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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Head Coach David Cutcliffe's Weekly Press Conference
9/6/2004 | Football
Sept. 6, 2004
OPENING COMMENTS
First, I want to say that our prayers and sympathy go out to the family of Amie Ewing who are dealing with a tragic loss. Getting back to the football part of it, obviously we didn't play well. We've got a lot to do to get better. After looking at the tape, it confirms that. We didn't execute as well as we can. We can get better, and that's the exciting part. The difficult part, is that we are getting ready to go play an Alabama team who is executing extremely well in all phases. They are outstanding on offense, defense and special teams. They are a very good football team. When our players see them on tape, they are going to realize how quickly we have to get to work and start executing at a high level to be a competitive football team. That is what I expect to happen.
Q: Did the lack of execution come as a major surprise to you or could you see it coming?
A: It wasn't a major surprise. I had been concerned in practice offensively with the lack of consistency throwing and catching the ball. What did come as a surprise, was that we weren't nearly as physical as I thought we would be. That's disappointing. That needs to change and change quickly.
Q: Can you give us an update on the injury situation?
A: Kerry Johnson is going to be questionable this week with his hand. He had surgery to correct some things in his hand. Bobby Harris is questionable with his ankle. He's working to get back. Daniel Booth is still questionable. We'll get a little bit more of an idea today to see if we can get him back. Hopefully there is not anybody else that's going to miss any time.
Q: Did you talk about the level of physical play and did it surprise you?
A: We weren't as physical as we had been in practice and the scrimmages. We weren't as physical as I know we are capable of being. We didn't finish blocks and weren't as consistent as we need to be. We did some good things at times, but you have to be consistent to compete at this level in college football.
Q: Did you see any consistency in where Micheal Spurlock was struggling or was it just more of an all over the place kind of situation?
A: He never found a rhythm. He was hurried and played that way the whole night. He never settled down. He had a couple of drives where he came close, but he's just got to relax and play football. He needs to use this as a learning experience. He's capable of playing well and I am anxious to see his improvement out on the practice field.
Q: Having seen the tape now, would you assess the performance of the offensive line?
A: We weren't quite as physical as we can be. We were good at times, but we've got to be consistent. Consistency will hurt you when you are trying to have a running game. We weren't near as effective in the running game as we hoped to be.
Q: Considering that the O-Line was supposed to be the team's strength, is that the most disappointing inconsistency?
A: That was probably the thing that surprised me the most.
Q: I am doing a piece on how teams prepare for the game the last 24 hours prior to kickoff. Do you have a curfew the night before a game, and do you go to a hotel the night before games?
A: Yes. We have a curfew and we are in a hotel the night before the game.
Q: What time is the curfew and why do you send them to a hotel the night before?
A: We have meetings that night and we do our last minute tips and reminders. Also, we can control their rest and their diet much better that way. Depending upon the time of the game 10:30 or 11 would lights out.
Q: Talk about the defensive effort.
A: The effort itself was good. We played too many snaps. We played 87 snaps on the play-by-play, 95 that occurred on the tape, counting penalties. We got a little tired. We were more aggressive in coverage and that showed. We didn't get enough pressure on the quarterback, but they throw the ball quickly. The protection scheme they use is solid inside. We didn't get much pressure off the edge. If we could have tackled better, we could have played real well defensively. We've got to get better in tackling.
Q: Getting back to the physical play, how different is this team than the team that lost 42-7 in Tuscaloosa two years ago?
A: We didn't play very well over there two years ago on either side of the ball. That's pretty evident by the score. It was a total domination on their part. We can be more physical. We are bigger on the defensive front than we were at that time. We are certainly bigger and more physical on the offensive front than we were back then. We were younger at that time. Hopefully this gives us a chance to compete. But as I said, this Alabama team is really a good Alabama football team. They played really well in their first game, and they are going to be difficult to deal with.
Q: You mentioned pressuring the quarterback more. How similar will Brodie Croyle be in terms of releasing the ball quickly?
A: They're not really in the same style of offense, but they throw the ball on time. He's another veteran quarterback that knows where he wants to go with the ball. He played excellent in their first game.
Q: Does it give you any confidence going into Alabama that you held a good offense like Memphis to only 20 points?
A: As I said earlier, we did some things good defensively. Our offense left our defense on the field too long. Also, we didn't get off the field in some third down situations. I am sure there is some confidence in some players at particular positions, but we have to play well as a team. We will be challenged by an Alabama team who has a lot of weapons. Their (Alabama) running backs and their quarterback played extremely well. They have some weapons at wide receiver and at tight end.
Q: The number of passes in the game compared to rushes, is that what you want to see, or would you like to see more passes?
A: I would like to see more snaps, period. That depends on the particular gameplan itself. It also depends on the defense and what they like to lineup and do. The score of the game along with all the other things, dictate the run/pass ratio. We would like balance. Most of the time that means you run a little more than you throw. When things are going well, this team needs to run the football to help be the best we can be. If we can't run it, we better show we can throw it. In this league it's tough to run the ball consistently.
Q: You mentioned that Alabama played a good game and executed well. Is it that a drastic change in what you saw last year?
A: They look much more comfortable in what they are doing. They've had a year under their belt and a spring practice. You can see that they know what to do. I thought they played extremely well in their first game.
Q: What kinds of things will you do this week to get the offense back on track?
A: We've got to demand better execution and focus in practice and consistency. How we practice is how we are going to play. We'll break down and do a lot of individual work and technique. We'll do a lot of group work that requires execution. We'll work against the defense, and the scout team, which better be as top notch as it can be for us to reach the level we need to reach on the playing field.
Q: Is that the message you have to get across after what happened over the weekend?
A: It certainly should be. They'll be eager to do whatever we ask them to do. They haven't showed a lack of effort, we just have to be more consistent. They'll understand the consistency and the focus we've been trying to demand.
Q: How did Daryl Harris do replacing Bobby (Harris)?
A: He did alright. It was his first time to play. He's going to get better every snap. He's going to get better every day in practice. He doesn't have the benefit of last fall or even spring practice. He's a quick study. He has a high intensity level. I wish he was bigger and stronger, but he is not. Therefore, he has to be a good technician. He held his own.
Q: You talked about Micheal playing hurried a lot and being impatient. But a lot of quarterbacks go through that until they get a few games under their belt, right?
A: I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. He's played a little and practiced a lot. He's practiced as the backup, which means you have to prepare like you're the starter. I've seen him in rhythm in practice and in scrimmages. He just never found that Saturday. All inexperienced players at any position go through that, but it shows up more at quarterback than anywhere else.
Q: Besides the physical part, did he (Spurlock) handle the game well mentally?
A: I thought he knew what was going on mentally. He had a couple of errors where he panicked with the ball. Assignment-wise, he was fairly sharp. He knew what to do and knew what we wanted to do. That's coming from these years of preparation. He just needs to slow down and play some football.
Q: You guys are going to a place (Tuscaloosa) where you haven't had a whole lot of success. How much do the players think about history and streaks, etc.?
A: We don't think about history. We know that they are a good football team and it's on the road. All the ingredients are there to make it a tough challenge. Anybody that's a competitor likes a challenge. We know it's going to be a big challenge, but one we hope they look forward to.
