University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss vs. LA Tech Postgame Quotes
10/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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SOUTHERN MISS FOOTBALL
vs. LOUISIANA TECH
October 25, 2014
Head Coach Todd Monken Quotes
Opening statement...
Give Louisiana Tech credit. The way they played in the second half and the plays we didn't make. Give them the credit. We had every opportunity to win the game and we just didn't. Irrespective of who's on the field, we have to have a level of confidence they are going to go into the game and make plays. Nick (Mullens) goes down. We have to count on Cole (Weeks) to go into the game. Kalan (Reed). Emmanuel (Johnson) gets kicked out. It doesn't matter. Those are just excuses. You have to find a way to make the plays when you can and we didn't. We didn't run the ball as well as we would like. Pre-snap penalties that are irrespective of who is on the field. We have gotten a lot better as a team. We really have. I would have never guessed that if we would have dominated up front defensively that we would have lost. I would have not. That is the way it is. We gave up too many big plays. To start the second have, you give a check-down for 85 yards. That can't happen. It is part of it. It happens. You give up big plays and you are going to lose. It is turnovers, explosive plays, third down conversions, touchdowns in the red zone and loss yardage plays. We gave up too many big plays. We didn't make a couple when we had a chance to make them. We turned it over a couple of times. One was late. We have a good football team. We have come a long way. Our players play hard to the end. It has been a sign throughout the year. We still had a chance. Scored. On-side kick gave us a chance. Got the fumble. Converted a fourth down. You never know. Go score again and get another on-side kick. You just don't know. That is a credit to our players and our coaches.
On the injury to Nick Mullens effect on the game...
It is an excuse. Cole (Weeks) fought his rear end off. You talk about a guy who gets ten reps a day? Maybe five reps of seven-on-seven. I thought he played his heart out. If there is one thing I am happy about, it's that he gets a chance to play. He has stayed around for this long. I thought he made a lot of really good throws under some tough situations for a guy who hasn't played a lot. I am proud of him. I am proud of our team the way they fought. They just weren't good enough today.
On Cole Weeks' decision making...
Some of it is hard. It is unfair for me to get on him. You want everybody to be perfect. When he doesn't make a check or he doesn't get you out of a play or doesn't throw it here. What do you expect? I thought for the amount of reps he has gotten and the amount of time he has been with us, I thought he played well enough to continue to give us a chance to win. It is hard when he doesn't get all the reps.
Was there a point in the second half where you felt the momentum shifted?
I think if you give up an 85-yard check down in zone coverage, the momentum is going to change. If right before half, you snap it beyond the quarterback. I think those are plays that deflate you. You are going in. You don't know if you are going to get a touchdown. You are going to get points. Those are momentum changing plays because you are not controlling those. You give a check down and the guy goes 85 yards. That is hard to overcome. We got back into it. We kicked a field goal and tied it. It went back and forth a little bit. It is part of it. Give them credit. They made some of the plays when they needed big plays. I thought our guys kept fighting. We just didn't make enough of them when we needed them.
Southern Miss Player Quotes
Senior QB Cole Weeks
On coming in for injured QB Nick Mullens...
"It wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be, honestly. When you think about it at night, having to go into the game. You've seen Nick takes some shots this year, and I thought maybe I might have to go in, so I have always been ready and always been prepared. It is the reason why I prepared for this game as if I had to go in. (Our) coaches have had me prepared so there wasn't too much nerves. I was ready."
On getting a chance to play...
"I was glad I got a chance to play, but ultimately you want to win and we didn't do that today. I feel there were some situations that I should have played a lot better to help this team. I was glad I got to play, but the win is what you want, not the loss."
On where he thought the turning point in the game was...
"I couldn't say one spot. I felt like there were a couple of drives that we really had a chance to put it in (the end zone) and make a difference to make it a little bit more of a game for them where they had to throw the ball a little bit more that might create turnovers. If we would have punched it in - that's me in the red zone. I didn't do really well in the red zone today, especially the one time on this end (the north end) and I took a sack and then I fumbled the ball the one time and that was on me."
