Sept. 28, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas--Head Coach Mike Sherman and players of the team meet with members of the press to talk about the upcoming game against Arkansas.
A full transcript of Coach Sherman's press conference, along with selected quotes from players, is available below. Audio clips are available in MP3 format to the right.
HEAD COACH Mike Sherman TRANSCRIPT
Talk about the advantages of playing Arkansas in Dallas...
"Well, I just got done watching some more of them on tape. I don't know how many advantages there are. They're pretty good. As far as the visibility in that part of the state, in the Metroplex...when I got here I said we'd have a major emphasis in recruiting that area, and I think we have. This obviously enhances that opportunity, to give us more exposure. Along the same lines, it also gives Arkansas exposure as well. With us being an in-state school, and Dallas being home to a lot of people, a lot of Aggies and a lot of future football players, it gives us a little bit of a leg up in relationship to the fact that these recruits' parents and grandparents can come watch us play in that venue, which is a state-of-the-art stadium, unlike any other. It can be a neat deal for us."
This is the first road trip for the team, and especially the young guys. Do you do anything differently to prepare them?
"I try to keep our schedule consistent as best I can from week in and week out, when I lay it out ahead of time, so they don't have a whole lot of changes. We'll do most of our work Friday here. Once we get into the hotel it's pretty much the same routine we would have here at home, which has been pretty good for us. I feel like the players have really adapted well to that. So from their schedule and preparation, not a whole lot of changes. We stay in a hotel here and we'll stay in a hotel there. The bus ride up will be something they haven't experienced necessarily. I'm sure a lot of them will miss most of that ride as they sleep for three hours on the bus.
"There is one difference. We're going to do something different for this ballgame and we'll see how it goes, and maybe it's added to the A&M tradition and lore. Our yell leaders are having a yell practice for us here, either in Kyle Field or in the indoor track facility on Thursday right after our practice. At that point we're going to have an opportunity to open up through a drawing, to be able to take four of our student body, a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, to the game with us. They'll ride up in the bus, they'll stay in the hotel, they'll go to the walk through with us and they'll be on the sidelines wearing 12th Man jerseys. I'm really excited about our student body. We have the best student body in the country and I appreciate their support this season and last season. It's an opportunity for us to reach out to them and tell them how important they are to us, and give them an experience that maybe they normally wouldn't have been able to experience. We're going to draw tickets at the yell practice and take a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior up there with us. They'll be standing, waiting on the sideline and wearing their 12th Man jerseys, and hopefully they won't have to go into the game."
Do you have any special memories of the Arkansas series when you were here before?
"They were always great contests, whether we played over there or played here. They were usually low-scoring games. A lot of times they were defensive efforts from what I remember. I remember for the most part, as a line coach at that time, being frustrated that we didn't block them well enough at different times. They always had some big, fast guys running around, which is still the case right now."
You're going into this game with 26 underclassmen on the two-deep. Can you speak to your philosophy of playing guys regardless of their class and trying to get the best guys out there?
"We've made such an effort, and continue to in recruiting, to get the guys in here that can help us win championships. The sooner you can put them on the field the faster they grow up and mature. So the opportunity exists here, as a young football team, to be able to play those guys. To be honest with you, I don't sleep great the night before the ballgame, worried about every single one of them. But at the same time, in order for what we want to accomplish long term, it's the best way for us to go about our business."
When you were here earlier, obviously Texas was the big rival. But was there a certain rivalry feel to the Arkansas game?
"I thoroughly enjoyed all our games in the Southwest Conference, and certainly Arkansas was one of those games we always had great battles with. You just never knew what to expect when you went over there or they came over here. They have a great fan following, and when you went over there it was loud and crazy, and when they came over here we treated them the same way. I guess that's a long time ago now. That's my most vivid memory."
The players probably don't know about that. Do you talk to them at all about the history this week?
"If I can bring any type of past history into a game I usually try to. We'll probably visit upon that at some point. It's so early in the week right now, that that's something as I'm searching for things later in the week, we'll talk about that."
Do you have a handle on how good this team is now, or will the Arkansas game provide a little bit of clarity?
