Postgame Quotes: Vanderbilt at Mississippi State

Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach | Mississippi State Student-Athletes
Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason

Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach

Q: What were your overall impressions of tonight's victory
ML: I thought we did a really good job taking the ball away from them and played hard. [We] gave up some big plays, definitely sloppy at times with the little screen thing. I thought we did some good things on defense. I thought we were solid on special teams with some highlight plays here and there like the 63-yard punt and we're consistent kicking it off. Offensively, I think that we grew a little and got a little better. It was a pretty good win for a guy like Will Rogers, in his first start…We've got to be a tougher team on offense. I think offensively, we as coaches have to find a way to generate toughness in our offensive players because right now, I don't think they're very tough. We're going to have to adjust some, but it was a great team win and I'm very proud of our team and proud of our players.

Q: State's offense moved the ball very efficiently the first three possessions of the game and built up that 17-point lead. What kind of adjustments did Vanderbilt make defensively to slow things down for State offensively?
ML: I have a lot of respect for Vanderbilt. They really didn't do anything…They pressured us some and basically watched us take turns screwing up, playing timid, and sitting on the sideline with blank wide-eyed faces. I'm getting sick and tired of that.

Q: Mike you just mentioned being on the sidelines with the blank wide-eyed faces, how do you as a coach address that type of thing and what goes into fixing something like that?
ML: Well there is a certain amount of trial and error. You start out by trying to be really nice, "do I think I can?", kind of a training wheels approach, which we're definitely in the training wheel stage. I'll say it's going to get a little more aggressive than that.

Q: Can you kind of elaborate a little more on Will's [Rogers] performance today and what else you want to see from him moving forward?
ML: Well, we had a number of people unavailable today. So, I thought he did a pretty good job working through that. I think there where spurts he did play well. I thought it was really impressive for a true freshman like all these true freshman sensations. There aren't very many of them. That's why everyone remembers the very few that there are because it almost never happens. You go from a guy that's a true freshman, you try to play with him, then you go out on the road recruiting and as soon as you sign somebody that's supposed to be a really good freshman and the media acts like that guy is going to shock the world. Well, that very seldom happens. I think that Will [Rogers] stayed relatively composed. I thought that he rallied at the end. I thought that we left a lot of plays on the table between the middle of the second quarter and the middle of the fourth quarter. We have to get a lot tougher on the offensive line because, right now, we're kind of a cross between spectators and participants instead of players. We need to become players. It's just a simple thing. If you can do it once, you can do it one more time. If you do it one more time over and over again until about 85 times, then you're probably going to have a pretty good game. The biggest thing that we have to do is we have to play well. My opinion on our team is going to be based on how well we play within what we're capable of at this point. I'm not going to be very tolerant of falling short of that. We have to play better. We have to coach better in order to make that happen because that's where it starts.

Q: Malik Heath had a pretty big night. How would you assess his performance and was there a concern or effort to get him more involved?
ML: He's gotten better as time has gone on. He's gone from "this has been kind of impressive." He's gone from a guy that couldn't line up to a guy that is pretty explosive with the ball. [Malik] also generates energy at practice. He's definitely headed in the right direction, I think. We did want to get him the ball, but he's been doing this some at practice over the last two weeks.

Q: When it comes to Will Rogers, is it going to continue to be week-to-week or will he continue to get starts?
ML: "It'll be week-to-week until one of them just jumps off the charts which up to this point, other than the first game, they really haven't. That's not what I think is the best approach, this volleying between quarterbacks to settle on one. I don't know if that'll happen by the end of this year or not, but I would like to narrow the reps and settle on one."

Q: How do you think Jo'quavious Marks has played these last few weeks?
ML: "I think he's getting better all the time. He's another guy that I think has played impressively as a freshman. We call him Woody to make the pronunciation a bit easier on us. He steadily improves, he's a guy that came in there and wasn't intimidated – he wasn't one of those intimidated freshmen. He came ready to play. He's alert. He's a smart guy; he's a pretty distinctive guy. Even though I think his best days are ahead, he's certainly a big asset for us now.

Q: Where does KJ Costello stand? Will he be back to practice on Monday and how healthy do you expect him to be?
ML: I'll probably split the reps between them.

