Ad Disclosure
Let’s take a quick tour of the SEC to see what the head coaches were talking about on Saturday following their Week 3 games:
NICK SABAN, ALABAMA
On his team’s 43-37 loss to Ole Miss, during which the Crimson Tide committed five turnovers: “We didn’t deserve to win this game and they outplayed us. That’s just the fact of the matter.”
BRET BIELEMA, ARKANSAS
On the Razorbacks losing their second consecutive non-conference game against Texas Tech: “Wish I could say something to make people feel better. We’re just not good enough to win without playing a perfect game.”
GUS MALZAHN, AUBURN
On 45-21 loss at LSU for his team’s first loss of the season: “They whipped us. Bottom line … we got our rear kicked.”
JIM MCELWAIN, FLORIDA
On the performance of freshman QB Will Grier in 14-9 win against Kentucky: “Obviously, he has a lot of growing to do. He left some big plays on the field, but that being said, for the most part, he did a decent job of taking care of the football, except for that throw into the end zone.”
MARK RICHT, GEORGIA
On grabbing a win over Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks to move to 2-0 in SEC play: “It was a great victory, no doubt. Any time you win, it’s a great thing. And to win in the East is super. So many years we’ve started out in a hole in the East hoping somebody would relent to give us an opportunity. We’re thankful to be in the position we’re in right now.”
MARK STOOPS, KENTUCKY
On QB Patrick Towles’ underwhelming performance in 14-9 loss to Florida: “I’m not going to sit here and throw him under the bus … there’s enough blame to go around.”
LES MILES, LSU
On Leonard Fournette’s big game in an LSU win against Auburn: “I’ll tell you one thing, Leonard sure likes playing. He did some things today where I said ‘wow’. He took one of their tackles and threw him into another tackle and still came out in the other end. When you have a big back who can really move his feet, at times it can be very difficult to tackle him.”
DAN MULLEN, MISSISSIPPI STATE
On being able to give backup QBs Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Stanley some reps behind Dak Prescott in a blowout win against Northwestern State: “I think both of them played extremely well and it was fantastic for us to get both of them in the game and give them a little confidence as we move forward because you never know when their number is going to be called.”
GARY PINKEL, MISSOURI
On UConn’s fake field goal that was intercepted to secure a 9-6 Missouri victory: “Well, we anticipated it. We went in the middle of the rush so those guys could man up outside. Our guys made a play. Our defense (had) been playing so good all day, (so) it’s great that they got that stop there.”
HUGH FREEZE, OLE MISS
On beating Alabama 43-37 on Saturday night: “Oh, man, what a game. It was definitely a four-quarter battle. We thought we had it put away a couple of times, and they just wouldn’t go away. That’s a credit to their staff and the character of their team and their kids. The great thing about it is we can improve so much from this. There’s so many things we could’ve done better tonight. If our kids will stay hungry and with the right demeanor and stay humble, I know we can get a lot better than we played tonight.”
STEVE SPURRIER, SOUTH CAROLINA
Giving assessment of his team after 52-20 loss at Georgia: “Our kicker did well. He’s an excellent kicker. Punter did well. Who else played well?”
BUTCH JONES, TENNESSEE
On former Vols S Eric Berry returning to run through the T with team prior to blowout win over Western Carolina: “He can run through the T as many times as he wants. He’s earned that.”
KEVIN SUMLIN, TEXAS A&M
On what he told his team following a 44-27 win against Nevada: “The message after the game was we won the game, racked up a bunch of yards … but we have some things we need to clean up.”
DEREK MASON, VANDERBILT
On his team earning its first win of the season against Austin Peay: “I’m proud of this team. They fought. They played a good game. A lot of good things happened for us tonight that are confidence-building … What we have to continue to do is remember that if we play hard and don’t beat ourselves, there are opportunities out there for us.”
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
