November 18-25, 2016 The Mid-South Tribune Page 2 Sports Sports ... www.blackinformationhighway.com Detour to the States lane on The Mid-South Tribune and the Black Information Highway. Submit news and photos for all 50 states to [email protected] Welcome, Travelers! Travel on the Black History Lane on The Mid-South Tribune and the Black Information Highway at www. Black Information Highway.com See the 21st Annual Black History Month Special Edition on the Black History Lane See the Juneteenth Special Edition Welcome, Travelers! Fishing schedule from thefishingwire.com Got an event? Send it to [email protected]. Now - Nov. 30: Jersey Shore Beach N Boat Fishing Tournament. Fish from Raritan Bay to Delaware Bay for 8 inshore species. Unlimited weigh-ins. Over 80 chances to win cash and prizes. Entry $20. www.BeachNBoat.com Dec. 3 - Dec. 4: 2017: California B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Qualifier, Lake Nacimiento, CA,http://www.calbn.com/ DETOUR to the Sports and Movie lanes on The Mid-South Tribune and the Black Information Highway at www. blackinformation highway.com Welcome, Travelers! E-mail sports news and photos for all 50 states to [email protected] To Advertise in the 2017 Black History Month Special Edition Email to MSTbusiness@ prodigy.net Welcome, Travelers! On the record with Coach Norvell ... Analysis on University of South Florida and more! Mike Norvell Travel on the Health lane on The Mid-South Tribune and the Black Information Highway at www. blackinformation highway.com Welcome, Travelers! Editor’s Note: Below is the transcript from football head coach Mike Norvell during his press conference held on Friday, November 11. The press conference was held at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, TN. USF Head Coach Willie Taggart also participated. *** Opening statement: I want to start off congratulating South Florida. They did a great job. They did an exceptional job offensively. They were able to move the ball and at the end of the day make enough plays to win it. I’m really proud of our guys for the way that they bat- tled. I thought they competed until the very end and we just didn’t make enough plays throughout that ballgame to come out on the winning end. I hurt for them. I really love the guys that are in the locker room and the coaches that I get to work with. I know our guys can respond the right way here mov- ing forward this next week. I also want to take a moment to appreciate and thank all of the military and service veterans that came out and were here to support us tonight. We are all very grateful for all of their serv- ice and anything they do to help protect our country. We’re hon- ored to be able to play this game and be apart of this great game because of what they do for us each and every day. We’re work- ing hard to make you proud. It’s a shame we came up a little short today. What did you see in the last sequence? SOCIAL MEDIA FAN VOTING OPENS FOR 2017 PRO BOWL Some highlights: For the first time, fans may now cast their vote through social media by using #ProBowlVote on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram -- -- All-Stars to be Announced on Pro Bowl Selection Show You know, we were unable to finish up. I thought we did a good job of moving the ball down. We had a couple of opportunities in the end zone that we didn’t capitalize on. I know we had an end of game sit- uation and it was going to be tight. We just didn’t get it done. Did you guys think about running it in either the second or third down opportunities? The second and third calls were both run-option plays and they were stacked in the box. We took the one-on-one and we just came up a little short. Season-high in rushing yards tonight, is that a credit to the offensive line? I think it’s a credit to all of those guys, tight ends, receivers, blocking. I thought it was our best performance, being able to run the football and we estab- lished the line of scrimmage. We were able to get some move- ment. Backs were running hard, receivers were blocking hard. I was pleased to see that and con- tinue to see growth. The one turnover. Anytime you turn the ball over, that will cost you. I thought our guys played hard. That’s a good team that we played. You have to give them credit. It’s unfortunate that you come up short. Talk about the defense, how much was it what you did and how Flowers is just hard to guard? There were a bunch of plays out there. You had people out of place, missed tackles. That guy has freakish abilities. We had him on the touchdown play, the last touchdown. Numerous plays we had someone there on him and he finds a way to escape and get out. He’s done that to a lot of people. That doesn’t make it any better for it to happen against us. We have two conference games left. I know this