South Alabama Football Weekly Press Conference – Old Dominion

By Press release submission

Nov 25, 2022

South Alabama football head coach Kane Wommack, offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, along with student-athletes James Jackson and Darrell Luter Jr. met with the media Monday for the program's weekly press conference.

Below are highlights from the session.

Head Coach Kane Wommack
- Opening Statement:
"I'm certainly happy for our team to have responded the way that they did against Southern Miss. It was by far not our best performance. I thought we played poorly in a number of areas, including ball security; it was one of our worst performances in terms of taking care of the football. You look at our early turnovers, a botched fake punt situation that never should have happened based off of that look, and some other things that put us in a tough situation to work out of and then on the flip side the thing I think I'm most happy with about our team is our ability to respond, no matter what adversity seems to come our way. We have a maturity on our sideline right now with an expectation to just get the job done even when we aren't playing our best football. When you look at that in an environment on the road, those things are hard to do. A lot of teams can not do that, and I think it points to a great team when you're able to play not your best and still find a way to get the job done. I'm very pleased with our team in that regard.
"I also want to note that we made it a huge point of emphasis this past week that we were going to be going up against a very 'chippy' and emotional team on the sideline and in the game, and we needed to make sure that we handled ourselves the right way in terms of our conduct on the field, reflecting back to two weeks prior where we had two unsportsmanlike penalties in each of those games. I thought our guys did a phenomenal job of operating with maturity and with the character that this university would want to be represented with. I was very pleased with the leadership of our team and how they handled that situation."

- On how proud he is of this team this season:
"I'm proud of our process. I'm proud that this team is actualizing our process. We don't talk about records, bowl games, or conference standings, however what I feel that we've done is solidify the process of why we do things the way we do here day in and day out. The reason we are in the position that we are is because we are so relentless in the detail and accountability that it takes to accomplish that vision. We all want to be 9-2 and win conference championships and go to bowl games, all those things are great. When we put our head on our pillow, we maybe dream about those things, but in our building, they aren't going to be talked about. Part of the success we are seeing on the field is because we're so relentless in our process and we don't let outcomes affect the way we do things."

- On fans in this area calling South Alabama Mobile's team:
"That's a dream being realized for us. When I took the head coaching job here at South Alabama, a lot of what I envisioned for this university was for us to become Mobile's football team. We live in a very football rich state. You can support other programs and other universities at the SEC or Power 5 level, but this is Mobile's football team. If you live in this community, you're a part of what we're doing. As the city and surrounding area continues to pull the rope in the same direction as South Alabama, and particularly our football program, we're going to see great growth. I've said all along that football can be the great unifier. You think about our city which has such a great history of commerce and diversity, and it's an opportunity for all of us to rally around one thing, which happens to be on a football field. That's really special. I think we feel the outpouring of support from this community. I think that's represented in social media and when you walk around town and see people with Jaguar gear on, and then certainly in the stands both home and away.
"I thought we had a tremendous crowd at Southern Miss. You look at their program which has been around for a long time with a storied tradition, which both my dad and myself were a part of, and our young timeline we are already showing up at games like that and becoming the dominant presence in terms of the atmosphere that was created in that game on Saturday. What a phenomenal job by our fan base and our supporting community."

- On the senior group which will be recognized on Saturday:
"I talked to the team a little bit about that. With the advent of the transfer portal and the way things are now, you're only going to have more guys that end their career at a different place from where they started. Regardless of whether you came into our program as a freshman who has been here for five, six, seven years like AJ. DeShazor and Jalen Wayne, or if you're a transfer like Omni Wells who's been at a junior college program and then at another four-year institution who then chose to come here for your senior season, it's special for every single one of those guys because it's a marker and an indicator. Just like getting your degree shows that you can do great work, you can stay focused on the task and you can go achieve your goals. To go and walk out there on Senior Day says that you have toughness, grittiness and follow through in who you are as a young man. I think those things will carry themselves into other endeavors that these young men will approach in life."

