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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Hugh Freeze Weekly Press Conference
10/12/2015 | Football
Watch HereOle Miss Football Head Coach Hugh Freeze met with the media Monday to discuss the Rebels' Homecoming victory over New Mexico State as well as the upcoming game at No. 22 Memphis (11:00 a.m. CT, ABC).
Opening Statement...
"There were a lot of good things on the film. There is a saying around here, 'you prepare for opportunities, even if they don't come.' It's always a good thing when you see kids that have prepared for opportunities and performed well. That was the case in a lot of areas. I thought we were much better on third down after the first two drives. Defensively, offensively, we had a good day on third down. There were some explosive plays on both sides. We have a lot of things to clean up still to continue to improve. The big thing that I stressed last week and will continue to stress this week is focusing on each play. They have a life of their own. Do your assignment and your job to the best of your ability with great enthusiasm on that given play, and we'll see at the end of four quarters if that was good enough. We had to move a few people around due to injuries, and I was fairly pleased with that. I thought Terry Caldwell and C.J. Hampton had solid games. Mike Hilton is a solid football player as we all already knew. We play an outstanding football team in Memphis. I know the excitement level and enthusiasm that they have around their program right now. We experienced some of that. That is credited to their players, their coaching staff and their administration. It is a quality football team. They are playing with great confidence. They have what a lot of us desire in a sound, good quarterback. He's one of the better ones I've seen on film. He takes care of the ball and puts it where it needs to go. He can make all the throws. He's a very talented kid with really good players around him. So it is going to be a challenge for us. Hopefully we can get our team a bit healthier this week and be ready for a very difficult challenge in Memphis Saturday.
On an update for Laremy Tunsil…
"All I have been told is that we hope to get an answer early this week. I've been told that the last couple of weeks. I think there is some confidence that we may get some type of answer this week sometime."
On what they can take away from the Florida game to help them this week against an undefeated team on the road…
"We played Alabama when they were undefeated, and Florida, now Memphis. To me, that is good for your resume building if you can have success on the road. Playing undefeated teams on the road, there is no question there is an experience factor that comes with that we need to draw upon. Some good and some bad. So there are some things we can take from our previous road trips into Saturday's game."
On the Memphis offense…
"Justin has always been a good offensive coach. They game plan very well. They have a very good quarterback that allows them to do a lot of things, and their scheme is very sound. There are a lot of moving parts to it. It's very similar to what we do in some areas, and it's also a bit different. THey have good coaches, good players, and a good scheme. With a confidence that they have, there is no question that they are one of the better offenses in the country right now."
On the punt return game…
"We've got to improve there. The number one goal of your punt return unit is to have the football. Too many times this year, it hasn't been the case. It's been a mixture of things, and we're going to mix a few people back there also, but Carlos (Davis) needs to regain his confidence. He needs to take control of the unit on those rugby-style kicks. He needs to be emotional about where the ball is and what's going on. We've got to coach that better and get his confidence back. The punt return game, there is very little against these spread punt formations, especially against the rugby style. The coverage units are going to be there. There are few quality punt returns in our game in that regard. Kick return, we need to execute better. We're evaluating our plans weekly, but we have not been a very good unit in that regard."
On how he makes sure the team has early success…
"Hopefully, I do a better job than I did at Florida. We need to make sure we feel really good about those first few calls, and that our kids feel confident again. It doesn't mean it is going to work, because they are coaching and game planning too, and you're not exactly sure what you are going to see. But hopefully, we have a few successful plays early to get us started right. Defensively, we need to win third downs. We have to do that against a team that isn't going to turn the ball over. That's not what they do. They take care of the ball; they don't turn it over. It would be great if you could force them. You can't count on it, but you have to find a way to win and get off the field on third down so you can get our offense more possessions and keep their offense on the sidelines."
On Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch…
I thought he was really good last year also. We were playing with great confidence on the defensive side at that time. I think we were a pretty good unit. We were giving people a lot of problems. Has he improved? Of course he has. I would assume, I don't know him personally, but he strikes me as the type of player that spends the time in preparing that you should to play that position. He understands where the ball needs to go, the timing of the routes that they are calling, and he has a great understanding of what they don't need to do. You don't see him taking many chances or forcing it into coverage as he's getting hurries, or throwing late balls in the flat. He has an understanding, and he's taking care of the ball. With his arm strength and skills, it makes for a pretty good guy to have back there."
