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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Weekly Press Conference
11/2/2008 | Football
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt met with the media on Sunday and discussed Ole Miss' victory over Auburn and the Rebels' upcoming bye week.
Opening Statement
I was really proud of how our team played. I thought our defense played a solid game. Our defensive front four, led by Peria Jerry, has just been outstanding. He was really been a leader for us. He chases the ball and plays hard every snap. Allen Walker, Ashlee Palmer, Jonathan Cornell and Lamar Brumfield, they have all improved. That was one of the first questions when we got here was about the linebackers, and those guys have really made a lot of improvement. I thought Dustin Mouzon really came in and helped us a little bit. The mixture will create competition between Cassius Vaught, Marshay Green and Dustin. We are going to need all of them. We need to continue to get better, especially on the deep ball. Kentrell Lockett played his best game as an Ole Miss Rebel. He made some tackles and put pressure on the quarterback and just did a lot of good things for us. Offensively, the most disappointing thing is the penalties. We had about seven of them and you can't do that, especially against a defense like Auburn's. We stopped ourselves with holding, clipping and illegal producers. You just can't do that. It's frustrating and we have to correct that.
Q: Evaluate Jevan Snead's game after watching the film.
A: He was a little antsy at first. He was getting some pressure. We missed a couple of blocks, especially on (Pat) Coleman. You get hit in the teeth a couple of times you can see where you would get antsy. That's where we need him to come on, and he came back and made a couple of throws for us. As the game went on he got better. He started hitting some throws for us. It was good enough to win, but I just expect so much more out of him. He just had too many missed throws that I know he can complete. I have seen him complete them. He just got a little rattled at first. He got some pressure and got hit. He didn't really get going until the second half of the game.
Q: How did you think the defensive backs played during the game?
A: We have to play much better on the deep ball. It's no secret. We've been saying that since day one. You have got to play the ball better. Cassius thought the guy went out of bounds and he just lets up. If he doesn't let up, you have a chance to get a hand on the ball. To me that's effort and we can do better there. The positive thing is people are starting to throw the ball and you get three interceptions. I thought Tyrone Nix did a great job of mixing up zone blitz, and then we get three turnovers.
Q: Talk about Cordera Eason's development.
A: I really think the first open date is when those freshman backs kind of made a move. Enrique Davis goes to Alabama and has a good game. Well, Cordera comes back that Sunday and instead of pouting he went to work. I feel like the freshmen motivated him. I am a little surprised he is where he is, because I thought the freshman would surpass him. He has worked extremely hard, and he is running with a lot power and authority right now. You also have to give the offensive line credit. They are getting better.
Q: Did you have any injuries during the game and what is the plan for this week?
A: We came out of the game pretty good. Jason Cook has a mild concussion and we will probably hold him for a couple of days. He has been such a warrior for us, so tough. Maybe not always in the stat book, but boy does he block. Hopefully he will be fine by next week. I think Lionel Breaux had a sprained ankle. Just your normal bumps and bruises, nothing too bad. The schedule for the week is just like the first bye week. We are going to go day, we'll have off tomorrow and then go hard Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We are going to try to get some young guys some scrimmage time again. Just try and stay fundamentally right and improve on our weaknesses. Go good against good and try to get the speed of it. Come back next Sunday for a longer practice. It won't be like today's practice, it will be more like a weekday practice.
Q: What makes Mike Wallace so good as a kick returner?
A: His teammates help. Coach Shibest does a good job. We put a lot of time into it with blocking and forming it. One thing about Mike is he has tremendous speed. He's hitting his creases. We want him to hit it even better. I didn't think he hit that well this past weekend. Of course he fumbled the ball on the opening kickoff, and that messes all the timing up. And a couple times he was running around in circles. Just hit it. The quickest way to that last white line is straight ahead. Find your crease and go, and that's what he's been doing. That's why he has that record.
Q: Where do you think the players are in the process of learning how to win?
A: I think we've improved. I think we're starting to feel like we know how to win. As coaches, we see it a little bit different. There's still so many things. Let's not put the game in jeopardy. Let's not wait until the end of the game. Let's chop that head off like we talked about and finish it. You do that with no penalties and no turnovers. To answer your question, there's a little maturity there I'm excited about. They like winning. They like that dressing room. They like what's happening and feeding of it. They're feeling it. That's the dose of medicine they've been needing. When you win like the last two weeks, there's a joy and happiness. They're starting realize we can do it. That's a big hurdle.
Q: Talk about ULM's game last year at Alabama.
A: It was about this time last year. On a given Saturday, it's what happens. They're athletic on offense. They can move it around. They're going to be everywhere with a lot of different formations. But we have to be ready to go. We have a lot to play for. They had Arkansas beat, so we have to be ready to go.
Q: What do you about dumb penalties?
A: We hadn't had any penalties the last couple weeks. We only had two or three and then all of sudden we have eight. Retaliation was two of them. I don't care if he kicks you in the head twice and says something about your mother, it doesn't matter. You have to see him back in 25 seconds and get back to the huddle. That will be the first thing we'll talk about in this room in a couple hours. It's a selfish act. It's a "me" world, but if there's one thing we can teach them, it's not about you. It's about the team. You hurt our team. Shay Hodge hurt our team, because we didn't get three points. We were at least going to get three, but then we get pushed back 15 yards. It makes a difference. He wasn't the only one. Now I couldn't find Emmanuel Stephens' penalty. I don't know about that one. Jerrell Powe had one and Daverin Geralds. There's not excuse, and we're not going to put up with that. I told our coaches that's on us. We can get that corrected, because we control who goes in the ballgame. If you're going to be that selfish, we're not going to put you out there.
