Kevin Sumlin, Myles Garrett, Trevor Knight and Alex Sezer met with the media Tuesday at the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl's press conference inside the Westin Galleria.
Audio from Coach Sumlin is available below. Video is available through the link above.
When you look back at DL Myles Garrett's recruitment, how important was he to get at the time and when you look at what he's contributed to the program, what has he meant the last few years?
"You know, I don't think — at the time, may be different, but I think our staff has done a really, really good job of evaluating talent, not based on stars, or, really, services. I think, you know, this class that's committed to us right now is a product of that. The guys, we really don't care where they were ranked. Although, I'll give a lot of you guys credit. Usually the five-star guys are really good. Guys that are ranked No. 1 at their position, they are usually pretty good guys, and he's one of those guys. He was a guy that in recruiting was — you'll have to ask him — I've got my side of it and he's got his side. I think we had a lot of work to do, early, with him. But I think he'll be the guy to tell you that between family, and his experience at Texas A&M has been a great one. And I said this earlier, I think what gets lost with him and with the guys who are here today, you've got guys with a lot of different things that are at stake. And with what you see going on with bowl games, what you see that's gone on during the year in playing games, this guy was not healthy after Arkansas, and is a dominant player. And the fact that he wanted to play in games at 50 percent, whatever it was, third downs, whatever, with his teammates, says more about him than just his talent. That speaks to our team, and you know, he's not very vocal, but when he speaks up, you hear him, and he plays that way. I think it's been a great example to our younger players."
What about the recruitment?
"You've got to ask him. You see him smiling over there; he knows. He knows what I know; that he wanted to go somewhere else early. But we had to convince him that A&M was the best place for him. And mom and dad helped during that time, and sis. Yeah, she gave me the intel all the time, since she was already there."
Kansas State is averaging nearly 300 rushing yards over the last six games. What kind of challenge do they present on the ground against you guys?
"A real challenge. We've had our issues, particularly with quarterback runs. And Coach (Bill) Snyder, they have done a great job. This is one of the hottest teams in the country coming into this game, with what they have done at the end of the year. So the challenge is, as always, Coach Snyder's teams are extremely disciplined, know what they are doing. They have had a month to really hone in — really, three weeks, to hone in on us and where we're going to be. It's a real challenge to be able to stop the run, and then as soon as you commit to that, the ability to, really, defend the deep ball. You know, that's going to be something that we've had our issues with at the end of the year, but we'll see where we are tomorrow night, because I think we made some strides and done some things to help ourselves, but obviously we've got to execute on the field, otherwise that could be an issue. And for us, offensively, it's the same thing. It's going to be an interesting game, just because special teams will be a big deal in this game. Offensively we've got to be able to score some points, because Kansas State has been scoring at a pretty good clip here the last four or five games of the year. So it's going to be a challenge for us."
You talked about DL Myles Garrett a little bit, but can you talk about the impact your senior class has made on this year's team?
"Yeah, at the banquet, I said we've got guys who have been here five years. We've got guys like Ed (Edward) Pope, who has been here since we got here. We've got guys that are junior college guys that have been here, two and three — or like Josh Reynolds; and then we've got a guy who's been here 11 months. So it's an eclectic group. But they have done a great job with our football team, from a leadership standpoint, not just playing. But as I've said before, this group of guys that are here, have done a great job, I think, in the locker room, filling the void with leadership, and then also with how they have played. And examples because the guys that are up here today, not all of them are seniors, but every one of these guys has struggled through some sort of injury this year and continued to press on and have handled it like grown men, and I think they have been great examples for the rest of our program."
This game features some talented defensive players like DL Myles Garrett and DE Jordan Willis. Would you compare or contrast the way that they have played?
"Jordan, we are not going to wait very long for them to call his name in Philadelphia this year. He's a really, really talented, talented guy and one of the better defensive linemen in the country. I think he's very versatile. He's strong against the run. He's got a great first step. He's got really good — he'll be easily one of the top three or four guys that we've played against this year, and we've played some pretty good ones; half the All-American team is in our league in the west. You watch the film with this guy with production and what he does, he's right there. So you know, I think just like one of our guys, a couple of our guys, you've got to account for them. Not only in the passing game but in the running game, too, because he's a heck of a player."
