University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Coach Hopson Media Conference (Nov. 21)
11/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss football coach Jay Hopson addressed the media at the Duff Athletic Center Monday to recap the team's road game at North Texas as well as preview this week's regular-season finale against Louisiana Tech.
Game time at M.M. Roberts Stadium this Friday is set for 3 p.m., CT and can be seen on ESPNEWS.
Here is some of what Hopson said to the media during his weekly briefing:
Opening statement:
"It was a tough loss. Certainly a heart-breaking loss last week. I'm proud of our team's effort and our fight. We always fight for 60 (minutes). We certainly want the "W" but our guys have time and time again, been down with a lot of adversity striking against them, battled back and given themselves a chance to win at the end. So, as a coach, I'm always proud of that and always will be. Put me in my casket and I'll be proud of that. That's one thing I love about this football team is that they're a bunch of fighters and they'll fight. Certainly we've been through some adversities this season, but as a coach, the fight and the courage to keep standing up is something I've been proud of. Wish we got the "W." Nobody hurts worse than I do. It's one of those deals that won't sit on me for a couple of days or weeks, but will sit on me for the rest of my life. That's football. You just have to get up off the matt and get ready for a big game this week."
On having a short week to prepare Louisiana Tech:
"Just a small adversity compared to some of the adversities we have. We have to adjust and adapt and get ready for the game. We got them back at midnight Saturday and had practice last night. We'll go out tonight again and we'll practice Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday will be our Friday (practice) and Friday will be our Saturday. It's just a short week, but our guys are practicing hard and had a good practice last night and we'll come out and practice hard. I know that about this team."
On the quarterback situation:
"Nick's practicing. He practiced last night. We'll see how that plays itself out as we get toward the end of the week. It's another small adversity and we have that. Of course we struggled Saturday too with our kicking game. Parker (Shaunfield) has been out. Kicking field goals is something we have to look at, too. At the end of the day, I think Nick's there and hopefully we get him healthy and ready to go."
On how do you coach your team past the adversity and the injuries:
"You just have to get up. That's the best part of football. You just have to get up and go play, fight. Our guys do that. Again, I'm proud of that. That's just part of this game and at times you have those and it's the next guy up but it is something that some years it hits you a little bit harder than other years. You have to hit the road and have to go out and recruit and build depth and that's part of the journey too, because injuries are coming. It's just part of football."
On if the team took the North Texas game harder than some of the others:
"That's a fair statement. The big thing with that loss to North Texas was you put yourself into an almost guarantee with bowl-eligibility there with that "W". You're playing for that sixth win and also trying to figure out what the factors are to determine everything. I think it was a tough loss. We put a lot of energy into that game and it felt like, as a coach, felt like we were ready to play. It was just tough after battling back. It was kind of like the Troy game when we were down and down early, we battled back and gave ourselves a chance with nine seconds to go down here (at home) and lost that one. We battled back down there and gave us a chance. A couple of weeks ago, we dug ourselves a hole after the blocked punt against Charlotte, we dug ourselves back with about four minutes to go to one score. That's something I do love about our football team because these guys fight, they scratch and they claw and sometimes make mistakes, or make a turnover or do some things but at the end of the day we're fighting and I'm proud of that. We have to go out here and put our last effort of the season and make it our best effort knowing there is still something to play for."
On the team's mindset:
"They came out and practiced hard (last night). They're fighters. This team is a bunch of fighters. They're hurt. The coaches, players, equipment managers and trainers are all hurt. That's the thing; those types of losses are tough. It's one of those things that you have to get back up. The life and that's football and I know this team will. I know they will get back up and ready to go. This is one of those teams that I just admire that aspect of our team. They keep digging. They'll give it 100 percent."
On communicating to his freshman quarterback Keon Howard about turnovers:
"Keon is a football player and he's going to be fine. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes those young quarterbacks go through that learning stage. I remember back at Marshall, Chad Pennington his sophomore year threw six in a game. I remember another, Byron Leftwich, throwing about five or six in a game. They wound up being first-round quarterbacks. It's going to happen. Sometimes as a freshman, you live and you learn. That's life. He's a football player. That's the one thing about Keon, he's a football player. He's a guy who is a competitor. I'm proud of him. I'm proud of his effort. I'm proud of his fight. He keeps coming back. He's a ball player. It's just part of football and that's something we just have to keep digging and keep fighting."
On looking ahead to LA Tech, if there are different plans in place to prevent early adversity in the game:
"There are a couple of things we'll do a little different in our practice just to see if that helps on some of those adversity strikes early. We've been working on a lot of these things all year and changing up patterns. It's taken a big emphasis the last three to four weeks by creating turnovers. I thought last week we started picking up on a few. We'll change up some things for sure. We're always searching for that. Some years are harder than other years. We've certainly had a tough year."
On why Mullens did not play last weekend:
"He wasn't cleared medically. That first drive against Charlotte he got dinged. He wasn't cleared for ODU and he wasn't cleared for North Texas. It's just part of it and have to battle through."
On the emotion from the team following the North Texas game:
"It hurts. Those losses hurt and those losses are tough. It's tough to swallow. It's not something that goes away easy. It was a lot of work put into it and the season. Coaching, there is a lot you have to do here and now on and there's a lot more work to be done. You put a lot of blood and sweat into so tough losses like that are hard to take."
On Louisiana Tech:
"A very talented football team. A lot of playmakers at receiver, running back and the quarterback position. Very talented football team. They are that team and don't see a lot of weaknesses. Defensively they just fly around. They are a team that's 8-3. They lost to Arkansas by a point and could've won that game. Had a tough loss in the fourth quarter against Middle (Tennessee). They're just a few points here and there from being undefeated."
On Mullens' mindset sitting out the last couple of weeks:
"It's been tough on him. He's a competitor. It's tough because I'm sure he feels like he could've made a difference. It's probably tough for him to sit back in November and watch his teammates and fellow seniors play. It's a tough thing for him. He wanted to play badly last week but wasn't medically ready to. Nothing's more important than that. We want to make sure he's ready but it's been hard on him."
On the play of the offensive line against North Texas:
"We had some good and bad. At times, we had some good blocks. Ito (Smith) sprung there a couple of times. We gave up the pressure a couple times. There's some good and some bad. That's football."
On the 2016 senior class:
"Outstanding group of young guys. Proud of that bunch. They're a bunch of young men that have fought hard for Southern Miss. They have fought through so many adversities. They have had a lot of highs and lows but they are a group that has fought and a group that I'm proud to coach. They're a joy to be around. They come out every work day and work hard. Just an outstanding group of men. They're a bunch of guys that wore the black and gold and represented Southern Miss admirably. Appreciate guys coming out and supporting them at the Rock. They are special, special guys."
