University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Jeff Bower Weekly News Conference Quotes - Sept. 16, 2007
9/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 17, 2007
Jeff Bower's Press Conference - Sept. 17, 2007
Opening Statement: "I was really pleased with the way we handled ourselves in the game. I thought we kept our poise and showed a lot of character to come back the way we did, after letting the lead slip away. We self-destructed a little in the third quarter, and that's a couple of games in a row that we don't come out playing well after halftime. We had a couple of turnovers that didn't help, but we came back and won the football game. I was really pleased, especially with that last drive. That's big time when you go 80 yards and use six minutes on the clock and score the winning points.
"It was a good effort by our team. It was a little bit of a slow start. They drove it on us in the first possession and missed a short field goal. We really didn't get going offensively until the second quarter. We did well during the second and fourth quarters and not the first and third. I think we only had about seven or eight snaps in the third quarter, but we were very productive in the second and fourth quarters. Defensively, I thought we played pretty well. They made some plays on us in the second half. We had a few missed tackles that hurt us, but we didn't give up any big plays. I don't think we gave up any plays over 25 yards, which is good. I think we beat a good football team, and it was a good way to win one. That should help us with some confidence."
Players of the Week: Co-Offense - Damion Fletcher (66 snaps, 91 percent, 27 carries for 111 yards, 3 receptions for 57 yards) and Shawn Nelson (71 snaps, 86 percent, three catches for 62 yards, one touchdown)
Co-Defense - Eddie Hicks (73 snaps, 82 percent, 6 tackles, three assists, one interception) and Matthew Chatelain (73 snaps, 80 percent, three tackles, three assists, two tackles for loss, one sack, one quarterback knockdown)
Special Team: C.J. Bailey
"He did a great job on the punt block and return. I'm really pleased with his effort out there."
Practice Schedule: "We'll practice tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday. We're going to give them a couple of day off, and we'll resume Saturday with our Boise preparations. We'll treat Saturday like a Monday and get on our normal routine."
On Boise State: "Boise's a really good team, and we've got some things to work on and get better. During the next few days, we'll start on them a little and work on some things that we have targeted. We'll get ready to play a really good team."
On the secondary improving: "It's gotten better. On the one touchdown pass, we had a busted assignment. We've got to get our safety over the top, but I thought we played better and didn't give up the big play like we had the two previous games. That was encouraging."
On Eddie Willingham's condition after having food poisoning during last week: "He missed all day on Tuesday and practiced a little on Wednesday. He was fine when he returned to practice, but C.J. (Bailey) got most of the work last week. We went with him, and he played pretty well."
On Marcus Raines' performance: "Marcus plays hard. That was a big first down on the pass reception. He got some extra yards there and did a good job on the option, making that block. He's in the kicking game and plays a number of snaps there. Marcus is playing hard, and he's getting better. He's made some improvements."
On Young's overall performance: "He played pretty well. I thought he made big plays for us. He had two stretch routes to Shawn (Nelson) and one to Torris Magee that got us down to the one yard line. He really made some nice throws, and I thought he played with a lot of poise."
On splitting duties between Damion Fletcher and Tory Harrison: "We've got to get Tory's confidence back and go back to square one with ball security. Nobody's giving up on him; I'm not. We've got to have him; he's a good player, and we just have to get him securing the ball a little better."
On starting Wesley Housley over Micah Brown: "Micah hurt that foot again last week. I don't know how much we'll be able to get out of him right now. He's probably going to require surgery again. When we're going to do it, we're not sure. He wasn't ready to go."
On Gerald McRath's performance: "Gerald did pretty well. He didn't have as many solo tackles as he's had, but he was in on a number of things. He had four tackles and 10 assists. I think he played with really good effort and had half a sack and a tackle for loss. Gerald is active."
On the performances of former Golden Eagles Adalius Thomas (interception for touchdown) and Brett Favre (All-time games won record) over the weekend in their respective NFL games: "That's huge to set that kind of record. He's been durable; you've got to be durable to set that record. I didn't see any games, but looking at the stats, he must've had a big game. That was a big win for him. I'm proud of both of those guys. They were great players here, and they're great players on that level."
On Boise's offense: "They mix it up. They'll use their tight ends a lot. They're 60 percent run, and they're physical. They've got a good back, and the quarterback is throwing the ball well."
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