2014 AUBURN FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
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Auburn vs. LSU October 4, 2014 Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium
Head Coach Gus Malzahn Opening Statement… “We played outstanding holding those guys on third downs. Th ey were as good as I have seen. I think we stopped them three out of four times on fourth downs, so hats off to the defense. Th ey did a wonderful job. Off ensively, we hit some passes early on, they loosened up everything. We were able to run and pass the ball. Our kicking game was solid too. We talk about getting better and improving each week. Th ere is no doubt we improved this week.”
On rankings… “With our team I have not heard one player or coach talk about the rankings. We are focused. Our whole deal is at the end of the sea- son. Th at is just the fi rst game of the grind and it will all sort out at the end.”
On Nick Marshall… “Nick played very well. He threw the ball well and made some very good runs, and decisions on the read zone. Nick played like one of the better quarterbacks in the entire country.”
On diff erences in Nick’s play… “He made some passing plays early, we let him throw the ball a little bit earlier in the game. He is an outstanding quarterback. He wins. I think everyone saw he can throw it pretty well too.”
On having fun… “I think we were clicking as a team. Th at is probably our best performance overall as a team. We played well as certain units. Th at was an overall performance against a very good team. I am extremely happy for our seniors. Here is only one that has beaten LSU up to this point, so I am very happy for them.”
On attacking the defense… “We got on the edge tonight. Th e read zone had a lot to do with it. We got some tempo going and anytime we get the tempo going that’s when the big runs up the middle hit from time to time. Th ere were a couple of them that popped and just opened things up.”
On Mississippi State game… “I didn’t see any of it, but I heard they played pretty well.”
On Sammie Coates… “He made an unbelievable catch. Th at was really nice. Th at was one of their better coverage guys. He really used his body well and came down well. Th at play got us going right there. Jeremy hit him on a pass later. Th ose two big ones really helped give us some momen- tum. I think Sammie is getting healthier each week.”
On Frost and McKinzy… “Th ey did not practice much. I think both of them played pretty well.”
On playing with a large lead… “No, I kind of like it.” On Pat Miller… “We held him out this week. He is a tough guy. I think our line did a solid job tonight in his absence.”
On emotions before the game... “Everything felt diff erent. Th e players, the coaches, myself, it was just a big game. Anytime you play LSU at home it is always going to be a big game here at Auburn. I was very excited that our guys played well.”
On SEC West… “It has a lot of big time teams. It is the best division in college football. I think it is pretty clear.” On passing and rushing… “Against a very good defense that is very important. We had the passing yards and we were able to run that football. We have been talking about continuing to get better, and at time we have not looked our best, but the plan is not to play our best football now. We want to play our best football at the end of the year. We played really well tonight, but we are going to keep working on trying to im- prove in every area.”
On playing the secondary… “Th ey did a great job. Th ey have some receivers that can run and catch, they are very athletic. We had two true freshmen back there roaming around. We also had some other guys that have only been playing a certain position for a game or two. I’m just really happy for those guys and the way they played.”
On third down performances… “Th e defense really stood out to me. Th at is unbelievable about our defense. On our off ense we wanted to be a little bit better than 50 percent, but we will take it.”
On slowing the tempo… “Th ere was a time when we were up by four touchdowns and we just wanted to use our common sense. We had a chance, our defense was playing very well, let’s shorten the game a little bit. We went a little tempo a time or two when we didn’t score a touchdown, but I like the ways our guys responded.”
On play calling… “I had a lot better time tonight than I did last week. So yeah, it is pretty fun to call plays when they work.”
On Corey Grant… “Cameron was hot and he was playing very well, and he wasn’t tired. Corey was fresh at the end, so you could see a fresh back in the fourth quarter really stands out, especially a guy that can run. It was good for him to come in and fi nish the game off .”
On Jimmy Hutchinson… “He has been pretty consistent. We felt like we would give him an opportunity.”
On (LSU freshman QB) Brandon Harris… “He was in a tough spot. Th at is a very tough atmosphere to make your fi rst start. He is an outstanding quarterback. I told him to keep his head up and he is going to be a big time player.”
On last year against LSU… “We talked all week about getting off to a quick start. We really focused in on the off ense and we were able to score points early and it made things easier later in the game.”
Auburn Player Quotes DB Johnathan Ford On holding LSU to 0-for-13 on third down conversions… “We just keep progressing each and every week we get better. We are going to stay focused and strive to get better every day.”
On LSU’s off ense… “Th ey did have some frustration, but as a defense we are still going to keep coming and getting aft er it.”
On physicality… “It was a tough game. We are going to keep taking everything one game at a time. Our defense is going to step up and keep grinding every week to get better. We are going to bring it.”
On avenging last year’s loss… “It was very sweet. Our seniors said they had never beaten LSU so we were doing everything to prepare and to come out and win.”
