Postgame Quotes: LSU at Mississippi State
September 25, 2021 | Football
Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach |  Mississippi State Student-Athletes
LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron |  LSU Student-AthletesÂ
Â
Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach
What's your evaluation of Will Rogers' performance now three games into the season?
ML: I think he's getting better. He's not as polished as we'd like. I can't say that I've ever had a quarterback that was. I mean, they have a funny way of always giving you something to work on. I think he does a lot of good things; I think he did a lot of good things this game. I think as a team we're explosive, but we're a team that's got to know that good things are going to happen. Right now, we kind of hope that things will happen. What I see is a team that can make a lot of plays, and I see a team that will take themselves out of drives because they don't have that focus. You get down there hoping it will work and hoping it will happen. There's got to be an expectation, something that comes with experience, but in the end it's a decision, and we just have to make that decision, just keep practicing and keep getting better. I thought we played hard. I think it was a tightly contested game, I think that they are obviously really talented, and I think that we squandered some opportunities. It wasn't for lack of trying, but I do think that we have to get past some of the confidence issues that I see out there. Some of these guys haven't played a great deal, so they just have to be confident. Confident? What's confidence? You decide your confidence, you know?
A couple special teams plays kind of loomed large there, the missed field goal and then the leaping play was kind of something that changed the complexion of the ball game. You had a chance to set up the return there. What did you see on that play, obviously it was the right call, but what did you kind of see and how did that impact the game?
ML: Well, I don't know if it was the right call or not, but I thought about it a little bit, but I think we just pushed the field goal, I didn't see the leaping, that's pretty detailed for me to see out of the blue out there, so I don't know on that. I think that you have to hit field goals, and you have to take the ball if they're going to give it back to you, you know.
Please talk about the time management there, especially on that last drive, trying to get some points there and preserve the clock a little bit.
ML: Well, I thought we did, you know, we marched down and scored. I don't know what the time was, it was probably under two minutes, I don't know, but I thought it was pretty good.
The last couple of games, you guys have been good in terms of yardage, but what is it right now with this offense that you guys are able to put together drives, but not necessarily get scores?
ML: I think it's just part of the process. I think that you can start off with, can you make plays in practice? Yes. Can you make plays in games? Yes. Can you put them together, with the context that really good teams have? We are battling to get there.
What did you see on that onside kick to challenge that play there?
ML: Well, last week, they automatically reviewed that play without a challenge, so I was kind of stunned this one wasn't automatically reviewed. I don't know what went into that, and there's a lot of moving parts. According to the rulebook, you can review all that stuff, an onside kick, so I was hopeful that was what they decided to do.
How much of a different look defensively did LSU give you as compared to last year, was it as simple as dropping eight?
ML: It was a little different. I think that, well first of all, I think that they had the three and then they dropped eight, which I didn't think – you know we moved up and down the field, we just have to finish drives. I don't think there's some magic to it, we just have to finish drives. And then, you know, they have a new defensive coordinator so it's different stuff. We will be here for a couple hours if I describe all the aspects of their defense, but use your imagination. They dropped some, they manned some and it was different than last year because it was a part of the – I can't remember but it's what their new defensive coordinator does – and it was part of thing he had experience in, too.
Q: In the first quarter, were the two turnovers good plays by LSU or just mental errors on your guys' part?
ML: Well, there's nothing good about a turnover. I thought one was a bad read, and I thought the other one was bad ball security.
Q: What did you see defensively that made you feel like you could have success running the ball off the left tackle?
ML: We've improved. I can't say that we're 'there' on anything, but we've gotten better at running the ball. It's a steady process, getting a little better up front and getting a little better at seeing the hole. [The opportunity to succeed] was there, and we executed, in many cases, pretty decently.
Q: What challenges did LSU switching to a four-man front in the red zone pose, and did it clog up the middle?
ML: No, not really.
Q: What do you think of your depth at cornerback if Emmanuel Forbes has to miss time, and what did you think of he and Martin Emerson's play today?
ML: I thought [they played] pretty good. I would have to see more of [the film], but I thought they both played pretty well."
