Southern Miss Coach Jay Hopson Media Conference Transcript (Nov. 5, 2018)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss football coach Jay Hopson held his weekly news conference at the Duff Athletic Center, Monday, as the Golden Eagles get ready to travel to UAB and historic Legend Field this weekend.

The Golden Eagles and Blazers play at 6:30 p.m. CT and the game can be viewed on beIN Sports, as well as be heard on one of the affiliates of the Southern Miss IMG Sports Network.

Here are some of things Hopson said during his news conference:

Opening Statement
"It was certainly a hard fought game, it was a good game. We saw some good things defensively, we created some turnovers and certainly took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves when we did have those turnovers. Tate (Whatley) did a good job leading our offense for the first time, and it was a good win. We're on that journey to continue to get better. It was a team effort, a good win, and we're onto the next one."

On Jack Abraham' health
"I'm hoping he's going to be ready to roll today. We were watching him throughout the week and it became pretty evident on Thursday that he probably wouldn't start. There's nothing wrong with him structurally; hopefully that bruise will release and he's getting better and better every day. Hopefully, we'll get him out and throwing around, running around today and he's ready to go this week, but I felt we needed to hold him this past week and make sure he gets 100 percent healthy."

On Tate Whatley at Starting Quarterback
"Tate came in and did a good job. He's a multi-talented kid that can do it with his arm or his legs and he certainly made some opportunities for us. He moved the chains and kept drives alive. We'll see how it plays out this week. I really don't know, I can't tell you exactly what direction we're going with who is starting, but we'll see how the week plays out. The good thing is that we have two other quarterbacks and they're both healthy structurally so we'll let them go.

On injuries
"The bottom line is that's just the way it is sometimes. Football is a game where sometimes you have things happen and injuries and the next guy has to be ready to step up and play."

On the Offense on Saturday
"On the O-Line, Drake (Dorbeck), Trace (Clopton) and Arvin (Fletcher) played well Saturday. Quez (Watkins) had a good game out wide and De'Michael (Harris) did some good things. Tim Jones) and Jordan (Mitchell) had a good game and were solid which is where we need that to continue. That's the journey, just try to get better every day."

On UAB
"They're a good football team. It's Conference USA play, so we've got another outstanding team that we've got to face. They are talented, well coached and they have our utmost respect. They are balanced offensively, they do a great job there. Defensively they swarm the football, they play really good defense. Coach Clark has done a really great job at UAB and he's a guy that certainly the accolades he has are well deserved.

"They are a team that run it but they've got two good quarterbacks so you have to be ready. You've got to stop all phases of the game defensively and that's our challenge. They run the ball well. Statistically they are one of the better running teams in the country."

On the Offensive Line
"We're excited and ready to play a game. I think Arvin and Trace and Drake are guys that have played well. We need those guys to continue with that. We're coming together at the right time and we just have to continue our journey there. I'm seeing a football team that's fighting, scratching and clawing. We got a few breaks, not everything went our way. The bottom line is we've got to keep plugging, keep fighting and if you do that, sooner or later that ball does start to bounce your way, so we've just got to keep plugging."

On the upcoming game
"It's another Conference USA game. There's a reason Coach Clark is getting a bunch of interest, it's because he's done a good job there and they're a good football team. But the reality is we know that it's another good hard-fought conference team in UAB and we've got to be ready to play."

On the drive that ended in a two-score lead
"That was a big drive. It was a great play by Quez and our offensive line. Tremendous plays right there and it got us back on the positive side of the field and that led to a touchdown that gave us a two-score lead so that was a big thing, it really was."

Effect of beating a good team
"If you look at our football team, every game has been a battle. From Auburn to Marshall to Monroe, you name it, every game was a battle. We've had some breaks go our way, we had a few go our way Saturday. In those games we didn't win we had some breaks go against us. We're a team that's got to keep battling, keep executing, and that's really what I focus on. We know we're playing a good football team but we're still mathematically in this thing so we just want to put our best effort forward. "

Southern Miss Coach Jay Hopson Media Conference Transcript (Nov. 5, 2018)

Players Mentioned

Jack Abraham

Tim Jones

Tate Whatley

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