University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Larry Fedora Weekly Media Conference Quotes...Oct. 25, 2010
10/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 25, 2010
Head Coach Larry Fedora's
Weekly Press Conference Transcript
Opening Statement:
"We had a great week last week and got a lot of fundamental work done, along with getting the guys rested up and a few guys healthier. We came back yesterday and had a really good practice. The guys were fresh and felt good. They flew around real well last night. We have the majority of the UAB game plan in already and we will finish that up tomorrow and be done with it."
On UAB:
"They are a much more balanced team then they were last year. Offensively, they are able to run the football, as well as throw it really well this year. Defensively, they are just a better team overall. They have a lot of guys back and are a lot more comfortable in their scheme. I know their record does not show that right now, but if you look there is only one game they were not in. The rest of their games they were in until the very end.
"I thought they played well Saturday (against Mississippi State). They had some opportunities and I know there are a couple of things they would like to have back in that game. Obviously, they caught State at a good time coming off a big win over Florida, but I thought they played well in the game."
On last year's UAB game:
"Our guys are very aware of what happened last year, I can assure you. They are anxious to get back on the field Saturday, especially here at 'The Rock.'"
On the injuries:
"(WR) Quentin Pierce, (DB) Marcal Robinson, (LB) Jeremy Snowden, (LB) Tim Green and (OL) Joe Duhon all moved around real well at practice yesterday. I would expect all those guys to be ready for Saturday.
"(DB) C.J. Bailey did not get many reps last night. He was still real slow moving around, so I do not know where he will be headed into this game. (RB) Desmond Johnson is fine as well. We are probably as close as we are going to be for a while (as far as health issues and being as healthy as the team can be)."
On Kendrick Presley:
"He has gotten better each and every week. He is getting more and more reps as this season goes on, where as last year he was a part-time starter. Now, he is playing all the time as a starter and gotten better as the season goes on. The more reps and the more experience he has gotten the better he has become. He can really run and he has done a great job throughout the year, other than a few plays against East Carolina he would like to have back. But other than that, he has played really well."
On the running backs:
"Nothing has changed - it is about production. The guys who produce are the guys who will be on the field. Those guys understand that if they want to get out there they have to produce."
On getting the sixth win of the season:
"We do not talk about that and I do not think our kids think about it to be honest with you. Six wins is not a question, it's not 'are we going to get to six wins,' that is just expected and known that that's what we are going to do. I do not think the guys look at getting that sixth win any different. We just want to be 1-0 at the end of this week."
On Austin Davis since his injury last year versus UAB:
"He is a year older in the program, which makes him that much more comfortable and experienced. He has handled so many more different problems that have come up and just how you grow as a person and overcome an injury like that. He has definitely gotten better. I do not think he is the same QB he was when he got hurt at this time last year.
"There was also a lot of improvement made in the way he studied the game when he was hurt. He still put in the time to study the game and, since he was not going to play, he was able to sit down and analyze film from a different view."
On the defensive pressure UAB creates:
"We have to do a great job of protecting the quarterback, because they do a great job with their blitzes. Their kids play hard defensively and they try to get to the QB. We have to do a great job of keeping them off our quarterback."
On playing at 11 a.m.:
"We always have everything in by Friday, but the difference is that we will not have the walk-throughs that we always have on Saturday. So we will do a little bit more of that on Friday since we will not have time on Saturday. The other thing is that when they wake up (on Saturday), it's game time and they have to be ready to go. We will wake up and go straight into pregame meal and you have to be ready to roll from that point on."
On opening up the offense since players are returning from injury:
"I think when you have more playmakers coming back, while they are not all 100 percent healthy, they are getting closer to that point. You can do more things, no doubt."