Q: What did you see from your defense today?
ML: I thought we played hard. Occasionally, we missed a man or a gap, and our eyes were in a bad place. Two of them were just huge plays, one where our two guys collided. It was unfortunate. We were in position, but we collided and then he went up the sideline and scored.
Q: Is there anything different about Will Rogers and the offense when it comes to the fourth quarter that makes them more efficient when they're behind?
ML: I agree 100 percent [that they do that]. I think what happens is that they don't overthink plays. I think right now, we have a tendency to overthink plays. I think we fall behind, and then they don't overthink plays anymore. I can't say that we become more confident, but I think it's a mental deal. We take comfort in knowing that it can't get any worse is I guess how I'd categorize it. Then, we let ourselves play. But right now, most of the plays that you're asking about, we get in our own way. We just have to relax and not overthink plays, just go and play and make it how it is on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some of you may also be forgetting that this is LSU. The entire country recruited every player on their team. They have something to do with making all of the plays.
Q: Was the throw to Malik Heath in the fourth quarter an overthrow and how tough was it to come away from that drive without any points?
ML: That described about what happened.
Â
Q: What are you most encouraged about going forward?
ML: We played really hard. If you were to slice it up by individual plays, we played well. But the thing is, we didn't have the context to finish drives, both offensively and defensively. Whether it was to not give up the big play or to finish a drive, we marched up and down the field the whole day. We just have to rein this whole thing in and get into a position where we finish drives. We just have to stick together and keep practicing.
Â
Mississippi State Student-Athletes
JJ: Coach [Mike] Leach and the whole coaching staff says play the whole play. That play is over. Wish it didn't happen. You have to control what you can control. The only thing we can control in that moment is the next play. We just have to come out and fight on the next play.
Â
Q: How did you feel about the defensive performance today?
JJ: Coach [Zach] Arnett said last week we always want to pitch a shutout. That was very hard to do in today's game. Our goals are no points given up. If they don't score, they don't win. We have a lot to improve on this week. We need to get ready for next week and improve on a lot of things.
Â
Q: What was the biggest thing for you that clicked that has allowed you to become one of the team's leaders in tackles?
JJ: Personally, it's just a confidence thing, being out there and believing in myself. I am trying to be the best player I can be. Credit to the 10 guys all around me doing their job, the front clearing things up for us linebackers so we can get tackles. I am thankful for the coaching staff to give me an opportunity, so I am going to go as hard as I can the whole time because I have been given an opportunity.
Â
MP: We just gotta do better in practice, execute more, be ourselves and make routine plays. I wouldn't say there's anything complex. I think it's a habit that we need to execute.
Q: What's the difference between the offense in the first three quarters and in the fourth quarter?
MP: I don't feel like there's a difference when we're out there on the field. When we're down, we still play well when we're down and try to come back.
Â
AW: First, I'll just say that there's no quit in this team, and I think that's been made evident. We're not gonna fold. We're not going to try to let them run away and blow us out. We're going to fight for every last second, every last yard and do whatever we can do. We just have to believe in ourselves. One thing Coach Leach said that really resonated with me and the team was that we have to go out there and expect to make plays. In pressure situations, if we're down, we have to go out there and play loose and free. If that's what it is, we just have to find a way to emulate that in the first half.
Q: Can you talk about the production that Makai Polk is having in this offense?
AW: He's a great receiver. He came in, and you could already tell, he's athletic. He's savvy. He plays like he's been around a while, and he's got a really good feel for the offense. He's just a great receiver and a great guy, in the locker room and off the field. You see him progress week by week, and I know he's going to keep getting involved.
Q: What's the focus for the offense and for the team to kind of right some of the wrongs that you've had so far in the next few games?
AW: I think we've seen a lot of progress, especially from last year. For this year, we need to move the ball and put up some better numbers. I'd give it an objective look, look at both the bad and the good, but we have to see what we're doing.
