From SMU to SC State: Sumlin, Aggies speak out

Kevin Sumlin

On what stuck out most in terms of Game 1 to Game 2 improvement...

Sumlin: "Winning."

(Pause/smirk. Sumlin asked to expound.)

"Our effort on offense and defense has increased. There were some positive results in the punt return game. Not so much in the kick return game. That has to get better. Good team win on the road. Things aren't always great early but our defense gave us an opportunity to get going offensively, get rolling and close out the game. Team win, and there are some things involved in that that, from the standpoint of players and coaches ... when you have a new team, new situation, things are different for you. New process. Going on the road is difficult; it was a good team win.

"It's always good to win. But about 10 minutes after it's over with, it's, 'Who's next?' We don't take it for granted; winning's hard and a lot of time and preparation goes into it. It's good. But we've got a lot more games this season to worry about."

On Ryan Epperson...

Sumlin: "I thought he was above-average in the first game and he was average on Saturday. Net punt average is excellent, one of the tops in the country, and our coverage has been great. But Saturday was not his best. From a statistical standpoint, it was very good. Which should tell you what I think he's capable of. Our specialists, as good as they were a week ago, were OK this week. We missed a 20-yard field goal, got some bounces.

"What we're looking for from special teams is consistency. Not 53 yards on a punt, then 30. A consistently 40-yard guy is better. Making field goals. Consistent teams are better."

On how Epperson won the job...

Sumlin: "He was better (chuckle). You could ask me the same thing about Johnny (Manziel) or anyone else. Coming into Fall Camp my concerns were about the defensive line and the specialists, and then they performed well in the first game. I think that developed confidence. But handling success can be tougher than handling defeat or difficulties. It speaks to consistency."

On whether the preparation approach is different...

Sumlin: "We don't take a different approach. We've got to be ready to play. We won't take a much different approach in any game we play. Based on who we are, what we've accomplished, we can't not take anybody very seriously."

On whether Christine Michael and Steven Campbell will be back...

Sumlin: "Yes. It was a one-game suspension. I thought that was released. I guess I have to read the releases from now on, because y'all don't know."

On Michael and his tweeting...

Sumlin: "I had a discussion with Christine about that yesterday."

On South Carolina State...

Sumlin: "They're going to give you a variety of spread looks, a run game, quarterback runs ... you watch them play, they're wide open on offense, all over the field, spread, testing you from sideline to sideline. They try to block every punt if they get you to punt. It'll be good for us. We worked a lot yesterday on special teams stuff, stuff you don't traditionally see from conservative-type teams but things we need to see that could prepare us down the road."

On Toney Hurd...

Sumlin: "Toney Hurd is a high-energy player, an effort player. You can't have enough guys like that on your team. He just makes plays. He's a great tackler, he's on kickoff coverage. Really a knowledgeable player. Good football player, good football IQ. He makes teammates better by getting them lined up. And he plays with great energy. That's probably his biggest asset because, what he lacks in other things, he gains with his knowledge and energy.

"Toney's one of those guys that's fun to be around. I laugh and joke with him all the time in practice. Great guy to be around. Great for our team."

On Deshazor Everett's play at safety...

Sumlin: "Deshazor looks natural. He looks comfortable. We've got a lot of interchangeable parts. It was good for Otis Jacobs to play a lot. I'd like to see him come along. I thought Dustin Harris did some good things. The knock on Dustin has been sticking his face in on tackles and he did a decent job of that. He's been good in coverage but, the league we're in, it's not a finesse secondary league.

"The challenge to our guys is to get better. We went from 11 missed tackles against Florida to five on the perimeter, which is an improvement, and we got a turnover. Defensively, from a technical and statistical standpoint, we did get better. It's going to take that type of improvement and consistency to get better."

On Damontre Moore...

Sumlin: "Damontre is growing up. He's always had talent. It gets back to, I know I keep using this word, consistency. Probably our biggest challenge right now. And from what I've seen, the program's biggest challenge. To go out week-to-week and perform at a certain level, whatever that level is, and the expectation to play at that level every week. And it's been my experience that that comes with maturity.

"Damontre's big challenge through spring and two-a-days (was that). And he played well. Last week, he played really good. Hopefully this will continue. But what you see is a guy who's talented and a guy who's growing up. I think he played all but five plays against Florida and he was above 50 snaps again this week. He would have never done that last year. That's strength & conditioning, but it's mental toughness too.