Q: How far away are you from your 'ceiling'?
ML: "I think we're a long way. You can go through the depth chart; anything that says 'freshman' beside it definitely has a long way, and most that say 'sophomore' beside it. The other thing is, collectively as a unit, we haven't played well. Our players are slowly, slowly starting to compliment one another. We have to keep that on track, and I think we've got to keep pushing that. I think we've got some guys that are excited to play, but as coaches, we've got to teach them to work. I think we're still learning and discovering step-by-step how to do it. We've talked about great effort and showed a video of Ed Reid who's one of the greatest football players ever. As a matter of a fact, I'm going to make sure I give him a game ball. I don't know where he is, but I'll figure it out. We need more guys that play with the intensity and passion like Ed Reid, as a guy that has learned how to work at a higher level with nearly everybody; like a Jerry Rice type of guy as well. I don't know if we're ever going to be able to match their work level – the talent level is one thing, but their work level, that's the part that everybody's got a little control over. It's learning skill, I think, and we have to continue to learn that skill, and I think it's one that our younger players don't come in fully prepared with because I think it develops as you get older and as you've done difficult things stacked on top of one another and in a team atmosphere – guys pushing and challenging each other. We're early in that process.

Mississippi State Student-Athletes

#52 Kobe Jones, DE

Q: What did it feel like to be given the honor to run the new state flag out of the tunnel?
KJ: That moment meant a lot to me. First of all, it was a huge honor to be asked to carry the flag. I was just very proud to be able to wave a flag that unites all Mississippians. It was a huge moment for me personally and for the whole state.

Q: Earlier this week, Mike [Leach] mentioned that you were a great leader for this team. How do you get on the same page with [Mike Leach] to help the rest of the team fix what it needs to?
KJ: I just try to enforce the message that Coach Leach is trying to get everyone to buy into. I try to keep the culture alive. We don't back down from anybody. We are going to fight until the last whistle. All 60-minutes you are going to get all of Mississippi State football. Just enforcing the small things to keep that culture strong.

Q: Are turnovers something that is emphasized in practice?
KJ: It is definitely something that Coach Arnett tries to emphasize. It is something that has been a part of our DNA and philosophy as a defense from day one. Running to the ball with 11 defenders to create turnovers is a part of who we are.

Q: What did the moment feel like running on the field today?
KJ: It was just a proud moment. I feel like it was one moment that everyone in Mississippi could come together on. It was just a big honor for me.

#7 Marcus Murphy, S

Q: What were you guys seeing defensively and what was the energy like on that side of the ball?
MM: We came into the game knowing that we needed to cause a lot of takeaways to get the momentum for our offense. On the defensive side, I thought that we played very well. We were running to the ball and being physical.

Q: It seemed like tackling broke down a little bit in the second half for some of the younger guys. How did you encourage some of the guys as a team leader late in the game?
MM: I feel like that comes with being physically and mentally tired. I feel like in the second half you have to be mentally strong. We need to get better with our technique and not miss a lot of tackles.

Q: How much did constantly being on the field with the offense going three-and-out play a role in getting tired late in the game defensively?
MM: I feel like that is something that we practice for. We prepare for that. It can go one of two ways. It can be upside or downside. I never looked at it like, "Why are we on the field so much?" I looked at it like we have to pick up our side of the football game.

Q: As a Mississippi guy, what was it like for you for the new Mississippi flag to run out of the tunnel today?
MM: It felt good as a whole. Being from the state of Mississippi, we always have a chip on our shoulder. I feel like as a whole it felt good for the whole team to do that.

Q: Why was it important for Kobe [Jones] to be the one who ran out with the flag?
KJ: This is his hometown. He is the "Mayor of Starkville." We wanted to put it in great hands with a great leader.

#2 Tyrus Wheat, LB

Q: Run me through the play when you forced a fumble and recovered it.
TW: I was coming off the edge and I thought that Aaron Odom had [Ken Seals] first. He stepped up in the pocket, so when the quarterback scrambled, I put my left hand on the ball as he was falling down. I was unsure if he was down or not, so I decided to jump on it.

Q: What was the energy like on the defensive side of the ball? Was forcing a lot of turnovers part of the game-plan?
TW: We had a great game in everything that we work on; running to the ball, stripping the ball, causing turnovers.

Q: Now that causing turnovers is a point of emphasis, how does it feel to get out there and help the offense by giving them a short field?
TW: It feels great to help them out. That is what Coach Leach always talks about. The defense can always help the offense get better field position.

Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason

Opening Statement
DM: First of all, I would like to give credit to Mississippi State. I thought they played a tough ball game. They jumped out early and made us have to work our way back [into the game]. I need to give thanks to our medical staff and our doctors for continuing to take care of this team week in and week out and putting this team in a situation where we can compete on Saturday. There are always challenges to that. Our medical team and medical staff, as well as our athletic staff; they do a terrific job. I just needed to shout them out. I thought we responded well in the second half with our backs against the wall. I thought we brought energy. I thought we saw the ebb and flow start to move our way and we competed the way we're supposed to compete. Not looking for the things that happen, but really trying to make things happen. I thought Chris Pierce and Cam Johnson offensively came to play. They showed up and they worked hard. I thought Keyon [Henry-Brooks] ran well in the midst of Jamauri Wakefield going out early. I thought our patchwork offensive line continued to compete. It wasn't the prettiest, but those guys played hard and gave us a chance. You can't go on the road and turn the ball over – that's first and foremost. You can't go on the road and turn the ball over. They were 4-4 in the red zone and we were 1-2. When you look at what happens in those situations, you have to reverse the trend. I have to give a lot of credit to our defensive players, and really Coach [Ted] Roof, for making adjustments in the second half. Our kids just played hard, they did. I finally saw what this defense can look like for a period of time. That's something that all of us can build from. We know if we take care of the football, play well defensively, hunt, get to the ball, and do what we did on third down – which is hold them to 4-13 on third down – we have a chance to be a pretty salty defense and can put points on the board.

Q: What did you see tonight on defense that seems repeatable moving forward?
DM: They have to play within the confines of the defense, which they did tonight. What you saw is that they created their own energy. Whether it was pass rush, whether it was coverage, or better tackling, I just thought that it really started to come alive. It was a competitive week at practice, and it carried over. We started slow, but they carried over from practice what they had learned throughout the week about themselves, in terms of football. Football is an ultimate team game. It's not about one guy making all the plays, it's about everybody doing their job. So, in order for us to be repeatable, everybody has to do their job.

Q: How many of the adjustments made defensively in the second half were actually scheme versus improved mental toughness?
DM: It's really a combination of both. You saw it in the second quarter: adjustments were being made. Every time we went to the sideline, adjustments were being made. That's why Coach Roof was brought down from the box – so we can get things adjusted. Coach [Marc] Mattioli went up [to the box] and I thought he saw the field well. Every time we went to the sideline, we were intent on talking about what we were seeing. We started out that game very vanilla and we wanted to rein it in and figure out exactly what we could do. Again, I have to give the kids credit because the kids executed, for most of the second half, what the defensive plan was and that was to give looks, confuse the quarterback, find opportunities to get him off the spot, and make sure we tackle.

Q: How do you try to balance out the turnovers with Ken Seals as he grows in this offense?
DM: He has to take care of the ball. Bottom line. He had a great night; I get all that. Everybody is into stats – I'm into wins. I have a young quarterback, he's going to continue to get better, but the thing he has to do is protect this team. When you lead this team, you have to protect this team, and he understands that. I love him; I think he's a competitor, I think he's definitely the quarterback of the future, but the biggest thing that you have to be able to do, especially on the road, is protect this team. We'll get better and he'll learn from it. He will see the film and we'll move forward.

Q: What did you see from Keyon Henry-Brooks and this offensive line?
DM: Keyon is a warrior. Since that young man stepped onto this campus, he's been able to show us who he is and what he's capable of. I think he's a three-dimensional back. I kid him all the time that he has to get a little heavier. He runs like a big back. He has great hands. He's a glider. You can see him make the cuts. I think his game is going to continue to grow. He's a young man that has to continue to take care of his body because his body is in a situation right now where it's working extremely hard. I think for him, the sky is the limit. When you talk about the offensive line, that group was missing some guys and all they did was go out and compete. Again, it wasn't beautiful, it wasn't pretty. It wasn't a Picasso, but it was effective. I have to give those guys credit. I have to give Coach [Pete] Rossomando a lot of credit for getting those guys to understand that it's about a collective, not just the individual. What we have to do is hopefully get some guys back, get through another week of testing, and find ourselves pushing towards Kentucky.

Q: Why did you feel that a three-man rush was the game plan going in and what did you see that made you adjust?
DM: We went into the game just trying to see what their game plan was going to be – was it going to be a dink-and-dunk game, was it going to be a game where they were going to attempt to run the football? We thought they may attempt to run the football a little more. With that, we just needed to see. We just got started a little slow. Between starting slow and turnovers, a couple of things happened, and you look up and it's 17-0. What you're saying is at that point in time is, 'What is this young quarterback seeing?'. You act like we did a lot differently, but at the end of the day, what you see when you go back and look at the tape is that a lot of that stuff was just simulated pressure. It was still a three-man rush and we were getting to the quarterback off three-man rush. We just showed more guys on the line of scrimmage. We were able to bring a fourth rusher at times and [Will Rogers] couldn't see it. He couldn't recognize it. At the end of the day, that was the plan. We were able to get done, for the most part, most of what we wanted to do. We just ran out of time.