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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Houston Nutt Press Conference: 10.18
10/18/2010 | Football
Oct. 18, 2010
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt met with the media on Monday and discussed the Rebels' upcoming battle at No. 21 Arkansas.
Opening comments:
"Had a good day Sunday, we have stayed pretty healthy except for Logan Clair. He broke a bone in his ankle during the last series of the game. We really didn't know about it until we got back. Right now we will probably go with A.J. Hawkins at right guard and try to get our best guys out there with Jared Duke and Michael Brown behind him. It has been one of those years where we have had a lot of injuries but we keep asking our guys to step up. I think we played extremely hard against Alabama. I think our guys gave great effort. There are some little things that we have got to do better. We have to score a few more points. The bottom line is with the kind of effort and attitude that they showed, especially on defense; we can go a long ways."
On Evan Swindall:
"I am very proud of him. For him to go into that kind of environment and up against one of the toughest fronts for his very first collegiate game ever, he did a good job. I am very proud of him. He held his own."
On improvement of the defense:
"Technique was much better. Everybody was doing their responsibility. The biggest thing was gathering around the football; there wasn't a lot of one on one tackles. There were at least two or more guys on each play, except for the long screen where we missed a tackle and let him get outside. We played very hard and made good tackles. We didn't give up any big plays except for the screen. The defense did a good job."
On the offensive style to Arkansas:
"We got started on Sunday with lots of different sets and formations. We expect [Ryan] Mallet to play, but Tyler Wilson comes in and does an excellent job too. They have a tight end, D.J. Williams, which we know really well. He is very good. It is so different now, we have much more responsibilities. Our eyes have to be right, and we have to do a better job with coverage. It's different and we have to go to work."
On Tyler Wilson:
"What I know about Tyler is that he was coached really well in high school. He is accurate. He shows a lot of poise and confidence. When you have receivers like Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, D.J. Williams and backs that can catch the ball it gives him a lot of weapons. Both Ryan Mallet and Tyler Wilson are great quarterbacks who can really throw the ball and handle pressure."
On Damian Jackson:
"He was an excellent signee for us. When you lose the kind of people we lost, you need a guy like him who is physical and makes big plays. He made an immediate impact on our defense and secondary. I hate to think what would happen if he wasn't here. He plays a vital role for us."
On emotions surrounding the Arkansas game:
"I think it has died down a little bit. I am sure there is a few people that still want to see Houston Nutt beat. The thing I am more concerned about is being focused on the task at hand. Because our league is so tough you have got to focus; you better be worried about that. We don't have time to worry about what people think or the emotion surrounding the situation. It's all about getting players ready to play."
On the game plan against Arkansas:
"We have to do a good job of blocking and know who to block. We have to be ready for the blitzes and we have to catch the ball. We have to stay on the field longer offensively. We had so many opportunities to make plays and we just kept putting our defense back on the field. You cannot do that against good teams. We have got to stay on the field offensively and you do that by executing."
On Jeremiah Masoli:
"He has made a lot of progress and has done a lot of great things for us. He really gives us a chance. He takes the pressure off of our young offensive line. He has excellent instinct on how to make things happen when the pocket breaks down and he feels the pressure. I am really glad that we have him. He has gotten better and continues to get better. He works hard. We've got to have some receivers step up and help him."
On the team's progress:
"We had a tough start; a tough first week. To come back, regroup, get some wins and then play against Alabama like we did, I proud of them. You want to win every game and you're not satisfied when you don't. I Iike our teams heart and how hard they play. We have to just eliminate some mistakes and go make plays."
On Ryan Mallet:
"I don't have any anybody telling me he is going to play or not going to play, but I feel like we need to be ready for him. Tyler Wilson and Ryan Mallet are both very good. You didn't see any dropped balls when Tyler [Wilson] went into the game."
On Melvin Harris:
"I think he is our most consistent receiver right now. He has got to this point by hard work. He is a relentless worker. He doesn't look it, but he has gotten much heavier and stronger since the spring. He works hard. He comes to practice with a purpose and not everybody does that. He has had a tremendous attitude. There is nothing like having a 6-7 guy to go up against a 5-11 defensive back."
