The Aggies met with the media on Monday to look back at Saturday's SEC victory over Arkansas.Â
Catch Coach Fisher's press conference, plus comments from Braden Mann, Seth Small, Justin Madubuike and Keldrick Carper below.Â
Looking at the game film coming back, very proud of our team coming out on top in a victory in a very hard fought, competitive football game. Uh, kids did what we had to do. Showed a lot of character in a lot of situations. Defense getting off the field, making that last stop on the last drive. Offense, very resilient. Started out very quickly after a drive, having some adversity then being able to battle back, getting a drive right before half on a two-minute drive. Then the last two drives we had the ball being able to score 10 points, having a touchdown drive and a field goal. Once we were behind, to get us back ahead. Special teams wise, Seth hitting a very big kick. It was critical in the game. At the same time, you know guys are resilient, played tough, played physical. We didn't play as well as we needed to in all areas in my opinion. We got to get better. We gotta get fundamentally better and all three phases, offense, defense, special teams. We'll have a great work week this week and create those situations to work on the things in which we need to work on. On offense we gotta keep running the football. We gotta get better pad level, what we're doing. Combination blocks being together and even are tight ends and not just offensive line but tight ends, sometimes on our backs on our tracks. Make sure we're hitting the right spots in the right ways in which we do. Receivers even pushed crack and routes. We gotta flatten out a couple times. Cost us a couple third downs in the second half. After we had big conversion, we drifted on routes didn't flatten them out that would've been big conversions. Defensively fitting in our gaps. On jump cuts, we were out of gaps on that linebacker a couple times and how we fit it down, didn't set the edge two or three times, which is rare for us on things. Guys didn't pull the pin and set that gave them some runs in that regard. Eye violation on special teams, we had the one breakout on the punt. We punted it in the middle to field when we had to be on the right side and didn't get enough hang time which created return and create turn lanes in how we were covering it. So a lot of things in those areas, a lot of room for improvement. But the things are very technical things and things we'll get better at. But we have to get better at. We have an urgency to get better and we got to do a better job coaching them, get them in those positions. But at the same time, guys, we won the football game and feel a lot of character when we had to make plays were doing things they had to do. We have to take evaluation, get better and keep putting the grind in and get ready for this middle section of the season and then we'll have another off week and try to get better there. We got to do the things we gotta do to play these next four games and the next game against Alabama, so work to do. But it can be done and get there.
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Coach, with the offensive line struggles, how much of it do you see a couple things here and there. We could make some in-season, in-week adjustments and get better and how much of it's just long term?
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Well, it could be both, but at the same time we got in that game, pad level was bad. We had four out of 10 runs in the first half. We had some RPOs that were blocked well that we end up throwing the football and getting big plays on that there were gonna be some runs, but we hit the slants and hit a couple bubble screens that were really good for us and runs. But when we come back in those two drives, one when we drove down was almost complete, run drive. Matter of fact it was and Kellen threw, we had a bad decision on the interception in the red zone. We did have two critical turnovers we got to get taken care of and I'll talk about those in a minute. That drive we were five out of six positive runs, all five to nine yard runs. The next drive. We were four out of five and the touchdown drive which we go down and he throws the pass, so eight out of 10 runs for two drives, we come back and execute very well, made the adjustments, got him in a groove and got doing what we had to do. We just weren't consistent enough in the other time. So it shows you right there. It's capable of being done and how we do it. We just got to come out with more confidence. And I think sometimes guys want to play, not try to be mistake free for you can't do that. You got to have confidence in what you do and go play and get your levels and make your calls. And couple times we miss cuts. We had runs. There was a run in the first drive in which we bring a counter around and don't stick it up inside. It's probably gonna score or go down the one yard line. I mean, it would been a very nice run. We missed the cut and there was another inside run on a belly play on the zone play that we should have cut it on the backside that we stuck it on the front. So it got about three, where it could've got like six or eight on the back side, my opinion. So it's a combination of those things from cuts and our tight ends even staying attached, sometimes coming on the push, and it's just we got to go back to fundamentals and going back to do it and pad level. we got. At times, I think we played too high. We're very big guys. I think we got to get down the pad level and play the lower pad level with some things in which we do.