"When you become a mature player you learn that it's not all about you. I think he's starting to figure it out. You talk about it as a team, and you see some guys that start to buy into it. It happens to people at different times. Some guys, it never happens."

On Manziel's running and whether he should take off as much...

Sumlin: "We're going to do whatever it takes to try and win a game."

On whether he thinks Manziel will have success running against SEC defenses...

Sumlin: "Sounds like you don't (smirk). The big improvement in Johnny on Saturday was his ability to stay in the pocket and keep his eyes down the field. I think as the season goes on, that'll continue."

On how Larry Jackson's program has helped...

Sumlin: "I wasn't here last year. I've been with Larry for the last five years, so I'm used to this."

On Manziel's quirky jump-throw and his improvisation...

Sumlin: "You saw that in high school. What he's finding out (now) is that he's not the fastest, most talented guy on the field. A lot of players who go through that have to figure out their strengths and what they can do, and their weaknesses. As you start to develop as a quarterback, or as a player — I'd put Trey Williams in that boat too, he's finding out that there are some other guys who are pretty good. He's getting ankle-tackled, and that's the difference between Trey Williams in high school and Trey Williams in college.

"As a quarterback, it's the same. You start to learn the speed of the game and what you can get away with and what you can't. The only way to do that is to play. We can talk until we're blue in the face about what we want and what we don't want, but he's a talented guy who will have to continue to learn. He has to move from an athlete playing quarterback to a quarterback who's an athlete. There's a big difference."

On Jameill Showers' showing...

Sumlin: "I thought Jameill played very well. He and (Matt) Joeckel played very well throughout camp. It wasn't that they didn't play well, it's just that Johnny played a bit better. It was important to get him in to get that confidence and so our team would have confidence in him in case something happens. He got another score. No delays of game, (etc.), I thought he did a very good job.

"You having confidence is one thing, but the team and coaches having confidence in you is a whole other thing. So being put in that situation helps. Jameill being able to go in and operate like that was a real good situation."

On how raw Mike Evans was when he arrived...

Sumlin: "We knew how raw he was in Houston. He came to one of his first camps in Houston and ran a corner route and looked over the wrong shoulder. We knew how raw he was.

"There's a magazine in Houston that has a bunch of high school prospects and I remember looking at a picture of him in something like 'Top 50 Athletes in Houston' and there was a picture of him with his head right below the rim with a basketball. What an athlete. But he was a tweener. He couldn't play the post at 6-5. He redshirted after one year of high school football and he's really gaining confidence. He'll get better as time goes on ... he really hasn't played that much.

"His understanding of the game, all that, he's still very raw. But because of his strength, his really good hand-eye coordination, the other things will come to him. And he's a real competitor. No matter what he does, he really competes well. A couple years from now, we'll really see something special."

On whether the receivers grew up a bit on Saturday...

Sumlin: "I don't know if they came back to the ball more ... I think it's a combination. You saw a quarterback who didn't just put the ball down and run and not look down the field; it's receivers who understand that when Johnny takes off, it's not the end of the play. And guys are starting to understand playing it. It's a two-way street. As guys start to learn each others' style and get a feel for each other, that happens.

"This is the first time these guys have played together. Really. You've got a couple seasoned veterans at receiver, but they've never been in a real game situation with Johnny except for the last two weeks."

On the O-line in the first two games...

Sumlin: "It's been hit and miss. They've protected the quarterback ... we've ran the ball well, at times. I think part of it is the scheme. SMU adapted and put a lot of guys down there. That means you have to throw the football, unless it's short yardage. Until we were able to show we could throw the ball, that continued.

"Offense in football is about having answers, and having answers for a lot of different situations. A lot of times, that's not (just) on one position. In order to be effective offensively, you can't be one-dimensional. We had not shown the ability against Florida to drop back and throw the ball effectively. Early on Saturday, that was the case too. But what you saw was a quarterback who's been very effective with the ball and who's taken care of it very well — his biggest plus so far — and because of that, has been cautious with what he's done."

On when Manziel and Evans will be made available to media...

Sumlin: "Eh, week to week. We'll see. (It's) Game 2."

Kliff Kingsbury

On potential frustration with Manziel leaving the pocket...

Kingsbury: "He made a bunch of plays. You don't want to take that away from him. It's going to take a while to get the progressions, get the reads. He's getting better. Better than Week 1. If we keep seeing improvement, we'll be satisfied."

On coaching Manziel to stay healthy...

