Kentucky-South Carolina to be Televised
Head Coach Hal Mumme
On Ole Miss taking Arkansas’ spot on the schedule and the differences between the teams…
“From a defensive standpoint, they try to run the ball hard between the tackles just like Arkansas did. They have tremendous back in Deuce McAllister and a good quarterback in Romaro Miller. Defensively, Arkansas was a little more blitz oriented and a little bit more man coverage. These guys are more zone.”
On Ole Miss’ Deuce McAllister…
“This guy is a real big fella. They run him between the tackles. They like to pull guards and power run at you. He is the type of guy you can stop at the point of attack, and he will slide right off the pile and run 50 yards for a touchdown. So we really have to wrap him up. We definitely will have to keep the ball out of his hands (on special teams).”
On some of the good aspects of the game against Florida…
“One of the best things was how our young guys played in ‘The Swamp.’ I think they just did excellent. Other than those two throws, (Jared) Lorenzen had a great game. Chad Scott had a good game until he got hurt. Artose Pinner, except for those two fumbles, really came on. Our offensive line played pretty well, giving up only one sack. Our wide receivers played well overall. We had some dropped balls early which was disappointing, but sometimes it is just the nerves from playing in that place for the first time.”
On whether he was surprised how well the offense played…
“Like I’ve said all along, I think Lorenzen is further ahead than we thought he would be at this point. Chad Scott has given us a big lift. We are a bit ahead of where I thought we would be.”
On whether believes the offense can move the ball against any team because of its success against Florida…
“It is certainly a confidence builder. When you go into a game with as many young guys as we have early in the year, you’re not real sure. It’s like tossing the car keys to your kid for the first time. You tell him you will be waiting up for him to return. The more you do it, the easier it gets.”
On the performance of the offensive line…
“I think right there you can see some of the fruits of recruiting come to bear. Keith Chatelain has done a really nice job, and of course, Antonio Hall is a great recruit. We are deeper and just have better players.”
On the team’s injuries…
“Chad Scott and Chase Harp are questionable for this week. Chris Gayton is definitely out. Dennis Johnson is still week to week.”
On improving the defense…
“We just have to tackle better and go back to the basics. That is what we are doing today. I have been down there meeting with them and trying to see where can do better in a number of things. Last Saturday’s game, we had a good plan going in. We didn’t always execute when we got the guy surrounded. We didn’t tackle. We tended to let down a little bit in the second half when the game got out of hand. We can play much better. They’re good kids, and they want to win. We are just going to try to coach better, and I hope that will help them play better. I will take a more active role in the defense. The best analogy I can give is like last year when we had some receivers who had caught the ball before begin to drop the ball. All we really did was keep drilling on it and kept talking about it and just hope that they can get better. That is all you can really do. You just have to remain positive, keep the faith and keep working.”
On Jerry Claiborne…
“Jerry was a great football coach and a great man. He was very cordial to me. When I came to Kentucky was the first chance I got to know him. I am very sad, and our condolences to Faye and the rest of his family. There are not enough accolades you can say about him. He certainly was very gracious and kind to me. C.M. (Newton) always talked about, and Larry Ivy does too, that one of our goals is to have recognizable class. And that is what Jerry gave to Kentucky football.”
On Ole Miss’ defense…
“They have good athleticism. Athletically, they are a lot like Florida. Their safeties are big guys, and their corners play well. Ken Lucas may be the best corner in the league. Their defensive ends are very active.”
On playing after the loss to Florida…
“We’ll rebound. We have good kids and they play hard. Obviously, after losing a game like they did, they are going to take it hard. But we have to go play this week. This is the biggest game we’ve played all year. We really need to win this game to stay in the conference hunt. That was our goal coming in. They have to win this game to stay in the conference hunt, so they are in the same boat we are. It’s a huge football game.”
UK Players
 Sophomore Defensive End Otis Grigsby |
Otis Grigsby, Sophomore Defensive End
On the defense:
“We just have to get better at some things. I don’t see it as something that is not going to be able to be changed. It is not an insurmountable problem. We just have to go in, watch the films, get to practice and practice hard at improving, and we will be alright.”
“It is early in the season and the defense is still getting used to each other. You never know what is going to happen. This is something that we didn’t expect to happen, we didn’t want to happen, but you have to get by it, move on, and use that to get better.”
On UK leading the Southeastern Conference in sacks:
“One of our goals this year was to get more sacks, put more pressure on the quarterbacks and we want to stop the run. We are still working on stopping the run and we are confident we can do it. We don’t come into the game thinking ‘Oh no, we can’t stop the run.'”
 Sophomore TE Derek Smith |
Derek Smith, Sophomore Tight End
“The loss on Saturday was definitely a tough pill to swallow. It didn’t sit well with the team and I think we all felt like we could have done a couple of things better to come out of there with a win on Saturday, or at least give Florida a great game.”
“I am starting to forget about that game and get ready for Ole Miss, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from that game. It is just going to take another day or two. We aren’t going to sit around and mope about this all year long. We have other games to play and I think once we get in there and watch the films, and see what we did wrong, we will get a little better.”
 Junior Offensive Tackle Matt Brown |
Matt Brown, Junior, Offensive Tackle
On the play of the offensive line…,
“The offensive line is playing much better than we did last year, but there is always room for improvement. We are much stronger and have a better understanding of the offensive scheme.”
“We have all played together for a year now and everyone on the line is becoming more comfortable with each other. It is as if we know what the player beside us is going to do, and it shows. This season we have only given up a total of four sacks. Last year we gave up nine in one game against Florida.”
“Protecting Jared the way we have done so far this year gives us a sense of pride. Nobody wants to be the one to give up a sack or see Jared on the ground. We are working together and it has helped our improvement as a unit.”
 Senior Defensive End Matt Layow |
Matt Layow, Senior, Defensive End
On Deuce McAllister…
“I think he is a terrific back. He is big and really agile. His running style resembles that of Indiana’s Antaawn Randle El. We are going to devote a lot of practice time this week to containing him.”
Commenting on the importance of a victory…
“This is the biggest game of the year. We need to forget what happened last week and focus on the task at hand. We need to be aggressive and know our assignments on every play.”
 Freshman QB Jared Lorenzen |
Jared Lorenzen, Freshman, Quarterback
On the relationship between the offense and defense…
“Each game is a total team effort. Right now the offense is playing well and the defense is not clicking. We are waiting on everything to jell together. The defense is working hard and I know their play will come around. Coach Major will get the job done and we will become a complete unit.”
On the offensive line protection…
“They are playing great right now. I have a tremendous amount of confidence in them. They are stronger than ever and I know they will keep the defensive line out.”
On playing on the road…
“I love going on the road. The opposing fans are always trying to intimidate us and it creates a great atmosphere. I expect the crowd to be loud and obnoxious because that is their job. My job as a player is to block it all out and focus on winning the game.”
On his first SEC game…
“I learned a lot of valuable lessons that will help me this week and further down the road. The biggest adjustment I am going to have to make is realizing the amount of speed that defensive backs in this conference have. In high school I could pick teams apart, but now I am playing against guys that run 4.3 and 4.4 40-yard dashes. It’s a world of difference.”
