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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Weekly Press Conference
9/22/2008 | Football
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt met with the media on Monday and discussed the Rebels' game versus Vanderbilt and this week's opponent Florida.
Opening Statement
I think we are on the verge of having a good football team. The more you watch the film and look at it, I’m just excited. I’m excited about our team. They are really close to believing in this staff. I think they will tell you they are, but it’s a transformation and a changing, and it’s hard. I tell you, I’m just proud of our seniors. I’m proud of what they are standing for. I’m proud of how they are leading this team. It hurts them. As much as I wanted to win that game Saturday night, what I feel good about is how they were in the locker room. That’s when you know and really find out about your team. I really feel that we are going to another level. We are close. I think if you talk to Bobby Johnsonand I just think the world of himI think he will tell you that we are different. I think if you call Coach Grobe today, he will tell you that we are different. That’s what I’m excited about. I think our defense has improved. Offensively, I want to play one game where we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot and make critical errors. I want someone to beat us. I’m just encouraged. I have been just as down as down can be, but I’m really encouraged. When you take a full 24 hours and look at it, I really think we have a chance.
Q: What’s the process of getting over a loss like Saturday’s?
A: That’s why I love that we practice on Sunday afternoons. You get up and go to church, get treatment, go over here Sunday afternoon and try to get that bad taste out of your mouth. As hard as it can be, you look at the film, watch the mistakes, look at the one-yard play. Man, it was there. Just look at those little thingsif we had made one step different, open our eyes a little to the right or don’t make this decision or that. It’s just that process. Now, don’t let it happen again. You are smart enough to do that now. I will demand that they listen. They have to be great listeners. I really feel that the good Lord put two ears on us for a reason. You have to listen twice as much as you talk. So we are going to demand that they listen. Listen and correct. If we do that, we will have a good football team.
Q: How do you correct the turnovers and passing game? What do you tell Jevan (Snead)?
A: Jevanyou got to realizehe’s in his fourth game, and he is seeing things that he has never seen before. We can prepare him all week, and they will put in a little wrinkle or a little different blitz. They brought a free safety on first down. They’ve never done that before. The speed of the game is different. He’s going to get better. I know he is. I believe in him. It’s just about going back out there, working a little harder, concentrating a little better and expecting different things. They are going to try to put pressure on him. They know that if they give him time, he is going to do something. They know that he can hurt you. He has proven that. He’s had to escape some problems too. He gave us a chance to win. As bad as he played, he really put us in a position to win the game by coming out of a blitz and throwing the ball to Dexter (McCluster) at the six or wherever we were. So I have a lot of confidence in him. He is growing, learning and going to get better. No quarterback goes out there with the intention of throwing an interception. They don’t do it. We are in the best conference in
Q: What are you going to do this week to prepare for
A: Just like what we talked about, all I want to do is be mistake free for one ball game.
Q: What kind of support do you feel now from those outside of the program?
A: I feel that it is still very positive. I’ve heard nothing but good and excitement. It’s not something we major in or thinking, I wonder what that guy is thinking on the street corner.’ I have to stay focused on our 105 guys and give them the best plan we know how to. The ones that I have talked to, they have been as pumped up as they were when we got here. Of course they want to win. We want to win. Those players want to win real bad. Coaches want to win times nine. They have been really good.
Q: Do you change plays in the Wild Rebel to decrease recent turnovers?
A: I don’t really think that the turnovers have come from the Wild Rebel, except on that last play. I don’t consider that extravagant. I think our ball handling as been good right there. No matter what formation you are in, take care of it. We may limit some things or cut down on some things. The plan that we had wasn’t that complicated. It was simple. It’s just a decision making process. You know, catch a punt. On the 50-yard line, Marshay was trying to make a play. Catch that punt and tuck it. Jevan knows that he forced it, but there were a couple of route runners that could have helped him as well, especially on the first one with the tight end. There are errors for everyone and mistakes for everyone. It’s 11-man football. That’s what it is about. We just got to keep working and put emphasis on that.
Q: Talk about
A: The thing about
Q: Do you feel that you have created depth from the front seven on defense?
