University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Head Coach Jeff Bower's Weekly Press Conference
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 15, 2005
Opening Statement:
"Houston was a game where we certainly had our opportunities to win the game. We did some things well in the game. One thing I'm very proud of is how we kept fighting. We made some plays at the end to get ourselves back in the game. We got the onside kick and had a chance, but it was an unusual play. I don't know if that's happened to Dustin Almond before, the ball slipping out of his hands. I thought our kids kept playing and fighting, to scratch and claw their way back into the game. We didn't run the ball well at all. We had to be one-dimensional. If you look at the game, there are numerous plays that if you make, it could change the game. The first drop by Josh Barnes, we had first and goal at the five-yard line with a chance to go up 17-7, it would've changed the momentum of the game. We don't make a play there and we had a big drop later in the game. We also gave up some big plays. Our penalties, when they occurred, were critical. We had our chances, but we didn't get it done. Not being as effective running the ball is my major concern. We felt that this game was one that you wanted to stay on the field, win the time of possession, control the football and we didn't do that."
Players Of The Week:
"On offense, it was Josh Barnes. He played 41 snaps, graded 78 percent and had seven catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He played well. On defense, Wayne Hardy had his best game, he had 69 snaps and graded 82 percent. He had a sack, tackle for loss and a fumble recovery for his most productive game. We did not name a special teams player of the week."
On Injuries:
"We will hold Caleb Hendrix out from contact, but I think he'll be fine. On Chris Johnson, we will have to evaluate him on a day-to-day basis. He has some swelling in his knee, we're going to see how much he can do in practice today. Other than that, we're fairly healthy. We've got a lot of guys like you do at this time of year playing with some injuries. Tom Johnson and Robert Henderson have been playing banged up. We will limit their contact and get them ready to go."
On John Eubanks:
"I have not talked to John Eubanks. I will talk to him later on today and we'll see where we are. I don't know anything more than I did last week."
On Memphis:
"They have a great, great running back in DeAngelo Williams. We've got to stop the run. He's a heck of a player. Maurice Avery, their quarterback is very athletic. He was a high school quarterback, but was turned into a receiver. Surprisingly he really throws the ball well. Going into the Tennessee game he was completing 70 percent of his passes. They are very athletic and are a good running football team. They've changed a little bit and will be major in the run and get the ball to Williams. Avery is going to do some things with the option and zone plays. Defensively, they have a different style from what we've seen. You put in a tape and sometimes they blitz a tone, sometimes they play a lot of zone. We'll find out what personality they're going to be early on. They give you problems with the numerous blitzes they run. They play very hard and play very physical, just like Memphis always has been."
On Being Back Home:
"I'm excited about playing back at home. It's been a long time. I think our football team will be excited. We've got to have a good week to get ready."
On Josh Barnes:
"He's played well for us. It's not a surprise, it's what you expect after losing Antwon Courington. You want a backup to come in and be productive. Certainly he's been productive for us, and he's had a good season."
On The Run Game:
"We didn't knock anybody off the line. We made some bad cuts. It was not good at all. Offensively, we've got to be physical up front. We did not knock them off the football."
On The Defense Not Stopping The Run:
"It's not we're not physical enough. Defensively, we got out of gaps at times and we had some missed assignments that hurt us. At times, we didn't tackle very well. I don't think it's a lack of being physical, I think we've got some guys playing hard and physical."
On The Pass Interference Call Against Jasper Faulk When He Had The Interception:
"I thought it was a heck of a play on defense. I thought it was a good play. I don't see where you call that to be honest. I don't know what you teach. If you call that, I don't know. He's playing the ball all the way. I don't think you can initiate contact and still play the football."
On Missed Opportunities:
"We missed some chances. We had some guys open. Dustin Almond made some good plays in the game, made good throws and did a lot of good things. We just need to be a little more consistent. We need to make some throws when we've got guys open. Chris Johnson was behind everyone when he scrambled around early in the game, and we just barely overthrow him. That was an opportunity for a big play. We had a few corner routes open, and we didn't get the ball to them. We had a ball hit Johnson in the chest, which was a very good throw, which resulted in an interception. There are a lot of different plays that you can look back on in this game."
On Still Being Alive For The Championship:
"Mathematically we've still got a chance. Rice, coming off a win, maybe they'll be excited. Who knows, but we've got to take care of our own business."
On What Wayne Hardy Did Different To Have His Best Game:
"Nothing really, he's been playing hard. I think he's getting a better understanding, with getting his feet wet and all the experience of the previous games. I think he's getting more confidence in himself and this game will give him more confidence."
On Darren McCaleb's Two Missed Field Goals:
"I don't know what happened on the last one. On the 50-yarder, we had a five mph wind and all he had to do was hit it normal. I don't know if he tried to put a little extra into it, but he hit the ground which caused him to miss it."
On The Secondary:
"Caleb Hendrix's injury hurt as much in the game as anything. When we went to our nickel scheme, you've got Jasper Faulk having to go to corner and he hasn't had a lot of work there. Brandon Sumrall moved into the nickel back, and that's not where he's been practicing. We practice him there, but you can't practice him there every snap. You've got two guys that are starters in one phase and backups in another. We had to shuffle some guys around and it probably caused some mental errors in the game. They ran by us a few times, but we didn't play well. We had some deep third responsibilities, but we didn't get there."
On The Long Touchdown:
"Brandon Sumrall had him man-to-man, but Ladarius Webb was supposed to be our deep third. He wasn't back there. That's a lot of youth I guess. That was the first time he's played a lot in the game."
