T-Minus T-Day: Aggies get set for LSU in finale

Kevin Sumlin

On his satisfaction level with the defense this season...

"We've had our ups and downs. Certainly last week was really down. We had a lot of guys who were out. That's something we try to evaluate every week. We've made some substitutions, we've put new people in there; last week was a tough situation because two of our better players didn't even dress for the game and Josh Walker broke his foot — he had surgery yesterday and is probably done for the rest of the year.

"It's something you have to evaluate week to week and at the end of the year."

On when he knows to make a change...

"You heard me talk about it in the middle of the year — we evaluate things weekly, then at the end of the year I'll sit down and evaluate where we are and make decisions on what's best for our program and what's best moving forward. Right now, our focus, my focus, this whole team's focus is on LSU. Thanksgiving Night. And trying to send 17 seniors out the right way at Kyle Field. That's enough based on what we've gone through this year to get this team focused to play a national TV game on Thanksgiving Night and have our seniors end the regular season with a good feeling."

On what makes John Chavis' LSU defense so tough...

"They've been athletic, had different people on the field ... they have a scheme they've worked at. It's a similar situation for us — we have similar records, have been playing a bunch of young guys, have had solid wins and disappointing losses, both teams, and been inconsistent at times with young players on the field. Defensively they're solid. They have young guys that have gotten better this year. John Chavis' record stands for itself defensively: as good as there is in the country."

On Myles Garrett, Ivan Robinson and Otaro Alaka...

"All three of those guys are probable for this game. Josh Walker is out, as I said. Alaka is dealing with more pain than anything else, it's a pain tolerance situation. Ivan, we'll see. Myles, I think he'll be ready to go for sure."

On the A&M-Texas bowl game topic...

"I'm going to be excited whoever we play, just because it's a bowl game. Right now, I think, as I said before, we're focused and I'm focused on trying to beat LSU. So that's a big deal in this program right now. I've been around long enough to know that whoever, whatever I think, who we play, I don't have any say-so in what goes on. Whoever we play, I'll be excited to play them. Let's put it that way."

On playing on Thanksgiving again in A&M tradition...

"It's good. The way I understand it is we're going to play at home on Thanksgiving and we may play Friday nights at LSU. Certainly at home, for us, Thanksgiving brings back a lot of memories for our fans and I know our fans are excited about it. Some coaches are a little different about it — if you haven't done it, what do you do? Everyone misses Thanksgiving with their families and everything, but having been here before I understand it and what the traditional value of a Thanksgiving night game is.

"I talk to people in our recruiting and current team and everybody around, and Thanksgiving is a great time traditionally for family, friends and football. It's a great honor to be a part of not just sitting there watching somebody — somebody's got to play — so why not us in a great venue in front of 100,000 people at night? It's something to be excited about, something to be proud of and I know our guys are excited to be playing."

On why the team's road success hasn't transitioned to Kyle Field...

"Don't know."

"It's not a losing record. But it's not as good as the road record. It's not anything we don't recognize and anything we're not working on. We've started to look at what we do. It's something we're evaluating and working on."

On whether LSU is A&M's main rival now and what makes a rivalry...

"It's different for me. This is year 3. I understand different thought processes in what rivalries are. For people who have been involved in Aggie football for years, they might see things a little bit differently. I can remember being at Oklahoma and growing up and watching Oklahoma playing Nebraska. Who would've thought that at this point that game doesn't even exist? Rivalries, over the landscape of college football, have changed. That's just to name one. When you change leagues, you get involved in certain games, certain games can be close but proximity usually weighs into what becomes a rivalry.

"I don't know. I think any time you move a game to the end of the year, you're insinuating something there. Particularly on Thanksgiving. We'll see."

On whether there are any takeaways from Arkansas' win over LSU...

"I hope so. (Pause; laughter.) I said when we played Arkansas that that team was getting better and going to get somebody. They lost by one to Alabama and us in overtime. That team was coming along and just kept fighting. You also had an LSU team who spent a lot of energy the week before in a really, really close football game. So, I think it was a combination of two things. There's no doubt that they have the same thing, we have similar records and they want to end their year on a positive note just like we do and put themselves in a decent bowl scenario.

"We have a lot of guys from a region of about 300 miles playing in this game. We have guys with Louisiana and Texas pride and they have guys with Texas and Louisiana pride."

On getting talent out of Louisiana against LSU...

"We've got a number of guys from Louisiana. I was just looking today, basically they all play except for Noel Ellis who had a medical problem this summer. Deshazor Everett, Speedy, Ivan Robinson, Julien Obioha ... it's important for us to be able to evaluate in Louisiana and those guys have come here and had success. There are a number of guys that are going to be playing on LSU's team that we tried to recruit from the state of Texas. There's a lot of good high school football in Texas and Louisiana, and the battle for that talent is not just between the two of us — but obviously both of us would like to keep our guys home and then go over and try to steal one or two guys from the other guy's state. I don't think that's any secret."

