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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss vs. Auburn Postgame Quotes
10/30/2004 | Football
Oct. 31, 2004
Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Comments
In a nutshell, I am proud of our team and how hard they played. I thought we made a great effort and played with great energy. We made far too many mistakes against a great football team to have a chance to win. That's what happened as the game went on. We just didn't execute well in any one particular area. As I have said, I am extremely proud of our football team in how hard we fought, but we have got to get better at that, and that's my responsibility. We are going to go into the open date and look at the tape and see what we can do to continue to try and improve.
On the difference between the first half and the second half.
They (Auburn) are a really good team offensively, and you are not going to completely shut them down. Field position also worked against us. They built some momentum and when they get a little bit of a lead, it's hard to contain those kinds of weapons. I thought we where on the field a little too much.
On Auburn scoring after Ole Miss.
As the game went along, the turnovers, the kicking game, the punt returns, the penalties, and the mistakes mounted every time we would make a run. They (Auburn) responded well. You can't help that kind of team. We just made too many mistakes late in the third and fourth quarter.
On playing against Carnell Williams.
He is a great football player. He shows up in the kicking game and he shows up on offense. He can line up as a receiver, and he runs great routes. He is as good as any player out there.
On the final three games of the season.
From the beginning, it's a tough stretch. We are going to have to play them one game at a time. We know what the circumstances are. As far as trying to have a winning season, we know our backs are against the wall. The only way to approach this is to get through the open date and prepare well for Arkansas.
Ole Miss Players
Ethan Flatt (QB)Thoughts on the game.
I thought we played hard, but we didn't execute on a number of things that really hurt us. It's a tough loss for us. We prepared long and hard for these guys. But Auburn is a good football team, and they played well.
On his two touchdown passes.
The pass to (Taye) Biddle was on a play that we put in just for this game. Taye ran a great route, and I had some time to throw. The touchdown to Bill (Flowers) was just a go route. Again, I had some time to throw, and Bill ran under it. He made a good play.
On the upcoming off week.
It will give us another chance to heal any injuries that we have. We still have a lot of work to do, too, and we'll use the extra time to get ready for Arkansas.
Bill Flowers (WR)
Thoughts on the game.
Auburn is a good team. They played well and are deserving of their national ranking. We failed to do some things that we wanted to do, but we did some good things, too, and that's positive. The game should have been a lot closer.
Thoughts on touchdown catch.
Ethan (Flatt) did a good job on that route. I told Ethan to look for me. We called a go route, and Ethan put the ball up where only I could catch it. It was a good play at the right time.
On preparation for Arkansas game.
We've got some things to work on. We'll use this off week to make some adjustments in an effort to get better. I think this team can improve, and we'll work hard this week just like we have all year.
Alan Abrams (RB)
Thoughts on game.
I thought we played okay, but we didn't get it done. We've got to get better.
Thoughts on individual performance.
I thought I played okay. The offensive line was pretty strong for me tonight, but I still think that there is room for improvement.
Linebacker Rob Robertson
On the play of the defense.
We came out with a lot of intensity and played hard the whole game. They just kind of got on our heels in the second half. They were working with good field position. They didn't have to go far to score, and they just did what they had to do.
On the goal line stand.
We kind of got ourselves in a bind down there, but we played hard and made the plays down there when it counted. We needed to make those kinds of plays the rest of the game.
On the defense's conditioning.
Overall, we played hard throughout all four quarters. Position-wise, we were okay. Anytime you get two big backs like that running at you all night, it is a little more mental fatigue than anything, trying to tackle them every play.
Defensive Lineman McKinley Boykin
On the game.
As a defense, we did alright, but we've just got to work to get better. Defensively, we did some good things, but overall, we've just got to get better.
On being ready to play Auburn.
We came into the game excited and ready to play. We were playing the No. 3 team in the nation. We were pumped up for it and ready to go. We just didn't get the job done.
Defensive Back Travis Johnson
On his interception.
I knew it was time to do something. I hadn't made any big plays all season. I had been trying to make a play, and I knew we needed the ball back on offense, being down two scores.
On the overall play of the defense.
I think, as a team, we played hard. We just made a lot of mental mistakes that we shouldn't have made. Against a good team like this that's in the top 10, you can't make mistakes.
