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Texas A&M Football
“As you saw with Tra Carson, Kyler playing opened up the running game. Now on the corners, the five-technique defensive tackle/defensive end has to be concerned with the quarterback running with the ball off the read option. So, you can’t close and make the play on the hand-off. You have to stay there and play the quarterback. You can trace that back to probably what Auburn’s problems are right now, because they have a quarterback that is a throwing quarterback, rather than a Cam Newton that can run the football. Also, their running backs were so good because of how they had to defend Cam Newton.”
“Well, I think this situation to the decision to start Kevin Murray are very similar. We were probably not in the same formations in the running game as we are today, although with Kevin, we were able to do an awful lot of things with the quarterback. I don't know how many sons of a former player at the same college, in their freshman start, have very similar starts. Kevin was 18-for-31 for 217 yards and three touchdown passes. Kyler was a little better at 20-for-28 for 223 in the air and 156 yards on the ground. I sent a text to Kevin – ‘looks like Kyler is a better runner than you were.’ He didn’t answer my text.”
“Kevin was a different style of runner. He didn’t have the quickness or the quick feet that Kyler has but he could run. He got some defensive coordinators fired. As a matter of fact, he ran a quarterback sneak for 43 yards one time against Arkansas and I believe Lou Holtz fired his defensive coordinator before they got back to Fayetteville.”
“What really is impressing me is, not many people watch the quarterback’s warm up, but when you watch him warm up -- the quickness of his release and how tight he is with the football. There’s not any layoff or wasted motion in throwing the ball and you can trace that right back to Kevin because he taught him how to throw the football.”
“Well, there’s more and more that you add to the game plan, and I think that each time Kyler plays and demonstrates that he can handle the game plan, then they can add more and more. Playing quarterback is not easy. When you look around, that’s why they pay so much for a quarterback in the NFL. That’s the most valuable player on the team. If it was easy, everybody would do it, even those 300-pound defensive and offensive lineman would rather player quarterback than the positions their playing.”
“No question that Ricky Seals-Jones is A&M’s most improved player. I saw him in the spring and I saw him in camp and there’s no question that he is much better. What I’m impressed with is that he’s changed his whole body and I think his whole demeanor – he’s a lot more intense, a lot more focused, and it shows in his playing. I don’t know if there’s a strong or free safety that can handle him or linebacker on any inside routes."
“You don’t know who is going to play quarterback for Auburn. So, you have to prepare for two different quarterbacks. I do think that White will probably start for them. If White is playing, although Malzahn really wants to run the football, but because they don’t have a running quarterback or a productive running quarterback, they will probably be throwing the ball a lot more than they want to. There are some impressive things about them. They’re fourth in the nation on kickoff returns at almost 30 yards a return. They’re also 83% in the red zone, so they’re really good in the red zone. Now, their kicker is just as good as Bertolet. We may have the two best kickers in the conference playing against each other Saturday, both of them kick 50+ yards. I think the kicker from Auburn has had six 50+ yarders in the last 4 games. If you really look and try to study, that’s what I do, and look defensively, they do not have a defensive lineman in the top seven in their defensive categories. Which means that their defensive backs and linebackers are the ones that are the best players. That means upfront they may not be as good as they have been in the past.”
“I think I picked the top four in the first playoff rankings. I’m pretty sure I picked them in the right order, I had Alabama fourth and Clemson first. I think the 5-10 may have been different. Instead of the old saying that ‘they remember what you do in November,’ it’s ‘November is elimination month’ – you either move up or move down. If you win you continue to play, if you lose, you go home.”
Jackie Sherrill on Kevin/Kyler similarities, prepping for Auburn
Key quotes from Jackie Sherrill interview
“I think Kyler played very well. But, again, you have to give credit to the coaching staff. They called the plays, they put him in the position to perform. You know, your job as the coach, is to get the player mentally and physically ready to play – but you have to put them in position. There’s no question that they put him in position and called the plays that used his talents. I think it goes around the country, when you see quarterbacks struggle, it’s probably one or two things – they’re asking him things to do things that he’s not used to doing or the scheme doesn’t fit his talents.”“As you saw with Tra Carson, Kyler playing opened up the running game. Now on the corners, the five-technique defensive tackle/defensive end has to be concerned with the quarterback running with the ball off the read option. So, you can’t close and make the play on the hand-off. You have to stay there and play the quarterback. You can trace that back to probably what Auburn’s problems are right now, because they have a quarterback that is a throwing quarterback, rather than a Cam Newton that can run the football. Also, their running backs were so good because of how they had to defend Cam Newton.”
“Well, I think this situation to the decision to start Kevin Murray are very similar. We were probably not in the same formations in the running game as we are today, although with Kevin, we were able to do an awful lot of things with the quarterback. I don't know how many sons of a former player at the same college, in their freshman start, have very similar starts. Kevin was 18-for-31 for 217 yards and three touchdown passes. Kyler was a little better at 20-for-28 for 223 in the air and 156 yards on the ground. I sent a text to Kevin – ‘looks like Kyler is a better runner than you were.’ He didn’t answer my text.”
“Kevin was a different style of runner. He didn’t have the quickness or the quick feet that Kyler has but he could run. He got some defensive coordinators fired. As a matter of fact, he ran a quarterback sneak for 43 yards one time against Arkansas and I believe Lou Holtz fired his defensive coordinator before they got back to Fayetteville.”
“What really is impressing me is, not many people watch the quarterback’s warm up, but when you watch him warm up -- the quickness of his release and how tight he is with the football. There’s not any layoff or wasted motion in throwing the ball and you can trace that right back to Kevin because he taught him how to throw the football.”
“Well, there’s more and more that you add to the game plan, and I think that each time Kyler plays and demonstrates that he can handle the game plan, then they can add more and more. Playing quarterback is not easy. When you look around, that’s why they pay so much for a quarterback in the NFL. That’s the most valuable player on the team. If it was easy, everybody would do it, even those 300-pound defensive and offensive lineman would rather player quarterback than the positions their playing.”
“No question that Ricky Seals-Jones is A&M’s most improved player. I saw him in the spring and I saw him in camp and there’s no question that he is much better. What I’m impressed with is that he’s changed his whole body and I think his whole demeanor – he’s a lot more intense, a lot more focused, and it shows in his playing. I don’t know if there’s a strong or free safety that can handle him or linebacker on any inside routes."
“You don’t know who is going to play quarterback for Auburn. So, you have to prepare for two different quarterbacks. I do think that White will probably start for them. If White is playing, although Malzahn really wants to run the football, but because they don’t have a running quarterback or a productive running quarterback, they will probably be throwing the ball a lot more than they want to. There are some impressive things about them. They’re fourth in the nation on kickoff returns at almost 30 yards a return. They’re also 83% in the red zone, so they’re really good in the red zone. Now, their kicker is just as good as Bertolet. We may have the two best kickers in the conference playing against each other Saturday, both of them kick 50+ yards. I think the kicker from Auburn has had six 50+ yarders in the last 4 games. If you really look and try to study, that’s what I do, and look defensively, they do not have a defensive lineman in the top seven in their defensive categories. Which means that their defensive backs and linebackers are the ones that are the best players. That means upfront they may not be as good as they have been in the past.”
“I think I picked the top four in the first playoff rankings. I’m pretty sure I picked them in the right order, I had Alabama fourth and Clemson first. I think the 5-10 may have been different. Instead of the old saying that ‘they remember what you do in November,’ it’s ‘November is elimination month’ – you either move up or move down. If you win you continue to play, if you lose, you go home.”
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