October 13, 2025 • 28 mins
Hear Steve Sarkisian's weekly Monday news conference live on Mondays at 11:30 AM on AM 1300 The Zone!
This week, Sark details the growth of Arch Manning, improvement for the offense on early downs, and what challenges Kentucky will present on the road next week.
This week, Sark details the growth of Arch Manning, improvement for the offense on early downs, and what challenges Kentucky will present on the road next week.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
First of all, I want to give a big shout
out to our fans, uh that that came to the
Coppon Bowl. What what an awesome atmosphere, everybody getting there early,
greeting us. When we arrived, the the energy. Nobody was
sitting down. You couldn't even see the aisles. Uh, it
was just a sea of burn orange and everybody stay
until the end. You know that that's a special game obviously,
(00:22):
and I know it means a lot to Longhorn Nation,
it means a lot to our players, and so to
be there together and support of what we were doing
and trying to do in that game. I can't thank
y'all enough. So that that was tremendous as far as
the game goes, you know, I really commend our players
for showing some some mental toughness. You know that that
early in the game, it didn't go the way we
(00:44):
wanted it to go. You know, obviously we were stubbing
our toe a little bit offensively with with some penalties
which we cleaned up later on. You know, they get
a field goal early on in the game, but then
we started to settle in and uh, you know, offensively,
I think our final six drives excluding kneeling down at
the end of the half and kneeling down at the
end of the game. You know, we had six drives
(01:06):
where we had opportunities to score points, whether it was
kicking field goals, scoring a touchdown. We missed a couple
of field goals in there, but I thought we effectively
moved the ball and managed the game and controlled the
game and controlled the line of scrimmage that way against
a very good defense, you know, to only give up
one sack. They had been leading everything in sacks, our
ability to run the ball, our ability to change tempos,
(01:27):
and then they were the number one third down defense,
and our ability to convert third downs. And that was
all a byproduct of us playing pretty well on first
and second down, where we got into more manageable third downs.
We're able to convert those things to give us opportunities
to score points. I thought defensively, you know, the line
of scrimmage was a very key factor in the game
and minimizing the quarterbacks legs, but also being sticky and coverage,
(01:51):
and so we were able to win on first and
second down on defense as well, which then in turn
gave us some opportunities to rush the passer, to get
some sacks, to get some hit on the quarterback, to
force a few errant throws, and to create some turnovers.
And so three to nothing of the turnover margin, and
then again obviously special teams, and you know, there's some
some really critical pet plays there. Obviously the punt return
(02:12):
is an easy one to see a lot of great
blocks there and nibble at scoring, but huge punt early
in the game by by Jack, you know, flipping the
field on the second punt, you know, we got no
return and great coverage by those guys, and so you know,
all in all, it was a really good game for
our guys, and it started throughout the week. I thought
we had a great sense of urgency and practice. I
(02:33):
thought we were very intentional in our practice habits, and
I thought we went into the game and matured as
the game went on. And in early on, like I said,
it wasn't it wasn't very pretty, but I thought we
showed a lot of maturity and mental toughness and resolve
and then ultimately imposing our will as the game went on.
So fantastic game for us that way. And now we
(02:54):
got to show more maturity. Now, who are we going
to be when when we when we played the way
we wanted to play, and that's the challenge that we
posed to the team this morning. You know that this
is the sign of a team that's mature of do
we get right back to those same habits that we
had last week with the intent, with the sense of urgency,
making every rep count and practice and then playing a
(03:14):
brand in a style of football that we're very proud of,
which is a physical one. The Kentucky Wildcats Mark Stoops
a ton of ton of respect for for coach Stoops
and the job that he's done, not only at Kentucky
for thirteen years, but his job as a defensive coordinator
at Arizona with his brother Mike. Have gone against these
guys for a long time. This is a They've got
(03:37):
a real style and how they want to play the game.
They want to play great defense, they want to minimize
the explosive plays. They want to run the football and
then create explosives off of the run game, and they
do a very good job of that. They've played very
good defense all year. They run the football really well,
and as we know, playing on the road in the
SEC at night, it's going to be a tough environment
(03:57):
and so we've got to buckle up. We got to
be ready to go. This is a this is a
tough challenge. You know that the one sec home game
they've had, I believe was was Old Miss at home
and that was a one score game down to the end.
And they're they're a top five team in the country.
So we know we got to work cut out for us.
A ton of respect for that program, but we gotta
we gotta be focused on us. We got to be
enamored with us and what we need to do, uh
(04:19):
to get ourselves prepared to play.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
If you have a question the West.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
With Roger Sark, what is that line between gaining some
confidence You could certainly see it as a game went on,
but kind of playing with that that nasty edge maybe
you went into O you with.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I don't think it's a line. I think we we
keep we keep pushing towards that, you know, I think
we keep pushing towards towards playing with that edge, playing
with that sense of physicality, but gaining confidence. I think
when you have confidence, you're more apt to play that way.
And so we've got to continue to instill confidence. But
you gain confidence throughout the week by knowing what to do,
(04:57):
and that allows you to go cut it loose and
play a little bit more freely in all facets of
the game. Well, that's offense, defense, special teams, line of scrimmage,
our perimeter players, and I thought we grew as the
game went on that way.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Hey, Steve, what's the key to success playing against the
team that's coming off of a buy, that's had an
extra week to prepare for you?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Well, you know, I think one is knowing what we're
what we're trying to do in the game, you know,
and again, every game is different. You know, how we
attacked ou on offense, defense, special teams, it's going to
be different of how we're going to try to attack Kentucky.
They've had some extended time to look at what we do.
You know, we we have to do a good job
of scouting ourselves. I'm sure they're going to do some
(05:40):
things that our opponents have done in previous weeks that
caused us problems, and so we have to kind of,
you know, see the force through the trees here a
little bit and not just get so focused on what's
right in front of us. But hey, all right, what
what has happened in the past that that was issues
in any phase of the game, whether it was the
block punt, whether it was some of the pressure that
(06:00):
have gotten to Arch, you know, whether it's some of
the schemes on offense that hurt us, and prep for
things that maybe Kentucky hasn't shown yet but they clearly
could do with some extended time to prepare for us.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Steve, can you talk about what you're seeing from Arch
in terms of his development and his steadiness through that,
you know, kind of up and down first half and
then how did the offensive line great out?
