Postgame Quotes

Nov. 23, 2000

MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD COACH JACKIE SHERRILL

OPENING COMMENTS
"It certainly does not feel good to end the season this way. But sometimes it just works like that. We knew tonight's game would be a 60 minute battle. We knew it would go back and forth and up and down. We came up short, and now we have to congratulate Ole Miss and move on. We had some problems defensively. We couldn't get any pressure on Romaro Miller. Romaro played well tonight and it was a good way to end his career and my hat is off to him."

ON WAYNE MADKIN
"We felt like Wayne was going to have a tough time playing tonight. We really didn't have a choice. He could not play. He had 104 fever two days ago and 102 tonight. You knew when you looked in his eyes that he didn't have any energy. Kevin came in and did a good job."

ON MISSISSIPPI STATE'S BOWL CHANCES "This team is definitely worthy of a bowl bid. Without sustaining all the injuries, this would be a top 15 team."

MISSISSIPPI STATE PLAYERS

LDS GEORGE WHITE
On Mississippi State's injuries:
"That played a major role. Mario Hagen wasn't 100%. We lost a great player in Pig Prather, and then lost Wayne Madkin early in the game. We couldn't get an effective pass rush, because (defensive tackle Willie) Blade was banged up.

QB KEVIN FANT
"We are a team, and whoever is in there needs to play hard and execute the plays. We played hard tonight, and Ole Miss come out with a lot of heart. Like coach (Sherrill) says, `football is like a heavy weight boxing match. When you get knocked down you have to just get back up and keep fighting.' We are going to go this week and practice hard to get ready for the next round."

On the Ole Miss defense:
"They don't have any real big guys, but they have some fast guys. They just played with a lot of heart. You can go back and watch the film and see the intensity. It was tremendous."

On the weather conditions:
"Weather hurts both teams. Both have to play through it. That's football."

RB DONTAE WALKER
"Everyone played well at the start. We put a lot points on the board, but we gave them opportunites. We were out there doing what we had to do, we just came up short and lost the game.

On the play of QB Kevin Fant:
"Kevin would stay in the pocket a little longer, but the offense was about the same. Injuries hurt us a little bit, we needed (Dog Safety) Pig (Prather) and (Offensive Tackle) Pork Chop (Womack). I believe if we had had those players it would have been a turning point in the game.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE

OPENING COMMENTS
"I am proud of our team and our staff. We had a short week of preparation after a disappointing loss last Saturday. We came in on Sunday with a good attitude and made a fantastic turnaround. I am proud of our fans for staying through the miserable weather. They were loud. They hung in there, and the team hung there. Mississippi State played well. This was an outstanding victory for us."

ON ROMARO MILLER
"Romaro (Miller) came to play. He practiced well all week long. The interception he threw didn't faze him. He competed well and he fought through the adversity. For this being his last game in Oxford, he played great. I am proud of him for never giving up all season long."

ON DEUCE McALLISTER
"He was healthier tonight than he has been, but you could tell on that 72-yard run, that he couldn't open up and run like he wanted to. Deuce played a great game tonight. I am proud of him and the whole senior class."

ON THE SENIOR CLASS
"This was a great senior class. They went out and played hard for 60 minutes tonight. It was a great feeling to win the final game of the regular season at home like this. Now we have to sit back and wait to see how the bowl bids fall."

OLE MISS PLAYERS

IAN BASS
"I never really thought about it being my first start tonight, but it was pretty big. I got in there and made some plays."

"It was rough at first because they got those two scores on us quick. Then, the tables turned and we started picking up on what they were doing. From that point, everything started going well for us. We just kept with our game plan even when we were down. We kept putting pressure on the quarterback. We just kept playing hard and never let being behind get us down."

ROMARO MILLER
"This game was a little bigger for me this year because I had never been 100 percent like I was this week. We started slow, but we were able to bounce back. This is a great moment for me considering the way I had played the last two weeks. I didn't want to leave Ole Miss being remembered for my performances the last two weeks. I wanted to go out with a bang."

(On coming back after two subpar weeks)
"Coach Cutcliffe and I had a talk. We talked about football and some other things that were bothering me. After the talk, I had a great sense of relief."

(On being down 16-0)
"I was scared like all of our fans in the stands. I felt like we were moving the ball, but we just weren't making anything happen. I didn't know if we were going to keep doing the same thing or if we were going to break out of it. Lucky for us, we broke out."

(On his 50 yard run)
"I was dropping back in the pocket, and I was stepping up to make a throw. I saw that there was a lot of room, so I just took off. Some of the guys gave me some good blocks down field, and I was able to pick up some yardage."

GRANT HEARD
"It's great to go out on a good note. The records are good acconplishments for me, but it also shows that I played with a lot of outstanding teammates to make this possible. My name is just the one in the record book."

"We weren't going to be denied this year. We remembered last year when they ran on the field and how we felt. We told ourselves that if we were going to lose, we would giving 100 percent. We were going to make it a game all the way to the end.

SHANE ELAM
"This is nice. This is my first time ever to beat Mississippi State. This is the best feeling I've had this season. I didn't want to take my jersey off tonight if we didn't win. It's a really, really nice feeling."

(When Ole Miss got behind)
"In the last two weeks, it seemed we couldn't get a break and get the momentun. We always felt if we got that break we could gain momentum. The last couple of games it seems as if the offense was waiting on the defense and vice versa to get that break. It just all seemed to go all downhill with no breaks. The break tonight was when the offense scored. Then, we held them a couple of times and gave our offense a short field to work with."

DEUCE MCALLISTER
"It was very satisfying to walk off the field a winner. I tried to go out there and play for my brother. I think he is proud of me."

(On scoring TDs)
"We were able to get into the end zone tonight. In the past, they did a good job of keeping me out of the end zone, but tonight we found ways to score."

(On his 72-yard TD)
"I think it sort of shell-shocked them. It showed that we were ready to play in the second half. The line did a great job of blocking. I sort of got lazy at the end of the run because I was looking up at the JumboTron and saw how close the guy was gaining on me. I knew if he had caught me I would have carried him into the end zone."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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