Head coach Kevin Sumlin, coordinators Jake Spavital and John Chavis and select players met the media on Tuesday at the weekly football press conference inside the Kyle Field Media Center.
A summary of Coach Sumlin's comments, along with video from players and coaches, are posted below.
Influence of Alabama in state of Texas recruiting. Don't know if influence is the word. Alabama is a national brand. Can't help but be a national brand when it's winningest college football program since 2008. No one has won more games. Able to recruit nationally. Seen over the years a very talented team across the board. Very well coached. Combine that with the tradition they have, it's very appealing. Don't know if word influence is the word you're looking for. They are all over the place. To be involved in game like this, being here in our league for 3 1/2 years…to have a game like this that has division, and conference, and national implications in that short of time is a great thing for A&M. Great for our fans cause it's at home.
With coaching changes this week, comment on nature of the business, and talk about Coach Spurrier. Things have escalated quickly. Salaries have escalated. Expectations have escalated. Because of that, it's a short rope. If you're in this business, you get that. As Coach Spurrier said, everyone can't win. Everyone wants to win, but everyone can't. Because of that there will be casualties. With social media and the investment made in a lot of programs right now time is short. Very, very competitive at the top. (Spurrier was a) Tough deal. Left Coach a message last night. Watched a little bit of his press conference today. You know I think the world of him. As a coach, coming thru this business as an assistant coach, he's kind of what I wanted to be. Guy who moved into the SEC, threw the ball and won championships. Had probably the most interesting press conferences in the world. He's accomplished a lot of things. A lot of people don't know him as a person. To see that was a little bit tough. He's had an impact on me and Bob Stoops and a lot of other coaches. It's hard. Not a lot of people can say they won a Heisman, coached a Heisman and won a national championship. Don't think will be a whole lot of people that can ever say that.
Alabama's defensive front. Been recruiting to their system. When you look at them they're big first of all. And they're fast. Three guys starting that are over 300 pounds. (Reggie) Ragland is all over the place. Gets them lined up. Heck of a linebacker that is really kind of the leader. Lot of NFL players on this field. First stat that jumps out on you is they lead the country in 3-and-outs on defense. First thing you better do is get a first down. Been very, very stout. Kirby Smart does a great job. Well coached. Know what they are doing. Aggressive. Hard to move up front. It's status quo for an Alabama defense. Hard to argue they're not the best defense in the country.
Tough topic, comment on Thomas Johnson. I really can't because of an ongoing investigation. Like our statement said, it's a tragedy for everyone involved. Because it's ongoing I really can't. Maybe when it's done we can talk about it.
Benchmark game to gauge the program. I don't know, they said that before the last game we played against Mississippi State. I'm not being smart here, but as you win every week, this game becomes the biggest game. This game is a big game because we're 5-0, and it's Alabama, and we're both top 10 teams, and we're both trying to win the division championship and get to Atlanta. Two weeks ago put us in position because we hadn't beaten a ranked team in Kyle Field. Is it a benchmark (game)? It's a benchmark in the SEC every week.
Defensive challenge to slow their run game. They've settled on a quarterback now. (Jake) Coker is playing pretty well. Lane (Kiffin) has come in the last couple of years and you see them change personnel offensively. Lot of run/pass combo concepts. Experienced offensive line. Quarterback understands the system. Two excellent running backs. Young freshman on the perimeter coming into his own as a wide receiver. Real deep threat. Yeah, they're a running team, but also quite capable to get the ball on the perimeter and make you tackle in space. Looks like Coker is getting more and more comfortable with it. Don't get confused, they'll still bring it at us, but we have to start defending the run and work from there.
From player and team perspective the differences over the last few years in Kyle Field. It's interesting, this year is really the first year it's been completed. When we first got here it was old Kyle Field. Really this year is the completion. Field is lower. It's louder. Considerably louder down there. Fans are tighter to action. Sight lines are better, according to my dad. Definitely a louder stadium. Great player experience. Also a great fan experience. That's what everyone was trying to achieve with the project. It's well done.
Derrick Henry. He's a load. 240-something pounds. He's a man. That's what he is. Got enough speed. Gets out there and can make people miss. As big as a lot of guys trying to tackle him on the defensive front. They've got a good 1-2 punch. Both kind of counteract each other. Got two good backs. One is a bigger bruiser, the other is more a shake and bake guy. Certainly complement each other well. Bring different styles. See times where they're putting both on the field and able to utilize them. Offensive line has a lot of guys back. Utilize the tight end and the fullback. Move guys around. Present problems to you from a shift and motion standpoint. Have to play good, sound, fundamental football. Gap responsibility. Got to gang tackle. Got to get a lot of people to the ball. Been doing that this year. Will be a real good challenge for us.
