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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe Weekly Press Conference Transcript
11/19/2001 | Football
Nov. 19, 2001
HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE'S WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
OPENING COMMENTS
It is obviously an unusual week. We had a good start yesterday in beginning our preparation for Mississippi State. We didn't play as well as we would have liked in any area on Saturday. We made too many mistakes to have any chance to beat a Southeastern Conference football team. The first thing we have to do is minimize the mistakes that were made. We have a lot of work to do physically as well, to do that. We got off to a good start yesterday, as I said, and I am looking forward to an outstanding practice this afternoon. We need to work quickly to get ourselves ready.
Q. Can you afford to get too physical in this short amount of time?
A. We can't be overly physical. We are going to have on pads today, and we will get the work in we need to. We are not going out there for contact purposes as much as we are for technique purposes. We will have the pads on to work on execution of some of the fundamental techniques we need to better on both sides of the ball.
Q. Talk about the injury situation?
A. Yahrek Johnson is still out and unavailable at this point in time. Doug Ziegler had surgery Sunday to repair a broken arm. He had a plate put in his arm. He is out the remainder of the season. He may be shooting for a bowl game if that's out there, but we will just have to wait and see. I am concerned about Omar Rayford and Kenny Jackson as well. They were not able to work yesterday and are still day-to-day in this short week.
Q. What concerns you more, the injuries or the fact that you have a short week?
A. I never try to focus on whom we are missing. It's not to make light of a player's ability or those players and how significant their injury is and what it means to them and us. Your focus has to be on who is available. My major concern is for us to get better. We were really getting better each week. We had things rolling, and obviously in the last two games, we've seen a deterioration of that. We have to find a way to get that edge back. We have to improve as a football team. Mississippi State gives you a lot of problems in preparation for them as well. We have a lot of things to be concerned about in a short time period, but we know that and we are used to it.
Q. Can you talk about Kevin Fant and having played the game last year and how that helps him?
A. Kevin Fant is a good football player. He's very athletic and has an outstanding arm. He's a very talented young quarterback with good size. I've seen him up close, and I know what he is capable of doing. We are going to have to play well, period.
Q. Having seen him last year, does that give you an advantage?
A. I don't know if it's an advantage. We know what to expect. He's a quality player, I do know that.
Q. Do you prefer a short week, or do have any thoughts on going back to a Saturday game?
A. I like the Thursday night slot. It's been a positive to showcase our state and college football. There are so many in-state players on both teams and obviously two state schools. I can deal with it. At this point in time, I wouldn't want to change it. If we can maintain that national TV slot, I wouldn't want to change it. I think it's positive for both universities and our state.
Q. Do you expect it will be easier to gain the edge, because of the rivalry?
A. Both teams will be emotionally-charged and ready. I think it's better to play a rival in circumstances where you might have been a little down or a little out of kilter. A rival can get your adrenaline flowing quicker than anything else.
Q. Can you go over your schedule for the week?
A. We met yesterday (Sunday) and worked out for about an hour and a half. We are going to be on a normal schedule as far as time frame. We will work out at our normal time this afternoon. What you are doing is combining Tuesday's and Wednesday's practice in one day, today. We will be getting a lot of things done. Tomorrow will be much like our usual Thursday practice. We will do more on Wednesday before we leave, than we normally would. We will get a few team periods in and work on the kicking game some. We managed that schedule well a year ago.
Q. Did you consider two practices today?
A. I wouldn't do that. I am deeply concerned about our legs and our freshness as a team. It's been a long season and a lot of practices. The season is actually lengthened with all the events of September. We have a concern with how fresh our legs are.
Q. Coach Sherrill mentioned that you guys didn't have school this week, so it was an advantage to you guys. Do you buy into that or do you feel like it's just circumstance?