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Jimbo as you go into this off week can you assess where you are? How far is this team from where it needs to be in terms of playing at a peak level?
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You know, I think it's just like any team is. I bet you any team that says it's close in the country is wrong. We're definitely not. We can play at a peak level, but we gotta play with greater consistency and we got a strain not just physically but mentally to stay locked in. It's the mental strain that where the great teams play it, that they understand the importance of every step of every alignment of every assignment, that how your toes pointed, how that and I know that sounds very trivial. But that's what it gets down to and the mental strain to do it each and every day. Say you're young and you learn to do that. Well, okay, but you don't have to be old to learn that. I mean, we have some young guys right now that are doing a really good job of that, and it's just I'm talking about as a football team and as a coach. We have people say, What do you do? Make him do it again. What do you do? Make him do it again. What do you do? Make him do it again until it becomes a habit, until you understand the importance of it. And if guys don't do it, you make adjustments, you move guys around. Depth and competition makes for great challenges and things that happen, and that's what we have to do and find guys are willing to do it each and every play. I don't think our guys don't want to do it. I'm not saying that, but it's like all of us to really get pushed and challenged in everything you do. I mean to have it each and every day. That's a hard thing. But that's the life we choose, as coaches and players and things we do. And we have to learn to do that. The teams that can do that the best are the teams that usually have the most success.
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You have some veterans, obviously, who have been through this kind of grind, who understand what it takes. For those younger guys is those things that you're talking about. Is that kind of the toughest part of the adjustment for them? Understand that it has to be done on a daily basis?
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Well, and I think also, when you get to that older level, I think also you gotta feel comfortable in your role of getting guys to make them do it, too, you know, I mean, you're on another level. Some guys who aren't vocal guys are saying you're in that group and you're trying to get guys in your group to do it. You can do it by example. A lot of guys don't feel comfortable saying that. We have guys that do but I'm just saying there's a fine line in that but you have to do it yourself. You have to find a way to do it yourself and want to do it and collaborate and point out like I say. When we point things out to guys, we're telling you guys, this is not criticism, it's feedback. However, you take it cause you can't get offended by what we're telling you. You just understand it's feedback and information for you to improve and you have to take it that way and it's hard. I mean, it is, it's hard and that the difference in games in this league is so, so finite because everybody has good players and it's who can get the mental grind and do it. Last year it took us a while. Then we finally got it at the end and we overcame some situations. We've gotta keep grinding in that situation now. We can have a good, very good football team and at times we play very good. We just don't play with enough consistency.
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You face number one, you're about to face number one again. We've all talked about how tough this schedule is. We've written about it, but at least is there some favorable part of this schedule where it sets up where you have an off week before you know, Alabama comes to your town to prepare for them?
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It's an off week as far as a game. It's a work week for us to fundamentally get better. Mean it came at a great time because I saw us. You know, we need that to go back and not get game plan week. Sometimes you can do both. But only having one to do in one week can sometimes help you know in situations. I think it's very good, not just because Alabama's coming, but whoever was coming. I think no matter who you play in this league. They're all so finite. I mean, Alabama's a great football team. We know that, but what we gotta focus on this week is ourselves, and our fundamentals and our mental toughness and our competitive nature to practice at a high level. So we create the habits which we have to do. And I know people think when they just say the same thing. Well, guys, that's the reason for success. I mean, it is. I mean, that's the reason you have success. What do you think Tom Brady's going to this week? I read the thing that their offense is struggling. He's, you know, he's going to go right back and have basic fundamental practice and do it. We're gonna have a basic, fundamental practice and get our guys to do it. I mean, that's what you have to do to have success, and successful teams do ordinary things better than anybody else when you get right down to it. We talked about the great players and certain levels of talent can overcome. I mean, guys can do things, but when you really look at the great teams that consistently win championships, the teams I've been on that won championships. Teams I've been on have high success. They did ordinary things better and more consistently than anybody else, and that's what we have to do. And we have to coach it that way, be that way and just keep doing it over and over and over and over and over until it sinks in.
