Football vs. Southern Miss Postgame Quotes
9/21/2019 3:00:00 PM | Football
Head Coach Nick Saban
Opening statement
"I was really pleased with the early start. Guys coming out of the box. We scored the first four times we had the ball in the game. I think the defense played well early in the game. Got them stopped. I'd say the only negative is we didn't finish the first half very well. We had a couple three and outs on offense. Let them go two-minute score, but we cut down on penalties today. I thought we executed very well. Defense saw stuff they had to adjust to. Thought they did a fairly good job. We got to play a lot of players. It was good we came out in the second half after they scored right before the half. Sort of reestablished the tempo of the game by coming out and scoring first drive. So, there's a lot of good things in the game, but like always we look at the film. Every player should go look at it like, 'What can I do better? What are people down the road going to see that I need to correct?' That's what we go to work on. But I was glad we got to play a lot of players today. We just have to keep focusing on improving. There's a lot of reasons the players could have not played well today. I was really pleased with the fact they were ready to play and got after it and try to build on the identity that we are trying to build as a team."
On the progression of the run game
"I thought we ran okay. We had a lot of positive runs, a few negative runs. The offensive line did a really good job of getting hat on hat. I thought we had a lot of positive, effective runs. I thought Najee (Harris) rolled it up in there, ran with a lot of toughness. B Rob (Brian Robinson Jr.) did as well. I thought it was better today."
On the defense's performance on third down
"I think the plays they made on us today were things that we didn't execute well. The wheel route that they hit right before the half that set up the score, and the penalty added on to that, that gave them the ball in the red zone. Somebody has the guy man-to-man. You have got to play them. It's a throwback boot. I think that we played better today. We were simpler in terms of the plan and the adjustments that we wanted to make in the game, which I think helped the young players especially. I thought the players did a pretty good job of adjusting to a lot of stuff and some stuff that we did not practice."
#7 Trevon Diggs, DB
On his veteran leadership in the secondary
"We just try to execute all our calls and work together with all the young guys to help them make the plays around them. The linebackers are really the base of our defense and that's where the young guys are mostly at, on the interior. We have to play off them, stay focused and execute the calls that we call. I feel like, today, we did a pretty good job of that by holding them to seven points."
On what he saw on his interception
"When I was watching film, I noticed that they run that play when they motion the running back. It was either, before the pass – if he goes inside release he's going to run the wave route; and if he goes outside release it's going to be a chop route. He outside released so I cut him off and played the ball for the interception."
#11 Henry Ruggs, WR
On his mentality when he has the ball
"Coach Saban always says 'Get downhill' so that's the first thing I'm thinking – when I grab it I have to get downhill. When I see space, I trust my speed."
On playing special teams
"I'm big on being a team player. Coach Saban is always telling me to be a leader. It's just a mentality. It's a big part of the game – you win or lose on special teams – so if Coach has me out there, I'm out there for a reason. If a play comes my way, I'm going to make it."
Southern Miss Head Coach Jay Hopson
Opening statement
"Give Alabama credit. They're a good football team. We fought a battle, 60 minutes with them. We did some good things, but I've got to give them credit. They're an outstanding football team."
On what they did to try and slow down Ruggs and Jeudy
"I've been coaching a long time, and this is probably the first time I've ever said this. I don't know if I've ever seen an offense with two Heisman Trophy candidates in it, so you've got to give credit where credit is due. They're good, they're really good. They're going to be one of the best, if not the best, offense in college football with that type of exploding. The quarterback …. I mean he just doesn't make a bad throw. That's probably four straight games, so he's a special football player. So are the receivers. They did a great job, so give them credit. I thought we battled hard. I was happy with the second quarter. I thought the last nine minutes of the second quarter, I thought we really battled hard. We kept fighting, we fought for 60 minutes. I thought we played physical football, we played Southern Miss football, and I think they would attest that we were a physical football team. I've got to give Alabama credit. Those guys were really good football players, and they made plays."
On how these two SEC games helped them prepare for conference games coming up
"I think it's always good. I think it instills confidence because you go out there with the best of the best. You play Alabama, and you know that guy you're lining up is probably as good as it gets. I think that's something – even though you might lose a battle or two – it's kind of like receiver or something, a Jeudy. You lose a battle to him, he lights up the house. The scoreboard lights up. I think it gives you confidence. I think it's one of those things, you're able to line up and say, 'You know what, I competed well at that level,' and I think that's something that we'll take out of this."
On how important it is for this offense to start fast
"We always like it, but I really love the direction we're headed in. And our offense, again, I think has a lot of explosive ability, and we just will take it one week at a time. We wanted to just keep fighting and get this into the fourth quarter. We understood – I didn't lie to my players before the game. We knew this was going to be a 15-round fight. We were like, you know, with a team like Alabama, you're going to have to get the game into the same half. And give (Jerry) Jeudy and Tua (Tagovailoa) credit, and that's what Heisman Trophy candidates do – they make plays. And they did a good job."
#15 Jack Abraham, QB
On what made him speed up his progression of the ball
"They play a lot of man coming out there and really throughout the whole game and it brought a little pressure here and there. And obviously that's a really talented d-line up front, so it made me speed up my progression."
On playing in SEC stadiums
"It's awesome, it's cool, it's a good experience, good opportunity to put your product out there. Offensively, I fought today and we had a few plays that could have gone our way and put up a few more points. The non-conference schedule is over now, it is a new season."
#12 DQ Thomas, DB
On his interception
"We gained some momentum and helped us stop a drive. It was really important on that third down."
On what he can take away from playing Alabama
"To make sure, as a whole, that we continue fighting and work on the little things to get better as a whole team. Alabama is a very talented team. We knew that coming into the game, so we respect them and we just came in and did our job."
