University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Head Coach Jeff Bower's Weekly Press Conference
11/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 28, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Opening Statement:
"We certainly needed the win, no doubt about it. For the most part, we played pretty well. We had over 400 yards of offense. Probably the best thing we did was making no turnovers in adverse conditions. Dustin Almond did a good job of handling the football, along with Cody Hull. We did some good things in the game. We ran the ball well early, but didn't as the game went on. We got the ball with over five minutes in the game, and stayed on the field. That's always good to see. We got some big plays in the game and we were a pretty good third down team. Josh Barnes stepped up again, and Shawn Nelson had his best game of the year, and made some big plays. Defensively, you only give up seven points you do something well. They had less than 275 yards of total offense. We did a good job on defense. We gave up too many yards to their running backs, but we only gave them seven points. The kicking game was solid. Luke Johnson had another big game and Darren McCaleb also had a big game. His field goals were very key in the game. We had a good performance by our football team. It was a good way to end the year. I know how important the game was for this football team, especially our seniors. They took care of their business."
Players Of The Week:
"On offense it was Shawn Nelson. He had five catches for 113 yards. He played 51 snaps and graded 82 percent. He did a good job and it was great to see him make some big plays. Defensively, it was Kevis Coley. He had 57 snaps, graded 89 percent. He had seven tackles, five assists and two tackles for loss. He's a ballplayer. He will receive our MVP award at the Jackson Touchdown Club on Tuesday. I'm really disappointed he wasn't a Conerly Trophy finalist for the year he had. He had a big year for us, and is a heck of a football player. Darren McCaleb was the special team's player of the week. He made 4-4 field goals and 2-2 on extra points. Luke Johnson got honorable mention. He ended up leading Conference USA in punting average and he had another good game. He also had a big play after the game with the proposal."
On This Week:
"We're giving our team some time off to see what will happen with the bowl scenario. We'll meet as a squad at 3 p.m., and get some things done. It's a good time for them to concentrate on academics. We need a rest. We were a tired football team, especially in the last three games of the year. They need a break and we need a break to get people healthy. I still feel very confident that we'll get a bowl bid and have another opportunity to play another game as a team. We need to get some of our banged up guys well. This comes at a good time to give our players a break, so they can concentrate on academics."
On Recruiting:
"I'm going out today."
On Wrapping Up The Season:
"It was an unusual year. You never got on a rhythm; there was no rhythm and no routine. We didn't have the depth that we've had in previous years. Some of the preseason suspensions and the injuries were a big factor in that. I think the four game road stretch, the Friday to Saturday to Tuesday to Sunday, really after the Marshall game, this was a tired football team. Not that we didn't try, I don't think the team ever gave up. We made a run at the end of the Houston and Memphis games. We lost three games down the stretch by a total of nine points. I was proud of our football team and players. I've never been through a year like this, where you had so many different things, the adjustment of schedule the first nine games, only three at home and the numerous injuries. I thought our guys kept battling back and gave us a real good effort. We just couldn't win some of those close games down the stretch. That was the difference."
On What's Next For The Program:
"We've got to have a great year recruiting. I think lack of depth at certain positions showed up this season. Hopefully, recruiting in the state will be opposite of what it was last year. Academically, there haven't been a lot of qualifiers and we've had to do more of our work out of state. I think it will be a good year in the state this year. It's tough to win a championship each year. Who does in this country? We've got to get back to doing that and we're going to be committed to doing that. It all starts right now, with our staff going out doing a great job of recruiting. There are some things we need some immediate help with from a position standpoint. We need to get some pass rushers and some defensive ends and some inside guys that come up the field and make plays. We were pretty good in sacks this year; I think we were No. 2 in Conference USA. But most of our sacks came on blitzes. We've got to pressure with four guys. That will be major in our recruiting. Obviously running back will be something big. We'll sign a little bit of everything. We need some help at tight end, with depth at that position. Linebacker, we were so thin there this year. Just like any other program, your lifeblood is recruiting. We've got to do a good job there."