On Garrett...

"You know I don't update injuries unless they're season-ending." (Smile.)

On his three-game assessment of Kyle Allen at QB...

"I think you saw us play pretty close to the vest in his first outing.  He came out a lot more relaxed, which sounds kind of crazy, at Auburn and moved the ball well. He's been able to check some plays and do some things. Operationally he's gotten good from the beginning. Offensively, the package with him being able to get to more things, he's more comfortable with that. I would say in three games he's been solid. He's had his moments. I don't think it's been disastrous. Ball security is part of it; the interception last week went through Speedy's hands on an on-target throw. From an operational standpoint it was a play that was big because it went the other way.

"He continues to improve and understand what we're doing and we continue to understand what he's capable of. I would characterize it as being solid."

On the recruiting impact of this game for the winner...

"They're after a couple of our top guys and we're after a couple of their top guys. One game, for some people, doesn't usually matter; for some guys it does. Performances matter, atmosphere matters, and whenever you have an opportunity — some guys that will be at this game have never been here before — and the atmosphere and everything that surrounds it, how you play plays a big part. Winning helps everything, but whether or not one game really matters to a recruit, you never know. Sometimes it does."

On the team's health and the bye weekend...

"We were a different team at the beginning of the year. Since the last bye week and Auburn, we've had guys on the field that didn't even go to South Carolina, let alone play. Health is a relative issue. Ivan's been really, really good against strong running teams and his leadership has been something that's helped us at times, and when he's not in there it's hurt us. He's been a big part of what we've been able to accomplish. And you've heard me talk about Malcome Kennedy and his ability to be healthy or not healthy.

"So this time has been good for us. ... It's not any different than other teams, sometimes you're healthy and sometimes guys get beat up. That's where the depth in your program has to match that. A lot of the guys beat up right now are young guys; we've got to manage them physically for this game because this will be a physical game. These guys understand that and we've got to put them in position to play ... and get some of these young guys ready to go this week."

On what Deshazor Everett's meant to the program through his development...

"He's a guy that has obviously played since the day we got here. You go back through his career, three years ago he's one of the few guys in our secondary that has played in those big games three years ago. You go back to the play against Alabama, you'll always be remembered for that interception. I give him a hard time saying a real player would've stayed in bounds and went a hundred yards.

"He's a guy who has been quiet, had his ups and downs, played through injury, and has really — I have a lot of respect for him, battling through (the elbow), it was very painful when it happened — for him to continue to play with that brace and do the things he's done, I've got a tremendous amount of respect for him."

On what it'll take for Speedy Noil to finally take one return to the house...

"One more block. It's been one more block every time. I know our return game has been really solid, whether it's been kickoff return or punt return. ... I know Coach Banks is getting frustrated with the one-more-block situation. Overall, our return game has been solid. And our coverage units have been really solid against some very good returners. Special teams-wise, we have a number of players playing who are starters, and Floyd Raven has been just unbelievable in kickoff coverage and punt coverage against some of the better returners in this league.

"What you've seen the last couple weeks is the ultimate respect from the other team. Auburn's plan was to sky punt every punt to Speedy, then he gets one chance with the kickoff (against Missouri) and then the kicks are all over the place — squib kicks, short kicks, kicks out of bounds. And the guy's a freshman."

On Noil as a receiver...

"He can be better. When he's touched the ball he's been OK. He's got more yards than you think. The guy missed a game, completely. People forget he had surgery six weeks ago and missed one game. For him to be explosive is a credit to him.

"The other thing is he's a guy, like Ricky, who was a quarterback in high school. He's still learning how to run routes, how to play game, how to escape different coverages. He will continue to get better as a receiver; probably the return game comes easier to him because he can get the ball in his hands and not have to do a whole lot except use his ability — and he's got a tremendous amount of ability. Being a receiver has a little more to do with coverage, route-running, time clock in your head, knowing what's happening, adjustments, blitzes.

"He's improving; he's had ups and downs against certain teams and has his frustrations, but I look for him to continue to improve. The spring and offseason will be big for him to become the kind of route-runner he needs to be. If he can do that, the sky's the limit."

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Jake Spavital

On his thoughts on the current OL combination...

"We're struggling at times with certain looks. You've got a lot of guys moved around. When Ifedi went down we had discussions about taking the redshirt off Avery Gennesy and at this point of the season with what we're playing for we decided to just make it work. We've moved Jarvis out there and just tried to help him as much as possible."

On the final play to Cam Clear...

"That was a play we've been working on since day one for that situation right there, game on the line, need to get a yard. There's a three-side option. You've got a QB rolling out to the right, two receivers in a pass concept, the ability to run the ball and a back-side screen to Cam Clear. We'd been preparing for it, all the kids wanted it, Kyle went through his first read, Speedy got caught up, thought the screen would be good on the back side and just didn't get it done. We thought we'd at least get a yard there. We didn't block the back side correctly."