- On A.J. DeShazor receiving the No. 5 jersey for Senior Day:
"I recruited A.J. to this program and university. Jalen Wayne and A.J. DeShazor are the last two players that [former head coach] Joey Jones recruited here. You think about their time here and all the work, effort and energy they've put into this program. To see that all that gets to come to fruition in terms of the on-field success that we're starting to have is really special for me.
"You look at A.J. specifically. When we brought back the No. 5 jersey last season, he was the person that we felt as a staff was most deserving of representing Anthony Mostella for the first game in the 2021 season. It's very fitting for him to represent the 2022 team as a senior in the last game inside Hancock Whitney Stadium for this team. It certainly represents this young man in how he goes about his business. Great things are ahead for A.J. DeShazor."

- On what he sees on film from Old Dominion:
"I feel that this is a team which is very dangerous. You look at their quarterback play; he's very accurate and has quite a bit of arm talent. He's made some really great decisions in terms of where he can go with the ball and how he goes through his progressions. This is a team who knocked off a Power 5 opponent earlier in the season. Coastal Carolina, who is 9-1 and has secured the eastern division, and their one loss is to Old Dominion. This is a team which can do a lot from a quarterback position, and they can do a number of things from a defensive perspective with the pressures that they will bring. Even if you move the ball down the field on them, they are top 10 in the country in red zone defense, so they're very stingy down there. We've got to be able to come away with points when we get in those situations. We're going to have to take advantage of our ability to run the football versus their rush defense and our ability to stop the run. I believe they're 128th in the nation in time of possession, so we've got to use that to our advantage. We have to effectively be able to run the ball. We have to get three-and-outs and get takeaways on defense so we can get the ball back to our offense. We have to be able to hit some of those shots over the top so maybe we don't have to get into a red zone situation against a defense who obviously is operating at a very high level in that area."

Offensive Coordinator Major Applewhite
- On the win at Southern Miss:
"I am proud of the way they played down the stretch, but we had opportunities in the first quarter to score, but I didn't do a good job of getting our guys to understand early where we wanted to go with the ball. Then in the second quarter we had a turnover, as we were going down for points before half. We then got the ball back after a stop in the third quarter, but we fumbled on the 15-yard line. It's just frustrating that we kept getting in our own way. We've got to find a way to play cleaner earlier on, so we're not dealing with some of that anxiety in the third and fourth quarter."

- On Desmond Trotter coming in relief Saturday:
"When you develop a relationship with somebody for two years, and they have an opportunity to go in when a starter gets hurt, you see his level of development, his maturity as a player, you see that he's so much better, he's just not playing because the starter is playing. I wish everybody in the stadium could see that and see how much he's improved. He got an opportunity last week before half, it's cold, it's raining, he's not warmed up, and he came in and had a completion, a scramble, another completion and a dropped ball. He just came in there firing. I love Desmond. He's such a great person. He's smart and anticipates things. He can listen to what you're saying and can see where you're going with the conversation. He's gonna make somebody very happy in this business because the way he operates with so much integrity and he is so dialed into what you're doing."

- On Carter Bradley's toughness:
"It was hurting him at halftime, I could tell, but he came in and played tough. He did the cliché thing which is to be a tough ass quarterback and finish the game. He played a lot better in the second half, and I am just proud of him. There were also so many other guys playing banged up, the quarterback gets one ding and everyone talks about how tough he is, but we had guys with dislocated elbows and sore knees and everything like that. But he did a great job of coming in the second half and playing well."

- On Old Dominion:
"I see good players and I see a good scheme. They are very patient and disciplined in their scheme. You don't see people out of place and you don't see guys cutting people loose or turning receivers loose. They are very disciplined in what they are doing, and they are very patient when they take their opportunities. They will pressure you. They've done a great job when people get inside the 25. They are ninth in the country in red zone defense and first or second in our league. They make you drive the field and they make you be patient. We've got to be patient with the ball and take care of it."

Defensive Coordinator Corey Batoon
- On his evaluation of the Southern Miss game:
"I thought we did some good things. The explosive plays hurt. I didn't like how they got on top of us a couple times. Again, just continuing to tighten up our technique and our eye progression. I thought we did a nice job against their run game. Some of their oddball runs, the wildcat, we were able to take that away. We got off the field for the most part in the first half. I want to see us continue to improve our red zone execution. We had some lulls in third downs that are uncharacteristic of us. But, overall, I thought it was a solid performance. We tackled well in space. I thought we played physical up front and did the things we needed to do to control the tempo of the game."

