University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Coach Todd Monken's Weekly Media Conference
10/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss football coach Todd Monken addressed the media Monday with his weekly media conference, previewing the Marshall game which will be played at this Friday at 6:00 p.m. (CT) in Huntington, W.Va.
Here are some of Coach Monken's statements:
Opening statement...
"With the short week coming up, we didn't change anything last night. We tried to keep it as normal as possible. We got up and had meetings this morning and we will have meetings this afternoon and go for about an hour and a half around classes, labs and night classes. Our guy's day off will be this Saturday after we play. We will treat today like a Tuesday, tomorrow will be like a Wednesday and Wednesday will be just a walk through day. Thursday we will rev the engines up to get on a plane and head to Marshall. We are excited to play this Friday night on national TV with what has been the most consistent team in our league. They have been to the conference championship two years in a row and won it last year. Doc (Holiday) and his staff have done a great job of building a consistent winner. They have good players. They are well coached and they have taken it to us the past two years. We were better last year but obviously did not finish so we are excited to go up there with a good team, playing a good team and seeing where we are at. We are looking forward to it."
Is there any good time for a short week?
"I guess the only good week would be if you had a bye week the week before and your team is healthy. Obviously, if you are banged up of course you would like to have a little bit more time. I'm done trying to analyze who it is good for and who it's bad for because I have no idea. We are playing them Friday night and there will be no excuses on why we play well or don't play well just because it's on Friday night."
On Marshall...
"First of all, it is hard to replace a Rakeem Cato or (Tommy) Shular who was a really good player. Those two guys plus working through third downs. They have had a couple of tailbacks banged up which is hard to get past. Bottom line is, it's hard to replace good players. It takes time. We have gone through that here. Offensively, they are still athletic on the perimeter and their quarterback has played well. Their first guy got banged up so now they are playing a red-shirt freshman that is a talented guy. They just haven't hit that spark like they have the last couple of years where they can roll 50 points on you in a hurry. Defensively, they are very athletic. They have good linebackers and a back end that is very active. They play zone principles with man in it. It will be a great challenge for us on the road but like I said we have gotten better and it's time to see where we are. This is another barometer. They have been at the top of the hill and now we get to see where we are."
On being aggressive against Marshall last season...
"I try not to look at that game because the second (onside kick) we kicked we were off sides. That was bad coaching and bad playing. We had a chance to take the air out in the first quarter and we didn't execute. On defense, we didn't get the job done and offense, we couldn't score when we had the chances to. I look back to see some of the looks they gave us schematically but it's a different team and a different year."
Are they better defensively than they are offensively?
"I wouldn't say that. I see both sides of the ball and they have good players on both sides. It's hard to replace some of those guys on offense, especially since they had been playing for so long. They have good players. The only question is `how long have they been able to all work together?' That's one reason why we are further along because it's the same guys working together. You just develop and get better. It's not that they don't have good players; they have just lost some really good players from years past."
Do you see them being a better team against the pass or the run?
"I think statistics early in the year are misleading. You have some teams that throw it better than others and some that run it better than others. You can play some Big 12 teams that sling it around one week then next you're playing Army or Navy. They are sound in what they do. They are athletic and their perimeter players will come up and hit you. We have our work cut out and our success will be decided with what we can do on offense. They aren't complicated they are just really good at what they do."
On injuries...
"The short week doesn't help, but I am hoping to get Devonta Foster, Anthony Swain and Draper Riley back on defense. They are going to practice so we will see if their able to go."
How have you seen your team embrace playing these tougher opponents on the road?
"I don't know if there is any rising to the challenge. I think we did some good things at Texas State and at Nebraska. We definitely have to do it better in a lot of areas to be able to play at Marshall. When you're on the road things are different. You are in a hotel, but you try to keep all the routines the same. You have to eliminate the mistakes. This week we didn't have any turnovers or pre-snap penalties and that's what you have to do."
With Marshall being at the top for the hill for the past two years what would it mean to go there and knock Marshall off?
"It will show how far we have come. If you want to be the best, then you have to play against the best and see where you are. They have set the bar in terms of the past few years. It's all about where you are as a team and they are a great barometer for that."
How much of a luxury having Justice Hayes as kind of a third option at back?
"I don't see it as a third guy. I see it as one of the three. We have done a good job of rotating guys. He was a little nicked up at Nebraska. Was it was nice to have an experienced guy running the ball at the end? Yes. All three are capable but you only have one ball. Each of them does it a little differently, but you can't get it to everybody. Give credit to those guys for being selfless. Would Jalen (Richard) have liked to have more touches? Would Justice (Hayes) have wanted to play more? Would Ito (Smith) like the ball more? Yes, but, like I said there is only one ball. That is something you can't control. What you can control is working hard during the week and playing well when your number is called."
Is playing eight or nine offensive linemen a trend we should look to see?
"Sure. We have guys that have warranted playing. As long as we keep having capable guys to give breaks and play at a high level then I don't see that changing."
How important is it to get a fast start offensively against Marshall?
"It's always important to get a fast start, especially on the road. We didn't do that at Nebraska, but luckily we were able to keep them out of the end zone which gave us a chance. Obviously, it's important to get a fast start but on the road it is critical."
On running trick plays...
"We have run trick plays every game whether it's fake a punt or onside kicks. I don't see this any different. You have to do whatever you can to move the ball, score points and win the game. That's on offense, defense and special teams. You have to do whatever it takes to win."
