University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Head Football Coach Jeff Bower' Weekly News Conference
11/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Football Coach Jeff Bower?s Weekly News Conference
Opening Statement:
?We had a good off-week. We worked Monday through Thursday and conditioned on Friday, before giving the players the weekend off. It gave us an opportunity to get some guys healthy. We?ll find out more today about the status of Marvin Young and Chris Johnson. We also gave Jeremy Parquet (shoulder) and Naton Stewart (ankle) some time off. I think the open week came at a good time, because we had a few players that probably couldn?t have played last week. But at the same time, we worked hard to become better. We had a scrimmage Wednesday in our goal line and short-yardage situations. We did a lot of work practicing against each other, trying to improve and get better. Dustin Almond did not go full speed last week, and we?ll see where he is this week. I think he will be ready to go and will be 100 percent for this game.?
On
?I think they?re very good. They got a wake-up call against Army, due to a lot of turnovers in the game. But in their last two games, they haven?t had a turnover and had two impressive wins, 45-10 over
On Worrying About Dustin Almond?s Hamstring:
?If the doctors clear him, you?ve got to go. I know injuries reoccur at times, but I think he?ll be fine. I thought he felt pretty good last week. I think we were smart not to push him 100 percent and go full speed. He had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so he should be better this week.?
On Almond?s Timing Being Off As A Result Of Not Going Full Speed:
?It?s been pretty good. That?s why we wanted to keep him involved. We limited some of the things he could do to prevent him from going full speed. But that?s why we felt that it was important to keep him involved, to keep that timing.?
On Injuries To DaRon Lawrence and Marvin Young:
?DaRon did a little work towards the end of the week and will be fine. Marvin (turf toe) didn?t practice at all last week. I?m more concerned about Marvin and Chris Johnson (knee). They should be ready, but we?ll see.?
On The Close Games With
?I think they?ve always had pretty good football teams. I?ve always had respect for their talent. It?s always been tough games playing them, but I think that?s because they?ve been pretty good.?
On What Turned
?They haven?t turned the ball over. They?ve played with more emotion and confidence. When you beat
On The Conference
?You like to have streaks, because that means you?re winning conference games. We?ve got to get ready to win every week. I?ve said it and at least one of our players has said it, but you?ve got to treat every game like a championship game in this league. Whether we?re playing the eighth league game or the first, they?re equally important.?
On If Southern Miss Has Reasserted Itself As Conference
?I don?t know if you can say that right now in the season. At the end of the season, maybe you can address it. Right now, we?ve got a long way to go and are getting ready to play our toughest stretch of the season in conference games. And if you?re not ready to play, you saw the scores last week. I keep saying this game is 3-to-1 mental over physical, and anything can happen. You?ve got to prepare and get ready to play.?
On
?I think he?s a very good quarterback. He?s started 40 something games in a row. They can run the ball. They?re very balanced and that makes him that much better, especially when you?ve got to line-up and worry about the run.?
On The Bond Issue And If It Will Be A Distraction To The Players If It Doesn?t Pass:
?No. We?re all going to go vote. I hope the people of
On If It?s Mandatory That The Team Votes:
?No, it?s not mandatory. Just from hearing the players, they?re all going to go vote. They understand the importance of what this bond issue means to this University and the city.?