"Like I told the players this morning...they've done everything I've asked them to do. I'm proud of them for that. At same time we're 3-0, and that's great. But we do keep things in perspective. I realize we haven't played a top 20 or 25 team in our three wins. The speed of the game, as I told them this morning, is going to be greatly enhanced when we line up against Arkansas. I think I have a pretty clear perspective of where we are and where we're trying to get. This certainly will be a big challenge for us. Some of the mistakes we've made in ballgames, whether it be penalties, or we had a couple of muffed kicks this past week...those happen in this ballgame, you're not going to recover from them. I'm very aware of where we are and what we need to do in order to go up to Dallas and play Arkansas."
Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett seems to have a pretty accurate arm. Can you talk about his accuracy and the problems that may present?
"I remember watching him when I first got here because he was considering at that time transferring. It was before he made a commitment to go to Arkansas. I watched him when he was a freshman playing at Michigan and was very impressed with him then, and even more impressed with him now. With his height and stature in the pocket he has a great presence. Certainly he's not going to get any balls batted down with his release point and his size. He throws a great deep ball. He has excellent receivers to stretch your defense, and he has the arm and the touch to put it on the money to do that. He's a very impressive quarterback."
What did you see in Trent Hunter? He was kind of a late addition to your first recruiting class. What caught your eye about that kid?
"First of all, he comes out of Katy High School, which as I started studying high school tape, I realized those kids are very well-coached. They were on their way to winning a state championship and I wanted to get guys on the team that were winners. From a peripheral standpoint, that played a factor in my decision...the coaching aspect where he was coming from, and that he's a winner. It's the same thing with Terrence Frederick. But with Trent, I was impressed with passion and the decisiveness with which he played the game. There was no hesitation with Trent. Right or wrong, when he decided there was a play to be made, he was going to make the play, and there was no hesitation. That was impressive. I thought our team last year, with the exception of Trent and some other guys on defense...when you put in a newer defense, we hesitated. Trent shows to me no hesitation. He knows exactly what he wants to do."
Do you feel like with Stephen Barrera you have things solidified at the left tackle position?
"No, I don't think so just yet. I hope so. I thought he played well. He made some mistakes, and he's going to continue to grow and make mistakes. After the ballgame, in spite of the fact our quarterback played a very impressive ballgame, I was asked about how impressive he was. I had to mention Barrera simply because of the fact there's not many true freshmen that go out there and start at left tackle in major college football, particularly not in the Big 12. I was impressed that he went out there and handled himself very well. He didn't make any major mistakes. Again, this week will a big challenge for him, because the speed of the game will be greatly enhanced with Arkansas' defense."
Speaking of your quarterback, he's put up some big numbers inside Kyle Field. Can you talk about the chance for people outside of Kyle Field to see what he's done early in the season?
"That comes with time. If you continue to do those things through the course of your career, people will recognize you. The great thing about Jerrod Johnson is he does not worry about that one bit. And neither do I, for that matter. He's worried about the next ballgame, and winning, and how can he help our team win. That's the beauty of Jerrod Johnson. Those things come. You can't force them. If at the end of the season you're standing with those types of numbers, and you're fortunate enough to, then people will recognize that. One thing that probably went unnoticed about him was just how he managed the game so well the other day. It's the best game I've been with him where he just managed the game. There was a time where we were having some problems with personnel down on the goal line. We signaled a play in, and one of the receivers didn't get it so the formation wasn't right. He got us into a play to get us out of that situation. Things like that. Another time there was a protection where he saw a blitz, and totally changed the protection and put us in the right protection. As I said to him, a really good quarterback makes the coach look smarter than he really is. He definitely has done that. In spite of the completions on third down and his running ability, I thought how he managed the game was the most impressive thing to me."
Could Christine Michael have played the other night and do you expect him to be ready this week?
"No, I don't think so, from his mindset in particular. He had some tweaking in his knee that was bothersome to him. That kept him on the sidelines. We tried and tried and tried to get him to a point where he would have a comfort level with that, but he didn't. I do think the weekend served him well. He was running around this morning and he looked much, much improved. I do expect him to play this week."
