Jimbo Fisher, Kellen Mond, Buddy Johnson and Dan Moore Jr. met the media on Monday at the Aggies' weekly press conference inside the Kyle Field Media Center.
Video of the sessions is available below.
Aggies Meet Media at Weekly Press Conference
Jimbo Fisher, Kellen Mond, Buddy Johnson and Dan Moore Jr. met the media on Monday at the Aggies' weekly press conference inside the Kyle Field Media Center.
Head Coach Jimbo Fisher
Opening Statement…
“I’m very proud of our team. We got a hard-fought SEC West victory on the road at Auburn. It’s an extremely tough place to play, matter of fact, I believe it’s the only game they have lost in Auburn this year. That place is always a tough place to play. I’ve coached there, they always play different, their players play different and we knew it. I am proud of our guys and the way they battled. We knew it was going to be a four-quarter game. Our guys fought; the line of scrimmage was very important on both sides. I thought we lost them on defense for a while. I thought they ran the football, made some plays up front, and we didn’t play as well as we had been.
Offensively, the offensive line was outstanding. We gained them back in defense late in that fourth quarter and the way we stood up, I think that was a hard-fought victory. I think our kids played hard, they made critical plays at critical times in the game. They answered calls and had opportunities in the game. I thought the drive before half was huge. We got down 10-7 and scored right before the half to get back ahead. [Auburn] came out and got momentum to get a score, and then we drove and hit the official in the head with the ball and didn’t convert third down. [Auburn] came back and I thought our defense stood up, even though they gave up two big drives, on that one they got a stop in the red zone and kept it to a field goal and one-score game. We were able to go right back and get the lead back, which was huge.
Another huge play in that game was Caden Davis making a tackle on the kickoff. We uncharacteristically did not do a good job of covering that kick, we have got to get that fixed. That play was outstanding by Caden Davis. That was a huge play and we were able to get a stop there, go back and score again. The defense got us off the field again and we were able to eat the clock on offense, over five and a half minutes off the clock, got down to get a big field goal right there and Seth [Small] made a big kick.
All parts, when the game was on the line, made catches. Another thing, the scramble by Kellen [Mond] in the last drive was huge. The catch by Ainias [Smith] was amazing. [Isaiah] Spiller was awesome in the game. [Jalen] Wydermyer, Ainias, our offensive line was outstanding. Our defense, like I said, got it going. Our secondary did a good job. Our kicking game, we had some flaws, but made it when we had to. Just proud of that hard-fought SEC West road win. I thought it was very mature of our team, the way we played and handled those situations. Now we need to continue to grow and we got to get better.”
On the run game and controlling the clock…
“You want to control the clock, but here is the key to controlling the clock, you score points on the drives. Time management and control of the clock is only good if you score points. Today time management is least important in winning for most teams, because everyone is explosive and makes big plays. But if you are doing that and you are helping your defense, you’re scoring points as a team and you break the rhythm of the offense, then it becomes very vital. That’s the key, we are scoring touchdown and scoring points on those drives. It is very critical in not only eating the clock, but making the plays in the red zone. If you look, our efficiency in the red zone has been really good. Except for the other day, our third-down efficiency has been outstanding. If you eat like that, you have to be a very good third down team, but you have to be in third-and-manageable situations which we weren’t in the LSU game. All those things combined with clock management are very important.”
On the team learning how to win…
“It’s about playing the next play and not feeling sorry for yourself, not worrying about the outcome, not looking at the scoreboard and say the sky is falling. It’s play the next situation. What do I have to do and how do I have to do it? That team is competing hard, so I have to raise my game. I can’t feel sorry for myself; I can’t look for a hole to hide in and say it’s not my fault. Instead, I grab a guy and say we are going into this battle. It’s all a psychological deposition on how to compete. Don’t look for answers to lose, find ways to win and have success and if you don’t put your head on the pillow at night and you go to sleep and don’t worry about it. It’s attacking those situations; the pressure is only if you worry about outcome. We worry about the next play, what my assignment is, I know how to do it and how I am going to do it. I know the answer to the test, so let me go it. There is perseverance and not worrying about the outcome, looking at the scoreboard and the flows of the game. Momentum of the game is going against us and you know how you change it? You make good plays in a row, a whole bunch of them right in a row, and play with consistency. I think we are learning that and not getting caught in the flows of the game and learning to control what we can control. We can change the momentum when we play well.
