University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Charles Huff Weekly Press Conference – The Texas State Game
11/11/2025 2:53:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss head football coach Charles Huff addressed the media ahead of the Golden Eagles' game against Texas State this Saturday at The Rock. Huff covered last week's win over Arkansas State and previewed the matchup against the Bobcats this weekend.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets by visiting SouthernMiss.com/Tickets, calling the Southern Miss Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or by stopping by the Pat Ferlise Center on campus during normal business hours. Upper level tickets are available for just $10 from now until Noon on Friday.
Kickoff between Southern Miss (7-2, 5-0 Sun Belt) and Texas State (3-6, 0-5 Sun Belt) is slated for 2:30 p.m. at Carlislie-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Jason Baker (PxP) and Austin Davis (Color) will be on the ESPN+ broadcast while the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, and Lee Roberts will open the Southern Miss football pregame show at 1 p.m.
Here is what Huff said to the media:
Opening Statement…
"Welcome everybody being here. Really appreciate you guys and all you do, covering us and making sure our player's story gets told. Obviously, really excited about this opportunity coming up this weekend. There is a flash ticket sale going on right now that should be hitting the online publications here real shortly. Just again, our administration doing everything they can to try to create an environment not only that can balance where we are in college football, but also can include as many fans as possible. There's a balance. We can't give every ticket away and expect to have really good players out there, so there is a balance. But excuse me, I think our administration is doing a phenomenal job of finding the common ground between that balance, of allowing ticket prices to be affordable for families, but also still being able to do the things we need to do from a college football new landscape perspective, so really appreciative to Jeremy, really appreciative to Spencer and the rest of the ticket team that all they're doing to try and continue to encourage as many people to get to the game as possible. Last week's game, phenomenal battle by our guys. Really showed unbelievable resilience. Really showed what culture really looks like. Really showed what trusting the process really looks like. I say it all the time, man, good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose. Hats off to Arkansas State. I thought they played a phenomenal game. I thought they were probably the most physical game we've played in a long while. They did a really good job of battling back and forth. I thought our players did a really good job of adjusting as the game went on, I told him after the game, we won the game. We did not defeat the opponent, and sometimes you have to do that, but we also got to be able to come back in and kind of our talk on Sunday was about taking the medicine and going to rehab. You got to take the medicine or the coaching, you know, in order to improve, because you can get caught up in the we won the game when we really didn't play great. Or you can take the medicine, take the coaching, and then go out to practice this week and rehab those things and correct those things to get ready for a phenomenal opponent coming in here at Texas State. A lot of respect for Coach Kinne, arguably one of the best offensive minds in the game right now does a really good job, I told the team, and I still believe it, they're probably the best offense in the Sun Belt, when you look statistically, where they're ranked in all of the categories, and then when you put the film on, they got a quarterback that does a phenomenal job. They got some wide outs that can run. Their O line is big. They play fast. I think it's four one-score games they've lost, and the other two they were right in it. And every one of those games they were down and battled back, very similar to Arkansas State, how they were kind of got on their run. So it's going to be a 60 minute game. We got to do everything we can defensively. They're big, they're fast. It's going to be another physical battle. You know, we're in the back end of that season now. So these type of games really start to wear on you when you're having the physicality along with the tempo. Arkansas State snapped it 85 times. These guys will snap it 85 times. I mean, they're going to stress us. So, we've got to do a really good job. We've got a really good returner. So again, I know it's, I stand here and I say it's a challenge, and everybody's like, well, their record says this, when you put on the film, you don't see records. You see explosive plays, you see tempo, you see wideouts that can run. You see a defense getting pressure on the quarterback and shutting down the run and playing the ball in the air, and then there's just with everything else man, there's opportunity here or there. They miss. Ball doesn't bounce their way, and things turn. You know, we could make that argument for Arkansas State. The first four games of the season, ball didn't just bounce their way, didn't turn. Last four games, it started bouncing their way. Now they're playing hot, so we've got to do everything we can from a preparation standpoint, to get ready for a really good opponent, not looking at the logos, not looking at the records, not looking at what they did last week, but looking at what do we need to do to go out and play really well."
Q: Off of what you said, a very explosive offense can affect you at all three levels. Just watching them [Arkansas State] throughout the season, you just kind of got that it wasn't so much that they got beat but they just beat themselves…
"Yeah, I think that's exactly what it is, and I say beat themselves, not that they were trying not to execute, but just to drop ball here, a drop ball there. You know, we've been in the same scenario, and we've been able to cover it up. Up or make up for it. So again, you don't get to feel like they just got bad players out there and they're running the wrong way, and they don't have a good scheme. I mean, they've been in every game they've played. They can score fast. They have a system that they are confident in on both sides of the ball, and then they got players. And you watch the games, man and the explosive plays, the ability for the quarterback to get the ball out of his hand. He's another quarterback who can run and throw. He's able to operate the off the offense with tempo, which is a tough thing to do, would be able to get the ball where it needs to be. So again, it's been, you know, you watch a game and you're watching them and, man, they just miss a pass, or they make a mistake, or ball gets tipped and it's a turnover, and obviously the other team's playing too, and they're doing a good job of making those things happen but it's not bad players, bad team. It's a team that's missed opportunities. It's a team that's been closed. It's a dangerous group. We talk about appropriate fear all the time, and you got to have it for these guys. I thought our guys had the right mindset going into you know, last week, even though their record may have not been great, we got to go ready to play."
