November 24, 2025 • 22 mins
Listen to Steve Sarkisian's press conferences every Monday at 11am on AM 1300 The Zone!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From a complimentary football standpoint, you think about, you know, defensively,
we've been harping on red zone defense, and those first
two drives getting stops after a couple explosive plays, I
thought was big, and that created a fourteen to six
lead for us. I thought collectively as a team, you know,
we got to stop at the end of the second quarter.
(00:21):
We got a good rush on the punt, we forced
a kind of a shanked punt, the offense got the ball.
We were able to get three points at the end
of the first half, knowing we were going to get
the ball to start the second half, we're able to
lap them there. And really those ten points were really
pretty critical in the game when you think about momentum.
I love the way we started offensively in the first half.
(00:43):
I love the way we came out and started again
there in the third quarter. So a lot of things
we've been trying to harp on and work on as
a team I thought, I thought really showed up. And
then naturally the turnovers and I think we're plus ten
on the year now and our ability to create two
more turnovers get fourteen points off of those things, and again,
(01:04):
not having a ballgame where you don't have any is
always a great sign for us, and so we're continuing
to do a good job of protecting it. We're gonna
need to do that again this week as far as
our fans go. What an awesome turnout and we haven't
had many ops and so Longhorn Nation was fantastic over
one hundred and two thousand Saturday at two thirty and
(01:25):
you could feel the energy in the stadium. It was
loud as exciting, and I know we're looking forward to
them again here Friday night for Senior Day as well
as obviously you know, hosting Texas A and M. And
this should be a great ballgame. You know when you
think about this as one hundred and twentieth meeting between
Texas and Texas A and M and the Cotton Holdings
(01:46):
Lone Star Showdown, and it's awesome. You know, it was
great to it was great to play them last year
and renewing the rivalry and going to Kyle Field and
now to have A and M back here in DKR
for the first time since twenty ten, you know, fifteen
years ago was the last time they were here. I
think is great for the rivalry. I know our fans
are excited about it. I know, I'm sure their fans
(02:07):
are excited about it, but I know our players are too.
It's a heck of a challenge. Just a really good
football team, and they're really good in all three phases.
You know, defensively that the numbers are are pretty startling
when you look at the third down defense, the sacks,
the tackles for loss, You look at the explosive playability
that they have on offense with Marcel Reid, the variety
(02:30):
of runners, and then obviously the receiving corps with Conceptsio
and Craver leading the way. But then they got a
lot of really good, you know, receivers that are making plays,
the tight ends are making plays. And then on special teams,
you know, they got electric return game with Busty and
CONCEPTSI on and kickoff and punt return. So a ton
of credit to A and M and the job they've
done to be undefeated up to this point. I think,
(02:50):
I think coach Elko has done a fantastic job. Got
a ton of respect for him and the way he's
built that program. So but that's creates opportunity for us,
and it would wouldn't want it any other way, uh
than to to have this ball game at home. Like
I said, Friday night after Thanksgiving, I can remember being
a kid in California watching this game. You know, it
(03:12):
was the only game on on Thanksgiving, and UH, to
be part of it is pretty special. And it was
special a year ago, especial again this year. I don't
I don't take games like this lightly. So, like I said,
we got some work to do. Obviously a little bit
more of a challenging week with it being a short week.
So we've got to be really efficient with our preparation
(03:34):
and our time. Uh, not only in the meeting room,
but on the practice field to make sure that we're
mentally and physically ready to play, uh, to put our
best foot forward against a you know, a top three
team in the country.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
If you have a question, Steve, first, would you prefer
for this game to be on Thanksgiving?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
And then secondly, what's the key to winning on third down? Uh?
I just I like it that this game that we
get an opportunity to stand alone. Okay, so whether it's
Thanksgiving or Friday after Thanksgiving, I just think this game
deserves the spotlight to stand alone. And the fact that
we're playing on Friday night with all the eyes of
(04:17):
college football on it and really the football world on
this game. I think this game deserves that. So whatever
that looks like, again, I'm not I'm not the decision
makers on that, so but I do think this is
a great opportunity for us. You know, last year we
were a Saturday night game and we were up against
some other games. So this year being Friday night, I
think is good for the game. As far as third down, Hey,
(04:40):
there's a couple of real factors that are that are problems. One,
they got a great scheme and and coach Elko notorious
for his third down packages. You know, we've we've gone
against each other a few times now over the years,
and every year it's kind of the same scouting report
of they're really good on third down and and but
go along with that, they got really good players. You know,
(05:02):
they've got some elite pass rushers, they've got very instinctive
football smart players, so their preser pressure packages are good.
But then they've got people and players that can win
one on one matchups. And so the key to the
drill One, we need to be sound in our schemes.
But then two, we're gonna have to win one on
one battles, and and and that's you know, when you
(05:23):
when you get into games like this, that's that's what
they require.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Right right, Steve.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
After the game, you praised Archer's ability is poisoned the
pocket and noted that a couple of months ago he
would have put his head down and tried to run.
