Aug. 25, 2008

Memphis Head Coach Tommy West
Weekly Press Luncheon Quotes

Opening Remarks

It is good to be back. I think we have had a good camp. I feel that offensively we have definitely made progress during camp. My only concern is the fact that it will be Arkelon Hall's first big-time NCAA game at the quarterback position. Curtis Steele, our running back, will be experiencing his first NCAA game as well. Charlie Jones has played Division I football before at the University of Miami.

We are concerned about seeing improvement in our running game this season. I don't want to be here three or four weeks into the season talking about how we need to get better running the ball. We went from 130 yards-per-game last year to 160 yards-a-game last year. We just want to continue to take the next step move that up to 180 or 190 yards-per-game. If we do that, combined with our passing game, it should make this offense as good or better than any offense we have had since we have been here.

Defensively, we definitely got better as camp progressed. We were chasing the ball better, and we have been playing quite a bit harder on defense. I'm looking forward to watching the defense play. Our strength should be our depth on the defensive line. We are going to try and play two deep on the D-Line and maybe three deep inside, for the purpose of trying to keep our guys fresh. The defense has come a long way in a short period of time, since we began camp a few weeks ago. We will see how they do when they get up against another team. Third down is definitely still a concern, it is important to stop opportunities to get the ball back in the hands of the offense. We have definitely seen some improvement in our third down defense since the start of camp.

Offensively, it is a bit of a crap shoot. It is a little bit hard to judge since last year Nutt had the backs like Felix Jones and Darren McFadden at Arkansas. So I am sure he did some things with his offense to accommodate the fact that he had such good running backs. Now, he has the quarterback (Jevan Snead), that sounds like is a really good player for them. We just have to be ready for anything they throw at us. You have to kind of feel your way and adjust our defense for whatever they are doing as the game goes on.

Defensively, we aren't watching much tape of Arkansas, but we have definitely been diving into Arkansas' offensive game film. Offensively, it is a little bit hard to judge. On the defensive side of things, we have been watching South Carolina game film, since that is where Tyrone Nix was at before he became the Defensive Coordinator at Ole Miss.

What is the scouting report on Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead?

I don't know him and I really don't have any way to know him. I watched their spring game on television. I am sure he is an outstanding player.

How has the rivalry changed with Houston Nutt as the coach, as opposed to Ed Orgeron?

I don't really think that it has changed that much. I like the game. It is easy for our fans to get to Oxford, but this will be the next to the last game that we play against Ole Miss. I politicked as much as I can to keep this game, but I don't have that much pull. I think that it is a really good game to have on our schedule. At times, I know Ole Miss doesn't like to call it a rivalry game, but we fill the stadium any place we play. It had been an ESPN game, which is what you look for.

We are 2-3 in the last five games that we have played against Ole Miss. The three losses were four points, three points and two points. They have been great games, fun games to watch. It has been proven that win or lose, the game doesn't disrupt your season. We have won this game before and Ole Miss went on to win 10 games and they have beat us and we went on to win nine games. So it is a game that doesn't make or break your season.

Would you prefer to play this game as the second or third game on your schedule, opposed to the first?

Not really. I am just fine playing Ole Miss as our first game of the season. It is both teams' opening game. Everybody says you should play a 1-AA team for a warm-up game, but I like the prospect of going out and playing some tough competition right out of the gate. We know that we will have to play well.

We can't do like we did a year ago. We can't give the game away with six turnovers and a blocked punt for a touchdown. You know you have to play well. You know you have to be fundamentally sound. I like starting out with a game like that where you have to be ready to go from day one.

With all the games being so close last year, do you feel that you have to work on end of game situations more, especially with the new clock rules?

For us, we are lucky because the new clock rules are not going to affect us at all because we are a no-huddle offense. We have put a clock on our scrimmages and we are snapping the ball with 20 seconds remaining on the clock. We will be fine, clocks are not going to effect us as much as the teams who have to make substitutions and get in the huddle, as well. We try to play a fast, up-tempo game.

Do you have in your mind yet when you would like to put Will Hudgens in to the game at quarterback?

There are certainly going to be situations where Will comes into the game. However, right now, as far as putting Will in as the quarterback for the third series, I'm not thinking that way right now. Arkelon is our quarterback and I am comfortable with that situation.

Will is going to play. There will be situations, some third down opportunities and some fourth down opportunities where we might put Will into the game. I want to see Arkelon do well. I will pull Arkelon if he is struggling and I can see that it is getting to him. It is very comforting having a guy like Will who has a lot of game experience. Will has been there and he has done it before.

How do you think Arkelon (Hall) has handled being the starting quarterback and what have you done to help him out?

Like any rookie quarterback, we aren't going to throw everything out there in the first series. I would like to try to help him get things started. Normally, if they have some success early, our wideouts can take some of the pressure off of him. Arkelon is a strong armed guy who won't have to make a lot of plays for us. If he can get the ball in the right places, our receivers will make plays for him. The big thing will be if we can run the ball some to take even more pressure off of Arkelon and the receivers. That would be the perfect scenario for us.