Aggie Flashback with former A&M WR Ryan Swope
Key quotes from Ryan Swope interview
“First of all, offensively, defensively and on special teams, A&M is clicking on all cylinders. We’ve got a lot of playmakers out there. Our defense is swarming to the football. Coach Chavis has been a huge asset to our football team. Obviously, Coach Sumlin and the tempo of our offense have been huge throughout the first five games of the season. What a great opportunity to make a statement this week in College Station. I know redemption is on Sumlin’s mind this week after last year’s loss, so it’s a great opportunity.”
“I kind of do (feel old). It’s funny. I was playing golf this past weekend with a couple former teammates of mine. I guess it’s been four years for me. It’s crazy how time flies by, but yeah, I’m one of those lucky guys that’s undefeated against Alabama and can actually say that.”
“I’m actually doing commercial real estate in Houston. I’m an office industrial tenant rep for a company called Rubicon. It’s definitely competitive, which is right up my alley. I’m married to my beautiful wife Melissa. It’s been a year-and-a-half now, so she’s putting up with me.”
“(Playing Alabama in 2012 is) absolutely (the first game I think of from my days as a player). There are so many different things that season that really come to my mind. Going 5-0 on the road our first year in the SEC and really making a statement and setting the bar high for guys that come in the future – definitely Alabama sticks out. To go into Tuscaloosa, which is a very tough place to play, to be the new guys on the block who never really got that respect until later in the season – I personally think we were the hottest team in college football. To go in there and beat Alabama on the road was by far the highlight of our season. Coming back to College Station and seeing 20,000 fans lined up at one o’clock at night – it still gives me chills to this day and probably will for the rest of my life.”
“I was talking to Coach Kingsbury a couple months back. I just bumped into him. We had no idea what Johnny Manziel was capable of doing. What a season he had. To go in there as a freshman and win the Heisman and put up some of the record-breaking stats that he did that year, and then to have a really good defense and a lot of leadership on that team – I’ve got not questions. I just wish that playoff system was in play that year. Obviously, it started a couple of years later. I absolutely think that we couldn’t have been touched, and nobody wanted to play us at the end of that season.”
“(Beating Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl) was a statement. I know there’s a lot of controversy about leaving the Big XII and entering the SEC. There’s maybe some mutual feelings there, but we definitely made a statement there in the Cotton Bowl. It was a great season, one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m very happy for Coach Sumlin. He just did an absolutely incredible job with us that year. He’s a great recruiter, a great coach. I love the scheme that he runs and the tempo that he has. We’re very lucky to have him here at A&M.”
“That was our game plan (against Alabama). We wanted to go in there, and we wanted to put our foot on the gas pedal and really set the bar high and create turnovers. We had a great special teams game, and everyone just played really well. Obviously, we knew going into halftime that that game was far from over, because we knew that Alabama was going to come out with a chip on their shoulder and give us a good football game. They always do, and it’s a great program. Coach Saban always has something up his sleeve. We just had a feeling, though. We had a chip on our shoulder. It was our time to kind of prove ourselves. No doubt, we went in there and shocked the world. To be quite honest with you, a lot of people ask, ‘Were you guys surprised that you went in there and did that?’ The answer is no. We knew that we could go in there and beat the No. 1 team in the country. We knew what kind of talent we had on our team. We knew what kind of leadership we had and what our defense could do. That’s the great thing about college football. Sometimes you get written off, but there’s always room for an upset. There’s always a great opportunity to go out there and make a name for yourself. We did that, and we finished the year strong. I wish I could just throw the pads on right now and go play. Y’all are getting me all hyped up. I wish I could throw the pads on one more time and do it all over again.”
“There are a handful of (plays that stand out from that game). There are a couple of fourth quarter catches that I had – one down the sideline and one across the middle. Then obviously, the play that I see on TV about every other week – the one where Johnny fumbles the ball and tosses it to me in the endzone. I think Deshazor Everett with that interception – that’s one that I’ll never forget. He just made a great play on the ball. It was just a great team win. Everyone had a part in that. It was well-coached. I can’t really pinpoint one play, because there were so many great plays. Everyone came to play their A-game that week. It was just a great all-around win for us that year.”
“I definitely was surprised and disappointed (with last year’s Alabama game). I know that Alabama still had a sour taste in their mouths from 2012 – I’m sure that had a lot to do with it. They wanted to make sure they out-hustled and out-played us. They were a heck of a football team. I think redemption is on Sumlin’s mind right now. We’ve got a great defense under Coach Chavis. We’ve got great special teams play. We’ve got Kyle Allen making plays, a lot of receivers that are making plays. Tra Carson is doing what he’s needed to do. Everyone’s making plays. We’ve got one of the best defensive lines in the country with (Myles) Garrett. It’s refreshing to see that defense swarming to the football, and it looks like they’re having a lot of fun doing it too.”
“You guys might know him. His name’s Spencer Nealy. That guy adds a little humor to the pre-game speech to go along with head-butting lockers. He has something about him. He can get the team fired up like nobody else can. It’s unbelievable. He does it in a very Chris Farley kind of way too.”
“We’re undefeated, and Coach Sumlin and everybody on that team – they’re not going into it saying, ‘This is our chance to shock the world.’ They’re planning to make a statement, obviously, but it’s not going to be an upset if A&M wins. I think the whole country knows. It won’t be a shocker to anybody. We’ve got a great chance to win this football game. We’ll have to be clicking on all cylinders, but I like the way we match up. That’s for sure.”
“When your defense is getting three-and-outs and forcing turnovers and your special teams are making plays, as an offensive player, it’s reviving to see that. We want our offense on the field as much as possible, making opportunities to put points on the board. Coach Chavis has done a great job, and he and Coach Sumlin make a pretty good duo. It’s great to get that defense swarming to the football, causing turnovers. I think it’s a huge, huge advantage that we’re playing in front of 100,000 people at Kyle Field. If you’ve got the 12th Man behind you, that’s going to be very helpful. We’ve got the best student body in college football. We’ve got the best fans in college football. That football team feeds off the fans for sure.”
“(Christian Kirk) can play some football. He’s got a lot of heart too. He could care less if he catches the ball one time or ten times. He just wants to win. You can tell – just the way he goes about running routes and blocking – he’s a team player. I love that. I have a lot of respect for that guy. He’s a freshman, and he’s already a leader. He’s being up to by the coaches and by all the guys on that team, and that kind of stuff is contagious. For him to put up the numbers that he has as a true freshman is incredible, and I’m very happy for him. It’s well-deserved.”
“I’ll take the Aggies by a touchdown. Let’s go with 27-20. It’s the good guys.”
