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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Head Coach David Cutcliffe's Weekly Press Conference
9/27/2004 | Football
Sept. 27, 2004
Opening Comments
It's no secret that we are not playing well. We have to get back on the field and correct some pretty obvious things. We can't continue to have penalties, turn the ball over and give up big plays. I don't know if we can work any harder, but we can certainly work smarter. The injuries have really started to pile up and, from a health standpoint, we need to assess who is available for Saturday's game. We have had a lot of missed practice time (from the injuries) and that is hurting us right now. We have also had trouble getting full-speed workouts in, and I think that is showing up, too.
Q: Can you talk about the injuries sustained in the Wyoming game?
A: Nate Banks won't work today because of his knee. McKinley Boykin is also banged up and I don't know if he will be available for practice.
Q: What about updates on Travis Johnson and Bill Flowers?
A: Travis Johnson is still not ready. We will evaluate him this week to see how soon he can come back. Bill Flowers continues to be out with a lacerated kidney. I don't know what to tell you on that injury because I've never been around it.
Q: Chris Herring, Daniel Booth and Bobby Harris have been injured for a good portion of the season. How are they coming along?
A: We plan to put them through individual workouts today to see how they do. From past history of calf injuries, it seems as if guys get to feeling pretty good during the rehabilitation process, but then it's a different story when they get on the practice field and are trying to push around 300-pound linemen. That's what we have to evaluate on the practice field. It seems as if we are getting closer every day, but we don't want to have a setback.
Q: How does this (injury) situation compare to what you've seen in the past?
A: This is the worst the injury situation has been since I've been at Ole Miss. We have had a lot of missed practice time this year and that has certainly hurt us. I don't recall a time in my career when there were more injuries, but I know this is the most people we've had injured since I've been here.
Q: You said (after the game Saturday) that you were going to re-evaluate everything from top to bottom. What conclusions did you come up with?
A: We've addressed a lot of things over the past two days. We have evaluated and torn apart our practice procedure and plan to adjust a few things in that area. We've also evaluated our personnel situation. Our goal is to put the best players on the field from the ones we have available. We've also taken a look at the amount of practice time that different individuals are getting and, then, asking ourselves, `is that enough practice time for that individual to be ready on game day?' At this time, we're obviously not getting the results we want, so it's time to find other ways of doing things.
Q: What is your latest thinking on the quarterback situation?
A: I haven't really made any bold decisions in that area, but most of it is based on practice performance. I don't have any big change in mind, but will continue to evaluate all three of our quarterbacks (Ethan Flatt, Micheal Spurlock and Robert Lane). I don't think we have found an answer at that position, so we will continue to search for one.
Q: How far are you guys from being a more consistent offense?
A: There were definitely some positives in the Wyoming game. Some of the production out of the passing game was better. The running game was certainly more consistent. We got some chunks of yards at times, but suddenly we started turning the ball over. Are we hitting on all cylinders? No. We still have a lot of questions to be answered offensively.
Q: How frustrating is it to be addressing different issues each week?
A: All of it is frustrating. Getting beat is frustrating enough, but getting beat and not playing well is certainly more frustrating. Through the first three games, we were pretty good with penalties and turnovers. Then, we have 14 penalties and five turnovers at Wyoming. We can't continue to shoot ourselves in the foot like that. Those miscues are definitely magnified when you are losing. We just need to be more thorough in our preparation. We have a good system and we are going to adhere to it. We are going to call on our senior leaders to help us correct these problems. We need some of our more-experienced players to step up and take charge of the situation.
Q: Do you feel like you have the senior leadership to help turn this season around?
A: I certainly hope so. I am going to call on our seniors and will be looking for them to respond in a very positive manner. We have too many good football players on this team. We have a lot of guys who have won games and we need to get back in that mode.
Q: What have you seen from Mario Hill this year?
A: I think Mario has always been a fierce competitor and tough receiver. He will take licks by going across the middle of the field to catch the ball. He's got good speed, good hands and good moves. He's really taken advantage of his playing time this year.
Q: Can you talk about the importance of this game against Arkansas State?
A: Arkansas State has played well over the past few weeks. They are a well-coached football team. I expect them to play hard and play well. At this point, every game is huge and extremely significant. We are just trying to find a way to play well and get a win.