Kingsbury: "We stay on him, but he's going to do his thing. We'd like him to protect himself, find a sideline when he can and get down when it's over. We'll just keep harping on that. And we'll all kind of grow together."

On improving the run game...

Kingsbury: "You know, SMU practically dared us to pass the ball. That was something we hadn't seen in four years of playing them at Houston. It'd always been the opposite. Early on, we struggled, I made some bad playcalls, and when we made some adjustments and came out and started throwing it, things started rolling."

On whether he gets into a playcalling rhythm...

Kingsbury: "Not so much. Early in some games, the different looks we see, we'll adjust. Starting slow isn't part of that. Our whole premise is to start fast and play fast. That's something we've got to clean up."

On Mike Evans' continued development...

Kingsbury: "He's got to keep getting better. He made some good plays and he had some he wanted to take back. With his size and speed, we tell him there shouldn't be anyone who can cover him if he uses proper technique. He should be pretty much indefensible. And he should take that attitude. You've seen the last couple weeks, if (Manziel) isn't comfortable, he'll just get the ball high and send it Mike's way. Both of those guys are just freshmen, so they can grow together and be a great combination.

"He's gotten better and better for a kid that's only playing his third year of football. He's really bought into it, really worked at it. When we first got here, his conditioning was a big issue and now he's playing 60-70 plays a game. I'm very encouraged by his work ethic."

Mark Snyder

On his impression of the defensive line...

Snyder: "Pleasant surprise."

On Deshazor Everett at safety...

Snyder: "Love it. I think that's the spot for him. It's his natural place. He's fast ... if we have to (we'll play him at corner) but the plan is not to. It was good to get reps for Otis Jacobs."

On Damontre Moore repeating his performance against Florida...

Snyder: "We watch the tape and he's been on there twice. Most guys are on once. His effort level is outstanding. We talked to him about that and about, if he trusts us, good things would happen. And good things are happening right now."

On Toney Hurd...

Snyder: "Toney is a good player, he loves to compete. I have to be careful about how we put him out there, but he's a great football player. Football makes sense to him."

On South Carolina State...

Snyder: "This is a very well-coached football team. They can throw a lot of different places. Schematically if you figure out that they're going here or there, they'll do something different."

On why he prefers being on the field, not in the box...

Snyder: "Back in the day, I was in the box but I wasn't coordinating. The field had always been my view. So when we flopped with that team halfway through the season, I came down. What I found was, by being down there and not upstairs ... you're so secluded up there, you can't see the look in a guy's eyes, you can't tell when it's time to blitz. You don't get that feel. You don't get that feedback. But it's just preference."

On Floyd Raven's adaptation to the dime package role...

Snyder: "He allows me to do some different things that we can't normally do. He gives us a nice little flavor there. Donnie Baggs will go there this week, but we'll continue to rep other guys. Floyd does bring things to the table that a linebacker doesn't."

On Julien Obioha...

Snyder: "He's a total buy-in guy. And he's a role model for guys on our team and for our future guys."

On what it does to be able to trust the defense so much...

Snyder: "What was most pleasing was this: We went into that game knowing June Jones knows his offense and he has for a long time. I called a lot of defenses in that first half, and a lot of looks. And our kids executed. It was one of the cleanest halves I've seen in a long time. And it wasn't because I only called one or two defenses. They're starting to grasp concepts. That's what I got from this game. Not who we played."

On Jonathan Mathis...

Snyder: "Jonathan's coming. He needs to get reps. He's coming. He missed spring ball, so he's a little bit behind, but we need to keep getting him reps. He'll only get better."

Ryan Swope

On what he took from the Florida game...

Swope: "I wanted to improve route-running. We executed well as a team and things worked out for us."

On the offense coming around...

Swope: "The SMU game, the first quarter, I'm pretty sure we had two three-and-outs real quick. But the coaches are positive and we trust them and it showed on Saturday. It's hard to beat, it's hard to stop, and when the tempo gets going it's a very exciting offense. We have trust in these coaches and we know what this offense is capable of doing."

Uzoma Nwachukwu

On when Johnny Manziel really took control of the team...

Nwachukwu: "Right about when he got announced as starter. He really started to get into the role and he went from there."

On Manziel's leadership...

Nwachukwu: "Johnny is a guy that never really gets down and doesn't let anybody get to him. That encourages our offense and gives us the confidence to know that we're going to be alright. Our signal-caller is confident."

On Mike Evans...

