University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Postgame Quotes
10/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss Postgame Quotes
Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower
Opening comments:
?It was a good win for us. It was an especially good first half. We did a great job of creating turnovers. Our offense had a short field in all but two drives in the first half. It was just a great job by our defense and special teams to put us in great field position. We didn?t run the ball well tonight, and that is a concern of mine. I thought Dustin did a good job throwing the ball. He really bounced back from last week?s performance and we got some big plays on offense. The running game was not good, but we did get some big plays in the passing game. We played well on defense. I?m very proud of this football team. We had a good week of preparation and played well.?
On ever having a team that did so well (scoring-wise) in the first half:
?I don?t ever remember ever having that many short fields with the turnovers and the kicking game. That?s a part of the game. We did a great job in the kicking game and in creating turnovers. That happens when you play with great effort.?
On the defense performing well tonight:
?That was big in the game because we didn?t run the ball well.?
On if this win will help with confidence:
?This should help some. We have to do some things to gain some confidence in the running game. But again, we can?t get overconfident. There?s a difference. Last week, I thought our effort was good, but we just didn?t play very smart. I?m concerned because we are pretty banged up, especially at wide receiver. We?ve had some players playing hurt in the second half. We lost Antwon (Courington) and I don?t think that look?s good. He will be out for sure this week and we will have an MRI on his knee done this week.?
Southern Miss player quotes
Dustin Almond
On coming out and playing better this week:
?This week was a big mental week for us. I think the guys really responded to the challenges that the coaches set out for us. We really came out and played with a lot of emotion.?
On playing with a short-field:
?It makes it a lot easier to call plays and the guys relax more when it?s on the plus-side of the 50.?
On his individual performance this week:
?Mental preparation had a lot to do with it. I thought I was mentally prepared for last week, but I didn?t play as well as I should have. With guys around you stepping up and making plays, it?s make it a lot easier to get the job done.?
Wide receiver Chris Johnson
On having the big game following Courington?s injury:
?Antwon is a great player, and we he went down, we knew we had to step up and play well for him. Dustin threw me the ball, and I had to make plays.?
On the confidence in the offense after scoring 52 points:
?It was no doubt better. It was a big confidence boost because we score 52 points.?
Offensive lineman Chris Clark
The locker room mentality following the game
?After this game, it was pretty cheerful and happy. But now we know that we have to prepare for UAB. The main focus now is that game, and we have to come back and get ready to play this week. We have a short week, but we just have to work hard.?
John Eubanks
On coming back from last week:
?Last week was a tough loss for us, but we came back and practice very hard this week. We knew we had to play well. We came together and everyone had it in their minds that we needed to play good football. That?s what we did.?
On the short week:
?We have to come out and stay prepared. Coach talked to us and harped on us to stay prepared.?
On the six turnovers:
?We feel that if we fly to the ball, we can make things happen.?
Kevis Coley
On coming out and doing well from the start:
?One of our main things was to come out and have a fast start. We knew that they were a good first quarter and fourth quarter team, so we had to do well from the start. With me getting that sack on the second play of the game, that helped us a lot. It got our adrenaline going.?
On the six turnovers:
?The coaches always stress on us to create turnovers. Coach Bower always says that whoever wins the turnover margin will win the game 95 percent of the time. We always harp on creating turnovers. We just run to the ball and have fun, and when we do that, good things will happen.?
