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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Head Coach David Cutcliffe's Weekly Press Conference
9/20/2004 | Football
Sept. 20, 2004
Opening Comments
I was proud of this team for coming back to win (on Saturday), but we are still an inconsistent football team in many ways. We have a long ways to go before we are at the level I want us to be at.
Q: Can you give us an injury update?
A: We continue to have a long list of injured players right now. We talked with the training staff this morning about the status of about 20 people. Bill Flowers will be out this week with a lacerated kidney. I am concerned with many people - Michael Bozeman, Chris Herring, Corey Mills, Daniel Booth, Bobby Harris, Tony Bonds, Tre' Stallings - to see where they're at. We will have a light workout today and, hopefully, that will answer some of our questions.
Q: Was the main thing on Saturday to just get a win?
A: There's no doubt we needed a win. That taste of victory was sweet to everyone. I think the win makes us more energetic on the practice field and more anxious to go back to work. It certainly could've been like pulling teeth otherwise. I am really proud of this team for coming back and getting a big win, but we still need to understand how far we have to go.
Q: Did you sense the comeback on the sidelines?
A: When Trumaine McBride made the interception and got us good field position in the fourth quarter, I could tell an increased level of excitement on the sidelines. We were able to punch it in the end zone and close the gap to three. From that point on, we were a much more energetic football team.
Q: Did you see more leadership and/or unity in Saturday's game?
A: I thought there was more spark on the sidelines and that was good to see. I thought our guys were more enthusiastic and were calling on each other to step up. I think we began to see that last Wednesday at practice. I was not very happy with the effort last Monday and Tuesday, but things started to turn around on Wednesday. I am a firm believer that you play how you practice. I thought we had a good response in the locker room at halftime on Saturday. We didn't play very well in the third quarter, but we also didn't let up. Hopefully, that effort is the sign of good things to come.
Q: What kinds of challenges do you now face to keep the team's energy up?
A: I hope Saturday's effort will energize our upcoming practices. We still need to be focused on being the best football team we can be. At times last week, it was a struggle at practice. I don't anticipate any of that this week. We should be anxious to get back to work.
A: Our pressures seemed to work (against Vanderbilt). We got some good pressure on (Jay) Cutler without the help of a blitz. I would just attribute that to hard work and determination. We've continued to work hard on rushing the passer in practice. We have some individuals who are good pass rushers and they just need to display their skills in the games. The challenge now is to carry over our efforts from practice to the games.
Q: After watching the (Vanderbilt) tape, what was your evaluation of Ethan Flatt?
A: Ethan did a nice job of managing the game. For the most part, he was an accurate passer. He threw for a fairly good percentage and got the ball where it needed to go most of the time. I thought he handled the defensive pressure well and played with poise.
Q: How does Ethan's performance on Saturday affect the quarterback situation?
A: Micheal Spurlock is a good football player. He will still be part of our offense and part of what we are doing. Ethan's performance against Vanderbilt warrants a starting role against Wyoming, but Micheal still has an opportunity.
Q: How hard has it been for Ethan Flatt and Micheal Spurlock to take over at quarterback for (2003 starter) Eli Manning?
A: I think it's been more of an issue for Micheal. He was the heir apparent to Eli coming into the season and that's not an easy role for anyone to assume. I think Micheal was stopped by media members after every practice during the preseason and asked the standard question, `how does it feel to be taking over for Eli Manning?' I'm sure that created an enormous amount of pressure on Micheal, but I think he handled it fairly well. He came into the season knowing that he needed to be the best Micheal Spurlock that he can be, but that pressure is difficult for any young player to handle.
Q: What kind of challenge does a longer road trip (to Wyoming) pose?
A: We have to bus away from Oxford to fly out. We are use to bus rides, but it's just a little longer plane ride. I think we have some issues coming back, but we shouldn't have any problems getting out there. We have some longer trips in our league - like South Carolina and Florida - so, hopefully, we will handle it fine.
Q: Do you have any concerns about the conditioning of players in the higher altitudes?
A: No, I think we will be fine this weekend. I don't know what the weather forecast looks like for Saturday, but I imagine it will be a little cooler than here. After practicing in the low 90s and high 80s with a lot of humidity here, I'm sure our players will welcome the cooler temperatures in Wyoming.
Q: What are some of your initial impressions of Wyoming (after seeing them on tape)?
A: Wyoming is a very well-coached team. I know they are still learning their system, but they did a good job last year. They are a very capable team. They are quick, play extremely hard and force you to execute on both sides of the ball.
Q: How will your receiving rotation be affected with Bill Flowers out this Saturday?
A: We have people who can move and play at different positions. Mike Espy and Kerry Johnson can play at that weak side receiver. Frank Clayton may also be in the rotation some. It all remains to be seen. We will make some decisions later in the week after seeing how guys do at practice.
Q: It seemed as if the fullbacks ran the football more against Vanderbilt. Can you talk about that decision?
A: We have some capable runners at that position. Rick Razzano and Lorenzo Townsend are both big, physical guys and we want to get them involved. They have a lot of ability and I see them continuing to be part of what we do.
Q: What kind of progress did you see out of your defense as the Vanderbilt game went along?
A: We certainly played better at the end of the game. We struggled against Vanderbilt's option. Their quarterback got too many rushing yards. Stopping the run is always one of our primary concerns and we didn't do a very good job of it early in the game. I thought there were also some times where we played well. Towards the end, we started to get some pressure on their quarterback and that's something we must continue to do. One of our main concerns right now is getting back to being a healthy football team. We have a lot of banged up people right now and we need to get back to our normal rotation.