Q: What's Braylon's status looking like this weekend?
"Yeah, we anticipated him to play. Sunday he was walking around smiling. We don't do anything on Sundays. He was at practice doing what we would normally do on a Monday. It's kind of a walk through jog through day, so it's not really taxing. We'll see today and tomorrow. We anticipate him playing. I've got to be the coach that makes the decision. You know, could he go out there and play at whatever percentage. Is that the best for the team? Is that the best for him? But as of right now, from Coach Huff, I'm not a doctor, but from Coach Huff's opinion, he's been able to do everything we've asked him to do. Obviously, today and tomorrow will be more ramped up, so we'll get a little bit more information, if that makes sense."
Q: Off of that, during the game Braylon got nicked up and Landry looked hot for a little while. What's the process going through your mind?
"Yeah, Saturday, and this is one of my greatest strengths I believe, is the relations with players, understanding them, building relationships, being able to look them in the eye and feel like I can stand in front of the team and feel if we were there or not there. When I looked in Braylon's eyes, he said I can go, and it felt like he could go. And probably one of my greatest weaknesses is that player relation. You know, it's kind of like your kid when they look at you and say, you know, Dad, I really want some ice cream. It's difficult to be like, No. I felt like he could go on top of that. I didn't want to put Landry in a situation where the game plan wasn't necessarily built for him doing X, Y and Z. Now he's trying to kind of not hodgepodge, but he's kind of trying to play in some roles that maybe weren't set up for him. I honestly felt like Braylon gave us the best chance to win. He honestly felt like he could play and he could he run 100%, but he felt like he could do what he needs to do. Then again, I thought Liddy came in and did a great job, but it's hard when you're starting quarterback says, I can go. I mean, I didn't expect anything less from him when he first came out. He was like, I don't know and I knew he was like, I don't know. Then once they checked it out, and they said, hey, you know, no structural damage or whatever, you're fine. He was like, all right give me a ball and he started throwing, give me a break. He's like, coach, I'm good. I was like, No, you're not going in as the coach. I'm good, All right. Well, put him in guys. So maybe it was my fault. But again, I thought he gave us as good of a chance with what he was able to do, what we were asking him to do, as Liddy would have. Now, it gives us an opportunity now to say, Okay, well, let's get a dual plan together, or at least both plans, and then we'll be able to make a decision on Saturday. Hey, Liddy 100% is better than Braylon at whatever percent. Or hey, Braylon's is 100% let's go, but that was all me, I probably and I look back on it, I said, should we have kept Liddy in? I think again, the kids earned the right to fight for his team, unless he just physically couldn't. The doctor said, No, there's nothing that he's going to go out there and do to damage it anymore or less. He really just fell knee right on the like if you just fell on the concrete out here, that's really what it was. So it wasn't like a tweak twist, it was just knee right on concrete. So it wasn't structural it wasn't like, hey, if he goes out and steps wrong, he could. They were like, no, he's from a training perspective, he's good. Once he heard that, he was like, I'm good. So maybe coach Huff has a little bit too much player coach in him. But I think when a guy's battled for you to that level, he deserves the right now, he went out there and, you know, turn the ball over four or five times, and just physically couldn't do it. That's a different story. But I thought he gave us a good, good opportunity."
Q: I heard you in the postgame radio show talk about with Josh Moten, you sent him the Bible verse earlier in the week, and he'd been struggling. I'm curious to what that verse was?
"Yeah, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, all thy ways, acknowledge him.' He was probably just being hard on himself again, when you come in with these type of preseason hopes. You had a really good season last year, and you have this mindset of, I'm going to go out and have 300 picks and I'm going to make every play, and you are evaluated as yourself as I'm not having the season that I anticipate having, because I thought I was going to have 12 picks by now, or whatever it was, you start to like get down on yourself, like, man, I got to play better. I saw it on his face last week. I was like, you're putting too much stress on yourself. I said, they're not going to throw at you because you had six picks last year. That's why Richard is having such a good year. I said, you're making the plays that are coming your way and he just was like, yeah, no, but I got to do more. I got to do more for the team. This is my last year. The season, coming to the end of the year, and I said, Hey, man, look, the good Lord is going to take care of you. And I was driving home, leaving Thursday night, headed to my radio show, and I just thought about the Bible verse. I sent it to him probably Thursday night at, I don't know, 7:37 or 7:45 and he texts me back, I love you, Coach. Now I didn't know that verse would equal three picks, or I may send the whole Bible next time, but again, I think it's just as a coach, if you're connected to your team. Those are the things in the moments that make the difference me calling time out, or me deciding to go for it on fourth down. Those are 5000 foot level things, but the reason Braylon Braxton trusts me is because he knows I know him. The reason Josh Moten trusts me because he knows I know him. The reason Brodarius Lewis trusts me because he's knows I know him. And I've invested in these guys. And I think as college football turns the coaches that can invest in the players like they don't. They don't want some CEO that just sits at the top and, makes whatever millions of dollars, and does interviews. They want to know when my girlfriend's pregnant, can I come in and talk to you about it? When my mom got cancer? Can I come in to talk to you about it? Can you come in the locker room and laugh and joke, but also hold us accountable and be disciplined? Most of them, you know, our coaches are their male role models, even if they have fathers. You know, I think Chris Jones is a great example. He's got phenomenal parents, and every time I get to see him, I give him a big hug, and they're enjoying it. But he gets to watch some really strong men, adult men in his life every day, holding them accountable, having a good time with them. We come in here. We eat with them. We laugh and joke. I text these guys on the side. I jump their tail on the field when they're not running to the ball. I also tell them when they've done a good job. And I think as a person, not just a player, but as a person, that's fulfilling, doesn't matter what the logo is, I feel what people ask, how did you get the number one corner in the country not to come here and go somewhere else for a bunch of money? Because you can't buy feelings, you can't buy appreciation, you can't buy support, you can't buy feeling appreciated. So long answer, but that's what it was."