Can you give some sense of why you think that even when you have had some difficulty in the second half of the season, you've come back and been very successful, played very well in bowl games. Any reason you can think of that your team has been able to bounce back like that and play well in the bowl games?
"First of all, we don't look at it like bouncing back. So that's probably the biggest thing. You know, we take advantage of the time off, and then how we practice for the game is probably a little bit different. I've been fortunate enough to be in a lot of bowl games in my life as an assistant coach and I've seen positives and negatives to how you prepare for those. So we've got a system in place that allows us to practice our younger players, early, and really take advantage of that, and it's really two segments with the developmental part of bowl practice and then our opponent's bowl practice. So that's been our approach for the last nine years. It's really a combination of things from Oklahoma and Purdue, and even when I was here the first time, just a lot of things that you take from different people. Our guys — I think our guys feel good. Like I said a week ago, last week was the first time these two guys were in full pads practicing since about two months ago. And so we got a little energy, and I think our guys are looking forward to playing tomorrow night."
Coach said last year that you might consider Kansas State. Did you consider them on any level?
"Yeah, I talked to Coach (Bill) Snyder a little bit. I've always respected the way he runs his program. Obviously getting to play against them for four years and just the way that he treated me personally, but also the way he ran his program was top-notch, and I still believe that today. I'm excited to get this opportunity to play against them because I do respect them so much. They're a team that's very disciplined, like Coach (Kevin) Sumlin said, and they do exactly what they are going to do. And they're not going to beat themselves. You're forced to beat them. So it's going to be a fun matchup."
You've had some success against them as the quarterback at Oklahoma. What did you take away from those matchups that you can use in this one?
"Well, I've seen them before. I've studied their defense before, so I kind of know what they are going to do. Now, whether that shows up on the field tomorrow or not, I don't know. But I've at least played against them and I've seen them schematically before, so I think that's a little bit of an advantage."
Did you inquire about going to K-State?
"That's what he was just asking. I definitely talked to Coach Snyder when I was going through that process. I talked to a lot of people, so I'm not going to say that I was thinking about going there or anything like that, but I definitely had conversations with him."
Biggest challenges in this game that you see coming up?
"Again, I think that Kansas State is extremely disciplined. They've got some great playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. We're going to have to execute to our full potential in order to have an opportunity to win. They're not going to beat themselves. Again, they do what they do and they do it really, really well."
What's your impression of DE Jordan Willis?
"Like Coach (Kevin) Sumlin said, he's going to be a guy that goes really high in the draft next year. He's a playmaker, he's versatile and he's extremely explosive. He's somebody that we have to kind of take notice of whenever we are scheming things up and things like that."
What was the biggest difference, SEC and Big 12, any one or two things that you can put your finger on?
"You know, when you get out there between the lines, it's just football. You know, maybe the types of offenses and even the defensive schemes are a little bit different from week-to-week. For me personally, I just I really enjoy getting to travel to new places. I get to go play at all the places in the Big 12. But this year I got to go to Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa and go out to Jordan-Hare at Auburn and things like that, so that was fun for me. But as far as football goes, maybe slight differences, but still just football."
How nice was it to get back and practice and be fully healthy?
"It's been nice. These bowl practices have been good. I feel like we are really gelling at this point and kind of got back into a rhythm. We went I think eight straight days before we got a few days off for Christmas break. Any time you get going like that, you get a little energy behind it, I think good things happen. And we're excited to play. It's been three weeks, almost a month since we've played, and you know, we kind of have a bad taste in our mouth, because Thanksgiving Day we played LSU and didn't come out with a win. So we're excited to go out there tomorrow and hopefully finish the season out the right way."
You were on the sideline for the Oklahoma/K-State game earlier this season. Did you notice anything you can use for your preparation?
"I was really enjoying myself at that game. I wasn't necessarily scheming them up or anything like that, because obviously at that point I didn't think I would be playing against K-State or didn't know, so not really. Again, I've played against them before, and they haven't changed up what they do too much over the past, however many years, under Coach (Bill) Snyder. I think it is an advantage that I've played against them before and seen some of the looks but we still have a huge challenge ahead of us tomorrow night."
