Most of the stuff from the podium was useless. but I talked to P.J. Hall, Darnell Mooney and Willie Fritz on the side along with USM QB Jack Abraham and defensive tackle Demario Smith and coach Jay Hopson.
P.J. HALL
They've put up some big numbers in the passing game this year with a lot of big plays. How important is it for you guys to prevent those long gainers?
"Yeah. They have one of the top passing offenses in the country. The quarterback is leading the conference in a lot of statistics, so us being able to stop their passing game will help us win the game. That's their offense."
They have not run well, living and dying by the passing game. Is the secondary up for the challenge?
"Yeah, we're up for the challenge. Since I've been here, the DB group, we pride ourselves on being able to stop the pass, being able to go out there and play man coverage, zone coverage, so we're up to the challenge."
How confident are you in Willie Langham?
"I'm confident. He's had a good week of practice dating back to when we came back on the 26th. I'm confident in him."
How important is to win this game to send you out after the way the season ended?
"It will feel good. At the end of the day everybody is going to remember that bowl game, us being able to get the ring and be able to say we won this bowl game will be big for us. I know it's going to be big for me and the senior class and to give the young guys momentum going into next year."
Coach Fritz says he really likes the attitude in the bowl practices. You guys did such a good job against ULL last year. Do you feel like it's the same mindset this year?
"Of course. Of course. The only difference is we're playing in January now. Everything else is the same."
How weird was it to have to wait until January to play the bowl?
"Yeah it was weird just because we haven't had a season this long. Usually we are on break by now at home working out on our own, so that's just the big difference being back up here practicing and being in New Orleans practicing, that's really the only difference."
What are your plans in terms of trying out for the NFL? (Hall already has his degree and is in grad school)
"This spring I'm going to start training, probably Monday after the game, and I'll see what happens. I'll put in the work and if I have a good Pro Day I'll get picked up by a team somewhere and we'll see what happens."
DARNELL MOONEY
You guys did such a good job last year in your bowl game and coach Fritz says he loves the attitude in the practices. Has it been the same approach?
"Yeah, I feel like it's the same way. We just had a little bit more fun. Last year it was new to everyone. This year we kind of expected a little bit what was going to happen, how much time we would have free. This time around we are just happy to play another game."
What has the bowl done for you guys?
"We went to AT&T Stadium yesterday. There was a fireworks show for New Year's Eve downtown that was fantastic. I've never been a part of anything like that. We went to a comedy club, and the comedy club was amazing. I did not expect that at all. They have been treating us well. Definitely."
This is your last game and will be the difference between going out with a winning or losing record. How huge is it to win?
"It's very huge. It's just like the last day of practice was yesterday, the last time I ever wore the No. 3 practice jersey, and this will be my last time wearing the No. 3 jersey in a game. I'm just going out to try to do my best on the field and give it my all."
What has not been clicking for you guys as well as in the first half of the season?
"We need to get back to playing as a unit. We do good as a unit when everyone does their exact thing. When we do that, we do extremely well and no (opponent) can do anything about it. Just being consistent on what our rules are to do, we'll be fine. it would be good to show who we really are."
You personally did not have much happening in the bowl game last year, finishing under 1,000 yards receiving for the season when it appeared like it would be a sure thing. Obviously it's a team game, but how nice would it be to put up some stats tomorrow?
"Pretty nice. It's always good to do your thing at your position but I just want to win honestly. I want to go out with a win."
JACK ABRAHAM
Does having been a one-time Tulane commitment add extra spice to this game?
"Yeah, a little bit. I was committed there for a year coming out of high school and a couple of things happened and it didn't work out. That definitely adds a little bit to it."
Was it just a matter of not fitting into Fritz's offense back then?
"Yeah, that's right. It was kind of a neutral deal and it worked out for the best."
How happy are you with how things worked out?
"Very happy. I've definitely had a rollercoaster ride in my career in going to La Tech and then to Northwest (Mississippi JC) and now to here and I'm really happy the way things turned out and really happy with the year we've had."
The end of the season did not work out for you guys. What were you as an offense not doing that you were doing earlier in the season?
"We just didn't get out there and play our best. That's really what it comes down to. We didn't execute and we didn't do the things we were doing earlier on in the year that made us successful. We've prepared well and we're ready and we've had a good month of practice."
You've been a big-play passing team. How key is that to your success?
"Huge. Huge. We've got some freak athletes out there at receiver and running back that make my job a lot easier, and I get an opportunity to go out there and throw the ball up to Quez (Watkins, who has 55 catches for 1,024 yards in 10 games), Tim (Jordan, who has 66 catches for 840 yards), Jordan (Mitchell, who has 22 catches for 369 yards in seven games) and the list goes on. It makes my life a lot easier."
How would you describe Quez Watkins?
"He's a freak of nature. I've met a lot of good receivers and he's at the top of that list. He makes plays when we need him to do, gets open and is a jack of all trades. He can do it all. I'm blessed to have him on my team."
How did you end up at Southern Miss after playing in Juco?
"I'd really zoned in on Southern Miss when I got to Juco. Coach Hopson recruited me hard and I've known him for a while and kind of had a connection growing up. I looked at other schools but Southern Miss was No. 1. I kind of had an idea where I was going when I went to Juco."
How much would it mean to wipe the taste away from how the regular season ended?
