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09/30/03 - Excerpts from Coach Sherril's teleconference Monday.

Q and A with Coach Sherrill:

Do you think, if your team doesn't start winning this season, you will then realize it is time for you to retire or resign?
"I think everybody understands that I will know when, what, where and how. I have been in this business a long time. I have fought for national championships. I have been number 1 for a period of time. (However) you are never going to have all the people liking you. Mack Brown is going through (the same thing). (Also) take Alabama for example. When they played Oklahoma, even though they didn't win, their fans gave Alabama a standing ovation after the game. Then, two weeks later they lose to Northern Illinois. Those people then had to make a decision as to which side they were on. Were they on Alabama's side of the coaches side. You have to separate the players from the coaches. If you can't do that, then you have other motives, other than helping Mississippi State helping Mississippi State. That is just the nature of the game. This is not about Jackie Sherrill. Players come first. That will always will be the first consideration. I have been in this business a long time."

You brought up a good point. You have been a winner most of your career. Now, you could be at the point where you may have three losing seasons in a row. And that could cause you to not be coaching at Mississippi State next year. Will it be tough on your pride knowing you went out that way?
"Everybody would like to go out on top. But you can go back and look at Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and other places. Sometimes you don't get to make that choice. There are two things about me. I deal in reality everyday. Peggy probably put it best when she said it is not death or cancer. And I understand those things. The other thing is if I'm laying on the ground and bleeding from everywhere else, you better not get too close and try to kick me because you may get grabbed. The competitive side will never change."

Is it realistic for MSU fans to expect that MSU football can win consistently, year in, year out?
"You can win here. But, is it harder to win here than it is at other places such as Texas, (Texas) A&M or Florida or Alabama? Yes."

Recruiting is part of coaching. Do you think that maybe the two years prior to the last two years of recruiting you may have not evaluated the talent as well as you had hoped and that is the reason you are in your current situation?
"No, you would like to have 20-20-20-20, meaning that you would like to have 20 seniors. Sometimes that is not going to happen. This is one of those times that it didn't happened. We also made a decision to redshirt some kids last year and the year before. That really got it out of balance. We didn't bring in enough junior college (players) that would have kept (those numbers) across the board to 20 seniors, 20 juniors, 20 sophomores and 20 freshmen."

09/26/03 - Thursday practice update.

09/24/03 - Excerpts from Tuesday's Jackie Sherrill press conference.

LSU:

"LSU, on film, would best be described as a complete football team, offensively, defensively, kicking game.

"Offensively, they have some superstars that really give you a lot of problems. They have four seniors, four juniors, two redshirt (sophomores) and one freshman. (Wide receiver Michael) Clayton is, without a doubt, an outstanding football player. (He is) 6-4, 200+, excellent speed and hands. He is also an outstanding blocker. He doesn't come off the field. They play him in the kicking game. (Quarterback Matt) Mauck is a very steady player. He has (only) made a couple of mistakes and that could have been the wrong read. But he has been very impressive, very smart. He runs the option very well. They have a tight end (Eric Edwards) that is probably the best tight end that I have seen in this league in a long time as far as being a blocker. He is really something to watch. I don't think he has missed a block in all the film that I have watched. Georgia was probably the best film to watch as far as talent. Against him, their outside linebacker really had no chance. I don't think he made a play. That is a big challenge for our outside people. Their people up front (both sides of the ball) are very good football players. That is one of the reasons why they are very impressive."

"Defensively, they have a lot of football players back. They have a (defensive) team that has a tremendous amount of experience; four seniors, six juniors and one freshman. They are very physical. They are allowing their opponents only 65 yards rushing (per game). That is pretty outstanding when you (consider that they have) play(ed) Georgia."

"In the kicking game they do a couple of different things. On their punt formation they will line up all the way across the field from hash to hash and they will have three and half foot splits between their linemen. They put their three protectors back there and have done a very good job with it. They started using it last week against Georgia and it worked out very well for them."

LSU's victory over Georgia:

"Georgia had plenty of times (to score) early, but couldn't. The longer (the game) went on, the more you could see that LSU took over the game and did what they had to do to win."

MSU Injuries:

"We still have some players trying to get back on the field. (Offensive guard) Johnny Wadley probably will not be back and we still have a very big question mark on Darren (Williams). Hopefully, we will get the orthopedic foot insert for his sole and get him ready to play this week. Corey (Clark) hasn't been on the field, yet. We won't know until (Tuesday) or (Wednesday). Everybody else should be back but those." (Brad Weathers also won't play and will, I feel, be redshirted.-Gene)

Things needed to do to beat LSU:

"We will have to do two or three things to beat LSU. One, we can't leave anybody uncovered. We are going to have to stop the run because they are a heavy run team even though they throw the ball very well. If you don't (stop the run), then they are going to wear you out. They don't have that many plays, but the plays they have, they are very efficient and very physical in running them."