Do you feel like you and QB Jesse Ertz are similar? What similarities do you think you share?
"I think he runs the ball extremely well and he does a great job of managing that offense. Obviously, no, I didn't watch them too much, as we're preparing for K-State because I'm looking at the defensive side of the ball. But he is a dynamic player and poses a challenge for our defense just because he does have that run-threat ability."
Can you talk about the whole full circle it has come with Texas A&M, being committed in high school and finishing out your career?
"It's been a perfect ending. Obviously you want to come in here and compete for a big-time championship, but this year has been phenomenal for me. I was a guy that really loved where I was at Oklahoma and kind of took a leap of faith just because I wanted to be on the feel again. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin and his staff have given me every opportunity that I ever could have asked for, about to play in my 11th game at A&M as a starter and we've had a lot of ups, lot of downs but memories that'll last a lifetime. Specifically this week, it being the last one, kind of tried to take everything in. Enjoy the little things that maybe sometimes you take for granted week-in and week-out."
What have you seen from QB Nick Starkel and QB Jake Hubenak, just throughout the year, and knowing obviously they are going to be stepping in and competing next year?
"I've loved working with those guys. The way that they prepare, even when they're not I guess necessarily the guy has been phenomenal. They've helped me out so much just competing in practice and even on the sidelines, talking about looks and things like that. I've gotten really close to both of those guys. I'm excited to watch them compete next year for the job. I think both of them have things that are going to give this team an ability to win and so it's going to be fun to watch."
How close are you to 100 percent?
"I feel great. I feel like I can do everything that they ask me to do, and again, last game, so I'm ready to rock and roll."
Jordan Willis leads the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for loss. What did you see against him?
"Yeah, he's a fantastic player. Can do everything that he's supposed to do and even more. He's definitely a challenge for us, especially as we go through scheme and some run game stuff. We're just going to have to play really well against him and try to work around him, because he's going to make his plays."
Why do you think that you all will play well?
"I think we've done a great job in preparation leading up to this game. We lost our last game of the season on Thanksgiving day and kind of got a bad taste in our mouth and want to finish it the right way. I know Coach (Kevin) Sumlin has even said it, the seniors, we're not going to have to worry about us. It's our last game and we're going to go out there and give it everything we have and those other guys have rallied around us. I think they're excited to play. Again we went eight straight days, had a few days off and have had two fantastic practices the last couple of days. Everybody is excited. Everybody has their juices flowing a little bit, and it's going to be a fun one tomorrow night."
What have they done well down the stretch that you've seen on film?
"I think they just have some confidence going. You know, obviously schematically, they are not doing much different than they were in the beginning. But they have gotten rolling a little bit and kind of all the parts are piecing together and sticking together at the right time. And so you know, they are probably going to come out tomorrow and hopefully continue that streak for them. But we are going to do everything that we can to stop that."
They got their confidence rolling at the end. On the other side, you guys kind of started hot and fizzled out a little bit. How did that differ for you guys, trying to get the confidence back?
"I think we remained pretty confident. We battled the ups and downs of this season, especially towards the back end like you were saying. We had a lot of injuries and things like that, but we're motivated. We're ready to play this game and there's a lot that comes with it being a nine-win team instead of an eight-win team. So we definitely have motivation."
I know you're graduating but what can a win in the bowl game do for the team next year and moving on to the next season?
"Any time you win your bowl game, it kind of propels you into the next season and even the off-season. It gives you a little bit of confidence and sets the tone for the next year. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin was saying a little bit, we had the opportunity to get our young guys a lot of work during bowl practices, so it's kind of the start of their competition for next year. A win would be big for the program but also big for next year's team."
How much better is this team now than they were when you guys walked off the field against LSU?
"I wouldn't say we are necessarily a better team. I think we're ready to play better than we did that night. We're the same team from week one, that we were not ranked to all the way to No. 4 in the country and then have battled some adversity kind of through the back stretch but we are the same team, same guys, same motivation and excited to go play really, really well tomorrow night."
How about from a health standpoint?
