Sept. 24, 2001
KENTUCKY VS. MISSISSIPPI
FOOTBALL PRESS CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2001
WILDCAT DEN
Head Coach Guy Morriss
On Ole Miss: “They’ve had three weeks to prepare for us and they’ll definitely have some wrinkles up their sleeve. My last experience with them they didn’t struggle very much (Ole Miss 35, Kentucky 17, Sept. 30, 2000).”
On QB Eli Manning: “He obviously has the great bloodline and all the tools it takes to be a great quarterback. I haven’t had a chance to watch a lot of film on him yet but he’s a good one and we’ll have to put pressure on him or he can hurt us.”
On Ole Miss defense: “The only difference from last year is that they are using a three-man front instead of a four. They are still getting comfortable in their defensive schemes as they have a new defensive coordinator – they are similar to us in that aspect.
On last year’s 35-17 loss in Oxford, Miss.: “For some reason we went to Oxford a little overconfident and they got after us. Our kids were somewhat embarrassed after the game. That game pretty much let the wind out of our sails and we really couldn’t get it going from there on.”
On team attitude after 44-10 loss to Florida: “We came off the field thinking we can hang with the teams like Florida. We studied the tapes and were able to see times when we didn’t take advantage of opportunities. There was technical stuff – screens run the wrong way, a wrong angle on a block, a step here or there – just some small things that didn’t enable us to take advantage of some big opportunities that were created.”
On technical mistakes: “We are seeing some that are being repeated but we are asking our kids to do a lot more. The more they get comfortable in what we are teaching them, the better we’ll be able to execute. We’ve asked our receivers to study and learn coverage schemes, our quarterback needs to read coverages and use audibles.”
On offensive improvement: “Offensively it takes time – it’s a long-term investment. We’ve given them more tools and a nice variety of weapons to get it done. We just need to keep getting them reps so they become more comfortable with executing what we’re teaching them. Lat year, we were always in a right formation, that cuts your playbook in half. Our kids are learning the other side as well, it’s going to take some time, but we’re getting closer, a lot closer.”
On play makers: “Right now Derek Abney has been our most productive receiver. He’s shown signs of picking it up and Ernest Simms is coming along, he’s understanding what we need out of his position. Derek is getting a feel for the long ball and Ernest has the speed but we just have to get the ball to him. Some of it is freshman growing pains in our quarterback. Shane needs to learn that every play does not have to be a spectacular play and learn to take advantage of some things that are open underneath.
On RB Chad Scott: “Chad has a high ankle sprain and will be out for four weeks. It’s a possibility that he might redshirt, I don’t know yet. In his absence, Martez Johnson and Artose (Pinner) will split the load in the backfield.”
LB Chris Gayton
On the Florida game: “We’ll just have to bounce back from that loss. Although we were defeated, we were able to see a lot of positive things in our playing. I thought we played really well in the first half. It gave us a lot of confidence.”
On potential: “We are real happy with the way things are going right now. There’s no end to how much better we can get. We have great coaches, great athletes and a great scheme for how to make this team be successful.”
TE Chase Harp:
“(The offense) is more precise than it was in the past. It’s more of a pro-style offense. It’s more than just finding grass. Things have to be done right and everyone has to be on the same page. We are trying to re-train ourselves. We are trying different things at practice. We are hitting now. We have a whole new running game. It is going to take time. Change isn’t always easy, but I think if we keep working, (the offense) will get better.”
“A lot of our routes in this offense are based upon what someone else is doing. You can’t just stop because you’re open. That’s disrupting someone else’s pattern.”
DE Dennis Johnson
On the team’s defensive improvement: “We made some big plays (against Florida). Players are starting to believe we can play with teams like Florida. We still made some mistakes, but we can improve. We are definitely getting better.”
On Coach Goodner and his staff: “Coach Goodner and his staff have given us a lot of confidence. His schemes are beneficial to the people we have playing.”
On the mood of the team: “We are excited. We want to play and enjoy practices. We don’t want the games to end. We have confidence that we will continue to get better, and that makes it more enjoyable.”
On playing against a smart quarterback like Eli Manning vs. playing against one who is jittery and unsure: “It a lot better for the line because he (the quarterback) will think out his actions and possibly stay in the pocket longer looking for receivers. That may not be better for the backs who have to maintain their coverage, but for the line, it can give us more time to apply pressure.”
OG Josh Parrish
On the Florida game: “We were pretty frustrated. We saw a lot of good things in our play. But there were a lot of little things we did wrong. If we could’ve not made those mistakes and played our normal game, we would have been right in it.”
On Ole Miss: “Last year we were really confident going into the Mississippi game. We had just scored a lot of points against Florida and our confidence was high. And they shocked us. We’ll make sure we’re mentally prepared.”
WR Ernest Simms
On the team improving: “I can see improvement. As long as we go out there with everyone on the same page, we will win. We feel we have great coaches and we have to believe. We bought into the new system, and it just takes time to pull everything together.”
LB Jamal White:
On the Florida game: “It felt good to be out there. I was excited to be out there with all of my teammates, even though we didn’t come away with a victory. I was happy just to be out there and to finally get after the ball.”
On his performance: “I thought I played well and Coach Goodner was happy with the way I played. I wish we could have gotten a victory.”
On his role: “I feel I can make plays and help us both athletically and with the senior leadership. I just want to be out there and have fun.
On Ole Miss: “They were a good team last year and this year we are expecting the same thing. They have a good quarterback in Eli Manning. We are going to come out and try and put some pressure on him and get to the ball as fast as we can.”
