Mizzou Football Media Day Quotes - Dec. 1
12/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Opening statement...
"Good afternoon everybody. Alabama has a very good football team. Nick (Saban) has done a great job with that program. We're going to play a very potent offensive team, and they're also obviously a very good defensive team. We're excited about playing for the SEC Championship. It's a great challenge. If you want to win a championship then you're going to have to beat good teams. We're playing a really good football team."
On preparing for Alabama's potent offense...
"(Blake) Sims is really athletic. He can really throw the ball. They're throwing the ball at a really high level. They also run the football well. (Amari) Cooper is a great player. His numbers speak for themselves. He's impressive to watch. We got challenges ahead of us."
On preparing for Alabama wide receiver, Amari Cooper...
"It would be wise to pay attention to what he does. We'll have a game plan and do the best we can. They certainly do a great job of finding ways to get him the football. He has produced at a very high level when everyone knows they're going to throw the ball to him."
On the play of quarterback Maty Mauk late in games...
"If you look at him in high school and here a little bit you see he has the ability to make big plays. He's showing that right now when it comes to crunch time. In our business, there always comes a time where you have to make big plays for an opportunity to win and that's in his makeup a little bit. It certainly doesn't surprise me. He's playing better and better each and every week. That consistency is important for us."
On using the experience from last year's SEC Championship game...
"It's a great environment to play football in. If you get a chance to play in the SEC Championship game as a player or coach you know it's a great venue. Having the experience of being in this game certainly helps. They (the players) understand how awesome of an experience it is. Ultimately though, it goes back to playing your best football."
On the team's recovery from their mid-season loss to Georgia...
"It was a sense of urgency. I told the team that everyone was frustrated, but there was something that we could do about it. It was really important for them to know that I thought that we could be really good still. Everybody had to make a commitment to practice and play better. That was the only chance we had to get back going again. That's the approach we took. The leadership of the seniors was also elevated at that point. They took over the team a bit in a positive way. We're a lot different football team then we were back then."
On placekicker Andrew Baggett's success last week vs. Arkansas...
"He has two 50-plus-yard field goals. That's pretty good. You're lucky to make 1-of-4 with those. That really turned out well for us. He made two big plays in a big game. From a confidence stand point we've seen him be very successful here. We expect him, like anyone else, to continue to improve. When you get confidence you have success. This will certainly be a positive for him."
On linebacker Kentrell Brothers' play the last few weeks...
"He's really playing well. It's amazing when you have a good defensive line and how much easier it is to play linebacker. He's getting a lot better. Michael Scherer is also playing well. Kentrell has a little more experience and he's a really good athlete. We've been really pleased with his performance."