Running game at this point in season. Last two football games we played in were extremely physical, Arkansas and Mississippi State. Were able to win those games. Parts to particularly the Mississippi State game a year ago where we didn't handle it very well from a physical standpoint. And I thought we handled it a lot better this year. That's where this league is. Our goal is to do that. Don't know how you'd rate them. But are we more physical? Yes. Better? Yes. How much? Guess we'll find out Saturday.
Helping with mental grind of season. Changed practice schedule a little bit. Done some things from a recovery standpoint. Tried to help our guys. So far so good. Our guys feel good right now. Talking yesterday as a team we have a lot of juice, a lot of energy. Bye week came at right time for us, particularly after those last two games. Last year going eight straight was something we didn't handle very well. When you look at it from our standpoint as coaches, you've heard me say we're always evaluating. Didn't handle things well last year. Weren't a physical football team. How do you change that without beating your team into ground? Looked at a lot of different ways to do things. Right now as a coaching staff and a team I feel good about the look in our guys' eyes. Feel good about our health. Feel real good about where we are as far as team speed and the ability to carry that into games.
Magniutde of this game and the difference between Alabama's last visit here in 2013. I don't know. Different people. It was earlier in the year. Still a big game. That's a good question. I don't know. What you want in your program is for that game to be like that every year. Don't really know how to answer that. Good question.
First interaction with Kyle Allen. Had popped up in Elite 11. Jake (Spavital) was out there recruiting him. Over the course of time we continued to communicate. Don't know if there's anything real amusing about the recruiting of him. Was pretty much a no-nonsense guy when he came on his visit. Just out there last weekend, saw his parents. Great people. Very supportive of him, even through last year at this time. Got to remember last year at this time he wasn't even playing. Takes a lot of different people in that situation to create a support system for him. They're a very, very close family. Probably was the thing that jumped out at you besides his talent. They're here all the time. Over at the hotel, in the lobby, waiting around in between meetings. A fine young man. We've got some good quarterbacks here. His ability to go through what he did last year and have relative success toward the end of the year and then this year, it's the same thing we talk to Kyler (Murray) about. You never know in this business. You're one snap away from playing. If you see anything that's happened in this league, the idea is to stay healthy. Do things to protect that, but playing against these teams week in and week out you're one snap from playing. Competition is very good at practice.
2:30 CBS and the opportunity (exposure) on Saturday. 2:30 spot, it's kind of funny the first year I got here, fans didn't understand it right way. That time slot isn't split like some other TV stations. That 2:30 spot is all over the world. It's the marquee game. First of all, you like to be in that game. Second of all, you want to play at 2:30 as many times as you can. It means it's a big game and everyone is watching.
A summary of Coach Sumlin's comments, along with video from players and coaches, are posted below.
KEVIN SUMLIN PRESS CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Influence of Alabama in state of Texas recruiting. Don't know if influence is the word. Alabama is a national brand. Can't help but be a national brand when it's winningest college football program since 2008. No one has won more games. Able to recruit nationally. Seen over the years a very talented team across the board. Very well coached. Combine that with the tradition they have, it's very appealing. Don't know if word influence is the word you're looking for. They are all over the place. To be involved in game like this, being here in our league for 3 1/2 years…to have a game like this that has division, and conference, and national implications in that short of time is a great thing for A&M. Great for our fans cause it's at home.
With coaching changes this week, comment on nature of the business, and talk about Coach Spurrier. Things have escalated quickly. Salaries have escalated. Expectations have escalated. Because of that, it's a short rope. If you're in this business, you get that. As Coach Spurrier said, everyone can't win. Everyone wants to win, but everyone can't. Because of that there will be casualties. With social media and the investment made in a lot of programs right now time is short. Very, very competitive at the top. (Spurrier was a) Tough deal. Left Coach a message last night. Watched a little bit of his press conference today. You know I think the world of him. As a coach, coming thru this business as an assistant coach, he's kind of what I wanted to be. Guy who moved into the SEC, threw the ball and won championships. Had probably the most interesting press conferences in the world. He's accomplished a lot of things. A lot of people don't know him as a person. To see that was a little bit tough. He's had an impact on me and Bob Stoops and a lot of other coaches. It's hard. Not a lot of people can say they won a Heisman, coached a Heisman and won a national championship. Don't think will be a whole lot of people that can ever say that.
Alabama's defensive front. Been recruiting to their system. When you look at them they're big first of all. And they're fast. Three guys starting that are over 300 pounds. (Reggie) Ragland is all over the place. Gets them lined up. Heck of a linebacker that is really kind of the leader. Lot of NFL players on this field. First stat that jumps out on you is they lead the country in 3-and-outs on defense. First thing you better do is get a first down. Been very, very stout. Kirby Smart does a great job. Well coached. Know what they are doing. Aggressive. Hard to move up front. It's status quo for an Alabama defense. Hard to argue they're not the best defense in the country.
Tough topic, comment on Thomas Johnson. I really can't because of an ongoing investigation. Like our statement said, it's a tragedy for everyone involved. Because it's ongoing I really can't. Maybe when it's done we can talk about it.