On Players Waiting In The Wings:
"Yes, but some of those guys have a ways to go. It's just whether or not you can get them ready to go. Defensive end, that's where we've got to get some speed and some edge rushers. That's a critical need defensively. Realistically, some one can come in and help us early there."
On How Hard It Is To Find Players:
"It's been tough. The difference this year with our defense this year than previous years was the talent level, compared to Adalius Thomas, Cedric Scott, Dequincy Scott and Daleory Stewart. We've got three or for linebackers in the NFL. We've got to do a good job on some of these kids recruiting. All of those guys I mentioned are in the league or were in the league, and most are still playing."
On Getting That Crop Of Player:
"It's tougher than it used to be. Some of those kids weren't highly recruited. But now, with all the internet, the recruiting services, the combines and things like that, kids don't go under the radar like they used to at times."
On Bringing In Junior College Transfers:
"Yes, we will bring some in January. How many, I'm not sure. We had to cancel our recruiting weekend last weekend. We couldn't get enough hotel rooms. We pushed them back a week. I hope that won't be a factor in our recruiting. We had about eight or 10 kids scheduled. It's not like its eight or 10 rooms, it's parents and things like that."
On The Benefit Of Some Younger Kids Playing:
"There's no substitute for experience. Tokumbo Abanikanda played a good bit. Ryan McKee played got some playing time at offensive tackle. We tried to hold back and keep some guys from playing, like LeVance Richmond and Marcus Raines. We tried to keep a number of guys from playing. Britt Barefoot, we kept from playing and thank goodness we did. There were some other guys as well. It created a change of philosophy, in that we didn't have as many starters participating in special teams as we had in the past, because of our lack of depth. We tried to get some younger guys in the game. We weren't nearly as good in the second half as we were in the first half this year. I think some of that had to do with our lack of depth. We tried to address that, and after the Marshall game we really backed our starters off special teams. I think for the most part, our younger guys did a good job. It showed up at times, our lack of experience. I think we did what was best for the team."
On Keeping The Team Motivated This Week:
"We're not going to know until next weekend. I think our team needs to relax, get their minds off football and take some time off. They need to focus on academics and recharge their batteries. We'll have a team meeting on Sunday and hopefully we'll know something and we'll make plans from there on."
On If The Seniors Were The Reason The Team Earned Bowl Eligibility:
"I think that played a big part. We've been consistent winners, now 12-straight winning seasons. That has a lot to do with it, when you expect to win. It means a little bit more. I thought our staff and our seniors did a good job of getting each other ready to play.
On If He Sensed The Team Was Ready:
"Yes I did. We weren't nearly as emotional as we've been in pregame, unlike other games. We haven't been that way the past three weeks. I looked at Tulane, and they were a team that was emotionally spent. There was no question. I thought they'd make a run. They'd been out of school for a week and were going home the next morning. I thought we'd get a big effort out of them. They were emotionally tired, much more than we were, for good reason."
On Practice:
"You can do some conditioning until you hear about the bowl berth, but we don't need to do that. We need rest."
Southern Miss Athletic Director Richard Giannini:
Opening Statement:
"Right now, the bowl situation is up in the air. With some of the upsets over the weekend, the Conference USA bowl lineup won't come about until after the championship game. There are a lot of different scenarios depending on who wins the game. I don't think we'll know before then. Too much is up in the air. The Conference could get another bowl opportunity, which would give us six. That way, there'd be a slot for everyone. But at this time, that is not a guarantee. We'll have to wait and see and work it this week, and hopefully it will all come together quickly after the game on Saturday in Orlando."
On Bowl Options:
"I don't think anything has changed. The bowls look at the champion and who is in the championship game and where does the winner and loser go. With UTEP falling out of the championship game, it may have adjusted the thinking of some of the bowls. I think there are a lot of different scenarios out there. We'd only be guessing right now if we said we'd go to Hawaii or New Orleans or wherever. We're pleased that we are bowl eligible. I feel confident that we'll have an opportunity to go to a bowl. We'll have to wait and see."