team and I know how they are going to respond. We have a great group of seniors that we’re working to finish for. We also have a great group of freshmen that we are working to finish for. This is about our pro- gram and where we are going. Every man in that locker room is accountable to what we do and where we’re going as a team. I told them after the game. I am proud of them for how they play. We just have to continue to grow and when you’re in those type of games, it’s going to come down to a handful of plays. We didn’t get it done. Did you anticipate a game like this, a high scoring game coming down to the last series of the game? I knew it was going to be a 60- minute game. I was proud of our guys. They jumped out. They started fast, 14-0. Our guys did- n’t have any panic, no finger pointing. We just went to work. We came back, we were able to gain the lead throughout the game. The score to tie it up late, and then be able to move the ball all the way down, I think it shows a lot of the heart of the guys that we have. Once again, we got ourselves in a position in the end and we have to be able to finish. We didn’t get it. Anthony Miller Talk about the game It was a hard-fought game, I’m proud of my team for fighting. We just didn’t come out on top. Talk about why you were upset at the end of the game. I have faith in my teammates and that they’ll make a play but I was upset because we took a loss and I just don’t like to lose. How about breaking a new record… I work hard and it has all paid off. At the end of the day, it seems like I always break a record when we lose, so I don’t know how to feel about it. On the last drive… I felt like we were on their heels, the momentum was swinging our way, we had a great drive going we just didn’t finish. What was the team’s mentali- ty after they scored the last touchdown? The mentality was to just respond. It was a hard-fought game that just went back-and- forth and back-and-forth and we just didn’t come out like we should have. The team moving forward Tomorrow is back to work. We’re going to be at the com- plex tomorrow and we need everyone to come on out with their head on straight and not worry about this loss because we have another game next week. Curtis Akins What was it about Flowers that makes him tough to defend? He has good vision. Of all the guys we have played this year, I think he has the best vision. He actually didn’t throw the ball that well tonight from my point of view but running, he read the defense quite well. Patrick Taylor On the tough loss… It definitely hurts to lose games like these, in crunch time. It is what is, we just have to move past it and respond for next week. It was just an exciting game really. We knew going in on offense that we had to make a play and they knew on their side of the ball they had to make a play and they did. They are a good team. The success running the ball Our offensive line were just monsters out there tonight. Our wide receivers and tight ends were blocking on the perimeter. They were just getting it done up front. USF Head Coach Willie Taggart Opening statement … Great win on the road. Really excited about the way our guys played. I talked to them before the game, and really all week, and told them it was going to be a dogfight against Memphis. We told them there was going to be some adversity throughout this game … last time we were on For first time NFL opens voting on Pro Bowl to fans; Festivities and seminars also announced on NFL Network on Tuesday, December 20 -- -- Re-Imagined Pro Bowl Week Culminates with Traditional AFC-NFC Matchup at Camping World Stadium in Orlando *** Beginning now, for the first time, fans may vote for who they want to see on the 2017 Pro Bowl roster via social media by using #ProBowlVote and the player’s first and last name on Twitter and Instagram. On Facebook, fans may comment on any official Pro Bowl Vote post by the NFL or a club. The Pro Bowl players are deter- mined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All- Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Friday, December 16. Fan voting for the 2017 Pro Bowl will continue online and on web-enabled mobile phones at www.NFL.com/probowlvote until Tuesday, December 13. See official rules on how to vote at www.NFL.com/probowlvoterul es.com. The Pro Bowl players will be announced on Tuesday, December 20 in a live primetime special on NFL Network. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995. The 2017 Pro Bowl will feature a return to the traditional AFC vs. NFC format following three years using a revised, "unconfer- enced" structure. The game will be played on Sunday, January 29, 2017 and simulcast live on ESPN and Please see sports page 3 Please see sports page 3 Email sports news and photos for all 50 states to [email protected]