.png&width=48&height=48&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Grove Bowl Postgame Quotes
4/6/2019 | Football
| Head Coach Matt Luke |
"Overall it was a good day. I don't think we had any major injuries. I thought that it was a competitive game. I saw some flashes out of some young guys which was good. I thought defense overall pretty much controlled the scrimmage. It was good to see Grant Tisdale throw a touchdown and for Braylon Sanders to make some plays. I thought Tylan Knight made some big plays down the field. Overall, we got what we wanted. We tried to keep it vanilla."
On the defense:
"I thought they were able to pressure the quarterback in some of their nickel fronts. Qaadir Sheppard showed up on some edges and some guys were making some plays and flying around. I think Sam Williams showed up a couple of times. I liked the turnover backed up in the red zone. Overall, I thought they did some really good things."
On the running game:
"I thought there were some flashes. I thought Snoop Conner had several good runs. I thought blue (D'Vaughn Pennamon) continued to improve on his feet and broke some tackles. I think Isaiah (Woullard) flashed a couple times. There were some flashes here and there and overall, I think we will keep getting better. We are pretty young on the offensive side of the ball."
On Tylan Knight and Elijah Moore:
"I think Tylan (Knight) is very versatile and can do a bunch of different things. You will see him in the slot, you'll see him at running back. He is a versatile player. Elijah (Moore) has probably been the best player all spring. I thought he didn't really get loose today but he has made big plays almost every practice. Those two guys in the slot have made a bunch of big plays."
On Matt Corral:
"I think the overall command, you can really tell the difference between him and the other quarterbacks. Even today, just the little things from being here this year and having the four games under his belt. You can just see his poise. I remember this time last year, he was so disappointed after the spring game."
On Grant Tisdale and Kinkead Dent:
"I think we will know more in August. Probably Grant (Tisdale), just throwing the touchdown, probably had a little more of an edge today, but they both did some things with their legs."
On Austrian Robinson:
"When we sat down to make that decision, he was the one guy that everyone on the team thought of. There were several guys that had the opportunity, but everybody respects Austrian (Robinson). He has been around a long time. Every day in the spring we had a lot of guys injured. He has come out every day. He has that lunch pail mentality and that blue-collar work ethic. He is just a solid guy and everybody respects the hell out of him. He embodies everything that the Chucky Mullins Courage Award is about."
| Offensive Coordinator Rich Rodriguez |
"Overall, the whole spring we put in a lot more than I thought we would have. They handled it pretty well. Certainly, we have a long way to go in every position. The inexperience shows up sometimes and you have to teach fundamentals and a new scheme, and they make it a little bit more difficult, but they are still working hard. This summer will be one of the most important summers that some of these guys have ever had. It is a really important summer for our staff as well, but we have a great strength staff."
On Tylan Knight:
"The reason (Tylan Knight) showed up today is because he showed up in the spring. He is just so competitive. He is a good athlete and we have him in a couple of different positions."
On Matt Corral:
"Matt (Corral) has had a good spring. Today might not have been his sharpest day but it is important to him. The great thing about Matt is when he makes a mistake he recognizes that and wants to correct it right away."
On the running backs:
"I thought they ran hard. They did not have many explosive runs but that was because there was no room to have explosive runs. We have to get deeper. We like to play at least three tailbacks and we like guys that are a little versatile that can play in the slot as well. A couple of those guys have done that throughout the spring. They are running hard and (running backs coach Derrick Nix) does a great job with those guys. He will have three (running backs) ready by August."
| Defensive Coordinator Mike MacIntyre |
"They have improved. I feel good about them. I have seen steady improvement every day and I definitely think they can do it."
On red zone defense:
"We got our hands in some windows down there. I thought we squeezed really well on some of it. We have to keep improving in that area, but I thought they did okay today."
On No. 38 Austrian Robinson:
"Every day since I have gotten here, he has showed up and every day he has worked. He is competitive every day and he has been a leader amongst the group. I have seen a steadiness out of him. He kind of reminds me of some of the Chucky Mullins winners from when I was here. Lanier Goethie worked every day and Jamil Northcutt worked every day. When they announced Austrian, the team erupted and that tells you what he means to them."
| Quarterback Matt Corral |
"I feel like I'm right where I need to be, but I feel like there's always that little voice in my head saying, 'I could do much more, I could do better.' Today there were three plays I wish I could take back personally for myself. Those little things just weigh heavy on me just because I know for a fact I'm not supposed to do them. I just did not do enough reps of it so I just got to keep doing more reps."