A: Yes. With everyone starting to get back, what makes you feel good is that Greg Hardy is standing next to you on the sideline. Of course, you are ready to get him on the field. For him, the first game back, I thought he did some good things. Ted Laurent is at full speed now. Peria jerry is playing at the highest level. He’s really been a difference maker for us. Emmanuel Stephens has more energy now and Lockett. So that is one of our strengths. The defensive line is very good.
Q: Talk about your pass defense.
A: I think they have improved a great deal. This will be a major test. Vanderbilt was more of a run team. Here, you have speedsters at every slot, every X, Z, Y position. They can really move. We will know more this week.
Q: Do you have a fear of losing aggressiveness by trying to cut down on turnovers?
A: We still want to be aggressive. I think it goes back to when we give you the ball, you have to take full responsibility of the three points of pressure before you worry about the next move. You have to lock it upeagle claw form, rib cageespecially the way we get hit in the SEC. To say we are going to cut down here or cut down there, I don’t think we can do that. We have to get the ball to our guys to make plays. We have to give it to Dexter, and I wouldn’t change anything about that last play against Vanderbilt. I would have given it to him again. No one hurt worse than he did. He really thought he was going to get into the endzone. So no, we are going to stay strong right there.
Q: Do you feel the Wild Rebel has been as effective lately as in the beginning of the season?
A: I feel good about that formation. That has really given us some of our biggest plays of the year. I know that people are starting to study it now. I saw the Miami Dolphins running it yesterday, so I still feel that it is pretty good. I think people know that we are going to run it. Our opponents ahave to spend time on it. I still feel that is effective because they have to spend time on it.
Q: Is Greg Hardy where you hoped he would be?
A: Absolutely. To have him back by the first SEC game with 15 plays was better than I expected. I’m glad he is back, and he is only going to get better.
Q: What does Hardy do to opposing offenses?
A: I think the number one thing you see on film is how quick he is. You are going to have to see where he is, especially on passing downs or third downs. Playing against him, I know that we wanted four hands on him. He’s a tremendous athlete that can really disrupt.
Q: Where were the pass protection breakdowns, and how do you fix them?
A: Again, it’s all of us. One time it’s the left guard, right guard, left tackle. Everybody has had their share in that deal. We are seeing so many little different things with Jevan’s success, especially in
Q: How is your experience in the SEC help you prepare for SEC road games?
A: It always helps you that you have been in this league for as long as we have. When you go into places like the Swamp and you know that it’s a tough place to play, you know that it’s going to be loud and that they have the home field advantage. It only helps you. It will help the guys like Peria Jerry and Jamarca Sanford who are older, but for some of the younger guys, it may be harder to convey in words what you are getting ready to face. You have to go experience the atmosphere. So hopefully, as coaches, we will be able to help them. It takes a tremendous focus to go into someone’s back yard and really concentrate and execute.
Q: Do you feel good about inspiring plays like the Wild Rebel in other places?
A: Absolutely, especially in the NFL. In the NFL, you would never expect or dream that on that level. It just shows what you can do when you have the right people who can handle the ball with speed and toughness, which they naturally do at that level. It does take time, especially if there is no preparation for that set. If there is no preparation for that set, a lot of things can happen.
Q: Are you as physical at the offensive line as you want?
A: If you watch that film on the third and one, that hole was there. That play was blocked, so we have to do a better job of running that ball in. I always think that we can be more physical. I always think we can. We tell our guys that everyday to be more physical. It’s not natural, especially when you are bringing in a brand new offense that’s not used to pound, pound, pound away. It is different fundamentals and a different deal. We are in a learning process right there, but we have gotten better since the first game.
Q: Talk about Cordera Eason and the fourth and goal.
A: He had in his mind that he had to jump. He didn’t have to. We were only on the half foot line, and he had in his mind that he could just get over. The guy on the back side had him, but it was pretty well blocked. There was a hole there. If we would have run, we would have run in. It’s not just that one play. That is what makes you sick about this whole game. It’s not just Cordera’s fault. There are so many instances that make you sick where you felt like you should have won by three touchdowns. Again, you can’t look back and say that because we didn’t get it done. I would love to play one more minute, 15 more minutes, one quarter, one series, anything, but you can’t do that. What you have to do is learn from that, not make that same mistake again and get better.
Q: Why not just run the Wild Rebel all the time if it is so successful?
A: I think about that all the time. I really do. That’s a good question. We might just do that.