On If He's Talked To The Conference USA Office:
"Yes, I've been in conversation with Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky several times yesterday and today."
On The Sixth Bowl Spot:
"It depends on who flies up in the BCS. If Oregon flies up, there will be a spot in the Las Vegas Bowl. If Ohio State flies up to the BCS, then there will be a spot in the Motor City Bowl. There is also a spot in the Emerald Bowl and potentially in the Music City Bowl. The ACC is two short, and what I've heard is that the ACC will fill the Music City Bowl and the Emerald Bowl. I think our best opportunity as a league will potentially be the Motor City Bowl."
On The Hawaii Bowl And Fan Travel:
"I don't think the Hawaii Bowl is based on a lot of people going. I think all the teams that have gone, it's been a great trip, but they haven't taken a lot of people. That's due to the time of year and short notification. It is a travel agencies dream, with only a few tickets left and a lot of people wanting to go. The cost will be pretty significant. If were to go to Hawaii, I wouldn't think a lot of fans follow us out there. I think the other teams took a few hundred. You're totally restricted there, with it being Christmas Eve and the travel being so costly. There are no deals to go to Hawaii around Christmas. Everyone wants to go to Hawaii at that time."
On When A Decision About A Bowl Might Be Known:
"I think it will be this weekend. There are too many scenarios out there. I don't see it falling in place before then. There is no question that the loser of the championship game deserves an opportunity, and a lot of the bowls will wait to see how it comes down. I don't think it's an absolute that the winner goes to the Liberty Bowl and the loser goes to the GMAC. I'm just glad we're one of the bowl eligible teams. It's a tribute to our seniors. They worked hard to get that game on Saturday; they needed it to become bowl eligible. I hope for their sake that they get an opportunity to play another game. They deserve to."
On The Season:
"I think its one of the strangest seasons we've ever had. I would remind the bowls that are looking at us that it was a very strange season. I don't know if we've recovered yet from the storm. I remember when the team left for Memphis; everyone was walking around in a daze, not only the student athletes, but the coaches. At that point, there was no communication. To leave your families a day or two after the storm, was stressful for the coaches. Then our student athletes that were from the coast and New Orleans area that totally lost their homes and their families were displaced. Two games were changed because of Katrina and Rita. It made for the strangest season I've ever been involved with. Having to play three football games in 12 days, everything made for a stressful year. Any coach will tell you, one of the keys to having a successful season is having a consistent pattern. There's no question that we didn't have any of that. Yet, at the end of the season, we're nine points from being 9-2. Under the circumstances, it was a good year. I'm proud of the seniors for playing the way they did on Saturday, knowing they had to win to become bowl eligible."
On Finances:
"Financially, we talked from a ticket sales revenue; we were within one percent from meeting our budget. Had we played the Tulane game when it was scheduled, we would've been way over. We got some money to help with the Memphis trip. The Orange Bowl sent us $50,000. But the fuel for our charters will come in about $40 or 50,000 over budget. We will have some financial issues, just like the university and everyone else is having. We're going to have to fight through those as the year progresses. I think Conference USA will do something at the end of the season to help us and Tulane. You feel bad taking money from the conference and not letting Tulane have it all with all they've been through. You hate to even talk about our losses when you look at what happened to Tulane. To only have a one percent loss, considering there were no hotel rooms, it's a tribute to our fans and those that support us. I was pleased with the turnout on Saturday. It really rained a few years ago with our East Carolina game. That game, the attendance was scarce. Everyone got under the overhang and the rest of the stadium was empty."
On If Was Pleased With The Performance Of Head Coach Jeff Bower This Season:
"Under the circumstances with the year, sure we'd like to win them all. I know he'd like to be 11-0, and I'd like to be 11-0. You're never satisfied unless you win them all. I think the number one goal is to win championships. We didn't attain that goal. Another goal is to have a winning season, be bowl eligible and go to a bowl. We have a winning season. We'll have to wait and see on the bowl. You're never happy when you don't achieve the ultimate goal, but you did reach a lot of your goals."
