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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Speaks With Beat Writers
9/25/2009 | Football
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt spoke with the media on Friday and reviewed the Rebels' game at South Carolina and discussed the upcoming encounter at Vanderbilt.
Opening Statement
After watching the film, it is very disappointing and hard to swallow. I was really proud of the fight and the effort of our guys all the way for four quarters. Our defense was outstanding, especially in the redzone. Our kicking units were much better. Offensively, we did some good things but we stopped ourselves so many times with a missed block or a missed assignment. We've got to do much better keeping the ball and executing. I thought there were times where the pocket collapsed on Jevan, but Jevan also probably anticipated the pocket collapsing a couple of times and he didn't throw a couple balls the way he normally throws. We are going to go back out here today, show them the film and get better.
Have you had a chance to talk with Jevan Snead yet?
I haven't talked to him yet. I will talk to him here in about 30 minutes. I am going to tell him that there is a whole lot of football left. We all know we can do better. It is not all him. What's important is that we don't worry about anything. Let's correct the mistakes, let's correct the things we can correct. Let's handle the things that we can handle and go get better.
What is the team's injury situation?
Tim (Simon) probably has a torn ACL. I really hate that. He will be out for the season. D.T. Shackelford has a very bad sprain. I don't know how long he will be out. Everybody else is a little bruised up but ok.
What did you see from Bradley Sowell and the offensive line?
(Cliff) Matthews and (Eric) Norwood were the best we have seen so far. That was a tough matchup for us. It really threw us off balance. There were times when we were trying to chip, which means the running back tries to help. There were times when Norwood still won that battle. That was discouraging. You have to give Norwood a lot of credit. He is punt rusher, a defensive end and linebacker. He plays it all, which we knew, and he did a great job for them. That was a tough assignment for Bradley Sowell. He will get better on his drops and sets. He will learn from this one. It was just a very tough night.
Have you had a chance to see the non-call on the facemask against Dexter McCluster?
We saw that this morning. That would have been another nice 15 yards in their territory. It would have made a big difference in the ballgame. We will send that in, but there is nothing you can do about it. That was a pretty obvious facemask. It's a huge play. If we get the ball in their territory, it is a whole different game. It's just like the first touchdown. If we score that first touchdown and we get the crowd a little quieter, get seven points on the board with the way our defense was playing - that's a different game. There are about 52 things on there that will blow your mind when you go back and watch this on film. If things just would have happened a little bit different in our favor, we would be a little happier today.
Have you started preparing for Vanderbilt?
We just got started on them. We know how tough Vanderbilt always plays us. It's going to be a real challenge and we are looking forward to it. That's the thing about this game, you can't wait to get back out on the field. You want to get back out on the field and you need that dose of medicine. That dose of medicine is a victory.
Has it been tough to improve with the unusual start to the season?
It has been a very tough September with the way things were laid out - Sunday, the flu and Thursday night. The other thing that was really hurtful for our team was to lose guys like Andy Hartmann and Gerald Harris. They are two senior leaders and they are very special guys to our team. We really missed them last night.
What is the team's schedule starting today?
We are going to go back out on the field today, inside. We are watching the film now with their position coaches. We will have a meeting and cover special teams. We will go out on the field indoors for about 50 minutes to try to get some of the soreness out and get started on Vanderbilt. We will skip a day and then come back Sunday Afternoon, lift and practice. We will definitely get into the regular routine Sunday, but we are going to get a little bit of a head start today.