- On his confidence level of getting a win on Saturday:
"Well, I think our guys are hungry, that they continue to come to work with a positive mindset. I think we are going to have a positive mindset. We have a lot to play for. ODU is coming in here with, you know, it's been a long season for them. I think our guys are hungry. I want to send the seniors out the right way. I would anticipate us showing up the same way we have all year. I would be disappointed if we didn't."

- On the challenges that ODU brings:
"I think they are pretty balanced. They've found a little bit of the run game lately. That's opened up some of the explosive plays. They had one of their bigger outputs of the year against App State, in terms of yardage. I think, as always, they've had some injuries. They lost [Ali] Jennings early, they lost their tight end early. So, anytime you lose those two types of pieces, it's hard to find that chemistry. But, I feel like they've settled in. Javon Harvey is an explosive, dynamic guy on the outside. Blake Watson, their running back, has been consistent all year. I talked with some friends of mine over at Liberty [University], they had an opportunity to play them in week four, and they gave them all that they wanted. I think they are a good, solid group. They have nine starters returning from last year, so it's not like they are new pieces. Just, losing those two pieces on the outside kind of threw off their production and their consistency."

- On the performance of the backups on Saturday:
"It was wild. It got really crazy there for a second. We brought in some guys that hadn't played positions before. They've kind of walked through some of those things, but we had the opportunity to really test it. We say it all the time, things that happen in practice can maybe happen in the games. So, things that you maybe hit on in a walkthrough on Friday, all of a sudden that guy is thrust into that position and he's making the checks, making the calls. That was really neat to see. CJ Thompson coming in and playing a position that he hasn't played this year, being able to man that and not blink an eye. Yam [Banks], we moved him over to the boundary side, kind of juggled the lineup there, and it was neat to see those guys able to play outside of their comfort zones in those positions. It speaks to your depth when you are able to do some of those things. I just don't like being put in that position."

- On the performance of safety Jaden Voisin versus Southern Miss:
"He played really well. I think you saw the anticipation and understanding that he has of the system and being able to put himself in position at the point of attack. The play on the RPO was a really fabulous play. He saw the pullers on the offensive line and committed to the run, he saw the quarterback pull the ball and was able to get in that throwing lane and make a nice play. I'm just really excited to see his continued development, his buy-in to what we are trying to do from a scheme and culture standpoint. I'm really happy with his play."

Offensive lineman James Jackson
- On winning in Mississippi:
"It meant a lot to me. The last time I played in Mississippi was in 2020, so just going back and getting a win and playing in my home state, that was a big deal to me."

- On the performance against Southern Miss:
"I'd say we played okay. It wasn't to the level we should be playing at, but we're working on fixing that this week."

- On representing the city of Mobile:
"It's a big deal, just to be able to change the course of the program over the next few years, just to win games this year is big for the city. Everybody's coming out and we're getting more fans at the game. It's just a lot of community involvement."

- On the offense:
"As an offensive line, whether its's different people in there, we all play together and play as one. That helps a lot, regardless of who we have in the backfield running the ball.

- On Braylon McReynolds:
"He played great. It was his first start and it was good to see him get in there. I am sure he had nerves but he went out there and played a great game."

Cornerback Darrell Luter Jr.
- On his experience going back to Hattiesburg going as well as it did:
"Just being able to go back home and play with my teammates was amazing. Of course, I had a lot of support there, so I was able to see a lot of friends and family. It was a great atmosphere being back in my hometown playing again for the first time since 2020."

- On why the team has been playing with such confidence:
"Like you said, it's the confidence. Anything can happen. That's just the game of football, but you need to believe and trust in your teammates. You're fighting on the field with them, 11 guys on the field busting their tails each and every play. I feel, as a whole, we've come together, we trust each other and we do what we are supposed to do and the outcome will show itself."

- On the football team creating buzz around campus:
"It's amazing. You get to see, year by year, how things have picked up with the success of South Alabama. This year alone has been great, of course, with the record. Being able to have that support from our fans, it's been exciting."

- On how he feels about his last home game of his career being this Saturday:
"In the last home game, anything can happen. Just like any other game. I do cherish this moment because it will be my last, but I will give my all because it will be my last time playing with South Alabama. It means a lot, just being here for these past three years. I'm thankful for the journey that I've had with South Alabama."

- On the importance of getting a win Saturday vs. Old Dominion:
"It's still important. Every game should be important, no matter what it is or who we're playing. It's just the next game, and we have to treat it as if it's any other game."