On Auburn's offense.
They've got two great running backs. You're having to be ready for the run all the time and the pass as well. They've got a great quarterback. They're a great team, and you've just got too stay focused in order to beat them.
On the upcoming open date.
We need to take this open date to get back healthy, get focused, get rested mentally and get ready for Arkansas. We've got to go out there, play as a team and make these last three games our best.
Auburn Head Coach Tommy Tuberville
Opening Comments
This was the type of game I thought we were going to have. We were running on fumes. Our players were pretty tired. They scraped up enough to get us a win. Our special teams stepped up. They made some plays for us. We weren't hitting on all cylinders on offense. You have to give credit to Ole Miss. Our defense played hard. They played when they had to. It was a great effort from our guys. With this being our ninth straight in this conference, I knew it was going to be a battle. We were fired up, but you can only get so much out of these guys. We definitely need the upcoming open date.
With the offense not firing on all cylinders, were you pleased with the defense?
We have a good football team. When you go on the road, you've got crowd noise to deal with. Some way we are finding guys that make good plays. We needed a shot in the arm. The defensive ends played well. They made them turn the ball over. We didn't play as good as we've been playing. It says something when you can win on the road in this conference and not play at full strength. We were absolutely running on fumes. At halftime our defense was gassed. That was not something we were hoping to do in this game. They reached down deep in the second half and played better.
On 99-yard touchdown
The 99-yard touchdown is something that will be talked about for a long time. It's difficult to do, especially when you don't have any points on the board. It was a great call from our offensive coordinator. We threw a corner route to Courtney Taylor on first down and then the catch by Cooper Wallace was amazing. We keep getting better, but we are going to have to play better than we played today to have an opportunity to finish out the regular season the way we want to.
Talk about the seniors, they looked very happy out there.
I told the players afterwards, this game was for the seniors. We challenged the younger guys this week to play for the seniors. We knew everybody was going to have to play well for us to have a chance to win on the road. Obviously when I come back here, we get their best shot. If you are going to be a top ranked team you have to go on the road and win games like this. I saw some teams in the top 10 who didn't do as well on the road today. You just have to be consistent, and that is what I like about this team. We are consistent every week, and they continue to make good plays. Jason didn't have his best first half of the year. He kept making good plays and got better as he went along.
Auburn Players
Jason Campbell (QB)
On his feelings about the game.
It meant a lot to me to capture the SEC West today and play at home. We started off slow but we came back. Then we were able to move the ball. That all made it better.
On the touchdown in the first half.
That was a key touchdown. Ole Miss had all the momentum at that point. We couldn't get the offense going at all. It was just one of those games. We have been playing great offense so far. We bounced back in the second half.
On his play early.
I came out a little too excited. This is my last time to play football in Mississippi, and we were playing for the Western Division crown. I was try to make myself force the plays to happen, instead of just letting the plays come to me.
On going to the SEC Championship Game for the first time since a loss to Florida as a red-shirt freshman in 2000.
We've been playing for four years. We would get to the end of the season and have the opportunity to go to Atlanta, and something just wouldn't work out. This year we're going back. We don't want to just go back, it's about going back and accomplishing your goals.
Carnell Williams (RB)
On his performance on punt returns.
I kept telling everyone that returning punts was my hobby. The guys have been waiting for me to get my chance to do my thing back there. It was exciting to make some plays and make some guys miss out there.
On the need for a tight game
There's not doubt we needed a game like this. I have been telling everyone else we needed this. We've been jumping on people early and beating them to the punch. Ole Miss came out to play tonight, and you have to tip your hat to them. We showed a lot of character and our seniors displayed a lot of leadership today.
Travis Williams (LB)
On the seniors.
The senior leadership has been outstanding. We are battle tested. Ole Miss came out fired up tonight. Our seniors just came out and showed tremendous leadership for us.
On winning the West so early in the season.
It is big to get this tonight, because in the past we have always shared it with someone. Now we can just say that we alone are the Western Division champions.
On the Auburn defense.
This defense has kept playing off what it hears and reads. We've heard and read all about how we are too small and lost this player or that player from last year. It was a barn burner with Ole Miss, because they came out ready to play.