Speaker 5 (06:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (06:27):
No, I think one thing that Arch has done, he's
been very even keeled in. You know, he continued to
work at his craft and I think that you know,
last week he had a ton of third down conversions
and he used his legs on one. I think he
had seven other completions on third downs for conversions to
a variety of different people. None of them were not
(06:48):
not all of them were on schedule. There were some
off schedule. And that's a strength of his, you know,
his ability to use his feet, use his legs and
still throw well on the run. I thought what he's
doing better is keeping it his eyes up and keeping
his vision up. And it's hard as a quarterback when
you're getting hit, it's hard to not look at who
might be coming to hit you. But I think he
(07:08):
has really improved at that. And you know, there was
a play that stood out. You know, there was a
conversion to Parker backed up on third down where you
know there was some pressure internally up inside a week ago,
two weeks ago, Arche may have looked at the guy
that's rushing. I think he felt the rush, flushed the pocket,
kept his eyes up and might have arguably been the
(07:28):
best pass he's thrown all year. And what a critical
play that was, hitting Parker on the sideline. So I
think it's his comfort in the pocket, feeling the rush,
not looking at the rush, and extending plays. I mean,
you know the third down conversion to Ryan Wingo the
third down, there's a conversion to DeAndre more on our sidelines.
There's another, you know, big play to DeAndre early in
(07:50):
the game where he gets flushed to his left and
finds DeAndre over the over the middle of the field.
So I think it's him keeping his eyes up, feeling
the rush. I think there's growth there and I feel
like he's throwing the ball. I like to call it,
he's throwing catchable passes. You know that there's there's a
nice touch now coming on the ball. It's not doesn't
feel so anxious, and I think there's some growth there.
(08:13):
I thought the offensive line did a really good job.
You know, that's a tough front. OU's got a very
good front, and they've got some very talented players. They've
got a really good scheme. We we knew that they
were going to cause us issues. We just tried to
minimize the negative plays, which is an area where they
have thrived, and for the most part we did. We've
(08:35):
got to improve on some things and we will. But
going up against that front and then playing the way
they played, uh, you know, we were definitely pleased.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
Hey, coach, we're at the midway point of the regular season.
I'm kind of curious from your assessment. What are some
of the things you say, Hey, I really like this
about my team, and what are some other areas you
would say, Hey, that's still a little bit of a
work in progress.
Speaker 7 (08:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
I would say, first of all, psychologically, I like the
resolve and and that I think that that's something that
is important that the resolve of the team. I like
the fact that we played as a team Saturday and
we were very connected. That's a powerful thing, it was,
you know, and again that that game provides some of that,
(09:18):
but the engagement on the sideline, you know, both sides
of the ball. Once we made our adjustments, everybody was up,
everybody was into the game. And that's what it takes.
You got, We got into play as a team, and
so I'm really pleased with that gross.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Side of it.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
I like the fact on offense that multiple players are
making plays at critical moments. You know, obviously Trey being
back was huge for us. But you know, there's there's
third down conversions here to I'm trying to find this here.
I don't I know I have this note on here,
but there's you know, DeAndre Moore's got two third down conversions,
Parker has two third down conversions, Trey Wisener has two
(09:52):
third down conversions. Ryan Wingo has a third down conversion.
That we're not stuck just forcing the ball to people
that a variety of people are making play, and there's
more there where we got to get Emmett more involved,
Jack more evolved, so spurting the ball around, I think
is important to us. I feel like, you know, from
one week to next. I know one game doesn't define it,
(10:12):
but I think we're finding a little continuity on the
offensive line. With Nick getting another game under his belt.
You know, he's young, He's gonna make some mistakes, but
I think he provides kind of what DJ provided a
couple of years for us. There's some energy, there's some
attitude which is good for us, and some rhythm in
the run game, you know, I think defensively, you know,
(10:33):
the depth we have up front, I think is starting
to show. And this is about the time when depth
should start to show itself. And so as much as
Colin had two and a half, Sacks had a great game, boy,
Brad Spence had a really good game. Lace Jackson had
a really good game. And so that depth is starting
to show up for us. At the line of scrimmage,
and I thought, what was good for us? You know,
(10:54):
we got banged up at corner there where Manny was
down for a minute, Jalen Gilbert was down for a minute.
Our growth in Warren roverson getting put in, you know,
in the fourth corners in the game and playing in
a game like that, so our depth on defense is
starting to show up. And again when we can, when
we can, you know, win at the line of scrimmage
and eliminate the explosive plays that offenses have down the
(11:16):
field and force them to earn the ball and make
them earn it down the field, and we can be
physical and put hats on people and affect the quarterback.
That's a winning formula for us. And and you know,
I was saying this a few weeks ago. I felt
like our punt return unit had a chance to be
really explosive, and Ryan had some long returns and hadn't scored.
But for that aspect of the game to be to
(11:37):
be a positive one for us was big. I think
our ability to control vertical field position with our kickoffs
and our punt game has been very good to us.
And again with Mason, you know, he's three for five Saturday.
I mean the two misses, once for fifty five, once
for fifty six, and the fifty five he hit it
really well and I mean it's coming back in he
(11:58):
clips the inside of the upright. That was why I
tried the fifty six and he didn't hit it great.
I hate that for him because I think he's more
than capable. But it changes our perspective on maybe how
we're gonna play. You know, you know I'd probably be
a really apt to go for it in that situation
on a fourth and three, But know when I have
him in my back pocket there to kick those field
(12:19):
goals shifts the changes the math some on how we
can play the game. And so we're evolving as a team.
We're learning this team as we go, and we're in
a very good position. As I said, we're one and
one in conference play, and you know, like moving on
and moving forward, like this is an SEC championship game
for us. You know, you guys are seeing the records
(12:41):
in our conference and there's a lot that's gonna happen,
and you know a lot of people are gonna eat
each other here as we go, and we got to
control our own our own business. But I think we're
learning our team and our style of playing, how we
can play moving forward. And so a lot of positives
there that you know, we can build on and some
things that we need to improve upon. For sure, we're
not a finished product.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Sark. You mentioned Nick Brooks. I mean, you guys don't
start a lot true freshman up front, Where has he
developed the most over the course of the season, And
having a guy kind of take ownership with that position,
you know, without sharing it, how does that help the
whole offensive? Lie?
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Well, I think a couple of things. He's done. He's
in the best shape that he's been in since he
got here. You know, this guy arrived he was over
three hundred and sixty pounds. You know, we were in
training camp, he was in the three fifties. You know,
this weekend he was at Shade over three p thirty.
So he's he's getting in better shape, he's better conditioned.
I think his practice habits, the intent in which he's practicing,
(13:38):
he's working at his craft, I think has been helpful.
