Sylvester Croom Quotes

"(His ability) is no secret, ... (Georgia) figured that out the other night, holding him, grabbing him by the face-guard, making sure he didn't get off the line of scrimmage. They figured out real fast we're trying to get him the ball. We're always trying to get him the ball in a lot of different ways."

"It is my intent to discipline our players as if they were my own sons, my own flesh and blood. I believe this is the appropriate disciplinary action for the facts as we know them to be."

"The penalties are always on the same people. It's a lack of discipline. At some point you have to play with pride and play for yourself. I can't put faith in their hearts or courage in their minds."

"We had curfew duty together in Green Bay. He's not going to play tricks. He knows my philosophy, and I know his."

"I want him to make people afraid. I want to put fear into them. If he's hungry and plays with some attitude, ain't too many people who are going to deal with him. ..."

"[Last February, one of the first major decisions he had to make as coach was determining the fate of leading returning rusher Nick Turner , who had struggled academically and had plead guilty to passing counterfeit money. Croom ultimately dismissed Turner from the team but allowed him to keep his scholarship for the spring semester so he could leave the school in good academic standing. ] If a kid doesn't get that degree, it's going to affect him, his family, the kids he's going to have, ... That's a heavy burden to have. I agonized over that decision for a week."

"We were sloppy today. We got another great effort out of our defense. They're making plays and getting turnovers. Loose balls, tipped balls, they're making plays."

"The guy's a student-athlete. He was being a student."

"This weekend is absolutely huge for us. This recruiting class will have a huge impact on Mississippi State football."

"I want to hear what they think and what feelings they had through this process. They shared some things with the counselors, and I want them to share those with the rest of the team. I want the team to understand this reality that they are now in the spotlight more than ever. One bad choice can affect the rest of their lives."

"We're still making mistakes and still not finishing in protections. We need to give Mike some time and he'll make plays."

"He is an intense competitor and he has a knack for making plays, even turning his mistakes into positives. I think he'll get even better as time goes on."