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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Press Conference: 10.06
10/6/2014 | Football
Ole Miss football head coach Hugh Freeze and senior quarterback Bo Wallace met with the media Monday to discuss the third-ranked Rebels' upcoming road game against No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday (ESPN, 8 p.m. CT).
Head Coach Hugh Freeze
Opening statement...
"Someone said last week that very few things are worthwhile in life that occur individually. That's a very good statement for what occurred here last weekend. It was a collective effort from our fans, our administration, our marketing people, everyone that had everything to do with GameDay occurring. It's something that we'll remember for many, many years to come. It's very important that I say it did not happen because of individuality. It was a collective, Ole Miss family. Obviously, our players deserve tremendous credit for executing the game plan and for fighting, battling and continuing to believe, even when adversity hit. I'm extremely proud of everything that occurred last Saturday on our campus. I wanted to make sure that everyone hears that it was a collective effort. There are so many to thank on this campus, and I don't get a chance to always do that. It was an exciting day. It was big for our university and our football program. I'm very, very pleased, after watching the film, of a lot of things. We gathered our team yesterday and talked to them about the truth, the good and the bad. You don't get to enjoy the great victories very long in this profession. You have to move on to another very difficult challenge in going to a very difficult place to play at Texas A&M. I'm sure they're hungry to get back on the field and get ready to compete again. Kevin (Sumlin) has done a great job there. It's one of the most explosive offenses that you'll face, with one of the better offensive lines in the country. Their defense, up until last week, has definitely improved. I know it'll be a tall, tall task for us to go down there on a Saturday evening and come away with a win. It's certainly exciting to be in that arena and have a chance to prove, again, that we're improving as a program. After reviewing the film on Sunday, I've decided to suspend Trae Elston for the first half of the A&M game as a result of his action on a play in the second quarter of the Alabama game. I informed the SEC office of my decision, and they indicated to me this morning that there would be no further action taken. We want our players to uphold our values at all times. We'll move forward from it. Trae is a good kid. He made a bad decision. He understands that that's not the way we want to go about things. I don't think there was any intent to injure or hurt. It's very unfortunate that it happened on a play where a young man suffered an injury. Our thoughts are with him because that was a difficult injury."
On who starts in place of Trae Elston…
"We have to go to work on it. We're thin in the secondary, particularly at safety with the injuries of Tee (Shepard), Carlos (Davis) and Chief (Brown). I met with the defensive guys this morning. We'll look into that. We've got David Kamara and maybe C.J. Moore or C.J. Hampton. Mike Hilton is a guy we've moved everywhere back there that's another possibility. I'm not exactly sure how that will shake out. It will certainly be a challenge because of the offense that they run."
On handling success …
"We always talk to our kids about the enemies of success or failure. They both can be your ally or they both can be a hindrance to the journey that you're on. Our kids have been pretty good about handling the process. The last couple of years we've had some difficult losses, two in particular to the team we are playing this Saturday. Our kids typically have bounced back. Hopefully that's because they follow the leadership of this team. I think our young men have developed some leadership within the locker room that helps us. I think they'll continue to be hungry and want to compete. That's really not a big worry of mine because of the schedule we face. There are really good teams in this conference that can beat you at any given moment. We've got to play a very good football game to win every game that's left on our schedule in this deal. They'll be fine in that regard."
On fans storming the field…
"When there are huge wins, there is so much emotion in that with so many people who have such passion for their universities and programs that that has been something that's occurred through the history of this sport. I do think there comes a point in your program where there's a way to celebrate the right way. Hopefully moving forward, we remain at the level we experienced Saturday where it's the new normal, (rather) than something that we have to do every time a big game is won. It was great to experience. Moving forward, I agree with Ross (Bjork), there's a time and place for everything. Hopefully that's not what we have to do all the time. It was pretty exciting Saturday."
On confidence at cornerback position and replacing Elston at safety…
"Both of those (Cliff Coleman and Kendarius Webster) have played very well. You also have Derrick Jones and Kailo (Moore). We have a little more depth at corner than we do at safety. Obviously, Mike (Hilton) has been pretty solid at that position. I'm not saying it's going to be Mike. I just know that he has the understanding of what we do over there having two previous years there to be able to slide around and help us at different spots."
On Aaron Morris and other injuries…
"Aaron's ankle - we dealt with that the last week - was just tender. That's part of it. We had some bumps and bruises and a few groins and things, but I don't anticipate anybody being out that hasn't already been out. Aaron will push through it best he can."
On the challenge of facing Texas A&M…
"It's one of the more difficult places to play in this nation. I know that they'll be hungry to get back out. Their offense does a really good job, and they have great players everywhere. Their defense is very athletic and has been pretty solid throughout the course of the year. It's going to be a great challenge. They're arguably one of the top-15 or top-10 programs in the nation right now. It's going to be a tremendous challenge playing in that environment against a talented team."
