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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Alabama
11/12/2022 | Football
Alabama 30, Ole Miss 24
| OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN |
"Really disappointing finish, to that game, to your home winning streak on the line. Playing Alabama, with ball in our hands to win. We didn't do it. Watched two other teams this year do it, in Tennessee and LSU, finish right at the end when you have a chance to do it. Gotta commend those guys, got a great team and the Heisman trophy winner. Said it all week, the guy puts his cape on, takes over when no one else is making plays around him. Did a great job like Bryce does, and we didn't finish. We are really ashamed, a waste of a lot of things."
Last offensive drive:
"Went really fast, seemed like the whole thing went fast in a two minute situation knew we had issues with their rushers and for whatever reason they were only playing one of them at a time early so we were able to know where one of them was. Then when they both go in, it becomes a different game. Tried to pop some runs in there, which were effective. Then stalled out down there at the end. Tried to go back to a fade to Malik, who really dominated that matchup the entire day. Then didn't make plays at the end. We can make plays and we can call better plays."
On the second half offense not being as effective as the first half:
"I think it's a fair assessment, I don't think it has been the whole season. Last game, at A&M had a really good third quarter. I really do think people get used to the speed, like I've said before, so a lot of times it works better early. It has been the case a lot of times. Now the game was a strange game in the third quarter because you look up and we have one series. I think we had one series for 14 minutes or something like that. And actually scored on it, scored a touchdown. Then we had back to back three and outs. I think, off hand, until then at the end there was only 3 series there in about a quarter and a half."
On first half defense success:
"I thought our guys did a really good job, they were one dimensional. Had the ability to run the ball and at times didn't care to. I get it, they got Bryce and he ends up throwing the ball a lot. I thought our defense did a really good job early and late. In the middle not as great, but plenty good enough to win. When you play that team, especially at home, we got to score more points."
On how to keep team up after a disappointing loss like this one:
"It is what it is, but it's just a shame. Unfortunately it's just going to be one of those games you remember your whole life. It was right there with a chance to win. To have to play defense against Bryce, and to have the ball in our hands with a chance to win. I actually, not that it mattered to the play calling and what was going on, but as we were driving down there, and I would have taken the score don't get me wrong, but it was almost like as we took a little more time in the red zone, I was saying 'Ok this is good'. We obviously still want to score because we didn't feel like handing him the ball back with a minute left."
On the gameplan against Bryce this year compared to last year:
"You can look at the analytics, three man rush versus Bryce, his completion percentage is off the charts against it. He has won the Heisman trophy, he's a great player and gives you problems because he's an elite thrower and the first guy rarely gets him down and he extends plays. Once he's not in rhythm where he sets his feet and moves off the target, you don't have a very good feeling because something is going to go wrong because he is going to find a way to make a play somehow. He's special."
On the fumble before half:
"There is really a 10 point swing there when they start the third quarter with a field goal. That was obviously discouraging, it is what it is. Zach took a big hit, unfortunately the ball came out, and actually ended up with a concussion and didn't return. Really good play by them and obviously a big deal to hand 7 points away right there."
How the program can take that next step:
"Make one more play. There's not some magic formula of we got to go change all those things or do all these things different. Games come down to one possession, one play games like that, one side makes the plays and finds a way to win. Those guys have been in a number of them this year."
| OLE MISS QB JAXSON DART |
"Obviously just really disappointed. We had an opportunity to win it and didn't come through and that's on me. I'm just gonna learn from it and get better."
On last two plays:
"Just missed it and made a mistake."
On the mentality:
"Going into the game I thought we had a really good game plan. I thought we did a lot of really good things and then made some mistakes here and there. That's sometimes just how the game goes."
On Bama's second half defense:
"Obviously they have really, really good players. We made some costly errors, some things just didn't really go our way. You know they made some good plays and we took advantage of some of their mistakes."
On not accepting moral victories and close lose to Bama:
"I think that we have a lot of really good guys on our team. We have a lot of guys that are new and playing in pretty key positions so, I guess the way to look at it is we're just gonna get better."
| OLE MISS CB MILES BATTLE |
We came out doing things early and at the back end of it we had some mistakes here in the middle but overall I think we played a good game, we put our offense in a position to win.
On emotions after the game:
You know it hurts, coming into the wild like that to beat Bama, a great university, it hurts but we've gotta move on to the next one. Just gotta go back to the drawing board and look at where are mistakes were and just do what we can."