I'm just curious in your experience when you coach dual
threat guys, is it usually around this point in time
in their career, late in their first year as a starter,
when they kind of gain that ability.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I don't, you know, I think it just varies. I don't.
I hate to throw a blanket over guys, you know,
I just think that, you know, it's whenever the game
starts to slow down a little bit for you, whenever
you you get a little bit more comfortable getting your shirt,
your second, third, fourth reads in your progression, when you
you know, when when you start to really see coverages
(06:06):
and understand, wait a minute, I might have an opportunity
to run here predicated, and so your legs become kind
of that second or third option because of the coverage,
and then you tie that together with the down and
distance or where you're out on the field. I just
think the game slows down. And so when that happens
for anybody, I just think that's that varies by the player,
(06:26):
but I think it has for him and and he's
you know, I think he's done a really good job
of even his decision making. You know, he had a
couple scrambles the other night or the other day where
I think arch early in the year puts his head
down and starts barreling forward and maybe gets two or
three more yards. And I thought he made some really
good decisions on first down plays where he ran out
(06:49):
of bounce and it was a one yard game, but
he didn't take that hit right. And so I just
think it's growing up, it's maturing and playing the position.
Sor what did you think of the call on any Smith?
Is that something you guys would appeal? And if so,
how's that process and timing work? Yeah, I mean I
thought it was. It was it was a good clean
football hit. Again, those are really hard to officiate, especially
(07:12):
in in the moment, and and that's that's a difficult
one because I thought Ty Anthony used really good fundamentals
and techniques. You know, he kept the crown of his helmet.
Out of it, he wrapped. He didn't launch himself into
the receiver. We did appeal it, and our our appeal
was denied, and so he'll be he'll be down in
the first half this week.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Right because following up on Arch, can you talk about
his mental resolve? I can't imagine that he's ever been
criticized up until this point and dealing with that so
early in this season and just shaking that off and
and merging into the quarterback that he's become. And any
updates on Anthony Hills for his practice, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Don't you know. For Arch, I don't know if any
college player has kind of gone through what he went
through before he even was the full time starter. And
and part of that is his last name. Part of
it is our brand. I think those two things coming
(08:13):
together made this such a big, a big storyline before
the season and and but none of it was anything
due to what Arch was doing. He just kind of
kept focusing on what he needed and tried to do.
I'm sure there were moments when it was it was
a lot and maybe even overwhelming, but to his credit,
(08:35):
I think, man, the guy showed so much resolve and
resiliency and and just stick to itness, you know, to
to the task at hand, and and and again. It
wasn't a perfect journey to get to this point. But
but sometimes it's good not to have a perfect journey.
Sometimes taking a road less traveled is good for you.
(08:56):
And I really think the experiences Arch had early in
the season, and and I said this early in the year,
we're we're gonna he was gonna benefit from the journey
that he had to go on and that he can
learn how to overcome some of the adversity that he
was faced with and some of the criticism he was
faced with. So I think he's better and stronger for
it today. And uh, I'm really proud of him. Again,
(09:19):
he's not a finished product. He's still going he's still
going to improve, he's still going to get better. But
I'm very proud of him for for the way he's
handled so much of what we went through. I don't
have anything new on Anthony today. We're we're practicing in
the afternoons this week, so I haven't been on the
field with him yet.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Even as you've been able to solidify the offensive line,
you haven't been what what can you do at this
point and how much frustration is or that that hasn't clicked.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I just we just keep chopping wood, you know, I mean,
that's that's all you can do, is again we we
we go back to the to the to the game
plan mode and and we try to again look at
the opponent, look at what we're what we're best, and
then how can we combine those two and put something
together to where we feel comfortable with it. And again,
you know, last week, I probably could have ran it more.
(10:09):
I'll be honest with you, I probably could have. But
I probably wouldn't have thrown some post routes for touchdowns either.
You know, see there's a fine line, right you're trying
to do what's best for the team as you're trying
to build an aspect of your team to improve upon.
And I thought we ran the ball relatively effectively. We
didn't get a ton of ops, you know, I mean
we were we were throwing the ball. We only ran
(10:30):
fifty nine plays in the game. You know, we averaged
I think eight point four or five yards per play,
And so you know, there's always that fine line of yeah,
we need to improve upon something, but at the end
of the day, what are we pretty good at and
how can we work those two things, you know, collectively together.
You know, when we had to run it late in
(10:50):
the game to like, let's let's put the game away,
I thought we ran the ball pretty good, you know.
I thought we got a tough holding call on Spencer
Shannon or the game's over, we aren't even having to
pun again. But outside of that, I thought we moved
the ball forward. They knew we were gonna run it.
