University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Jeff Bower Press Conference Monday, Sept. 17, 2001
9/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jeff Bower Press Conference
Monday, Sept. 17, 2001
Opening Comments
It?s good to be playing a game this weekend. We need to play. We have been on this campus a long time just to be playing one game in five and a half weeks, pushing close to six weeks. We adjusted our plans with the events this past week, and I think the call for not playing the games was good. There were a lot of teams, logistically, that were having a hard time, getting to where to they needed to be, and safety was a concern. Most importantly, just out of respect for the victims and the rescue efforts from the tragedy that occurred, it was good not to play. I know our minds were elsewhere.
We had a good week last week. When we found out Thursday that we weren?t going to play, we took our players out for conditioning and gave them Friday and Saturday off. We came back Sunday and started our preparation for Louisiana-Lafayette. From an injury standpoint, not playing last Saturday gave some guys the opportunity to improve. LeRoy Handy came back better, and so did Kenny Johnson. I don?t really know the status for Dawayne Woods or Corey Yates for this game. That?s going to be a day-to-day situation. Corey did some work yesterday, individual work but no team work. I think a lot of that just depends on both of those guys and how fast they come along and mentally how well they feel.
On Injuries:
Kendrick Key hurt his knee. I?d say he?s probably not going to play. It was listed as an MCL sprain. There maybe some ACL damage. We don?t know for sure yet. We are waiting for the MRI to come back and find out where he is.
On Louisiana-Lafayette:
We need to have a good week and get ourselves ready to play in a place that?s always been tough. Over the years, I remember going down there where it is a difficult to place to play, and they always play well at home. They are 1-1 right now. They beat Nicholls State in a shutout for their opening game. Then, they got beat at Minnesota. This is a team, defensively, that has 10 starters back, and a lot of experience. They play hard and doing some good things. They really looked good against Nicholls State. I think, at times, they played well against Minnesota. Their defense was on the field a long time. I think Minnesota had the ball most of the game.
Offensively, they are really young there, particularly on the offensive line. Their quarterback can throw the ball. They are going to spread it out and mainly run out of a one-back set. They?ve got receivers who can make big plays. They?ve been pretty good in the kicking game. Their punt returner has done a really good job.
We?ve got to be ready to play. We?ve ought to be really hungry and ready to play hard and with a lot of effort and be a physical football team. I think that?s what it?s going to take. We have a lot of respect for that program. I know they have been in a rebuilding stage. They are playing with a lot of emotion and enthusiasm, and I think it?ll take a real good effort out of our players.
On if Buck Miciotto would slide in to Key?s position:
Buck Miciotto will replace Kendrick, and we will bring Jonas Taylor up from our scout team, who plays guard. Jimenez will not practice today. He dehydrated yesterday, so we are going to hold him out, but he will be okay.
On the player?s psyche right now with the effect of last week?s events:
I think mentally they are good. That?s probably something that football teaches. You have to deal with adversity. You got to learn from it and get back to work, get your mind on business, and go about your lives. We are remembering so many people who are involved in this and are not as fortunate as we are, but I think our players are mentally ready and in a good frame of mind. I think they are excited about playing.
On what the coaches did last weekend:
We recruited Friday. We originally planned to do that like we typically do every year when we play Alabama. We send all seven coaches to really concentrate on the Alabama area, evaluate and watch games. We had a real good day Friday, evaluating and seeing some players up there. Saturday, our defensive staff worked and the offense took off. On Sunday, the offensive staff worked and the defense took off.
It?s such a long year. One of the big heaves this year is mentally staying fresh. I think we have to be careful not overdoing it with our players. I don?t know what?s going to happen with the Alabama game. It is going to be rescheduled. There?s a possibility it?ll be played Dec. 7th or the 8th, which will add on another week to an already long year. So we just felt like, with our players, we were well prepared. We were excited to play Alabama and then got the news on Thursday, so since we didn?t have the knowledge of Louisiana-Lafayette. We hadn?t looked at them on tape, so it would?ve been very difficult to go out there and have a practice, getting ready for the next opponent. I just think, from a mental aspect, it was best just to have conditioning and then turn them loose for the weekend, let them heal physically and recharge both mentally and physically and come back ready to work.
On having so much time to get ready for the game:
It?s almost the same amount of time since the last game that we?ve had to get ready for this game as it was when we reported to play in the opener, so it?s been awhile.
We haven?t overdone the workload. We gave them some time off. They have worked hard. We have kept them in good shape. They have run hard and practiced hard. I think we?ve done all the right things. I think our players are excited about playing this weekend. I know they are looking forward to playing another game.
On Louisiana-Lafayette being in a league now:
It?s a lot of motivation. When you are playing as an independent and don?t have a bowl tie-in, chances are slim and none of ever getting into a bowl game. It?s more difficult to motivate players. Now they?ve got something to play for. They can play for a championship, a ring, and a bowl invite. That means a lot to your football team. Your guys are hungrier than they were before and willing to work harder because at the end of the year they can be rewarded, whereas an independent won?t have a good chance of that happening.
On when Bower would rather have the Alabama game played:
I don?t have much control over that, so I really haven?t given it that much thought. From what I know, there?s a lot that has to get worked out as far as other schedule moves and other things. The bottom line is we need to play them. We need that 11th game this year. I just got my fingers crossed that we are going to play them.
I?ve heard that some games would not get rescheduled. Boy, I don?t want that to happen to us. That?s a big game for us every year.
On having to make concessions to get the Alabama game in:
I think we have to, and I think they (Alabama) will too. You?re talking about 80-85,000 people in the stands, and when tickets are about $35 or whatever they are, you budget that at the beginning of the year for your program, and it?s important for all of us to play that 11th game. I don?t know that there are many schools in Division I-A that can afford not to have that 11th game.
On feeling comfortable about the depth at running back behind Tim Blackwell:
We have true freshmen playing, but this situation gave us another week to get them ready to play. I feel good about those guys. They have worked hard. They will be excited about playing, no question about that. But that?s part of football. You lose people. Sometimes you have got to count on people to step up, and I believe they will.
On James Walley being redshirted:
He?s doing pretty well. I think we have done a good job in keeping him up and teaching him and doing everything we can possibly do under the circumstances. Mentally, I think he?s pretty good. From a physical standpoint, he?s good as well, but he hadn?t scrimmaged or that live work, the banging going around him and been under the gun. I don?t know if we can redshirt him. It?s too early to say that. If we can get through the season with just three running backs then there?s a good chance we can redshirt him.
On recruiting running backs for next season and the future:
We need to sign one or possibly two. With Derrick (Nix) being a senior next year, and we?ve got the two freshmen, losing Woody after this year, you always plan on recruiting a couple of years ahead. We might look into junior colleges, but it depends on the ability of the younger kids on whether we look at JUCOs or not.