And I think his trust is better. He's playing in
between two really you know, smart players in Trevor and Cole,
and if he trusts those guys to make the calls,
he's got the ability to go do it. Now. Hey,
he wasn't perfect Saturday, but but he's definitely a heck
of a lot better this Saturday than he was a
week ago. And so hopefully we can gettinue on that trajectory.
Speaker 8 (14:03):
I'm Steve staying on Nick and staying on Lance. He
had a couple of freshmen step up this past weekend.
Can you kind of assess the overall progress of that
class and what do those freshman receivers need to do
to kind of get more playing time.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yeah, you know, again, I think that class is is
been productive. You know, Grayson Littleton with another interception. I
think he played forty something snaps in the game, you know,
for Ust and obviously Lance and and Nick. You know,
James Simon is coming along at running back. You know,
Trey was just so hot, but James really was a
guy who was trying to get the ball to He
(14:36):
got a couple of carries, but it just didn't come
to fruition. But he's he's working and he's getting better.
Kate Phillips is getting better, Jonahs getting better, and a
lot of guys are getting better. The tough part with
the with the young whiteouts who are gonna play him
over right now? You know, I mean we've got a
good group now, they're they're improving, and Kalik and Jamie
have really they're coming along, but so are I think
(14:58):
our older players are getting better. I think we're getting
the best version of Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore and Moseley
Parker so uh and and Dade McCutcheon is you know,
when hit the ops, he got he did what he
was supposed to do. So again, it's not it's not
anything to take away from those guys, but I think
it's kind of hard to go into a game thinking
you're gonna play eight wideouts in in in one game,
(15:20):
and especially a critical one score game like the way
that one was going.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, coach, going back to that edge room, you know,
can you talk a little bit about the luxury of
that depth? And for Brad Spence specifically, I mean, how
might his role also evolve as you know, as a
guy who continues to make you.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Know that that room has been has been one that
you know, we felt like coming into the season could
be a real strength of our team.
Speaker 7 (15:44):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
It's a very versatile room, and that was kind of
intentional of how we recruited it. You know, when when
you've got when you've got Ethan and his style of play,
and Zena and their style of play with with the
length of physicality they have, and then Lance being in
kind of that same role then to go along with
where Collin's at where Colton's at, where Brad is at.
It's a very versatile room that way, and I and
(16:07):
I credit the defensive staff for being creative to find
more ways and and we got into a little different
scheme Saturday where we were able to get Brad on
the field and put him at a little different spot
to where he could impact the game. And so again
we we we have to continue to grow as a
staff too. Is where we have the depth of those players,
(16:29):
how can we utilize all that we have and and
put him in position to have some success. And you know,
I credit Brad. He's been working, He's been working hard.
He had a tough week a couple of weeks ago,
and and continue to you know, get back to the grind.
He had a much better week of preparation last week,
found a role and made some plays and again land
same thing, you know, And and he's growing from where
(16:50):
you know, we can become more accountable to to what
he can do. So we just got to keep playing
all those players, you know, And and we're fortunate that way.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yes, Steeve, you mentioned a lot of stuff had been
written about your team and talked about did you feel
like any.
Speaker 8 (17:04):
Of that was justified to it motivate your.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Team and you're kind of over the hump now.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
I really don't care if it was justified or not.
It's irrelevant. You know. It's like this week. I was
telling the team today, So last week, everybody's gonna write
how we stink, we're no good. You know, let's look
at twenty twenty, twenty sixteen, and what are they going
to look like? This week, everybody's going to go back
to writing how great we are.
Speaker 9 (17:26):
Again.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
It doesn't matter what people write or say or it's
about what we do. And I think that's a lesson
learned for us about and that's where I talk about
the maturity of our team. This is a great week
for us to show the maturity of how far we've
come as a team. And that's that's you know, what
kind of leadership do we have? How do we bring
these young guys along? How do we not ride the
(17:49):
emotional roller coaster of the opinions of others and focus
on what we need to do. But for me, I'm
always going to defend our guys because I know how
they work every single day, and I think that's important
that they know that.
Speaker 9 (18:03):
Sark, I know you talked about confidence kind of the
offense gaining confidence. Is that true on first down? Just
in terms of avoiding the negative play, you know, whether
it's not a penalty or a TfL and you can
get yourself in the manageable third downs? Is that stuff
become contagious and can an offense build confidence and having
something like that?
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I think so, you know, I think that was probably
what was so frustrating early in the game, was like
we were doing it to ourselves. You know, we were
causing it to ourselves. Even on the third drive, we're
first in tent on the twenty two yard line going in,
we get a holding penalty, we throw a I think
we throw a screen to Wisner that loses yards. We
(18:40):
throw something else and we lose. It's like, guys, can
we just execute a little bit and move forward? And
then third and six is a heck of a lot
better than third and twelve or third and twenty three
or in third and whatever, like, just give ourselves a chance.
And then when they start to figure out like, hey,
this is a lot easier, and arches like wait, this
is a lot easier that Hey, everybody just settled down,
(19:03):
and then what happened. The penalties all of a sudden
went away. We're more productive. We have a twelve play drive,
a four team play drive, a ten play drive. We're
controlling the ball, the defense is getting their rest, they're
playing with a little bit more energy on defense, and
so that's where the complimentary football thing, you know, peace
comes to play. And so but again, like I talked
(19:26):
to them today about we have to be able to
take the things throughout the week and then on Friday
that we say, hey, these are going to be things
we're going to open the game with and we've got
to execute those things with confidence. But we did it
better later in the game, they actually did earlier in
the game, and so we've got to do a better
job as a staff to instill that in them, to
them to understand, this is what's going to get called.
(19:46):
We don't need to have any anxiety. And we had
too many breakdowns early in the game for my liking,
and so that's an area where we have to improve.
Like we should be starting games better than we have been,
and we need to do that. And so we've got
to as staff find a better way to instill that
in those guys.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
Hey, Steve wyse Kentucky a dangerous opponent. And do you
talk to your guys about how close these games were?
Last week Tennessee thirty four thirty one, Auburn is tied
with Georgia until Kirby cheats. He cheated. I'm sorry, guys,
he cheated. How much do you you delve into that?