Nwachukwu: "Mike's a fun-loving guy. He comes to practice every day with a great attitude and he gets better every day. For a young guy to get better every day, to want to get better, to come from where he was when he got here to now, it speaks volumes about his work ethic."

On what made him more effective against SMU...

Nwachukwu: "I'm just out there trying to do my job, my part in the offense. Anything I can do to contribute to the win."

On playing with a versatile QB...

Nwachukwu: "We do scramble drills every day in practice. I saw him scrambling, so I got in position for him (on the first touchdown catch). It would be tough for most guys (to adjust to Manziel's movement), but we practice it every day. Knowing that he's always going to look downfield to make plays and he's always going to scramble across space, that helps a lot.

"It's kind of just a free-for-all. Backyard football. You just have to get open, throw your hand up, go back to the ball, go deep ... it's fun, but we're working. You have to be engaged on everything. You can't give up on a route, even if you're covered. You just have to work to get open. It's just effort and straining throughout the play. Most big plays are broken plays."

On the scrambling drills...

Nwachukwu: "These coaches have definitely brought an element of knowing where to be and Johnny has brought this thing where you have to make sure you're open because he's going to be on the move."

On South Carolina State...

Nwachukwu: "They're a team, just like us. Any team can beat any team, that's just the game of football. We definitely have things to work on on offense this week."

Luke Joeckel

On where the O-line improved and what's left to work on...

Joeckel: "The biggest thing was holding blocks a little longer in pass pro. Johnny does keep the ball a little longer than what we're used to, but we did a lot better job against SMU of just holding on and giving him time. But we definitely need to keep working on run-blocking, sustaining blocks. We're getting thrown off a bit in the hole; we need to fix that."

On whether two-point blocking is different than three-point...

Joeckel: "Yeah, two-point is a lot different. We not able to just fire off the ball like we used to. We've just got to keep putting pressure on the defensive line. If we start just running down the line with them it's easier for them to throw us off. We need to keep pushing them backward and staying in the box."

On how tough the adjustment in the stance has been...

Joeckel: "It's different but not that much tougher. The first two steps are the big ones because in a three-point, you're down on the ground and just start way. In a two-point your first step has to be down and you have to drop your hips. It's just getting that first step down and dropping your hips."

On what SMU was doing right...

Joeckel: "They did a great job just throwing a bunch of different blitzes at us. Coach (B.J.) Anderson did a great job of getting us ready for it but we weren't able to trade some of them off. They were throwing some cross blitzes inside and got some penetration there. And they did a good job of tackling inside the box. We've got to be able to sustain blocks longer and be able to hold on to our blocks"

On the comfort level with the tempo...

Joeckel: "We're very comfortable. Coach (Larry) Jackson has us in great shape. We weren't tired at all out there. With our tempo in practice all Fall Camp it got us ready to play whatever pace we need to play. We have to keep getting better. We can't have those three-and-outs we had in the first quarter against SMU."

On re-engaging blocks when Manziel scrambles...

Joeckel: "We always have to be looking for a block with him. We don't know where he is but we go until the whistle. We did a much better job of that against SMU and y'all saw what he can do with the ball."

On South Carolina State...

Joeckel: "As an offensive line we have so many things to fix. I haven't seen much film on this team but I'm sure they've got a great group of guys and we have so many things to fix. We have a long season ahead of us against some great defenses, so this is a huge week for us to get better. Saturday is huge for us to fix a bunch of stuff."

Damontre Moore

On the defense's improvement...

Moore: "Just learning the scheme with us being in a new system and going from the 3-4 to the 4-3, people are understanding their assignment and flying to the ball. And everybody running and not tired."

On whether he could sack Johnny Manziel...

Moore: "I don't know, he's pretty fast. Probably not (smirk)."

On what's helped him...

Moore: "I can just line up and rush the quarterback. That's probably it."

On when the switch flipped for him...

Moore: "When Coach Sumlin got here he was telling us how much time we have left. I only have two years left. I'm tired of losing and, with us going to a new league, a new scheme, a new system, all of that played a key part. I probably was (slacking off). I was a little complacent, especially my freshman year, playing behind Von (Miller). He was ahead of me so ... I was probably a bit immature.

"It doesn't register at the time or when a game's going on, but after a game people are constantly reminding me (of his pass-rushing during the game) and I'll go home and see it and I didn't even know I could do that."

On whether he still talks to Miller...

Moore: "I do, when he can. I try not to bother him too much during the season but I talk to his parents pretty much every week. I use it as inspiration and talking to his mom and dad is motivation. Him being from the Dallas area and me too, and when I was in trouble and not on the right path, (Von's parents) were there to straighten me out and say that they'd seen people go through this and it could be fixed.