We ran the ball and it was good. Now we
need to find that balance and we need to have
the threat of the run there that they have to
(11:12):
defend it, and if they don't, we got to be
able to continue to run it. And I think that's
what that's what we're doing. And and so you know
what you do is you just keep grinding away at
it and you keep trying to find a way. And
I think the last thing we're gonna do and whatever do,
is give up on it, you know, and that I
think that would be the wrong way to go about it.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
Hey, Steve, how does face an athlete like Taylor Green
help you with Marcel coming in?
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And what does Marcel do that's gonna that gives defensive
coordinators fits.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, you know, we've you really look at I wouldn't
even say just tailing Green. I think you can go
to gun or Stockton. I think you can go to
Diego Pavia. I mean there are some there are some
real dual threat quarterbacks in this conference that can hurt
you a variety of ways. And so Tailan was a
real unique player because of the scheme that coach Petrino
(12:05):
had instilled. One. They had the pro style offense to
go along with the quarterback run stuff and then the
improv scramble stuff that Pavia and and and Stockton do
as well. And so but you probably argue Marcel Reid
is the most dynamic of all of those guys. And
so where it prepares you for is, Okay, where did
(12:27):
we break down when they hurt us? All right? And
then how do we how do we you know, rectify
that and fix that? And so we can go back
to some of that old tape, whether it's from practice
or from the game, to see where our issues occurred
against those guys, and then we can work on those
things in practice. Because you know, A and M's got
a great offensive scheme and Colin Klin does a fantastic job.
(12:47):
So you know, everything we see on tape isn't what
we're going to get Friday night. We're gonna get some
new wrinkles, some new things, things that have hurt us
in the past. But as long as we're right fundamentally,
as long as we're right skimat and that we're doing
our job, we will put ourselves in good positions to
be where we're supposed to be. And then ultimately, now
you've got to go make those plays.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Coach, you talk about this game being creating the opportunity
for you guys, it's standing alone. What other opportunities do
you feel like this game presents, whether CFP or whatever.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
I you know, I think that would be a mistake
of mind and our team and our staff to be
worried about what it could. You know, I think this
game deserves all that it deserves. And this is a
great rivalry game. We're playing an undefeated team in the
Southeastern Conference, which is really hard to do. They're a
long standing rival of ours. That's where our focus and
(13:43):
energy is and that's what we can control. And I
think the moment you start putting energy into things that
are out of our control, man, you miss what's right
in front of you. And and this is this is
too big of a game, too special of an opportunity.
It's senior day for us. Our seniors will be honored.
I mean, it's it's a it's a night game in
dk R. I think it's only our second SEC night
(14:05):
game in two years in dk R. So there's some
really special things about this game. And that's where our
focus is. What happens after the game. We'll take care
of itself. We need, we need to focus on the
task at hand.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Follow up on that. Not much love for the team nationally.
Do you think with a win you deserve a spot
And are you concerned at all about the defense by
opposing teams putting a bunch of points on the board.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Okay, you jumped around me right there. You know I'll
say this. I'll talk about that after the game, you know,
if we're if we're fortunate enough to win the game,
I'll talk about that after the game, because I think
that would be a better platform. Uh as far as
our defense goes, Hey, there's really good teams and the
(14:53):
one thing I've learned about our team, we can win
a variety of ways, and we want to. We've won
defensive battles, we've won games when our special teams had
to show up and win the game, and we've won
games in our offense had to score points to win
the games. And part of that is comforting and knowing
we can win a variety of ways, and we've got
enough talent on this team that we can. And I
(15:15):
don't know what it's gonna take Friday night. All I
know is I think we got a team that whenhichever
the way goes, we got a chance to go win it,
and we got a chance to be competitive in it
because we're versatile enough to go do that.
Speaker 7 (15:28):
You talked about teaching the team about the Arkansas rivalry
and getting that back, even though this is a second
year of this rivalry being back. How much do you
have to talk to these guys because they've played high
school with them all.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Not very much. They'll be ready.
Speaker 8 (15:42):
You're right.
Speaker 9 (15:43):
I don't wonder if you've ever had a year like this.
You talked about the versatility. You went from a dominant
defense to struggling offense, to explosive offense to defense. It's
bad moments. If you figured this team out.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
I think I know them pretty well. You know, it's
a very young team that that we've we've really had
some growing pains. But what I what I what I
appreciate about them, and I told them this yesterday we
got together yesterday to review the Arkansas game, is that
I appreciate them trusting the messaging. These guys want to
(16:19):
be really good. They're striving to be really good. They
trust me. You can feel it in their approach to things.
And so what I know is that they're willing and
they're gonna they're gonna try to do what we ask
them to do. I think one thing for us to
go back to something, you know, defensively, where we where
(16:40):
we're playing right now, where our mistakes are occurring, is
we're chasing, trying to make plays, and we're not playing
within the realm of the defense and and doing our
job to where we're capable of doing it like we
were early in the season. It's almost like we're trying
to make plays because maybe the offense wasn't where they
(17:01):
were supposed to be, and that's a scary place to
play defensively. Well, now we've kind of got the offense
kind of situated, we don't need to try harder on defense.
