Press Conference: Carrying momentum into UTEP

Kevin Sumlin

On Malcome Kennedy...

Sumlin: "I've talked about Malcome Kennedy a bunch this year. A year ago, after Alabama, obviously the big catch at Alabama, really kind of jump-started who he is today. The second half of the year he played very well, had a great offseason and we expected, based on his offseason, spring and Fall Camp, for him to be a real threat for us this year. And he hasn't disappointed."

On what's jumped out on tape from Saturday...

Sumlin: "We were able to play a lot of different people, which is always a good thing. It's even better when a lot of those guys play well. The rotation up front kept us fresh and gave us a bit more energy than we've had in the past, instead of playing a couple different guys. We were able to, at one time, I looked out there and just about everybody out there was a freshman in the front seven. Donnie Baggs got back out there. Darian (Claiborne)'s been playing, Jordan Mastrogiovanni played some significant snaps. Noel Ellis did a great job out there. Daeshon Hall, Hardreck Walker ... there's a whole freshman thing going on out there.

"For us to have some success Saturday was important. Hopefully we were better. Not great by any means, but hopefully we're better. Some success by the young guys and some success by the defense, hopefully we'll continue to get better and gain some confidence from that. We had the onside kick put our defense in a bad position. That's a team that's scored 25 on everybody; we should get that onside kick and not give them a short field. You hold them to 17, 18 points, you've got to feel good about it."

On Derel Walker...

Sumlin: "He's a little bit like Malcome. Junior college guy, one of the first guys we signed when we got here, a bit under the radar and came through spring, really tried to find his niche. We had to try to find a way he could help us a year ago. He did some things good, but he was alright. Then we got through spring and now he's playing with real, real confidence. I think you've seen the last three weeks where he is. We talk, as coaches, the hard part about junior college guys is that just about the time they figure it out, they're walking out the door.

"I'm glad he's playing at the level he's playing at now, because he's definitely helping us. I didn't realize that was his first touchdown on Saturday. He was pretty happy about that, so we had to get him another one."

On Johnny's practice load going forward...

Sumlin: "We'll see how he goes, how he feels. He's a really mature player when it comes to practice and communication. Last week I think he thought he was going to practice Thursday and it was just so sore when he came out and warmed up, he backed off. You run the risk of 'Will he be ready enough for Friday?' I was more worried about what happened. Him throwing for the first time Friday and being sore Saturday, and the 11:20 kickoff didn't help that. You wake up at 7 in the morning and the quarterback says his shoulder hurts, that's not a good thing.

"That says a lot about him and his approach. So we'll communicate during the week just like we do all the time. Sunday he said he was OK. Yesterday he threw a few balls. I don't anticipate it being a problem this week."

On Alonzo Williams...

Sumlin: "Alonzo would be ... he may or may not play this Saturday. I don't know the word. He's 'maybe.'"

On the challenges of playing a non-con game in November...

Sumlin: "There aren't any particular challenges with that. They understand that their level of play comes from what's expected of them, no matter who you're playing and what you have at stake. We're pretty open with our team — we're 6-2 and we're bowl-eligible; from here on out, you're playing for better situations in the postseason. In order to do that, you need to be motivated to play. That usually motivates guys a lot. Our guys understand that. There's a little bit of a cure out there for them because of that."

On Cedric Ogbuehi's status...

Sumlin: "He would be maybe, also. He, basically, Thursday, he just couldn't go. We're working through that. There's a pretty good chance that he'll play. If not, it would be a precautionary measure and we'd have him back for Mississippi State."

On not having Jameill Showers playing for UTEP...

Sumlin: "Probably not as disappointed as he is. That's all part of it."

On talking to the team about a BCS bowl still being possible...

Sumlin: "Too early for that."

On what goals the team does have...

Sumlin: "I just covered that. Once you become bowl-eligible, you start playing for better situations. But you can't control that. Win as many games as you can, because you don't know what'll happen down the stretch. The situation is we have the same record as we did as the same time last year. People just don't seem to be as excited about that. But we know what we've got in front of us. You have to keep winning to put yourself in better situations."

