Postgame Quotes: Missouri at Mississippi State

Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach | Mississippi State Student-Athletes
Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz | Missouri Student-Athletes

Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach

Q: When you look at your performance tonight and what you were able to do, how much of tonight is a culmination of what you have wanted to do as a team in a complete 60 minutes?
ML: I thought we've had it in us, but as far as getting everything congruent that's been the challenge. And it was a challenge tonight too, because, again, we had a skeleton crew out there. But I was very proud of how hard they played. I thought we executed well. We also had some world-class bonehead football on all three sides of the ball, but I would have to say the thing that I was most impressed with [was that] I thought we competed hard throughout. If you compete hard, you can overcome some of the bonehead stuff and then some of the basic execution stuff becomes more explosive.

Q: In terms of the ebbs and flows of this year, what does a win like this do for your team?
ML: Our team's been excited to play from the beginning. There's probably some confidence to be drawn from that, certainly from the film because there were some very good plays in this game. [There were] some competitive plays where guys just played really hard. I felt like our guys did play like they wanted to play more. If this game went into extra innings so to speak, I think we would have liked to have kept playing. I think part of it is just the whole execution, getting used to the guy next to you. It's been a gradual process, and we're certainly not there yet. You saw some of the plays I saw out there in the negative. No, we're not there yet. We took a step today.

Q: A season-high 151 yards rushing tonight, was that something that was in the game plan that you wanted to do more this week? Or was that maybe a product of the offensive line just continuing to improve and opening up holes?
ML: I thought we played better on the offensive line, and I thought our backs did a better job reading the holes and things like that. I also think that some of the balls we threw early probably opened some things up for us.

Q: The wrinkle with the fake toss and inside handoff, where did that come from and why do you think you had so much success with it?
ML: It is just sort of a fly sweep is all it is. I have always thought that was a great play. I have seen teams run it, like on the high school level, where it is their signature play. It is an old, old play. Old enough that maybe folks forgot about it. I thought it worked pretty well today. It has a lot in common with a lot of stuff. It's kind of a draw. It's kind of a sprint draw. It's kind of a counter. So, I guess it is a hybrid of some good stuff. It has been around. When Fred Flintstone was quarterback they had that play and Fred was pretty good at that play. So, anyway, we decided to break it out.

Q: On your first score, Paul Blackwell recovered the fumble in the end zone and from that point you guys kind of just rolled, was there kind of that feel on the sideline?
ML: I felt like we were excited to play from the start. On the first [defensive] series, I thought we were rolling. Then, we had a mishap that I thought that maybe we could overcome better. We kind of went in the tank for the rest of that drive, but I thought we attacked the adversity of that and attacked their offense after that and it worked out.

Q: It is not easy to lose your captain on defense and play the way your guys did. After losing Erroll Thompson, what would you say about your defense and how they responded outside of maybe the first drive?
ML: I was proud of the way they played. I thought they played competitively. And, that is the thing, we have been competitive all year: we practice hard and play hard, we just do it incongruently. We just do it in spurts and kind of segmented. We are a young enough team as it is ... then with the interruptions, it splinters it further. It is tough to get a tent over the circus when that happens. We have been making steps that way, and it looked better today, and is certainly not perfect, but we were aggressive and competitive, so I was proud of them.

Q: How much more comfortable are Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson getting in this system as you indicate?
ML: I think they've gotten better at seeing the grass. They're starting to get into a bit of a rhythm. A really good running back always kind of has a rhythm about him. [He] lines up and explodes out of his stance, and [is] comfortable enough to hit the hole hard. I think we're getting better at that.

Q: Do you think that Will Rogers' scramble for 18 yards opened anything up for Missouri that you saw?
ML: Maybe, but they [Missouri] played a lot of man [defense] anyway. I honestly think he could have run it a bit more. We're asking him to read the field. That is the primary thing that we want him to do. When their backs are to you, if you are protecting pretty well, then you are going to have some space to run.

Q: How concerned are you about players opting out?
ML: Football is always exciting to play. I'd like to think that's why everyone signed up in the first place. I'm not too concerned about it. Everybody that is excited to play. We would be really excited to go to a bowl game.

Q: What did you say to your team after the third quarter when it was a two-possession game?
ML: Just finish the game. There were some good things, but none of them count unless we finish.