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Justin was telling us, making a reference to last season after the Arkansas game, being 3-2 after a close win over Arkansas and the way that team responded. Do you see parallels that this team can draw upon from the one last season?
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Well, I hope so. Yes, I do. I mean, you see parallels because the guys have been through it. You have guys that have done it, and I think guys that understand the importance of how you have to look at this. I do. But then we've got to go back and do it, and that's what it's going to get down to and not just do it on Saturdays. I keep saying that we got to do it on the practice field and we do. We practice very similar at times. We'll have moments. I'll stop practice. Sometimes you yell at em, just say you guys. All right. Stop, Stop! You remember in the game when we had this moment when we lapse for a series or two? This is what we're doing in practice right now. So how you're feeling mentally, think about what you gotta do to push through these situations. You try to educate because sometimes kids don't know they don't know. And they can't feel when something is not, everybody can fix it once it's happened. What the great teams can do is not allow it to happen and start to have that feeling that you know this isn't going to happen and trying to educate them in that regard. And hopefully we can do that in practice. But yes, hopefully we can.
Can we get an update on Elam and Paul?
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Paul is going to redshirt. He had a discussion, and he said that he elected to redshirt. It was very tough and he's done a great job for us. We came to the conclusion for him and his future, and that's what he wanted to do. And I'm in agreement, I'm fine with that. And Elam is not available right now.
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Is that health or discipline?
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He's just not available right now.
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And one last thing, the California governor signing the bill today that their athletes can get endorsements, what's your thoughts on that?
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I saw that. That's, uh, I need to sit down and read it. I read it very briefly. As matter of fact, about an hour before I came down here somebody said, did you see this? I knew it was going through. I didn't know when it was ever going to go through. It's really going change how things are done, I mean, that's for sure. I'm anxious to see what the next step the NCAA takes in that regard. Then we'll have to make the accountable adjustments of what goes on. But that is definitely a game changer, and I'm gonna have to sit and think through that. I'm glad it happened on an off week, for the future of what's going to happen. Now if I'm not mistaken, tell me if I'm wrong, I didn't read the whole thing, it doesn't go into effect until what? 2023. That's three years. Four years. It's a game changer. If I'm not mistaken, aren't there…I've kept up on this, but during the season, sometimes I'm so focused on what we're doing…but aren't there some other states trying to pass some similar type laws? So it'll be how many states do it and what happens. It'll be a very interesting, I mean, it will be a game changer. We'll have to sit down as college coaches and our school and everything here, and how it affects everything going on. That definitely will have to happen.
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After five games, and you kind of see what you're doing well on offense and what you may be struggling with. You have a bye week, I'm anxious to see how much new stuff do you put in and toy with in a week like this? Maybe this will work better? How much do you do that?
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Well…here's the thing about putting new things in. It's hard for guys to expand and do new things if your fundamentals and the consistency level of the things I'm talking about aren't where they need to be. Because that makes you drift even more. You may have a trick play or something like that. People say well put something else in, well, then that takes fundamentals to get those down to do that. You need to be fundamentally sound before we go at it. What we're doing is fine. We need to do it better. We need to coach it better, because there's opportunities there. There's plays there. There's open people, there's runs, there's catches. There's the things we're doing. But we have to coach it better and then execute it better. So we have a few things, but we have to get our base fundamentals down. And I will give you an example. It's like, you know, you want to add something to your house and the infrastructure isn't done. You want to hang pictures, but the drywall isn't sound. I mean, you may hang a picture on it, but you may punch a hole through it too. You know what I'm saying? I use that as an analogy, but it's similar. It's hard to keep expanding and say I want to go do all these things, and some base just blocks, routes, throws, how we fit on defense, how we cover on defense, aren't exactly the way we want them. You gotta be careful, because then you really get strung out.