On Mike Evans and Manziel's candidacy for awards...

Sumlin: "I think that's important and I think that's significant. I'm also puzzled why Mike Evans isn't in the Heisman race, to be honest with you. I think he's as good a player as there is in the country. Can you have two guys who can do that? It wouldn't be the first time. I was on a team at Oklahoma that had Jason White and Adrian Peterson go to New York. We have two guys playing at a high level and I don't anticipate that changing. What is he, second in the country in yards per game?

"And everbody knows we're going to throw him the ball. And he continues to play at an extremely high level. I think it's right for them to be involved in the Maxwell Award, I'm not surprised by that. I'm more surprised there isn't any Heisman talk about him."

On scheduling and talking with Eric Hyman about it...

Sumlin: "We communicate on scheduling all the time. Unfortunately it's not as easy as people think. You can't just call somebody up and say, 'You wanna play?' That's not how it works. The real complicating factor has been changing leagues, the erasing of schedules and the changing of timing. We don't have a conference schedule for '15, whether it's going to be eight, nine, whatever. People are scheduling games as far out as 2020. And a game that looked good in 2007 might not be as good. A game you thought might be an easier game in 2007 might not be.

"So scheduling is always complicated. And it's more complicated for us because of the changing of leagues, the dates available and the opponents. The last two years we've had to scramble to get people to play because of the changing of leagues and the changing of scheduling. Expect that to settle down. There's communication on that, but the last two years there was a limited amount of people available to play. You saw that with us, with Missouri, with a couple Big 12 teams. When you're trying to play the same people, they know it too — and suddenly the price goes up a lot if they're going to do it.

"Certainly, we talk about it and try to get as quality an opponent as we can get. The thing that's different about the SEC that people aren't used to is non-conference opponents late in the year. ... This league has been like that for years and I don't know that that's going to change. We'll see when the schedule comes out."

On seeing Showers again...

Sumlin: "He was in a tough situation and basically, you guys said he was going to start, I never said that, I keep reminding you of that. That put an extra burden on him. He knew where he was internally and there was still a quarterback competition. He went through the year as a backup quarterback and indicated to me he was going to graduate and transfer and possibly have a couple more years because he graduated so early.

"Our standard policy is different than a lot of people, based on what's happened in the last year. Our policy is if you transfer, ... if you put in three years of development academically, athletically, the money spent to really help that young man as a student athlete, you don't want to turn around and play against him. You put in a bunch of work to develop him. People don't think of it that way, but that's the way I think of it. I think that's fair.

"But in this situation, it's different as a quarterback. There's only certain places that want you and need immediate help in these situations, especially if you're not a freshmen. We met with a couple places and talked about UTEP and, because of the quality kid he is, and situations that were a bit extenuating because of the circumstances, I said that's OK. That's not what you like to do, but when he was here he represented the University well and his team and his family well. It was just unfortunate he got caught behind the best player in the country."

On social media in today's game...

Sumlin: "Social media is important for us from three or four different factors. Number one, we can get our message out as a marketing tool instead of having people talk about us that aren't here every day, make assumptions about our program and our university. It gives us a window to tell our story to fans and to recruits. AggieFBLife is about utilizing the complete social network board. We're on everything from Twitter to Pinterest. To get recruits, and their moms.

"There's a reason for that. Is there an agenda? You bet there's an agenda. That agenda is for us to be able to talk about who we are, what we're about, what our players are about, what our program is about, and to have that story be told accurately and incorporate our fans and future prospects in keeping people interested."

On the SEC eight- or nine-game conference schedule question...

Sumlin: "I think I've been pretty clear on it — it doesn't matter what I think, obviously — but I've been very clear on what I thought. I think the eight games is good. This league has shown, with strength of schedule in the SEC, that those eight games will be strong games. I think your non-league schedule is still going to be strong. But I think an eight-game with a 6-2 format makes sense to me. With that two-game rotation being everybody on the other side. So that when you recruit, you have the ability in four years to see every team in the league, or close to it. If you're rotating home and home and that rotation is every two years, you've got the ability to see a bunch of different teams in the East.