Benchmark game to gauge the program. I don't know, they said that before the last game we played against Mississippi State. I'm not being smart here, but as you win every week, this game becomes the biggest game. This game is a big game because we're 5-0, and it's Alabama, and we're both top 10 teams, and we're both trying to win the division championship and get to Atlanta. Two weeks ago put us in position because we hadn't beaten a ranked team in Kyle Field. Is it a benchmark (game)? It's a benchmark in the SEC every week.
Defensive challenge to slow their run game. They've settled on a quarterback now. (Jake) Coker is playing pretty well. Lane (Kiffin) has come in the last couple of years and you see them change personnel offensively. Lot of run/pass combo concepts. Experienced offensive line. Quarterback understands the system. Two excellent running backs. Young freshman on the perimeter coming into his own as a wide receiver. Real deep threat. Yeah, they're a running team, but also quite capable to get the ball on the perimeter and make you tackle in space. Looks like Coker is getting more and more comfortable with it. Don't get confused, they'll still bring it at us, but we have to start defending the run and work from there.
From player and team perspective the differences over the last few years in Kyle Field. It's interesting, this year is really the first year it's been completed. When we first got here it was old Kyle Field. Really this year is the completion. Field is lower. It's louder. Considerably louder down there. Fans are tighter to action. Sight lines are better, according to my dad. Definitely a louder stadium. Great player experience. Also a great fan experience. That's what everyone was trying to achieve with the project. It's well done.
Derrick Henry. He's a load. 240-something pounds. He's a man. That's what he is. Got enough speed. Gets out there and can make people miss. As big as a lot of guys trying to tackle him on the defensive front. They've got a good 1-2 punch. Both kind of counteract each other. Got two good backs. One is a bigger bruiser, the other is more a shake and bake guy. Certainly complement each other well. Bring different styles. See times where they're putting both on the field and able to utilize them. Offensive line has a lot of guys back. Utilize the tight end and the fullback. Move guys around. Present problems to you from a shift and motion standpoint. Have to play good, sound, fundamental football. Gap responsibility. Got to gang tackle. Got to get a lot of people to the ball. Been doing that this year. Will be a real good challenge for us.
Running game at this point in season. Last two football games we played in were extremely physical, Arkansas and Mississippi State. Were able to win those games. Parts to particularly the Mississippi State game a year ago where we didn't handle it very well from a physical standpoint. And I thought we handled it a lot better this year. That's where this league is. Our goal is to do that. Don't know how you'd rate them. But are we more physical? Yes. Better? Yes. How much? Guess we'll find out Saturday.
Helping with mental grind of season. Changed practice schedule a little bit. Done some things from a recovery standpoint. Tried to help our guys. So far so good. Our guys feel good right now. Talking yesterday as a team we have a lot of juice, a lot of energy. Bye week came at right time for us, particularly after those last two games. Last year going eight straight was something we didn't handle very well. When you look at it from our standpoint as coaches, you've heard me say we're always evaluating. Didn't handle things well last year. Weren't a physical football team. How do you change that without beating your team into ground? Looked at a lot of different ways to do things. Right now as a coaching staff and a team I feel good about the look in our guys' eyes. Feel good about our health. Feel real good about where we are as far as team speed and the ability to carry that into games.
Magniutde of this game and the difference between Alabama's last visit here in 2013. I don't know. Different people. It was earlier in the year. Still a big game. That's a good question. I don't know. What you want in your program is for that game to be like that every year. Don't really know how to answer that. Good question.
First interaction with Kyle Allen. Had popped up in Elite 11. Jake (Spavital) was out there recruiting him. Over the course of time we continued to communicate. Don't know if there's anything real amusing about the recruiting of him. Was pretty much a no-nonsense guy when he came on his visit. Just out there last weekend, saw his parents. Great people. Very supportive of him, even through last year at this time. Got to remember last year at this time he wasn't even playing. Takes a lot of different people in that situation to create a support system for him. They're a very, very close family. Probably was the thing that jumped out at you besides his talent. They're here all the time. Over at the hotel, in the lobby, waiting around in between meetings. A fine young man. We've got some good quarterbacks here. His ability to go through what he did last year and have relative success toward the end of the year and then this year, it's the same thing we talk to Kyler (Murray) about. You never know in this business. You're one snap away from playing. If you see anything that's happened in this league, the idea is to stay healthy. Do things to protect that, but playing against these teams week in and week out you're one snap from playing. Competition is very good at practice.
2:30 CBS and the opportunity (exposure) on Saturday. 2:30 spot, it's kind of funny the first year I got here, fans didn't understand it right way. That time slot isn't split like some other TV stations. That 2:30 spot is all over the world. It's the marquee game. First of all, you like to be in that game. Second of all, you want to play at 2:30 as many times as you can. It means it's a big game and everyone is watching.