On the passing game:
"I'm comfortable with it, coach (Rich Rodriguez) does a great job coaching and teaching it on and off the field. It's just getting our guys to receive on the outsides to click on every conversion they have on each route, knowing what the defense is doing and doing their own jobs and responsibilities. This offense it's me saying the whole thing, the offensive line doesn't know what's going on until I tell them on the sideline. We just have to mesh all these things together into one single play, and once we get all on the same page, there is no stopping us. That's the little hump we are at right now, it's a battle up a steep hill honestly."
On the difference between this year and last year:
"It is very different, last year it was just going one-high two-high type of thing. This year you see its cover three, you see cover one, we have cover four, it's just areas of the field that the defense isn't and we are just supposed to attack those. It's mine and the receiver's job to know that before the snap of the ball and I think that's the part we need to click on and that's the battle I was talking about and it comes with reps and it comes with chemistry on and off the field. Take what Momo (Mohamed Sanogo) was saying, 'I can't just be one single guy going and watching film by myself because if they are off I am too.' I have to make sure the receivers and the tight ends, sometimes the offensive line depending on what it is, just knowing what they are doing and being able to transition."
On how much he was held back:
"It was frustrating, (the coaches) just (tap) me and they call me down. I mean it is what it is. It is just a spring game."
On chemistry between the receivers:
"We just have to be definitive in what they are doing because we have options in our routes, them knowing what they are doing watching the film. That's hours of film studying and getting the defense out there on player on practice and getting them watching the film and showing them what they are looking for and teaching them how to read the defense. They've got a good group of kids and more repetition of doing certain plays that our conversions just doing more of that and giving certain looks."
On relationship with Elijah Moore:
"Elijah (Moore) is one of those guys who is really smart and he understand defenses. He was one of the first receivers to really click with me. It just happened to be that way, he is a hard worker, that whole room are all hard-working people. The hard part is just getting everyone together to put in the work, it is getting everybody in there making sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing, knowing what they are doing, and doing it right and getting out there and actually executing.
On being a leader as a redshirt freshman:
"I don't think of it like that, I feel like I am supposed to be here in this position. I have big shoes to fill but I think I am supposed to be on the field, there's no pressure, it's self-inflicted, it is something that happens when you are not mentally ready or prepared. The outside and the offensive line are young too as of experience. It's having those people come together knowing what they are doing and just doing their job."
On how different the defense looks:
"Coach (Mike MacIntyre) is really good at giving different looks, he is really good at disguising their defense, he is good at giving certain looks and it is only going to help me. He was throwing a whole bunch of stuff at us like moving everybody around the defense. I just need a short period of time with him and it's only going to help me get better."
| Inside Linebacker Mohamed Sanogo |
"It's going well, we have the personnel for it. We didn't have the personnel for it last year. Now we are at the minimum, it's (beginning to feel) right and is coming together. Everybody is just learning what to do as far as what our responsibilities are."
On how different his responsibilities are:
"It's not that different, I have two gaps, this one and this one. I just depend on what the offense does and just (being) smarter, but if you are smarter it works pretty well."
On getting after the quarterback:
"It's definitely the defense we are trying to be, just a hard team that is going to get after you that is going to be running full speed non-stop. Coach Luke wants us to bring it onto the field when it's time to go, that's just going to be our mentality, it's going to be our identity as a defense."
On being a young team:
"It's so important, not just getting extra work by myself, but improve the younger guys that might have to play, in midweek to make sure to spend extra time with them. There is no more going watching film by yourself, you have to do it with somebody so that just take someone with you and that's what coach is preaching to us, 'Just don't do it alone. If you are going to be a leader, be a leader with everyone and bring everyone with you.' This summer is going to be crucial for all of us, and some of these guys are going to be coming in during the summer, getting them mentally ready because they missed the spring."