Q: You've been able to create throughout the season and even more so down the stretch, so much pressure just with your front four, can you speak to what that give the ability to do on the backside when you don't have to blitz all the time?
"Yeah, that's what's helped us a lot. And we kind of started that mindset last year when we had Mike Green, we were able to hunt a little bit more with four guys, three guys, sometimes because of him. So when we got here, we don't have a Mike Green, but we've got some guys that can hunt. So what we've started to do is kind of mix and match different types of pass rushers, different types of games, which is allowing us to keep more eyes on the back end, which is helping us get our hands on a lot more balls. It's developing a lot more confidence in our back end because I don't have to cover forever. You know, the funny part, you think back to the Georgia Southern game that last two minutes, or whatever it was, when they kind of started going down the field. We played the same coverage Saturday, we played man, probably for the first time in, you know, in that game, we played all man in the back end. Well, against Georgia Southern, they didn't have the confidence yet to make those plays, to challenge those routes. Saturday, because we're doing the same things over and over and over, just mixing up how we do it. Now they have the confidence. Now Amir [Charles] goes and picks, Amir almost picks two off, actually, the play before that play, he kind of got his hand on, tipped up, hit the ground, came right back, challenged another route, got his hands on the ball. So I think again, it goes back to us being able to rush with four or three cage a quarterback, give our guys in the back end more confidence that, hey, you can cover, you can challenge routes, because at some point the quarterback is going to have to step up or it's going to get home. So, I think again, us doing the same things over and over has built some confidence, especially in the back end. But it starts up front, mixing and matching. How we get home with four, how we get home with three. You know, do we straight rush? Do we twist? You know, all of those things."
Q: Saturday came down the final second, it felt like there was always a response, what do you think Saturday taught your team about resilience or showed them how to be more resilient?
"Yeah, I think, it's hard to teach a lesson until you go through a lesson. And I think Saturday was a good lesson to go through, because again, it's hard to talk about, hey, you've got to respond. You've got respond. You've got to respond, until you are put in a situation where you have to respond. We talked in the team meeting on Friday that it was going to be a 60-minute game, because their track record had been, get behind in the middle of the fourth quarter, then they start to come back, and they've won four games doing that. So we talked about being a 60-minute game. We also talked about the next play, because I knew there were going to be plays in that game that went well and what didn't go well. Perfect example to play before the play, right? Amir almost picks it off everybody on the sidelines yelling, next play, next play, next play. Because if he's mentally, is like, Man, I could have ended the game. I didn't get it, and the ball snaps for the next play, and he's not mentally in the next play, he probably doesn't make it. So, I think again, anytime we can get in those situations on the road, we've got a few more games on the road that helps. I think whenever we can have multiple guys make big-time plays at end of games or in games, that helps. And then again, I think whenever we can reinforce the things that we talk about all week, hey, we've got to play 60 minutes. Hey, we got to play next play. Hey, we got to be physical, you know. Hey, we've got to take the ball away. Whenever we can do that, I think it helps ingrain it a little bit to carry over for the next week."
Q: You've been around a lot of great linebackers, when you look at Chris and Mike, what makes them unique and how do they compare to others you've been around?
"Yeah, I think both of those guys, one, they love the game. That's a big piece. You can tell. It's crazy, I leave here Sunday night, this Sunday this week. What's today? Tuesday? Yeah, Sunday night, we leave here, and Mike's in the defensive line room watching film at like 10:30he loves the game. I mean, he meets with Coach Semore more than anyone. He's watching extra film. And what has started to happen is their love for the game has started to show their leadership and their influence on their teammates, because their teammates know how much they put into it. So, when they see them put the work in, they see them get a response, or they see them making plays, or getting the accolades, or all those things. And it's like, well, if I start hanging with him, maybe I'm going to have to make a few more plays. So their influence has been great. Obviously, they've got physical skills, you know, both of them are big, physical guys that can run and hit, and I think both of them have a very good knowledge of the game of football. You know, obviously in different levels. Mike's a little bit older, Chris is a little bit younger, and I think Coach Semore does a great job of continuing to mold them and teach them how to be better linebackers and players. I think there's the difference, right? You've got to play linebacker with fundamental techniques and tactics. How do you become a better player, understanding where, how all the pieces fit together, if I'm in the A gap, who's in the B gap, if I'm in the hook curl, who's in the seam, you know, all of those things."