Q: How much does Will [Rogers] and your offense excel with the man coverage?
ML: They kind of bounce between the two. The first half Missouri played a lot of man defense, some of it with two safety's, which is a little bit out of character for them. Then, we got to where they were playing that loose zone. They made a run out of that. They went back to man. That is what they are used to. That is what they do best. There were blitzing off and on. There was a blitz that was a big play for the drive. Osirus [Mitchell] jumped up and got the post, so that was pretty good there on that particular play. They were really heating [Rogers] up. Then, they shuffled through some defenses. In the end, they played a lot of man because that is what they do.

Q: You played all of your games this season in the SEC. Are you surprised that you were able to get through it?
ML: I'm really proud of the guys. For about five weeks, we've been under the threshold there. I think that is definitely impressive. They are young enough that if we can keep getting better together, then one day some of these guys may be dangerous you know. I hope that is the case, so we will see what happens.

Mississippi State Student-Athletes

43 Paul Blackwell, LS

Q: When you got in the end zone and fell on the ball, what happened on that play?
PB: Basically, I saw the guy tracking back because Tucker [Day] had a really good punt and executed his job. I think a couple guys bobbled it before I got there. I just happened to get my hands on it. It was in the end zone, so I guess dreams really do come true.

Q: Did anything feel different about that play or is that what you have been doing every single time?
PB: It always catches you by surprise whenever the returner drops the ball. Every play, my job is to be there on those situations so that if a guy does drop the ball, then I'm supposed to be the guy who recovers it. It is a surprise whenever [the returner] does drop it, but I was just executing my job because that was the game plan.

Q: Talk us through the celebrations and aftermath of the touchdown.
PB: Well first, I had to snap the ball for the extra point. That was really fun trying to get myself to calm down for that. Afterwards, it was really awesome to see all the guys come up and celebrate with me in my last game at Davis Wade Stadium.

21 Jo'quavious Marks, RB

Q: Where have you guys improved as an offense?
JM: We've improved a lot throughout the week. We've had high tempo in practice, so it leads over to the game. We've been executing pretty good, so that is why we had a good week this week.

Q: How does it feel that the coaches are trusting you to run the ball?
JM: It feels good that the coaches are trusting us to run the ball. The offensive line is doing their job, too. It feels good to be a running back in this system.

14 Nathaniel Watson, LB

Q: To win a game like you guys did tonight, what does that do for you guys as a team and what was it like walking off the field after the game you just played?
NW: It just gives us more fuel for the long run. If we get the opportunity to play in a bowl game, so be it. We're going to go out there and try to get another win.

Q: How much are you guys going to be monitoring who you guys will play in the bowl game if you're eligible for one?
NW: I would say a lot. We really just want the opportunity to play in another game this season since we only played 10 games and they were all SEC [games]. We just want another opportunity to get a win.

Q: What was Mike Leach's message to you guys going in to the fourth quarter with a two-possession lead?
NW: Just to finish. That's all we've been doing this whole season; we have to just finish and that's what we did in tonight's game.

Q: Considering how shorthanded you guys have been and then you lose a guy like Erroll [Thompson], how did you guys keep it together and keep Missouri's offense in check for most of the night?
NW: It's mainly mentality. If someone goes down then the next person has to step up and be the next leader or do whatever it takes to get the win. We have each other's back out there and we just fought until the end.

19 Collin Duncan, S

Q: Your interception came with them driving to try and get back within a score, what did you see on that play and what were you guys able to do defensively to get four interceptions tonight?
CD: I think it was built up throughout the week. In the secondary we've felt like we've been letting the team down with [a lack of] turnovers and getting the ball out and creating turnovers throughout the game. Interceptions and forced fumbles and all that type of stuff. So ever since midway through the season we've made more emphasis on go after the ball when it's in the air and it's our ball. There's no more 50/50 ball, we have to go up and make plays for our team and make sure we keep the momentum on our side.

Q: How far do you feel like you've come, from the Alabama game or even before then to this point in the season, with your cover skills or anything else?
CD: I feel like I've made tremendous steps throughout the season, and with Fred [Peters] getting hurt, he's still been there with me. He's been a mentor from the start ever since the first game against LSU. There were times when I went in the game and he would come over to the sidelines and asked me what I saw when he was in the game and he would tell me what he saw when I was in the game. Just having that mentorship from Fred and all the coaches being on me in practice day in and day out to step up and get to the ball and make plays when the ball is in the air. I feel like it wasn't just on my part. I feel like the mentorship between my whole team and Fred and Coach [Jason] Washington and Coach [Zach] Arnett have helped me progressed as much as I have in these few games we've been playing.