"It would be huge. It's huge for our team and huge for the program going forward, getting a first bowl win in three or four years. Obviously the way we ended was not the way we wanted to, so we need to go out there and get a win tomorrow."
P.J. HALL
They've put up some big numbers in the passing game this year with a lot of big plays. How important is it for you guys to prevent those long gainers?
"Yeah. They have one of the top passing offenses in the country. The quarterback is leading the conference in a lot of statistics, so us being able to stop their passing game will help us win the game. That's their offense."
They have not run well, living and dying by the passing game. Is the secondary up for the challenge?
"Yeah, we're up for the challenge. Since I've been here, the DB group, we pride ourselves on being able to stop the pass, being able to go out there and play man coverage, zone coverage, so we're up to the challenge."
How confident are you in Willie Langham?
"I'm confident. He's had a good week of practice dating back to when we came back on the 26th. I'm confident in him."
How important is to win this game to send you out after the way the season ended?
"It will feel good. At the end of the day everybody is going to remember that bowl game, us being able to get the ring and be able to say we won this bowl game will be big for us. I know it's going to be big for me and the senior class and to give the young guys momentum going into next year."
Coach Fritz says he really likes the attitude in the bowl practices. You guys did such a good job against ULL last year. Do you feel like it's the same mindset this year?
"Of course. Of course. The only difference is we're playing in January now. Everything else is the same."
How weird was it to have to wait until January to play the bowl?
"Yeah it was weird just because we haven't had a season this long. Usually we are on break by now at home working out on our own, so that's just the big difference being back up here practicing and being in New Orleans practicing, that's really the only difference."
What are your plans in terms of trying out for the NFL? (Hall already has his degree and is in grad school)
"This spring I'm going to start training, probably Monday after the game, and I'll see what happens. I'll put in the work and if I have a good Pro Day I'll get picked up by a team somewhere and we'll see what happens."
DARNELL MOONEY
You guys did such a good job last year in your bowl game and coach Fritz says he loves the attitude in the practices. Has it been the same approach?
"Yeah, I feel like it's the same way. We just had a little bit more fun. Last year it was new to everyone. This year we kind of expected a little bit what was going to happen, how much time we would have free. This time around we are just happy to play another game."
What has the bowl done for you guys?
"We went to AT&T Stadium yesterday. There was a fireworks show for New Year's Eve downtown that was fantastic. I've never been a part of anything like that. We went to a comedy club, and the comedy club was amazing. I did not expect that at all. They have been treating us well. Definitely."
This is your last game and will be the difference between going out with a winning or losing record. How huge is it to win?
"It's very huge. It's just like the last day of practice was yesterday, the last time I ever wore the No. 3 practice jersey, and this will be my last time wearing the No. 3 jersey in a game. I'm just going out to try to do my best on the field and give it my all."
What has not been clicking for you guys as well as in the first half of the season?
"We need to get back to playing as a unit. We do good as a unit when everyone does their exact thing. When we do that, we do extremely well and no (opponent) can do anything about it. Just being consistent on what our rules are to do, we'll be fine. it would be good to show who we really are."
You personally did not have much happening in the bowl game last year, finishing under 1,000 yards receiving for the season when it appeared like it would be a sure thing. Obviously it's a team game, but how nice would it be to put up some stats tomorrow?
"Pretty nice. It's always good to do your thing at your position but I just want to win honestly. I want to go out with a win."
JACK ABRAHAM
Does having been a one-time Tulane commitment add extra spice to this game?
"Yeah, a little bit. I was committed there for a year coming out of high school and a couple of things happened and it didn't work out. That definitely adds a little bit to it."
Was it just a matter of not fitting into Fritz's offense back then?
"Yeah, that's right. It was kind of a neutral deal and it worked out for the best."
How happy are you with how things worked out?
"Very happy. I've definitely had a rollercoaster ride in my career in going to La Tech and then to Northwest (Mississippi JC) and now to here and I'm really happy the way things turned out and really happy with the year we've had."
The end of the season did not work out for you guys. What were you as an offense not doing that you were doing earlier in the season?
"We just didn't get out there and play our best. That's really what it comes down to. We didn't execute and we didn't do the things we were doing earlier on in the year that made us successful. We've prepared well and we're ready and we've had a good month of practice."
You've been a big-play passing team. How key is that to your success?
"Huge. Huge. We've got some freak athletes out there at receiver and running back that make my job a lot easier, and I get an opportunity to go out there and throw the ball up to Quez (Watkins, who has 55 catches for 1,024 yards in 10 games), Tim (Jordan, who has 66 catches for 840 yards), Jordan (Mitchell, who has 22 catches for 369 yards in seven games) and the list goes on. It makes my life a lot easier."
How would you describe Quez Watkins?
"He's a freak of nature. I've met a lot of good receivers and he's at the top of that list. He makes plays when we need him to do, gets open and is a jack of all trades. He can do it all. I'm blessed to have him on my team."
How did you end up at Southern Miss after playing in Juco?
"I'd really zoned in on Southern Miss when I got to Juco. Coach Hopson recruited me hard and I've known him for a while and kind of had a connection growing up. I looked at other schools but Southern Miss was No. 1. I kind of had an idea where I was going when I went to Juco."
How much would it mean to wipe the taste away from how the regular season ended?
"It would be huge. It's huge for our team and huge for the program going forward, getting a first bowl win in three or four years. Obviously the way we ended was not the way we wanted to, so we need to go out there and get a win tomorrow."