Q: Can you speak a little bit to maybe what y'all saw prior to the game, the plan y'all had for Kyirin Heath Saturday?
"Yeah, I think again, he's a weapon. You know, his size, speed, ability, and agility to create some mismatches. We haven't been able to do it as much just based on the teams we were playing style, but we really thought we could create some mismatches with him. He's been, I would say, the last two to three weeks, he's started to make some really big plays. But I think again, that's Coach Anderson doing a great job of finding that matchup. I think Coach Williams doing a good job of getting him ready for the game. And then I think again, he's starting to really come into this role now. You talk about where he was last year, different system, different scheme, made some plays earlier in this year, you know, nicked his shoulder up. He's back healthy now, I think he's getting into a flow. He's practicing better, he understands what it takes to get ready to play at a high level. So hopefully he can continue to do that down the stretch here, because I think again, his matchup, his mismatch, ability to create, you know, him on a linebacker, him on the safety with his size, could be an advantage for us down the road."
Q: Onto Texas State, I'm curious, they've been in so many close games, you've talked about their explosiveness, what do you think is keeping them so close week-to-week, really in this league?
"Yeah I don't know man, I hope they stay off one more week, but one, they've got guys that can run. When you got speed, you're always a play away. You know, number 11 is a 10.3 100-meter guy in high school, another 10.5 guy from high school that can run, the quarterback can run, the system they run because of the tempo doesn't allow you get your cleats set so you're kind of running to get lined up as the ball snapping. They do a good job with splits, grass and angles. The quarterback does a really good job of delivering catchable balls, I know that sounds elementary for quarterbacks, but quarterback accuracy in these RPO offenses are huge, meaning I can throw it to you, but can I throw it to you so you can catch and run or is it a little bit behind you? Now you've got to stop catch run. You know, am I able to hit you on a go ball in stride? Or do you got to come back to the ball? He does a really good job of throwing a catchable ball, and these guys are able to catch and run or catch and stride. Honestly, I wouldn't be able to say, I mean, there's 15 plays in our game that you guys wouldn't even know that one more second, and we got a major issue. Or one guy is completely wrong and we've got a major issue. I think sometimes the football guys just take care of you. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way. We get down on the fourth and one in the beginning of the game. I don't know Braylon [Braxton] is hurt like, I know he went down, but I don't know if he's like, really hurt, or is he just like hey, I fell. Well, we wouldn't have called quarterback sneak if the quarterback can't push off his leg, you know, but he's not going to say, hey, take me out. So there's, there's moments in games where, like you say, you ask, what is it you don't know. I mean, I'm sure Coach Kinne is not calling a bad play and saying, hey on three, throw the ball in the stands. Or, hey on three, everybody fall down. So, there's things that happen in the flow of a game that can dictate one way or the other. And sometimes it works out for the good, sometimes it works out for the bad. Typically, if you've got really good players there's always going to be a chance."
Q: With the chase this team is on, talk about the importance of Saturday in just getting the whole community out here for the great matchup…
"Yeah, I want to make sure that one, the fans know, that I appreciate what they've already done, and then I thank them in advance. You know, Saturday is an opportunity for everyone in this community, from donors to alumni to fans to people who just live here, students, fraternities, everybody to basically come celebrate what they've helped create. And they've helped create this. This is not a coach Huff deal, this is not a Braylon Braxton deal, this is not a Jerry McClain deal. This is a Southern Miss deal. We've created this together, and everybody pulling the rope in the same direction has done that. And I think Saturday is going to be a beautiful day, weather wise. I think it's just a great opportunity for our community to come out and celebrate, you know, the University of Southern Miss and I think that's what it's more about. Yeah, we happen to have a football game, but there's a lot of people in this community that have really struggled the last couple years, just pulling for a team that, for whatever reason didn't get there. But now you've got a team, you've got an administration, you got players who care. You got meaningful games in November. You've got good weather in November. I think it's an opportunity to come celebrate what they've created. Obviously, I get it, there are 1,000 things going on. I'm not going to come knock on your door if you're not here. That was only the first game. But I expect to see a ton of people. I expect our students to come right out. We go to these other places, and there is no disrespect, we go around the conference and there's no place like The Rock. There's no place like The Rock man. There's no place like that student section and DJ Kujho the band, the cheerleaders, the dance team, and the fans. You know, there's some fans we see on Eagle walk that, literally, I'm just waiting to see every Eagle walk, because I know they're going to be there. They're like family now. So I think Saturday is a great opportunity for us all to celebrate what we've created. And it's not over it's not the end, but it's a great opportunity to celebrate while we can. Thanks, guys. Look forward to seeing everyone out there."