Â
LSUÂ Head Coach Ed Orgeron
EO: That was a good team win. We worked hard this week and have been working on this air raid ever since last year. We made some improvement obviously, but I wish we could have finished better. Give them some credit. They made some plays and they fought back. That offense fought hard and made plays when they had to. I don't think we had the same recurring mistakes we made last year regarding the crossing routes and guys being wide open. Our plan was to let them throw the ball in front of us, maybe give up some gaps running, but to not beat us deep. We did that for the most part, not every time, but I thought our guys did well. We tackled well in space, and our guys tackled when they had to. I thought we had some protection issues we need to fix, but overall, a good team win for our team.
Â
Q: Offensively what did you see overall? How did you guys create those big explosive scoring plays?
EO: First of all, zero blitzes gave us some space. The first play in that second half was an RPO. Our coaching staff was on the headset telling Max [Johnson] that if the safety came down, we'd throw to Kayshon [Boutte]. We tried to hit them where they had open holes, and that was thanks to great play calling. Our offensive scheme was very good and effective, but there are still some protection problems we need to fix.
Â
Q: On defense, your team covered downfield and left short throws open. Were you expecting those short throws, and can you describe that decision making process?
EO: We didn't worry about the short throws. We even wanted them to make those short throws. It was those dig routes behind the defense and the crossing routes that gave us problems last year. We thought if they could throw the ball in front of us, we could tackle and we could win. At first, they started running the ball, and we had to make adjustments to the rush mode with our ends to stop the run. It helped our run stopping but hurt our pass rush, and you can't do both with a three-man front. Our coaches did a good job adjusting throughout the game, but I do wish we could have finished stronger.
Â
Q: How impressed were you with the secondary in both tackling and then executing this game plan?
EO: We had a meeting this morning with our coaches, and Coach [Corey] Raymond was steaming. He was still frustrated from our performance against Mississippi State last year and promised us we would play much better today. He encouraged those guys well, and we worked on tackling all week. We've got some good athletes in our secondary, and we really improved on our tackling. I wish we hadn't given up that touchdown. We bit on a little hitch route when we shouldn't have, so there's still some things to improve.
Â
LSU Student-Athletes
KB:Â They were kind of switching defenses around, so I was moving back and forth and fill in. There were giving me different looks, trying to give me the ball and they kind of figured out the right schemes and everything fell into place.
Â
Q:Â Can you take us through, I guess you spoke to your touchdowns, what you were seeing on these plays and how, on the second one, the RPO, just how that really worked out so well?
KB:Â On the first one, we had run it the first time, it was open, he'd tried to throw it, but he got hit so we came back with it the second time and it was open again. Same thing with the second one. It was open the first time, but he handed off the run and then we ran it back and he did the exact same thing, so he was pulling through.
Â
MJ: Yeah, I think Coach Peetz just dialed up some really good plays, whether if they are playing zero coverage or man to man. I think Coach Peetz called, specifically plays the beatdown coverage, and we were able to capitalize and Kayshon [Boutte] made some big plays for us. Cole [Taylor] had his first touchdown which is pretty sweet.
Â
Q: I would like to ask you about the defensive effort. On the sideline, I know you are preparing for the next series, but when you hear the game plan is going to be what it is, I guess just the patience needed from the entire team but especially on defense. Does it put more pressure on you to make sure it is really capitalized when it is you at the ball?
MJ: Yeah, our defense played their hearts out and last night, Coach O was speaking his mind, he was saying, say I throw a pick or say something happens, they got my back and I got theirs, so I really appreciate Coach O and our team. I love our defense; they are some dawgs. Yeah, it was a lot of fun going out there competing.
Â
JW: Yes, that was important to us. As you can see, we are successful with it and being back out there. I am glad that we are back out there. I don't like to just say it was boring.
Â
Q:Â Mississippi State ran 88 plays on offense to your 54. When you go into a game like that knowing that the scheme is going to end up with you guys on the field a lot. Is that something you factor in as you are preparing, as you are trying to figure out that your fitness level needs to be up for four quarters and not just for the first half. How do you figure that out throughout the course of the game?
JW:Â As a DB, we run a lot so we had to be in shape to make every play because there is no telling how long we are running.Â
Â
