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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Mississippi State
11/22/2018 | Football
Mississippi State 35, Ole Miss 3
| OLE MISS HEAD COACH MATT LUKE |
"I am really disappointed for the seniors. They've been through a lot and I hate for them to go out this way. I am grateful for those guys. Several guys came back that had opportunities to leave and they didn't. I am just really, really grateful for those guys. As we move forward and move out of these sanctions, start going to recruit, and build this thing to get it back on track, I think those guys will have pride in knowing that they helped keep this thing together. The message going forward is that it is time to go recruit and get this thing back to full strength."
On the battle at the lines of scrimmage:
"I felt like we would compete along the lines of scrimmage. The turnovers got away from us early and we had a chance to make some big plays but we had a couple of drops. Give them credit because they played well defensively."
On the fight:
"I know that it started when A.J. (Brown) scored, something happened in the far end zone. It got out of control and I was trying to get everybody off of the field."
On Jordan Ta'amu's injury:
"Jordan, on the first fumble, dislocated his finger. We taped it up, he came back, but he just couldn't go. We put Matt (Corral) in as they taped it up for one drive in the first half. He (Ta'amu) struggled to throw it when he came back so we put Matt back in."
On Corral's performance:
"That was a really good defense to go against. He came right in and made a big play to Lodge right off the bat. He didn't look intimidated or scared, he was going around and making plays. He will just continue to get better. He is going to be the quarterback of the future and we are really excited about him."
On the state of the program:
"It's a work in progress. When you are down scholarships and with all of the things that have happened, we are just trying to recruit and get this thing back to full strength. We'll continue to get better and continue to build that tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar football team that is what we want to get to. Nights like this will motivate them."
On the lack of big plays:
"Early there, we missed one to Elijah (Moore) and one to (DeMarkus) Lodge. We had another opportunity to Lodge at the end zone and they kind of took it away from him. Then A.J. (Brown) made one, so they were there to be made, we just kind of got out of sync. But they are a good defense so you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get because you aren't going to get many."
On what to work on in the offseason…
"I think in terms of numbers, recruiting to get back to full strength. Getting guys that are injured back and to full strength so you get your numbers. I think that is the best way to improve."
On Scottie (Phillips') health…
"He tried but he just couldn't go. We were hoping that he would be able to go but he wasn't himself. And Sean Rawlings pre-game couldn't really push off so those were similar situations."
| OLE MISS TIGHT END DAWSON KNOX |
"They're definitely pretty strong up front. They ran some stunts that were hard to block. They've got some good D-ends who are athletic and were moving around. They did a pretty good job."
On the fight:
"Emotions just got the best of our guys. We've got to be smarter than that. Obviously, this is a rivalry game and everyone is pretty hyped up going into it. We just have to be smarter."
On coming back after the TD being called back:
"It was definitely frustrating. We at first didn't really know what was going on with the clock expiring. It was a hit to our offense, because that was kind of the first big, explosive play we had. That set us back a step. We came back out there trying to do the same thing again, we just couldn't get our feet back under us."
On his NFL Draft prospects:
"I don't really have an answer for you on that yet. Now that the season is over, I can really focus on making a decision. I'll be visiting with my family and a bunch of different people who I trust will advise me the right way. I'll be making a decision here in about a month or so."
On the red zone offense:
"I don't have an opinion on that. We have a good scheme going into every game. We'll check it out on film again. I've never questioned Coach Longo or Coach Luke with their play calling. It's a combination of us not executing and a bunch of different things."
| OLE MISS DEFENSIVE TACKLE JOSIAH COATNEY |
"They're a great team, like I said a previous day, we just had to make plays, to be physical and strong at the point of attack. We had some good drives, some good three and outs but to be a great defense in the SEC you've got to put it all together with more consistency."
On improving for next year on defensive side of the ball:
"We just need to keep grinding, keep improving when guys get older get more mature. I know we've got a lot of young guys playing, a lot of guys injured. A lot of guys stepped up who didn't think they'd be playing a lot that hadn't played before. Coach will go out and recruit to bring in some guys to help us. There is definitely a bright future for this program."
On the fight:
"I'm not going to lie, I was on the bench. My energy was in the game. It's a rivalry so things happen. You never encourage a fight in those games, that's not the way to go, but it's just a rivalry everything gets heated."
