Postgame Quotes: No. 1 Georgia at Mississippi State
November 12, 2022 | Football
Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach
Q: Why was it tough to get going offensively against Georgia?
ML: "I thought early on we did some good things. It was a feel-out process to see what we were capable of doing. I did think it took us too long. We were tentative while feeling our way through the situation. Then I thought that we started moving the ball quite well. I thought we left two obvious scores out there, and 14 points would not be too tough to have. I think we did more good things than bad. We could have finished drives better. They are doing what they can to make it difficult, and they are good at making it difficult. We had others make it difficult, too. You guys saw the same game that I did. That is all I saw offensively."
Q: How do you address the dropped balls with Will Rogers?
ML: "He got better. I thought that the better he got pushing the ball down the field, the better he threw it. I do think drops were an issue. In a few cases, not across the board, some receivers are looking for the sideline instead of the field. We have to become tougher at the receiver position across the board. We have some skill guys and some talented guys, but we need some tougher guys. We need guys that crave the ball, and that do the best they can to not be polite about it. The greatest receivers I have ever had are the ones who shamelessly want the ball every play. Those are the guys that should have the ball. Somebody else should not have the ball. They should have the ball. Those are the kind of receivers you want. Right now, we have gentlemen guys that like making plays, they have skill, and they do good things. We want someone that almost needs to have the ball."
Q: What steps do you feel this program needs to take to be competitive to win these games in the years ahead?
ML: "I would ask every team in the nation that is below them what their thoughts are, and maybe make a collection of ideas. Then, I would select what I think are the best ones. You have to keep doing what you are doing."
Student-Athletes
#2 Will Rogers, QB
Q: What made it so tough against this defense to finish drives once you got into the redzone?WR: "They have five-star players, they're pretty good on defense. Coach Smart does a really good job. They had a really good scheme for what we were doing, and it's hard to finish drives on a good team."
Q: As the leader of the receiving group, what do you tell those guys and how do you keep them up so the dropped balls don't continue to happen?
WR: "I mean, we just have to fix the problem, catching extra balls this week in practice or anyway I can help them guys, I'm willing to help. We have to get it figured out."
Q: What was it like seeing a young guy like Zavion Thomas come through and make a big play against the number one team before halftime?
WR: "It was awesome. He's been telling me for a couple of weeks now that he's going to take one back, so it's good to see Zavion have some success, but I think he can keep growing and keep getting better as a receiver. I think he has a huge upside as a receiver. You can obviously see what he can do with the ball in his hands, so he just has to work on his receiving skills, and then I think he's going to have a bright future for us."
#19 Collin Duncan, S
Q: Why was the mentality for this game different than some others? CD: "The guys that we have out there naturally have that mindset not to fold and always play your hardest. Whatever you do out there, you give 110 percent. I just feel like that's how we are as a team. I don't feel like our team is ever that team to lay down and let a team's ranking determine our game. I feel like, as a team, we're just one of those teams that we're always going to give our best no matter what."
Q: Take us through the interception.
CD: "Yeah, [it was a] good little zone coverage that coach [Zach] Arnett dialed up for us. Actually, I bit on the dig route. That was ran by [Darnell Washington], and I saw the ball in the air and just had a player's instinct and ran to it. It's a blessing to be able to get an interception. I feel like it was a good all-around play call. [Tyrus] Wheat helped me out by getting to the quarterback quickly. Our defensive line put a lot of pressure on the quarterback tonight to give us a couple opportunities to make some plays out there. I feel like it was a good snap all the way around for us."
Q: How hard is it to adjust to an offense that makes a lot of use with their tight ends?
CD: "I think their tight end play speaks for itself. I mean they got, I would say, some of the best in the nation. But one thing about playing in the SEC, you're going to see some good tight ends throughout your entire schedule. So, it wasn't anything that we had to adjust for or had to learn or anything like that. I feel like all the weeks of SEC ball, building up from then to now, kind of prepares us for this moment. Georgia has some great tight ends with some great size. They were a good challenge, but I feel like we were prepared for it."
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