University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Will Hall Media Availability – The Kentucky Game
8/27/2024 1:40:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss head football coach Will Hall spoke with members of the media following practice on Tuesday,Aug. 27, at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Hall discussed the Golden Eagles' upcoming game at Kentucky and highlighted a few standout players ahead of Saturday's season-opening kick.
Southern Miss begins its fourth year under the direction of Hall this Saturday, Aug. 31, in Lexington, Ky. Kickoff against the Wildcats is set for 6:45 p.m. CT (7:45 p.m. ET) at Kentucky's Kroger Field and will be televised on the SEC Network to a national audience. Fans can watch the game on SECN with Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Kubelic handling the call or listen to the game on the Southern Miss Sports Network with the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, and Lee Roberts providing a radio broadcast of the game. Links to both are available on SouthernMiss.com.
Fans wishing to attend Saturday's game can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425), by visiting SouthernMissTickets.com or by visiting the Ticket Office in the Pat Ferlise Center on the Hattiesburg campus.
Here is what Hall said to the media:
Opening Statement…
"It was an awesome Tuesday with beautiful weather. I thank the good Lord for that. He brought the heat and humidity back, so that was good. That's the way we like it down here in Hattiesburg. I thought it was a really good day defensively and I thought we continued to grow and communicate. Ques McNeal really played well and Elijah Sabbatini probably had one of his better practices and it looks like he continues to improve from his knee injury. Brendan Toles, you can tell he gets more comfortable everyday. On the back end, those guys are really learning the nuances of our defense. I saw Jordan Johnson make an interception and he continues to come on. Those guys are just communicating with so much more confidence and so much more wherewithal with what we are doing. I thought we had great leadership from our defensive line today. I thought Tate [Rodemaker] and Ethan [Crawford] did some good things. Davis Dalton made some plays today and it's good to see him come on. He's got a chance to be a really good player. All in all, it was a really good Tuesday. We got some great kickoff cover work, some great punt work and that is going to be integral this season, and in this game coming up in special teams. We've got a big Wednesday tomorrow with redzone and third down and we are looking forward to it."
On Kentucky's Offense…
"The whole team is big and long. When Coach [Mark] Stoops got there, you can tell they made a conscious decision to recruit size and length. If they are going to sacrifice something, they aren't going to sacrifice that. You see that across their whole offensive front, defensive front, their edge guys, tight ends, to their outside and inside backers. That's the thing that stands out with them, along with their kickoff returner, No. 7 Barion Brown. He is the best I have ever coached against and I have coached against Tyreek Hill. He's really dynamic. They are a good football team. Everything you read, they think it's the best roster that they have ever had there. They are a tremendous opponent at their venue and our guys are looking forward to it."
On Kentucky's Defensive Line…
"It's going to be a great test. [Deone Walker] is obviously a great player and we have a tremendous amount of respect for him. It's about fundamentals, technique and effort. You have to rely on fundamentals and technique and you have to play with great effort. That's the only way to win any type of competitive battle. We feel like we compete every day here and we are going to definitely compete on Saturday when we go to Lexington. But he's a great football player and he will be a tremendous opponent for us."
On junior wide receiver Ti Mims (Bay Minette, Ala. / Baldwin County HS)…
Number one, Ti Mims is a really good person. He is a legitimate person that is a great teammate who cares about people. That's the one thing I respect Ti so much about and Ti's got a bright future. He works extremely hard and he's got a chance to continue to grow and continue to get better."
On program's focus on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL)…
NIL is the best thing to happen to Southern Miss in a long time. Our fans embrace it and they've got to continue to embrace it. It's given us an edge and you're able to see that in the big three sports in football, basketball and baseball, in the way we recruited. And if our fans will continue to take hold of this and latch onto it and use it as a way to prove that we are the best fanbase in the country, we could really do some great things and put ourselves in position to be competitive with I think even the ACC, Big 12, and lower SEC opponents in that space. We are moving in that direction. Peter Boehme's in charge of it. I encourage our fans if they don't know Peter, get to know him. It's easy, just visit tothetopcollective.com and sign up. The lowest deal is $17 a month and we've got to get everybody on board, and we could do something really special."
On the environment of the first game in Lexington…
"We do have some new players, but I would say we've got less new players than a lot of people. We are probably in the top five to ten percent of roster carryover in the country, so the majority of the team that will travel to Kentucky understands our culture and understands what it takes. A lot of those kids at one point in their lives have played in SEC venues, so I don't think our kids will be in awe of that by any means. We are going to have respect for that, but we are not going to be in awe of that. We understand at the end of the day, it's football. It's like the movie "Hoosiers". They throw that thing up there and drop it down, the rim is ten feet tall, no matter where you play basketball. This is football on turf and our kids are going to play football, and we're looking forward to it."
On graduate student offensive lineman Dontae Lucas (Overton, Fla. / South Alabama)…
"He's been great through fall camp. We're excited to watch him play this season. He's a proven player from Florida State to South Alabama. He's been one of the better players in the Sun Belt in his time in the Sun Belt, and we think he can be a great player for us this year. He's really become us and embraced how we do things. I am excited to coach him and be around him every day."
