University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Larry Fedora Weekly Media Conference Quotes...Nov. 16, 2009
11/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 16, 2009
Southern Miss Head Coach Larry Fedora
WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Monday, Nov. 16th, 2009
Opening statement:
"It's good to get back home and get a win on the road at Marshall. Last night at practice, we got as many things corrected as we could possibly do. And we had a lot of corrections to make. Defensively we played poorly in the first half and couldn't get off the field. [We] made some adjustments at halftime and played pretty well down the stretch. Offensively, we made a few plays here and there, but overall our execution was pretty poor throughout the game. Martevious Young continues to put us into a position to win the football game by taking care of the football. I'm pleased with the way he played. Our front seven played well on defense. We got seven sacks and numerous hits on the quarterback. They threw the ball something like 50 times in the game which they hadn't done all year. That was a change for us. Special teams really excelled. We had two game-changing plays with the kickoff return by Tracy Lampley and causing a turnover on the punt team. I was pleased with the way those guys played. We still continue to have problems with our kickers. We missed a field goal, hit the ball well just pulled it left, and then had an extra point blocked which was a low kick."
On adjustments made a halftime:
"First of all, we hadn't planned on them throwing the ball as many times as they were throwing it. The routes they were running and the things they were doing weren't things we had prepared for. We got some pressure on [the Marshall quarterback] in the first half. They were throwing back shoulder throws and made some coverage adjustments that we hadn't prepared for in the game. I thought our guys did a good job adjusting to that. We continued to get pressure on him and we got to him quite a few times. There were quite a few times when he threw the ball and got hit. That quarterback took a beating in that game."
On the emergence of linebacker Korey Williams:
"He's doing the things that we thought he could do. Obviously, Korey started the first [four] games of the season last year until he broke his jaw and was being very productive at the time. After that, people just seemed to have forgotten about him. We were expecting Korey to come in this year and step into that spot and be a player for us, and he has. He's played well and been very solid. He tackles well. He's done a good job throughout the season.
On the defensive line and being among the nation's leaders in sacks (Tied for 7th): "Those guys have grown up. The scheme is the same but those guys have grown up. They're doing a better job rushing the pass. We're at (30) sacks. Those guys have done a great job. Those guys have taken pride in it. We've got guys like Cordarro Law and Terrance Conner, who have really grown up this year and given us a lot of help."
On reaching the goal of becoming bowl eligible:
"I'll be honest with you, not one person on the football team has even mentioned it to this point. Not one coach has mentioned it in a staff meeting or to the team. That's the first time it's come up, I'll be honest with you. We haven't really thought about it because it's expected. It's not something that we've been focusing on. We've been focused on winning a championship, and it just happened. Hopefully, we'll go a lot farther than that."
On the health of center Cameron Zipp and the team:
"I think he's fine. I think he got a stinger or something or had his neck extended. He obviously came back in and played the rest of the game and from what I understand and he's got all his strength."
"(As for the entire team) There are a few bumps and bruises, but I don't think anybody looks like they are going to be out of this game. There are the typical things that you will get from a football game, but nothing that is going to cost anybody this game."
On finishing on the road to record first win away from home this season:
"We punt the ball back there with something like 1:20 left on the clock and they've got two timeouts and they don't have far to go, half the field basically. I thought our defense stepped up and finished the game. They finished. I thought the second half that they played much better, especially with the pressure we got on the quarterback. [Marshall] still made some plays, but I thought they played much better getting off the field. We said it was ugly, but we did finish the game and that's what mattered. We won."
On the final home game for the seniors:
"Obviously we're excited about being back in "The Rock." Our guys love playing here in front of our crowd. I told them yesterday 'Whether you think about it or not, it will be an emotional thing for the seniors. It will be emotional because it will be the last time they put the black and gold on in that stadium.' I know those freshmen, sophomores, juniors haven't thought about it. They don't think about it. Whether those seniors think about it or not, it will be emotional for them. That's a difficult thing, but you hope that it brings out the best in them."
On Martevious Young possibly exceeding expectations:
"That's hard to do because my expectations are pretty high. I'll just say that I've been very pleased. I think (quarterbacks coach) Blake Anderson has done a great job with him and (offensive coordinator) Darryl Wyatt has done a great job. Those guys are making sure we are doing the things that Martevious can be successful at, and he is doing an exceptional job of taking care of the football."
On the comfort of replacing the quarterback:
"(Laughing) [I felt comfortable with him] at the end of every game he's played in. I can't tell you that I'm comfortable, ever. With Martevious or Chris [Campbell] or whoever. Comfort is not something I feel about the game of football to be honest with you."
On Young stepping into the role from reserve to starter:
"He's practiced the same way. He hasn't changed his practice habits. That's one thing I keep stressing about Martevious. The reason he's having success now is because of the work he did as a backup. He treated it the same way. Don't disregard how difficult that is when you are a backup to prepare yourself like a starter. That's very difficult. You'd think that every backup quarterback in the country does it that way. Well, I don't believe that. I think you've got to be pretty special to prepare yourself knowing there is a good chance you aren't going to step on that football field. (In fact) a great chance. To be disciplined enough, and mentally tough enough to do it, really do it because nobody knows whether you did it or not, I think right now we're finding out that he really did do it. That's why he's as prepared as well as he is.
"I don't think there is any doubt (that his teammates realized the work he was putting in). I said when the injury happened, obviously everybody hated it for Austin Davis, but I didn't think our guys blinked. I think they all had confidence in Martevious from day 1. He has that kind of respect on the team and he's proven it.
"Each week we're able to do more and more (with Martevious). Each week he's able to see more out there. You can tell when he's communicating it to you on the sideline. 'Why'd you go there?'… 'Well, I felt like this guy was a little bit inside' and sure enough, if you go back and look on the film, that's where that guy was and that's how you know he's seeing things the way he needs to see them."
On Tulsa:
"I look at it like a wounded animal to be honest with you. Their back is against the wall and I expect them to fight with everything they've got. They have to win these next two and I expect that (Tulsa Head Coach) Todd Graham will have them ready to go. They'll be biting at the bit to get back on that field Saturday."
On Tulsa playing on a short week:
"I don't know how they do it (in their preparation). I know it's difficult. I don't like it. I think it's difficult for your team, even just one day, with the healing process that takes place in a week and the amount of reps that you are going to get with them in a week. Guys are banged up, and I think it's tough."
On the Tulsa offense:
"They are very, very multiple from week to week. They really do a lot of different things. Each week it's a different type of game plan and different things. Last night, every throw went to No. 3. They are going to get him the ball. He's a good football player. When they run the ball, No. 9 is getting the football. They are going to get No. 3 touches in the running game somehow. I don't know if the receiver, (Slick) Shelley, was hurt last night or not. I haven't studied that film enough yet."
On the job at kicker:
"That'll be determined this week. It's an ongoing process of those guys competing."
On the concern of a possible letdown:
"(Firmly) No. I say that, you shouldn't. Everything is sitting right in front of us. It's this game. It's the next game. You're at home. You're playing at "The Rock." You're playing in front of your fans. It's the seniors last time to play. You have a chance to play for the conference championship. It's all sitting right there. In my opinion, if there's a letdown, then winning a conference championship isn't that important."
On the way things have shaped up within the league:
"I think there's a lot of parity. I think that was said at the beginning of the season. I know everybody picks who they think is going to win it, but I really believe it's still about which team is going to have themselves the best prepared on any Saturday. I do believe that any team in this league can beat any team in this league. If you don't bring your A game, it'll be a dog fight no matter who you play. It goes back to your team preparing themselves mentally the best they possibly can. Everybody in the league has some talent."