Fans can purchase single-game tickets by visiting SouthernMiss.com/Tickets, calling the Southern Miss Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or by stopping by the Pat Ferlise Center on campus during normal business hours. Upper level tickets are available for just $10 from now until Noon on Friday.
Kickoff between Southern Miss (7-2, 5-0 Sun Belt) and Texas State (3-6, 0-5 Sun Belt) is slated for 2:30 p.m. at Carlislie-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Jason Baker (PxP) and Austin Davis (Color) will be on the ESPN+ broadcast while the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, and Lee Roberts will open the Southern Miss football pregame show at 1 p.m.
Here is what Huff said to the media:
Opening Statement…
"Welcome everybody being here. Really appreciate you guys and all you do, covering us and making sure our player's story gets told. Obviously, really excited about this opportunity coming up this weekend. There is a flash ticket sale going on right now that should be hitting the online publications here real shortly. Just again, our administration doing everything they can to try to create an environment not only that can balance where we are in college football, but also can include as many fans as possible. There's a balance. We can't give every ticket away and expect to have really good players out there, so there is a balance. But excuse me, I think our administration is doing a phenomenal job of finding the common ground between that balance, of allowing ticket prices to be affordable for families, but also still being able to do the things we need to do from a college football new landscape perspective, so really appreciative to Jeremy, really appreciative to Spencer and the rest of the ticket team that all they're doing to try and continue to encourage as many people to get to the game as possible. Last week's game, phenomenal battle by our guys. Really showed unbelievable resilience. Really showed what culture really looks like. Really showed what trusting the process really looks like. I say it all the time, man, good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose. Hats off to Arkansas State. I thought they played a phenomenal game. I thought they were probably the most physical game we've played in a long while. They did a really good job of battling back and forth. I thought our players did a really good job of adjusting as the game went on, I told him after the game, we won the game. We did not defeat the opponent, and sometimes you have to do that, but we also got to be able to come back in and kind of our talk on Sunday was about taking the medicine and going to rehab. You got to take the medicine or the coaching, you know, in order to improve, because you can get caught up in the we won the game when we really didn't play great. Or you can take the medicine, take the coaching, and then go out to practice this week and rehab those things and correct those things to get ready for a phenomenal opponent coming in here at Texas State. A lot of respect for Coach Kinne, arguably one of the best offensive minds in the game right now does a really good job, I told the team, and I still believe it, they're probably the best offense in the Sun Belt, when you look statistically, where they're ranked in all of the categories, and then when you put the film on, they got a quarterback that does a phenomenal job. They got some wide outs that can run. Their O line is big. They play fast. I think it's four one-score games they've lost, and the other two they were right in it. And every one of those games they were down and battled back, very similar to Arkansas State, how they were kind of got on their run. So it's going to be a 60 minute game. We got to do everything we can defensively. They're big, they're fast. It's going to be another physical battle. You know, we're in the back end of that season now. So these type of games really start to wear on you when you're having the physicality along with the tempo. Arkansas State snapped it 85 times. These guys will snap it 85 times. I mean, they're going to stress us. So, we've got to do a really good job. We've got a really good returner. So again, I know it's, I stand here and I say it's a challenge, and everybody's like, well, their record says this, when you put on the film, you don't see records. You see explosive plays, you see tempo, you see wideouts that can run. You see a defense getting pressure on the quarterback and shutting down the run and playing the ball in the air, and then there's just with everything else man, there's opportunity here or there. They miss. Ball doesn't bounce their way, and things turn. You know, we could make that argument for Arkansas State. The first four games of the season, ball didn't just bounce their way, didn't turn. Last four games, it started bouncing their way. Now they're playing hot, so we've got to do everything we can from a preparation standpoint, to get ready for a really good opponent, not looking at the logos, not looking at the records, not looking at what they did last week, but looking at what do we need to do to go out and play really well."
Q: Off of what you said, a very explosive offense can affect you at all three levels. Just watching them [Arkansas State] throughout the season, you just kind of got that it wasn't so much that they got beat but they just beat themselves…
"Yeah, I think that's exactly what it is, and I say beat themselves, not that they were trying not to execute, but just to drop ball here, a drop ball there. You know, we've been in the same scenario, and we've been able to cover it up. Up or make up for it. So again, you don't get to feel like they just got bad players out there and they're running the wrong way, and they don't have a good scheme. I mean, they've been in every game they've played. They can score fast. They have a system that they are confident in on both sides of the ball, and then they got players. And you watch the games, man and the explosive plays, the ability for the quarterback to get the ball out of his hand. He's another quarterback who can run and throw. He's able to operate the off the offense with tempo, which is a tough thing to do, would be able to get the ball where it needs to be. So again, it's been, you know, you watch a game and you're watching them and, man, they just miss a pass, or they make a mistake, or ball gets tipped and it's a turnover, and obviously the other team's playing too, and they're doing a good job of making those things happen but it's not bad players, bad team. It's a team that's missed opportunities. It's a team that's been closed. It's a dangerous group. We talk about appropriate fear all the time, and you got to have it for these guys. I thought our guys had the right mindset going into you know, last week, even though their record may have not been great, we got to go ready to play."