"From a health standpoint, we've come a long way."
Audio from Coach Sumlin is available below. Video is available through the link above.
HEAD COACH KEVIN SUMLIN
When you look back at DL Myles Garrett's recruitment, how important was he to get at the time and when you look at what he's contributed to the program, what has he meant the last few years?
"You know, I don't think — at the time, may be different, but I think our staff has done a really, really good job of evaluating talent, not based on stars, or, really, services. I think, you know, this class that's committed to us right now is a product of that. The guys, we really don't care where they were ranked. Although, I'll give a lot of you guys credit. Usually the five-star guys are really good. Guys that are ranked No. 1 at their position, they are usually pretty good guys, and he's one of those guys. He was a guy that in recruiting was — you'll have to ask him — I've got my side of it and he's got his side. I think we had a lot of work to do, early, with him. But I think he'll be the guy to tell you that between family, and his experience at Texas A&M has been a great one. And I said this earlier, I think what gets lost with him and with the guys who are here today, you've got guys with a lot of different things that are at stake. And with what you see going on with bowl games, what you see that's gone on during the year in playing games, this guy was not healthy after Arkansas, and is a dominant player. And the fact that he wanted to play in games at 50 percent, whatever it was, third downs, whatever, with his teammates, says more about him than just his talent. That speaks to our team, and you know, he's not very vocal, but when he speaks up, you hear him, and he plays that way. I think it's been a great example to our younger players."
What about the recruitment?
"You've got to ask him. You see him smiling over there; he knows. He knows what I know; that he wanted to go somewhere else early. But we had to convince him that A&M was the best place for him. And mom and dad helped during that time, and sis. Yeah, she gave me the intel all the time, since she was already there."
Kansas State is averaging nearly 300 rushing yards over the last six games. What kind of challenge do they present on the ground against you guys?
"A real challenge. We've had our issues, particularly with quarterback runs. And Coach (Bill) Snyder, they have done a great job. This is one of the hottest teams in the country coming into this game, with what they have done at the end of the year. So the challenge is, as always, Coach Snyder's teams are extremely disciplined, know what they are doing. They have had a month to really hone in — really, three weeks, to hone in on us and where we're going to be. It's a real challenge to be able to stop the run, and then as soon as you commit to that, the ability to, really, defend the deep ball. You know, that's going to be something that we've had our issues with at the end of the year, but we'll see where we are tomorrow night, because I think we made some strides and done some things to help ourselves, but obviously we've got to execute on the field, otherwise that could be an issue. And for us, offensively, it's the same thing. It's going to be an interesting game, just because special teams will be a big deal in this game. Offensively we've got to be able to score some points, because Kansas State has been scoring at a pretty good clip here the last four or five games of the year. So it's going to be a challenge for us."
You talked about DL Myles Garrett a little bit, but can you talk about the impact your senior class has made on this year's team?
"Yeah, at the banquet, I said we've got guys who have been here five years. We've got guys like Ed (Edward) Pope, who has been here since we got here. We've got guys that are junior college guys that have been here, two and three — or like Josh Reynolds; and then we've got a guy who's been here 11 months. So it's an eclectic group. But they have done a great job with our football team, from a leadership standpoint, not just playing. But as I've said before, this group of guys that are here, have done a great job, I think, in the locker room, filling the void with leadership, and then also with how they have played. And examples because the guys that are up here today, not all of them are seniors, but every one of these guys has struggled through some sort of injury this year and continued to press on and have handled it like grown men, and I think they have been great examples for the rest of our program."
This game features some talented defensive players like DL Myles Garrett and DE Jordan Willis. Would you compare or contrast the way that they have played?
"Jordan, we are not going to wait very long for them to call his name in Philadelphia this year. He's a really, really talented, talented guy and one of the better defensive linemen in the country. I think he's very versatile. He's strong against the run. He's got a great first step. He's got really good — he'll be easily one of the top three or four guys that we've played against this year, and we've played some pretty good ones; half the All-American team is in our league in the west. You watch the film with this guy with production and what he does, he's right there. So you know, I think just like one of our guys, a couple of our guys, you've got to account for them. Not only in the passing game but in the running game, too, because he's a heck of a player."
