University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Football Report: Oct. 28
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Venue: Joe P. Park Practice Facility
Format: Full Pads
Upcoming: Practice (4:15 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29)
Report: The Golden Eagles took advantage of the pleasant fall afternoon sunshine and temperature as they went through their 2 ½ hour practice in full pads. The team continued to put in its game plan for its Halloween contest this Saturday against UTEP, in a practice in which Todd Monken described as being much better than the squad's Tuesday workout.
Head Coach Todd Monken
Q: Defense is near the top of the conference in sacks, which has been an issue the past few years. What turned everything around?
"It's a byproduct of this, we are athletic up front and we have been winning. You get the opportunity to create sacks when you are winning, because then they have to throw the ball. If you're not up in games, then you aren't going to get that. We put people in long-range situations and have stayed aggressive. We have been covering well and when we get the opportunity we put in the guys that can make plays."
Q: Naim Mustafaa and Drew Peterson have been a couple of guys that kind of had to take a step off coming into this year but they have been playing well. Can you elaborate a little bit on that?
"They have ability and they have want to. D'Nerius (Antoine) had to take a fall off but still stepped up because he loves football. Drew Peterson loves football. (Naim) Mustafaa had to figure that out. He has done a great job. They all have done really great jobs. Like I said earlier, this year all of the transfer guys that we have gotten have meshed well with our team. They have been great additions as both good players and good people."
Redshirt Sophomore DL Xavier Thigpen
Q: This season you have seen more action than before. What do you do to up your game?
"Taking it more seriously whether it's in the film room, the weight room or with weight gain. I have been taking it much more seriously and it's personal to me."
This Week: UTEP (1:30 p.m. CT, Saturday, Oct. 31, Fox College Sports Central -- 608-1 DirecTV; 443 Dish)
Tickets: Don't forget about the ROCKtober Daily Deal by going online each day during the month of October at SouthernMiss.com. Golden Eagle tickets can be purchased by going online at SouthernMissTickets.com, or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) as well as visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Center, weekdays, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Pat Ferlise Center is also open Saturday from 8 a.m., until 10 a.m., and will then open at the M.M. Roberts Stadium Box Office beginning at 10:30 a.m.