How close these games.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Are all looks like they're all looking at you know,
that's this conference. You know, that wasn't the only game,
you know, I mean there was a ton of one
score games in our conference, and and probably games that
were closer than the final score indicated. And so even
(20:45):
games these guys have been sometimes the scorers look a
little different late of what happens, but early on, you know,
I just don't think in the sec when you go
on the road, you play at night in some of
these environments, you better buckle up. And they've got too
good a players. They've knocked off too many teams that
(21:06):
we we all know this. I mean that this is
the same team that went to Old Miss and won
last year, probably cost Old Miss a playoff bid, and
so the same team that had the ball at the
end of the game against Old Miss this year and
so it's just there's too many good players, the coaching's
too good that you better treat every game like it's
(21:29):
a championship game and you have to give each game
the credit it deserves. And these guys are Mark Stupen's
been doing it too long, and he's gonna have them
ready to play. They've had two weeks to get ready
to play. We've got to be prepared for for a
war like this is because it's gonna be one. I'm
just gonna tell you that right now. That's the way
this game is gonna go.
Speaker 10 (21:49):
What is it about Ryan Nibblett that allowed him to
grow so much when you didn't know you were trying
to put him at receiver and a running back and everything.
How did he stay so engaged through this? And what
kind of role does he have?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, a ton of credit to Ryan, you know. But
like a lot of these guys, they all when they
get here, they all want to be that freshman that's starting,
and they've all got a bunch of stars, and they've
all been the best players in the Little league and
in high school and all that, and you get here
and you get into our locker room, they're all really
good players. And you know, he was a really kind
(22:22):
of versatile player in high school. He played running back,
he played wildcat quarterback, he played receiver, and so when
we got him here, it was like, we just got
to try to figure out what is his role. And
he went from receiver to running back to defense in spring,
back to receiver. Now he's now he's dueling running back
(22:42):
and receiver. He's returning punts, he's returning kickoffs. He's an
elite special teams player. On kickoff coverage, he's probably the
best kickoff cover guy we have. But I think it's
the selfless nature that he has. He's an awesome teammate.
And I credit him because there was moments when he
was thinking about Lee in this place, and I shoot,
I didn't let him leave, you know, I fought to
(23:04):
keep him here because of one the player that he is.
But too, I think he's a glue guy when it
comes to our culture. And you know, as I tell you,
culture wins. You know, as much as talented people matter,
culture matters more. And you know, he's one of those
guys that is true to our culture. And for him
to have some of the success he's having this year
is really cool to see for him, but also for
(23:26):
other players on our team, some of these young freshmen
we're talking about that it's not always about are you
a frontline starter on offense or defense? Can you find
a way and find a role on special teams and
then grow into that role. No different than Trey Wisner
a couple of years ago what he was doing on
special teams. And I can name a bunch of guys
like that, but I think he's a great model to
younger players of just sticking and staying the course and
(23:48):
working and you'll find a role on this team where
you can really contribute.
Speaker 11 (23:54):
You've got connections to coach Hampden, coach pk As connections
to coach Hampden. Is it kind of like looking at
the tape and thinking that looks pretty familiar. I know
what that where that comes from? And what are some
things that that offense is doing well this year?
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Well, they're running the heck out of the ball, and
they've got two very good runners, dynamic players you know
they've got they've got a guy in Kendrick Law who's
a problem on the perimeter who we recruited as well.
And yeah, there's some aspects of what they do that
that's familiar. But I think it stems back to coach Stoops.
They have a formula for success that they want to
(24:26):
play with. They want to run the ball, they want
to play defense, and that's what Bush is doing for them.
And then you know, it's unfortunate they're finally now they've
got some continuity at quarterback. They've had a little bit
of revolving door there, but they're they're finding ways to
create some plays and they've been close on some others,
and so they're a dangerous team that way.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Coach, it's a precarious time to be a head football coach.
Do you have any comment on what's going around the
country at UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, now Penn State
firing their coaches early? Is this about money? Are our
regents and administrators being less patient now with college football coaches?
Speaker 7 (25:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:04):
I don't know. I mean, obviously it's a business, right
and we all understand that. We all know what we
sign up for. The biggest thing I think about when
I see coaches getting fired during the season, I think
about the players, you know, because they signed up to
play for a coach and they you know, it's kind
of like, well, are you doing that because you think
(25:25):
we can be better now? Or are you doing that
because you're thinking about next year and so where are
we and all that. So that's the first thing I
think about, the same thing I think about. It's like,
you know, I'll use Penn State as example, And I
got a ton of respect for James Franklin. He's a
great coach and he'll he's going to land somewhere and
they'll be good again wherever he goes. A year ago,
they're a final four team and they're in a dogfight
(25:46):
to go play for a national championship. Three weeks ago,
fifteen days ago, they're a play away from being a
top two team, arguably the number one team in the country.
And today he's no longer the head coach. So that
should just tell you about the business that we're in
and understanding the business aspect of it. I hate it
for him, I hate it for those players, but that's
(26:07):
just the reality of the situation that we're in right now.
But he's a good coach. He'll somebody's gonna hire that guy.
You know, He's won everywhere he's been, so he'll be okay.
Speaker 6 (26:15):
The cameras.
Speaker 12 (26:16):
Last question, Yeah, coach, Earlier you mentioned about arches off
schedule passes. One thing I've noticed a lot is the
scrambled drows. He's been very proficient in that. Is that
just something I'll focus on during just relationship between quarterback
and wide receiver when those things break down.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
You know, and I know there's a lot of ways
to skin a cat. I don't over coach that aspect
of the game. You know, you'll hear the players talk
about Sonny Glenn Park. That's the park this down the
street from my house off of Red Beam Avenue in Toaurres, California.
That you know, when you're at the park, it's like me,
you and a couple other guys and it's like, okay,
get open, I'm all time quarterback and you and and
(26:53):
so when you go to scramble, Yeah, there's some parameters
that you put around it, which we do. But at
the end of the day, you got to play and
that now we're now you're playing the game of football,
and part of that comes from playing together too. And
now these guys have six games under their belt and
they have a little better feel for arch of where
he's moving and when he's moving and where that ball
(27:15):
can go. But that's where you recruit football IQ as well.
And I think Deandre's got a great one. Deandre's touchdown
that wasn't the route he was supposed to run, you know,
he was on a different route. But when the coverage busted,
the feel from DeAndre and then Arch to recognize it
to make the throw. And that's no different than some
of the third down things that are happening there as well.
(27:36):
And so Emmett's got a great feel. Ryan's got a
great feel. But at that point, you need to play football.
And but then for the quarterback, it comes down to
decision making right when it becomes you know, you're you're playing,
and when it can become reckless. And we never want
to be reckless in those situations with the ball because
the ball's paramount in the program. And so but Arch
(27:57):
has the ability to do that. And I'm sure he
and his uncles and his brother have been in the
backyard messing around, playing and that's that's what those moments become.