"Yeah they did, they did start moving the ball a little bit and in the middle of the game we got into a little bit of a rut but we ended up shaking back there at the end to play good, but it kind of hurt us in the long run."
On offensive struggles:
"I mean I guess there is but at the end of the day we're a team so if one side of the ball is struggling the other side of the ball has to step up even more. We try to do our best to do that. We didn't get the win in the end but we're gonna come back next week and for sure get one."
"Since Lane Kiffin got here that's definitely been our mentality, you know pro mindset. We're trying to go out and win every game no matter who it is, no matter where we play, no matter the time, weather, none of that, were going out there to win."
| OLE MISS WR MALIK HEATH |
"I think it was just silent in the locker room. Coach came in very upset; we had two weeks to prep for this game and we didn't come out with the win. It was just very silent in the locker room."
On what was working for him:
"Just great throws, great ball placement with the back shoulder fades. Coach just told me throughout the week, Malik you got to be ready to play, there right-side corner been very weak out here so we just got to be ready to play ball. "
"In my opinion, I think we had everything going we just didn't finish even though we were at the 10-yard line, we got to be ready to finish it. At the 15-yard line, you got to finish it. We are just not finishing drives. We getting everything we want, we're driving the ball down the field, we're just not finishing drives."
On how difficult it is to put this game behind:
"Like coach said we had nothing to lose, we had everything to gain. They had everything to lose, the dynasty would be over. We would have won. All the pressure was on Bama, we just had to come out and play our game.
"In my opinion, I think we've got the best receiving group in the country. We block well, we catch the ball, we get YACs. In my opinion, I think we got the best receiving group in the country. We got a great coach, Derrick Nix, he on us about everything. The little things like our blocking, just the little things to make us the best receiving group in the country.
| ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN |
"This is a great team win, really proud of the way they competed in the game. I think that's the big thing we wanted to get. You're responsible for the identity that you create and it's personal in terms of the way you dominate the guy you're playing against. I saw a lot of that in the second half, so we took a step in the right direction. We had to overcome a lot of adversity in the game. We didn't get off to a great start, but the players just kept playing one play at a time and made the plays at the end of the game that we needed to make... Defense had some big stops, they only scored once in the second half. We got the stop when we needed to..."
On Quinshon Judkins:
"He's a really good player. They're tough when they spread you out wide with 4 receivers and they run the ball well. They have such good backs. He's an outstanding player fast, physical, can make you miss, hard to tackle. You have to stay in nickel, you can't really stay in dime because you can't stop the run and you can't really match up on the passes..."
"The big plays have been there for us all season, whether that be in special teams or whether it be in the pass game. We felt like we had a couple opportunities, he missed the one there late on the last drive as well, just out of reach. He will continue to work on that, I expect him to make that play. I've seen him make it in practice, but even on the one that got us down there, I feel like he could have got in. He was a little banged up too, he will be fine, but it was a rough game. A bunch of our guys got beat up, we are just sore, banged up, and bruised. But, I thought he was gonna break away the kickoff return and that pass play. He's a very talented young man, and he also plays extremely tough."
On fumble before half:
"It was huge, it set up a score that got us to 17-14. From that point on I thought we played better in the game on both sides. Making it 17-14 was good, no one even talked about the score at halftime which is how we wanted it to be. The whole focus of this game is we have to play one play at a time..."
"It wasn't a real good message. Obviously a miscommunication on the snap count, the play, the shift, the motion. Sometimes you just have to do simple things better. Simple things like focusing on your job, focusing on the snap count, focusing on the motion... You just have to do simple things better, and that was the message I gave the team before the game."
| ALABAMA QB BRYCE YOUNG |
"He definitely gives us a look. As far as moving forward, that's a coach question, but I'm super happy for K Law, he works hard, so I'm not surprised he played the way he did."
On the two third down touchdown passes:
"We're just trying to execute. I mean obviously we all know how important those plays are, with it being third down. We all stepped up, it wasn't just me. I throw it and they have to catch it so we all contribute to those plays."
| ALABAMA WR BYRON YOUNG |
"I think we just came out with a different mindset. We knew we needed to get some stops so I think that's really what we were focused on, everybody executing and trying to be perfect on every single play. When they make a play, not getting out heads down."
On his team's play down the stretch:
"I think we just all executed. I really do think that's all it is. When you look at past games it's just come down to mental errors and poor execution so tonight I think we showed that when we execute we can be a good defense."
"I mean I wouldn't really say momentum, you know, we just started executing. Everybody started doing what they were supposed to do. It shows what we can be when everybody is doing what they're supposed to do."