Postgame Quotes: Head Coach Joe Moorhead (Nov. 16)
November 16, 2019 | Football
Mississippi State vs. Alabama
Mississippi State Head Coach Joe Moorhead
November 16, 2019 | Davis Wade Stadium
Mississippi State Head Coach Joe Moorhead
November 16, 2019 | Davis Wade Stadium
Opening Statement
"Yeah, we had a good week of practice. We knew against a team of Alabama's caliber we were going to have to come in and play a clean game and execute well. We had a few things go our way. Certainly, spotting them a 14-0 lead within the first few minutes didn't help. I thought our kids played hard and competed until the last whistle, but at the end of the day, we didn't coach or play well enough to beat a team like Alabama."
Q: Was the opening kickoff a mishit?
JM: "The game plan with how we've been kicking and not getting touchbacks or kicking in particularly deep and wanting to keep it out of their guys hands. The idea was to sky kick. The first one in the second half where they caught it off the 30 [yard line] was a mishit on his part."
Q: You went with Tommy [Stevens] today. Is he going to be QB1 now?
JM: "Yeah, he's QB1. Garrett [Shrader] is getting over some of the stuff he had health-wise. Tommy [Stevens] had a better week at practice. I thought he ran the ball well, and right now, he's executing his pass game a little bit better. I thought he ran the ball well and completed it decently. We weren't able to push it down the field very much. Tommy is continuing to move forward, and Garrett's continuing to work once we get an opportunity to get him in there."
Q: Any update on Kylin [Hill] or C.J. [Morgan] or any of the other guys who left injured today?
JM: "Kylin is an upper body. We're optimistic there, but that will be day-to-day. Unfortunately, CJ is lower body, and he'll be out for the rest of the year."
Q: You mentioned Tommy [Stevens] running the ball well but not necessarily the completions. A couple of the deep shots that didn't connect; was it more of what Alabama was doing?
JM: "I think it's a combination of things. With the shots that we took down field, one to Osirus [Mitchell], one to [Stephen] Guidry, and a couple throughout the game, they covered them up. We didn't complete it. We knew we were going to have to make an attempt on some explosive plays down the field. Quite frankly, there were a bunch of other ones that we had called where they melted out and got underneath the deeper route. Those were some of the check downs you saw to Kylin [Hill], Deddrick [Thomas] and Nick [Gibson] and Lee [Witherspoon]. There were some other things designed to get the ball down the field. Based on the covers and how they were playing, we had to dump it down."
Q: The top three teams in the division, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, was pretty competitive. You even beat Auburn last year. This year the margin has been a lot wider this year. What do you think has contributed to that margin? Is it them being that much better or have you all taken a step back?
JM: "I don't necessarily say a step back. I'd say it's a combination of things. We'll continue to look at them and get better."
Q: With two games left, you still have a chance of a bowl game. Is there some confidence that you still have what you want in front of you?
JM: "We have confidence every week. We went into this game with confidence. Obviously, the kids are down. They should be. Never going to be pleased with a loss, but we're going to come in tomorrow and watch film. We'll get better off of it. We're going to reload and get ready for Abilene Christian. We'll be 1-0 next week and get up to five [wins]."
Q: How do you begin to narrow the gap with the front runners in the Southeastern Conference?
JM: "That was an easy question. It's a bunch of things. It's recruiting. It's player development. It's coaching. It's execution. There's a lot of things that we have to do from an entire program standpoint to cut that gap on and off the field. That's what we're working towards every day to bridge that gap."
Q: With Tua [Tagovailoa] going down, that's a pretty unique thing happening. One of the best players in college football. To see that and to see Mississippi State fans rally around it and support him, what was that like for you to see the way he went off?
JM: "You hate it for any kid to get hurt. He's such a great player and a great representative of college football. They're having a very good year. You don't want it to happen. I feel for him, and I'm sure he'll be able to bounce back quickly."
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