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Vanderbilt/Ole Miss Postgame Quotes
9/17/2005
Vanderbilt Stadium — Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson
Opening Thoughts
“I tell our players all the time that we have to battle every time we go out on the field to have a chance to win and that was the case today. We had to battle and I was proud of our guys for playing hard and overcoming some poor play. We didn’t lose our focus and made some plays at the end and held on like we did the first two weeks. I was very pleased with the win. Mississippi did a great job of coming back. We had several chances to put the game away and couldn’t do it and I think that is a credit to them.”
On momentum shifts in the game
“There were radical shifts in the game. I was disappointed that we weren’t able to maintain the momentum. That’s a credit to Mississippi because they have some great athletes.”
On the defensive stand prior to the final touchdown drive
“They don’t go out there with their heads down. They expect to stop them and sometimes they don’t always do it. It was a big stop and we forced a punt and got the ball and drove for the touchdown to get up by eight.”
On overcoming adversity today unlike in the past
“I hope it is a great indicator on how this team has grown, especially against Mississippi. We all knew the history, this was our fourth close game against them and the first we have pulled out. I think that is a big step for our guys’ confidence and our program.”
On instant replay overturning calls
“That’s why we voted it in. They want to make the right calls and those things are extremely close. You’ve got competent people in the box checking it out. I am for it. Up until this year you had to live with an incorrect call, so I think it is great.”
Vanderbilt Player Quotes
Jay Cutler, Senior Quarterback
“We thought our offense would play a lot better. We thought we would score more points. We’re unsatisfied with our play, but I guess that’s a good thing. In any case, we’re going to celebrate this win.”
On Jeff Jennings’ play
“He’s a horse out there. He made it easy on me today. Every time inside the red-zone, he wants the ball every time.”
Jeff Jennings, Sophomore Running Back
“It felt good out there today. Our offensive line blocked very well and our backfield went out to just get the job done.”
On the Offensive Performance
“We played really well out there, but there were a lot of things that we didn’t do. We didn’t push the ball [in the redzone] when we should have, but there’s a lot to build on from here.”
Erik Davis, Senior Wide Receiver
On Being 3-0
“There are a lot of faithful Vanderbilt fans, who haven’t had an opportunity like this. Now, we’re coming out and doing really well.”
On Past Losses
“It got old really fast. Now that we’re having success, we don’t want to go back to the way it was. We’re doing everything we can to continue being successful.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Ed Orgeron
(Opening statement:)
“That’s a disappointing loss for us, obviously. Anytime you give up 523 yards and all those points, it’s hard to win a football game. I was really disappointed with the way we came out and played defensively in the first half. Their quarterback on third down was hot, we couldn’t get to him, and he was making the right throws. We came out in the second half and made some adjustments. At times, we were stopping him, but he was hard to stop.”
“Offensively, we’ve got to get things going. At the end there we made a couple of big plays, but we’re still not consistent enough to come back and beat a team that’s going to score 31 points on us. On special teams, that punt return was really good, but then we go and miss the extra point.”
“I was really disappointed in the penalties and the discipline of the program. We’re going to get that fixed. We didn’t come out to play the way I expect us to play in the first half today.”
(on Vanderbilt going 3-0:)
“I think they’re a good team. Their quarterback is an excellent player. They’re a well-coached football team.”
(on Jay Cutler:)
“He’s tough. We couldn’t get to him, we couldn’t pressure him. Every time the pressures that we had would beat the protections, he was picking it up and was given just enough time for the routes to come open. In the second half, we played more zone coverage and kind of stopped them. But he’s a good player; I don’t know if you’re going to totally stop him.”
(on keys to the game:)
“We did not play well on defense. We missed tackles, we missed assignments, they ran the ball when they had to. We had some good run defenses called and they were still running the ball. I think we missed some tackles and we missed some holes there. We missed Patrick (Willis) in the middle.”
(on the injuries to key players:)
“I think it hurt us, but that’s going to happen. I think we have to develop depth and we have to get ready to go. I think we missed Patrick in the middle; I think Robert stepped up and played well. But I think we’re thin at some spots, and losing Patrick, we’re going to have to play some young guys and they’ll just have to play.”
(on positives taken from this game:)
“Our team competed. At one point, we were down and we came back and held them and gave ourselves a chance. It came down to the last couple plays to win. I liked that part.”
Ole Miss Players
Mario Hill, Seior Flanker
On Ole Miss’ Performance
“At times, we hesitated. They made big plays. We made big plays, but we pulled back. We have to realize that every play counts. In the first half, we came out slacking. In the second half, we were a new team.”
On Comeback Falling Short:
“We started to executed but we didn’t capitalize. Against a good team like Vanderbilt, we can’t win with field goals. We needed to score touchdowns.”
Trumaine McBride, Junior Cornerback
“We came out real slow. We have to learn how to come out with energy. We’re going to have to learn from our mistakes and put this game behind us.”
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