Press Conference Quotes: Jimbo Fisher
Good to see y'all, glad to not see y'all last week, we needed a break. Eight weeks is, you know, that's a lot of games, that's a lot of bangs and bruises, and not just a physical strain, but the mental strain of preparing to get so many young players you're playing. And I think it was good for them to get a week off. We had good practices last week, our three practices we had Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday I thought went well. The staff, we got out on the recruiting trail Thursday and Friday. And then a day or so off on Saturday with family, and got back in the office yesterday. So it was good. Eight weeks, I can say, is a long time just for the mental strain of getting away and getting ready and try to make the stretch run.
As I say, they remember November. November is always important. You put yourself in a position to be relevant during the month of November in the first two months, and we have a chance to do that. But the big thing is we've got to be relevant each week and each day and not worry about the overall outcomes of things and where we're at. Just practice well and play well. We have a great opponent this week.
So the South Carolina game, I thought we played well in the game. I thought got off to a good start in all three phases, offense, defense, special teams. The things we did, after going back and reviewing film, the return was great. After the first series on offense, we got the turnover there, but then we scored the next six drives in a row. Defense, we were suffocating. I mean suffocating them on the line of scrimmage and not giving anything up, played extremely well and getting back to where we need to play.
So we get a great opponent this week. Auburn is probably playing as well as anybody in the league right now, they're playing great football. The quarterback, Bo Nix, is an outstanding player. Tank (Bigsby), the tailback, is playing outstanding. When he runs the football, they're a different team. And Bo's legs, he's making great decisions with the ball, being accurate, making plays downfield. Their tight ends, the other running backs, their offensive line's playing very physical. Receivers are doing a great job.
Defensively, I think they lead the SEC and I think they're fourth in the country in tackles for loss. They do a great job. They're getting penetration, creating negative plays. They're back to healthy. Their linebackers, (Zakoby) McClain and (Owen) Pappoe, are back now. Plus they have 31 (Chandler Wooten) and all the other guys they got. They've got really great depth. Up front they're physical. They also get TD Poultry back up front. TD was their leading sack guy and tackle guy before he had to sit out there for a while. Inside they're big. They're physical. Outside, (Roger) McCreary is a great corner on the edge. Smoke Monday, great there. (Zion) Puckett's a great player. (Nehemiah) Pritchard is a great player.
They're playing well. They're playing as well as anybody. They're kicking the ball, returning it, playing good on special teams. And, you know, they've won some big games. Beat Arkansas at Arkansas, then beat Ole Miss, who has played really hot. So we have to play a great game. This is a very good football team, but I think we're playing well too. I think we've found out a little bit who we are and we've got to keep growing and helping keep that focus and keep staying true to the process on a daily basis to get better and it starts with a great week of practice. So we need to to play play well here in this game against Auburn.
What is Bo Nix doing differently this season to play at such a high level?
Well, I think they're doing a great job in how they're calling the game. Mike Bobo does a great job passing. The head coach is an offensive guy. Brian's done a great job with that team. I think he's making great decisions with the ball. He's picking his moments when he runs. He knows where he's going, what he's doing with it and getting great play action because of the run game, which gets great matchups down the field for him. The tight ends have gotten involved and are catching the ball. Bo's a great competitor, man. He can beat you with his legs, his arm. He's competitive as heck. He's tough as heck, and he's just he's making really good decisions and being smart with the football.
Auburn has never lost at Kyle Field, do you guys talk about winning at home any more than on the road?
We do talk about playing in that stadium and representing that stadium and the opportunities you get there. We're blessed with one of the greatest stadiums in college football, if not the greatest, and playing in front of the best fan base. So we want to play well for those folks and in how we do things...But you know, that's how it all goes, comes together. When I was at Auburn, Auburn and Georgia was like that for a long stretch, and then it finally broke and went somewhere. I mean, eventually those things break, so it'll happen and we'll go. But we don't worry about those things. Each year is a different year.
Last year, you got to go up against Derek Mason and Vanderbilt. What have you seen, what do you remember, from his defense and how it's progressed?
Very, very sound, very physical, very diverse. Creates different coverages, leverages with the way he rushes the passer and where they attack things. They create a lot of different problems for you. It is not a very simple thing to do. Your players had to have a lot of awareness of where things were and what they did, and they gave you a lot of different looks. Derek is an outstanding coach.
What have you seen from Zach as he continues to work?
Knowledge. Confidence. Loves ball. Teammates respect him. Teammates like him. They play hard for him, and he just keeps getting better and better at the game. Keeps studying the game.
You touched on Brian Harsin. Any personal connection with him? And what about him and Mike Bobo? What have they kind of done different with the offense?
No, no. There's none with Brian. I never knew Brian before. He was a very good coach at Boise and I knew of him, but didn't have a personal relationship.
I think they've done what the players can do. Mike has a great football mind. Mike was a quarterback himself, played at Georgia, I coached against him. Dad was a coach. He's grown up in it his whole life. And I think he understands how to take care of a quarterback, but also ask the quarterback to do what he does, and then expand the roles with the people around him. And I think he's developed those guys into a very physical group that gets the ball to their playmakers, controls the line of scrimmage and puts the quarterback in very advantageous positions to be successful. And then the quarterback does it on his own himself.
You and your players have continuously mentioned focusing on one game at a time. How important is that to make sure your players don't get ahead of themselves?
They have to be. It's the process and it's one day at a time. The meeting I'm in. The drill I'm in. The exact play I'm on at that specific time. I mean, you can't be somewhere else. Your mind can't be everywhere else. And that's why it's hard for people to to imagine. Sometimes when you feel the pressure of a situation, if you've done it 1,000 times, the pressure is not there. You want the anxiety of having the confidence to be able to do it. But when you, as I say, study for the test and you know the answers, you don't have the anxiety taking the test. Now is there anxiousness and you want to make sure you do it right? Yes. But I think the key to being able to handle big moments, big games and the whole situation of playing well for a complete game is the preparation. And the only way you can do that, as we say, be where your feet are. Right now, what are we doing? Right now, what is my focus on? Then go the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing. And it's amazing how you prepare yourself for the game. It's the ultimate thing for us. To be able to have success to do those things is to stay true to the process.