On the team remaining focused through the distractions of this season…
“I think it’s about the leadership of our team, guys are keeping other guys on task. As coaches, you can remind them all day long, but it’s the leadership of our team that is reinforcing the things we say. They are managing the team, they are running the team, and we are just setting the rules. The leadership on this team is doing an outstanding job of that. I think it is the bond in which they have, the respect in which they have for each other. Everyone says they love each other, but you have to respect the guys on your team. When you start there, you get the love and the trust and all the things that go along with it. I think those things are coming together as a football team.”
Senior LB Buddy Johnson:
On the defense’s confidence as a unit against any offense…. “We are confident as a unit and up for the challenge. We know that Ole Miss has a great explosive offense, but I feel like we go against the most explosive one every day at practice. We are fired up and ready to go.”
On what changed in the fourth quarter at Auburn and the leaders not getting frustrated… “Our leaders stepped up and took control of the team. We needed our guys to lock in and finish in the fourth quarter. That is one thing Coach Fisher is always harping on, finishing. I think that is something we did. We played as a team in the end. That is something we have to continue building off of.”
“There was no frustration when we weren’t getting those stops. That’s another thing, we kept our composure the whole time and had guys staying locked in. Especially the leaders, which is one of the biggest things, the leaders kept everyone together. If guys have someone to follow within the leaders of the team, the frustrations won’t pop up.”
On his last home game as an Aggie, choosing A&M and program… “It is an amazing feeling. I feel like Kyle Field and Texas A&M has given me everything plus more. When you chose a university, they tell you don’t choose a coach and I feel like I choose this program from how the fans are, the atmosphere and everything else that goes with it. I am so blessed to have an opportunity like this and I can only thank God. As I said, Kyle Field and A&M have given me everything plus more, and man, it is an unbelievable feeling.”
On avoiding the distractions and staying focused… “Our leaders have kept guys locked in. Coach Fisher has done a great job at making sure we stay away from those types of things. He is always harping on eliminating the clutter. I think our team understands that once guys start to get lost in the media, playoff talks, and everything associated with that, you start to lose focus. Guys know we have a task here and we are fired up about it and the opportunity in front of us. Once we start to get lost in it, it can all go away as fast as it came.”
Senior QB Kellen Mond
On fourth quarter conditioning and team’s mental composure… “I think that is something that we pride ourselves on. Not just physical conditioning, but to mentally have that stability to maintain our focus, composure and confidence late in the game when we are down or winning. I think that not only goes to what Coach Schmidt does with the physical game, but the way we prepare within our coaches and players. It takes everybody, not only players to be mentally conditioned, but also coaches to be mentally conditioned as well.”
On his last game at Kyle Field… “I’ve definitely thought about it and it’s definitely going to be a game and time I remember. All the games I have played in Kyle Field, all the ups and downs within my career and the people, players and coaches that I have been around. I am thankful and hopeful I get that last chance to play in front of the 12th Man.”
On the team learning how to win… “I think it has to do with having the ability, composure and poise. A lot of teams, when they are down in the fourth quarter, might show a sense of panic or other traits. But we are able to keep our poise and continue to fight on. We focused on what we have to do and sticking together. I saw that in the Florida game and some of these other big games where we are down. We are not afraid to run the ball seven straight times on a drive. Having that level of confidence within each other, having the mindset and level of focus is not easy. It is something that we definitely have to work and train for every day.”
On the offensive line… “It has been tremendous to see their growth. Like I said, it goes back to the work they put in during the offseason. Not only physically, but mentally, to be prepared for every single week. A guy like Ryan [McCollum] who is in his fifth year, has worked tremendously hard to get on the field. He was hurt last year and lost that spot to Colton Prater. Ryan has worked extremely hard and is playing well, so I am glad he could be the third one to receive [SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week]. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get more offensive lineman on that board.”
On reflecting on his time here at Texas A&M… “With graduation going on right now, I have been able to reflect a lot. I do a lot of reflecting, thinking about my first times in College Station and first times at A&M, being recruited and my journey from San Antonio. I faced a lot of adversity and the ways I have been able to overcome that since I’ve been in college has to do with the people around me. Those people have been able to help me through, which has been tremendous.”
Senior OL Dan Moore Jr.
On his last game at Kyle Field… “It means a lot, especially for the guys that I came in with. Watching us all grow closer together each day and mature over the years is something cool to be a part of.”
On the three offensive linemen earning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this season… “We definitely congratulate each other and it means a lot to each one of us. We all work hard, especially Ryan [McCollum]. With him being a fifth-year guy, he definitely deserves that. But we are not satisfied and we know that we have more to accomplish as a unit, offensively and as a team. Until then, we are just going to keep grinding.”
On playing for Jimbo Fisher… “He is eager to win and is going to push you. Whatever you think you have inside of you he is going to get more out of you. He is a great coach and if I were a recruit coming in, I would want to play for him.”