University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Larry Fedora Weekly Media Conference Quotes...Nov. 1, 2010
11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 1, 2010
Larry Fedora Weekly Media Conference - Nov. 1, 2010
Opening Statement:
"After looking at the film it was just as bad as we expected to be honest with you. It was a very disappointing loss for our football team. I know our fans were disappointed, our staff was disappointed, everyone was disappointed. Yesterday, as we came in to meet and put the game to bed, we talked about the choices that we have at this point in the season and I believe that this team has chosen to press forward and move on and play Southern Miss-style football this week. Again, our focus this week will be to get to 1-0 and hopefully we will get that taken care of."
On the choice the team made:
"It was a team thing, but its either move on or we don't. While people may say is that really a choice, it is. Each individual player has to make a choice on whether or not they want to get better each and every day or do they just want to go through the motions. So it was almost like if that is your choice then you need to recommit yourself to getting better each and every day."
On if there was anything he would have done differently after watching the film:
"I wish we would not have turned the ball over four times. There were a lot of things. You cannot play the `what if' game with calls. You just cannot do that. You have to make the calls in the heat of the battle that you have prepared for and we have to execute those calls. In the first half, we did not play with enough passion and enthusiasm to get it done, which was very surprising to me."
On the injuries from Saturday:
"(Athletic Trainer) Todd (McCall) and I talked this morning and he seems to think everyone who got banged up Saturday will play this week. I do not know at what point during the week they will be 100 percent, but he thinks they will be ready to go on Saturday.
"Tracy Lampley got hurt on about the second play of the game, actually it was a play where he was blocking. It was his hip.
"Kendrick Hardy (bruise) was fine last night. He ran really well last night at practice and he looked good."
On the mentality of the team right now:
"I want them to be frustrated right now. I hope they are frustrated and it is tearing them up inside. If not, then I have the wrong guys. If it does not mean enough to them that it is just sickening. Then, we have the wrong guys right now. I want them to have a terrible taste in their mouth and I want them to practice at a tempo so that we can play the way we need to play Saturday to win a football game."
On the offensive line:
"We had (Cameron) Zipp go down at one point in the game, (Darius) Barnes and (Thomas) Edenfield were hobbling and I was concerned about the line. We ran the ball effectively and scored six touchdowns in the second half so they did some good things."
On UAB going for the eventual winning two-point conversion in the second overtime:
"We had already talked about what two-point play we wanted to have ready to roll if we went to a third OT, because at that point you have to go for two. He just decided that he did not want to get it there. He wanted to put the game on the line right then and it worked. So it was a great call."
On OL Darius Barnes:
"He gutted it out on Saturday. There were quite a few guys who did actually. He moved over and played the other side (of the line) and really did a good job for us. I think he had one mistake and played the second half entirely on the other side."
On nearly coming back after being down 35-21:
"It is something we can build on. That is the positive in it, that we can do a lot of good things, but we need to stop getting beat by Southern Miss. That is what we need to do. We need to stop losing to Southern Miss, we are our own worst enemy right now. There is nothing out of the ordinary - we need to take care of the football, fly around play with passion and enthusiasm and have fun playing the game. We did not do that the other day."
On Kendrick Hardy:
"He is really in a starting role right now, whether he is the first back on the field or not. He played a lot of plays the other day. He is on the kickoff team and his role has increased week-by-week.
"His nickname is Mule, which came with him from high school. He is a hard-nose, downhill runner that gets down behind his pads. He is not worried about making you miss or being flashy. He is just going to stick his foot in the ground, make one cut and get north. Very seldom do you see him not finish a run off where he is not going forward at the end of the run, no matter who is tackling him or how many people it is. He is usually finishing north.
"He can run, he is a legit 4.5 guy. Anytime you see him break one, nobody is running him down. He can go. He can take one (the distance at) any time.
"He did a nice job in protection on Saturday as well. Overall, that was by far his best game to date. And each week we keep saying that, which is what you want. He is getting better and better every week."
On Tulane:
"They are playing good football, they really are. When you look at them on film and you actually watch them they are playing well. They are very sound in everything they do. They are going to be in the right spots. It's nothing flashy but they are going to be right where they are supposed to be. They are playing good technique and they are playing hard. That gives them a chance, week-in and week-out.
"They are a better football team then they were last year, there is no doubt. Just watching them play hard. In my opinion, they are playing harder than they did last year. They went up to Rutgers and won there. Their kids believe in what Bob (Toledo) is preaching."
