.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ed Orgeron's Weekly Press Conference
11/7/2006 | Football
Opening Comments
After watching the film we were really pleased with the play of Joshua Schene, Bruce Hall, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Mike Wallace. We thought Robert Hough had another good day at tight end. He's given us a lot of great effort of blocking. We're pleased with the progress of Maurice Miller on offense. I think he's becoming a really good offensive lineman. He's trying very hard for us.
On defense, we played well in spots. Obviously Patrick Willis and Rory Johnson played excellent again. We continue to get some improved play at SAM linebacker with Jamarca Sanford. We were very disappointed with our first drive, but we thought that after that we played pretty decent on defense.
We're looking forward to an open date. We're going to watch our film today. We'll practice Tuesday and Wednesday, and the guys will have the weekend off while we're going to go out recruiting.
Q: After ten weeks of games, what will it mean to these guys to finally get a chance to take a Saturday off?
A: I think it will be good for them. I think they need the time off to rest and come back energized for a strong finish. That's going to be our goal this season, to have a very strong finish. Obviously they need the time off. They need the time in the classroom, finish up some stuff they need to do and perhaps go home and see their parents.
Q: Recruiting wise, is this a good week to go out and watch Friday night football?
A: Yes, it's a week to do that. It's a week to see junior colleges play on Saturday. It's a week that I can finally go out. I have not been out recruiting, and I'm going to be out Thursday, Friday and Saturday, hitting as many schools as I can.
Q: Can you update the progress of Viciente DeLoach?
A: He's doing a fantastic job for us playing again at the LEO position and is playing very well. We hope for him to finish the season strong. He's been a pleasant surprise for us this year.
Q: Can you talk more about Maurice Miller and his maturity in staying with it when he didn't get to start?
A: I think he finished 440 in the weight room this summer. I think his workouts in the weight room have helped him control his weight a little bit, and his maturity level. I have to credit (offensive line) coach Art Kehoe and his ability to contact different guys and connect with different guys on the offensive line and get the most out of them. I think it's evident that you can see a veteran coach in Coach Kehoe and his coaching style to mold a cohesive unit like he has. A lot of coaches prepare their guys in a way that it doesn't matter what's going to happen, and Coach Kehoe is like that. Once a guy gets injured and another guy comes in you can't tell the difference, I think that's the style of a great coach.
Q: What players stand to benefit the most from this time off?
A: I think all of them will. I think we're going to work the young players the most. Guys like Patrick Willis and those guys are going to get a break. A couple of guys that have been playing most of the snaps and have nagging injuries are going to get a little break this week and they need it.
Q: Back to Maurice Miller, can you talk about his move out to tackle, and did you have any other options at that point?
A: We had a couple of options obviously, but he's athletic, and we thought he could play guard and play tackle and could learn and handle the speed of the game. He's done a good job.
Q: Is Dexter McCluster looking like he's going to be coming back?
A: Yes, he was weight-lifting this morning. We're going to see how the week goes, but hopefully he's going to be back for LSU.
Q: When will you and the other coaches start game planning for LSU?
A: Today. The film is already broken down, and we've already looked at the film. We started yesterday, and we'll start game planning for LSU.
Q: Any downtime for you and your coaches this week?
A: We'll be out recruiting Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so we won't have much downtime. We need to get it. We need to have a strong finish to our season. There won't be much rest for us. We need to go. Coaches don't need much rest anyway.
Q: Talk about the progress of Corey Actis from spring through today.
A: I'm really pleased with Corey, pleased with his attitude and his toughness. I thought it was a great challenge for Corey to play against the nose tackle for Auburn. They really were strong, well-coached players, and Corey had a great game against them. That really was a marquis game for him and to be able to have a center that can snap, step and single-block a nose tackle is a key in football, and that's one of the most improved parts of our football team this year. His attitude has been fantastic. His father was down here with him. His father is a line coach, kind of a tough guy from Fresno, and I met with him Sunday, and we're pleased with the progress of Corey.