We need to keep doing our job really well. And
I think that it's it sounds like a simple fix,
and I think we've obviously addressed it. But when you
look at where some of our breakdowns occurred Saturday, it's
(17:22):
from really veteran players who have played high level football
for us that we just need to get them back
to playing within the scheme of the defense and playing
to their capabilities. If we do that, we'll be a
lot better off than where we've been maybe the last
couple of weeks. I've loved it. I'll be honest with
I love it. You know. That's that's why they call
as coach, you know, and that you know every week
(17:44):
you've got new challenges, You've got new players that you're
trying to motivate, you got players that need constructive criticism.
You know. I'm meeting with players individually on different aspects
of of of where they're at in the program. You know,
if it was easy, anybody would do it, you know.
And and this job and the jobs of being in
my shoes, they're not easy. But man, you sign up
(18:07):
for it, and you love it, and you and you
love the challenges of it all and and you also
love when you see the growth in players or specific
aspect of your team. And uh, that that's the part
that is so fulfilling. When you see players grow and
get better, you see an aspect of your team grow
and get better, when you see guys overcome adversity. That's
(18:29):
that's what it's about. Because a lot of this stuff
they're gonna take with them in life and and they're
gonna learn a lot of lessons from their time here
playing football with us. And if you can impact them
that way along with getting them to be a better
football player, but helping them become a better man. And
that's that's the stuff that that that that you love
about the job coach.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Last two home games and the second in the country.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
What's the key is just as simple as home long ago.
Get in front of them, and it's just hard to do.
These guys are quick, they're fast, they're they're very aggressive.
Like I said, they've they've got a really good scheme.
I think ultimately we got to use kind of all
the tools to our offense. We got, we gotta do
a variety of different things to to negate that. And
(19:20):
but I but I also think there's a fine line
in playing protecting and not attacking. And I think on
the same notion word our best when we attack people too,
And and does that maybe stress us a little bit? Sure,
but I need to apply a little pressure and a
little stress the other way too. And if we don't,
(19:41):
then you become passive, you become too I gotta protect,
I gotta protect, we gotta we can't. And then at
that point, you know, what's what's the point, right, And
so there's a fine line. It's trusting your players, it's
them trusting the plan. It's it's remaining aggressive, but yet
in the same token, making sure that we're using all
of our offense and using all all of the tools
that we have to try to negate those things.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Hey, Steve Contravian Wisener ran for one to eighty six
in this game a year ago.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
It came up big in the OU game.
Speaker 5 (20:10):
What's your level of confidence right now in the run
game and staying patient with it.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
We're gonna do what we need to do to win
the game. If it's run it, throw it, you know,
screen them, you know, whatever whatever it is. And and
again this is where it's Monday at eleven twenty five.
You know, we we play at six forty five Friday night,
and so you know, we're putting a plan together that
is going to try to put us in the best
(20:38):
position to win the game. And if the run game's hitting,
all bets are, I'm probably gonna run it more, you know.
And if it's not and we're throwing it well, we'll
probably throw it more. If if both are hitting well, man,
that's a that's a great sign for us. And so
again we'll put together a plan that we believe in
schematically and believing in our players and then ultimately try
(20:59):
to put them in position Friday night to have success
and to gain confidence against a great defense. And and
again i'd love for all facets of the offense to
be going, but you know, at some point we got
to remind ourselves our job is to try to win
the game, and and and and so that's what we'll
try to do. Is as the game unfolds Friday night.
Speaker 8 (21:22):
Sark along with the opponent and and what's on the line.
This is unique because of Senior Night, because these guys
run out great. You their family's there. That's not that's
not normal. Is there a part of you that always
kind of wonders how guys will flip that switch from
all the emotion.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
I don't wonder, and I have an idea that there
probably is a little bit of emotion involved, and there
should be. I mean, these guys give their blood, sweat
and tears to this program, to this university, and and
they're catalysts for where we're at culturally, and they've been
part of some great teams. And so the idea that
we get to honor them, uh Saturday night before that
(21:59):
ball kicked off, they deserve that. But at the end
of the day, knowing this group, uh, they're gonna be
focused on this game. They'll they'll take their moment and
they'll have their moment to shine up coming out of
the tunnel and having their you know, a couple of
minutes there. Uh, But knowing the guys, you know, the
Michael Tafts, Ethan Burks, you know, the Jalen Gilbos, they'll
they'll be refocused pretty quickly and get ready for the game.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Steve, last time you faced in a lead pass rush
like this, Oklahoma managed that pretty well. But with the
with the way that this offense has kind of evolved
throughout the year, can you use the same tools that
you used against Oklahoma.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Now use all our tools this week. We need all
of them, baby, we need them all. Okay, alrighty y'all.