Q: What's Braylon's status looking like this weekend?
"Yeah, we anticipated him to play. Sunday he was walking around smiling. We don't do anything on Sundays. He was at practice doing what we would normally do on a Monday. It's kind of a walk through jog through day, so it's not really taxing. We'll see today and tomorrow. We anticipate him playing. I've got to be the coach that makes the decision. You know, could he go out there and play at whatever percentage. Is that the best for the team? Is that the best for him? But as of right now, from Coach Huff, I'm not a doctor, but from Coach Huff's opinion, he's been able to do everything we've asked him to do. Obviously, today and tomorrow will be more ramped up, so we'll get a little bit more information, if that makes sense."
Q: Off of that, during the game Braylon got nicked up and Landry looked hot for a little while. What's the process going through your mind?
"Yeah, Saturday, and this is one of my greatest strengths I believe, is the relations with players, understanding them, building relationships, being able to look them in the eye and feel like I can stand in front of the team and feel if we were there or not there. When I looked in Braylon's eyes, he said I can go, and it felt like he could go. And probably one of my greatest weaknesses is that player relation. You know, it's kind of like your kid when they look at you and say, you know, Dad, I really want some ice cream. It's difficult to be like, No. I felt like he could go on top of that. I didn't want to put Landry in a situation where the game plan wasn't necessarily built for him doing X, Y and Z. Now he's trying to kind of not hodgepodge, but he's kind of trying to play in some roles that maybe weren't set up for him. I honestly felt like Braylon gave us the best chance to win. He honestly felt like he could play and he could he run 100%, but he felt like he could do what he needs to do. Then again, I thought Liddy came in and did a great job, but it's hard when you're starting quarterback says, I can go. I mean, I didn't expect anything less from him when he first came out. He was like, I don't know and I knew he was like, I don't know. Then once they checked it out, and they said, hey, you know, no structural damage or whatever, you're fine. He was like, all right give me a ball and he started throwing, give me a break. He's like, coach, I'm good. I was like, No, you're not going in as the coach. I'm good, All right. Well, put him in guys. So maybe it was my fault. But again, I thought he gave us as good of a chance with what he was able to do, what we were asking him to do, as Liddy would have. Now, it gives us an opportunity now to say, Okay, well, let's get a dual plan together, or at least both plans, and then we'll be able to make a decision on Saturday. Hey, Liddy 100% is better than Braylon at whatever percent. Or hey, Braylon's is 100% let's go, but that was all me, I probably and I look back on it, I said, should we have kept Liddy in? I think again, the kids earned the right to fight for his team, unless he just physically couldn't. The doctor said, No, there's nothing that he's going to go out there and do to damage it anymore or less. He really just fell knee right on the like if you just fell on the concrete out here, that's really what it was. So it wasn't like a tweak twist, it was just knee right on concrete. So it wasn't structural it wasn't like, hey, if he goes out and steps wrong, he could. They were like, no, he's from a training perspective, he's good. Once he heard that, he was like, I'm good. So maybe coach Huff has a little bit too much player coach in him. But I think when a guy's battled for you to that level, he deserves the right now, he went out there and, you know, turn the ball over four or five times, and just physically couldn't do it. That's a different story. But I thought he gave us a good, good opportunity."
Q: I heard you in the postgame radio show talk about with Josh Moten, you sent him the Bible verse earlier in the week, and he'd been struggling. I'm curious to what that verse was?
"Yeah, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, all thy ways, acknowledge him.' He was probably just being hard on himself again, when you come in with these type of preseason hopes. You had a really good season last year, and you have this mindset of, I'm going to go out and have 300 picks and I'm going to make every play, and you are evaluated as yourself as I'm not having the season that I anticipate having, because I thought I was going to have 12 picks by now, or whatever it was, you start to like get down on yourself, like, man, I got to play better. I saw it on his face last week. I was like, you're putting too much stress on yourself. I said, they're not going to throw at you because you had six picks last year. That's why Richard is having such a good year. I said, you're making the plays that are coming your way and he just was like, yeah, no, but I got to do more. I got to do more for the team. This is my last year. The season, coming to the end of the year, and I said, Hey, man, look, the good Lord is going to take care of you. And I was driving home, leaving Thursday night, headed to my radio show, and I just thought about the Bible verse. I sent it to him probably Thursday night at, I don't know, 7:37 or 7:45 and he texts me back, I love you, Coach. Now I didn't know that verse would equal three picks, or I may send the whole Bible next time, but again, I think it's just as a coach, if you're connected to your team. Those are the things in the moments that make the difference me calling time out, or me deciding to go for it on fourth down. Those are 5000 foot level things, but the reason Braylon Braxton trusts me is because he knows I know him. The reason Josh Moten trusts me because he knows I know him. The reason Brodarius Lewis trusts me because he's knows I know him. And I've invested in these guys. And I think as college football turns the coaches that can invest in the players like they don't. They don't want some CEO that just sits at the top and, makes whatever millions of dollars, and does interviews. They want to know when my girlfriend's pregnant, can I come in and talk to you about it? When my mom got cancer? Can I come in to talk to you about it? Can you come in the locker room and laugh and joke, but also hold us accountable and be disciplined? Most of them, you know, our coaches are their male role models, even if they have fathers. You know, I think Chris Jones is a great example. He's got phenomenal parents, and every time I get to see him, I give him a big hug, and they're enjoying it. But he gets to watch some really strong men, adult men in his life every day, holding them accountable, having a good time with them. We come in here. We eat with them. We laugh and joke. I text these guys on the side. I jump their tail on the field when they're not running to the ball. I also tell them when they've done a good job. And I think as a person, not just a player, but as a person, that's fulfilling, doesn't matter what the logo is, I feel what people ask, how did you get the number one corner in the country not to come here and go somewhere else for a bunch of money? Because you can't buy feelings, you can't buy appreciation, you can't buy support, you can't buy feeling appreciated. So long answer, but that's what it was."
