Mississippi State-Ole Miss Postgame Quotes

Nov. 29, 2002

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MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD COACH JACKIE SHERRILL POSTGAME QUOTES
(Opening Comment)
We came out quickly in the first half. They we gave up the punt returns and still cam back. At the half, first five minutes Ole Miss made big plays, marched down the field and came away with no points. Then we had the interception. We got them into 3rd & 1 and then Ole Miss made a big play. We came back but couldn't put points on the board. Five plays make the difference including the two interceptions and the 3rd & 1 play. Those lost the game real quick.

We came out did things early. We needed to protect up front but didn't and that took us out of making plays.

I thanked the seniors. They gave everything they had even at the end. Lesson in life is that our younger people have to get ready and that starts Monday.

When you get down there you've got to get points. In the third quarter, we moved down the field and had that interception. That was one of the biggest plays if not the biggest.

Kevin Fant made plays. Upfront we just didn't protect him to make plays. Ray Ray Bivines was 80 to 85%. You have to give him a lot of credit for playing and playing hurt. There were a lot of players that played and played hurt.

(Question as to relief on this being the end of the season)
No. It is something you have to live with 365 days of the year. Last year they lived with it. We have to congratulate them but we are not happy about it, not relieved. You just move on.

(Question as to frustration with the season)
It is frustrating at this point to loose so many key players. Such as not having #15 (T. Grindle) tonight.

(Question as to next year)
If you put a knot on my head I want to repay it. I've said before that you need to get your licks in while you can because you are not going to get them long. What is more frustrating than anything is that we were not able to get the help at the right time.

MISSISSIPPI STATE PLAYER POSTGAME QUOTES
Quarterback Kevin Fant
(on the game) "I think offensively we did well, we just did not do the things we needed when it counted. The offensive line fought hard tonight, harder than I have seen them fight before. We got penalties and in third and long too much and that made it tough. Ole Miss' defense plays tough and the get tougher the closer you get to their end zone."

(on the season)
"We went 0-8, I think that about sums it up. We fought hard and had a lot of games that we could have won, like tonight. The play like the interception they got show you that one play can kill."

(on the Hutchins interception)
"They played man coverage and he just came across the field. Both players had a chance to take the ball and make something happen. I don't think that play broke the game, because we moved the ball on them with ease. We just controlled the ball on them. Ole Miss made the plays they needed to win the game."

(On the return of Jackie Sherrill)
"That's something that's out of my hands. I'll play next year for whoever is there. I'm here to play football for Mississippi State, whoever the coach is next season."

Wide Receiver Ray Ray Bivines
(on his performance)
"I did really well tonight catching the ball and running with it. I executed well. We hurt ourselves tonight as a team. If we don't have those turnovers tonight then we come away with the win. We had too many turnovers, and that's hurt as badly all year. We have to figure out something to do so that we don't turn the ball over."

(on the inability to get the ball in the end zone)
"The field goals made a big difference. If we were able to get touchdowns when we got the ball down there in the red zone then the game would have been in our hands. Kevin Fant did really well finding and hitting the open receivers tonight."

Linebacker Mario Haggan
(on the game and the season)
"Ole Miss made more plays tonight. It's hard to go out with a loss, but I wish the rest of the guys good luck. With the young guys we have coming back, this program has got a good future ahead of it. It's frustrating though. We kept trying to find a way to make things happen to win games. The program is going to turn around though, it won't be down long."

(on the flow of the night)
"It's really frustrating if you look back at it because we just didn't put the plays together to win the game. One or two plays can win a ballgame. You separate yourself from the other team with the big play."

Running Back Jerious Norwood
(on his first Egg Bowl)
"I had a lot of fun. It was like Pearl against Brandon but a little better. I had a lot of fun tonight, but I wish we could have won the game."

(on the season)
"I had fun this season. We didn't win as much as I wanted to, but I'm going to come back next season and try to make it a winning season for us. Everyone played hard this season, it's not like we weren't trying, it just didn't happen."

(on his performance and the inability to get the running game going)
"I had a couple of plays where one man was left to beat and he made the play. The coaches talked all week about the need for breaking tackles. I had some chances and it just seemed like they always made the play."

OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE POSTGAME QUOTES
Opening Comments
"It was an emotional week, playing your two biggest rivals in a five-day period. I was impressed with the way our players took it upon themselves to get their focus back on Sunday. This was a hard fought game. Mississippi State played extremely well. We are happy and fortunate to get the win. I am excited for our seniors to have a chance to play in a bowl game. I saw them in the locker room after the game, and they were talking about going bowling. I told them we didn't know yet what bowl is in our future, but we do know we will be playing in a bowl."

