Notebook: Week 8 Press Conference

Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics

Oct 24, 2022 | Football

Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies returned to the mic on Monday afternoon as they held their Ole Miss game week press conference inside the Kyle Field Media Center. A&M and the Rebels will tangle at Kyle Field on Saturday night (6:30 p.m., SEC Network).

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Jimbo Fisher's opening statement:

Looking at the film, a lot of fight in our guys, but we put ourselves behind the eight ball early. With 9:50 something on the clock I think we were down 17-0. Never been a part of that. The kickoff, we covered it right, we just didn't make the plays. We were there to make the plays, but a couple missed tackles, couple broke tackles and did not finish on the tackles. Guy made a great return. Put it where we wanted, kicked it, got down there, hustled and just didn't make the plays. We've got to do that. And we've been really good at covering kickoffs, it's something we've done extremely, extremely well, and plus the kick(off). And when we have ran it we've tackled well. We didn't do that. Then had two quick turnovers and unfortunately got behind and then showed a lot of guts, a lot of pride, a lot of character coming back and moved the football very well offensively after that. We booted, nakeded, got the running game going, had great balance throwing and passing, hitting different guys and got back in the game. Came out (after half) and had a really good drive to open up, had a chance, had a big shot and then just couldn't get enough time to get it off. Didn't get a score but pinned them in, and they got out and got a short punt, we got it back, then got a turnover, got back in the game, just couldn't get to one more drive.

But I mean, there's still things. We're moving the ball much better offensively, got to play more consistent. Got some guys banged and got to get some chemistry, ran the ball really well in the first half, second half did not as much, didn't get the running game going. It was like four guys on, one guy off...we couldn't get it going. Defensively we did a really nice job, created two turnovers in the game. They had the one long drive at the end, unfortunately. The drives they had, we were there to make plays, just missed some tackles in space. Got to keep tackling, which you always do. They did a good job and have a very good team. But, you know, just disappointed...but we gave ourselves a chance. The fight and the heart are right there, we're one play away and we've got to find it. I believe in our kids, have a lot of faith in our players, have a lot of faith in what we're doing. Just got to keep coaching them and they will get there. Their heart, their fight, their soul, we've just got to get them to execute a little better in the beginning and all the way through some key situations on both sides and special teams. We're not where we want to be. No one's happy, I promise you that. We've just got to play better and finish it off.

Week 8 Press Conference Quotables:

On cautioning younger players against hitting the panic button on what's being built: Well, I mean, listen, here's what you tell them. Everything you do is put on film. I always say you're playing for your life. You are. Because every play you play, somebody is evaluating you. The pros, the guys, your teammates, everything. So just play and have faith in what you've got to do. And then as crazy it sounds, our guys, we're playing hard. The things they see, and we show it on film. Look, it's right here. And if we do this, this and this, it's right here. And the plays we make, whether it's offense or defense, they see. They're disappointed we didn't make them, but they understand how when I say we're trying to educate and teach. And we've got to find different ways to teach, find different ways to make sure we're asking them to do the right things. But their buy in you can see in how they're playing, how hard they play. We've just got to get them to play better and we've got to coach them better and keep going. I keep saying it, it's like a broken record, but it's right there. That part of it right now, our guys believe and are into it. We've talk to them and communicate with them every day about it.
On Ole Miss doing a great job of running the ball: The key to them, if you watch it, and it always has been, is running the ball. I don't mean they don't throw the ball, but there's not a lot of concepts conceptually when you're talking about a true passing game like you'd think of those things. It's more RPOs, going fast, then getting maxxed up, taking big shots down the field, which they do a great job of. And then on their third down, they'll have their packages. Deep down, it's more RPOs and running and the speed of the offense more than the scheme. I don't mean to take anything away from them, there's good schemes in what they do, but the speed of it and timing of it and the RPOs and all that is one of the big secrets. They can get you going and then get maxxed up and take shots on you.
On emphasizing stopping the run against Ole Miss: Well we did, and we played really well against the run last week, I thought for the most part. A couple of them broke out. But you have to. And you have to do it with the tempo and get set and make sure guys are there. Because if they can get that run game going, then it becomes a two-headed monster that really goes on you. And you've got to play well up front, there's no doubt. Sometimes, like they say, in space and when they widen you out you've got to handle things up front by yourself. So it's going to be a tough challenge for sure. Ole Miss is a very good team and has done a really good job on defense. They've got eight starters back from a year ago and they mix and match that thing and they know what to do with it.
On, beyond the execution of the players on the field, anything the coaching staff can do to help the offense score points: Keep staying aggressive. We had some shots in that game that we didn't get off, and had some guys down there open. We've got to stay aggressive we've got to get the ball to the playmakers, guys who get touches that can make guys miss and score, like Achane...the thing we're going to do is stay aggressive. Listen, the last couple of weeks we haven't achieved everything but we've moved the ball much better, been more in sync, had more creativity and guys are understanding what to do better. And we will keep staying aggressive, because I believe in them. We have a bunch of good players and we've got to keep giving those playmakers touches and and I think that will happen. And again, stay consistent with drives and not get behind the eight ball.
On his message to recruits about the future of the program: Look at what we're doing and the guys that we have...look at the young players on this team, look at the young talent we have, look at the guys making a lot of the plays and they see it. We've got a good nucleus of what we're doing and that we're only a play off in all those games. You see it and be truthful about it. The key in recruiting, there's no pitch. When you're a good recruiter, you tell the truth. Recruiting is about two things: truth and relationships. You can draw it up a hundred ways but it's silly. There is no pitch. There is no magic formula. There is no pixie dust. You build a relationship through truth and trust, and be honest with them about where you see them, what they do. And you don't base everything off one year either. You base things off history, what people have done, where they've been, what's happened, and see the future of what our program is. But it's based off truth and trust. That's what you tell them.
On the play of Haynes King and Conner Weigman: I'll tell you what, if you go back and watch Haynes, he played very, very good football game. A lot of good throws, put us in great positions, had good runs, scrambled, did get some pressure on third downs and made some good third down throws, led us on some really nice drives. He played a very, very, very, very solid football game and made some really big-time plays. Conner went and did a really nice job. Somebody asked me (after the game) was he not prepared, he was prepared. Because he's worked his butt off every week. He understands what we're doing. A couple throws, maybe it's a read here and there, and if he had some more time on a couple of things he could have made it, but his eyes were good. He got the ball out. He saw the field and could come back and regurgitate to you on the sideline what he saw, why he saw it, what happened, and it was exactly what you saw on film when you graded the film. And I thought a couple of things you'd like to have back, a read or two here that he saw but I thought he played really well.

