Eating With Ed Week 8 - Ole Miss

Lots of praise to go around today. The 2007 team, Coach Miles, the recruiting staff, Russell Gage, Dave Aranda, and Special Teams, both kicking and coverage. Calls Ole Miss’ Shea Patterson and their wide receivers the best group they’ve seen. Then it’s on to questions.

• The running game on first down needs to improve to help the first down efficiency
• Doesn’t want this game to be about him returning to Oxford
• Justin McMillian is not the #2 QB, though he does now have a wildcat package they are developing with him
• Doesn’t believe Matt Luke is running a different playbook than what Hugh Freeze left them with
• Arden Key is down to 235 and keeps improving with more practice time
• KJ Malone is questionable “for a questionable amount of time. (Chuckles.)” John Battle is still limited, but will be in practice this week
• Lots of praise for Saahdiq Charles and Adrian McGee on the O Line and Eric Monroe and Grant Delpit on the defense
• On using the Troy loss to get better:

We used it as a turning point. I go back to several Mondays ago when we met with these 11 men in my office and we threw everything out on the table, just like you would throw as a family meeting. We said, "Tell the truth. What's going on?" We did. They went and talked to the team, and they were going to have a half hour team meeting; they had an hour team meeting, and you could see the difference in practice.

I think the true turn-around of our football team was on a Thursday, Duke Riley came, was M.V.P. last year, a guy that everybody respects, watched us practice, and he lit into the football team like I ain't never seen before!

About things that were going on, things that he observed, and things that we need to get better at, and since then our team has changed.

• Special Teams Analyst Greg McMahon has a good coffee machine
• On going back to Ole Miss:

Q. You talk about a lot of things that you changed as a coach since you were at Ole Miss. Could you imagine if you didn't learn those things, if you didn't have that job would you be here today?

ED ORGERON: No, no. It was a stepping stone. It was something I needed, and I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for the mistakes that happened there. Hopefully I don't make 'em here. I know I learned my strengths and weaknesses as a head coach. I learned how to hire guys that are good at what I'm not good at. We are doing that here. We've got some guys that are very strong in a lot of areas that I need and I rely on them. Back then I wouldn't do that.

Q. I know it's been ten years. Is there anybody there that you still talk to that's in administration or at the school at all? Any connection?

ED ORGERON: No, you know, I used to stop at the Exxon and get a chicken-on-a-stick, and they were fantastic. I hope that cook is still there, and I can stop and say hello to her. That's about all I remember.

Q. This is in Oxford?

ED ORGERON: Yeah, chicken-on-a-stick. It was phenomenal.

Q. Good chicken-on-a-stick?

ED ORGERON: The best I ever had! Not better than Raising Cane's! (Laughter.)

Transcript

LSU Game Notes

Ole Miss Game Notes