We had young running backs ? when you lose two first-round draft picks ? that really had not started and they didn't know the offense as well. Along with a new quarterback, you're going to have problems. We were trying to learn as much about our players as they were about the offense.

When a defensive back makes a major mistake like he did — stopping on a go route — it's going to show up,

We started finding out a little bit about Blake Field's nerves.

I was hoping we'd get a monsoon.

This conference tends to build with speed rather than bulk, ... It's very noticeable. If you look at the defensive stats, there are a lot of guys ranked very high.

[SEC coaches who have played at the Coliseum in recent years said it has a loud crowd, but not as loud as some stadiums in the SEC.] It’s a little bit different environment [compared to] what Arkansas or what we are used to going into here in the deep South, ... They are vocal, obviously, and [Trojans Coach] Pete [Carroll] has done a great job of turning that program around and winning consistently, and I’m sure their fans have gotten into it more.