Thank you, Yes you have a great week. Happy Thanks Geary.
From a complimentary football standpoint, you think about, you know, defensively,
we've been harping on red zone defense, and those first
two drives getting stops after a couple explosive plays, I
thought was big, and that created a fourteen to six
lead for us. I thought collectively as a team, you know,
we got to stop at the end of the second quarter.
(00:21):
We got a good rush on the punt, we forced
a kind of a shanked punt, the offense got the ball.
We were able to get three points at the end
of the first half, knowing we were going to get
the ball to start the second half, we're able to
lap them there. And really those ten points were really
pretty critical in the game when you think about momentum.
I love the way we started offensively in the first half.
(00:43):
I love the way we came out and started again
there in the third quarter. So a lot of things
we've been trying to harp on and work on as
a team I thought, I thought really showed up. And
then naturally the turnovers and I think we're plus ten
on the year now and our ability to create two
more turnovers get fourteen points off of those things, and again,
(01:04):
not having a ballgame where you don't have any is
always a great sign for us, and so we're continuing
to do a good job of protecting it. We're gonna
need to do that again this week as far as
our fans go. What an awesome turnout and we haven't
had many ops and so Longhorn Nation was fantastic over
one hundred and two thousand Saturday at two thirty and
(01:25):
you could feel the energy in the stadium. It was
loud as exciting, and I know we're looking forward to
them again here Friday night for Senior Day as well
as obviously you know, hosting Texas A and M. And
this should be a great ballgame. You know when you
think about this as one hundred and twentieth meeting between
Texas and Texas A and M and the Cotton Holdings
(01:46):
Lone Star Showdown, and it's awesome. You know, it was
great to it was great to play them last year
and renewing the rivalry and going to Kyle Field and
now to have A and M back here in DKR
for the first time since twenty ten, you know, fifteen
years ago was the last time they were here. I
think is great for the rivalry. I know our fans
are excited about it. I know, I'm sure their fans
(02:07):
are excited about it, but I know our players are too.
It's a heck of a challenge. Just a really good
football team, and they're really good in all three phases.
You know, defensively that the numbers are are pretty startling
when you look at the third down defense, the sacks,
the tackles for loss, You look at the explosive playability
that they have on offense with Marcel Reid, the variety
(02:30):
of runners, and then obviously the receiving corps with Conceptsio
and Craver leading the way. But then they got a
lot of really good, you know, receivers that are making plays,
the tight ends are making plays. And then on special teams,
you know, they got electric return game with Busty and
CONCEPTSI on and kickoff and punt return. So a ton
of credit to A and M and the job they've
done to be undefeated up to this point. I think,
(02:50):
I think coach Elko has done a fantastic job. Got
a ton of respect for him and the way he's
built that program. So but that's creates opportunity for us,
and it would wouldn't want it any other way, uh
than to to have this ball game at home. Like
I said, Friday night after Thanksgiving, I can remember being
a kid in California watching this game. You know, it
(03:12):
was the only game on on Thanksgiving, and UH, to
be part of it is pretty special. And it was
special a year ago, especial again this year. I don't
I don't take games like this lightly. So, like I said,
we got some work to do. Obviously a little bit
more of a challenging week with it being a short week.
So we've got to be really efficient with our preparation
(03:34):
and our time. Uh, not only in the meeting room,
but on the practice field to make sure that we're
mentally and physically ready to play, uh, to put our
best foot forward against a you know, a top three
team in the country.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
If you have a question, Steve, first, would you prefer
for this game to be on Thanksgiving?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
And then secondly, what's the key to winning on third down? Uh?
I just I like it that this game that we
get an opportunity to stand alone. Okay, so whether it's
Thanksgiving or Friday after Thanksgiving, I just think this game
deserves the spotlight to stand alone. And the fact that
we're playing on Friday night with all the eyes of
(04:17):
college football on it and really the football world on
this game. I think this game deserves that. So whatever
that looks like, again, I'm not I'm not the decision
makers on that, so but I do think this is
a great opportunity for us. You know, last year we
were a Saturday night game and we were up against
some other games. So this year being Friday night, I
think is good for the game. As far as third down, Hey,
(04:40):
there's a couple of real factors that are that are problems. One,
they got a great scheme and and coach Elko notorious
for his third down packages. You know, we've we've gone
against each other a few times now over the years,
and every year it's kind of the same scouting report
of they're really good on third down and and but
go along with that, they got really good players. You know,
(05:02):
they've got some elite pass rushers, they've got very instinctive
football smart players, so their preser pressure packages are good.
But then they've got people and players that can win
one on one matchups. And so the key to the
drill One, we need to be sound in our schemes.
But then two, we're gonna have to win one on
one battles, and and and that's you know, when you
(05:23):
when you get into games like this, that's that's what
they require.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Right right, Steve.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
After the game, you praised Archer's ability is poisoned the
pocket and noted that a couple of months ago he
would have put his head down and tried to run.