Wide Receiver Sammie Coates On returning from injury… “It’s a process. I’m taking it day-by-day and seeing where it goes from there. It’s nothing serious and I just have to keep fi ghting through it.”
On 56-yard touchdown reception… “It was a good job by the off ensive line holding their blocks and giving Nick (Marshall) time to throw it to me. Nick did a good job of throwing the ball where I could catch it. He couldn’t get to it so I went up and got it.”
On dealing with injury… “You just have to be patient and let your time come. I knew I would have to wait a while because I was hurt, but I just kept being patient and kept fi ghting for my team every time we went out there.” On rebounding from last year’s loss… “I’ve been here for four years and this is the fi rst time we have beaten LSU. It was great to beat them in front of our fans and it means a lot for our season. It was a big win for us all around.”
Defensive Tackele Montravius Adams On third down success… “Really it is just about trying to get to the quarterback and not letting them get the fi rst down.”
On run defense… “I feel like we are starting to gain some respect as a defense.”
On improving as a defense… “I feel like they weren’t respecting our defense so we just take it one game at a time and one practice as a time. We are trying to get better so we can gain some respect.”
On dominating the No. 15 team in the nation… “We know LSU is mostly a run team so we tried to stop that. Whenever we stopped the run they would have to throw the ball and we stopped that too. We played a complete defensive game and that’s what we wanted to do.”
Defensive back Jonathon Mincy On Auburn’s defensive performance … “We managed to stop them in the passing game and in the running game. Th at’s big. Th at is all stuff we look to do when we take the fi eld.”
On confusing the LSU quarterback … “It was part of the plan coming in. We wanted to disguise schemes and we all came out and did our jobs.”
On if this was the best defensive performance of the season so far … “I think it was, defi nitely. Th at is a piggyback to our coaches. Th ey drew up a great scheme and we were able to execute that plan well.”
Defensive lineman Montravious Adams On making a statement with this win … “It was, no doubt, a big game for us. In our meetings we all talked about stopping their off ense and coming up big in tight situations. We proved to ourselves that we can be a dominant defense.”
On facing a freshman quarterback … “Coming in, we wanted to get aft er him and make him nervous.”
On shutting down the third down conversion throughout the game … “I feel really good about that. We’ve been working on stopping the run and holding third downs. We got better today on defense, and we will continue to get better.”
Defensive back Trovon Reed On facing Mississippi State next week … “We have to get together, watch fi lm and see what they like to do. We just need to keep improving and build off this performance.”
On beating a team like LSU … “It was a big win for us. Coach Malzahn asked us in a meeting yesterday to raise our hands if we had beaten LSU. Only one player raised his hand and that was Jeff Whitaker. He asked us the same question aft er the game today and we were all able to raise our hands.”
LSU head coach Les Miles On the game… “Congratulations to the Auburn team and coach Malzahn. Th e piece for us was that we took some fi rst and ten’s and could not get a third down conversion. We kept putting the defense on the fi eld. We tackled, we played hard, but off ensively we did not execute. We are a work in progress. Certainly a group of men that are committed to fi xing things. But frankly we did not get it done today.”
On prioritizing what went wrong in the game… “I think there are some things that we got accomplished in the last two weeks. Our defending was good and our off ensive line took some strides, but we will look at it and analyze it so it will be a long day tomorrow.”
On the current personnel… “You hope you can fi x it with the personnel that you have. On off ense, we are doing some great things, but we did not execute. Th is group of men that I represent likes to work hard.” On the quarterback situation… “I do not know what to think of it. We are working hard and improving and we just need to execute better.”
On the crowd… “I do not think the crowd aff ected us, but the position of being in a big time game may well have aff ected us.”
On allowing 500 plus yards in the last two games… “I am disappointed, but I am realistic too. When you put your defense back on the fi eld repeatedly, the off ense needs to do its job and the defense needs to get itself off the fi eld.”
On Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall… “He seems faster too me. He could get seven to 10 yards in a pretty comfortable fashion. I went up to our defense and said ‘Hey guys, that guy is pretty fast.’”
On only throwing a couple of passes in the fi rst half… “We threw passes enough that we were prime to catch them and get up to speed. I think we will be fi ne there.”
On the fi nal play of the fi rst half… “What happened there was they were moving the chains and we had the call made. We were really trying to get two plays if we could have rather than use the timeout thereaft er.”
On the thought of a rebuilding year… “I think all of our guys work hard and want to improve. Th ey want answers, and the fi lm will be the answer. Th e coaches will collect it and get better. I do not think anybody wants a rebuilding year. Th at’s not something that I have ever said.”
On evaluating younger players… “I think we are trying to improve for next week. Period. I do not think anybody is thinking about anything else.”
On improving third down off ense… “It did not appear to be the calls. It appears to me that we did not execute those calls. What can we do? Give them more time and more coaching and more perspective.
