and have all my channels set for college football. I am going to watch every game I can."