"I think over time, what that does is you're going to see some stronger teams and some weaker teams. Who knows who those teams are going to be. Over time, that rotation will give you an equal opportunity to be successful. I think there's some coaches, matter of fact I know there's some coaches that have voiced their opinions and aren't happy right now. I'm new to the league but I sit and I listen to people talk about long-standing rivalries that we're not a part of that are cross-league — Alabama-Tennessee, teams that have played a long time. Their fans are looking forward to that. I understand that.

"Like I said, we're the new guys. It's easy for me to say 6-2 because, to me, that makes sense. But that's where I stand."

On UTEP...

Sumlin: "There's a team that has come into the league with a new coach who I have a lot of respect for. He's a guy who has been an outstanding position coach at different places and a lot of buddies of mine that are in the NFL. He was at Boise with Marcel Yates. He wanted to come in and establish a certain style of play at UTEP. Maybe it was a complete change from personnel and the way UTEP was, so there's a transitional period there, but he's working hard at it. I see a team that's working hard and has a lot of pride just like their coach. We've got to get our A-game. When you're on national TV, people get more excited anyway.

"This time of year it's more about you than who you're playing. We challenged some guys a week ago who hadn't been at the forefront, because of injury or whatever, to play significant minutes. That's what it's about. You've got guys who are beat up and don't play. The story nobody's talking about was the story of the offensive line, to operate the way it operated last week while basically moving the whole thing around — moving Jake to right tackle, Jarvis to left tackle, having Gramling start his first game — for us to operate the way we did and nobody talk about that, that's what I'm amazed about."

On Case Keenum with the Texans...

Sumlin: "I think I was on record saying I thought he was going to do well. He's a guy that has always worked at the game. I think it's an unbelievable story — tears up a knee, gets a sixth year. There's a reason he's the all-time leader in college football in passing yardage. He's a coach's kid who's really a tremendous player and coach on the field. You look back at the last three years of his life, three-and-a-half, to have that knee injury, not be ruled eligible until January and basically have to figure out what you're going to do, January they give you an opportunity, go through and have the sixth year he had ... and then not be drafted.

"Become an undrafted free agent, go to the Texans, go through a practice squad the whole year ... people don't understand, he hadn't dressed for a regular season game. To go from not dressing all year to going against the No. 1 defense in the league, in Arrowhead Stadium, which had set a record for noise the week before. Other than that, no big deal (laughter).

"His dad was more worried about it than he was. But the way he came out and played early, that didn't shock me. That's the kind of person he is. He'll continue to gain confidence. For him to start again this week, I couldn't be happier for him."

Clarence McKinney

On the offensive line's game...

McKinney: "Jarvis had such late notice, it was a game day decision with Ced, and for him t go out with not much practice at left tackle, he played pretty well. Gramling has been repping with the twos at left guard and he's always been our first inside guy other than Ben Compton, who will be the center. He went out there and played really well."

On Evans and the Heisman conversation...

McKinney: "When you look at the numbers, you can't argue the season he's having. He's having one of the best seasons a wide receiver can have. He's definitely one of the best players in the country and those players should be in the Heisman Trophy conversation."

On Malcome Kennedy's progress...

McKinney: "It was more Mike getting extra attention from the defenses. Malcome's getting individual coverage and he's good enough to beat that. We ask him to beat zones and run routes, and he's a bit of a safety (valve) for Johnny. ... He's been coached up pretty good by Coach Beaty on how to read those coverages."

On Evans competing with Johnny in the Heisman race...

McKinney: "I'm not sure if he jumps ahead of him, but you're talking about the best players in the country. Both of those guys deserve to be in that discussion. They play totally different positions and you'd hate to have one guy take votes from the other, but they're both that good."