"It's been an emotional season. When we went to Baton Rouge I thought we would win. I've never seen a team more ready to win. I saw a tremendous transformation from there to the practice field this week. They really wanted to work."

"Our kids hung in there and fought hard. We were able to put some pressure on their quarterback. That interception at the end of the game was huge."

On The Fans
"Our fans were a significant part of the game. They set a great tone for the game, especially being there in warm-ups. They hung there in with us until the end. I can't say enough about the fans."

Quarterback Eli Manning
"Eli didn't throw at all on Sunday. He is not close to100 percent. Certain throws were difficult, and you could see it. I didn't know how the cold weather was going to affect him. I kept talking to him to see if he felt ok. He had trouble gripping the ball. Thank goodness he has a few days to get better now. He is a gutsy player."

OLE MISS DEFENSIVE PLAYER QUOTES
MATT GRIER
"It was a big win for us. They are our in-state rival, and we needed this win to go to a bowl game. It was a big game."

On Bowl Game
"I've never been to a bowl game before, so it's going to be something new to me. I am very enthused about it. It's nice to look forward to."

Game-Ending Interception
"I was playing my regular coverage. I saw the ball tipped up in the air. I went and grabbed it. I was supposed to get down, but I didn't see anybody in front of me. I didn't see the guys coming from the side, and I dropped it. Fortunately we recovered it."

VON HUTCHINS
On Interception
"We were in man-to-man coverage. My receiver went in motion. I read the route. He got his hand on the ball, but I just took it away from him."

Almost Interception on the Goal Line
"We watched a lot of film and saw that in that certain formation they were going to run a bubble and a slant. I was laying off my man and I jumped the slant route. (Kevin) Fant threw it right to me. If the ball hadn't been tipped, I would have taken it to the house."

On Playing Cornerback Now
"I am just glad to be back on the field. For about three or four games I couldn't do much with my hand. The coaches decided to put me out on the island and move Travis Blanchard inside for his tackling ability so that I could better use my speed. It all worked out for the best."

EDDIE STRONG
"I feel like we played well. There were a couple of times during the game when we thought things were getting out of hand. We were able to control things and get the win."

On Winning The Egg Bowl
"It feels good. The seniors really wanted this and the underclassmen wanted to give it to the seniors. We were able to work together and bring the Egg Bowl home.

On His Career
"It was a good experience. I love all the Ole Miss people. Everybody is a family and real close. I really learned a lot, and I am glad that I came and that we finished the regular season on a positive note."

OLE MISS OFFENSIVE POSTGAME QUOTES
Chris Collins
(On his first TD catch)
"We knew coming into the game that the Mississippi State players would be fired up. The first TD was really big because it gave us momentum. Our guys did what they had to do. Eli made a great pass and I out-ran the defenders."

(On his second TD catch)
"They were in man-to-man coverage, and the offensive line did a good job keeping their blocks. I put a move on the defender and Eli threw the perfect pass. We knew their cornerbacks were young and inexperienced, and we were able to make a couple of big plays.

(On tonight's game)
"Everybody played hard tonight. Even though State did not have a conference win, we didn't want to let our guard down and let them sneak one in on us."

Ronald McClendon
(On establishing the running game)
"We knew Eli was a little banged up coming into the game. We had to be able to run the ball so the defense wouldn't stack the line against the pass. Our offensive line did a great job, and Tremaine (Turner) and I were able to make a few big plays."

(On the turning point in the game)
"Our defensive backs really stepped up tonight. Von (Hutchins) is doing a great job playing corner. We came out with a lot of intensity on defense."

(On the bowl picture)
"It will be great to have the opportunity to play in a bowl. This is my first year at Ole Miss, and it's great that these good things are happening. This year was a great experience for me and I'm glad it's not over."

Jason Armstead
(On his punt returns)
"All year long we've been running up the middle. This week our game plan was to run out wide and try to utilize my speed. Our guys set a good wall, and I was able to get to the outside and put our team in good field position to score."

Eli Manning
(On TD passes to Collins)
"We knew we had to set them up for a big play. We caught them in man-to-man coverage and I was able to hit Chris on both plays. Chris ran his routes hard and made the big plays."

(On his injured elbow)
"I wasn't able to throw the ball like I normally do, but once I got into rhythm, I was able to deliver the ball. We ran the ball well tonight, and our guys stepped up and made my job easier.

(On playing against MSU's Kevin Fant)
"We knew this was going to be a big game. I know Kevin and he's a really good guy. This game wasn't an individual competition, but we both knew we had to make big plays for our teams to win. He's a really good player, but they just came up a little short tonight.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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