LSU Player Quotes Off ensive lineman Vadal Alexander On Brandon Harris’ fi rst road start... “It’s going to help him in the long run. He’s going to learn a lot from this. Th is is probably the most hostile environment you can have as a player in the SEC, in the country really. It’s a learning experience and he’s going to learn from it.”
On Anthony Jennings QB play... “Anthony came in and played well. We know that both of our quarterback have the ability to play well so we just have some things we need to improve on as the weeks go on.”
On some of the areas of improvement... “Just executing better. Getting into plays that help the off ense as a whole, knowing our assignments better and just starting off stronger as you know we’ve struggled to do at times.”
On Brandon’Harris’s attitude coming into the game... “He seemed very calm. He was controlling of the off ense, making call and checks and things like that. But things happen and we have to readjust and come back stronger every series and at times we failed to do that as an off ense. But we need to improve on that. It’s some- thing we need to learn from and the type of guys we have on this team, the character, I see us really improving from this.”
Wide receiver Malachi Dupree On what he said to Brandon Harris... “It was a good game by Auburn. Th ey came out and executed well defensively. We got off to a slow start. I just told him to keep his head up, get back to work on Monday and get those things corrected like I know he will.”
On the atmosphere playing a factor... “Coming into a road game like this, it’s a hostile environment, communication is a lot more diffi cult when you’re on the road. I won’t say that aff ected us because we prepared well for it. We came out and did the things we were coached to do. It just wasn’t our night. Auburn came out and played well.”
On what the coaches told the team aft er a tough loss... “We have a great group of guys. Get back to work. Just execute and prepare for the next game.”
On the silver lining... “I just think we need to grow as a team in all phases of the game – off ensively, defensively, special teams – and just get better because the games won’t get any easier for us. We have a big road game next week against Florida. We’re going to get back to work and prepare for that game.”
Linebacker Kendall Beckwith On defensive problems... “Coverage breakdowns. We gotta do a better job to contain the ball.”
On Nick Marshall... “He’s a talented guy. Made the throws he needed to make and ran the ball well.”
On how to fi x defensive woes... “Just got to be more physical at the point of attack. Th at’s all there is, just be more physical and be more aggressive.”
Defensive Tackle Christian LaCouture On the defense’s play Saturday night against No. 5 Auburn’s off ense... “I thought we came out ready. We had a good week of preparation. We just need to go back and watch the fi lm and see what we need to correct and try to get a ‘W’ next week.”
On being down by so many points in the second half and what it took to stay focused... “It was tough. We put ourselves in that hole and couldn’t get out of it. We made a few stops, but couldn’t make anything happen. We just need to go back and watch the fi lm and work on things. I know we will get better.”
On what he thought of Auburn’s off ense and the play of Nick Marshall... “I know Nick Marshall likes to throw the ball, but he can run too. Th ere’s a couple things he did well tonight. We just have to, again, go watch the fi lm and just improve from there.”
Defensive Back Tre’Davious White On his thoughts of Saturday’s 41-7 loss to No. 5 Auburn... “I thought Auburn had an excellent game plan. Th ey executed well and they blocked well. Th ey just made the plays they were supposed to make and that’s why they came out on top.”
On LSU’s defensive performance and why Auburn got so many big plays throughout the game... “It’s probably a number of things. It’s not the eff ort. We give eff ort every week. It’s just some miscommunications that we have to fi x.”
On Auburn’s off ensive ability to go deep multiple times throughout the game... “I wasn’t surprised they went deep a lot. I knew going into the game they were going to try to go deep with how big and physical their receivers were. It wasn’t missed coverages, they just made plays”
Quarterback Brandon Harris On the loss to Auburn and what LSU did wrong... “Th e night was awful from start to fi nish. Our coaching staff did a great job preparing us for each game and each opponent. I thought I came out and played terrible. I can’t even put a grade on it. It was an awful game.”
On what challenges he faced tonight and what he needs to do to get better... “Th ere weren’t challenges. Ultimately, you have to stay smooth and make throws. I didn’t make throws I can normally make. Being the quarterback at this university, the standard’s been set high. With Zach (Mettenberger) before me and the quarterbacks that came before him. Th e night was just terrible.”
On the fumble on the second play from scrimmage... “Th e fumble at the beginning of the game was a miscommunication between my center and me. Ultimately, you have to over communi- cate, especially in a loud environment like this, you have to over-communicate. Th at’s one thing I failed to do.”
On the play of his receivers... “All of our receivers did a great job getting off the ball. We just couldn’t get in rhythm. When you get a completion, then miss or get to third and one or get out of the pocket before you get out of the pocket. We just missed throws.”
On if the game seemed faster than previous weeks... “Th e game did not seem faster. I’ve played in games like that before. I think we just got too ahead of ourselves. I didn’t take it one play at a time and I take full responsibility for that.”