Weekly Comments From Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe

Oct. 18, 2004

Opening Comments
We did some good things in the Tennessee game, but just came up short in the end. We didn't make enough plays down the stretch to win, but we continue to make progress as a team. We will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week and, then, the players will have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. We will begin to familiarize ourselves with Auburn, but the main focus will be on Ole Miss. One of the most important things is to get healthy and we hope to accomplish that through light workouts and rest this week.

Q: What kinds of things do you hope to accomplish at practice this week?
We haven't met as a (coaching) staff yet. We've been watching tape of recruits all morning. We haven't discussed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday's practice routine, but we won't do anything too physical. We just want to stay sharp and work on our timing.

Q: Have you made final decisions on who will redshirt this year?
A: Seven games into the season, we are pretty set on who is going to play and who will redshirt. We will work with the young players some to get some evaluation time with them.

Q: Can you give us an injury update?
A: Checking with (head athletic trainer) Tim (Mullins), there weren't too many surprises in the Tennessee game. Some people are playing at 80-85% and we hope to get them back to 100% by kickoff of the Auburn game. Bobby Harris and Tre' Stallings continue to struggle with their injuries and Mike Espy isn't playing at 100%, but the injury situation didn't seemingly get worse against Tennessee. Tomorrow, we will evaluate who can work and who can't.

Q: Where is Corey Mills at with his injury?
A: Corey has only played in two games this year and looks like a medical redshirt candidate at this point. He hasn't gotten any better and hasn't been able to practice.

Q: What is the update on Chris Herring?
A: I haven't studied the tape, but I'm sure Chris did some good things against Tennessee. He's a good football player and we need him to be healthy.

Q: Do you think the players are getting better? Or, is this team starting to execute better?
A: I think it's a combination of both. When you play seven straight games, you should get better each week (as a player). It's kind of like scrimmaging - each week you get better at what you do. We are executing better, but there are still some areas we need to work on. We had our moments against Tennessee, but we didn't do a good enough job against their defensive pressure.

Q: Do you feel like your offense may become too predictable using three quarterbacks (because the opponents know what kind of plays you will call with each of the three QBs)?
A: That's something we've looked at and talked about. Becoming too predictable is something you always have to be aware of. I don't know if we will continue to use three quarterbacks or not. As I've said all along, we will evaluate the quarterback position on a week-to-week basis. We will continue to look at what each player accomplishes in practice and what he can bring to the table on Saturdays.

Q: Three of your four losses have been by seven points or less. Has that helped the team's confidence?
A: I think our confidence is better than it was earlier in the season. We have played two good Southeastern Conference football teams (South Carolina and Tennessee) the past two weeks and we have played better. I think we have seen that, if we play to our potential, we can play with anyone. This schedule is going to get tougher before it gets easier, but, hopefully, we are up for that challenge. We are going to take one game at a time and try to make it "the game" (of the year). We need that type of focus to be competitive and to be the best we can be.

Q: What can do you to keep that mental edge?
A: At this stage, I think time away (from games, practices and meetings) is good for the players. We won't have any lengthy practices this week. We just want to keep the focus and tempo up.

Q: Are you surprised that the centers have done such a great job working with three different quarterbacks on a regular basis?
A: Our center, Chris Spencer, has done a good job snapping the ball to different players. We try made the snap the exact same to all three (quarterbacks), but it takes talented and focused players to get it done on a regular basis.

Q: Did (QB) Robert Lane's responsibilities increase during his second career game against Tennessee?
A: We had Robert do a little more against Tennessee. He knows what he has to do to get comfortable with the entire (offensive) package. He's working hard at it and we know he'll get there.

Q: A lot of the defensive players and coaches said it helped them to go back to a basic defensive package. Can we expect to see more of that simplified game plan?
A: It seems like, sometimes, we play better when things are simplified and we are doing what we do best. You are always trying to do the right thing and always trying to put yourself in places where you can get help. It goes back to playing blockers, chasing the football and making good tackles. You probably do those things more effectively when you're not thinking as much.

Q: What are your initial thoughts of Auburn?
A: I have watched Auburn on TV, but haven't seen them on tape yet. They are extremely balanced on offense. They are throwing the ball very effectively and we all know that they can run it with the backs and offensive line they have. Defensively, they present a lot of problems because they are so quick and they really chase the ball. They are playing as well as anyone in the country.

10/18/2004 | Football