A. I am a believer that normal routine is better. It doesn't matter to me. It's the first time we've ever had this situation. I hope they take advantage of watching tape and spending some extra time preparing themselves. We as coaches, have to have our normal time. We are using every waking hour of the day in preparation for the game. We can't afford to change our schedule.
Q. Has this short week become easier, now that you have become accustom to it?
A. It has become easier, and I don't know if that's the right word in this circumstance. But, I have become more comfortable with it. I didn't the first year was easy. I don't think I slept at all. It was difficult with the length of time. You learn to manage it better. You can't worry about things out of your control. There are only 24 hours in a day. You just manage your time and make sure you have a good plan.
Q. Do you think the deterioration over the last couple of weeks, is more mental or physical?
A. If I could specifically answer that, I would have the answer to all my problems. I don't know if there is a specific answer to that. Someone asked me a while back, if this team was losing the "young team" label. Everything we are doing they are experience for the first time, this stretch of the season, and the challenge of maintaining that edge. We prepared well for the Georgia game, we didn't play well.
Q. How is Jonathan Nichols doing?
A. I thought he kicked the ball better yesterday. He said he had a little slight flinch. It's just day-to-day. I want to see him kick, follow through with it, and hit it. I felt like even in pre-game warmups, he was so-so and then with the first kick, I didn't think he finished it. I didn't look like one of his kicks, he didn't come off his foot. We will evaluate that today and see where we are.
Q. After watching the Georgia tape what are some of your major concerns?
A. We made some mental errors in assignments that we normally hadn't been making in all areas. We weren't as crisp and sharp in our execution on either side of the football. We are certainly going to have to play better on both lines of scrimmage.
Q. Are you worried about some of your players thinking that this will an easy game because of Mississippi State's record?
A. I don't think so. They all know their players so well at Mississippi State. We have great respect for their players and their abilities and what kind of program they have. So, I don't think there is any issue with that at all.
Q. How close is Chris Collins to being 100 percent?
A. I think he is pretty close. He's better. I don't know if you ever get back to 100 percent unless you stay off of it for a while. But, he's close enough.
Q. Mitch Skrmetta is known more for his blocking, than receiving. With Doug being out, are there any kind of adjustments that you'll make along those lines?
A. He and Bo Hartsfield are both going to have to play, and I expect them both to play well, especially Mitch, being a senior. He has proven that he can catch the football in games. He's done well. He's made plays in practice. Certainly with him being a senior, he is going to want to play well. He's aware of his circumstance. I have confidence in Bo Hartsfield as well.
Q. You say it broke down on both sides of the line. What you can do in a week where you can't get too physical, to work on the lack of tackling or execution?
A. As far as tackling, just playing a game will make you better. Saturday's game will make us better. But, when you are tackling good backs like the two we will face this week, you have to work hard to keep your feet locked up. It takes great intensity and effort to bring these backs down. They are good at breaking tackles or making you miss. You can still work on the fundamentals and the techniques try to find that edge to make yourself a good tackler. We have to find that edge. We have a short period of time to do that, but we have to.
Q. Is it tackling or more of a problem not getting off the block?
A. I think it is a combination. It's evident we are not getting off blocks as well as we need to, to make the plays. Once you get there, you have to minimize the yards gained after that first contact. Every opportunity you get to do that, you better take advantage of it.
Q. Can you talk about State's running game, Miller and Walker?
A. Dicenzo Miller is an outstanding player. He has been for quite some time in this league. He's a great competitor. You could see midway through the season when he was hurt, that he wasn't himself. I think he is a great player. He is one of the most versatile players in the league. Dontae Walker is a big, powerful, fast guy, who is hard to bring down. He is a very talented young man.
Q. Talk about Joe Lee's defense?
A. He does a great job. It's a good scheme. His guys always play hard and chase the ball down. They compete and they are well-conditioned. All the things that you want to see a defense do, they do well. His scheme is very multiple, so you have to deal with those problems.
