University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Coach Will Hall Media Availability – The Texas State Game
10/18/2022 1:33:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss football head coach Will Hall met with members of the media Tuesday morning following practice to discuss this weekend's Sun Belt Conference road contest at Texas State, as well as reviewing last week's win over Arkansas State.
Game time this Saturday is set for 4 p.m., Saturday, at Bobcat Stadium. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network by Learfield.
Here is some of what Hall said to the media on Tuesday:
Coach Hall Opening Statement…
"Great Tuesday, great weather as it cooled down a little bit. Had a lot of juice and energy today, really good hitting going on, saw a lot of good competition. Got a lot of good punt work in as well. This is a really good team and they are so much improved. Coach Spavital has done a really great job I have a lot of respect for him. They are so much better on defense than what they have been. The last two weeks they have been playing at a really high level to beat App. State and to go to Troy and take them to the wire like they did. They got it going on right now. They are undefeated at home I believe so it is going to be a tremendous challenge for us, and we have to go down there and continue to improve, because that is what we are doing as a program. We won three games last year and have already won three this year we continue to mold, to build, to recruit. That is what we are trying to do build this great program back day by day."
On injury update for QB Ty Keyes…
"Ty Keyes is out for the year."
On QB Trey Lowe status…
"Trey is a great kid he is going to be a great coach. He does everything we ask; he is just behind Zach (Wilcke) and Jake (Lange) right now in the performance standpoint."
On wearing down the opponent…
"We were doing that all game. If you look into the early drive, we ran in inside zone on like second and two and we knocked the line of scrimmage five yards back. So, it was happening all night we just were not executing our quarterback well enough to show it. The ball was not getting handed off sometimes the way we needed it too and the execution just wasn't there you know just at the quarterback position and so late in the game we started executing better which made us move the ball better and that is generally kind of the way it goes. I thought our O-line played unbelievable. Our line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball was probably the difference in that game. We won a football game, but lost the turnover battle 2-0 and gave up a safety. You must be really good to do that. There are very few teams that can do that. That won't happen much the whole football season in all the college football games combined it will be interesting to look it up how many teams win a football game losing a turnover battle by two. That is huge growth for this program, and it shows how well we played on O and D in the kicking game in the parts of it. If that turnover battle is 0-0 or we are up plus one or plus two it could have been a much different outcome."
On progress of young quarterback…
"Zach is right on track to where we thought he would be and where I had a lot of great freshmen be. You know he comes in things are easy there is no expectation level you play and then teams see what you can and can't do and then they start game planning for you and then it gets a little bit harder, and you realize the weight of the world is on you. So you kind of hit rock bottom and then you start building back up. Zach has had a tough two weeks; he has made some plays with the two throws to Ty Mims were unbelievable. The throw to Frank Gore on the wheel route was a phenomenal throw and a great play. So, he had some good plays as well as plays that he would like to have back so we are going to continue to coach him and build him because he is going to be a very good player. There are a very few great quarterbacks out there who didn't have some bad games as freshman."
On facing quarterbacks with outrageous experience…
"I have a lot of respect for their quarterback, Hatcher. I remember him out of high school when I was at (Louisiana) Lafayette when he was coming out. He was a state wrestling champion, a real tough guy, a guy that has a chip on his shoulder because he isn't the biggest guy, and he is always trying to prove people wrong. He has always been a winner his whole life. I have great respect for him, and Coach Spavital are turning their program around and we must play well on defense. As far as us goes, Zach he is really talented, he is young we think he is going to be great player and will continue to keep coaching him and molding him. We do a lot of good stuff on offense we always have its very similar to what the Saints have done forever, what LSU when Joe Burrow was there similar system so there are some intricacies to it that we are trying to make it simpler but still have enough answers He does some things really good and you can see it and sometimes he doesn't we have to continue to play better around him and keep growing him. There will come a day where a lot of people will be wearing number 12 jerseys around here."
On Jakarius Caston update…
"I think we will have him back this week, I really do, he went down early but it it's not a season ending injury I say he is probable for this week."
On the wide receiver room…
"Ty Mims came in and played great, we recruited well there and again that shows growth in the program. Daylen Gill, Ty Mims, Zach Wilcke, Santrell Latham, Chandler Pittman those are five guys that started in that game that didn't start earlier this season, along with Latreal Jones, that is six guys that are integral pieces in what we are doing that are playing at a high level that are now playing more because of injuries. So that is college football and everyone deals with that. Last year we could not overcome that, so it shows improvement, growth, and great recruiting and we are continuing to do that."
On Janari Dean and Frank Gore, Jr., one-two punch…
"It was great number. We had 69 snaps offensively because we moved the ball consistently all game so when you add 13 to 15 more snaps than what you have been getting that is 12 to 15 more opportunities for kids to play. So, it was great that Janari got in there that we envisioned all year having 70 snap games where Frank and Janari could one-two punch it. We have to get Rambo (Antavious Willis) in there more because he is a good player and the same with Chandler Pittman, so it was good to see for all those kids."
On recruiting…
"We are in lower Mississippi and it is a very fertile recruiting area. We understand everybody comes in here to get these guys we know their coaches and family members if it is not working out for them somewhere else, we want to be the place of choice for them to come back home if they are the right kind of fit and love Southern Miss and are Southern Miss people. We have been doing that, even though we haven't been winning, now we are winning and starting to do things right. I think it will be a snowball effect and we feel really good about where we are headed in our recruiting."
On peer recruiting…
"I am unsure but most of my peers did not come from where I came from, at Division Two. We have been living in this world our whole career. Quentin Bivens and Tylan Knight would of have had to transfer down a little and they would have played for me at West Alabama or West Georgia five years ago to be honest with you. Now they can come here."
