Aggies Talk South Carolina at Weekly Press Conference

Jimbo Fisher and select players met the media Monday at the Aggies' weekly press conference inside the Kyle Field Media Center.

A transcript of Fisher's comments are below as well as video from both coach and select players.
 

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Before we get started today I want to start us off with a special thank you to all the veterans in our country. We have freedom in this country, and it's not free. There are a lot of folks who sacrificed and made a lot of sacrifices of themselves and their families for us to have the rights and things which we have. For all of our active military right now today too, a special congratulations and shout out to them too. It's a special day. And without all of them, we would not have the things we have and be able to do the things we're doing right now. And also a couple of guys, Joseph Mawad and John Locke, who were actually Marines, they're on our team now as walk-ons. But they were Marines and served in the service. So a special thank you to them also.
 
The off week, we came back and worked very hard. Had some good fundamental practices. Worked on some schemes for upcoming opponents that are coming in, some different things that we may implement in as we go, just introduced them so our guys will have an idea what they're about when we put them in during game week. Worked a lot on fundamentals and hopefully got better in those three good, physical practices. And got some time off. Hopefully we'll come back sharp and ready to play this week and have a great week of practice.
 
South Carolina's a very talented football team. I know they come off a tough loss this weekend, but it's also a team that went to Georgia and won and did very well. Played Florida to the hilt. Got a couple calls that were very tough on them in that situation that could have won that football game. I mean, they've got a very good team. They can run the football. The young quarterback gets better and better each week. Edwards is an outstanding receiver. They're gonna get two of their receivers back, 13 and 18 will be back this week hopefully, that's what it sounds like in the media for them. So they'll be more dangerous. Defensive front-wise they're one of the best fronts we'll see all year. One of the top fronts in this whole league. Inside guys are very physical, can rush the passer. Very dominant, very strong up front. Linebackers are active. Secondary guys can run. Both corners are long, lanky, 6-3, 6-4 guys. Safeties can tackle, can come down hill. Special teams do a really good job. Will's a very good football coach. They're very sound. When you sit there and look for things, when you get in formations against different teams you'll play and you say well, we can get something here, get something there. There's not a lot you'll get. You're gonna have to earn it. They line up in the right places, do the right things and have a good football team. So they're gonna come in here guns blazing, ready to play, and we need to come out the break and finish these next three games and play the way we need to play. But we've got to start it off this week first and play a great game. This game was a great game last year and it always is a great game. We've got to play well, so hopefully we will.
 
I think you're at three scholarship seniors now. So I wanted to ask you what is the good and bad of having such a young team?
 
Well, the good is you see the future, if you keep progressing and getting better, which I think you can see. And you see a lot of us, a lot of the guys that are making plays on offense and defense and even special teams, you see all that youth, you see the excitement, But the same time, you wish they always could grow up and know more quicker, handle situations, how to practice, how to do this, how to deal with that situation. But also, that innocence sometimes gives you…they don't feel things at times either. I mean, they don't realize what they're in. They're just playing. Sometimes that's good, too. But it's great. I think that's who we are. The good about it is that you can see that we have definitely recruited the right guys and I think they've got great futures. Where we're going, how we're getting there is the right way. We're playing the right way, doing the right things. And those guys are having a huge part of it, along with some of the upperclassmen, who I think will come back and play very well. So I think you see the future is extremely bright. But at the same time, you know, there's always as I say, a 'knucklehead' thing that happens that has nothing to do with anything but one word. Experience. And sometimes you've got to fight through those things.
 
I'm not mistaken, this would be the fourth time you've faced a true freshman starting quarterback. Do you look at that as just kind of an anomaly or is this something that's gonna become more common?
 
You'll see more of it. I think you're gonna force kids to play. I think kids are getting pushed to play. I think the high-recruited guys are getting into that mix more. I don't think it's anything that is out of the ordinary anymore. I really don't. When we said Tebow was the first sophomore to win the Heisman, everyone was like wow. Then Johnny won as a redshirt freshman and Jameis won as a redshirt freshman. I mean, those things are all going to become normal now.
 
In the last couple of weeks, there have been two coaches at pretty high-profile programs being fired with less than two years on the job. Do you find that to be an alarming trend?
 
I don't know. My thoughts and prayers go with those schools, those coaches, because those players are the ones that are trying to play, and they've got to get them right. But that is the world we live in. Things happen, things things are going on, and also I think each situation is definitely different. And I think each school acts based on what they think is right and what they think is wrong.
 
With the relationship that you have with Will Muschamp, does that make games like this more interesting?
 
Yeah. I mean, it doesn't make it any fun. Doesn't make it any more fun. I mean, you're a competitor. You've got to go compete. You can't worry about who it is. It's like if you said even your brother. You've got to go compete and coach your tail off. But you'd rather play guys that aren't friends. Or that you don't know as well, to be honest with you. I would. Personally.
 
Ainias Smith. I know we've talked a lot about him, but how has he developed even more over the last couple of weeks? And what growth has he shown?
 