On the best advice Miller has given him...

Moore: "'Don't listen to the media too much.' (Laughter.) That's good, take it in, but don't take too much. There'll always be comparisons, but do what you can do to the best of your abilities."

On being one of the best defenders in the SEC...

Moore: "It gives me a certain gratification, but it's only our third game, Week 4 for some people, and I use it as motivation that I'm there now, but it's about where you finish. I just think, how can I help this defense stay at the top of the league or be well-recognized?"

On Terry Price...

Moore: "He's coached in this league for many years, recruited some great players, coached some great players, and going into this league we've just been hanging on every word. If we listen to him, he'll take us to great things. So far we have been, and he's been putting us in great situations.

"He has some insight (on other teams in the conference), but at the same time it's a different team every year. It's the SEC, it's physical and fast and you're going against great linemen every week. Just play within the scheme and do your thing."

On SCSU...

Moore: "They're a hungry team, they're coming in with something to prove, and they're coming in with an athletic quarterback with a great arm who can make plays on the move."

On whether he's played basketball against Mike Evans...

Moore: "We played during his freshman year when he got here and over the summer, but I try to stay away from his hops (chuckle). No, he actually does (have a jump shot). When he first got here, I remember one time he dunked and so we just crowded the lane. We started letting him shoot and he was making one after the other."

Jonathan Stewart

On how the secondary tackling was against SMU...

Stewart: "The secondary improved a lot. Coach (Marcel) Yates worked them hard last week. Making sure they improved on tackling, tackling is a big part. But we all worked on that. I think we only had five or six missed tackles the whole game. If we keep improving on that, we'll be a pretty good defense."

On how Damontre Moore has improved...

Stewart: "Just his effort level. He's in on every play. He showed up everywhere on the film, rushing the passer and chasing plays. He's giving fanatical effort every play. We've always been tough on him but nobody ever sat him down and told him, 'Do this, this and this.' It's all from inside. He's determined now and he's got the will."

On Mike Evans' height...

Stewart: "It makes it very difficult, because a DB can get in perfect position and it doesn't matter. He attacks the ball every time in the air and he has great playmaking ability. Even his redshirt year, when he was on scout team, he was still making plays on jump balls and things like that. He kept improving; he's still improving. What he's doing now is not surprising at all."

On South Carolina State...

Stewart: "They got beat pretty badly last week, so they're a team on the rebound. But just because they're not in a marquee conference, you can't take them lightly. We only have 12 opportunities and we've already played two of them. We can't be that team that people look at across the nation and go, 'How'd you lose to that team?' We're going to prepare like we would for any other."

On Toney Hurd...

Stewart: "He's got lots of energy and he's always out there to make plays. He's not in our base defense, so when he comes out in the nickel he's flying around and ready to make plays."

On the D-line...

Stewart: "They don't listen to outside people. They're just trying hard and doing what they need to do. Maybe it's the move from the 3-4 to the 4-3. A lot of defensive linemen don't like the 3-4 (chuckle) because the linebackers make a lot of plays. Now they're all doing it. And we're loving it on the second level that they're dominating up front."

Dustin Harris

On how the secondary improved from Game 1 to Game 2...

Harris: "This game, the improvement we all saw was better tackling. We all strive as a defense to have better tackling, better techniques, and we worked on that the whole week starting Monday on through Thursday."

On how he handled another opportunity at corner...

Harris: "I felt like I did good. The first half I felt really good about myself and felt confident. It was really good to get back on the field and play with the guys I've been playing with. As a defense we stepped up and showed everybody why we could be one of the top 10 defenses in the nation.

"I know I can play like that and I just needed to show somebody. They have to trust in the guys they put on the field. Just to show them that, and for the whole defense to show just the way we played, how physical we can play, it's going to lead to good things down the road."

On the return game opening up for him...

Harris: "Things are good. I'm looking forward to South Carolina State and the rest of the season as well, but against SMU, I had a lot of opportunities that my teammates gave me and I took advantage of some. Some, I didn't. You watch film and see mistakes and they're getting fixed for next week."

On not being a starter leaving Fall Camp...

Harris: "It was tough. We have a good defense and top-ranked corners and top-ranked safeties. Props to everyone that competed. The starters in the first game played their butt off. I took my role and played my role and against SMU I got in. I was able to play and took advantage of it."