Talk about Arkansas' speed...how do you coach the guys this week to get them ready for what will be a faster ballgame on Saturday?
"As we talked about this morning, it's us practicing at our top speed, and our service teams giving us the best looks they possibly can. I was really pleased last week. As I said after the game, I thought last week was the best week of preparation that we had had. I was talking about stacking a practice with another practice, with another practice. We've never stacked four in a row and we were able to do that. We have to have even more of that this upcoming week as we prepare for Arkansas."
Jordan Pugh said he thought maybe the biggest difference between this year's team and last year's team is chemistry. Have you seen that from a coaching standpoint?
"Well, next to talent and character, chemistry is in my top three as far as things I look for in coaching and in recruiting. There are some players that I'll recruit because they're going to bring us chemistry. They've got something to them. They're going to add to the locker room. You don't want 85 robots down there. I want guys that have a little pizzazz to them at times. You need your grunts, and you need this, and you need that. But with this football team they've been able to really gel well together. I think winning has played a part in that. Albeit it's early in the season, and to be able to maintain that through the ups and downs this season is going to present will be the true test of our chemistry. It's easy to have good chemistry when you come to practice and it's fun. Last year was a struggle, so chemistry struggled at times. It's so important to keep an even keel. I try to tell these kids, and I did last year as well but not very successfully, that you don't want to be too high and you don't want to be too low. You just want to keep that status quo. You always prepare a certain way regardless of what's happened or what's going to happen. You prepare a certain way every single day. You bring a certain game to practice every single day. When you walk into the locker room you come in here every day...you try not to be way up here because something happened good, or too down here because you gave up a touchdown. Just try to be consistent. That all plays a part into our chemistry as well."
How important will the first quarter be on Saturday night, and getting off to a quick start?
"Every quarter is going to be important obviously. You never know until the game is over which one is the important one. You could argue that the fourth quarter could be the most important one in a lot of ballgames. The last ballgame, Alabama and Arkansas when they were playing, Alabama was struggling early in the game. It's just being able to maintain a presence where, if you're hitting your head against a wall, or they're making plays, you just keep coming and keep coming, and not let that effect you. So for me to say that we have to have a great first quarter, I can't say that. We have to be able to handle whatever happens in the first quarter, both the good and the bad, and then take it to the next quarter, and the next quarter, and maintain a certain level the entire game. Then hopefully the game falls your way. One of our mottos is 'start fast, finish strong', but it doesn't always work out that way."
Does it matter that Arkansas is coming into this game having lost two in a row and you're undefeated?
"They've played some pretty dang good people in those two losses, there's no question about that. I always say one of the most dangerous teams you could ever play is a team that has lost two ballgames in a row, because they come in full of fire. The key for us is to recognize what our situation is and what we have to accomplish in this ballgame. We have to have more fire."
Is it good to see opponents are having just as hard a time blocking Von Miller as you did in the spring?
"He's destroyed the confidence of our left tackles (laughter). Those guys are having nervous breakdowns out there. Poor (Michael) Shumard was ready to jump off a bridge for crying out loud. It is nice to know that he's able to take what he did in the spring into this season so far, and to play out to the success he's achieved as well as our defense. He's been very consistent. He still does some things that we have to clean up out there. But he's playing hard and he's playing well and I'm proud of the progress he's made."
You find that you're getting some rush from the other guys to take some of the pressure off Von?
"I do. Matt Featherston...we had an opportunity in the game the other day to have both guys on the field at same time. Matt (Featherston) really, it was my fault at not having him at defensive end last year possibly. We didn't have a whole lot of options at linebacker...but Matt really has come into his own. And I think Matt Moss has too. The three of those guys have done a nice job. We've got a young freshman (Spencer) Nealy who's giving great effort and is working hard as well. We're getting a little more rush, but the true test will be against these big fellows from Arkansas. They are pretty good pass blockers."
You mentioned there were some things that Von needed to clean up...
"Well, he thinks widening out gives him a better lane to the quarterback. I like him tight and on those tackles real quick. That's just one example."
What do you think about (Terrence) Frederick's hit? Is it something that could replace Quentin Coryatt's?