Player Quotables:

TE Max Wright on the confidence level that everybody is still fully invested in this season: “I'm very confident that this team hasn't checked out. I think that as frustrating as the start of the season has been, there's still a lot of ball left to play. There's still a lot of great things that can happen in the rest of the season that can still help us finish out this year really strong. Any time that you have a fairly young team and you face some disappointment early, there's definitely a lot of that mindset that kind of starts to creep in. And I think that's where some of the older guys, it's important for us to kind of take these young guys on their shoulders and be like, Hey, you know what? This is when you find out who's going to be in the foxhole with you. It's going to happen eventually. You're going to have frustration. You're going to have difficult times in a season. It's important to us to really lean on each other and rally into each other rather than to turn it into an individual thing. It's important for us to remember that, you know, it's in the past. You can't change how it's been, but you can change how is going to be in the future.”
Wright on finally playing at Kyle Field again: "Super excited. I think that excited is an understatement. We've all been talking about that. Playing on the road is hard, you know, especially when you do it continuous weeks in a row. It definitely takes a toll. That feeling of being able to just to prep for playing in Kyle Field all week and then, you know, just getting to be at home and playing in front of the fans is huge. Six weeks without being able to do that? That's the longest I've ever gone without playing in Kyle Field. There's nothing like it playing in golf and looking forward to that is always something super exciting. (It can) Absolutely (give us a spark). I think getting some chances to play in front of our fans and have the home field advantage...there's no other home field advantage like Kyle Field. Being able to have that going forward I think is huge. Being able to finish out the season strong and doing that will be huge.:
DB Demani Richardson on the locker room mood: "It definitely feels a little bit silent...but I still feel a sense of fight. And I know guys will go out there and practice hard and keep pushing and not give up. We're definitely together, but there's a bit of quietness, and we've got to keep going out there to fight hard every day."
Richardson on the importance of stopping the run this week: “I feel like it's a big part. We struggled a little bit, but I feel like we're getting better each week and every day. We're going to keep making it one of our key points and we're going to keep doing a good job of it.”
K Randy Bond on emotions when moving into the starting role: "I was just preparing all week to start like I do every week. And it just came Friday that, hey, you're going to be playing this week. So I just took confidence from that, went out, did what I could in the game."
Bond on Seth Small taking him under his wing: “Oh, yeah. Seth had a lot of impact on my growth as a kicker and as a person. He really helped me with my faith as well as (kicking). He just worked on pointing out tips and stuff and help fix my form and all that stuff last year, and I'm really thankful for getting the year with him. (His message was) Just trust. Trust yourself. And something that I take from him a lot is that I mean, no matter what the outcome is, your worth is not in results. It's in God. And so I just really took note of that and I still use that.”