Texas A&M Football weekly press conference: South Carolina

The following are live, paraphrased notes from Texas A&M's weekly press conference. Videos of the interviews will be added to the story as they are rendered.

Kevin Sumlin

• The offensive line rotation is what we've done in the past. We want to get the youngsters meaningful minutes. If things happen down the road, they have that experience. They were part of an SEC win. They've played in the last couple games. We let them get their feet wet in a big-time game. Getting them in there as a group lets them play together.

• Kellen Mond has a lot of talent. We're getting more comfortable with him and what he can do. We're getting a good feel for him and what he likes. That lets us improve. We see new stuff week to week. Guys are making plays for him too. Jhamon Ausbon was really good for him. Ratley's fourth down catch was huge. We're getting better on the perimeter. It's not just Kellen. He's getting help now, too.

• Landis Durham that came, played a little bit and grew out of the linebacker role. He's the most improved player on this football team. He's a developmental guy that has gotten his shot. We knew Jarrett Johnson would be good. Landis has worked his way into being a fine football player. He's what it's all about. He's smart and understands his limitations. He's big enough to where he can hold up on the line and is developing as a pass rusher.

• I think pride is a great motivator. Christian Kirk has tremendous pride and work ethic. When he walked off the field after Louisiana, he was mad at himself. I wasn't worried about it. He draws double teams and helps block people with motion. He draws two defenders and creates opportunities for us. Numbers will come for him when he gets his touches. As things roll on, he'll have more opportunities.

• We've had our moments on defense. Our young corners are playing hard. I've been pleased with the effort across the board. We have to keep getting better. Big-picture stuff is for everyone else. As we reset each Monday, it's about fixing our own mistakes and not making those mistakes again. Tyrel Dodson and Otaro Alaka have made strides. Buddy Johnson and Anthony Hines are aggressive. They'll make mistakes and make plays. Sometimes we have a lot of freshmen on the field. There are growing pains, but we made the plays that needed to be made.

• I think Zaycoven Henderson will be available Saturday.

• When Johnny was here, the playbook grew as he did. You don't hit these quarterbacks in practice. How do they respond to that? You try to settle guys down and get comfortable. When they drop eight defenders, you have time, but it looks like 15 guys back there. Obviously, the older a guy is and the more he's in the system, the more access to the playbook he has. I think Noel Mazzone is doing a great job with Kellen and the growth of all our quarterbacks.

• We were in a little bit of a different defense. Arkansas presents problems in the run game. They shift and have motion. There are cutbacks. That's what they do. They're trying to get you out of position. All it takes is one guy. For young guys, it can be tough. Kingsley Keke played his best game, really all of our interior tackles. We've got to match that. We've got to get better, as well.

• Jake Bentley is an experienced quarterback. They've got three capable backs. Their attack is similar to ours. They have some RPO schemes with big receivers. They've evolved their offense with him. He can run. He's made some great throws. He's been in big games before. Their offense looks somewhat like ours schematically. He's an experienced player.

• Armani Watts is having a great year. He's the quarterback back there. He brings leadership. He takes things off of Larry Pryor's plate. He and Donovan understood each other, but he's excelled through to the point where communication and playing are part of the experience. He's a team leader. He understands the situation and can communicate with the guys. He's that guy defensively. Tyrel Dodson is a leader but still a young guy. Armani has seen everything. He's doing a great job physically and emotionally with stabilizing our defense.

• We talk about a lot of different things. We've talked about things happening across the country. There are obvious issues. We haven't talked about what's going on in the NFL. I can't remember a time as a college coach that we've been out for the national anthem, so we haven't had any conversations about that.

• Daylon Mack is in good shape right now. He's playing more snaps. He's powerful at the point of attack. I was pleased with his effort this Saturday. We're bringing Madubuike along. We have to find spots for the young guys. We need a fourth and fifth tackle to get to the level of the veterans to help us. Madubuike has been nursing an ankle for a couple weeks. He's almost back to full strength. Those guys make us a better defense and football team.

• We've got to get the other team off schedule. We have to defend the run. If we can do that and get pressure, it's a formula for success. We have to be more disciplined. Guys get loose on screens because of our pressure. It's the ultimate compliment to the pass rush. We've got to eliminate big plays. Early downs become important to create pass rush situations.

• I don't think we've ever lacked confidence. We've been frustrated before, coming back from Pasadena. In the second half of Louisiana, guys started to feel better about themselves. Anytime you win, you gain confidence. That comes with experience. We were disappointed after UCLA, but the guys have a lot of confidence in their abilities. The people in our locker room are the most important. The outside talk doesn't matter. It's important to build that confidence as a team. We have a lot of guys playing. That creates a lot of energy.

• Christian Kirk was a running back more than a receiver in high school. He's powerful. He's fast and has wide receiver skills but also has RB skills to play in traffic with the ball in his hands. He's got great awareness. That's what all great returners have. They have a feel for space, traffic and blocks. Jeff Banks does a great job of scheming to help him. Some of the returns have been through traffic. He's gotten yards when there haven't been any to find.

• With time on the clock, I think the short kickoff was a poor kick. I think he mis-hit it, and it was really short. The situation dictated that kick more than anything.

• Kellen has gotten more and more comfortable with his receivers. He's really comfortable with Jhamon Ausbon. It's part of the game. Christian Kirk does a great job communicating on the sideline about where everyone needs to be.