On Speedy Noil, bringing him along and using him more...

"You're going to see that role, over the next few years, evolve. He is young, he's still working at the receiver position; we take advantage of what he does well. He is working through some stuff but the kid is a special player. ... He's just got to keep coming along. There's certain play calls, right now you see that Kyle tends to lean to Josh at times because he's had the hot hand, but Speedy, you're going to see his role evolve as he becomes more familiar with the route-running and the concepts."

On the third-and-one call to Brandon Williams...

"Most likely (he would put Tra Carson in). We hit Ricky Seals-Jones out of bounds and tempo'd into the play. They delayed the spot a bit, then put the ball down and we snapped it and went. Thinking about it more, you probably want a bigger back in there in that situation, but we still believe in the capability of Brandon Williams and what he can do."

On the running back rotation...

"Right now they're on a four-play rotation. We just try to work through things. Sometimes they stay out there longer based on the drive; we work with the hot hand. It's just hard to grasp who's going to be hot or not. The Auburn game, all three were hot. Tra Carson seemed to have the bigger plays at times in this game, then there were times where Trey Williams got on the perimeter and made guys miss and got a first down. It's difficult at times but we've got to keep going down (the field) and giving these guys opportunities."

On whether they would stick to one guy if the play deserved it...

"There's other things than just running the ball. We have the screen game; if it's a certain point in the game where we have to throw the ball a lot, you may see one guy out there based on his ability to pass-block. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I can't tell you if we're going to run it five times or not — it's just a mix-and-match deal."

On Kyle Allen playing in the rain and with gloves...

"I don't think it affected him at all. He never worried about it. It was something we put in our kids' heads, that it was going to be cold and it was going to be raining. He came out for our first practice during the week and came out with those gloves, those NFL gloves that Peyton Manning wears on Sundays. He'll just go out there with whatever makes him comfortable."

On Josh Reynolds...

"What he's doing is pretty amazing, to come in his first year, a junior college kid, overlooked. We got a steal out of that one. He came in and competed and he was a lock for that Z starting position; his work ethic and how he approaches the game, it doesn't surprise me how much success he's having out there. He's going to keep getting bigger and he's going to keep getting better. We still have two years with him. He's a comfort zone for our quarterbacks because we know he's going to get open, we know where he's going to be and we know he'll make the play."

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Mark Snyder

On his assessment of his defense this season...

"Ups and downs. We've played well at times. We've had to shuffle guys around, any time you do that it makes it hard. One thing I'll say about these guys, they've continued to believe and play hard and that's all you can ask for as a coach."

On the reasons for the inconsistency...

"You can sit here and ... football is a very fluent game. You have to have some fluency within your segment, your unit. It's been difficult, it's not an excuse — we've got to do better coaching, period — but we need to have a group of guys playing together through a season. The teams that are excelling right now have played as one through an entire year and they've stayed healthy."

On Russell Hansbrough's long touchdown run...

"We've got to tackle. Period. We've got to tackle. We mis-fit and one thing led to another. It was a mis-fit all the way."

On how he handles times like this...

"It is what it is. I learned at 30 years old, the day you take a job in this profession, you're on the hot seat. The day you take the job, you're on the hot seat. This is a production-based business, period. You keep working hard and some day it's going to pay off. We knew that coming in. My wife knows that, my family knows that. This is a production-based business, period. And you have to produce."

On how Arkansas defended LSU...

"Arkansas played very well. They were up for that game. We'll have to be up for this game."

On whether he feels like this is a big game for his future here...

"That's not for me to decide. I go to work every day and try to get these guys better. We're going to play our tails off Thursday night and what happens happens. That's what we're looking forward to right now."

On the A&M-LSU series' future...

"I think if you want to call a game a rivalry, you'd better beat them first. This group right here has yet to beat LSU. We have yet to beat LSU. If you want to make it a rivalry game, you've got to go beat them. We're relatively new in this league, but I do know this: you've got to win the game to make it a rivalry game or it's not a rivalry."

On LSU's offense...

"They've had a couple injuries, but they still have a three-headed monster (at RB). You see Fournette getting better every week. They were dinged up up front and Arkansas took advantage of that. They played lights out. We need to expect LSU's best shot. Les Miles is a great football coach and he'll have them ready to play."

On Josh Walker and Otaro Alaka since they became starters...

"I think Otaro is going to make a lot of noise in this league. Otaro is very talented, very talented. Josh had been playing well and now he's out; we've got to take care of Otaro from this game to the bowl game, because he's going to be a great player here. He's got a special skill set. He's got things a lot of people would like to have in their WILL linebacker in this system."