And and he, you know, he definitely has been doing that.
And in the last two weeks we're really starting to
see more of that and it's become a it's become
a weapon for us all.
Speaker 7 (28:17):
Thank you.
First of all, I want to give a big shout
out to our fans, uh that that came to the
Coppon Bowl. What what an awesome atmosphere, everybody getting there early,
greeting us. When we arrived, the the energy. Nobody was
sitting down. You couldn't even see the aisles. Uh, it
was just a sea of burn orange and everybody stay
until the end. You know that that's a special game obviously,
(00:22):
and I know it means a lot to Longhorn Nation,
it means a lot to our players, and so to
be there together and support of what we were doing
and trying to do in that game. I can't thank
y'all enough. So that that was tremendous as far as
the game goes, you know, I really commend our players
for showing some some mental toughness. You know that that
early in the game, it didn't go the way we
(00:44):
wanted it to go. You know, obviously we were stubbing
our toe a little bit offensively with with some penalties
which we cleaned up later on. You know, they get
a field goal early on in the game, but then
we started to settle in and uh, you know, offensively,
I think our final six drives excluding kneeling down at
the end of the half and kneeling down at the
end of the game. You know, we had six drives
(01:06):
where we had opportunities to score points, whether it was
kicking field goals, scoring a touchdown. We missed a couple
of field goals in there, but I thought we effectively
moved the ball and managed the game and controlled the
game and controlled the line of scrimmage that way against
a very good defense, you know, to only give up
one sack. They had been leading everything in sacks, our
ability to run the ball, our ability to change tempos,
(01:27):
and then they were the number one third down defense,
and our ability to convert third downs. And that was
all a byproduct of us playing pretty well on first
and second down, where we got into more manageable third downs.
We're able to convert those things to give us opportunities
to score points. I thought defensively, you know, the line
of scrimmage was a very key factor in the game
and minimizing the quarterbacks legs, but also being sticky and coverage,
(01:51):
and so we were able to win on first and
second down on defense as well, which then in turn
gave us some opportunities to rush the passer, to get
some sacks, to get some hit on the quarterback, to
force a few errant throws, and to create some turnovers.
And so three to nothing of the turnover margin, and
then again obviously special teams, and you know, there's some
some really critical pet plays there. Obviously the punt return
(02:12):
is an easy one to see a lot of great
blocks there and nibble at scoring, but huge punt early
in the game by by Jack, you know, flipping the
field on the second punt, you know, we got no
return and great coverage by those guys, and so you know,
all in all, it was a really good game for
our guys, and it started throughout the week. I thought
we had a great sense of urgency and practice. I
(02:33):
thought we were very intentional in our practice habits, and
I thought we went into the game and matured as
the game went on. And in early on, like I said,
it wasn't it wasn't very pretty, but I thought we
showed a lot of maturity and mental toughness and resolve
and then ultimately imposing our will as the game went on.
So fantastic game for us that way. And now we
(02:54):
got to show more maturity. Now, who are we going
to be when when we when we played the way
we wanted to play, and that's the challenge that we
posed to the team this morning. You know that this
is the sign of a team that's mature of do
we get right back to those same habits that we
had last week with the intent, with the sense of urgency,
making every rep count and practice and then playing a
(03:14):
brand in a style of football that we're very proud of,
which is a physical one. The Kentucky Wildcats Mark Stoops
a ton of ton of respect for for coach Stoops
and the job that he's done, not only at Kentucky
for thirteen years, but his job as a defensive coordinator
at Arizona with his brother Mike. Have gone against these
guys for a long time. This is a They've got
(03:37):
a real style and how they want to play the game.
They want to play great defense, they want to minimize
the explosive plays. They want to run the football and
then create explosives off of the run game, and they
do a very good job of that. They've played very
good defense all year. They run the football really well,
and as we know, playing on the road in the
SEC at night, it's going to be a tough environment
(03:57):
and so we've got to buckle up. We got to
be ready to go. This is a this is a
tough challenge. You know that the one sec home game
they've had, I believe was was Old Miss at home
and that was a one score game down to the end.
And they're they're a top five team in the country.
So we know we got to work cut out for us.
A ton of respect for that program, but we gotta
we gotta be focused on us. We got to be
enamored with us and what we need to do, uh
(04:19):
to get ourselves prepared to play.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
If you have a question the West.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
With Roger Sark, what is that line between gaining some
confidence You could certainly see it as a game went on,
but kind of playing with that that nasty edge maybe
you went into O you with.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I don't think it's a line. I think we we
keep we keep pushing towards that, you know, I think
we keep pushing towards towards playing with that edge, playing
with that sense of physicality, but gaining confidence. I think
when you have confidence, you're more apt to play that way.
And so we've got to continue to instill confidence. But
you gain confidence throughout the week by knowing what to do,
(04:57):
and that allows you to go cut it loose and
play a little bit more freely in all facets of
the game. Well, that's offense, defense, special teams, line of scrimmage,
our perimeter players, and I thought we grew as the
game went on that way.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Hey, Steve, what's the key to success playing against the
team that's coming off of a buy, that's had an
extra week to prepare for you?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Well, you know, I think one is knowing what we're
what we're trying to do in the game, you know,
and again, every game is different. You know, how we
attacked ou on offense, defense, special teams, it's going to
be different of how we're going to try to attack Kentucky.
They've had some extended time to look at what we do.
You know, we we have to do a good job
of scouting ourselves. I'm sure they're going to do some
(05:40):
things that our opponents have done in previous weeks that
caused us problems, and so we have to kind of,
you know, see the force through the trees here a
little bit and not just get so focused on what's
right in front of us. But hey, all right, what
what has happened in the past that that was issues
in any phase of the game, whether it was the
block punt, whether it was some of the pressure that
(06:00):
have gotten to Arch, you know, whether it's some of
the schemes on offense that hurt us, and prep for
things that maybe Kentucky hasn't shown yet but they clearly
could do with some extended time to prepare for us.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Steve, can you talk about what you're seeing from Arch
in terms of his development and his steadiness through that,
you know, kind of up and down first half and
then how did the offensive line great out?