Well, I think versatility to learn. Be able to move, start out in the slot, next go slot weak. He can go outside. His punt return capability is getting him on the field, getting him touches. Just his overall knowledge of things. This guy is a really good football player. And he's going to develop into a really good player because he has three things: One, he has ability. Two, he is super competitive. And three, he has great intelligence. He gets it, you know what I'm saying? Football makes sense to him. So you can do things that he understands. And I'm going to tell you what. He's physical for his size. He's shorter, and I joke about it all the time with him, but he's not little. He's a strong guy. He can block. He runs through tackles. He breaks tackles. He just has a natural knack to play the game. I love him to death.
 
Jimbo, their defensive line…Wonnum gets a lot of headlines, Kinlaw, but this Aaron Sterling guy is putting up huge numbers. How much has he made them more complete?
 
All the way across. You look at their defensive line, they're one of the top in this league. Who's the top? You can argue back and forth, but they're right there in that conversation when you go across the board, ends, tackles, play the run, play the pass, stunts…Can say I got him one on one or on a run block we can get him, but all of a sudden he stunts and gets an inside stunt. I mean, those guys are a pain now. They really are. They're coached very well. They do a good job on defense. They are a complete defensive line, and having all those guys on the end and on the inside makes it tough.
 
In the middle third of the season you had an opportunity to work more on your running game and with your tight ends on being more effective weapons. How much better do you think on offense you all are now to go forth these next three games than you were a month ago?
 
Hopefully a lot. And again, that comes with time. You had to get those guys in those situations to understand how to do it. And not only understand, understand the consistency. The technique it took, the physicality it took. I mean, those guys are extensions of linemen. They're blocking all those big ends and tackles that you're talking about a lot of times. So as they continue to grow, it's allowed us to do a lot more things and take some pressure off the quarterback being able to run the football, then build them into play-action passes and things that go on. So it's been a big part of it. That's why I love using those tight ends so much.
 
Kind of in the same vein, since the Auburn game you've improved in rushing every single game since then. From that sample is it the guys up front? Is it the running backs maturing? The tight ends? Is there a combination?
 
To answer your question, yes. Because the backs…I mean, you think that time Spiller had to go into that game, he hadn't really played a lot. And as you're finding out that's one of the best defenses that we've faced all year. Their front guys are really good. They'll have a lot of guys get drafted off that front, and very high. I think we've gotten better up front. Our tight ends, our edges, have gotten better. Our backs, and the runs, and the lanes they run, and how they've got to run, the physicality they've got to run with, taking care of the football…those things have all gotten better. That was the part of the pain of, as he said, the good things about young guys and bad things about young guys. You knew they could do it. But how soon? And at the level you've got to be at to win in this league, how quick could they get there? And I think you're starting to see that now. They're getting better and better.
 
One of the first things you talked about when you arrived here was expanding the brand. The 2020 class, I think, has 20 players now, obviously you can't talk on individuals, but from nine different states. So obvious question here, but do you feel like it's working?
 
Yeah. Like I say, and I've always said this, we want to work inside out. We want to work inside out, and you've gotta work your home bases out. But then if we go out, if we can get the guys, or if we can't get the guys, you can't always limit yourself to that. Sometimes guys will come, or there may not be something of that particular position that year and you have to be able to brand yourself. And I think that's what the game of college football is now. It's a national game, and we have things that attract folks here. When you see the facilities, the stadium, the commitment to excellence, where we're going, how the program is, and the resources that A&M has, the tremendous education that A&M has…you're a top-20 school in the country. Your former students, the number of former students. How Aggies take care of Aggies, the Aggie Ring, all those things. When people start getting introduced to those things, it makes a big difference. This this is a tremendous, tremendous place to sell things to. People see what we're doing here, and hopefully we'll continue on the trend in which we're going. But we still love Texas. We're going to work inside out. We always want to work inside out.
 
After you got here, how long did it take you to think that Justin Madubuike might be a special player and has he played to the high expectations you had?
 
He's getting there. I'd liked Madubuike a lot early. I really did. I liked him a lot early. Just for some reason the way he jumped off the page at me. His athleticism and some of the things he did. And he's really learning how to be that guy. I mean, he's continuing, learning each and every day. Remember, he's a young guy. He didn't play much as a freshman, played a little bit, and really last year and this year are the two years he's played. He's learning to be that guy and how to do it each and every down, in situations too. Again, I go back to that. Experience, and what to expect, how to expect, then you become a relevant player and you get double teamed, how you open up another guy, or how you get off of that thing. He just keeps getting better and better. If he keeps improving he's got a chance to have a really, really bright future in this game.
 
Where is Kellen's game coming off this three-game winning streak? And is he where you thought he would be coming into the season?
 
