University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Coach Will Hall Media Availability – The Texas State Game
9/26/2023 1:32:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss head football coach Will Hall met with members of the media on Tuesday morning following practice to discuss this Saturday's Sun Belt Conference matchup with Texas State, as well as look back at last week's game with Arkansas State.
This week's game time is set for Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN+ as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network by Learfield.
Here is some of what Hall said to the media on Tuesday:
Opening Statement:
"It was an awesome day. The weather cooled down a bit and we had a lot of energy and juice today. A lot of guys are improving and getting better and I'm proud of our kids and proud of how they continue to work. We know we've got some things to fix and we're addressing and fixing them, and we'll continue to improve and get better."
On kicking game versus Arkansas State:
"We got beat in the kicking game. We caught two kickoffs going backward, which caused us to get tackled on the 15-yard line. We never do that; it's not who we are. It's fixed. We had some new guys on our punt team due to a lot of injuries where we had to play some newer guys and our splits weren't correct, which caused a short edge and the guy barely blocked it. The ball went forward and we should have another foot of space, and that's on us and details. That's what is killing us right now. They made a 53-yard field goal - give credit to them. And they made some plays, too. They made some plays and we played them twice in the last two years. We played them at home in a close game and barely won and we played them at their place in a close game, and they barely won. We've got some things to improve on and we're certainly working on it."
On Arkansas State coming down to the wire:
"We were down 17 and came right back. We played extremely hard and we believe in the process. We got back and tied it up, and then we just didn't make any plays down the stretch. We dropped a ball that hit us right in the hands and then we didn't have contain on a zone read play to contain that and force another punt. Close games like that can come down to one play, but we should have never been in that position. We lost the turnover battle two to one, and we lost the kicking game, which caused us to lose a one-score football game. That was the difference."
On execution of passing game versus Arkansas State:
"We only had one sack and we had another hurry that caused a turnover. Sometimes they were bringing six people and if we're in empty protection, we're hot, so we've got to get rid of it quick. Some of it was coverage and some of it was that we've got to block better, so it's a mixture. When you throw it 40 times in a game like we did, you're going to have a mixture of things that happened. We executed in the passing game pretty efficiently. The only thing I was disappointed in was one time, they brought in six, and Billy [Wiles] made a great protection check and we weren't quite ready and didn't execute well enough to complete that hot route to Frank [Gore Jr.] right there. And then I was disappointed in the drops. We had a lot of drops that really affected us and that's not who we are. When the ball hits us in the hands, we've got to catch it. It was good to see Frog [Latreal Jones] make a catch on the jump ball in the endzone."
On QB Billy Wiles running the ball:
"When he can run, we want him to run. He's done a good job. [Against] Tulane, he got a first on a third down on the scramble. He's been awesome with his pocket movement all year and he can roll, and that's one of the reasons why he won the job is his ability to get out of the pocket and make plays."
On receiver Zay Franks moving positions:
"Franks is moving to corner this week. We had to; we've lost three defensive backs to ACLs in two weeks, and two corners. So we're obviously very thin at that position. Zay went over there with a great attitude and made some plays today. It's a position he's played before in high school and we think he can be a good player there."
On Elijah Sabbatini's ACL injury:
"It happened on the big kickoff. He was the contain guy and tore his ACL running down the field, so we didn't have any contain, and they popped a 50-yard kickoff return."
On Swayze Bozeman and Cole Cavallo returning from injuries:
"It's immeasurable. Injuries are a part of football and it is what it is, but Cole is a team leader- Swayze Bozeman and Averie Habas are team leaders. So getting Swayze and Cole back, not only do you get a good football player, but you get leadership back as well."
On success in the run game versus Arkansas State:
"It was execution. Our running backs hit it right and our offensive line and tight ends played physical and it was good to see. We were able to mix run and pass well and that's what we want to be offensively and what I think we will be moving forward."
On Texas State:
"They are a good football team. They were a good football team last year, too. They lost three close games. They lost one score to us on basically a Hail Mary, lost one score to a great Troy team, and lost one score to Monroe [ULM]. If you flip those games, they are in a bowl game, and so they had a lot of good players to last year. They made a change very similar to us. Coach Kinne's dad was a high school coach in Texas, and he knows Texas and he's been able to come in and get some portal guys from Texas like we have done here. So it's very similar, and they've come out and they are 3-1 right now. They are playing well and it's a tremendous challenge for us this year."
On Texas State's QB TJ Finley:
"He's a good player. He was a highly recruited guy and a five-star out of Ponchatoula. I remember him out of high school. He played with Tyjae Spears, who we coached at Tulane. He will be the biggest kid on the field and has a great, strong arm that he can throw from here to Columbia. Coach Kinne has done a good job of getting him playing well and he's had a good year so far."