I'm just curious in your experience when you coach dual
threat guys, is it usually around this point in time
in their career, late in their first year as a starter,
when they kind of gain that ability.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I don't, you know, I think it just varies. I don't.
I hate to throw a blanket over guys, you know,
I just think that, you know, it's whenever the game
starts to slow down a little bit for you, whenever
you you get a little bit more comfortable getting your shirt,
your second, third, fourth reads in your progression, when you
you know, when when you start to really see coverages
(06:06):
and understand, wait a minute, I might have an opportunity
to run here predicated, and so your legs become kind
of that second or third option because of the coverage,
and then you tie that together with the down and
distance or where you're out on the field. I just
think the game slows down. And so when that happens
for anybody, I just think that's that varies by the player,
(06:26):
but I think it has for him and and he's
you know, I think he's done a really good job
of even his decision making. You know, he had a
couple scrambles the other night or the other day where
I think arch early in the year puts his head
down and starts barreling forward and maybe gets two or
three more yards. And I thought he made some really
good decisions on first down plays where he ran out
(06:49):
of bounce and it was a one yard game, but
he didn't take that hit right. And so I just
think it's growing up, it's maturing and playing the position.
Sor what did you think of the call on any Smith?
Is that something you guys would appeal? And if so,
how's that process and timing work? Yeah, I mean I
thought it was. It was it was a good clean
football hit. Again, those are really hard to officiate, especially
(07:12):
in in the moment, and and that's that's a difficult
one because I thought Ty Anthony used really good fundamentals
and techniques. You know, he kept the crown of his helmet.
Out of it, he wrapped. He didn't launch himself into
the receiver. We did appeal it, and our our appeal
was denied, and so he'll be he'll be down in
the first half this week.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Right because following up on Arch, can you talk about
his mental resolve? I can't imagine that he's ever been
criticized up until this point and dealing with that so
early in this season and just shaking that off and
and merging into the quarterback that he's become. And any
updates on Anthony Hills for his practice, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Don't you know. For Arch, I don't know if any
college player has kind of gone through what he went
through before he even was the full time starter. And
and part of that is his last name. Part of
it is our brand. I think those two things coming
(08:13):
together made this such a big, a big storyline before
the season and and but none of it was anything
due to what Arch was doing. He just kind of
kept focusing on what he needed and tried to do.
I'm sure there were moments when it was it was
a lot and maybe even overwhelming, but to his credit,
(08:35):
I think, man, the guy showed so much resolve and
resiliency and and just stick to itness, you know, to
to the task at hand, and and and again. It
wasn't a perfect journey to get to this point. But
but sometimes it's good not to have a perfect journey.
Sometimes taking a road less traveled is good for you.
(08:56):
And I really think the experiences Arch had early in
the season, and and I said this early in the year,
we're we're gonna he was gonna benefit from the journey
that he had to go on and that he can
learn how to overcome some of the adversity that he
was faced with and some of the criticism he was
faced with. So I think he's better and stronger for
it today. And uh, I'm really proud of him. Again,
(09:19):
he's not a finished product. He's still going he's still
going to improve, he's still going to get better. But
I'm very proud of him for for the way he's
handled so much of what we went through. I don't
have anything new on Anthony today. We're we're practicing in
the afternoons this week, so I haven't been on the
field with him yet.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Even as you've been able to solidify the offensive line,
you haven't been what what can you do at this
point and how much frustration is or that that hasn't clicked.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I just we just keep chopping wood, you know, I mean,
that's that's all you can do, is again we we
we go back to the to the to the game
plan mode and and we try to again look at
the opponent, look at what we're what we're best, and
then how can we combine those two and put something
together to where we feel comfortable with it. And again,
you know, last week, I probably could have ran it more.
(10:09):
I'll be honest with you, I probably could have. But
I probably wouldn't have thrown some post routes for touchdowns either.
You know, see there's a fine line, right you're trying
to do what's best for the team as you're trying
to build an aspect of your team to improve upon.
And I thought we ran the ball relatively effectively. We
didn't get a ton of ops, you know, I mean
we were we were throwing the ball. We only ran
(10:30):
fifty nine plays in the game. You know, we averaged
I think eight point four or five yards per play,
And so you know, there's always that fine line of yeah,
we need to improve upon something, but at the end
of the day, what are we pretty good at and
how can we work those two things, you know, collectively together.
You know, when we had to run it late in
(10:50):
the game to like, let's let's put the game away,
I thought we ran the ball pretty good, you know.
I thought we got a tough holding call on Spencer
Shannon or the game's over, we aren't even having to
pun again. But outside of that, I thought we moved
the ball forward. They knew we were gonna run it.
