Marshall University Athletics
Quotes/Video from Doc Holliday's Nov. 4 Press Conference
11/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Opening statement:
Captains for this week on defense are James Rouse and Neville Hewitt and on offense it is (Rakeem) Cato and Chris Jasperse. Anytime that you go on the road it is critical that we have great leadership. I expect it out of those four guys and along with everyone else who are leaders on this football team. Anytime you go on the road you have a great challenge. Southern Miss is a much improved team. Todd (Monken) has them playing extremely hard. That defensive front will be the best defensive front we have played to date. Number 97, (Rakeem) Nunez-Roches, is a tremendous player. He is an NFL guy. You look at Mississippi State and what the state of Mississippi is doing and Southern Miss is right there around all the players. It will be a great challenge for us to go ono the road and play extremely well. So, we need to have a great week of practice.
On bye week:
We treated this off week like we did the open week prior to Old Dominion. They had Monday and Tuesday off except for lifting, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we got back to work. The one thing we did a little different this week, was that there were four or five younger players that needed work. I had a couple tailbacks, (Tony) Pittman and (Brandon) Byrd, I wanted to find out how tough they were and get them some hits because at some point we may need those guys. I did the same thing with the younger defensive players.
On Southern Miss:
You have to be able to defend the run. That is where it starts is stopping the run. At times they ran the ball well. When you look back at some of their games they ran the ball pretty well. I am sure they will try to run it against us. I don't think you can prepare any different. You have to go in and find a way to stop the run. They are a big screen team. You go back and watch them play, they will run 10 to 15 screens, possibly per game. They were a big screen team against us a year ago. We have to do a great job at being able to take away the easy access throws, which you have to do in that particular offense.
On Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens:
You always love to get pressure. I thought the (Nick) Mullens kid, he will probably play is my guess, but they don't change much offensively. (Cole) Weeks seems like he goes in and they haven't changed a lot, philosophy-wise. Todd is going to do what he does and does it well. You always like to get pressure, hopefully. They are better up front than what they were a year ago. They have four or five starters who are different. They have some different faces up there. At times, he gets the ball out of his hands so quick. Whether it be Weeks or Mullens, it is hard to get pressure.
On Southern Miss' improvement in the last three weeks:
They have Rakeem, number 97, in there and he is a tremendous player. They have better players. They are playing extremely hard and are well coached. They are physical. It is a personnel-driven game. Located where they are in the state of Mississippi, there are a lot of players around them. Rakeem was hurt a year ago. He got hurt during the second or third game of the year and missed the entire season. He is back healthy now. They are a lot more talented and are playing well. It's their second year in the system, too. They are learning the system.
On Southern Miss:
We haven't played a more talented guy than number 97. He is a good player. As a group, this is probably the most talented group. You can see how much they have improved, stat-wise. They are much improved and a talented bunch.
On the Herd's offensive line:
It is where it starts. Chris Jasperse and all those guys, one thing about them is that they study tape. They are older guys and they are saying the same thing I am saying, they see those guys play and they are impressed with the way they play. They are talented. The offensive line has been the key for the past eight weeks now and it is going to be the same thing this week. Those guys are going to have to play extremely well because number 97 is going to be a handful.
On teams getting up to play Marshall:
There's no doubt we're going to take everyone's best shot. As I've said before, people remember what you did in November. November is what counts. It's great that we are at the point we are at right now, but it is what you do in November that people remember. Every week for us is a championship game, just like it is for everyone else at this point. I'm sure you've seen that we have taken everyone's best shot up to this point, and I'm sure this will be no different. Southern Miss is going to play extremely hard. It's their homecoming. I'm sure they are going to be a handful.
On the key to success in November:
I think your strength program is a big part of it and the way you practice is a big part of it. A lot of the places I have been, whether it be right, wrong, or different, as the season goes on you take the pads off and start shortening practices. We don't do that. We don't change our routine. We don't change what we've been doing. Our Tuesdays are going to be Tuesdays and our Wednesdays are going to be Wednesdays. We're going to continue the grind. We're going to continue to work hard like we always do. We've never backed off because of what point it was in the season. Whether that's the reason or not I don't know, but I think that may have something to do with it.
On Davonte Allen:
Davonte Allen is full speed now. He'll probably have a red jersey on today or tomorrow, but he'll get banged around a little this week. But yes, he will play Saturday.
On Allen's return helping receiver depth:
I think it helps it. He was probably playing as well as, or better than anyone at the point that he got hurt. Hopefully it does for our wide out group what it did for our offensive linemen. Some of those other guys had to step in, then when you get those other guys back, you have more depth and it helps you long term. Hopefully getting him back, and [Deon-Tay] McManus who seems like he has gotten better, [Craig] Wilkins who is playing well, and Angelo [Jean-Louis] and all those guys will help us with some depth there. We should be a better group because of it.
On ECU losing to Temple:
I've said it every Sunday. Florida and Georgia, who would've thought that? Who would've thought UCF would get beat by Connecticut. There's not just the East Carolina example. There are examples out there every Sunday. You pick up the paper and someone gets beat that shouldn't. We just have to make sure that it's not us. You have to prepare and you have to take care of your business so it doesn't happen to you. But every week it happens. Our kids are reminded of that constantly.
