Postgame Quotes: Tulsa vs. Mississippi State
December 31, 2020 | Football
Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach |  Mississippi State Student-Athletes
Tulsa Head Coach Philip Montgomery |  Tulsa Student-Athletes
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Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach
"It was very good that we were able to hold on and close it out. It was a very nasty day out there with swirling rain all over the place. It was tough for everyone to get into a rhythm. It was difficult for both teams. It was going to take persistence to win this game and I was proud of our young group and the persistence they showed. I wish we finished the game better. The last offensive and defensive series wasn't very good. Guys got more caught up being ahead than finishing. It was a gutsy game on a soft mushy surface where the ball bounced funny a number of times. I was proud of our team to win it. You never feel like you had it. They immediately confirmed the fact that we didn't have it. They scored right after that in the next series. With that many minutes left it was not over by any stretch of the imagination and both sides provided that."
On the postgame sequence…
"All of a sudden there was a mosh pit out there. During warmups there was a group of their guys that circled around our warmup and were talking. I really don't know. I haven't seen enough film to let us off the hook on this thing by any stretch. We haven't had any trouble of that sort of thing all season. We haven't had any trouble with that. I don't know if they had or not and I don't know where the basis of that was.
On any possible discipline from after the game….
"I have no idea. I don't know what happened exactly. There was a mosh pit and there was jawing back and forth. I haven't seen it. You all probably saw it better than I do."
Did the postgame mar the game…
"It didn't mar anything we did out there whatsoever. It is done. The root of it is dumb no matter what the root of it was. The continuation of it was dumb. I would have it solidly in the category of dumb. Where the dumb started I am not entirely sure."
On the turnovers forced by the defense…
"They were important. We were feast or famine on both sides of the ball.. We either got turnovers or got ran through. We either marched down the field or went three and out."
Rogers finding a freshman on the game-winning score…
"All of our touchdowns were scored by freshmen I believe. We have some young guys that are enthusiastic and developing into gritty guys. We have to keep getting them better and can't be all over the map on finishing games. We can't be happy like that and dancing and looking at the crowd. That is for after the game, not after."
On the balance of the offense…
"It was a crappy day. We have improved on that aspect. We are doing a better job in run blocking and our backs carrying the ball. We had some mistakes there, but there were definitely some positives."
On the special teams play…
"You want yards any way you can get them. Offensively we didn't get a lot of yards, but we had short fields and turnovers. We didn't have as many tries, but it was for good reasons. I did think that we went three and out too much today. Tulu has done some good things that way for sure. I would have liked to see him get credit for the (one called back). Other's saw it difference that I did perhaps."
On the defensive performance…
"Overall, they have been pretty good. We developed a little bit of an inconsistency today, but the turnovers were there to make it good, but this may be the best defensive I've started out with."
On ending the season on a ranked win and the progression of the team…
"We progressed well but we have a lot of work to do. As you progress, you find things to work on and we have one of the youngest team in the country."
Mississippi State Student-Athletes
On what he saw after the game…
"I wasn't really a part of it. I was on the outside and caught the tail end of it and didn't see the roots on it. I hate that it takes away from our first bowl win in a few years. I hate that it was negative publicity for the teams that played really hard today."
On the conditions out on the field…
"You have to find a way, no matter the conditions you have to rise above it. There were wet balls out there and it was just a part of the process we have to do and you have to rise to the occasion."
On the onside kick and confidence of fielding it…
"I wasn't nervous. I have had a couple of them this year. We have had some good practice and experience. It was slippery as heck and slipped out a first, but we had some great blocking to where I could get it back."
The factor that special teams played…
"It was huge. With the kickoff return from (Lideatrick Griffin) is so dynamic with the ball. The whole unit did great with blocking and holes to open it up from them. The coaches have done the best to get the most out of us every day."
On the play of Lideatrick Griffin…
"It gives him some confidence heading into next season and a huge step for him. He will continue to build on it in spring ball and some workouts under his belt. It will be awesome to see him continue to grow."
On the team's balance…
"They gave us opportunities to run the ball and we tried to not dictate it on the elements. We tried to do what we could regardless of the situation. I am just out there with whatever they call I am rolling with."
On the freshmen class…
"They are a mature group and were ready to play. They weren't looking to redshirt and were ready to play. They have that dog mentality and were ready to step up. Everyone is stepping up, they are mature and ready to work. They did it in the offseason and it paid dividends for them."
Summing up the season…
"I am extremely grateful. It has been a long year. We have been at it since June and haven't had much of a break until now. I have enjoyed every second of it. I am going to take a week off and start getting ready for next year. It is huge to get a win against a great opponent. There were tough weather conditions all game and it says a lot of our program and the guys here. We knew it was going to be cold and rainy and we just had to find a way to win. I am excited about the guys coming in and ready to get to work."
On improving weak by weak this season…
"The biggest thing is to get in and get reps. From fall camp until now I think I have improved so much, and I think it is because of reps and repetition. I saw some action early but really felt like after the Vanderbilt game, and the way we were practicing, it felt different being around the facility and out there on the practice field. You could tell guys were ready and things were starting to click. I am really excited about things where they are heading into the future."
On the balance of the offense today…
"We thought they were going to play a little more man, and they played more drop eight and we saw some good run boxes and we felt confident with the offensive line who played their butts off. If we can take five on first and second down we are definitely going to do that."
What does it feel like being a bowl winning quarterback...
"It feels awesome. I am just blessed. We can't get complacent and have to take the next step and as a team. I am excited to get back into the weight room and doing seven on sevens so that I am ready for next year."
What goes through your mind on what happened after the game…
"In any game we emphasize keeping our composure. Coach Leached addressed us as a team after the game and we will handle that in house. It was emotional and a mishap. We have to be better and more disciplined.
