Postgame Quotes: Arkansas at No. 23 Mississippi State
October 08, 2022 | Football
Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach
Q: What did you think of the way your team was able to come out with the win?
ML: "They're really explosive. First of all, they will tempo you. Second of all, their running back [Raheim Sanders] is good, and third of all, they have a few good receivers. I think the quarterback [Malik Hornsby] is really good. He's really fast and is a guy who can get all of it if you don't keep a lid on it. He stays alive long enough back there that your coverage breaks down. He may not be perfectly accurate, but he can throw it forever. That guy opened up other things, the run, not just his but others and the passing game. He might be the fastest quarterback in the conference; I don't know. Good for him, he's hard to tackle. I thought we could have gotten to him a little bit more, we did some good things though."
Q: What did the offensive line do well and what can you say about their performance?
ML: "I thought we blocked pretty well, and we were pretty good upfront. We got a lot of yards on the ground, and that's kind of what they gave us to a certain extent. We did throw it and run it well. That's a credit to our offensive line. I also thought Will [Rogers] did a good job managing the game. We did have a consistency that I like pretty well. We stubbed our toe a few times and didn't finish a couple of drives, but generally speaking we were consistent. I do think the more consistent team won this game."
Q: Almost every time an opposing team has gone on a run this season, your guys have responded well to regain momentum. Is that more of a consistency thing or experience thing that you guys are seeing this season?
ML: "Probably both, we've played together a little longer, so I think that's helped. Also, we've practiced well, and I think these guys have played together at least a little bit. I think that has helped and now there are some older guys some of the younger guys can learn from. I keep getting ready to say we're an older team, because it feels that way because some of these guys started as freshmen and they still have nightmares thinking about what that looked like. Now they are a lot older and some are redshirt sophomores. Don't get tired of them because a bunch of these guys are going to be here forever."
Student-Athletes
#2 Will Rogers, QB
Q: Your name has been mentioned in the Heisman conversation, and Mike Leach also agrees, what's it like to have that confidence from your coach?WR: "It's cool to be talked about as one of the best players in the country, but I don't think about it a lot. I think with team success, [then] individual success will come. I just try to win every week."
Q: How much have you seen this offense evolve over the last two years?
WR: "I think the more we can run the ball and get extra guys in the box, the more it's going to open up the passing lane. That's obvious, and I think the more we can take off those offensive linemen — you know, it's not fair for a defensive end to get in a track stance and be able to pass rush — the more we can show we can run the ball and be able to throw the ball like we do. I think that helps us stay on pace."
Q: What do you think the last three weeks says about this team?
WR: We're more mature. I think we're a mature team now. I think the two years before we were considered a young team, and a young team might come in here and drop a game at home, maybe still thinking about what happened at LSU. I told the offensive line 'That's over, this is going to light a fire under us', and I think it did. These past three games, the home stretch has been really good, but we still have a lot to work on. We have a long way to go."
#44 Jett Johnson, LB
What was it like preparing not knowing if KJ Jefferson was playing and having two other potentials guys jumping into that role?JJ: "We didn't really speak a ton on it. We knew he was questionable coming in and we prepared like he was going to jog out there and take the first snap. That presents a huge problem, but they have great backs and offensive line, just players everywhere. We knew it was going to be a huge challenge either way, with or without him. Our preparation was the same, we knew it was going to be a dog fight the whole game. We just kind of prepped the same."
What has been different this year to be able to sustain the momentum?
JJ: "I think we are a mature team, an older team. Never too high, never too low. We just kind of try to stay levelheaded and take it one game at a time, take it as it comes, just be levelheaded and just play the next game."
What was it like preparing knowing Bookie Watson wouldn't be playing the first half and should J.P Purvis be the Heisman?
JJ: "We knew he was going to be out, so we treated the first half of practice just like the first half of the game and the second half of practice like the second half of the game. J.P [Purvis] has done a great job stepping up with [DeShawn] Page going down and the next man up mentality. I'm not sure how many tackles he finished with, but I know he had that good third down run plug stop. He's done a great job for sure. It was nice to have Bookie come back in the second half."
Players Mentioned
LB
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