On LaQuvionte Gonzalez...

McKinney: "Quiv has come along and learned the offense. He gives us a speed element. You hadn't seen it the last couple weeks because he hadn't touched the ball, but we ask him to do other things and he's earned it. We look forward to giving him (more) and expanding his role."

On the four running backs and their competition...

McKinney: "They definitely, any one of those guys could be a starter on any team. They're all different from a talent standpoint but they all compete and they all want to be out there running the ball. We saw some good things, but we did have a couple fumbles, which we hadn't had all year. Those guys are really competitive and they help with our protections and things we ask our running backs to do."

On the pecking order for the game plan and how it's done...

McKinney: "It's based on week-to-week practice. Those guys are evaluated daily on how they practice. We're expecting daily competition and they compete each day. Based on how you practice that week will determine how much you play."

On addressing five turnovers...

McKinney: "We don't talk about it. We coach ball security daily. On the weeks that we didn't have turnovers, we coached ball security during those weeks. It just became contagious in there for about four series. But we don't put extra emphasis on turnovers, we coach it because of our daily routine."

On whether Trey Williams was on his way to a big game before his fumble...

McKinney: "It looked that way. We've been waiting for it all year. He has the potential to have a really huge game. He had some big runs there early. He gave up the fumble there at the end of the quarter but it looked like he was primed to have one of those big games."

Mark Snyder

On Gavin Stansbury's strides...

Snyder: "He works hard in practice. We've seen it in practice, coming. He played extremely well on Saturday. By far his best game, productive, active, running to the ball. Just a lot of good things."

On Steven Jenkins'  game...

Snyder: "That was good. We challenged him and said, 'We'll call your number. It's time to start making some plays.' And he did that for us."

On how the defensive tackles played without Alonzo Williams...

Snyder: "Really well. Really well. Ivan (Robinson) played well. That has been the message, those spots are given. I was really proud of Ivan and I told him that yesterday."

On Nate Askew's development...

Snyder: "He's coming. Nate made some good plays. I think he's starting to get more comfortable on our side of the ball. There were a couple shots where he went to the left, went to the right, spun out and chased the quarterback. I think he's getting more comfortable. ... I think Nate's gaining some confidence."

On playing three down linemen against Vanderbilt...

Snyder: "We've done that all year. I think a lot of it has to do with Gavin and Dae Dae (Hall) being very active and creating some mismatch situations with those two kids in there, with Isaiah (Golden) holding down the middle, I didn't have to add blitzers. It made the world go 'round for us."

On whether playing against Vandy's redshirt freshman QB changed things...

Snyder: "Not at all. They had the same game plan they had against Georgia. We just didn't let them play well, bottom line. I'm proud of them for that."

On Noel Ellis' game...

Snyder: "He did good. There's still some growing pains there with him. But we just felt we needed to get him in the game and get some game experience and see what he can do. He held up OK. Some freshman things, just growing pains. Fourth and five and they throw a power pass. They normally don't run a power on fourth-and-five. But he sucked in and they threw it in the flat. Those kind of freshman things. But we've got to replace Toney and we've got to get him ready to go."

On whether Stansbury has turned the corner...

Snyder: "I really do (think so). He's got a different look in his eye. He comes into meetings and he's really bouncing around. Everybody needs that game. I don't remember what it was for Damontre last year, he had one of those games, maybe SMU. He really turned it on and the ball started rolling for him. Hopefully the same for Gavin."

On the defensive line's improved performance...

Snyder: "I keep going back to Dae Dae and Gavin in there, when Ivan was in there I saw more from the 3-tech position that I had seen all year, more from the rush end than I'd seen all year, and Gavin (made a difference). We looked real fast."

Ben Malena

On what needs to change after the fumbling problems...

Malena: "I don't think we change anything. It's just one of those freak deals you have during the season. But ball security is something we work on each and every day. I don't think ball security's going to be an issue for us."

On the defense's improved performance...

