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| MISSISSIPPI
STATE FOOTBALL NEWS |
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Mississippi
State Football News
September 20, 2006
Quotes from croom press conference
Opening Comments
"We are getting ready to play our first road
game. It's going to be a great challenge for us going over to Birmingham to
play UAB. They are a good football team and they provide a lot of
challenges for us. We've got to get our kids back going today. It is a big
day for us. We will spend some time on fundamental work, tackling better
and we have to get Omarr Conner totally integrated back into the offense.
He did an excellent job for us in the fourth quarter the other night to give
us a chance to win the football game. We had every opportunity to do so
despite getting way behind in the first half and we had our chances at the
end - didn't make a couple of plays, had a couple of penalties and
turnovers. This will be a great challenge going on the road and maintaining
our focus there. Playing in different confines after playing three games at
home, for the guys that are new will be an adjustment for them. At the same
time, it presents an opportunity for us to play a good football team and
have a chance to win. We need to get off to a good start in this ballgame -
offensively and defensively"
On UAB's offense:
"They create a lot of problems for you
because they run the option offense now. They throw the ball and do a lot
of the things that we have seen before as far as spreading the field and
throwing the football while at the same time running different versions of
the option. They go back and play hardcore wishbone - triple option
offense, they do that as well."
On The difference in Omarr Conner at
quarterback now compared to his previous starts:
"The first difference is the conditioning of
having played wide receiver. He ran the ball better than he did the
previous two years. He is ten pounds lighter than he was when he played
quarterback. The conditioning of having played wide receiver is superior to
the conditioning that you are normally in at quarterback."
On Tray Rutland handling the switch at
quarterback:
"We sat down and talked about it. We looked
at the things that he did well and what he did poorly. The key ingredient is
for him to be honest with himself about his performance and being able to
accept constructive criticism, which I think he has done. We reassured him
that we have not given up on him. He has tremendous amount of talent, but
he is very young and inexperienced. He is still in the plans for the future
but he has to buckle down and do the things that he is coached to do. How
he responds to this situation will define him as a person and as a
quarterback for the future."
On Tony Burks:
"He is a big-play receiver and has great
capabilities. To me he still has not scratched the surface of what he is
capable of being. He is working extremely hard, but he is still learning
what to do and the techniques. He is a great person and I like his work
ethic. There is no question we are trying to get the football to him."
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