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Talked to Kellen after the game and he felt like the offense was moving a little bit quicker, a little bit more of a rhythm. Was that something that you saw?
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Yep. We tried to play at a higher tempo. We tried to get up and get calls and get things communicated quicker so we could get more communication time. Just play at a faster tempo, get in situations that we had and try to get in a rhythm a little bit better and we did. We had 11 drives in the game. The first drive, we have a sack, but we misplay a ball. We lost a ball in the lights, dropped a touchdown pass. Then we score a touchdown, score a touchdown. Then we have a critical fumble on a read that we do 100 times. They're running up the field, we pull it. We have a really nice play coming out the back side. Then we have a sack, then we score a touchdown. So three out of six drives we scored a touchdown. We were in a good rhythm. We had things going and that's the frustrating thing about the turnover which end up being a turnover six. We can't do that. But far as a rhythm, knowing what to do, and moving the football, we did a pretty good job in that regard.
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What you remember last year in the week between Clemson and ULM, When LaCamera got hurt, you moved to Seth Small. What you remember about Seth making that transition and what's he been able to do for the team?
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He really transitioned very well. And then remember, if I remember right, he hit some really nice kicks. Went over to Alabama and hit a 52-yarder and had a couple nice kicks over there. Then he hit a little lull, had a little struggle. Sometimes for a guy when they first come in, if you watch, they go through that. In other words, when a guy subs in the game as a quarterback and does very well, you say ok, he'll be the starter next game. Then he struggles. You say what happened? Well, starting a game and doing it and having all that time to think, and he had a couple good weeks and went well, then he hit a little struggle. Then he came back and played well. I think this year, he's learned from that. That's why I'm so impressed with the kick he just made because he was having a great year, he never missed a kick, any PATs, no field goals, then he missed two field goals last game that he was capable making, which, okay. But then to come back in that critical time, that's the next time you get a chance? To me, that shows his maturity, the way he is, the type of young man he is, and how he does things. I think he transitioned well last year. That was a tough situation because you're coming in, and…how many times does a kicker get hurt? You can say that as a lineman or a linebacker a quarterback, there's still a chance that guy could get hurt and I'm going to play. Sometimes as a kicker you're thinking there ain't no way…first time I ever had kicker get hurt in 30 years, that I can remember anyway. And the guy has to come in and make that transition very quickly. I thought he did a nice job. Then he hit some struggles, but then he bounced back. And I think he really learned from those last year and has done a really nice job. That was a huge play in that game for him to come in and make that kick in that situation.
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Do you feel a lot of confidence in that starting lineup? Or do you think in this open week that you would use that to maybe make some changes?
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In what regard? Like, where?
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Okay, receiver, offensive line, defensive line…
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The guys who've played the best and are making the most plays…at receiver we're getting a good rotation. You know, the addition of Ainias in that is huge. he's making a lot of plays, doing things, keeping him involved. But we've got a really good rotation in that group, guys that have made plays off and on, got to get more consistent. Offensive line, we'll tweak and turn, if some guys up there can play a little bit, the backups, McCollum was banged up there for a week or so and he's getting healthy again. He got in the game the other day. Did some really nice things in playing. Getting those young tight ends to develop, cause you only got two there anyway, so you're keeping that rotation. And running back right now, you're two-man, a little three-man deal with CJ, so there's not a lot of change you're going to make. There's not a lot of places you can go. You've just got to get better. And you don't need to (change) because the guys are very good players. We gotta play better. Defensively, the same thing. We've got to play better. We didn't play one of our better games in this game and we've got to do a better job there. And then special teams.
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