University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Coach Bower Press Conference Quotes...Nov. 5, 2007
11/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2007
Coach Bower Press Conference Quotes...Nov. 5, 2007
Opening Statement
"It was a good, solid win (over UAB) by our team. We played good and did some good things on both sides of the ball. Defensively, I think we played pretty well. With the exception of one big play in the second half, it should have been a shutout. We were a lot better on third down (situations this week) and getting them off the field. Offensively, I think we played good, made a few big plays, and when you get eight guys in there you have to make big plays. We ran the ball well; we were a little inconsistent in the passing game.
"Jeremy Young did a good job in the game. His athletic ability showed and he made some good runs for us. It was good and we need that one coming into this week."
Players of the Week
Offense: Ed Morgan- 44 snaps, graded 86 percent, with 3 catches for 47 yards and 2 TD.
Defense: C.J. Bailey- 57 snaps, graded 86 percent, with 1 tackle, 1 interception, 2 pass deflections.
Special Teams: Brandon Sumrall- 3 tackles, 2 tackles inside the 25 yard line on kick off coverage, forced fumble and did a good job of handling punts.
On Memphis
"They have a good football team and can really move the ball on offense. They can throw the ball all over the place. They are a good screen team, have big wide outs and a good offensive line. They play all three quarterbacks at some point and time. This will be a tough game for us; it always is. It is also a big game for us, seeing how it is another conference game. We need to have a great week of practice and get ready to go."
On the running back rotation after freshman Antwain Easterling made his debut Saturday at UAB
"I don't know. It is hard to play three of them. I am glad he (Easterling) got to play a lot with a lot of carries. He played good with the exception of the fumble. We are just going to see how it goes, we haven't talked about it yet for this week."
On taking the redshirt off of Easterling nine games into the season
"He wanted to play and we felt that he was ready to play. With the situation that came up last week and V.J. (Floyd) not making the trip, we just said if he wanted to play and he was ready to play - let's play him. From the day he got here until now, he has made a lot of improvement with his ball skills and knowing what to do. He did have a couple of mental errors, though, on pass protection (in the game)."
On who is the No. 3 running back on the depth chart at this point
"I don't know. I haven't talked to Courtney (Messingham) about that. We are going to meet later and based on what I saw him do, it will probably be Easterling."
On the percentage that Memphis throws the football
"They have run the ball 318 times and they have thrown it 367 times. That is like 55 percent or close to 60 percent throwing the ball. They spread it out, like we have seen so many people do. I don't know if we will make any adjustments, but it is probably a week where you play with more nickel and dime personnel."
On C.J. Bailey's improvement at cornerback
"You get exposed at corner; when you make a mistake everybody sees it. What he has to do is put those plays behind him and just compete. I think some times he lets those things bother him when he makes a mistake. That is going to happen to the best of them. I was happy that he came back (against UAB) and played his game and got (the coach's) player of the week (award)."
On possibly moving Anthony Gray into the starting lineup
"No, but he will play. He will get his share of snaps."
On Roshaad Byrd's playing time
"(Matthew) Chatelain was playing hurt. He had a banged-up ankle. But we have played Byrd some before. That was primarily because of Matt turning his ankle."
On recruiting and what positions are their primary focus
"Its going good and we are looking at everything. We need depth at every position. We will use our last evaluation this Friday."
Any specific positions that immediate help is needed from the junior college ranks
"We need to look at the defensive line and offensive line. Anytime there is a real good player in junior college, you want to pursue him. We also need to look at some corners, because we need some help there."
On Memphis' defense which gave up 491 rushing yards to East Carolina last week
"Yeah, but that (ECU's Chris) Johnson kid is so fast, he makes people miss and he did a lot of that on his own."
On Memphis' struggles with the run
"They are giving up 230 yards rushing a game, and that is what we do best - run the ball."
