Football Weekly Press Conference 09.21

Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt and quarterback Jevan Snead met with the media on Monday and discussed the Rebels' win over Southeastern Louisiana and the upcoming Thursday night game at South Carolina.

Houston Nutt

Opening Statement

We got started back to work yesterday. It was a quick turnaround. I thought our guys came out and gave us a good practice. Our preparation started out very well. We've got to have another good one tonight. We have to go tonight because it is a big school day with players having labs. We are normally off on Mondays. We changed our schedule around a little bit because we are playing Thursday night. We've got to have another good one today.

Q: How are the players doing injury-wise?

I thought they all did pretty good. Guys that have been in the training room, with the exception of Gerald Harris and Justin Smith, are just trying to get mended up.

Q: What is Gerald Harris' status this week?

He's doubtful. We will know for sure on Wednesday.

Q: Are you still planning on having Greg Hardy available Thursday night?

Yes, we are.

Q: On the length of time it has taken to play a BCS team…

It's been a little bit unusual. It is what it is. It is the schedule that was laid out to us. You can't control it, except for how you prepare. The thing that has been difficult is when you have a week off, you get sick and you don't get that preparation and practice time right after the first game to really make that improvement. From a few days before Southeastern Louisiana to right now, we are starting to get much better. I'm glad it is here personally, and I know our players are too. We know the caliber of team we are playing. We know the athletes they have. We have to be at our best.

Q: Have you been anticipating playing in a game like this?

No question about it. You are ready to play a game like this. It is going to be a great atmosphere. Our guys are looking forward to it. I know as coaches, we are. I think our players are even more so.

Q: On not making the same mistakes against South Carolina as last season…

We started out very well in the first half. The guy that was playing quarterback had his best day. The receivers were making plays and he made throws. They basically got us there in the second half. We are aware of the kind of athletes they have and the kind of game that Coach Spurrier likes to play. You've got to be at your best. The team that makes the fewest mistakes is the team that is going to win. That's the bottom line.

Q: How does it feel to keep the winning streak alive?

There is nothing like winning. The next game is always the biggest game of the year. This is the biggest game of the year - it is the next game and the first conference game. I like the way we got started last night. That is where you start. You start with preparation. The only thing we can do today is take care of Monday. We've got to improve, and our guys know that. Our guys know that we are in for a real battle and everybody has to improve - special teams, defense and offense. Any set of 11 that we send on the field have to be at their best - starting with this game here.

Q: What areas did you see improvement in against Southeastern Louisiana?

I thought our tackling was better. We ran the ball better. Our defense is doing a great job on third down - we've got to keep that up.

Q: What areas did you see against Southeastern Louisiana that you need to improve?

The area that was most disappointing was our punt return and our punting. We are better than that. We are really going to put a lot of emphasis on that. Offensively, I think we understand that we stopped ourselves. I thought that Jevan (Snead) was throwing the ball much better. He had a few passes dropped that could have been touchdowns or big plays. You can't lose opportunities like that. You have to keep working on that timing and execution. We all know that there is a lot of room for improvement. Let's keep working to get better.

Q: Will there be any special teams changes this week?

We're telling them all right now to keep working and that we believe in them. We may change. But if you asked me today, we are not.

Q: After watching the film, did anything stand out about Marshay Green's miscues?

Not really. The biggest thing is that we have to do a better job on the gunners that attack the punt returner. We have to do a better job of giving him a chance to catch the ball. If you notice, Marshay (Green) had two or three guys around him every time - a lot of traffic. Everybody has to do their job. You have to give him a chance to catch the ball. The other thing we mentioned is their left-footed punter - it is a different type of spin. I'm not trying to make excuses, but we don't have a left-footed punter. It is hard to simulate that look. Everybody has to get better. Not just Marshay, but everybody - all of his teammates.

Q: How has Stephen Garcia improved?

I just think the way that he handles the game and manages the game, finding the second receiver and where to go with the ball. Experience does that. He's better.

Q: What does South Carolina bring to the table defensively?

I have an awesome respect for Ellis Johnson and the way he coaches defense. We have gone against him numerous times, wherever he has been. His team's are going to play hard and are going to get lined up the right way. He creates problems for you. He is going to give you a bunch of different looks. They are going to move around. When you have a guy like Eric Norwood, I don't blame you. They move him around a lot. He's at end, he's at linebacker, he's at safety and he's blitzing. He does a lot of things. Cliff Matthews, their other end, is a tremendous athlete. They have some athletes, some big guys in the middle and we have to do a good job of blocking, running good routes and taking care of the ball.

Q: How do you feel about playing on a Thursday night?

It's good because of the exposure of it for your team and for recruiting. All of that is positive. It is hard to say no to our conference and ESPN when they ask you to do this because it is really a big-time gift that they are giving you. There is some sacrifice involved. I think if you ask Coach Spurrier, or any coach, they would say that they wished they had a little bit more time. The bottom line is that you don't and you have to take what you have, do the best you can and get ready to go. It is excellent exposure. It's going to be a great atmosphere and the entire country will see it.

Q: Did you scout South Carolina some over the summer?

We always do a summer scouting report on the first three conference game. This was done during the summer.

Q: What do you tend to see I teams coached by Steve Spurrier?

You know offensively, he's going to try to get the ball to his best athletes. He has an excellent mind in the passing game. He is going to try to create those mismatches - he's really good at doing that. He doesn't mind throwing it to anybody. That means a back, tight end or wide receiver. His team's play hard.

Q: With the short week, can the team be fully prepared?