Q: You guys lose a guy like Erroll [Thompson] on the second play of the game, what was the mood like for you guys defensively when you lose your senior captain and how did you feel like you guys responded to that?
CD: I feel like we could've responded a little bit better. When a guy of his caliber gets ejected out of the game like that it does take a little bit of air out of the stadium, a little bit of air out of our defense. But we felt like after they drove down on that same drive and scored, we let Erroll down. With him being such a big part of our defense, he's also been the guy that's been preaching. You finish no matter the circumstance. You hold your brother accountable and you do it for your brother next to you. And we felt like we let him down on that drive, so for us to come back out the next few drives and handle business and have that next man up mentality I felt like we represented Erroll the best that we could.

Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz

Opening Statement
ED: Just really disappointed. We started fast, then it switched. We were never able to recapture the momentum. Neither side of the ball played nearly well enough today to win a football game. Offensively, we started pressing and turning the ball over. Defensively, we just did not get it done. They tried to give us a chance with the two interceptions, but the offense just gave it right back.

Q: What lessons could [QB Connor] Bazelak learn from today's performance?
ED: I thought he pressed early and was trying to force the ball when it didn't need to be. Then when we cut it to 16, he had a wheel route to [Barrett] Banister when the defense was in Cover-3 and trailed with [Barrett] Banister. You have to come back to the check down there instead of forcing it trying to make a play. Same thing on that pick-six. He was trying to force the flat throw when he could have hit the under. That is just growing pains. It is a part of being in those situations. You cannot always get it back all at a time and that was what he was trying to do. We will learn from it.

Q: Did Mississippi State do anything you were not expecting from the running the ball standpoint?
ED: They added one play. The same play that Arkansas ran, the split draw. Other than that, it was kind of what we expected.

Q: Why do you think the team was not able to respond well from the muffed punt?
ED: I don't know. That kind of happened to us last week when Georgia scored on us right before the half. The momentum shifted, and we never really responded. I don't know what it is. It is something that we will definitely spend a lot of time trying to fix and work on it. You have to be able to respond to ebbs and flows of football games and we did not do that tonight.

Missouri Student-Athletes

#3 Shawn Robinson, S

Q: How validating was that interception for you on the year you've had emotionally?
SR: It's been a long year, to say the least. Everything that's been going on in the world, just in life in general, this moment was really cool, to say the least. It's a lot of emotions, so it's hard to explain.

Q: Who suggested the move to defensive back and how was the transition?
SR: Coach Drink [Drinkwitz] suggested it about a month ago. I had to take some time to really think about it and make sure that's what I really wanted to do because growing up, all I really played was quarterback. I played a little safety when I was about 10, but everything else, high school and middle school, I played quarterback. It was hard to wrap my mind around it, but about a week ago, I made peace with it. I came back and started working at it. It's been cool ever since.

Q: How are you so encouraging when it came to Bazelak throwing the pick?
SR: I know what it's like to be on that end, to throw a pick or make mistakes at quarterback. I know how much pressure that position is. I just wanted to let him know that I have his back, and that we all have his back, so just keep your head up and keep going.

Are you impressed with him as a quarterback?
SR: That's our guy. He's really good. He's polished, he can throw the ball very accurately. The biggest thing that I've been impressed with is how even-keel he's been. He's so mature for his age. I don't know if you've noticed on the field, but he's never up and down, he's perfect. Even-kill. And that's what we need at quarterback.

#1 Joshuah Bledsoe, S

Q: What was it like having Shawn Robinson join the safety group?
JB: Shawn is a great athlete, so making that change over to the defensive side of the ball was really easy for him. He plays with a lot of enthusiasm. And getting the pick, it was my first, so that's big. I was very excited about getting it. I'm very glad I caught it.

Q: What adjustments did you make having so many players out?
JB: Regardless of who's out there, at the end of the day, we've got to go out there and play. A lot of the DBs know different positions on the field, so it's kind of easy for us, if someone goes down to just hop in and fill in that role. But obviously, we could've played better.

Q: How much more difficult was it to defend Miss. State when they had so much success on the ground?
JB: We were expecting passing and reacting to the run, so they got to run the ball. We just had to react to it, and they got what they got.

#34 Larry Roundtree III, RB

LR: He's a resilient young man, and he keeps fighting no matter what. At the end of the day, one of my core values I like to see in a person is not giving up, not getting down on yourself. Even though you make a mistake, it doesn't matter. We all make mistakes on the football field. I saw him take up a leadership role and kept playing the whole time.

Q: What do you think results from pressing the ball?
LR: At the end of the day, the punt was a mistake. It's just mistakes. Mistakes get you beat. You cant make mistakes in the SEC, you've got to bring you A-game every week, so at the end of the day, they made more plays than us and unfortunately we lost.