Q: You've been able to create throughout the season and even more so down the stretch, so much pressure just with your front four, can you speak to what that give the ability to do on the backside when you don't have to blitz all the time?
"Yeah, that's what's helped us a lot. And we kind of started that mindset last year when we had Mike Green, we were able to hunt a little bit more with four guys, three guys, sometimes because of him. So when we got here, we don't have a Mike Green, but we've got some guys that can hunt. So what we've started to do is kind of mix and match different types of pass rushers, different types of games, which is allowing us to keep more eyes on the back end, which is helping us get our hands on a lot more balls. It's developing a lot more confidence in our back end because I don't have to cover forever. You know, the funny part, you think back to the Georgia Southern game that last two minutes, or whatever it was, when they kind of started going down the field. We played the same coverage Saturday, we played man, probably for the first time in, you know, in that game, we played all man in the back end. Well, against Georgia Southern, they didn't have the confidence yet to make those plays, to challenge those routes. Saturday, because we're doing the same things over and over and over, just mixing up how we do it. Now they have the confidence. Now Amir [Charles] goes and picks, Amir almost picks two off, actually, the play before that play, he kind of got his hand on, tipped up, hit the ground, came right back, challenged another route, got his hands on the ball. So I think again, it goes back to us being able to rush with four or three cage a quarterback, give our guys in the back end more confidence that, hey, you can cover, you can challenge routes, because at some point the quarterback is going to have to step up or it's going to get home. So, I think again, us doing the same things over and over has built some confidence, especially in the back end. But it starts up front, mixing and matching. How we get home with four, how we get home with three. You know, do we straight rush? Do we twist? You know, all of those things."
Q: Saturday came down the final second, it felt like there was always a response, what do you think Saturday taught your team about resilience or showed them how to be more resilient?
"Yeah, I think, it's hard to teach a lesson until you go through a lesson. And I think Saturday was a good lesson to go through, because again, it's hard to talk about, hey, you've got to respond. You've got respond. You've got to respond, until you are put in a situation where you have to respond. We talked in the team meeting on Friday that it was going to be a 60-minute game, because their track record had been, get behind in the middle of the fourth quarter, then they start to come back, and they've won four games doing that. So we talked about being a 60-minute game. We also talked about the next play, because I knew there were going to be plays in that game that went well and what didn't go well. Perfect example to play before the play, right? Amir almost picks it off everybody on the sidelines yelling, next play, next play, next play. Because if he's mentally, is like, Man, I could have ended the game. I didn't get it, and the ball snaps for the next play, and he's not mentally in the next play, he probably doesn't make it. So, I think again, anytime we can get in those situations on the road, we've got a few more games on the road that helps. I think whenever we can have multiple guys make big-time plays at end of games or in games, that helps. And then again, I think whenever we can reinforce the things that we talk about all week, hey, we've got to play 60 minutes. Hey, we got to play next play. Hey, we got to be physical, you know. Hey, we've got to take the ball away. Whenever we can do that, I think it helps ingrain it a little bit to carry over for the next week."
Q: You've been around a lot of great linebackers, when you look at Chris and Mike, what makes them unique and how do they compare to others you've been around?
"Yeah, I think both of those guys, one, they love the game. That's a big piece. You can tell. It's crazy, I leave here Sunday night, this Sunday this week. What's today? Tuesday? Yeah, Sunday night, we leave here, and Mike's in the defensive line room watching film at like 10:30he loves the game. I mean, he meets with Coach Semore more than anyone. He's watching extra film. And what has started to happen is their love for the game has started to show their leadership and their influence on their teammates, because their teammates know how much they put into it. So, when they see them put the work in, they see them get a response, or they see them making plays, or getting the accolades, or all those things. And it's like, well, if I start hanging with him, maybe I'm going to have to make a few more plays. So their influence has been great. Obviously, they've got physical skills, you know, both of them are big, physical guys that can run and hit, and I think both of them have a very good knowledge of the game of football. You know, obviously in different levels. Mike's a little bit older, Chris is a little bit younger, and I think Coach Semore does a great job of continuing to mold them and teach them how to be better linebackers and players. I think there's the difference, right? You've got to play linebacker with fundamental techniques and tactics. How do you become a better player, understanding where, how all the pieces fit together, if I'm in the A gap, who's in the B gap, if I'm in the hook curl, who's in the seam, you know, all of those things."
