University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Practice Report: Nov. 10
11/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Venue: Joe P. Park Practice Facility
Format: Helmets, shoulder pads, shorts
Upcoming: Practice (4:15 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11)
Report: Southern Miss returned to the practice fields on Tuesday afternoon concentrating on this week's opponent, Conference USA West Division rival Rice. After enjoying its lone bye week last Saturday, the Golden Eagles returned to game-week preparations with an energetic two and a half hour practice. Along with an emphasis on special teams, the team went through both individual and team periods in continuing to install this week's game plan. This week, the team looks to snap a current two-game losing streak to Rice in a series that dates back to the 2007 season.
Head Coach Todd Monken
Q: Rice has the same two coordinators and a lot of the same players as last year. Have they thrown any new wrinkles into the game plan?
"Not really, for the most part they are the same. They lost two defensive linemen and a freshman pass rusher got injured. They lost some perimeter defenders. Where they've kept guys was at wide receiver and their quarterback is back; they still have good running backs. They have played a lot of freshmen this year, but it's not about talent or scheme. You are going to play your best football when you are a junior and senior. They are trying to get consistency from those young guys. We went through it and now they are going through it a little bit. They still have a senior quarterback and a veteran coaching staff, but their backs are kind of against the wall. This is a team that has had success and been to bowl games, so this is a big one for them. But it's also a big one for us, too."
Q: Today sounded like a spirited practice. Was the energy where you wanted it to be coming off a bye week?
"It was good. I told our guys to embrace it, because this means a lot. You want to be at a place that is winning and the expectations are high. I told them to rise to the occasion. You don't want to be at a program with low expectations. We have earned these high expectations so let's embrace it and compete."
Senior WR Mike Thomas
Q: Coach Monken talked about each game from here on out being like a playoff game talk about how the team is looking at the rest of the season?
"We just had a main goal going into the season and that was to win the conference championship. That's what our team is focused on right now. We just have to take it one week at a time and, during the game on Saturday, just take it one play at a time. We just have to stay focused."
This Week: at Rice (2:30 p.m./Rice Stadium (47,000)/American Sports Network)
Tickets: 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.