On the injury updates for the team…
D.J. (Jones) is going through the concussion protocol. You never know how that is going to go. Evan (Ingram) is day-to-day. He did not practice yesterday. Today is our day off. We will see how he does tomorrow. I do expect to get Justin Bell back this week as well as (Damore'ea) Stringfellow, and Jaylen Walton is back. (Robert) Conyers is day-to-day."
On what the game means to both fan bases…
"Every game from this point on our schedule, our fan base is excited. They live and die by our football programs. Every week is a roller coaster, so to speak. From play to play, from game to game, that explains the passion that their fans and our fans have, and the passion around college football. It means a lot. They work together; they live together. A lot of friends on both sides, I'm sure. It would give us bragging rights for the next 365 days or so until we play again. It means a lot to both fan bases, and I have a clear understanding of that.
On what it would mean to see a lot of Ole Miss fans in Memphis...
"I sure hope our people show up. I'm not sure how the tickets work out. I stay in my lane; I don't get into all that. But I hope every Rebel fan that can get a ticket to this game can because we need them there. For it to not totally feel like a road game would be great for us, so I sure hope all of our people (show up), and I know we have great fans and great support. I look forward to seeing a lot of those guys in the stands on Saturday."
On other possible position changes, and how he felt of the changes made in the secondary…
"I think that's it. We may try Markell (Pack) and Tony Bridges back there (punt return), but I think that's it. I think we'll stick with the positions that we had last week. I thought C.J. (Hampton) had a solid game. Mike Hilton had a solid game. Those were the two DB changes. I thought they played solid.
On the importance of communication on defense because of the moving parts of the Memphis offense…
"It will be critical. We didn't have a whole lot of that going on Saturday to really test us. There's no question that with the open week before us, and with their schemes, there will be a lot of moving parts that you have to get adjusted too. That will be critical."
On whether Laremy Tunsil will start immediately if he becomes eligible…
"Absolutely!"
On the energy in practice, and what he's doing to get that out of his players and staff…
"I am just being who I naturally am more. Every team, you have to judge if they are going to play with great confidence, and are they going to pay attention to the details that you know will impact winning or losing on any given play. And I have been more outgoing with being demanding. I can be a bit overboard with that, as I'm sure most coaches can. But I just thought last week was a week they really needed to see that. When you lose a game in life, or you lose a battle in work, or you lose a football game, I think there are two different responses. You have to evaluate why you didn't succeed, and to me it was a time to say the expectations weren't being lived up to. Whether or not we won or lost, but whether we gave ourselves a chance to succeed. I've got a demand that it gets done by our players and coaches, and I just did it in a different way last week. Every week is different. I'll get a feel for how things are going later this afternoon, if they come around, then tomorrow for sure."
On the pressure that comes from success…
"I think it depends on how you define pressure. I really believe that pressure is self-inflicted. I know there are people in college football that want to put pressure on you because they want success so bad. Sometimes, when you want something so bad, it can change the way you deal with things. I would rather take the approach of being the best I can be to impact these kids, the program, and the people around it. Hopefully, that is good enough for success. But I don't have to define myself or my staff by what people say or by what the scoreboard says. I think you have to keep that internalized and really define yourself by a set of standards. There are some folks, and that is how they define themselves. I'm not saying that is right or wrong. Do I want to win more than people? No. More than I show around my wife and kids, probably. But you have to say, 'what are you going to define yourself by?', and you have to stay true to that, or you will have some internal issues and be all over the play. You'll be on roller coaster rides. There's a temptation for me to go down there every now and then, but I have good people around me and strong faith to stay in my lane and stay focused on what I want to be known for, by my core values and who I am."
On Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, and his height as an advantage…
"It is a definite advantage. Anytime you can get a quarterback that has vision, whether it is gaps through the offensive line or not, anytime you have a quarterback like that, it is a definite advantage. Obviously, it isn't the only thing he does well, but that is a good gift to have. The guy is completing 70 percent or so of his passes, and his vision is a big part of that."
