University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Todd Monken Weekly Media Conference
9/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss Coach Todd Monken
Weekly Media Conference, Sept. 29, 2014
Opening statement...
We got a chance to finish up with Rice last night and take a look and correct the things that we can correct. Then we got a chance to move on and take a look at this week's challenge against Middle Tennessee, a team that is 2-0 in our league. Rick Stockstill has done a great job up there. He has done a great job of stabilizing that program and building it. They have a real good coaching staff. Their guys play hard. They are physical on defense. Coach (Tryrone) Nix does a good job. Offensively, I think Coach (Buster) Faulkner does as good a job as anyone in the country at playing to their quarterback's strengths. This year it is a runs. They are throwing the ball quickly on the perimeter. They go up tempo. They really spread the field. In the end, I think they do a really good job of running it. I know he comes from a background similar to us in terms of throwing it, but they are doing a really good job of running it. They are physical on defense. It is going to be a real challenge for us. We are excited to get another conference game to see where we have progressed and how we have continued to improve. We are excited about the 11 o'clock start. Get up there and get after it Saturday morning.
On watching the Rice game film...
There are so many things that you feel like you are improving. There are so many different areas where it feels better. I thought our o-line played more physical for the first time since I've been here. Not perfect, but throughout the game I thought our mental stamina was there. I thought we tried to play physical, not perfect. There were a lot of things we did better offensively. I thought there were some things we did up front defensively and in the perimeter. But too many things that don't allow you to win football games. We weren't very good with kickoff cover on our kickoffs. The starting position was poor. We missed an extra point. We mishandled a snap on a field goal. We gave up three or four big third down and long that continued drives. Their first drive and then when we cut it to 20-16, another big third down we allowed them to convert. Offensively, missing big plays that we had opportunities to make and turning the ball over twice in our end that led to 10 points. There is enough light, but there was not enough things that you consider good football to beat a good football team. It is not beyond the realm to think that we couldn't score 10 more points with a made field goal and one more play. Then you are right back in the game with an opportunity to make plays at the end. We just didn't do that.
Do you feel this week's game will be low scoring?
I don't know. I think statistics are hard. They have played at Minnesota. They have played at Memphis. Memphis is certainly underrated. Just watch them defensively. Ole Miss knows that after this week. When I watch their offense against teams in our league, Western Kentucky, Old Dominion, they moved the football. They have a number of running backs back. Their quarterback is a very good player who makes really good decisions. They have a really good coaching staff. Defensively, a little bit skewed. I think their guys play hard. They are very physical. One of the most physical groups we've seen in terms of running and hitting. They have a number of those guys back and they've continued to get better plus they have added in some really good players. I don't see it that way. I see it as each possession, how do we do it better than they do it? How do we find a way to extend drives and put touchdown drives together? I wouldn't expect it to be low scoring. We would like it to be. I think anyone would like it to end up that way. It is about how we slow them down and how we find a way to piece enough good plays together to put yourself in a position to score touchdowns.
On Middle Tennessee's physical offense...
The running backs are running better. They have a couple of good running backs. They have had four different running backs going back to last year that have all carried the ball. I think three of them at one point each had 100-yard games last year. The Whatley kid is a little faster, a little more explosive. Plus they have a couple of bigger guys. They do a nice job of rotating them and keeping them fresh. I think their o-line has done a good job. They do a nice job of playing physical on the perimeter. This is a team that is going to force you to defend the width of the field. They are going to force you to get lined up and they get you stuck with your personnel on the field. They do a good job.
On the running game...
We have to do a better job formationally to help us. That will be a big help in terms of formation and how we get to where we create some edges. We have to do some more things with Nick (Mullens) on the perimeter to allow us to add to that. We have to block it better. In the end, some of the things we do from a screen stand point all adds to it. There is a difference in balance. Balance is being able to run it when you need to run it. I thought we did a better job there. I think at one point a couple of times we didn't. For the most part, when we needed a first down we were able to run and get it. We have got to be more balanced. In the end, it is about moving the ball, scoring touchdowns however we need to do that. It starts with being able to control the ball, get first downs and a big part of that is being able to run it.
On having six interceptions through the first five games...
It is a byproduct of your defensive front. Can you get pressure on the quarterback? And can you force them to throw? That is when you are going to get interceptions if you get pressure on the quarterback and force them to throw. Last year, we didn't get a lot of pressure. We weren't in situations where we forced them to throw. That is where you are going to create those opportunities - long yardage situations and when you are up in a game. That's how you are going to create those turnovers. Obviously, losing the turnover battle was a big part of the game.
On changing anything this week or during the bye...
We have been fine-tuning since we started the season. There have been changes to things like how we run it to passes around the perimeter. We are always trying to tweak that in the base frame of the offense or defense. You have to be careful of how far you stray from that. Something you do a little differently formationaly means you are going to give different looks defensively. The core of what you believe in, you can't change. You find out week to week that what the team does best is what they do over and over and over again. Anything we have tweaked anything we have changed as we are developing this team. At times, we make mistakes and don't do it as well as we'd like to. The reality is it's not about a given play call, it's about execution of what we do. There are times you will look at it and think that wasn't very good. I get that. Ultimately, you have to do what you do, but do it better. Take advantage of what your players do well. That is one thing we have always tried to do. What does this player do well? How can we get the ball in this player's hands? How do we move certain guys around? We just have to do what we do but do it better.
Has George Payne emerged as `the' guy?
We have to do a better job of getting George more opportunities. George is a hard guy to bring down. He is a physical runner. That is obvious. We have to find a way to get more opportunities for him. He has gotten healthy. You could see that last week and this week. He is a guy who is a hard guy to bring down and in a physical game like this one is going to be, we need to rely on George.
On Oliver Bates...
He did great. Really started for the first time. Usually plays as a pseudo tackle/tight end. He's played a little bit. I thought his energy was good. There were some things that weren't technically like you'd like, but he is only going to get better. He is still a sophomore. I was pleased with his energy. I was pleased with the way he handled himself. He did a nice job.
Do you think James Cox has taken the biggest step forward from year one to year two?
There were some plays that presented themselves (to him). James is still a developing player. James loves to play. He is going to be a really good player. I think that from week one to week six Michael Thomas has really improved. Marquise Ricard has really imrpved if you look at last year versus Middle Tennessee and you look at him now how much faster he plays. D.J. (Thompson) who didn't play last year. James has improved and all of those guys have improved. That is the exciting thing. I think our running back position has improved. I think our receiver positions have improved. Nick has been a little beat up and hasn't played his best. He would admit that. We have to do some things to get him back up in completions. And the way our o-line played. There were enough good things to say we are headed in the right direction just not enough yet to get us over the hump. James has improved a lot and James will continue to get opportunities based on the way he practices.
On playing two games in a row with a bye week in between...
If you are a good football team or you think you are going to put yourself in a position to win your division or be a bowl team, you have to win on the road. You are going to have to win on the road. It starts this weekend at Middle Tennessee and we are going to have to play good football. Get up in the morning, get ourselves going and play good football. I think our guys are excited to go and play again. I think from that part of it, we are going to have a great week. We are going to improve. What we were last week cannot be what we are this week.
