University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Coach Jay Hopson Media Conference (Dec. 5)
12/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss football coach Jay Hopson met with the media Monday afternoon at the Duff Athletics Center to preview the Golden Eagles' 2016 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl matchup with Louisiana-Lafayette.
The game takes place Saturday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m., in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Here is some of Hopson's comments to the media on Monday:
On Heading to the New Orleans Bowl:
"Just really excited about the bid to the New Orleans Bowl. It's a great local destination for us. Certainly excited about the possibility of a really big crowd and a great bowl setting and, of course, New Orleans is a great town. There's no better bowl setting. We're just excited to be there."
On if there was a watch party for bowl announcement:
"No we didn't. We had a recruiting weekend. We've had a couple of practices to get them back up and going on Friday and Saturday. We didn't really do a party. We'll go to work and get ready this week. Of course, we'll pick it up next week."
On the importance of practice this week:
"They're important, but you also have to recruit, and that's the reality of the game. We're kind of torn because you only have one more week left of recruiting until it goes dead. The recruiting window has been shrunk in the last two or three years. Recruiting has to take a precedence to a degree, but we also know next week is game week. We'll split our time a little bit."
On does the extra practice time help the younger players:
"We're going to practice those guys, but the reality is we're not going to get as much time individually this week as we would like because we also have to be on the road recruiting. Recruiting is the life and blood of any program and that's the reality of it. We will get those guys in some scrimmage situations. It's nice to see Quez (Watkins) and T.J. (McGinnis) and some of those guys go. It's going to be good to watch some of those guys practice. The reality is too, we are going to have to do a couple things and that's just what you have to do at this time of year."
On if you have prepared yet for Louisiana:
"We have. We've started. The reality is we'll go to work this week. We'll be practicing and we'll also have coaches on the road, too."
On if it is a positive or negative to have an early bowl:
"It's always positive to have the bowl game. That's always a benefit. That's always a thing you can build on. It's a reward for the players for their hard work and effort they put in. Definitely excited about the bowl game. Our football team is excited about it. They're fired up. It's a game they are looking forward to."
On the team's thoughts on playing in the New Orleans Bowl:
"I think it's great. I think we have a chance to have a really nice crowd. You never know. We have to all show up there on Saturday on both sides. It's got the making of one of the bigger bowl draws in the country this year. I think it's going to be one of those games that's going to draw a tremendous crowd and should be a great setting for football. That's something we're excited about. The players are excited. New Orleans is New Orleans and it's a town that everyone loves. It's a great sports city. It's a great bowl venue. I think our kids are all excited and I know it's a good bowl for ours fans and that's importance for us."
On injuries:
"We're getting healthier. You can go all the way back to San Antonio where Nick's bone was coming through his (throwing) thumb. We were coming back in that one and (he was) throwing 60 percent and barely gripping the ball. We got him back healthy in Marshall and lost him again in Charlotte. He was healthy in the Tech game and ready to go. He's 100 percent. Still waiting on Parker (Shaunfield), hoping to get our kicker back at 100 percent. We've been without our kicker for 2-3 weeks. Looking forward to possibly getting him back at 100 percent and ready to go. That would be big for us. It was good to get D.J. (Thompson) back. He's been out since the Marshall game. It was good to get him back last week. We're getting healthier. I'd say the big one right now is waiting to see how Parker does to get our kicking game back going."
On familiar faces on the other team:
"(They have) tremendous coaches. We have all the respect in the world for (Louisiana) Lafayette. It's two teams with great traditions and should be an exciting game."
On the history against Louisiana:
"We're excited. It's (going to be) a great game. It's a team that we have the upmost respect for. It's two teams with great tradition. Should be a good crowd. It's a great bowl setting. It's a great bowl game for us and we're just excited to be in New Orleans. We want to thank the New Orleans Bowl for inviting us."
On his where he thought the team was headed during the bowl decision process:
"You never know, but I think toward the end that was kind of what we were hoping for. It's a great spot for us and our fans. I could be wrong, but I think it's going to be one of the most attended games this year."
On the emotions for those seniors playing their last game at Southern Miss:
"It's always an emotional time for a senior when they know for sure it's the last game they are going play and for some of them it's the last game of their life. Few have the opportunity to play at the next level. I think any time that happens as a football player you kind of look in that mirror one last time before you run out. They're aware of it. They are a bunch that are extremely close and have been through a lot and are an outstanding senior class and our guys will be excited to play."
On what effect the Louisiana Tech contest will have on the bowl game:
"Each game is a different game. Each journey is a different journey. Each season is a different season. That was a nice game and our guys played well but we know it's a new game, new opponent and we have to be ready. That's the reality of football. It was good to see our guys healthy. D.J. and Nick made an impact on Friday that they hadn't been together in five weeks. It was good to see those guys back together. Ito (Smith) had another good game. We did a good job on both sides of the ball. We need a complete game and we're still searching for. We need to continue to grow from Friday."
On if a bowl game can give you momentum heading into the next year:
"There's always momentum for sure. You want to finish the season on a good note. We know we have to prepare hard for the excellent team we're playing."
On if there is any recruiting overlap between Southern Miss and Louisiana:
"There is some. Sometimes recruiting is a little bigger than that, but certainly there are teams in the area that effects a kid's decision and sometimes it doesn't. That's just the reality of it. We understand it's a football game. Every time we run out of the tunnel we're going to be ready to roll."
