Postgame Quotes: Head Coach Joe Moorhead (Sept. 21)
September 21, 2019 | Football
Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
MSU Head Coach Joe Moorhead
September 21, 2019 | Davis Wade Stadium
Opening Statement
JM: "Very proud of our guys. We said heading into the game it was going to take poise, passion and precision. We certainly saw a lot of it. At times, little left to be desired than others. At the end of the day, it was the complementary offense, defense and the special teams game, and it was good enough to win. We knew heading into this season we are going to have to fight, scratch, claw and do whatever we need to do to go 1-0 on a weekly basis. We challenged the kids on Sunday; they responded. I am very proud."
Q: How big of a lift was it to have the full complement of guys out there with all the guys you missed the first three games?
JM: "It helped from a game day and performance context. It helped morale and practice depth. Certainly, when you are at full strength it helps you prepare better and helps you play better."
Q: This defensive seems like a bend and not break defense. Every time Kentucky tried to get in the red zone we stopped them, how gutsy did you think those guys were to get off the field?
JM: "I think you're seeing an elevated performance from the veteran guys who have played a lot and seeing incremental performance from the younger guys, particularly our interior [defensive] line. Defenses like last year don't come around very often. We knew it wasn't going to be that, but Coach [Bob] Shoop and the defensive staff do a great job putting the kids in position to be successful. They've really bonded into the fact that our culture and the little things, like how we practice during the week, is going to give us the opportunity to be successful. So, we just keep thinking small gains every week in all three phases, then we'll give ourselves a chance to be successful on Saturdays."
Q: Along those lines, but more so on an injury standpoint, how helpful was it to have the whole offensive line in full strength?
JM: "Marcus [Johnson] does a great job of rotating those guys and dual-training them in multiple positions, but when you're playing a big, physical front like Kentucky or any SEC opponent, you're going to need all those guys. I would guess eight or nine probably cycled through. It was good to get all the offensive lineman healthy, as well."
Q: I know you only got about a quarter and a half with Willie Gay Jr., but how does he add to that defense?
JM: "I think Willie [Gay Jr.] is one of the top linebackers in the conference and in the country. He's big. He's fast. He's strong. He's athletic. He plays with great passion. Sometimes misguided, but we'll get him going in the right direction. He's a local kid and decided to stay home. He'll have a great career. He played a great game today…He's a kid who loves Mississippi State. He loves this football team. I wish we had 100 Willie's."
Q: Garrett [Shrader] made his first start at quarterback today, can you comment on his decision making and what you thought throughout?
JM: "[He was] 17-for-22 for 180 [yards]. He ran for 125 [rushing yards]. The interception in the first half wasn't a bad decision. He threw it to the right guy, he just threw it high. I think there were probably a couple times in the red zone. When you take the first drive down and we come away with three or seven there, it's a different game. He had Lee [Witherspoon] open, but it got broken up. From a history of coaching quarterbacks, something that we say in the red zone is 'avoid the sack and preserve the field goal.' We didn't do that there, but we put a true-freshman quarterback in that situation, the way he played, we'll fix the mistakes. Some of the other stuff, you can't teach. This was three or four years of recruiting, [building] relationships, and belief coming to fruition. I don't know if there's any other true freshman quarterback playing like that."
Q: How do you feel like Coach [Bob] Shoop has been able to mold this defense a little bit different than last year?
JM: "Something in all three phases that we talked about is if you're planning to use [a scheme] in the game is, 'is it sound, can we teach it, and can we execute it.' We know what they can execute. I think part of being an effective coordinator is understanding the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of your players. Bob [Shoop] is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, and we continue to grow as a staff."
Q: How close were Tommy [Stevens] and [Stephen] Guidry to playing today and how late did you know they weren't able to go?
JM: "We were holding out hope. [Stephen] Guidry kind of came down to the last day. We felt like we didn't want to do something to re-aggravate that. Tommy [Stevens] worked and progressed. They were both end of the week kind of things, nothing super early. Kind of had a feel on Tommy [Stevens] pretty early, but [Stephen] Guidry was more of a today or yesterday thing."
