.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Houston Nutt Press Conference: 09.12
9/12/2011 | Football
Sept. 12, 2011
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt met with the media on Monday and discussed the Rebels' win over Southern Illinois and this week's road game at Vanderbilt.
Opening Comments:
"There is nothing like winning and practicing after a win. The biggest thing that we love to do is come in, watch film and correct it. We had a really good practice without shoulder pads on Sunday afternoon and corrected some things. Vanderbilt is a very good football team. They play extremely hard. We always catch them early when they are healthy, fast and confident. Vanderbilt is a good football team and they play extremely hard. Their defensive is relentless and fast. Tim Fugger at defensive end is relentless and quick. Their linebacker Chris Marve is very good. Casey Hayward gets a lot of interceptions. Those guys are playmakers. We have to do a good job of staying on our blocks offensively. We have to execute. Their offense is doing well too. They are a good team right now who is 2-0. We are looking forward to getting into SEC play."
On Vanderbilt:
"I always thought Bobby Johnson did a great job and I think James Franklin has brought in a lot of energy and enthusiasm. They are believing right now and are doing a good job. Winning helps that. Winning is the best medicine there is to give you confidence and what you need. They are playing very hard, fast and with a lot of confidence"
On improvements for Vanderbilt:
"We have no choice but to be ready. Our offensive linemen are guys we depend on and they have to play better there. I thought Bradley Sowell, A.J. Hawkins and Patrick Junen played with more effort, but everybody still has to do a better job. They are rocking and moving up front and there is a lot of movement we have to take care of. Zack Stoudt has done a good job getting the ball to the receivers. Even with our backs down, I thought Jeff Scott, Devin Thomas and Korvic Neat have been doing well. We have to keep improving, getting better, getting turnovers and stopping them in the red zone."
On Randall Mackey:
"I feel really good about Randall. He is comfortable with the things we have given him. He can throw and run options. He can do some different things for us. We are not afraid to put him in the game at certain times. It helped him getting that many plays against SIU. He hasn't played in along time. I'm confident in Randall and am not afraid to put him in the game. Coach David Lee has confidence in him as well, but we still start with Zack Stoudt."
On Nick Parker:
"He is behind Devin Thomas, Korvic Neat and Jeff Scott who have been around longer and have more experience with protections and the whole package. He is a big body guy and we had every intention of getting him in the game against SIU. The way the game ended we couldn't do it. He is working hard and I have been proud of the way he has been trying to get better. He needs to get in"
On the offensive line:
"We have missed when opponents rock, move, stunt and blitz a linebacker. When they show you that they are blitzing and come out of it we have had problems. There have been looks that we have missed and we have had loss yardage plays. The way you correct it is to practice those movements and get ready to anticipate that they are going to come. Teams see that you have missed a blitz or a block, so more and more people will try to test you and see if you have corrected the mistakes."
On the young players:
"I have been really proud of them. Cody Prewitt is doing a great job for us on special teams and as second-team safety. He only going to get better. Keith Lewis and Serderius Bryant are the same way. Tobias Singleton stepped up in the kickoff return role when Jeff Scott had to go get an IV. Donte Moncrief continues to get better. Aaron Morris will see more playing time with different plays and combinations at guard or tackle. We have a good group of freshmen that we have been talking about for a long time, but now they are starting to get better and feel the speed of the game."
On Aaron Morris:
"He is smart, but he is not getting playing time because he is behind Bobbie Massey and Bradley Sowell who have a lot of experience at guard. There is a lot with the playbook and it is a tough load for a true freshmen. Most freshmen do not play on the offensive line. He is going to be an exception."
On the defensive secondary:
"Coach Burns has done an excellent job along with Chris Vaughn. The defense has done a great job reading the ball. They are in the right position, getting breaks on the ball and have done a lot of drill work. Now there is a belief and a confidence. That is exactly what they have going right now. When you are playing at that level of confidence, good things happen. When they believe that they are going to get interceptions and turnovers it helps."
On Jason Jones:
"He has gotten better. He practiced Sunday. We felt good last week towards the end but we didn't feel like he was totally ready to be in the ball game. He is getting a lot closer. This week he will get in the game a little bit."
On Jeff Scott:
"We want him with the ball in his hands because he gives us the best chance to score. Philander Moore will get in the rotation at punt returner. We have a lot of confidence in him. Tobias Singleton and those guys will need to be ready. We will try to keep Jeff going, but it depends on his workload at the other position."
On the SEC:
"Nothing really surprises me. It is always very difficult and tough league. Anybody can beat anybody in any three hour period. It is in between that time that you have to be your best. If you eliminate turnovers, play defense and execute on special teams you have a chance to win."