Malena: "It was really good, especially with the defense having some new faces out there that haven't been playing. Those guys came out and played with great effort. It hasn't been a talent thing. They just came out ready to play for four quarters."

On whether he wants more touches...

Malena: "I'm pretty sure all of us want to touch the ball on every play. We're running backs, that's what we want to do. But it's a competition and it starts in practice. It's not anything I deserve (any more than the others).

On Trey Williams...

Malena: "The last three, four games he's actually been 100 percent healthy and you just can't tackle him, and his level of quickness allows him to win his 1-on-1 matchups easy. He's a hard running back to stop."

On Sumlin pulling the running backs after their fumbles...

Malena: "I'm pretty sure that's every coach in the country. Put the ball on the ground and you're not going to play, no matter how talented you are."

On Brandon Williams' game after the others had fumbled...

Malena: "Like I said, it shows the depth of our running back group. All four of us can get the carries in any game. That allows us to stay healthy. We never tire because we can sub in and sub out. And one thing I'm proud to say about our running back corps is we're not selfish. Once you get your opportunities and your number is called, to make that play, I think our running backs do a good job of that."

On social media's impact ...

Malena: "

Malcome Kennedy

On what the team used as motivation during the week...

Kennedy: "Basically, getting better and not having a game like we did against Auburn. Obviously you don't want to lose. We always want to get better. We use motivation from games like that."

On social media's role in today's game...

Kennedy: "I think in the past A&M wasn't really a big school on social media sites and people weren't looking at it as a popular school, but with things now and Coach Sumlin — he's really aware of social media; as a matter of fact he made the website Aggie FB Life — we're getting out there."

On when he knew Johnny would play against the Commodores...

Kennedy: "Johnny's a warrior and he's going to fight for the team. I pretty much knew he was going to play regardless."

On UTEP's defense...

Kennedy: "They play a lot of man. We're used to seeing that. A lot of cover 1, cover 3. We're used to seeing high safety. We're scheming it up right now, but they're a good defense and we just need to scrap and fight. We'll be ready."

Nate Askew

On Saturday's performance...

Askew: "I think int went well. The defense took a step forward and we continued to climb the ladder to get to the top. Just have to continue to stack and add on to what we did out there on Saturday."

On whether he's growing into the linebacker position...

Askew: "I think so. I feel way more comfortable than I did in the first game. I still have things I need to work on."

On the team's goals and playing for a BCS bowl...

Askew: "We're just trying to get better every week and get back to the football we know how to play. Definitely, everyone wants to play in a BCS bowl. We're trying to get there."

On the defense's failures during the year...

Askew: "I think things haven't been clicking. When we play together, we show what we can do out there. Wrong coverage here or somebody not finding the right gap, it's (been) little things."

On Jameill Showers' return to Kyle Field...

Askew: "Jameill and me are good friends. When he got hurt I felt sorry. He was still here in the spring and when I first (changed positions), he was saying, 'You're gonna hit somebody?' and joking with me like that. He's been keeping up (with things)."

On coming to play against Vanderbilt...

Askew: "I know within our group, as far as linebackers, we felt we needed to step up. We challenged ourselves and talked amongst ourselves that we needed to step up and make a statement."

On the problems before this past game...

Askew: "We weren't having fun out there, and we needed to solve that first. This is a game and you're supposed to have fun. Once we solved that, we started clicking. Once we started practicing and having fun, everything came together and we got back to playing football. That should bring confidence to our team as far as the defense."

On rebounding from Auburn...

Askew: "Our coaches told us, 'The good teams, when they lose, they come back and respond to it; the bad ones let it become a domino effect.' So we wanted to get back to basics. We know we're here to win games."

On social media's role in today's game and recruiting environment...

Askew: "I think social media is real big. A lot of people say they don't pay attention to it, but a lot of guys are on Twitter, Facebook and all that. For the recruits, they see it and they know what's going on. We handle business and we have fun, and the young kids want to see that — as long as we're winning and doing our jobs, we can have fun."