###
– #AIE | #SMTTT –
Southern Miss begins its fourth year under the direction of Hall this Saturday, Aug. 31, in Lexington, Ky. Kickoff against the Wildcats is set for 6:45 p.m. CT (7:45 p.m. ET) at Kentucky's Kroger Field and will be televised on the SEC Network to a national audience. Fans can watch the game on SECN with Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Kubelic handling the call or listen to the game on the Southern Miss Sports Network with the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, and Lee Roberts providing a radio broadcast of the game. Links to both are available on SouthernMiss.com.
Fans wishing to attend Saturday's game can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425), by visiting SouthernMissTickets.com or by visiting the Ticket Office in the Pat Ferlise Center on the Hattiesburg campus.
Here is what Hall said to the media:
Opening Statement…
"It was an awesome Tuesday with beautiful weather. I thank the good Lord for that. He brought the heat and humidity back, so that was good. That's the way we like it down here in Hattiesburg. I thought it was a really good day defensively and I thought we continued to grow and communicate. Ques McNeal really played well and Elijah Sabbatini probably had one of his better practices and it looks like he continues to improve from his knee injury. Brendan Toles, you can tell he gets more comfortable everyday. On the back end, those guys are really learning the nuances of our defense. I saw Jordan Johnson make an interception and he continues to come on. Those guys are just communicating with so much more confidence and so much more wherewithal with what we are doing. I thought we had great leadership from our defensive line today. I thought Tate [Rodemaker] and Ethan [Crawford] did some good things. Davis Dalton made some plays today and it's good to see him come on. He's got a chance to be a really good player. All in all, it was a really good Tuesday. We got some great kickoff cover work, some great punt work and that is going to be integral this season, and in this game coming up in special teams. We've got a big Wednesday tomorrow with redzone and third down and we are looking forward to it."
On Kentucky's Offense…
"The whole team is big and long. When Coach [Mark] Stoops got there, you can tell they made a conscious decision to recruit size and length. If they are going to sacrifice something, they aren't going to sacrifice that. You see that across their whole offensive front, defensive front, their edge guys, tight ends, to their outside and inside backers. That's the thing that stands out with them, along with their kickoff returner, No. 7 Barion Brown. He is the best I have ever coached against and I have coached against Tyreek Hill. He's really dynamic. They are a good football team. Everything you read, they think it's the best roster that they have ever had there. They are a tremendous opponent at their venue and our guys are looking forward to it."
On Kentucky's Defensive Line…
"It's going to be a great test. [Deone Walker] is obviously a great player and we have a tremendous amount of respect for him. It's about fundamentals, technique and effort. You have to rely on fundamentals and technique and you have to play with great effort. That's the only way to win any type of competitive battle. We feel like we compete every day here and we are going to definitely compete on Saturday when we go to Lexington. But he's a great football player and he will be a tremendous opponent for us."
On junior wide receiver Ti Mims (Bay Minette, Ala. / Baldwin County HS)…
Number one, Ti Mims is a really good person. He is a legitimate person that is a great teammate who cares about people. That's the one thing I respect Ti so much about and Ti's got a bright future. He works extremely hard and he's got a chance to continue to grow and continue to get better."
On program's focus on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL)…
NIL is the best thing to happen to Southern Miss in a long time. Our fans embrace it and they've got to continue to embrace it. It's given us an edge and you're able to see that in the big three sports in football, basketball and baseball, in the way we recruited. And if our fans will continue to take hold of this and latch onto it and use it as a way to prove that we are the best fanbase in the country, we could really do some great things and put ourselves in position to be competitive with I think even the ACC, Big 12, and lower SEC opponents in that space. We are moving in that direction. Peter Boehme's in charge of it. I encourage our fans if they don't know Peter, get to know him. It's easy, just visit tothetopcollective.com and sign up. The lowest deal is $17 a month and we've got to get everybody on board, and we could do something really special."
On the environment of the first game in Lexington…
"We do have some new players, but I would say we've got less new players than a lot of people. We are probably in the top five to ten percent of roster carryover in the country, so the majority of the team that will travel to Kentucky understands our culture and understands what it takes. A lot of those kids at one point in their lives have played in SEC venues, so I don't think our kids will be in awe of that by any means. We are going to have respect for that, but we are not going to be in awe of that. We understand at the end of the day, it's football. It's like the movie "Hoosiers". They throw that thing up there and drop it down, the rim is ten feet tall, no matter where you play basketball. This is football on turf and our kids are going to play football, and we're looking forward to it."
On graduate student offensive lineman Dontae Lucas (Overton, Fla. / South Alabama)…
"He's been great through fall camp. We're excited to watch him play this season. He's a proven player from Florida State to South Alabama. He's been one of the better players in the Sun Belt in his time in the Sun Belt, and we think he can be a great player for us this year. He's really become us and embraced how we do things. I am excited to coach him and be around him every day."
###
– #AIE | #SMTTT –
Players Mentioned
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/ Football
DB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
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/ Football
SAF
/ Football
CB
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