Photo by: Joe Harper
Football Coach Jay Hopson Media Conference – WKU Week
11/18/2019 3:04:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss football coach Jay Hopson met with the media Monday morning in the Duff Athletic Center to discuss this week's final home regular-season contest against WKU (6-4, 4-2), as well as review the team's 36-17 win over UTSA last weekend.
The WKU contest takes place this Saturday, at 2:30 p.m., from Carlisle-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium. It can be seen online via ESPN+ as well as be heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
Here is some of what Hopson said to the media on Monday:
Opening statement…
"Good win Saturday. I felt like it was a tough game. Give UTSA a lot of credit; it was certainly a good fight. I felt like we did play well, we certainly could have played better, but I feel like offensively and defensively we did some positive things. We created some turnovers defensively, we made some explosive plays offensively - I just felt like on the whole it was an overall good team win. Now we move on to the next one, again another tough conference USA opponent. Western Kentucky's an outstanding football team and we know same-ole, same-ole with another good conference USA football team, we have be ready to play."
On WKU…
"They are just a well-coached, athletic football team. Of course, on both sides of the ball, they do a great job. So again (just like every week in C-USA), it's going to be a war."
On the standings in C-USA…
"We'll count these poker chips up at the end. Everyone knows where you are, all teams are aware of that, we're human beings, they see where they're at, we know it's a big game, and we have to handle business week-to-week. Everybody gets tired of coach-speak, but that's the way it is, and we've got a tough opponent this week. We've got a tough opponent next week and we've had tough opponents every week it seems like. Our schedule has not been a breeze, every week there's a tough opponent. We've played a lot of them on the road and we know we've got a big challenge."
On the team's improvement since Fall Camp…
"I like to see this in a football team. I like to see a football team get better as the year goes on. We're putting games together better offensively and defensively. Earlier in the year we might have a good defensive game, and an OK offensive game, and the next week we might have a good offensive game and didn't play as well defensively. As the season's worn on, we're slowly putting the phases together, and that's what we need to do to be successful. I always talk about C-USA, there's always a lot of winning teams in the league, so we've got to make sure we play a complete game, so that's something we're doing a little bit better. Are we perfect right now? No. Have we played the perfect game? No, but we're getting better as the season's worn on."
On Senior Day this Saturday in the team's final regular-season home game…
"It's a special day for the seniors, because it's the last time that they get to go out at The Rock. It's an emotional day. It's an emotional day for me. As a matter of fact at San Antonio, one of our seniors from a couple of years ago, came up and got on the bus, and we hugged, and it's an emotional time, because you don't really think about it as a football player. I don't really think they'll really understand it until a few years down the road. As coaches will tell them, it's the last time they'll go out at The Rock. And they know it is, but it kind of really hits them about a year or two later. But it's a special time for the young men, and it's just a great time to honor them. Hopefully we'll have a good crowd and just to honor these seniors. They've done a great job and represented the University of Southern Mississippi so well. I hope we have a big crowd out to honor them, and I just appreciate all that these young men have done for our program."
On WR Quez Watkins…
"Well, Quez to me is a playmaker and has big play ability. One of the true advantages we have, and I've said this all year long, not only is Quez a really good football player, we got a lot of other really good football players out there too. So what happens is, we're fine. If you want to go take Quez (away in the game), that's great, go take Quez away - double team him, do whatever you want. But the problem is, defensively, you've got 3 other guys on our side who are big time players as well. So what happens is, that allows receivers to at times max out capability. Just like the kickoffs for Louisiana Tech, we had Jaylond start off with a great year running the kickoffs back, and it was the NFL Network interviewing me (before the LA Tech game) and saying 'Aren't you worried they're going start kicking away?' And I said to be honest with you De'Michael Harris is the guy we've signed to be the kickoff returner, and they looked at me like I was crazy, and they kicked off to De'Michael Harris, and he went 100 yards for a touchdown. I said this in the middle of the season. I have about 6 or 7 guys I can put on the line and I don't know which one is the fastest, I really don't. I'd be a liar if I said I know who the fastest receiver was, I got candidates there. It is what it is. I do think what Quez has done a great job, getting back to the question, is that he's made explosive plays. That's what we expect Quez to do, I think he's an outstanding football player. He's got tremendous talent and potential. Again, kudos to him and Jack (Abraham), and don't ever forget the offensive line, they're doing a great job too, cause football's a team game."
On some of the defenses opponents have used to combat Watkins…
"You'll see some, but the problem is when they do that they get hurt with the other guys. So I mean, to be honest with you, it's not something we're worried about. If we only had Quez out there, I'd be thinking we got to move him around. But we really don't. We just say let's play ball. Going into the season, and I said this in August, (the wide receiver group) was a strength. I've been coaching a long time, I don't think I've ever had the speed across the board at all positions. And all those guys have made big plays. And there's a couple of guys who haven't had as many touches who I thought in August would have explosive years. So at the end of the day, there's only one football and sometimes you can't get it around as much as you'd like to everybody."
On WR Neil McLaurin…
"We felt like, again, Neil's a big time player, he was injured most of last year. Neil to me, was probably the No. 1 junior college receiver in Mississippi two years ago - just an explosive playmaker. Neil's a guy who's made big plays and big catches, and he's a guy who's just an outstanding football player. He's got a great combination of size and speed."
On his team knowing that they have clinched a bowl game and is there a little extra in their step…
"This team goes to work every week. They've been very business-like and they understand our season isn't over. We have goals out there that we want to accomplish, and they understand we've got to go to work. They understand they've got to go to work. Now's not the time to feel good about anything. Now's the time to keep practicing and put your nose down and go to work. Again, we have a big game this weekend. We've got an outstanding football team coming to town, so we've got to have our "A" game."