On the mood after the touchdown taken away:
"We knew we had to go back to work no matter what. The game's still going on, we still have time on the clock so we had to do whatever we need to do put it in the end zone and get another stop."
On this season:
"There were a lot of close games. We'll go into the offseason knowing that we have to be more disciplined throughout the whole game. A lot of games came down to the fourth quarter and we didn't end up getting the win. Coach McGriff tells us, if you want to be at the next level and be an elite team you have to prepare, you've got to lift, you've got to get stronger. You have to develop mentally, physically. It' not just about physical, a lot of people are physical it's all about mental preparation things like that. Teams like Alabama, LSU, playing in the SEC west, it's a tough division so we need guys who are going to come in, guys who are already here, just to mature up, get ready mentally just as much as physical."
On being a senior next year:
"We just need leadership at every position, every part of the team. It can't just be with one person, we've got to play with everybody. Next year we'll be able to go to a bowl and really contend the way we want to, this year just to learn a lesson, no one wants to lose like this, especially a rivalry game. We just have to piece everything together just to move on in the future."
| MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD COACH JOE MOORHEAD |
"Obviously we are very proud of our football program, both players and coaches. We challenged them on a short week to take advantage of our practice opportunities and earn the right to take the field with confidence. We talked about showing our emotions without being emotional, but at the end of the day, how hard we played and how well we executed would determine the outcome of the game. I thought in all three phases, offense, defense and special teams, we played with great physicality and effort executing at a pretty high level. We certainly want to thank the fans of Mississippi State for getting indoctrinated into this game. Knowing what this means to the people in Starkville, our students, our alumni, the state of Mississippi and our team, I am proud to be standing here taking the trophy back to Starkville."
On the game plan for running the ball:
"We wanted to establish our physicality at the line of scrimmage and be able to run the ball with Kyle, Aires and Nick. I thought we were able to do that and move the ball well. We had some timely pass completions in the red zone."
On the way the defense played:
"It is unbelievable to hold them to 189 yards and 3 points. I have watched these guys throughout the season as we are going through other opponents. We have Ole Miss in the breakdown of explosive plays in the run game and the pass game. Coach Longo does a great job with them. For us to be able to do what we did defensively speaks volumes. Not only in this game but throughout the entire season."
On the touchdown before the half:
"It gave us a lot of momentum knowing we were going to get the ball to start the second half. They had great protection in man to man coverage. We did a good job of getting the guy spun and Nick put it on him. It was a 90 yard drive and a good way for us to head into the locker room going up 21-3."
| MISSISSIPPI STATE QUARTERBACK NICK FITZGERALD |
"It felt great honestly, it really did. To go through something like that your junior year, and luckily, I had some time to come back for a whole other season. It felt amazing to know the people that kind of caused it and getting to go to their house and you get to dominate them on their field in front of their fans, it was huge."
On executing game plan:
"Yeah, I think from the start we were going to run inside zone and run the ball straight at them 'til they stopped it. Definitely wanted to throw the ball around a little bit, but our main goal was to dominate the line of scrimmage, and just pound it up the middle as much as we could. I think we did a pretty good job of that."
On the ups and downs of the season:
"Absolutely, it's definitely been a roller coaster. A lot of that happened a whole lot during the year. It feels great knowing that we won the Egg Bowl and finish out the season strong and go out and get great bowl experience. You never envision your senior year to kind of go up and down like it has this year, but I learned a lot."
| MISSISSIPPI STATE CORNERBACK MAURICE SMITHERMAN |
"It was a big chip on my shoulder, you know, all week. Coach Bob (Shoop) preached how Ole Miss was the best in the conference, so we're going to get out there and show them what we're made of. We feel like we're the best DBs in the conference. We just went out there and did our thing."
On what winning the Egg Bowl in this manner means:
"I can't even explain it. It was remarkable you know. This team has been doubted all year, to come back and finish the way we did, going positive and going to a great bowl game. It was great for us."
On his interception at the goal line:
"(DaMarkus Lodge) kind of beat me off the line. You know I was trying to recover and I saw him, I was grabbing at his arm. He just went up for the ball and I just took it out of his hands."