On offensive line taking over in fourth quarter against Alabama…
"Our offensive line has gotten better. It's very hard to move the ball consistently on that defense. We made plays when we had to. Our offensive line played pretty solid for most of the game. I'm really pleased with us making plays in the fourth quarter that provided the victory."
On how the Alabama game affects recruiting…
"It helped us for sure with a lot of kids. Time passes and I don't know how much that really affects it in February. It certainly did not hurt. It helped us with a lot of kids. We had some great players here. I think they all left here with a very positive feeling about what's going on here."
On Texas A&M's offense…
"They haven't changed much in the pass game or the tailback run game. They had very few designed runs for (Johnny) Manziel, but he created a lot with his legs. It's a little different. Their quarterbacks are still athletic, but it's not like defending him in the run, where you always worry about if you have a spy for him. I don't know that that will be as big a part of the game plan. The system itself has really not changed."
On kickers Andrew Fletcher and Gary Wunderlich…
"We're going to have some competition this week. Andy Pappanastos will be involved in it, also. It's a bit early to tell on that, but we'll battle it out and continue to see. Gary (Wunderlich) hit a big field goal for us. I think he has a chance to earn the spot. We'll go throughout the week and make that decision."
On Ole Miss and Mississippi State being tied for third in AP Poll…
"They're deserving. I think we're deserving. Will we be deserving three weeks from now? Who knows? It was a great day for the state of Mississippi for sure."
On playing A&M close the past two years…
"I have a vivid memory of both of those. Fourth-and-half-a-yard that probably could have iced the game the first year, and he (Manziel) gets it in his hands and makes every play he has to to win the game for them. Last year, we gave them too much time on the clock. He was able to drive down and get the field goal to beat us. They were difficult for sure. Our kids bounced back nicely, probably better than the coaches, but they were difficult."
On Leigh Anne Tuohy stopping to pick up Michael Oher…
"I don't know that that has a lot to do with the program now. I think that certainly was a great act by them and what they did for Michael Oher, for sure. He's dear to me and dear to my family. So much time has passed since he left and I left as an assistant that I'm not sure. We still use it in recruiting for sure. We're glad that the Tuohy's are a big part of our family here. I'm not sure how much that has to do with what's going on on the field right now. It didn't hurt."
On whether visibility on Mississippi makes it easier to recruit…
"Anytime you're in the national spotlight, it makes your name better in homes. The things that happened Saturday within our state certainly helped us get in the game with kids. Whether that alone will allow us to land more kids, I don't know. It certainly gets you in the game."
On Texas A&M's defense…
"Last week, they struggled some. They're more athletic for sure. They're younger at some spots, but they're very athletic. During the South Carolina game, they looked really, really talented. They gave up some big plays but no consistent drives, really. That's kind of been the theme until last week. They have a difficult stretch of games, too. I kind of experienced that last year. They had three games away from home in a row. That can take a toll on you. A lot of people don't take that into factor. It matters. It does affect you."
Senior Quarterback Bo Wallace
On offensive line in the fourth quarter…
"They definitely gave me time to throw. It's one of the best jobs they've done since I've been here. We just stepped up in the fourth quarter, really. The receivers made plays; Vince (Sanders) and Jaylen (Walton). It was really a fourth quarter comeback victory."
On the coaches' decision to continue to run the ball…
"I didn't really think about it as them running the ball a lot or anything like that. I was on the same page with the coaches most of the time. Jaylen, in the second half, was running hard and getting a lot of yards deep into the fourth quarter. He did a tremendous job. Nothing really surprised me."
On having two close losses to Texas A&M the last two years…
"It's going to be a huge challenge going there. They have one of the most hostile environments in college football. We've had guys that have played at 'Bama and at LSU. We'll be prepared for that. At the end of the day, this is what it's all about. We're right in the thick of things in the SEC West. Going on the road to a hostile environment is why you go to school here."
On what stands out about previous losses to Texas A&M…
"Just the disappointment of driving the ball down and scoring and end up getting beat. You definitely remember that. We're a different team. We're a different offense and defense. We'll get to work on them and hopefully come out and play well."
On running for 11 carries against Alabama…
"I haven't really been keeping the zone read in the early games. I knew with it being a 2:30, CBS game against 'Bama I was going to have to put my body on the line. I thought about it all week. I knew I was going to run the ball as much as I could. I was able to get a couple of five, six, seven yard runs."
On Texas A&M's defense…
"I haven't watched them. I just got out of class. As soon as I get done with this, I'll start watching them."
On difficulty putting Alabama win behind him…
"It's not (difficult). Like I said, we're right in the thick of things. At this point, we control our own destiny. We can be one of the top teams in the country. We now know what we thought we already knew. We know that we can compete with any team in the country. Now it's just getting to work and making sure take everyday as an opportunity to get better."
On having success running the ball…
"I've definitely tried to protect myself more this year. I don't think that's kept me from keeping a zone read or anything like that. I've definitely tried to protect myself. We're about to get in the meat of things. We have a chance to do something special. I'm going to have to be smart but also put my body on the line."