Q. You guys have had some success against it the last two years?
A. We have been fortunate to make plays when we had a chance to make plays. Sometimes you make them and sometimes you don't on either side of the ball. You never really know for sure what is going to happen until you go into the game.
OLE MISS QUARTERBACK ELI MANNING
Q. What are Doug Ziegler's thoughts after the season-ending injury?
A. "He's doing fine. I ate lunch with him today, and he's handling it pretty well. Obviously, he'd liked to be out there, and he doesn't like missing these games. Right now, he said he might be back in time for the bowl game. I think it depends on how everything goes, and how his arm starts feeling. We'll just have to wait and see about that."
Q. How do you see Mitch Skrmetta responding to being the starting tight end?
A. "I think he'll do fine. He's been in this system a long time. He knows what he's doing. He's going to have to become a big part of our offense, because Doug had a lot of catches and has made some big plays for us. So Mitch is going to have to step up and try to make some of those same big plays Doug has been making all year.
"He's been playing this game for a while, and he's gotten some catches this year already. It's not a matter of learning a lot. It's just a matter of getting in there more and running more routes. He's just going to have to be a bigger part of the passing offense."
Q. Have you gotten a greater sense of the Ole Miss-Mississippi State rivalry over the last two years?
A. "I've always known about this rivalry, growing up an Ole Miss fan and coming to games here and through my father. This will be my first Egg Bowl that I've played in. I've been to two of them before, and I've been to Starkville before. It's always an intense game. Both teams are always ready to play. We're going to have to go out there and compete and play hard. They've got a lot of good players on that team, and you never know when they're going to show up and play well."
Q. What do you know about Joe Lee Dunn's defense?
A. "I've gotten to watch film on it the past two years. I haven't played against his defense yet. I know they do a lot of things to try and confuse you. He's going to blitz a lot and bring a lot of people to try pressure me I'm sure, so we'll have to really talk about that. I'll have to study a lot of film on them and try to figure out what's going on and try to get the right play called."
Q. Is the MSU defense similar to John Thompson's defense at Arkansas?
A. "In some ways, it is similar. They try to confuse you. They do some different things. You really just have to stay within the system. I'm really going to have to study this week to know what's going on and know which guys are blocked and unblocked, and what are good plays and bad plays to run against their defense."
Q. Do you think teams are preparing better for the short passing game?
A. "I don't think they're figuring us out. I think we do have to throw the ball down field a little bit more. And that's my job to hold the ball longer and take some deep shots and do some things like that. We've gotten in a little slump for some reason. We're just not making all the plays we need to. I've just got to get the ball to the open receivers, and let them try to make some players miss and do something with the ball once they catch it."
Q. Do you think you've become a little too reliant on the short game?
A. "You try to get a feel. When they are blitzing and bringing extra people, you try to get the ball out of your hands and not take the sack. The receivers had been doing a good job of making people miss and getting the extra yards. Georgia made all the tackles in the open field and stopped us. I think I have to do a better job of looking down field and try to get those first downs and those big plays."
Q. Did the guys pick themselves up pretty quickly after the Georgia loss?
A. "I don't think we were too down. We came in here yesterday ready for practice, and it wasn't a very long practice. Our spirits were high, and no one had their heads down or weren't trying. I think our heads are still on straight, and we've got our minds on Mississippi State. And everyone is worried about them right now."
Q. Is it easier to be the underdog or the favorite in this game?
A. "I really don't think it matters. In this type of game with the history, we know who we're playing. We know a lot of the guys, and we've played against them a long time. We know what we're dealing with, and we're going to have to compete hard because they're going to be fired up. We have to play our game, and try to get a win."
Q. Do you know anyone on the State team?
A. "I've met Kevin Fant a few times in passing camps, but I don't him very well. But besides him, not really."
Q. Do you like the short week?
A. "I think it helps to get back practicing again, and now sit around and think about the game too long. It gets your mind focused on a new game and a new system we need to study. I think it helps out this team."