Speaker 5 (06:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (06:27):
No, I think one thing that Arch has done, he's
been very even keeled in. You know, he continued to
work at his craft and I think that you know,
last week he had a ton of third down conversions
and he used his legs on one. I think he
had seven other completions on third downs for conversions to
a variety of different people. None of them were not
(06:48):
not all of them were on schedule. There were some
off schedule. And that's a strength of his, you know,
his ability to use his feet, use his legs and
still throw well on the run. I thought what he's
doing better is keeping it his eyes up and keeping
his vision up. And it's hard as a quarterback when
you're getting hit, it's hard to not look at who
might be coming to hit you. But I think he
(07:08):
has really improved at that. And you know, there was
a play that stood out. You know, there was a
conversion to Parker backed up on third down where you
know there was some pressure internally up inside a week ago,
two weeks ago, Arche may have looked at the guy
that's rushing. I think he felt the rush, flushed the pocket,
kept his eyes up and might have arguably been the
(07:28):
best pass he's thrown all year. And what a critical
play that was, hitting Parker on the sideline. So I
think it's his comfort in the pocket, feeling the rush,
not looking at the rush, and extending plays. I mean,
you know the third down conversion to Ryan Wingo the
third down, there's a conversion to DeAndre more on our sidelines.
There's another, you know, big play to DeAndre early in
(07:50):
the game where he gets flushed to his left and
finds DeAndre over the over the middle of the field.
So I think it's him keeping his eyes up, feeling
the rush. I think there's growth there and I feel
like he's throwing the ball. I like to call it,
he's throwing catchable passes. You know that there's there's a
nice touch now coming on the ball. It's not doesn't
feel so anxious, and I think there's some growth there.
(08:13):
I thought the offensive line did a really good job.
You know, that's a tough front. OU's got a very
good front, and they've got some very talented players. They've
got a really good scheme. We we knew that they
were going to cause us issues. We just tried to
minimize the negative plays, which is an area where they
have thrived, and for the most part we did. We've
(08:35):
got to improve on some things and we will. But
going up against that front and then playing the way
they played, uh, you know, we were definitely pleased.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
Hey, coach, we're at the midway point of the regular season.
I'm kind of curious from your assessment. What are some
of the things you say, Hey, I really like this
about my team, and what are some other areas you
would say, Hey, that's still a little bit of a
work in progress.
Speaker 7 (08:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
I would say, first of all, psychologically, I like the
resolve and and that I think that that's something that
is important that the resolve of the team. I like
the fact that we played as a team Saturday and
we were very connected. That's a powerful thing, it was,
you know, and again that that game provides some of that,
(09:18):
but the engagement on the sideline, you know, both sides
of the ball. Once we made our adjustments, everybody was up,
everybody was into the game. And that's what it takes.
You got, We got into play as a team, and
so I'm really pleased with that gross.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Side of it.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
I like the fact on offense that multiple players are
making plays at critical moments. You know, obviously Trey being
back was huge for us. But you know, there's there's
third down conversions here to I'm trying to find this here.
I don't I know I have this note on here,
but there's you know, DeAndre Moore's got two third down conversions,
Parker has two third down conversions, Trey Wisener has two
(09:52):
third down conversions. Ryan Wingo has a third down conversion.
That we're not stuck just forcing the ball to people
that a variety of people are making play, and there's
more there where we got to get Emmett more involved,
Jack more evolved, so spurting the ball around, I think
is important to us. I feel like, you know, from
one week to next. I know one game doesn't define it,
(10:12):
but I think we're finding a little continuity on the
offensive line. With Nick getting another game under his belt.
You know, he's young, He's gonna make some mistakes, but
I think he provides kind of what DJ provided a
couple of years for us. There's some energy, there's some
attitude which is good for us, and some rhythm in
the run game, you know, I think defensively, you know,
(10:33):
the depth we have up front, I think is starting
to show. And this is about the time when depth
should start to show itself. And so as much as
Colin had two and a half, Sacks had a great game, boy,
Brad Spence had a really good game. Lace Jackson had
a really good game. And so that depth is starting
to show up for us. At the line of scrimmage,
and I thought, what was good for us? You know,
(10:54):
we got banged up at corner there where Manny was
down for a minute, Jalen Gilbert was down for a minute.
Our growth in Warren roverson getting put in, you know,
in the fourth corners in the game and playing in
a game like that, so our depth on defense is
starting to show up. And again when we can, when
we can, you know, win at the line of scrimmage
and eliminate the explosive plays that offenses have down the
(11:16):
field and force them to earn the ball and make
them earn it down the field, and we can be
physical and put hats on people and affect the quarterback.
That's a winning formula for us. And and you know,
I was saying this a few weeks ago. I felt
like our punt return unit had a chance to be
really explosive, and Ryan had some long returns and hadn't scored.
But for that aspect of the game to be to
(11:37):
be a positive one for us was big. I think
our ability to control vertical field position with our kickoffs
and our punt game has been very good to us.
And again with Mason, you know, he's three for five Saturday.
I mean the two misses, once for fifty five, once
for fifty six, and the fifty five he hit it
really well and I mean it's coming back in he
(11:58):
clips the inside of the upright. That was why I
tried the fifty six and he didn't hit it great.
I hate that for him because I think he's more
than capable. But it changes our perspective on maybe how
we're gonna play. You know, you know I'd probably be
a really apt to go for it in that situation
on a fourth and three, But know when I have
him in my back pocket there to kick those field
(12:19):
goals shifts the changes the math some on how we
can play the game. And so we're evolving as a team.
We're learning this team as we go, and we're in
a very good position. As I said, we're one and
one in conference play, and you know, like moving on
and moving forward, like this is an SEC championship game
for us. You know, you guys are seeing the records
(12:41):
in our conference and there's a lot that's gonna happen,
and you know a lot of people are gonna eat
each other here as we go, and we got to
control our own our own business. But I think we're
learning our team and our style of playing, how we
can play moving forward. And so a lot of positives
there that you know, we can build on and some
things that we need to improve upon. For sure, we're
not a finished product.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Sark. You mentioned Nick Brooks. I mean, you guys don't
start a lot true freshman up front, Where has he
developed the most over the course of the season, And
having a guy kind of take ownership with that position,
you know, without sharing it, how does that help the
whole offensive? Lie?
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Well, I think a couple of things. He's done. He's
in the best shape that he's been in since he
got here. You know, this guy arrived he was over
three hundred and sixty pounds. You know, we were in
training camp, he was in the three fifties. You know,
this weekend he was at Shade over three p thirty.
So he's he's getting in better shape, he's better conditioned.
I think his practice habits, the intent in which he's practicing,
(13:38):
he's working at his craft, I think has been helpful.
And I think his trust is better. He's playing in
between two really you know, smart players in Trevor and Cole,
and if he trusts those guys to make the calls,
he's got the ability to go do it. Now. Hey,
he wasn't perfect Saturday, but but he's definitely a heck
of a lot better this Saturday than he was a
week ago. And so hopefully we can gettinue on that trajectory.
