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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Houston Nutt Press Conference: 10.25
10/25/2010 | Football
Oct. 25, 2010
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt met with the media on Monday and discussed the Rebels' upcoming battle against No. 1 Auburn.
Opening Comments
"We started out on Sunday going right back to work. That loss left a bitter taste in our mouths. We are going to try to get some things corrected. I liked how they got right back to work, and now we are going to have to get ready to play the number one team in America. They have done an excellent job. They have done some good things on offense and their defense is very athletic, especially that guy in the middle, [Nick] Fairley. We are looking forward to game planning right now, and looking forward to getting right back on the field tomorrow."
On Cam Newton:
"I think the biggest thing that Cam does is that he is such a weapon. He can be a true tailback at 6-6 and 250 pounds. He can throw a football and has good people around him that he can hand and throw it to. He is a triple threat all the way around because of handing off, running, and throwing. In my opinion, he has brought the offense back to life. He is a leader and has all the other intangibles. I would say the biggest adjustment he made after the second or third game was that he took off in the running game."
On applying the last two season's finishes to this year:
"I think after talking to our players on Sunday, as disappointed as they were, the thing I keep telling them is that there are signs of very good things. Our problem is that we haven't been a complete 60-minute team. We don't take advantage of opportunities. For example, Allen Walker gets an interception, but that needs to be seven nothing when you're on the thirty yard line. We fought back to get a couple of touchdowns and get to 24-17, but then we let a long one go on their side. We have to do better at helping each other out and taking over when you we get opportunities. We have to take advantage of our opportunities. I think our guys know our record and understand it. I know our seniors are aware of it. I think they also know that we can be a good football team if we do things the right way. We have to tackle better, and we can't give up long runs. Every time we've given up a long run, there have been at least three missed tackles. We can't do that. Offensively, there are times when we look very good; however, we cannot always rely on Jeremiah [Masoli] to make things happen for us. Everybody has to help him. There were three or four plays where if we had finished a block, we would have scored or gotten a first down. It is that type of things that make a difference. We have always been strong finishers, and I would love to get ahead."
On playing a complete game:
"It is about being consistent, which we have not been. Our young guys on the offensive line are getting a true baptism into real athletic play. Most of those guys should probably be on the scout team, but this is where we are. They have to grow up quickly. It has to be consistent up there. Also, our older guys need to do a better job down the field. Our receivers did an excellent job coming back to catch the ball. Markeith [Summers] came back from a bad game at Alabama and really became a big playmaker for us. We have to be consistent. Some of our other receivers have to do a better job of blocking even when the ball isn't coming to them. It is things like that that have stopped us. You cannot be a good offense when you are inconsistent."
On Ja-Mes Logan:
"He has really been stepping up for us. I am proud of him as a freshmen that he has improved. His routes are getting better and he is making some big catches for us. We really need him to come on."
On the defense allowing big plays:
"It goes back to missed tackles and fundamentals. You can't have missed tackles in our league. The backs are going to go the distance. The previous Saturday we did such a good job against Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, and this week their guy goes 70 yards for a touchdown. That is a back-breaking play. It hurts the momentum when you're sitting there fighting and you are so close, but then give up a big, explosive play."
On the punt team:
"I have been really proud of our kickoff team, but the punt team has been disappointing. Our coverage in the punt team hasn't been there. There have been a couple of kicks where Tyler [Campbell] out-kicks everybody, but there is no excuse for not getting down there on coverage. We are trying to get more hang time. That has been another back-breaker. We have given up so many yards this year that are unusual for us. You cannot win games like that."
On Jeremiah Masoli learning the playbook:
"He is not the problem as far as the learning curve. He can learn anything he wants. Our problem is that we are trying to block those guys up front, and there are only so many protections you can give young people to help them out in the passing game. I don't worry about Jeremiah. He has it under control. He can do anything we ask him to do. The playbook is not the problem for him. He has been coached and taught that when things break down, to tuck it and run. He turns to instincts and takes care of the ball. He knows where the down markers are. There have been a few times where we want him to take the ball down and run it a few more times. We don't want him to force the pass. He has done an excellent job."
On Rodney Scott's role in the Zack Etheridge injury last season:
"That was an unbelievable scene. I remember asking Coach (Derrick) Nix why Rodney was laying on the ground. I didn't think he has been hurt, and did not know what was wrong or what was happening. We found out through doctors that Zach was lying on top of Rodney, and keeping him from being more seriously injured. He said he just knew that something was wrong, and that he needed to stay where he was. Zack was limp, and was not moving, so thank goodness Rodney did not move at all. Everything worked out, and he is back out on the field playing very well."
On the difficulty of creating offensive consistency:
"It has been difficult. Not having the same starting offensive front from week to week has been tough. Injuries have put us behind. Chemistry is everything at every position, but especially at the offensive line. When there is that much youth in the middle, it is tough. They are intense, fight hard, and want to learn. I love their attitude. They are learning and getting better."
On Nick Fairley:
"He is at the top in my book. He is athletic and quick. He has what I call "receiver moves". He can give you a head/shoulder fake, he is nimble, quick, and always disruptive. He makes plays."
On Auburn's defense:
"They play together. Their one game with Arkansas was crazy, but other than that they are sound and well coached. It starts with their front."
On getting first downs:
"Every game we go into we try to give them the best plan in order to win. I really feel like last week we could block them and try to get 4-6 yards on first down by mixing it up between the pass and the run. When we are really moving, we get significant yardage on first down. We went in last week thinking we could run the ball and handle the inside guys, however, we did not do a good job blocking. Our young guys were twisted up a bit on some fronts, but that is the learning curve that we're talking about. After all of that, we still have a chance to win a game, and that is what is frustrating. That has been our story this year. We have had a lot of chances to win game, and have given them away."
On preparing to play against the No.1 team in the country:
"They know who they are playing. They will see the media coverage and know how good they are. I am more concerned about us eliminating mistakes and taking care of the ball. Everybody needs to know who to block, and we want to be better tackling from a fundamental sense. We need to play a full 60-minute game, and get our kicking game right. I am more concentrated on that than who we are playing. In this league, we have to be ready to play everyone."