It is a short week and I think we both realize that. They have to (be prepared). They understand what is at stake. It is your first conference game. The intensity and the focus have to been at a very high level. This is why you come to Ole Miss - to play the type of game like this. Really, there is nothing like it. Once we get there and get this gameplan going, there is nothing like the atmosphere that you are going to experience - the entire country can see it. It is what it is - a very short week. Everybody has problems. We can sit here and talk about all the problems but that doesn't do us any good. We have to get ready to go. We are off to a good start and have to have another good day today.

Q: How big of a game is this for Jevan Snead?

It is for all of us. It's not just Jevan, it is all of us. I think everybody understands that. There is nothing like winning your first conference game. It would be huge. Everybody has got to do their job. It is big for everybody. It only helps Ole Miss. When you win and have good things happen to you, especially nationally, good things happen for the entire program. It is not just for one person, it is for everybody.

Q: With the Thursday night game, does the league office make sure both teams played last weekend?

I don't know if they did or not. I know that I made sure they had a ball game. There is no way I would have played if they were open and we played a ballgame. I don't know for sure. I do know that they ask each team to play a Thursday night game every few years.

Q: Is Ferbia Allen the next option at tight end?

He's getting better. He's getting a lot better. Ferbia is gaining more confidence. He is working so hard, working extra. I think his blocking is getting better. Hopefully we will be able to get him the ball a few more times each time we play. He's come a long way. He's probably one of the sickest guys we've had too. He's lost about 12 or 14 pounds so we are trying to get him back, as far as weight.

Jevan Snead

Q: Is this a game you've had marked on your calendar?

You definitely look back at the loss last year. It kind of stings a little bit looking back. I feel like as a team, we can play better. I've been looking forward to finally getting into some SEC football and trying to play better."

Q: After watching the tape, what were your thoughts on Southeastern Louisiana game?

I just feel like getting that first game under my belt and shaking some of the rust off was one of the things that helped me going into this past game. I feel like I made better, quicker decisions and was more accurate with the football. I feel like I definitely improved and that's one of my goals - to improve every game. I feel like I did that.

Q: After your first two opponents, what is it like getting into SEC play?

Those are both good teams but the SEC is notorious for having great football and just being extremely physical and fast. That's what we're going to see this week out of South Carolina. Their defense is extremely physical and extremely fast and they'll just come down and hit you. I'm just looking forward to playing another great team.

Q: What stands out to you about South Carolina?

I think they're well coached. Everybody knows about the coaches there and they've done a tremendous job just from watching film. They go extremely hard and don't take plays off. Like I said, they're physical, fast and have good motors.

Q: How did you feel against Southeastern Louisiana?

I felt pretty good. There were a couple of plays where I scrambled a little bit and got a little bit winded, but I caught my wind fairly quick. I felt really well and I know everybody is going to be back 100% this week and I'm just looking forward to it.

Q: Does this game really mark the beginning of the season for the team?

No. We've got two games under our belt and two wins so the season has started. Anytime you start out your first SEC game, that's when you really know that you're getting into it. This is when it really counts. Not that the last two didn't, but this is conference ball and this is what you look forward to.

Q: Did this game appeal to you when you first saw the schedule, being so early?

Seeing when the game was and finding out that it was on a Thursday - I was extremely excited about it. I've never had an opportunity to play on a Thursday night. I do feel like this is a chance for us to kind of prove ourselves and show the world what we can do. I feel like we've made a lot of improvements over the last two games and hopefully we just keep that rolling.

Q: Do you see this game as a chance to get your name out there?

I'm really not looking at it like that. I'd love to do extremely well. That's why I practice and work as hard as I can - to do the best I can - but the reason I do it is for my team and to help us get a win. All I'm focused on is helping my team and whatever comes after that is just icing on the cake.

Q: Did you follow South Carolina at all growing up?

Honestly, I didn't really have any background with them and didn't really get a chance to watch them a whole lot.

Q: Has the good play from other SEC quarterbacks made you want to step up?

I always want to play the best I can. I was really disappointed with myself, especially the first week. I'm always looking to improve. I'm always looking to go out and play with all the intensity and with all the passion I can and do the very best I can. Like I said earlier, I'm just trying to improve from game-to-game and I know that I still have a long ways to go, but I feel like I've improved thus far.

Q: How much added pressure is there on a quarterback with it being a short week?

It' definitely different and a little bit tougher, losing those couple of days to prepare. Fortunately, I've got a great coaching staff and Coach (Kent) Austin has just done a great job with us so far, with the little time we've had, getting prepared for their defense. He gives us plays like that and stuff. When you have good coaches, it makes it a little bit easier. I've never had to prepare this quickly so it's kind of new to me, but I feel like they've done a good job.

Q: When did preparation for this week begin?

We got back up here about four yesterday and began practicing and film work and all that. It was a quick turn around. We celebrated the win for about an hour, went home, got our rest and came back up here. It's a very quick turn around but definitely worth it."

Q: What was practice like yesterday?

I didn't hit very many people, but for everybody else it was a fairly physical practice. We had our pads on and everything. It wasn't just helmets like normal. It was a good practice. We had a little bit of rain coming down and got to practice on the field. I really enjoyed it. I didn't hit anybody but there was a little bit of hitting going on."

Q: What will Pat Patterson mean down the road?

He kind of came out of his shell and made some big plays for us. I've seen him do it in practice and I'm just excited to get to see him do it in the actual game.

Q: What do you think South Carolina's gameplan is going to look like?

I don't really know if I can say anything about that. They played extremely hard and they're extremely well coached. We made some mistakes and hurt ourselves in a bunch of cases (last season), but at the same time they came up with some big plays. They played hard and played fast every single play. You're not going to catch them making too many mistakes and you know you just have to be sure that, as an offense, you execute well.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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