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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Weekly Press Conference
10/5/2008 | Football
Opening Statement:
After watching the film with the staff, the one thing that keeps popping up is the thing that so many series look so good and are well executed. The first two drives looked good against the No. 1 defense in the SEC. When you are up 14-3, it is a great feeling, but that's where its team football. You have to stay intact. You can't give up a fumble and let them run it in. That's where the biggest job comes in, changing the mind set. When something bad happens, that's what you are trying to change for four straight years. And it's hard. It's harder than I thought. I thought we played hard and for the most part put Florida behind us. I don't think the defense had the same bite as we did last week. I'm sure that there was a lot of energy and emotion extended last week, but still that's no excuse. We have to make plays. Chris Smelley was hot and hit some things on us. Again I go back to the two turnovers. You can't turn the ball over in the league. You watch any ball game and the team that makes the fewest mistakes is going to win. The team that wins the turnover margin is going to win. We are going to put a real emphasis on that, and I feel that we have made some strides. But there are some things we can do to help Dexter (McCluster).
Q: Where did the defense come up short yesterday?
A: South Carolina stayed on the field by making plays. The receivers and Smelley were hot as a firecracker, but we have to make some plays. We were misaligned a couple of times, especially on the post play. We should have had somebody right there to knock the ball down. That one hurt. They hit a draw on us a couple of times that had us off balance. Again, I think that only thing you can do is go back to work. Just go back to work and get better.
Q: What do you plan to work on most in the off week?
A: Offensively it's definitely going to be ball handling and taking care of the ball. Just like with Dexter (McCluster), you love his competitiveness and he always grades out high you have to tell him as fearless as he is when he is in that crowd, especially when he's in a crowd and already has the first down, to go down on that ball with both hands on it. With a small guy like that in this league, he is fighting for every inch he gets, and he leaves the ball in a vulnerable position and we can't have that. Jevan (Snead) has to understand when there is a collapsed pocket he has to hold on to the ball. He probably threw his best game of the season yesterday except for one play. There at the end of the game he was trying to throw the ball down the field, and he could have dumped it off to the backs. The thing about a two-minute drill is completions and our dump off was there. If the defense is playing deep, just dump it off. We can't get it all in one big chuck, and he will know that next time.
Q: What do you do with a team that seems so fragile mentally?
A: The only thing I know to do is I still believe in them. I really still believe in them. I still think we can have a really good year. I am going to encourage them and try to get better each day at the little things. Keep preaching that if some thing bad happens, and this is why football is a great teacher and it hurts sometimes, and I saw that on the sidelines after they ran in Jevan's fumble I was the only cheerleader. It's only one play. I saw it in my guys' eyes that they didn't see it that way. The only things I know to do are keep helping them and encouraging them and realize that it's the next play. We go into halftime ahead, but it didn't feel that way.
Q: Is it hard to motivate the cornerbacks with no threat of losing playing time?
A: I don't look at it that way. We are putting you out here, because we believe in you and we want you to get better fundamentally. We want you to know what to do and play hard. We want you to play with your eyes and break on a ball and make a play. I want to get more out of Cassius Vaughn. He is better than what he is showing. The thing about Marshay (Green) is he's a manufactured corner, but the one thing you like about him is he is a competitor. You look into his eyes and his eyes are alive and he wants to do well. He works hard and competes everyday.
Q: How much of the safeties success is a product of the system?
A: A lot of it is depending on what call we make. Jamarca Sanford would be a playmaker, I don't care what system you have. He is having a good year, is a good tackler and hustles. It is geared for these safeties to make plays. We bring them down in the box and mix up coverage. I just don't like giving up big plays. We gave up some big plays with the post and the wheel routes.
Q: What is the schedule for this week?
A: We are going to work really hard fundamentally this week. Guys that are beat up and bruised, we have to get them healthy. We are going to probably scrimmage our redshirt freshmen this week and let them get in some time. We won't miss a day of good work with each other. We are going to work today, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and then we will come back with a longer Sunday practice to get ahead. Sunday will be like a Tuesday with work on fundamentals and trying to prepare for Alabama.
Q: Evaluate the running backs.
A: I really feel Brandon Bolden is doing better. (Cordera) Eason hit the hole early and missed a couple. Brandon also missed one or two. I just think they are trying to feel their way a little bit. What's tough in a game like that, it's hard because we wanted to get Enrique (Davis) in there but it's hard with the number of possessions and what we're doing as far as having to throw in the second half. You want to put your best pass protectors in the game and your best hands that will go out for passes. That's why those two guys are in there the majority of the time. We've still got to get better. The left side of the line I thought for the most part with Daverin Geralds, there were a few holes in there. I loved those first two or three series. It really felt like we were run-blocking, pass-blocking, play-action and we had them off balance. It was a good start. We've got to finish it and score more points.
Q: Does it feel to you the flow of the game is being affected by replay?
A: It has, it seems to me. I've got a call in to Rogers Redding to see if this is the norm now. The last three weeks to me is more than I've experienced the last three years of just replay after replay and stopping the flow of the game. It seems like a lot of unnecessary replays. I don't understand it. I'm with you. I'm going to ask that question.
Q: Has it gotten progressively worse?
A: It has this year.
Q: Are the replay officials in the press box seeing a multitude of angles or just the main one we see on the video board? I wonder how many angles they are looking at.
A: I do too, especially two or three calls yesterday. I wonder what they are looking at. I know they're looking at every play. That's what I've been told. I don't know how many different angles they have. That's a good question. I don't know what all they're looking at. Are they looking at what's being shown on the board or do they have several angles? I don't know. I would suspect its probably several angles, because it takes so long. It's taking a long time to see. I just hope they get it right. But it does really interrupt the flow of the game.
Q: Did you consider challenging the Lionel Breaux play?
A: Yes. I was standing there by the ref. I said I can't believe you didn't think that was a catch. I'm going to challenge it, but I'm running out of timeouts here. He said, Coach, they're looking at it now. I said, I sure hope so, because you missed it. So we waited and waited and the guy behind him said Coach, they've already looked at it. So that really tells me they are not going to overturn it. If they didn't stop the game to look at it, I don't have a good chance to win that, so you're wasting a timeout. The way the score was, I couldn't gamble with that timeout. I needed every one of them.
Q: Who was the guy you behind you who told you they already looked at it?
A: It was the guy in the white. The alternate official that said they were looking at the replay now.
Q: Any injuries?
A: Lionel Breaux has a shoulder because of the hit, mainly just ankles and shoulders. It was a very physical game. Johnny Brown has slight concussion. I think he'll be alright.