Speaker 8 (14:03):
I'm Steve staying on Nick and staying on Lance. He
had a couple of freshmen step up this past weekend.
Can you kind of assess the overall progress of that
class and what do those freshman receivers need to do
to kind of get more playing time.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yeah, you know, again, I think that class is is
been productive. You know, Grayson Littleton with another interception. I
think he played forty something snaps in the game, you know,
for Ust and obviously Lance and and Nick. You know,
James Simon is coming along at running back. You know,
Trey was just so hot, but James really was a
guy who was trying to get the ball to He
(14:36):
got a couple of carries, but it just didn't come
to fruition. But he's he's working and he's getting better.
Kate Phillips is getting better, Jonahs getting better, and a
lot of guys are getting better. The tough part with
the with the young whiteouts who are gonna play him
over right now? You know, I mean we've got a
good group now, they're they're improving, and Kalik and Jamie
have really they're coming along, but so are I think
(14:58):
our older players are getting better. I think we're getting
the best version of Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore and Moseley
Parker so uh and and Dade McCutcheon is you know,
when hit the ops, he got he did what he
was supposed to do. So again, it's not it's not
anything to take away from those guys, but I think
it's kind of hard to go into a game thinking
you're gonna play eight wideouts in in in one game,
(15:20):
and especially a critical one score game like the way
that one was going.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, coach, going back to that edge room, you know,
can you talk a little bit about the luxury of
that depth? And for Brad Spence specifically, I mean, how
might his role also evolve as you know, as a
guy who continues to make you.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Know that that room has been has been one that
you know, we felt like coming into the season could
be a real strength of our team.
Speaker 7 (15:44):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
It's a very versatile room, and that was kind of
intentional of how we recruited it. You know, when when
you've got when you've got Ethan and his style of play,
and Zena and their style of play with with the
length of physicality they have, and then Lance being in
kind of that same role then to go along with
where Collin's at where Colton's at, where Brad is at.
It's a very versatile room that way, and I and
(16:07):
I credit the defensive staff for being creative to find
more ways and and we got into a little different
scheme Saturday where we were able to get Brad on
the field and put him at a little different spot
to where he could impact the game. And so again
we we we have to continue to grow as a
staff too. Is where we have the depth of those players,
(16:29):
how can we utilize all that we have and and
put him in position to have some success. And you know,
I credit Brad. He's been working, He's been working hard.
He had a tough week a couple of weeks ago,
and and continue to you know, get back to the grind.
He had a much better week of preparation last week,
found a role and made some plays and again land
same thing, you know, And and he's growing from where
(16:50):
you know, we can become more accountable to to what
he can do. So we just got to keep playing
all those players, you know, And and we're fortunate that way.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yes, Steeve, you mentioned a lot of stuff had been
written about your team and talked about did you feel
like any.
Speaker 8 (17:04):
Of that was justified to it motivate your.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Team and you're kind of over the hump now.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
I really don't care if it was justified or not.
It's irrelevant. You know. It's like this week. I was
telling the team today, So last week, everybody's gonna write
how we stink, we're no good. You know, let's look
at twenty twenty, twenty sixteen, and what are they going
to look like? This week, everybody's going to go back
to writing how great we are.
Speaker 9 (17:26):
Again.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
It doesn't matter what people write or say or it's
about what we do. And I think that's a lesson
learned for us about and that's where I talk about
the maturity of our team. This is a great week
for us to show the maturity of how far we've
come as a team. And that's that's you know, what
kind of leadership do we have? How do we bring
these young guys along? How do we not ride the
(17:49):
emotional roller coaster of the opinions of others and focus
on what we need to do. But for me, I'm
always going to defend our guys because I know how
they work every single day, and I think that's important
that they know that.
Speaker 9 (18:03):
Sark, I know you talked about confidence kind of the
offense gaining confidence. Is that true on first down? Just
in terms of avoiding the negative play, you know, whether
it's not a penalty or a TfL and you can
get yourself in the manageable third downs? Is that stuff
become contagious and can an offense build confidence and having
something like that?
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I think so, you know, I think that was probably
what was so frustrating early in the game, was like
we were doing it to ourselves. You know, we were
causing it to ourselves. Even on the third drive, we're
first in tent on the twenty two yard line going in,
we get a holding penalty, we throw a I think
we throw a screen to Wisner that loses yards. We
(18:40):
throw something else and we lose. It's like, guys, can
we just execute a little bit and move forward? And
then third and six is a heck of a lot
better than third and twelve or third and twenty three
or in third and whatever, like, just give ourselves a chance.
And then when they start to figure out like, hey,
this is a lot easier, and arches like wait, this
is a lot easier that Hey, everybody just settled down,
(19:03):
and then what happened. The penalties all of a sudden
went away. We're more productive. We have a twelve play drive,
a four team play drive, a ten play drive. We're
controlling the ball, the defense is getting their rest, they're
playing with a little bit more energy on defense, and
so that's where the complimentary football thing, you know, peace
comes to play. And so but again, like I talked
(19:26):
to them today about we have to be able to
take the things throughout the week and then on Friday
that we say, hey, these are going to be things
we're going to open the game with and we've got
to execute those things with confidence. But we did it
better later in the game, they actually did earlier in
the game, and so we've got to do a better
job as a staff to instill that in them, to
them to understand, this is what's going to get called.
(19:46):
We don't need to have any anxiety. And we had
too many breakdowns early in the game for my liking,
and so that's an area where we have to improve.
Like we should be starting games better than we have been,
and we need to do that. And so we've got
to as staff find a better way to instill that
in those guys.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
Hey, Steve wyse Kentucky a dangerous opponent. And do you
talk to your guys about how close these games were?
Last week Tennessee thirty four thirty one, Auburn is tied
with Georgia until Kirby cheats. He cheated. I'm sorry, guys,
he cheated. How much do you you delve into that?
How close these games.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Are all looks like they're all looking at you know,
that's this conference. You know, that wasn't the only game,
you know, I mean there was a ton of one
score games in our conference, and and probably games that
were closer than the final score indicated. And so even
(20:45):
games these guys have been sometimes the scorers look a
little different late of what happens, but early on, you know,
I just don't think in the sec when you go
on the road, you play at night in some of
these environments, you better buckle up. And they've got too
good a players. They've knocked off too many teams that
(21:06):
we we all know this. I mean that this is
the same team that went to Old Miss and won
last year, probably cost Old Miss a playoff bid, and
so the same team that had the ball at the
end of the game against Old Miss this year and
so it's just there's too many good players, the coaching's
too good that you better treat every game like it's
(21:29):
a championship game and you have to give each game
the credit it deserves. And these guys are Mark Stupen's
been doing it too long, and he's gonna have them
ready to play. They've had two weeks to get ready
to play. We've got to be prepared for for a
war like this is because it's gonna be one. I'm
just gonna tell you that right now. That's the way
this game is gonna go.