Can you give some sense of why you think that even when you have had some difficulty in the second half of the season, you've come back and been very successful, played very well in bowl games. Any reason you can think of that your team has been able to bounce back like that and play well in the bowl games?
"First of all, we don't look at it like bouncing back. So that's probably the biggest thing. You know, we take advantage of the time off, and then how we practice for the game is probably a little bit different. I've been fortunate enough to be in a lot of bowl games in my life as an assistant coach and I've seen positives and negatives to how you prepare for those. So we've got a system in place that allows us to practice our younger players, early, and really take advantage of that, and it's really two segments with the developmental part of bowl practice and then our opponent's bowl practice. So that's been our approach for the last nine years. It's really a combination of things from Oklahoma and Purdue, and even when I was here the first time, just a lot of things that you take from different people. Our guys — I think our guys feel good. Like I said a week ago, last week was the first time these two guys were in full pads practicing since about two months ago. And so we got a little energy, and I think our guys are looking forward to playing tomorrow night."
QB TREVOR KNIGHT
Coach said last year that you might consider Kansas State. Did you consider them on any level?
"Yeah, I talked to Coach (Bill) Snyder a little bit. I've always respected the way he runs his program. Obviously getting to play against them for four years and just the way that he treated me personally, but also the way he ran his program was top-notch, and I still believe that today. I'm excited to get this opportunity to play against them because I do respect them so much. They're a team that's very disciplined, like Coach (Kevin) Sumlin said, and they do exactly what they are going to do. And they're not going to beat themselves. You're forced to beat them. So it's going to be a fun matchup."
You've had some success against them as the quarterback at Oklahoma. What did you take away from those matchups that you can use in this one?
"Well, I've seen them before. I've studied their defense before, so I kind of know what they are going to do. Now, whether that shows up on the field tomorrow or not, I don't know. But I've at least played against them and I've seen them schematically before, so I think that's a little bit of an advantage."
Did you inquire about going to K-State?
"That's what he was just asking. I definitely talked to Coach Snyder when I was going through that process. I talked to a lot of people, so I'm not going to say that I was thinking about going there or anything like that, but I definitely had conversations with him."
Biggest challenges in this game that you see coming up?
"Again, I think that Kansas State is extremely disciplined. They've got some great playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. We're going to have to execute to our full potential in order to have an opportunity to win. They're not going to beat themselves. Again, they do what they do and they do it really, really well."
What's your impression of DE Jordan Willis?
"Like Coach (Kevin) Sumlin said, he's going to be a guy that goes really high in the draft next year. He's a playmaker, he's versatile and he's extremely explosive. He's somebody that we have to kind of take notice of whenever we are scheming things up and things like that."
What was the biggest difference, SEC and Big 12, any one or two things that you can put your finger on?
"You know, when you get out there between the lines, it's just football. You know, maybe the types of offenses and even the defensive schemes are a little bit different from week-to-week. For me personally, I just I really enjoy getting to travel to new places. I get to go play at all the places in the Big 12. But this year I got to go to Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa and go out to Jordan-Hare at Auburn and things like that, so that was fun for me. But as far as football goes, maybe slight differences, but still just football."
How nice was it to get back and practice and be fully healthy?
"It's been nice. These bowl practices have been good. I feel like we are really gelling at this point and kind of got back into a rhythm. We went I think eight straight days before we got a few days off for Christmas break. Any time you get going like that, you get a little energy behind it, I think good things happen. And we're excited to play. It's been three weeks, almost a month since we've played, and you know, we kind of have a bad taste in our mouth, because Thanksgiving Day we played LSU and didn't come out with a win. So we're excited to go out there tomorrow and hopefully finish the season out the right way."
You were on the sideline for the Oklahoma/K-State game earlier this season. Did you notice anything you can use for your preparation?
"I was really enjoying myself at that game. I wasn't necessarily scheming them up or anything like that, because obviously at that point I didn't think I would be playing against K-State or didn't know, so not really. Again, I've played against them before, and they haven't changed up what they do too much over the past, however many years, under Coach (Bill) Snyder. I think it is an advantage that I've played against them before and seen some of the looks but we still have a huge challenge ahead of us tomorrow night."