09/23/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State-Vanderbilt football game, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, will not be televised by any of the Southeastern Conference television partners, the league office announced Monday.

With no live television for the MSU-Vanderbilt game, kickoff has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT, MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton announced.

Tickets still remain for the Bulldog-Commodore tilt, as well as for this weekend's MSU SEC-opener with LSU. Contact the MSU athletic ticket office at 662-325-2600 or 1-888-GO-DAWGS.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/22/03 - Excerpts from Coach Sherrill's Monday morning teleconference.

Game information from Monday morning's Jackie Sherrill teleconference.

Upcoming LSU game comments:

"The thing that really impresses you about the (LSU-Georgia) game is Georgia had plenty of times to score in the red zone early in the game and they couldn't do it. One reason was (due to) the penalty but LSU is also really talented. Offensively, they just keep coming up with great receivers. There is no question that (Michael) Clayton is a talented receiver who makes a lot of things happen. (Matt) Mauck has been a very stable quarterback meaning he has done what they have asked him to do. He is executing the offense very well."

Q & A:

Was (starting free safety) Darren Williams injured?
"Yes. We had (senior cornerback) Demetric Wright and Darren Williams (both out of the game). We have a lot of feeling for (Kevin) Dockery because he has played just about every position (in the secondary). He is a good player and we are thankful that we have him, but we need to get everybody back and settled in one position and let them play."

Was it a gametime decision not to play Darren Williams?
"Well, yes. He just couldn't go full speed. We will go out today and hopefully he and Demetric Wright will be ready to play."

Will he play this weekend?
"Yes."

What about (offensive lineman) Johnny Wadley?
"(He) will probably be out (for the LSU game)."

Any other injury updates?
"No, but we are going to get an x-ray on Justin (Jenkins) just to make sure that everything is ok. As far as practicing and playing Justin, we should be able to do that."

Has Justin Jenkins exceeded your expectations?
"I've always thought that Justin had the ability to play (in the SEC). I felt in the spring that he had moved himself up to an SEC receiver. When you say that what you mean is he is a complete player and can make plays, break games open and score points. He is a good size receiver who has speed and jumping ability. His only problem has really been consistency but he has been very consistent (this year) and has made some great plays in the first three games."

09/17/03 - Recruiting update.

Opening comments:

"There are two things you noticed about Houston: one, they've always had team speed and they have always had very athletic players; two, their schemes are kind of like the gunslinger offense from West Texas. They are going to line up and give you all different formation. They are going to make you be very smart and very prepared. When they line up you think they don't run the football, but they average almost 180 yards a game. They also put all the receivers on one side at one time. Even in their kicking game, they will spread them out from sideline to sideline on punts. The main thing you have to do is get your defensive team accustomed to identifying the formations.

"We had a very good practice (Monday) night. Hopefully, we will have everybody back (for the game). Right now, Demetric Wright is not back on the practice field. Whether he will play or not, I can't answer that. I think everybody else will be ready. (Starting kicker) Brent Smith should be back (Tuesday). We did an MRI and found that it is a muscle and not in his nerves or discs."

Q and A with Coach Sherrill:

Talk about Houston's quarterback.
"They had a starter coming back who was really a great athlete, but he transferred this spring when they signed the freshman quarterback (Kevin Kolb). He knew the freshman quarterback was one of the top 5 to top 10 guys in the country. He is a very good football player. He has to squat a lot when he gets under the center because it's not easy for a 6-5 guy to get under center. You are impressed with the way he operates his team as a freshman."

Houston gives up a lot of yards rushing.
"Michigan, in the first half, had a lot of problems. They made a play here and there but consistently they could not make plays. The third quarter it was the same. Then, late in the third quarter and the fourth quarter, they started making a lot of yardage in the running game. It was very evident what kind of football team Michigan has by how they played against Notre Dame this past weekend."

Talk about their kicking game.
"They have a good punter. He is a two-stepper who gets the ball away very quickly. It will be hard to block one against him. Their kicker is good. They have a lot of speed, so they are able to cover well. They are impressive there."

09/16/03 - Recruiting update.

Individual ranking of MSU players in the NCAA and SEC:

Opening comments by Coach Sherrill:

"Houston has a lot of speed. They have always had players that can run and are very athletic. Their offense is the type where they want to stretch the the field and give you a lot of different formations and a lot of different things to defend. Defensively, they have a lot of guys who are very athletic, guys that can run. They have played people very well. Against Michigan, Michigan, late in the game, got into a niche of running the football and kind of wore them down. Up until that time, Michigan had to fight to get some things done."

Did Jerious Norwood get injured?
"Yes, he has a slight MCL (injury). We are going to hold him out (Monday), but, hopefully, he will be ready this week. His (injury) is very, very slight."

Do you anticipate him playing Saturday?
"Yes."

Will Kevin Dockery be able to play Saturday night?
"Yes. We really need to get him back. He is one of the only guys who has a lot of experience in the secondary."

