Weekly Comments From Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe

Nov. 1, 2004

Opening Comments
Our excessive penalties and struggles in the kicking game made it difficult to compete with Auburn. We shot ourselves in the foot against an outstanding football team. Defensively, we didn't tackle well enough. We could've minimized some of the damage by tackling better. Auburn is the type of team that takes advantage of your mistakes. They turn minimal gains into big plays when you don't make stops. Offensively, we did some things well, but, overall, we were too inconsistent.

Q: Can you give us an injury update?
A: Jayme Mitchell and Andrew Wicker are both out indefinitely. Jayme cracked a bone in his foot on Saturday and Andrew had his knee scoped on Friday.

Q: How do you feel about where the team is right now?
A: You don't feel very good when you're 3-5. I wish we were playing this week, but we're not (second open date). It's unusual to have one game squeezed in between two bye weeks, but we have to deal with the schedule that was given to us. We have to win our three remaining games to qualify for a Bowl, but the "one-game-at-a-time" attitude hasn't changed.

Q: Has the team's mentality changed, knowing that you need to win your final three games for a chance at a bowl game?
A: We have to continue to take one game at a time. Our players know that we have to win out to become bowl eligible. We're not trying to hide that fact. We will talk about all of that during this week. Every team's goal is to have a winning season and we will certainly strive to get there, but we still have to take them one at a time.

Q: Is there any added pressure, knowing you have to win three straight for a winning season?
A: Panic is not the right word, but we want to have a sense of urgency. We all know that our backs are against the wall. We have to stay focused on each opponent and try to play the best we can each Saturday.

Q: Auburn had seven sacks in the game. Can you talk about their defensive pressure?
A: Our blockers just got whipped. Auburn's defensive ends were very active and the biggest factor in that regard. We had a missed assignment on one, but most of it was us not being able to hold up.

Q: What are some of the positives that you can take away from the Auburn game?
A: We threw two touchdown passes to wide receivers and that was something we needed to do. I thought we blocked well at times, especially in the first half. We held up (physically) in the first 30 minutes of the game, but you have to play well for four quarters to beat a Top 5 team, like Auburn.

Q: Can you talk about the play of QB Robert Lane?
A: Robert Lane continues to improve and understand what we expect of him. He's becoming more of a complete quarterback. We still don't have a clear-cut starter, so he needs to stay ready at all times.

Q: Can you talk about the impact of RB Jamal Pittman?
A: Jamal Pittman's power is very evident. He broke several tackles against Auburn and that was nice to see. Jamal was able to push the pile forward several times with that second effort. We hope to keep him healthy the rest of the season because he can help us during this final three-game stretch.

Q: How does the emergence of Jamal Pittman affect your running backs rotation?
A: We will have to look at that. Sometimes it's difficult to rotate three (running backs), but we will look at that as a staff.

Q: Can you talk about the play of DT McKinley Boykin?
A: McKinley Boykin plays hard. He is a fierce competitor who takes a lot of pride in playing well. He's going to give you everything he has on Saturdays.

Q: Are you concerned about Micheal Spurlock staying focused since he hasn't received a lot of playing time lately?
A: It's a challenge for any player who isn't playing as much to keep himself ready. Micheal is a great young man and I'm sure he'll practice with the same intensity that he always has.

Q: Do you feel like last year's senior class provided better leadership than this year's group?
A: We've not had a good year, but that's not necessarily because of the seniors. Our 3-5 record doesn't completely fall on their shoulders. We actually have some seniors who are playing extremely well. Down the stretch, their leadership, intensity and focus will be very important because they will set the tone.

Q: I know you were not happy with the special teams effort against Auburn. Does that make you re-think the decision to not have a special teams coordinator?
A: No, because I think our special teams have been pretty good for most of the season. We didn't punt well against Auburn and we haven't been a great punt-return team this year, but we've done well on kickoffs and covering kickoffs.

Q: What will this week's schedule be like?
A: We will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before taking Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.

11/1/2004 | Football