This week's game time is set for Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN+ as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network by Learfield.
Here is some of what Hall said to the media on Tuesday:
Opening Statement:
"It was an awesome day. The weather cooled down a bit and we had a lot of energy and juice today. A lot of guys are improving and getting better and I'm proud of our kids and proud of how they continue to work. We know we've got some things to fix and we're addressing and fixing them, and we'll continue to improve and get better."
On kicking game versus Arkansas State:
"We got beat in the kicking game. We caught two kickoffs going backward, which caused us to get tackled on the 15-yard line. We never do that; it's not who we are. It's fixed. We had some new guys on our punt team due to a lot of injuries where we had to play some newer guys and our splits weren't correct, which caused a short edge and the guy barely blocked it. The ball went forward and we should have another foot of space, and that's on us and details. That's what is killing us right now. They made a 53-yard field goal - give credit to them. And they made some plays, too. They made some plays and we played them twice in the last two years. We played them at home in a close game and barely won and we played them at their place in a close game, and they barely won. We've got some things to improve on and we're certainly working on it."
On Arkansas State coming down to the wire:
"We were down 17 and came right back. We played extremely hard and we believe in the process. We got back and tied it up, and then we just didn't make any plays down the stretch. We dropped a ball that hit us right in the hands and then we didn't have contain on a zone read play to contain that and force another punt. Close games like that can come down to one play, but we should have never been in that position. We lost the turnover battle two to one, and we lost the kicking game, which caused us to lose a one-score football game. That was the difference."
On execution of passing game versus Arkansas State:
"We only had one sack and we had another hurry that caused a turnover. Sometimes they were bringing six people and if we're in empty protection, we're hot, so we've got to get rid of it quick. Some of it was coverage and some of it was that we've got to block better, so it's a mixture. When you throw it 40 times in a game like we did, you're going to have a mixture of things that happened. We executed in the passing game pretty efficiently. The only thing I was disappointed in was one time, they brought in six, and Billy [Wiles] made a great protection check and we weren't quite ready and didn't execute well enough to complete that hot route to Frank [Gore Jr.] right there. And then I was disappointed in the drops. We had a lot of drops that really affected us and that's not who we are. When the ball hits us in the hands, we've got to catch it. It was good to see Frog [Latreal Jones] make a catch on the jump ball in the endzone."
On QB Billy Wiles running the ball:
"When he can run, we want him to run. He's done a good job. [Against] Tulane, he got a first on a third down on the scramble. He's been awesome with his pocket movement all year and he can roll, and that's one of the reasons why he won the job is his ability to get out of the pocket and make plays."
On receiver Zay Franks moving positions:
"Franks is moving to corner this week. We had to; we've lost three defensive backs to ACLs in two weeks, and two corners. So we're obviously very thin at that position. Zay went over there with a great attitude and made some plays today. It's a position he's played before in high school and we think he can be a good player there."
On Elijah Sabbatini's ACL injury:
"It happened on the big kickoff. He was the contain guy and tore his ACL running down the field, so we didn't have any contain, and they popped a 50-yard kickoff return."
On Swayze Bozeman and Cole Cavallo returning from injuries:
"It's immeasurable. Injuries are a part of football and it is what it is, but Cole is a team leader- Swayze Bozeman and Averie Habas are team leaders. So getting Swayze and Cole back, not only do you get a good football player, but you get leadership back as well."
On success in the run game versus Arkansas State:
"It was execution. Our running backs hit it right and our offensive line and tight ends played physical and it was good to see. We were able to mix run and pass well and that's what we want to be offensively and what I think we will be moving forward."
On Texas State:
"They are a good football team. They were a good football team last year, too. They lost three close games. They lost one score to us on basically a Hail Mary, lost one score to a great Troy team, and lost one score to Monroe [ULM]. If you flip those games, they are in a bowl game, and so they had a lot of good players to last year. They made a change very similar to us. Coach Kinne's dad was a high school coach in Texas, and he knows Texas and he's been able to come in and get some portal guys from Texas like we have done here. So it's very similar, and they've come out and they are 3-1 right now. They are playing well and it's a tremendous challenge for us this year."
On Texas State's QB TJ Finley:
"He's a good player. He was a highly recruited guy and a five-star out of Ponchatoula. I remember him out of high school. He played with Tyjae Spears, who we coached at Tulane. He will be the biggest kid on the field and has a great, strong arm that he can throw from here to Columbia. Coach Kinne has done a good job of getting him playing well and he's had a good year so far."
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