"Yeah, we might have to have about five of those to replace that one hit. That's such a special hit. But I we're making progress. We've had some pretty good sticks this season so far. They bode well on a highlight tape someday. But we still have a ways to go to get to Coryatt's hit. That was definitely a bone breaker."
How is Lee Grimes and where does he stand right now?
"Lee practiced a little bit this morning when we went out there. It's going to be day to day with his ribs. We'll see how he fares tomorrow when we have contact. There's a chance he could play in this ballgame."
Any other injury updates?
"We ran (Ricky) Cavanaugh this morning and I thought he did well. We should be able to get him back. Jeff Fuller's leg is progressing real well based on the MRI we recently took. I'm hopeful he'll be back sooner rather than later."
With the history A&M and Arkansas have against each other, could this game be the start of something special?
"I think so. It's going to be a great relationship between two schools that have a lot of football tradition with each other. I do think it's something that for the future is going to be a special, special ballgame as we continue down this path of playing up in Dallas."
Have you ever crossed paths with (Arkansas coach) Bobby Petrino?
"Just when he was with Atlanta and we played them with the Texans."
Are you looking forward to going to JerryWorld?
"I was up there recently at a coach's night up in Dallas this past August. It's really just an impressive facility. You know when Mr. Jones puts his fingerprint on something it's going to be state-of-the-art, and certainly that stadium is. We're really looking forward to it. I think it really will be a fun experience for our kids to play in that venue. It should be loud and I do expect it to be home game for us."
Would you like to have that video screen in your game room?
"(laughing) That might fit in your house, but it won't fit in my house."
Talk about the two turnovers on special teams and what you saw when you looked at the tape...
"Well, on the muff, we just didn't see ball being kicked. We were so anxious to get back and get into the blocking mode we didn't see the ball. That's us getting those guys looking to see the ball kicked. If you see the ball kicked it's a no-brainer. So that's experience, and that's us as coaches that have to take responsibility for that. As far as the fumble on (Dustin) Harris' punt return, (Colton) Valencia was trying to play catch-up on the guy he was blocking, and I think they had two defenders run into (Harris), plus Valencia runs right into him, and I think that was the crushing blow that caused the ball to come loose. It's just an awareness by Colton on where he was and what he needed to avoid."
Were you happy with the special teams? It looked like the kickoff coverage seemed like it was really improved...
"Our kickoff coverage was as good as any game...as many times as we had to work it in the game...their starting position was definitely a detriment to them. We pinned them down inside the 20 yard line a number of times. I thought that's drastically improved. When I look at last year and I look at this year, just the guys running down we seem to be faster and more aggressive trying to make that play. I was pleased with that pretty much. The punting, I think we punted twice and so there wasn't a whole lot there. The kickoff return, I think we can continue to get better there. On the punt cover, I think we have two gunners that are pretty good. They tried to single up those guys early in the game and that wasn't working. So they went double jammers and I thought we were still able to get around them. Our gunners have done a good job for us on the punt cover team."
Can you talk about what Von and Cyrus are doing with their jersey numbers this week for the kid from DeSoto?
"That's a very special thing for them. They have a relationship with a young man from their high school that's been faced with a tremendous challenge. They asked if they could do it and we agreed to do it, based on their relationship and what it means to this young man. I think it's a neat deal. I'm glad they're thinking about more than themselves. They're thinking a little bit outside the box there and that's important."
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Joe Kines
On Arkansas...
"The first thing you notice when you turn the film on is they are a lot bigger and a lot faster. The faster is probably more of a concern than the bigger. They are a top-tier SEC team. Their quarterback, everyone knows about him, he's tall, hard to bring down, and throws a bullet. He's got a bazooka for an arm. He can put the ball down the field, he can throw the ball across the field. He's a quality hand at quarterback. The receiving corps is a top level receiver corps. They can really run. They have two youngsters with exceptional speed. The offensive line looks like they have been the same guys playing for Arkansas for the last 15 years. They've always had huge offensive linemen that do a nice job of protecting the passer and running their running game scheme. We've really got to pick it up in practice this week. We can't short-step anything, if we do we're going to get caught short on Saturday. We have to play fast, and adjust quickly, and we have to run to the ball with a vengeance this week."
On Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett...
"The first thing you see is he's a lot different than the first three. We've been really concerned with an option type quarterback where you have to be sound on the dive, the pitch, the keep, all that, and then handle the throw. They haven't run him much on designed running plays. He's a big, tall, strong youngster, so it makes it hard to get him on the ground sometimes. People have bounced off of him a little bit. Each week the problems are different. If the problems were the same every week it would be easy, but each week you're presented with a whole different set of problems. This week it's a tall, 6' 6"-6' 7" quarterback who can see down the field, who has great range and great velocity. He doesn't throw it in a general vicinity, he throws it at a target."
SOPHOMORE QB/WR Ryan Tannehill
Are you a big Cowboys fan?
"I'm not a huge Dallas fan, but if I was going to watch an NFL team it'd probably be the Cowboys. It's definitely exciting playing in the new stadium."
On playing quarterback...
"It felt good. I'll take any reps I can get. It felt good to finally be out on the field at that position. It was only a few handoffs and a pass but it felt good."
On the history of the Arkansas series...
"I think we'll get more of a sense of it this week. Since most of us were pretty young when the series was going on we don't remember watching old games or anything like that."
Will this game be a measuring stick?
"I don't think it's a measuring stick, I think it's just another step in the season. Every week we are going out trying to win each game. Coach Sherman says, 'What's the most important game of the year?', and every week it's the game we're playing."
On the young players...
"It's definitely a strange thing. You don't see too much of this in college football nowadays, but the young guys have definitely stepped up and are a huge impact on this team. We don't look at them any different. They just came in and stepped up to the occasion."
SENIOR OL Michael Shumard
On freshman Stephen Barrera playing left tackle...
"I think he played really well. He did well in run and in pass protection. I don't think he even let them pressure which was nice to see. For freshman coming in and playing left tackle, I believe he made great strides to show everybody that he's ready and he's for real. He'll be playing here for a long time."
On Von Miller...
"The best thing I can say about Von is I came into treatment one day in the spring, Coach Sherman was down there and he asked me how good I really thought Von was. I said, 'Coach, I went against Brian Orakpo (Texas) last year, and against guys from Oklahoma, but this guy, he presents a whole different aspect to the game.' He can bring different things. Everybody thinks he just brings speed and quickness and the ability to be flexible to get under blocks, but he's actually a very strong human being. If you're going backwards trying to catch up to his speed rush and he plants that right foot and comes after you, you're going to go down."
SOPHOMORE DB Trent Hunter
Are you excited about playing in the new stadium?
"Definitely, this is one of those opportunities that you'll remember for a long time. It's a brand new stadium, we're the second college game to play in it, a lot of people will be there watching it."
What will you tell the young guys?
"That's what our pregame, staying at the Hilton hotel, that's what it gets them ready. We're going to drive, stay at the hotel, eat, sleep, get up, eat again and go play the game. That's about it. That's what our pregame gets them ready for. As far as what I would tell them is calm down, it's the same old thing, different town, different stadium, but it's the same game."
How improved is this team?
"I feel like we've turned a complete 180, as far as chemistry goes, as far as how we bounce back from certain situations, and how we keep leads and keep momentum going. I felt like last year we couldn't do that. Any of that was asking for too much last year. This year, through our offseason and our spring and summer, I feel like that's just there now."
JUNIOR JACK Von Miller
On wearing #24...
"Ever since we were informed about the injury, Garrick (Williams), Tony (Jerod-Eddie), Cyrus (Gray) and I, we've visited him in the hospital. We were just thinking what can we do to show him that we have his back. At DeSoto, it's not like the Aggie network, but we are pretty tight-knit too. We keep in touch and we love everybody like a family."
On Matt Featherston...
"I can tell him something if I see him doing something wrong, and he'll tell me if he sees me doing something wrong. He brings a lot of stuff to the 'jack' position that I don't bring, and I bring some stuff that he doesn't bring. I've said before, he's the man, but he really is the man. He can go out there and make plays happen too."