On where this game measures as a bowl game…
"The year 2020 brought us definitely made this feel more appreciative. I wouldn't say it made up for the obstacles but it smoothed things out to make up for the first of the year."
On potentially coming back next year…
"I will put that whole decision on the backburner until the last down was played. I will not sit down and look at things and decide pretty soon."Â
Tulsa Head Coach Philip Montgomery
Opening statement
"I was proud of our football team. I thought we did a good job of just battling all the way through. I thought our defense played extremely well, stood up at some important times. I thought offensively we really did some good things, faced some adverse parts of it with a couple of guys being down. Guys just stepped up, kept battling, made plays. Obviously we got points down in the red zone, needed touchdowns a little bit more. I was proud of our football just like I have been all year long. Guys just kept battling and this group is a special one."
What happened after the game?
"I'm not going to comment a whole lot about it. The one thing I'll say is our program, our guys, we're a team that's going to stand up for each other and we're going to battle. We talk about faith, family, football. Â Family's going to take care of family. We're a team that has battled all year long. We battled again today. From that standpoint our guys are going to continue to protect each other."
Kendarin hurt?
"I'm not going to really comment on that part of it. I checked on K-Ray. I think he has probably some version of a concussion."
Is he being checked out?
"Yes."
Did you ever sense during the game something like you shouldn't bring these guys together?
"We kind of talked about it you know. I thought our guys did a good job from the standpoint, shook a few hands, and started to proceed off the field. From the official standpoint, yes it was chippy all day. I think those guys as soon as the whistle blew were gone."
Was something said or were you there?
"I was there. Again I've commented on the fight as much as I want to comment on it. Let's talk about the game itself."
Played with a bunch or heart. Message to team?
"I thought, not just our running backs, I thought everybody played extremely hard. We had big plays from a lot of different guys. We had a couple of guys that ended up going down and other guys stepped in and continued to keep that kind of momentum going. That's what this team has been about all year long. That's what this season has been about. Even when it was with three minutes left defense, we burned all of our timeouts, they get a stop, get the ball back, go down and score a touchdown. That's just typical of what this group has done and what they've done all year long and that's really what's made them so resilient. It's such a special group."
Great momentum?
"Obviously, we go back to work. Our team is built in the offseason. We're a physical group. We're going to run the football. We're going to be able to be explosive doing other things. Defensively guys just continue to keep stepping up. We're a good tackling team. We're a good coverage team. We get pressure on the quarterback. We've got to continue to build on that. From start to finish this group has just had a belief about them. We've got to continue to do that in the offseason, continue to keep raising the standard and raising the bar and continue to improve because we play in a great conference. It's going to be competitive every week and our schedule's going to always be tough. We've got to continue to get better. We've got a bunch of guys that are growing up right now and will continue to grow up as we push our way through.
Defense after the first TD drive?
"I just saw guys kind of step up. Obviously they we upset about giving up a touchdown on the first drive and the explosive play there and our defense has done a good job at eliminating explosive plays. Obviously they were upset coming off the field. It's early in the game. We've got time to come back. I thought those guys just locked in and did a really good job vs. a different look. Obviously coming into it, they really haven't run the football in that fashion. I don't know if it was the conditions or what it was but they felt like they could run it a little bit more and I thought our guys did a good job of stepping up and tackling."
When they battle and lose how hard is it?
"I haven't got to really look at the full sheet. Just though the course of the game if I went through our stat sheet I'd say we won every category except where it matters the most which is on the scoreboard. Those are tough pills to swallow at times, obviously. But again, I was proud of our guys the way they continued making plays, continued to keep battling and persevered through whatever was happening on the field or off."
What do you think got accomplished this year?
"I think it's the way our guys came together, through all the different adversity, whether you're talking about the virus or other things that have happened over the last eight months. Â The way they've come together, the way they've trusted each other, believed in each other, battled for each other. I think that was huge part of it. And then I think a lot of our younger guys just grew up another year and were able to come up with big plays at big moments. Â Had the faith and confidence in themselves and each other to make those things happen. We've been close in a lot of years. It's a play here or there and it's not always the last play of the game. It can happen earlier in the game. I just think our guys continued to believe in each other, trust each other, believe in what's going on in our program and continue to developing and growing. That faith and confidence is what turned this season into what it is.
What did Corey mean running in the backfield for you?
"That doesn't surprise me one bit with Corey. Corey's been a workhorse his whole career here. He runs with a lot of passion. He's a dense runner. People feel it when they hit him. And he just continues making yards and he did that same thing today, tonight. He's been an unbelievable leader for us both on and off the field. He's a guy that he's going to sit back and listen and then when called up, his leadership really just shines bright. I couldn't out put into words the amount of respect I have for him."
What happened to JuanCarlos in the second half?
"He had at halftime for whatever reason some stomach issues. He just wasn't able to return. But he was definitely hot in the first half."
Tulsa Student-Athletes
On the end of the game...
"I just want to stay on the game topic. Whatever happened at the end of the game happened. Both teams went out and played hard all game." Â
On the physicality...
"We just go out and play TU football. We preach physicality. We go out and just try to get it done between the sidelines."Â Â
On the red zone issues...
"Weather always plays a part, but at the end of the game it comes down to execution. We just didn't execute." Â
On the running back position next year...
"The offense next year is going to insane. You saw a lot of electricity throughout this season." Â
On what Tulsa has meant to you...
"TU is everything. I'm just humbled to be part of this great community and the city I grew up in." Â
On the end of the game brawl...
"I have no clue or much about it. Things just played out. I wasn't in the middle of it. The number one goal is to keep our guys safe. I hope that's Mississippi State's goal too. I'm just glad to have our guys back in the locker room safe."
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