The WKU contest takes place this Saturday, at 2:30 p.m., from Carlisle-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium. It can be seen online via ESPN+ as well as be heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
Here is some of what Hopson said to the media on Monday:
Opening statement…
"Good win Saturday. I felt like it was a tough game. Give UTSA a lot of credit; it was certainly a good fight. I felt like we did play well, we certainly could have played better, but I feel like offensively and defensively we did some positive things. We created some turnovers defensively, we made some explosive plays offensively - I just felt like on the whole it was an overall good team win. Now we move on to the next one, again another tough conference USA opponent. Western Kentucky's an outstanding football team and we know same-ole, same-ole with another good conference USA football team, we have be ready to play."
On WKU…
"They are just a well-coached, athletic football team. Of course, on both sides of the ball, they do a great job. So again (just like every week in C-USA), it's going to be a war."
On the standings in C-USA…
"We'll count these poker chips up at the end. Everyone knows where you are, all teams are aware of that, we're human beings, they see where they're at, we know it's a big game, and we have to handle business week-to-week. Everybody gets tired of coach-speak, but that's the way it is, and we've got a tough opponent this week. We've got a tough opponent next week and we've had tough opponents every week it seems like. Our schedule has not been a breeze, every week there's a tough opponent. We've played a lot of them on the road and we know we've got a big challenge."
On the team's improvement since Fall Camp…
"I like to see this in a football team. I like to see a football team get better as the year goes on. We're putting games together better offensively and defensively. Earlier in the year we might have a good defensive game, and an OK offensive game, and the next week we might have a good offensive game and didn't play as well defensively. As the season's worn on, we're slowly putting the phases together, and that's what we need to do to be successful. I always talk about C-USA, there's always a lot of winning teams in the league, so we've got to make sure we play a complete game, so that's something we're doing a little bit better. Are we perfect right now? No. Have we played the perfect game? No, but we're getting better as the season's worn on."
On Senior Day this Saturday in the team's final regular-season home game…
"It's a special day for the seniors, because it's the last time that they get to go out at The Rock. It's an emotional day. It's an emotional day for me. As a matter of fact at San Antonio, one of our seniors from a couple of years ago, came up and got on the bus, and we hugged, and it's an emotional time, because you don't really think about it as a football player. I don't really think they'll really understand it until a few years down the road. As coaches will tell them, it's the last time they'll go out at The Rock. And they know it is, but it kind of really hits them about a year or two later. But it's a special time for the young men, and it's just a great time to honor them. Hopefully we'll have a good crowd and just to honor these seniors. They've done a great job and represented the University of Southern Mississippi so well. I hope we have a big crowd out to honor them, and I just appreciate all that these young men have done for our program."
On WR Quez Watkins…
"Well, Quez to me is a playmaker and has big play ability. One of the true advantages we have, and I've said this all year long, not only is Quez a really good football player, we got a lot of other really good football players out there too. So what happens is, we're fine. If you want to go take Quez (away in the game), that's great, go take Quez away - double team him, do whatever you want. But the problem is, defensively, you've got 3 other guys on our side who are big time players as well. So what happens is, that allows receivers to at times max out capability. Just like the kickoffs for Louisiana Tech, we had Jaylond start off with a great year running the kickoffs back, and it was the NFL Network interviewing me (before the LA Tech game) and saying 'Aren't you worried they're going start kicking away?' And I said to be honest with you De'Michael Harris is the guy we've signed to be the kickoff returner, and they looked at me like I was crazy, and they kicked off to De'Michael Harris, and he went 100 yards for a touchdown. I said this in the middle of the season. I have about 6 or 7 guys I can put on the line and I don't know which one is the fastest, I really don't. I'd be a liar if I said I know who the fastest receiver was, I got candidates there. It is what it is. I do think what Quez has done a great job, getting back to the question, is that he's made explosive plays. That's what we expect Quez to do, I think he's an outstanding football player. He's got tremendous talent and potential. Again, kudos to him and Jack (Abraham), and don't ever forget the offensive line, they're doing a great job too, cause football's a team game."
On some of the defenses opponents have used to combat Watkins…
"You'll see some, but the problem is when they do that they get hurt with the other guys. So I mean, to be honest with you, it's not something we're worried about. If we only had Quez out there, I'd be thinking we got to move him around. But we really don't. We just say let's play ball. Going into the season, and I said this in August, (the wide receiver group) was a strength. I've been coaching a long time, I don't think I've ever had the speed across the board at all positions. And all those guys have made big plays. And there's a couple of guys who haven't had as many touches who I thought in August would have explosive years. So at the end of the day, there's only one football and sometimes you can't get it around as much as you'd like to everybody."
On WR Neil McLaurin…
"We felt like, again, Neil's a big time player, he was injured most of last year. Neil to me, was probably the No. 1 junior college receiver in Mississippi two years ago - just an explosive playmaker. Neil's a guy who's made big plays and big catches, and he's a guy who's just an outstanding football player. He's got a great combination of size and speed."
On his team knowing that they have clinched a bowl game and is there a little extra in their step…
"This team goes to work every week. They've been very business-like and they understand our season isn't over. We have goals out there that we want to accomplish, and they understand we've got to go to work. They understand they've got to go to work. Now's not the time to feel good about anything. Now's the time to keep practicing and put your nose down and go to work. Again, we have a big game this weekend. We've got an outstanding football team coming to town, so we've got to have our "A" game."
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