We ran the ball and it was good. Now we
need to find that balance and we need to have
the threat of the run there that they have to
(11:12):
defend it, and if they don't, we got to be
able to continue to run it. And I think that's
what that's what we're doing. And and so you know
what you do is you just keep grinding away at
it and you keep trying to find a way. And
I think the last thing we're gonna do and whatever do,
is give up on it, you know, and that I
think that would be the wrong way to go about it.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
Hey, Steve, how does face an athlete like Taylor Green
help you with Marcel coming in?
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And what does Marcel do that's gonna that gives defensive
coordinators fits.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, you know, we've you really look at I wouldn't
even say just tailing Green. I think you can go
to gun or Stockton. I think you can go to
Diego Pavia. I mean there are some there are some
real dual threat quarterbacks in this conference that can hurt
you a variety of ways. And so Tailan was a
real unique player because of the scheme that coach Petrino
(12:05):
had instilled. One. They had the pro style offense to
go along with the quarterback run stuff and then the
improv scramble stuff that Pavia and and and Stockton do
as well. And so but you probably argue Marcel Reid
is the most dynamic of all of those guys. And
so where it prepares you for is, Okay, where did
(12:27):
we break down when they hurt us? All right? And
then how do we how do we you know, rectify
that and fix that? And so we can go back
to some of that old tape, whether it's from practice
or from the game, to see where our issues occurred
against those guys, and then we can work on those
things in practice. Because you know, A and M's got
a great offensive scheme and Colin Klin does a fantastic job.
(12:47):
So you know, everything we see on tape isn't what
we're going to get Friday night. We're gonna get some
new wrinkles, some new things, things that have hurt us
in the past. But as long as we're right fundamentally,
as long as we're right skimat and that we're doing
our job, we will put ourselves in good positions to
be where we're supposed to be. And then ultimately, now
you've got to go make those plays.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Coach, you talk about this game being creating the opportunity
for you guys, it's standing alone. What other opportunities do
you feel like this game presents, whether CFP or whatever.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
I you know, I think that would be a mistake
of mind and our team and our staff to be
worried about what it could. You know, I think this
game deserves all that it deserves. And this is a
great rivalry game. We're playing an undefeated team in the
Southeastern Conference, which is really hard to do. They're a
long standing rival of ours. That's where our focus and
(13:43):
energy is and that's what we can control. And I
think the moment you start putting energy into things that
are out of our control, man, you miss what's right
in front of you. And and this is this is
too big of a game, too special of an opportunity.
It's senior day for us. Our seniors will be honored.
I mean, it's it's a it's a night game in
dk R. I think it's only our second SEC night
(14:05):
game in two years in dk R. So there's some
really special things about this game. And that's where our
focus is. What happens after the game. We'll take care
of itself. We need, we need to focus on the
task at hand.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Follow up on that. Not much love for the team nationally.
Do you think with a win you deserve a spot
And are you concerned at all about the defense by
opposing teams putting a bunch of points on the board.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Okay, you jumped around me right there. You know I'll
say this. I'll talk about that after the game, you know,
if we're if we're fortunate enough to win the game,
I'll talk about that after the game, because I think
that would be a better platform. Uh as far as
our defense goes, Hey, there's really good teams and the
(14:53):
one thing I've learned about our team, we can win
a variety of ways, and we want to. We've won
defensive battles, we've won games when our special teams had
to show up and win the game, and we've won
games in our offense had to score points to win
the games. And part of that is comforting and knowing
we can win a variety of ways, and we've got
enough talent on this team that we can. And I
(15:15):
don't know what it's gonna take Friday night. All I
know is I think we got a team that whenhichever
the way goes, we got a chance to go win it,
and we got a chance to be competitive in it
because we're versatile enough to go do that.
Speaker 7 (15:28):
You talked about teaching the team about the Arkansas rivalry
and getting that back, even though this is a second
year of this rivalry being back. How much do you
have to talk to these guys because they've played high
school with them all.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Not very much. They'll be ready.
Speaker 8 (15:42):
You're right.
Speaker 9 (15:43):
I don't wonder if you've ever had a year like this.
You talked about the versatility. You went from a dominant
defense to struggling offense, to explosive offense to defense. It's
bad moments. If you figured this team out.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
I think I know them pretty well. You know, it's
a very young team that that we've we've really had
some growing pains. But what I what I what I
appreciate about them, and I told them this yesterday we
got together yesterday to review the Arkansas game, is that
I appreciate them trusting the messaging. These guys want to
(16:19):
be really good. They're striving to be really good. They
trust me. You can feel it in their approach to things.
And so what I know is that they're willing and
they're gonna they're gonna try to do what we ask
them to do. I think one thing for us to
go back to something, you know, defensively, where we where
(16:40):
we're playing right now, where our mistakes are occurring, is
we're chasing, trying to make plays, and we're not playing
within the realm of the defense and and doing our
job to where we're capable of doing it like we
were early in the season. It's almost like we're trying
to make plays because maybe the offense wasn't where they
(17:01):
were supposed to be, and that's a scary place to
play defensively. Well, now we've kind of got the offense
kind of situated, we don't need to try harder on defense.