Nobody's ever where you want them to be or where you thought they'd be. But I think he's a guy who understands his role, how to compete and how to play, and understands our offense. Is very open to his thinking and seeing things. What I'm saying is he understands the run game. He understands the pass game, getting us in and out of the right plays, getting us in and out of the right protections. He is making good decisions, being accurate with the ball. I think he's playing really good football, and I think he's using his legs when it's the right opportunity, People say, well, he should look to run. You don't look to run. You react to run. There's called runs, if you have a called run or you read it, you do it. But you've got to react. You can't say I'm just going to go look to run. He's letting the game come to him. There's a term I always say, trust your eyes. You've got to trust what you see and react and play. Cause if you think about it, you think what's going to happen and you start anticipating, it becomes crazy. There's a relaxation period, okay, I got this, let me just see what happens, and I'll just do it. You grow in what you do. Just like you guys do when you write. The story can't come to you, then all of a sudden you start flowing. You ever do that when you write? It's the same way when you play. You can't go out there and say I'm gonna go run for 100 yards. I'm gonna throw for 300. You've got to trust your eyes and make decisions based off that, because the game is bigger than all of us that have coached it and played it. And I think he's doing a really good job of trusting his eyes right now and reacting to what he sees.
 
Going back to Brian Edwards, what kind of threat is he and what does he really add to that offense?
 
I mean, you're talking about the leading receiver in school history at South Carolina. They've had some dadgum good guys there. That guy named Sterling Sharpe there one time was pretty good too. And they threw it back then. They threw it a bunch back then. This guy's big. He's long. He's physical. He can catch the underneath ball and run with it. He can catch the ball over the top. He can jump ball and get the ball. He's a punt return guy. He gets yards after the catch. He's physical in the block. Touchdown catches. Red zone with his body. He'll be a great pro. This guy's gonna be a great pro.
 
You talked about South Carolina being a capable team and a very talented one. So I guess what's the main focus? How would they be able to beat you? And what have you guys have been focusing on?
 
We have to focus on ourselves. We have to focus on what they do and the techniques in which we've got to play against them. But we've gotta be focused on ourselves and play our game, do what we do, run our techniques and execute our plays and keep pressure on them in all three phases constantly, because they're a very good football team. They can play, they've got good players, and what you can control is what you can control. That's how you play and the way you play, the attitude you play with, the intensity you play with, the focus. But the detail and the execution in which you play with, you have to do it for four quarters.
 
More on the quarterback deal, just big picture. You're a guy who's known for working with quarterbacks, and it is a trend where you're either starting as a freshman or if you don't, you leave. So one, is the horse out of the barn on that? Can you do anything about it? And two, what would be your spiel to a kid, a young quarterback who you would want to stay for a while?
 
Well, I think two things. I'll say as a general statement, that position leaves more than any other position because you usually only play one. But I also I think it bases off the individual. I think it bases off the individual, what he sees his future as and where he sees his role at. And can he play as a sophomore, junior or senior where he goes? And my thing is, it isn't where you start the race. It's where you finish. Are you gonna be prepared when you get to the next level? Do you understand protections? Do you understand how to read coverage? Do you understand how to go through a progression, whether it's a progression of routes or a progression from coverage and how it gets you to there? Do you understand runs? Do you understand fronts? Your knowledge of the game…you can hurry to play and get to play, but sometimes when you play a ton when you're early, you don't know all the things you need to know. Everybody says, well, experience is huge, It is. But knowledge is even greater. Knowledge is the greatest thing you could have. Wisdom and knowledge. And sometimes that takes time. So sometimes patience is a great thing. And I think that's also why sometimes you have guys that don't succeed as well at the next level. Some do, some don't, and it's always been that way. But I think sometimes you're not quite ready. You don't have enough information in your computer up here to play that next level. I think you've got to look at what the circumstances are, what your opportunities are. Say you started two or three years. Lord Almighty. Is that a disaster? It's really not. At that position it makes a big difference. I mean, it really does. But that's what it is. It's a trend in our world, not just there, at any position. That's just the way our world is and the way things are right now.
 
You mentioned about the backs and the tight ends coming along. From the outside looking in, I feel like Kellen had to shoulder a lot of the load as guys came into their roles. I'm curious how you think he handled that and if he maybe doesn't have to shoulder as much down the stretch as you guys have gotten better at other positions?
 
Yeah…well, I say that. Here's the thing. He's handling it in different ways. Their production is still a product of him doing the right things. I think he's shouldering it in a different way, not as much maybe physically as he is mentally, because we can do more and put them in position to handle the ball more in key situations and do things. Yes, he did shoulder a lot of it, but I think he did really well. He gave us opportunities to be successful in those games, brought us in those games, competed in those games, and he played his heart out, his toughness, and that's part of being a quarterback. That's why as a quarterback, sometimes you've got to put more on your shoulders. Sometimes you've got to allow the guys around you to function. People will say, well, that guy's a game manager. That's the greatest compliment any quarterback can never get. Great players are game managers. The great ones are game managers. Joe Montana was a game manager. Tom Brady is a game manager. John Elway. They all were. They managed the right decisions and then when they had to make plays physically, they could do that. And I think he's getting to that point. That's why it's going to be fun watching him. As we put the pieces around him to continually grow, it's going to be fun to watch.
 
You feel pretty good about Elijah Blades and Demani Richardson playing in this game?
 
Yeah. They practiced and they should be good to go. Yes, sir. I mean, we'll see as they get out there. But as I'm getting reports now, yes.