Press Conference: Aggies turn their attention to Appalachian State

Press conference videos courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics.

Texas A&M shut out Sam Houston on Saturday, but the Aggies have already turned their focus to the Mountaineers of Appalachian State. Ahead of Saturday's tilt at Kyle Field, Jimbo Fisher, Isaiah Raikes, Yulkeith Brown and Jardin Gilbert addressed the media.

The following are live, paraphrased notes from Jimbo Fisher’s Monday afternoon media availability:

• After the film, proud and good win. Shutouts are hard to get. Kept pressure on the QB. Won front seven battles which helped get stops. Fadil Diggs and Isaiah Raikes jumped out to me. Demani Richardson and Antonio Johnson flashed. The secondary played through the ball and showed timing. We caused two turnovers. Those were good situations. When we started subbing, the guys still played well. We tackled well in space. The offense line at first struggled up front. We hit two really big plays on third down. We had a pick we didn't need. I didn't like that. Haynes King used his legs. The young kids calmed down as far as nerves and excitement. Haynes played better in the second half and threw the ball well. The turnover didn't affect Haynes mentally. Ainias Smith stood out with some big plays. Couldn't get Devon Achane going. Evan Stewart, Chase Lane, Chris Marshall and Yulkeith Brown were really good. Earnest Crownover is a big body we put at tight end. Third downs, our offense started moving there. Special teams were okay. Nik Constantinou has a good average, and had done better. Caden Davis kicked off well except for the one after the half. Kickoff returns were nice. Punt return, we got to do a better job. Coach Shawn Clark has one heck of a football team, and they could be in any conference. They had a shootout last week. We have to play well in all three phases.
   
• The offensive line needs to work on communication. The nerves got to them a little. It goes back to fundamentals. 
   
• The expanded playoff helps expand the picture.  We get so caught up on the top end of things. The bowl games were a reward to a good team, and that feels like it has changed. Now, 12-teams. It’s good for college football. It enhances the bowl picture and helps recruiting. Good for college football overall.
   
• The virtual recruiting was really good. Those 2020 guys felt comfortable. They have developed and grown up here. That was a fun year of recruiting because it was different. We were brainstorming 24 hours a day to make sure we got the presentation right. Trying to get the whole picture of A&M across to them, we did well. That message got across to them.
   
• Jaylen Jones and McKinley Jackson should be practicing today. Max Wright is questionable.
   
• We had a ton of deep balls. Haynes took chances down the field. As a QB, you are their mother. He has to get game experience, and with time, he will eliminate the mistakes.
   
• Andre White Jr. is banged up. He is day to day.
   
• I hope players grow every week. Eveyone says they grow the most between week one and two, and I never understood that. Every player has to grow every week.
   
• Appalachian State could play in our league and everyone's league. On their roster, the outside back will be a high draft pick. They have fourth, fifth and sixth year guys. They have a culture, and this is a very good football team.
   
• We have to run the football. We have to get Achane in space. We got to get better.
   
• I played Appalachian State in 2005 or 2006 when I was at LSU. The score was 27-3. They move the ball like crazy, and that did not shock me. They lost the game but at the same time, I knew they were good. They have created a culture. The Southern conference was the premier conference in the country. The conference was crazy good back then. That place has always done that.
   
• The standard stays your standard. Some we met, some we didn't. Continue to grow and get better.
   
• They run that stretch play as good as anybody in college football. We got to play well up front. Quarterback Chase Brice is good. He has savviness to them, and they have good-skill guys. You got to make one-on-one plays down the field.
   
• Crownover was moved over because Max Wright was banged up. Earnest played basketball in high school, and he's a very physical guy.
   
• Haynes had two or three good crossing routes that were difficult throws. We have to be a little firmer and create a pocket for Haynes.
   
• My son and I saw a catch a fish when we were leaving the stadium. Aggie Park is phenomenal. The buildings enhance everything, but it goes back to being an Aggie. Being an Aggie is a lifetime commitment. All these things represent A&M. 
   
• The depth charts don't stay true. We have more depth. How many freshmen ever played back in the day? We could go with the second and third team guys now. People get caught up in the depth charts. Rotations change daily. It's a different world now. Sometimes you can put that on paper. You don't want to write “or, or, or, or” on it. I take depth charts very seriously because I don’t want to disrespect any players. There are so many packages.