University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Jay Hopson Media Conference - Mississippi State Week
9/2/2019 2:01:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss football coach Jay Hopson met with the media Monday morning in the Duff Athletic Center to discuss the school's Saturday road game at Mississippi State.
The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Starkville, and those unable to make it can watch via ESPNU.
Here is some of what Hopson said to the media on Monday:
Opening statement
"It's always good to win the first one. I expected what we saw Saturday. We played a good football team and did some really good things. Our special teams had some big returns there, and I felt like when we went back and watched film, there were some positives. We have some things to clean up, but that's the first game, and it was a good, hard-fought win."
On if Jaylond Adams is the fastest player on the team
"There are about four guys I could line up and Jaylond would be in the mix. It would be an interesting race to watch. When you look at him, Dee, Quez and DeMichael, I'd be a liar if I said he wasn't in there. He's a special football player who can make plays. In my opinion, he should be the national special teams player of the week. But just like in football, let's not forget about the guys doing the blocking. It's a team game. I was really proud of those guys for the job they did."
On having Adams back after his season-ending injury last year
"It's good, but he was playing real well early last year. He's a good football player. In the Auburn game we lost him for the season, and I'd be lying if I said I was surprised by the plays he was making."
On the offensive line
"We definitely have competition, and we will keep doing that. Our third-quarter unit started gelling. In the first half, we had a special teams touchdown and Alcorn had two possessions where they held the ball. We didn't get a lot of opportunities in the first half, but we got better in the third and fourth quarters. We had a few drops on offense, but I thought we threw the ball well at the end with our other running backs getting some big plays. We just have to get better from Week 1 to Week 2, and that's our journey."
On Andrew Stein's kicking debut
"I thought he kicked off well and of course made his field goals. He's our special teams player of the week, and while I feel Jaylond should be the national one, we have to give our dog a bone. For a true freshman to kick like he did, he was well-deserving."
On Mississippi State
"They're a good football team. They are physical and talented, and we know who we're going up against. They're a football team that has our utmost respect."
On Bulldog quarterback Tommy Stevens
"I thought he played extremely well on Saturday. He's multi-talented and looks like Nick Fitzgerald. We know he's a really good football player and quarterbacks with that athleticism. Collin, I knew him back in high school at Columbus, and we thought he was a heck of a player. He did well against Lafayette."
On running back Kevin Perkins and the rest of the unit
"I thought KP did some good things. He ran and protected. Same goes for Dee Baker and Jordan Kempf. We are kind of a running back-by-committee right now. Those guys all bring different elements."
On his overall thoughts on the opening game
"We moved on yesterday, but that first game, you look a lot at it. You make sure you're correcting your Week 1 mistakes so that later in the year you can get to the next opponent quicker. I felt better after seeing it on game tape, and I feel like we are getting close. I was a lot happier Sunday morning than Saturday night."
The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Starkville, and those unable to make it can watch via ESPNU.
Here is some of what Hopson said to the media on Monday:
Opening statement
"It's always good to win the first one. I expected what we saw Saturday. We played a good football team and did some really good things. Our special teams had some big returns there, and I felt like when we went back and watched film, there were some positives. We have some things to clean up, but that's the first game, and it was a good, hard-fought win."
On if Jaylond Adams is the fastest player on the team
"There are about four guys I could line up and Jaylond would be in the mix. It would be an interesting race to watch. When you look at him, Dee, Quez and DeMichael, I'd be a liar if I said he wasn't in there. He's a special football player who can make plays. In my opinion, he should be the national special teams player of the week. But just like in football, let's not forget about the guys doing the blocking. It's a team game. I was really proud of those guys for the job they did."
On having Adams back after his season-ending injury last year
"It's good, but he was playing real well early last year. He's a good football player. In the Auburn game we lost him for the season, and I'd be lying if I said I was surprised by the plays he was making."
On the offensive line
"We definitely have competition, and we will keep doing that. Our third-quarter unit started gelling. In the first half, we had a special teams touchdown and Alcorn had two possessions where they held the ball. We didn't get a lot of opportunities in the first half, but we got better in the third and fourth quarters. We had a few drops on offense, but I thought we threw the ball well at the end with our other running backs getting some big plays. We just have to get better from Week 1 to Week 2, and that's our journey."
On Andrew Stein's kicking debut
"I thought he kicked off well and of course made his field goals. He's our special teams player of the week, and while I feel Jaylond should be the national one, we have to give our dog a bone. For a true freshman to kick like he did, he was well-deserving."
On Mississippi State
"They're a good football team. They are physical and talented, and we know who we're going up against. They're a football team that has our utmost respect."
On Bulldog quarterback Tommy Stevens
"I thought he played extremely well on Saturday. He's multi-talented and looks like Nick Fitzgerald. We know he's a really good football player and quarterbacks with that athleticism. Collin, I knew him back in high school at Columbus, and we thought he was a heck of a player. He did well against Lafayette."
On running back Kevin Perkins and the rest of the unit
"I thought KP did some good things. He ran and protected. Same goes for Dee Baker and Jordan Kempf. We are kind of a running back-by-committee right now. Those guys all bring different elements."
On his overall thoughts on the opening game
"We moved on yesterday, but that first game, you look a lot at it. You make sure you're correcting your Week 1 mistakes so that later in the year you can get to the next opponent quicker. I felt better after seeing it on game tape, and I feel like we are getting close. I was a lot happier Sunday morning than Saturday night."
Players Mentioned
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RB
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RB
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PK
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