University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss vs. Troy: Postgame Quotes
9/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson
Opening Statement:
"Just a tough hard fought game. Certainly proud of our effort and proud of our guys. We didn't execute at our highest level but we certainly showed a lot of fight and as a football coach I'm always extremely proud of that."
On the offensive stride
"We struggled early. Give Troy credit. They did a good job. We had a lot of opportunities early. We had some dropped passes. I don't know if it was the wet conditions but we have to hold onto it. We had a couple of chances to move the chains but I thought we certainly couldn't ever get into a rhythm. We had some critical turnovers but at the end of the day we kept plugging and almost gave ourselves a chance to win."
On turnovers and 16 penalties:
"I'm not going to say I agreed with every one of them to be honest with you though but the reality is it was a tough game. We started off with everything that could go wrong went wrong in the first half. Give Troy credit but as a football coach you felt like with all of the turnovers and the miscues, you kind of shot yourself in the foot."
On chance to win at the end and defense coming up big:
"I thought we played hard. I thought we played hard on both sides of the ball. Our guys, they fought. As a coach that's all I can... I told them, I'll take all credit for this loss but the reality is we have to go to work and execute better."
On a lot asked of the defense:
"They bowed their back up pretty good. We were in some negative yardage situations early in the first half a lot. They fought pretty hard. I was pleased with that effort. Had a couple miscues but other than that I thought they competed pretty hard."
On what you tell your team after this loss:
"As a coach, you're proud of the fight. That's the reality of it. You gave yourself a chance to win it at the end. It felt like everything that could go wrong went wrong. We certainly gave ourselves the chance to win at the end. That's something you have to be proud of."
On getting the 70-yard rush:
"That was a big run. That was a big play. The drive before half and Ito's run coming out on third was big. It was a momentum shift."
On the fake punt:
"Just felt like we needed something. I never apologize for playing to win. Sometimes it goes, sometimes it doesn't. I thought we had a good call. Woz worked on it a lot this week and I thought it was there and it was there. We just didn't execute it to the best. It was real close but it was a good thing because when you look back on it, it was there."
On the look of special teams:
"In conditions, there was not a special teams that really stood out. Kickoff returns we had a few decent ones right there. The punt team played well. We had a few down inside the five or one down there that was really good. We did a few good things there but it was a tough hard fought game. Give Troy credit, they won the ball game."
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Southern Miss senior defensive back Devonta Foster
On the interception return for a touchdown:
"I was just doing my job and we are required to do our own job and that was a play that was made for my job requirement."
On making big plays as a defense:
"We're a team. We have our offense back they have our backs. We are going to get hit with adversity but we're going to have to fight a little bit harder against it."
On the 30-minute delay:
"I don't think it had an effect on us at all. We were just ready to play some ball."
On what you'll take from the loss:
"We have to go back in the film, make some corrections and go harder at practice and just make our corrections."
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Senior defensive lineman Dylan Bradley
On passing game and team chemistry:
"A lot of it is. I have to be more accurate throwing the ball. I'm a big believer in chemistry so I try and throw to those guys as much as I can. The more game reps we get the better we'll be. That's something you just pick up on the run and that's something we'll continue to improve on and I really focus on during the week. I have to be able to trust those guys and they have to be able to trust me."
On a breakdown of the final drive:
"It went by so fast. Just had to take it one play at a time. They were all sitting in zone and it really was just one play at a time. It was a few positive yards to get us started and then those kind of situations, once you get a few plays and rhythm, then you start getting closer to the end zone so it's just a matter of finding that zone, that pocket. At that point you have a chance and we had a chance with the last play and a guy got underneath that route and I could've made a little bit better throw but at that point you're just trying to make the best play and hope it works out. It's good we showed fight but we should've have never been in that situation. You can give a team, 17 or 14 points point early in the game because that comes back to haunt you. Coach hop says you get what you deserve. We deserve every bit of what we got."
On taking this loss:
"We have to hold guys to a high standard. I really thinks that's all it's going to come down to. Never get complacent; never think you're any good because you're not no matter who you are. We just have to stay on top of our game, really focus in the week. Everything has to be prepared and that's going to show up on Saturdays."
On the win over Southern Miss:
"That's a big win. That's a quality football opponent. [They're] a team that plays as hard on video as anybody we've played in my two years here as a head coach. We talked about it with our team, this is going to be a defining moment for our team and our program. This is the biggest win, maybe, since the 2010 bowl game. I'm proud of everyone that's involved with our program. I'm pleased for Jeremy [McClain], our athletic director, coming back here. Pleased for these guys from the state of Mississippi."
On the environment in M.M. Roberts Stadium:
"We called a timeout because it got loud, this is a great atmosphere, and I'd like to see, when we go home next Saturday, for us to turn into the same type of atmosphere. They do a great job pumping in noise and their students do a great job staying involved. We need that same type of atmosphere when we come home and play."
On the last play:
"I wasn't sure if we got the call or not, so I called timeout and we got them back over there. They motioned and we had to check. If you look at it we've got a lot of backups in there playing. We had some guys cramp. For Robert Johnson to do what he's supposed to, a guy we just gave a scholarship to, step up and make a huge play in that type of setting was big."