Do you feel like you and QB Jesse Ertz are similar? What similarities do you think you share?
"I think he runs the ball extremely well and he does a great job of managing that offense. Obviously, no, I didn't watch them too much, as we're preparing for K-State because I'm looking at the defensive side of the ball. But he is a dynamic player and poses a challenge for our defense just because he does have that run-threat ability."
Can you talk about the whole full circle it has come with Texas A&M, being committed in high school and finishing out your career?
"It's been a perfect ending. Obviously you want to come in here and compete for a big-time championship, but this year has been phenomenal for me. I was a guy that really loved where I was at Oklahoma and kind of took a leap of faith just because I wanted to be on the feel again. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin and his staff have given me every opportunity that I ever could have asked for, about to play in my 11th game at A&M as a starter and we've had a lot of ups, lot of downs but memories that'll last a lifetime. Specifically this week, it being the last one, kind of tried to take everything in. Enjoy the little things that maybe sometimes you take for granted week-in and week-out."
What have you seen from QB Nick Starkel and QB Jake Hubenak, just throughout the year, and knowing obviously they are going to be stepping in and competing next year?
"I've loved working with those guys. The way that they prepare, even when they're not I guess necessarily the guy has been phenomenal. They've helped me out so much just competing in practice and even on the sidelines, talking about looks and things like that. I've gotten really close to both of those guys. I'm excited to watch them compete next year for the job. I think both of them have things that are going to give this team an ability to win and so it's going to be fun to watch."
How close are you to 100 percent?
"I feel great. I feel like I can do everything that they ask me to do, and again, last game, so I'm ready to rock and roll."
Jordan Willis leads the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for loss. What did you see against him?
"Yeah, he's a fantastic player. Can do everything that he's supposed to do and even more. He's definitely a challenge for us, especially as we go through scheme and some run game stuff. We're just going to have to play really well against him and try to work around him, because he's going to make his plays."
Why do you think that you all will play well?
"I think we've done a great job in preparation leading up to this game. We lost our last game of the season on Thanksgiving day and kind of got a bad taste in our mouth and want to finish it the right way. I know Coach (Kevin) Sumlin has even said it, the seniors, we're not going to have to worry about us. It's our last game and we're going to go out there and give it everything we have and those other guys have rallied around us. I think they're excited to play. Again we went eight straight days, had a few days off and have had two fantastic practices the last couple of days. Everybody is excited. Everybody has their juices flowing a little bit, and it's going to be a fun one tomorrow night."
What have they done well down the stretch that you've seen on film?
"I think they just have some confidence going. You know, obviously schematically, they are not doing much different than they were in the beginning. But they have gotten rolling a little bit and kind of all the parts are piecing together and sticking together at the right time. And so you know, they are probably going to come out tomorrow and hopefully continue that streak for them. But we are going to do everything that we can to stop that."
They got their confidence rolling at the end. On the other side, you guys kind of started hot and fizzled out a little bit. How did that differ for you guys, trying to get the confidence back?
"I think we remained pretty confident. We battled the ups and downs of this season, especially towards the back end like you were saying. We had a lot of injuries and things like that, but we're motivated. We're ready to play this game and there's a lot that comes with it being a nine-win team instead of an eight-win team. So we definitely have motivation."
I know you're graduating but what can a win in the bowl game do for the team next year and moving on to the next season?
"Any time you win your bowl game, it kind of propels you into the next season and even the off-season. It gives you a little bit of confidence and sets the tone for the next year. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin was saying a little bit, we had the opportunity to get our young guys a lot of work during bowl practices, so it's kind of the start of their competition for next year. A win would be big for the program but also big for next year's team."
How much better is this team now than they were when you guys walked off the field against LSU?
"I wouldn't say we are necessarily a better team. I think we're ready to play better than we did that night. We're the same team from week one, that we were not ranked to all the way to No. 4 in the country and then have battled some adversity kind of through the back stretch but we are the same team, same guys, same motivation and excited to go play really, really well tomorrow night."
How about from a health standpoint?
"From a health standpoint, we've come a long way."