Last year, you had a lot of problems with lack of experience on the offensive line. Is that similar to the problem you are having in the secondary?
"That's a lot of it. We are, at times, trying to do some things differently. And the adjustments have not been as smooth as you would like it to be."

09/08/03 - Here are excerpts from coach Jackie Sherrill's Tuesday afternoon press conference.

"We got a lot accomplished during the off-week. The biggest thing we tried to do was not lose any players. Unfortunately, we lost (freshman defensive tackle) Corey Clark (because) it doesn't look like he'll be back for this game. Yesterday in practice, we lose (freshman center) John Davis (to a break in his lower leg) who looks to be gone for the season.

"We are getting some players back. (Sophomore offensive guard) Johnny Wadley practiced (Monday). I was very impressed with his movement and very impressed with how quick he was. The same thing with (sophomore fullback) Darnell Jones; he was back on the field and practiced very well. The rest did both of those guys a lot of good.

"What stands out about Tulane is their quarterback, J. P. Losman. He is very talented, very accurate, has a lot of speed and is able to get himself out of trouble. You cannot play zone against him because he can get the ball into the hole no matter how small the hole. You have to be willing to rush him and put pressure on him. He is also a very tough player. TCU banged him around a bunch and he stayed in the game and almost pulled it out. Their running back, Mewelde Moore, is an outstanding football player. He is about to break all the records at Tulane and all the records in Conference USA as not only a rushing back but in total yardage as a receiver as well. Their receivers, (Roydell) Williams, (Chris) Bush and (Tristan) Smith, are very, very productive. You put Moore in there and they can throw and catch.

"They have nine (offensive) starters coming back who have started seven or more games. They have the maturity and understand the offense and it shows. They run the no-huddle (offense) over 70 snaps a game. Looking at scores of their games last year and this year, the majority of the points are scored in the 4th quarter, which means they wear their opponent down." (41 of their 62 points have been scored in the 4th quarter or in overtime.-Gene)

"Defensively, they have six starters back that have started at least seven or more games. I think they may have redshirted some guys last year that were starters the year before. They are not big but give you a lot of movement, give you a lot of stunts and a lot of slants.

"Their punter has been very good, averaging 42.5 (yards per punt). We need to be sure we put some pressure on their freshman punter.

"What do you have to do? You have to keep the ball away from their quarterback and their offense. You have to be willing to play man and blitz them, knowing that you may give up the big play at any time. You also have to execute in the kicking game. The very first game (Tristan) Smith ran a kickoff back a 100 yards."

09/08/03 - Here are excerpts from coach Jackie Sherrill's Monday morning teleconference.

Opening comments:

"We are getting Johnny Wadley back. I don't know how much he will be able to play, but at least we have gotten him back on the practice field. We lost Corey Clark (to injury during practice) and I don't know if he will be able to play this week. Brad Weathers is still out. Kevin Dockery got hurt during (the Oregon) game. He got hurt again (in practice). If he's not ready to go full speed by Wednesday, then we will have to keep him here."

Q and A:

How about talking about the Tulane offense and things that concern you about them.
"The first thing you look at is their quarterback. He is tremendously talented. They are saying that he is rated higher than Eli (Manning) and you know what kind of player Eli is. That gets your attention. The second thing is their running back is very talented.

"Their tempo is a no-huddle tempo. Everything they do is very quick and very fast. You have to try to practice against that and it is very difficult to do."

Talk a little more about Tulane's quarterback, J. P. Losman.
"He is an outstanding football player. He is a very tough kid. Like everybody in the next league are saying, he may be the first quarterback taken (in the NFL Draft)."

Is Tulane's offense similar to the type offense Oregon played?
"No, they are a much quicker team than Oregon. Oregon tries to run the ball and be balanced, whereas Tulane throwing a ball out in the flat is a running play to them. Their quicks and screens are almost like a running play to them."

What do they do defensively?
"Defensively, they lost some players (from last season), but their schemes are four linemen. They will play man, man-free. They'll play cover-three and also cover-two."

09/03/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office announced Tuesday that a limited number of season tickets are available for the remaining Bulldog home games.

Full-price season tickets have been prorated and are now priced at $129 each. The next home game is scheduled for September 27 against LSU, and the Bulldogs also have home games remaining against Vanderbilt (10/4), Memphis (homecoming, 10/11), Alabama (11/8) and the traditional season-ending Battle for the Golden Egg vs. Mississippi (11/27).

The ticket office will take orders Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 p.m. To order your tickets, call the MSU ticket office at 888-GO-DAWGS or locally at 325-2600, or visit the ticket office in the Bryan Athletic Building on campus.

MSU student tickets are also still available. Students may purchase their tickets at the Bryan Athletic Ticket Office during regular business hours. No student ticket orders will be taken over the phone. Students must present a valid MSU ID card to purchase season tickets, which are priced at $18.

Source: MSU Media Relations