MSU Head Coach Joe Moorhead
September 21, 2019 | Davis Wade Stadium
Opening Statement
JM: "Very proud of our guys. We said heading into the game it was going to take poise, passion and precision. We certainly saw a lot of it. At times, little left to be desired than others. At the end of the day, it was the complementary offense, defense and the special teams game, and it was good enough to win. We knew heading into this season we are going to have to fight, scratch, claw and do whatever we need to do to go 1-0 on a weekly basis. We challenged the kids on Sunday; they responded. I am very proud."
Q: How big of a lift was it to have the full complement of guys out there with all the guys you missed the first three games?
JM: "It helped from a game day and performance context. It helped morale and practice depth. Certainly, when you are at full strength it helps you prepare better and helps you play better."
Q: This defensive seems like a bend and not break defense. Every time Kentucky tried to get in the red zone we stopped them, how gutsy did you think those guys were to get off the field?
JM: "I think you're seeing an elevated performance from the veteran guys who have played a lot and seeing incremental performance from the younger guys, particularly our interior [defensive] line. Defenses like last year don't come around very often. We knew it wasn't going to be that, but Coach [Bob] Shoop and the defensive staff do a great job putting the kids in position to be successful. They've really bonded into the fact that our culture and the little things, like how we practice during the week, is going to give us the opportunity to be successful. So, we just keep thinking small gains every week in all three phases, then we'll give ourselves a chance to be successful on Saturdays."
Q: Along those lines, but more so on an injury standpoint, how helpful was it to have the whole offensive line in full strength?
JM: "Marcus [Johnson] does a great job of rotating those guys and dual-training them in multiple positions, but when you're playing a big, physical front like Kentucky or any SEC opponent, you're going to need all those guys. I would guess eight or nine probably cycled through. It was good to get all the offensive lineman healthy, as well."
Q: I know you only got about a quarter and a half with Willie Gay Jr., but how does he add to that defense?
JM: "I think Willie [Gay Jr.] is one of the top linebackers in the conference and in the country. He's big. He's fast. He's strong. He's athletic. He plays with great passion. Sometimes misguided, but we'll get him going in the right direction. He's a local kid and decided to stay home. He'll have a great career. He played a great game today…He's a kid who loves Mississippi State. He loves this football team. I wish we had 100 Willie's."
Q: Garrett [Shrader] made his first start at quarterback today, can you comment on his decision making and what you thought throughout?
JM: "[He was] 17-for-22 for 180 [yards]. He ran for 125 [rushing yards]. The interception in the first half wasn't a bad decision. He threw it to the right guy, he just threw it high. I think there were probably a couple times in the red zone. When you take the first drive down and we come away with three or seven there, it's a different game. He had Lee [Witherspoon] open, but it got broken up. From a history of coaching quarterbacks, something that we say in the red zone is 'avoid the sack and preserve the field goal.' We didn't do that there, but we put a true-freshman quarterback in that situation, the way he played, we'll fix the mistakes. Some of the other stuff, you can't teach. This was three or four years of recruiting, [building] relationships, and belief coming to fruition. I don't know if there's any other true freshman quarterback playing like that."
Q: How do you feel like Coach [Bob] Shoop has been able to mold this defense a little bit different than last year?
JM: "Something in all three phases that we talked about is if you're planning to use [a scheme] in the game is, 'is it sound, can we teach it, and can we execute it.' We know what they can execute. I think part of being an effective coordinator is understanding the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of your players. Bob [Shoop] is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, and we continue to grow as a staff."
Q: How close were Tommy [Stevens] and [Stephen] Guidry to playing today and how late did you know they weren't able to go?
JM: "We were holding out hope. [Stephen] Guidry kind of came down to the last day. We felt like we didn't want to do something to re-aggravate that. Tommy [Stevens] worked and progressed. They were both end of the week kind of things, nothing super early. Kind of had a feel on Tommy [Stevens] pretty early, but [Stephen] Guidry was more of a today or yesterday thing."
Players Mentioned
LB
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