A&M DE coach Terry Price discussing fall camp and the season opener
On the excitement for the season opener against UCLA…
“This is what we live for. I tell you. We have been in camp for a long time and have been grinding and hitting each other for quite a few weeks, but game weeks are something special. School has started and all of the students are here. We all know the game is coming up here in a few days and I cant tell you how excited all of the players and the coaches are right now.”
On the ways that Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall have grown as players…
“I think each of them each have changed their bodies. Even Myles at one point when we started camp was close to 270 pounds for the first time and obviously you lose some during camp. But he has added strength and size to his body and has worked on studying the game and has worked on little nuances and little things to become a better defender overall. He has really tried to change his body and so has Daeshon. At points during the summer they were both close to 270. I think they put on good weight and good strength and both of them have really studied the game and changed their bodies and made themselves a lot stronger, which helps in the long haul of a football season.”
On some of the reserves who have stood out this fall camp…
“I think Qualen Cunningham has really had an outstanding camp. He has turned it up a notch as far as his intensity level and how hard and fast he is playing. Again, he is not a true freshman, he is a third year guy so he has learned and improved every year and he has impressed a lot of folks, including his teammates. On the other side obviously there is Jarrett Johnson. He is a young man who has played a lot of football for us and he has done a great job of taking care of his body for us. He is trying to become big enough and strong enough to carry the long haul. He is a smart guy that knows the defense. You can’t forget about James Lockhart over there, too. He is a young guy who is a really strong physical guy, especially in the upper body. He is very improved as far as being a run defender. All of these guys will have roles as the season progresses and as the game progresses. It is good to have some young guys behind out older guys.”
On the job that David Turner has done so far…
“The interior defensive linemen are a talented group and I don’t think there is any question that Coach Turner demands the best from them every single day, and I think they have responded to that. They have responded in a big way and I think you will see that whole group of guys make a jump as far as how they play overall. The athletic level and technique for the whole group has improved. I know we had a bunch of young guys, with the exception of Hardreck Walker, playing that position last year. Not only have those guys become sophomores as a group, but they have also improved as a group. We are confident when our defensive tackles go on the field and I tell you what. That young group is very talented and they have been coached well by Coach Turner. They are going to have a great fall this year, I have no doubt about it.”
On Jermaine Eluemunor’s development…
Jermaine has really had a great camp. He is a natural out there. He has played it his whole life and sometimes people forget that when we signed him and Avery Gennesy, they were the number one and two junior college offensive tackles in the country. That was three years ago. I think people forget how highly recruited they were. Jermaine is athletic for a big man, and is so physically strong especially in his upper body and his hands. He has taken to the tackle position instantly and he has picked it up fast. He is a very smart, strong, and physical guy. I think it has been a good transition out there at tackle.”
On being a better run defense…
“I think to be a good run defense you have to form a wall with your front seven players and if one guy gets washed inside too much, or one guy gets pushed to far up field, obviously that is a negative in any front seven position. So, I think that we have to work together and you always hear about offensive lines having to work together and form a unit. I think we have to do the same for the defensive linemen and linebackers. I think we have made big strides there as far as the front seven getting better at playing the run and I think that our guys have been getting more and more confident the more we do it. That part of our defense has improved and that is obviously the most important part for us, making strides in that area. We remind our guys every day where we finished in the run defense last year and how much that has to improve for our entire defense to improve. Our team and our guys understand that and they worked at it all camp long. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be a better run defense this fall.”
On the outlook of the UCLA game…
“They bring a talented team in here. Obviously they have a future first rounder at quarterback and some good players around him. We can’t control what people say or what people put out there. All we can control is what happens on Saturday, and that is our plan.”