On center Briason Mays health…
"He is highly probable for this week."
Game time this Saturday is set for 4 p.m., Saturday, at Bobcat Stadium. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network by Learfield.
Here is some of what Hall said to the media on Tuesday:
Coach Hall Opening Statement…
"Great Tuesday, great weather as it cooled down a little bit. Had a lot of juice and energy today, really good hitting going on, saw a lot of good competition. Got a lot of good punt work in as well. This is a really good team and they are so much improved. Coach Spavital has done a really great job I have a lot of respect for him. They are so much better on defense than what they have been. The last two weeks they have been playing at a really high level to beat App. State and to go to Troy and take them to the wire like they did. They got it going on right now. They are undefeated at home I believe so it is going to be a tremendous challenge for us, and we have to go down there and continue to improve, because that is what we are doing as a program. We won three games last year and have already won three this year we continue to mold, to build, to recruit. That is what we are trying to do build this great program back day by day."
On injury update for QB Ty Keyes…
"Ty Keyes is out for the year."
On QB Trey Lowe status…
"Trey is a great kid he is going to be a great coach. He does everything we ask; he is just behind Zach (Wilcke) and Jake (Lange) right now in the performance standpoint."
On wearing down the opponent…
"We were doing that all game. If you look into the early drive, we ran in inside zone on like second and two and we knocked the line of scrimmage five yards back. So, it was happening all night we just were not executing our quarterback well enough to show it. The ball was not getting handed off sometimes the way we needed it too and the execution just wasn't there you know just at the quarterback position and so late in the game we started executing better which made us move the ball better and that is generally kind of the way it goes. I thought our O-line played unbelievable. Our line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball was probably the difference in that game. We won a football game, but lost the turnover battle 2-0 and gave up a safety. You must be really good to do that. There are very few teams that can do that. That won't happen much the whole football season in all the college football games combined it will be interesting to look it up how many teams win a football game losing a turnover battle by two. That is huge growth for this program, and it shows how well we played on O and D in the kicking game in the parts of it. If that turnover battle is 0-0 or we are up plus one or plus two it could have been a much different outcome."
On progress of young quarterback…
"Zach is right on track to where we thought he would be and where I had a lot of great freshmen be. You know he comes in things are easy there is no expectation level you play and then teams see what you can and can't do and then they start game planning for you and then it gets a little bit harder, and you realize the weight of the world is on you. So you kind of hit rock bottom and then you start building back up. Zach has had a tough two weeks; he has made some plays with the two throws to Ty Mims were unbelievable. The throw to Frank Gore on the wheel route was a phenomenal throw and a great play. So, he had some good plays as well as plays that he would like to have back so we are going to continue to coach him and build him because he is going to be a very good player. There are a very few great quarterbacks out there who didn't have some bad games as freshman."
On facing quarterbacks with outrageous experience…
"I have a lot of respect for their quarterback, Hatcher. I remember him out of high school when I was at (Louisiana) Lafayette when he was coming out. He was a state wrestling champion, a real tough guy, a guy that has a chip on his shoulder because he isn't the biggest guy, and he is always trying to prove people wrong. He has always been a winner his whole life. I have great respect for him, and Coach Spavital are turning their program around and we must play well on defense. As far as us goes, Zach he is really talented, he is young we think he is going to be great player and will continue to keep coaching him and molding him. We do a lot of good stuff on offense we always have its very similar to what the Saints have done forever, what LSU when Joe Burrow was there similar system so there are some intricacies to it that we are trying to make it simpler but still have enough answers He does some things really good and you can see it and sometimes he doesn't we have to continue to play better around him and keep growing him. There will come a day where a lot of people will be wearing number 12 jerseys around here."
On Jakarius Caston update…
"I think we will have him back this week, I really do, he went down early but it it's not a season ending injury I say he is probable for this week."
On the wide receiver room…
"Ty Mims came in and played great, we recruited well there and again that shows growth in the program. Daylen Gill, Ty Mims, Zach Wilcke, Santrell Latham, Chandler Pittman those are five guys that started in that game that didn't start earlier this season, along with Latreal Jones, that is six guys that are integral pieces in what we are doing that are playing at a high level that are now playing more because of injuries. So that is college football and everyone deals with that. Last year we could not overcome that, so it shows improvement, growth, and great recruiting and we are continuing to do that."
On Janari Dean and Frank Gore, Jr., one-two punch…
"It was great number. We had 69 snaps offensively because we moved the ball consistently all game so when you add 13 to 15 more snaps than what you have been getting that is 12 to 15 more opportunities for kids to play. So, it was great that Janari got in there that we envisioned all year having 70 snap games where Frank and Janari could one-two punch it. We have to get Rambo (Antavious Willis) in there more because he is a good player and the same with Chandler Pittman, so it was good to see for all those kids."
On recruiting…
"We are in lower Mississippi and it is a very fertile recruiting area. We understand everybody comes in here to get these guys we know their coaches and family members if it is not working out for them somewhere else, we want to be the place of choice for them to come back home if they are the right kind of fit and love Southern Miss and are Southern Miss people. We have been doing that, even though we haven't been winning, now we are winning and starting to do things right. I think it will be a snowball effect and we feel really good about where we are headed in our recruiting."
On peer recruiting…
"I am unsure but most of my peers did not come from where I came from, at Division Two. We have been living in this world our whole career. Quentin Bivens and Tylan Knight would of have had to transfer down a little and they would have played for me at West Alabama or West Georgia five years ago to be honest with you. Now they can come here."
On center Briason Mays health…
"He is highly probable for this week."
Players Mentioned
DT
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Wr
/ Football
RB
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LB
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RB
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WR
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SAF
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LB
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RB
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QB
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DB
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