Speaker 10 (21:49):
What is it about Ryan Nibblett that allowed him to
grow so much when you didn't know you were trying
to put him at receiver and a running back and everything.
How did he stay so engaged through this? And what
kind of role does he have?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, a ton of credit to Ryan, you know. But
like a lot of these guys, they all when they
get here, they all want to be that freshman that's starting,
and they've all got a bunch of stars, and they've
all been the best players in the Little league and
in high school and all that, and you get here
and you get into our locker room, they're all really
good players. And you know, he was a really kind
(22:22):
of versatile player in high school. He played running back,
he played wildcat quarterback, he played receiver, and so when
we got him here, it was like, we just got
to try to figure out what is his role. And
he went from receiver to running back to defense in spring,
back to receiver. Now he's now he's dueling running back
(22:42):
and receiver. He's returning punts, he's returning kickoffs. He's an
elite special teams player. On kickoff coverage, he's probably the
best kickoff cover guy we have. But I think it's
the selfless nature that he has. He's an awesome teammate.
And I credit him because there was moments when he
was thinking about Lee in this place, and I shoot,
I didn't let him leave, you know, I fought to
(23:04):
keep him here because of one the player that he is.
But too, I think he's a glue guy when it
comes to our culture. And you know, as I tell you,
culture wins. You know, as much as talented people matter,
culture matters more. And you know, he's one of those
guys that is true to our culture. And for him
to have some of the success he's having this year
is really cool to see for him, but also for
(23:26):
other players on our team, some of these young freshmen
we're talking about that it's not always about are you
a frontline starter on offense or defense? Can you find
a way and find a role on special teams and
then grow into that role. No different than Trey Wisner
a couple of years ago what he was doing on
special teams. And I can name a bunch of guys
like that, but I think he's a great model to
younger players of just sticking and staying the course and
(23:48):
working and you'll find a role on this team where
you can really contribute.
Speaker 11 (23:54):
You've got connections to coach Hampden, coach pk As connections
to coach Hampden. Is it kind of like looking at
the tape and thinking that looks pretty familiar. I know
what that where that comes from? And what are some
things that that offense is doing well this year?
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Well, they're running the heck out of the ball, and
they've got two very good runners, dynamic players you know
they've got they've got a guy in Kendrick Law who's
a problem on the perimeter who we recruited as well.
And yeah, there's some aspects of what they do that
that's familiar. But I think it stems back to coach Stoops.
They have a formula for success that they want to
(24:26):
play with. They want to run the ball, they want
to play defense, and that's what Bush is doing for them.
And then you know, it's unfortunate they're finally now they've
got some continuity at quarterback. They've had a little bit
of revolving door there, but they're they're finding ways to
create some plays and they've been close on some others,
and so they're a dangerous team that way.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Coach, it's a precarious time to be a head football coach.
Do you have any comment on what's going around the
country at UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, now Penn State
firing their coaches early? Is this about money? Are our
regents and administrators being less patient now with college football coaches?
Speaker 7 (25:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:04):
I don't know. I mean, obviously it's a business, right
and we all understand that. We all know what we
sign up for. The biggest thing I think about when
I see coaches getting fired during the season, I think
about the players, you know, because they signed up to
play for a coach and they you know, it's kind
of like, well, are you doing that because you think
(25:25):
we can be better now? Or are you doing that
because you're thinking about next year and so where are
we and all that. So that's the first thing I
think about, the same thing I think about. It's like,
you know, I'll use Penn State as example, And I
got a ton of respect for James Franklin. He's a
great coach and he'll he's going to land somewhere and
they'll be good again wherever he goes. A year ago,
they're a final four team and they're in a dogfight
(25:46):
to go play for a national championship. Three weeks ago,
fifteen days ago, they're a play away from being a
top two team, arguably the number one team in the country.
And today he's no longer the head coach. So that
should just tell you about the business that we're in
and understanding the business aspect of it. I hate it
for him, I hate it for those players, but that's
(26:07):
just the reality of the situation that we're in right now.
But he's a good coach. He'll somebody's gonna hire that guy.
You know, He's won everywhere he's been, so he'll be okay.
Speaker 6 (26:15):
The cameras.
Speaker 12 (26:16):
Last question, Yeah, coach, Earlier you mentioned about arches off
schedule passes. One thing I've noticed a lot is the
scrambled drows. He's been very proficient in that. Is that
just something I'll focus on during just relationship between quarterback
and wide receiver when those things break down.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
You know, and I know there's a lot of ways
to skin a cat. I don't over coach that aspect
of the game. You know, you'll hear the players talk
about Sonny Glenn Park. That's the park this down the
street from my house off of Red Beam Avenue in Toaurres, California.
That you know, when you're at the park, it's like me,
you and a couple other guys and it's like, okay,
get open, I'm all time quarterback and you and and
(26:53):
so when you go to scramble, Yeah, there's some parameters
that you put around it, which we do. But at
the end of the day, you got to play and
that now we're now you're playing the game of football,
and part of that comes from playing together too. And
now these guys have six games under their belt and
they have a little better feel for arch of where
he's moving and when he's moving and where that ball
(27:15):
can go. But that's where you recruit football IQ as well.
And I think Deandre's got a great one. Deandre's touchdown
that wasn't the route he was supposed to run, you know,
he was on a different route. But when the coverage busted,
the feel from DeAndre and then Arch to recognize it
to make the throw. And that's no different than some
of the third down things that are happening there as well.
(27:36):
And so Emmett's got a great feel. Ryan's got a
great feel. But at that point, you need to play football.
And but then for the quarterback, it comes down to
decision making right when it becomes you know, you're you're playing,
and when it can become reckless. And we never want
to be reckless in those situations with the ball because
the ball's paramount in the program. And so but Arch
(27:57):
has the ability to do that. And I'm sure he
and his uncles and his brother have been in the
backyard messing around, playing and that's that's what those moments become.
And and he, you know, he definitely has been doing that.
And in the last two weeks we're really starting to
see more of that and it's become a it's become
a weapon for us all.
Speaker 7 (28:17):
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com