Senior defensive lineman Dasman McCullum
On the defense's in the first half...
"That's probably the best half we have had on defense. There was a big emphasis on stopping No. 28 (Dixon) today on the run and try to make them one-dimensional passing the ball. We accomplished that in the first half."
On what changed mentally in the second half...
"I wouldn't say anything changed. We kept playing hard and kept trying to make plays but they got us on a couple of deep passes, but we continued to shut down the run. We just have to do better next week.
On the loss of Mullens...
"I know injuries are part of the game, so Cole had to step up and he did pretty good tonight. We are just look forward to Nick's recovery and Cole's continued improvement."
Quotes From La. Tech Coach Skip Holtz
Opening Statement:
"Let me start by really complimenting Todd Monken and the Southern Miss football team. I thought this was a heck of a Conference USA football game. It was a hard-fought game, a very physical game. I thought the way they competed with a backup quarterback, that's unfortunate with the injury. Bottom line, I thought the way the football team competed, I thought the way their defensive line played, I thought physically they beat us up, up front. They made it very difficult to run the ball when they controlled the line of scrimmage with their defensive line. I thought it was a hard-fought game. Two very physical defenses. Neither team ran the ball really well, which made it pretty much a passing game with both teams. We tried to get the running game going early (but) just really struggled with it."
On play halftime adjustments and play of running back Kenneth Dixon:
"We came in at halftime and said we were going to open it up more and we were going to start putting the ball down the field. Were having a hard time getting the ball to (running back) Kenneth Dixon ... so we said we were going to start utilizing him as a receiver. I thought he played really well, competed. I thought the third play of the third quarter, when he took that screen pass ... and went the distance with it. Great competitor. Scored three touchdowns tonight I think, a couple of them through the air. We just said I had to find a way to get him involved in the offense, even though we couldn't get him going in the running game."
On quarterback Cody Sokol:
"I can't say enough about Cody Sokol, the way he competed. Being at 100 yards at halftime, I believe he threw for 300 in the second half. I don't know exactly what those numbers were."
On importance of win at Southern Miss:
"I thought it was a total team effort, anytime you can go on the road and win. Louisiana Tech hadn't won in Hattiesburg since 1982. For this group to come here, compete and find a way to win, I'm really proud of this football team. I told last night and again this morning, `I'm not asking for perfect. We are going to make mistakes today. But what we've got to do is play for 60 minutes.' I thought this football team did that."
La. Tech Player Quotes
Quarterback Cody Sokol
Change in the second half for the offense...
"I think our offense picked it up big time in the second half. Southern Miss has a good defensive line and we were struggling big time with that. I think that our guys came out there and played really hard. You saw the fire in them during the second half."
On Kenneth Dixon...
"He's just a big time impact player. He's just a player that when he gets the ball into his hands, he knows what to do. He's one of those special guys that can do it all. We're talking about a guy who can run the ball, block and catch. He's a special guy and he had a great game today."
Message to the team at half time...
"We just have to pick it up. Coach told us to keep chopping wood and keep going after it and that's how we're going to win this game."
After Half time...
"I don't think we were discouraged. We were just excited to get back out on the field. We knew that the opportunities were going to present itself and we knew we had to take advantage of it."
Running back Kenneth Dixon
Change in the second half...
"We talked about the running game in the locker room and I felt that we just needed to take another path. I was able to get the ball and make some things happen."
When you first caught the ball and started making moves...
"I knew it was going to be hard for the defender to get me so I relied on my technique and ability."
After half time...
"We had a huge confidence builder after halftime. Coach says all the time, how are we going to respond to adversity and I think we responded very well by going out and passing the ball, making plays and executing."
Last few games...
"It feels good to win during a hard fought game and any game at that. Winning against a rivalry just shows how much the team wants it and how deep you're going to dig down and continue to fight."