Below are quotes from the postgame press conference with Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson following their 32-21 loss to South Alabama.
Opening statement from head coach Jay Hopson:
“Nothing much to say. It was a disappointing loss, and certainly not a good game.”
On missed tackles early in the game and throughout the contest:
“There were a lot of unknowns going into this game. I knew we weren’t up to speed like a normal season as far as having “hit” days and scrimmages, but I was hoping we would be able to tackle better.”
Thoughts on Jack Abraham’s and Tim Jones’ play throughout the contest:
“They did well. Tim [Jones] especially, I thought had a great game. They were definitely highlights of the game for us.”
On the defensive play:
“We gave up too many big plays. We knew 15 [Kawaan Baker] and 8 [Jalen Tolbert] were the go-to guys, but we gave up too many big plays to them. Give those young men credit, they made plays. South Alabama deserved to win, and they made the plays to do it. We have to prepare and get better.”
What will they do heading into the bye week:
“We have to clean up our sloppiness. We have to clean up the alignments, assignments, tackling, and execution. All those things have to be cleaned up. It wasn’t pretty to watch and that’s a fear I had to be honest about a week ago. All we have to do now is worry about getting better. We can’t worry about anything else.”
Discussing redzone struggles:
“Again, we didn’t play well. We were held to field goals and missed a field goal. You want to get seven on the board when you get down there, and that is something we have tried to concentrate on. Hopefully, as the season goes on we will get better in the redzone. We are going to try and get better each and every week.”
Playing under the COVID restrictions:
“I thought it felt pretty normal once the game got started. Leading up to the game has been a mess, but as far as the game was concerned it was pretty normal.”
Comments on the offensive line play:
“We are always going to watch the film and see who executes and doing good things. We just know across the board we have to get better. Our next game is in two weeks and it is a big conference game, so we have to make sure we are doing everything we can to clean up the mistakes. There are always mistakes you make that you are able to clean up, but we have to be serious about cleaning them up.”
If anything surprised the coaching staff or team:
“Honestly, no. We knew who their playmakers were. I don’t think it was a secret. Give those two credit, they made plays by going up and getting contested balls and coming down with it. At the end of the day, they just made big plays and we gave up big plays. That was the tale of the tape. There were a few things I got upset with like the pitchback touchdown and what I thought was a pass behind the line of scrimmage. That was an 11-point swing, but it is what it is. That’s football. I wasn’t pleased with those calls but you have to adapt and overcome that stuff.”