Q: Can you speak a little bit to maybe what y'all saw prior to the game, the plan y'all had for Kyirin Heath Saturday?
"Yeah, I think again, he's a weapon. You know, his size, speed, ability, and agility to create some mismatches. We haven't been able to do it as much just based on the teams we were playing style, but we really thought we could create some mismatches with him. He's been, I would say, the last two to three weeks, he's started to make some really big plays. But I think again, that's Coach Anderson doing a great job of finding that matchup. I think Coach Williams doing a good job of getting him ready for the game. And then I think again, he's starting to really come into this role now. You talk about where he was last year, different system, different scheme, made some plays earlier in this year, you know, nicked his shoulder up. He's back healthy now, I think he's getting into a flow. He's practicing better, he understands what it takes to get ready to play at a high level. So hopefully he can continue to do that down the stretch here, because I think again, his matchup, his mismatch, ability to create, you know, him on a linebacker, him on the safety with his size, could be an advantage for us down the road."
Q: Onto Texas State, I'm curious, they've been in so many close games, you've talked about their explosiveness, what do you think is keeping them so close week-to-week, really in this league?
"Yeah I don't know man, I hope they stay off one more week, but one, they've got guys that can run. When you got speed, you're always a play away. You know, number 11 is a 10.3 100-meter guy in high school, another 10.5 guy from high school that can run, the quarterback can run, the system they run because of the tempo doesn't allow you get your cleats set so you're kind of running to get lined up as the ball snapping. They do a good job with splits, grass and angles. The quarterback does a really good job of delivering catchable balls, I know that sounds elementary for quarterbacks, but quarterback accuracy in these RPO offenses are huge, meaning I can throw it to you, but can I throw it to you so you can catch and run or is it a little bit behind you? Now you've got to stop catch run. You know, am I able to hit you on a go ball in stride? Or do you got to come back to the ball? He does a really good job of throwing a catchable ball, and these guys are able to catch and run or catch and stride. Honestly, I wouldn't be able to say, I mean, there's 15 plays in our game that you guys wouldn't even know that one more second, and we got a major issue. Or one guy is completely wrong and we've got a major issue. I think sometimes the football guys just take care of you. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way. We get down on the fourth and one in the beginning of the game. I don't know Braylon [Braxton] is hurt like, I know he went down, but I don't know if he's like, really hurt, or is he just like hey, I fell. Well, we wouldn't have called quarterback sneak if the quarterback can't push off his leg, you know, but he's not going to say, hey, take me out. So there's, there's moments in games where, like you say, you ask, what is it you don't know. I mean, I'm sure Coach Kinne is not calling a bad play and saying, hey on three, throw the ball in the stands. Or, hey on three, everybody fall down. So, there's things that happen in the flow of a game that can dictate one way or the other. And sometimes it works out for the good, sometimes it works out for the bad. Typically, if you've got really good players there's always going to be a chance."
Q: With the chase this team is on, talk about the importance of Saturday in just getting the whole community out here for the great matchup…
"Yeah, I want to make sure that one, the fans know, that I appreciate what they've already done, and then I thank them in advance. You know, Saturday is an opportunity for everyone in this community, from donors to alumni to fans to people who just live here, students, fraternities, everybody to basically come celebrate what they've helped create. And they've helped create this. This is not a coach Huff deal, this is not a Braylon Braxton deal, this is not a Jerry McClain deal. This is a Southern Miss deal. We've created this together, and everybody pulling the rope in the same direction has done that. And I think Saturday is going to be a beautiful day, weather wise. I think it's just a great opportunity for our community to come out and celebrate, you know, the University of Southern Miss and I think that's what it's more about. Yeah, we happen to have a football game, but there's a lot of people in this community that have really struggled the last couple years, just pulling for a team that, for whatever reason didn't get there. But now you've got a team, you've got an administration, you got players who care. You got meaningful games in November. You've got good weather in November. I think it's an opportunity to come celebrate what they've created. Obviously, I get it, there are 1,000 things going on. I'm not going to come knock on your door if you're not here. That was only the first game. But I expect to see a ton of people. I expect our students to come right out. We go to these other places, and there is no disrespect, we go around the conference and there's no place like The Rock. There's no place like The Rock man. There's no place like that student section and DJ Kujho the band, the cheerleaders, the dance team, and the fans. You know, there's some fans we see on Eagle walk that, literally, I'm just waiting to see every Eagle walk, because I know they're going to be there. They're like family now. So I think Saturday is a great opportunity for us all to celebrate what we've created. And it's not over it's not the end, but it's a great opportunity to celebrate while we can. Thanks, guys. Look forward to seeing everyone out there."
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