We need to keep doing our job really well. And
I think that it's it sounds like a simple fix,
and I think we've obviously addressed it. But when you
look at where some of our breakdowns occurred Saturday, it's
(17:22):
from really veteran players who have played high level football
for us that we just need to get them back
to playing within the scheme of the defense and playing
to their capabilities. If we do that, we'll be a
lot better off than where we've been maybe the last
couple of weeks. I've loved it. I'll be honest with
I love it. You know. That's that's why they call
as coach, you know, and that you know every week
(17:44):
you've got new challenges, You've got new players that you're
trying to motivate, you got players that need constructive criticism.
You know. I'm meeting with players individually on different aspects
of of of where they're at in the program. You know,
if it was easy, anybody would do it, you know.
And and this job and the jobs of being in
my shoes, they're not easy. But man, you sign up
(18:07):
for it, and you love it, and you and you
love the challenges of it all and and you also
love when you see the growth in players or specific
aspect of your team. And uh, that that's the part
that is so fulfilling. When you see players grow and
get better, you see an aspect of your team grow
and get better, when you see guys overcome adversity. That's
(18:29):
that's what it's about. Because a lot of this stuff
they're gonna take with them in life and and they're
gonna learn a lot of lessons from their time here
playing football with us. And if you can impact them
that way along with getting them to be a better
football player, but helping them become a better man. And
that's that's the stuff that that that that you love
about the job coach.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Last two home games and the second in the country.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
What's the key is just as simple as home long ago.
Get in front of them, and it's just hard to do.
These guys are quick, they're fast, they're they're very aggressive.
Like I said, they've they've got a really good scheme.
I think ultimately we got to use kind of all
the tools to our offense. We got, we gotta do
a variety of different things to to negate that. And
(19:20):
but I but I also think there's a fine line
in playing protecting and not attacking. And I think on
the same notion word our best when we attack people too,
And and does that maybe stress us a little bit? Sure,
but I need to apply a little pressure and a
little stress the other way too. And if we don't,
(19:41):
then you become passive, you become too I gotta protect,
I gotta protect, we gotta we can't. And then at
that point, you know, what's what's the point, right, And
so there's a fine line. It's trusting your players, it's
them trusting the plan. It's it's remaining aggressive, but yet
in the same token, making sure that we're using all
of our offense and using all all of the tools
that we have to try to negate those things.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Hey, Steve Contravian Wisener ran for one to eighty six
in this game a year ago.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
It came up big in the OU game.
Speaker 5 (20:10):
What's your level of confidence right now in the run
game and staying patient with it.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
We're gonna do what we need to do to win
the game. If it's run it, throw it, you know,
screen them, you know, whatever whatever it is. And and
again this is where it's Monday at eleven twenty five.
You know, we we play at six forty five Friday night,
and so you know, we're putting a plan together that
is going to try to put us in the best
(20:38):
position to win the game. And if the run game's hitting,
all bets are, I'm probably gonna run it more, you know.
And if it's not and we're throwing it well, we'll
probably throw it more. If if both are hitting well, man,
that's a that's a great sign for us. And so
again we'll put together a plan that we believe in
schematically and believing in our players and then ultimately try
(20:59):
to put them in position Friday night to have success
and to gain confidence against a great defense. And and
again i'd love for all facets of the offense to
be going, but you know, at some point we got
to remind ourselves our job is to try to win
the game, and and and and so that's what we'll
try to do. Is as the game unfolds Friday night.
Speaker 8 (21:22):
Sark along with the opponent and and what's on the line.
This is unique because of Senior Night, because these guys
run out great. You their family's there. That's not that's
not normal. Is there a part of you that always
kind of wonders how guys will flip that switch from
all the emotion.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
I don't wonder, and I have an idea that there
probably is a little bit of emotion involved, and there
should be. I mean, these guys give their blood, sweat
and tears to this program, to this university, and and
they're catalysts for where we're at culturally, and they've been
part of some great teams. And so the idea that
we get to honor them, uh Saturday night before that
(21:59):
ball kicked off, they deserve that. But at the end
of the day, knowing this group, uh, they're gonna be
focused on this game. They'll they'll take their moment and
they'll have their moment to shine up coming out of
the tunnel and having their you know, a couple of
minutes there. Uh, But knowing the guys, you know, the
Michael Tafts, Ethan Burks, you know, the Jalen Gilbos, they'll
they'll be refocused pretty quickly and get ready for the game.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Steve, last time you faced in a lead pass rush
like this, Oklahoma managed that pretty well. But with the
with the way that this offense has kind of evolved
throughout the year, can you use the same tools that
you used against Oklahoma.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Now use all our tools this week. We need all
of them, baby, we need them all. Okay, alrighty y'all.
Thank you, Yes you have a great week. Happy Thanks Geary.
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