Texas A & M Football Coaches Press Conference-SMU Game

[ponyscott]

Well pretty interesting stuff.....their fast pace offense may well be a deal breaker for the SMU boys...do we have enough depth to keep up in the 4th Quarter? If we are down in the 4th Quarter, will we have enough time to come back and win if JJ takes all that damn time on conferences with Padron? If TAMU is up late in the 3rd and the 4th, they will run their two good RB's down our throats and eat up the clock.


From their Defensive Coordinator: “They ( SMU) are a unique offense. Everywhere he’s been, Coach Jones has been able to move the ball on people. They do a great job within their scheme. They’ve got an extremely veteran group coming back. It will be a great challenge for our guys. The neat thing about having a team like this is that it makes our guys really focus in laser-like on this team. This is not a ‘warm-up game’ by any stretch. This is a team that could challenge anyone in our league. You look at what they did last year against TCU and Texas Tech, they were ballgames all the way through. So our guys know the kind of challenge they will bring, and we’ll be ready for them.


http://www.kbtx.com/sports/headlines/Te ... 16503.html

Posted: 4:26 PM Aug 29, 2011
Texas A&M Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Head coach Mike Sherman and his Aggies look ahead to Sunday's game against SMU
Reporter: Texas A&M Sports Information


TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Monday, August 29, 2011 – Bright Complex – College Station, Texas

HEAD COACH MIKE SHERMAN

What impresses you most about Jeff Fuller?

“Probably the most impressive thing is the improvement he’s made from his first year to right now. I think his willingness to continue to work on his craft and try to be best he can be is the single most impressive thing that I’ve noticed with him. He constantly tries to get better.”

How good can he be?

“I think he can be very good. There’s some things he works on every year. We have him work on different things every single year. Just watching him from the time early in camp, some of the things we asked him to work on, as far as his releases from the line of scrimmage, he’s really improved on those things from a year ago. I think he can be very good.

Is there still a pretty good battle going on between Coryell Judie and Dustin Harris at cornerback?

“We have confidence in both of those players. Coryell being the senior and Dustin being the underclassman, I think we could play with either one of them. Coryell is coming off shoulder surgery so he’s going to have to have some breaks in the context of the game. We’ll start with Coryell and then go with Dustin. But Dustin could start anywhere, on either corner, and again he’ll play some offense for us obviously.”

Have you named a backup quarterback?

“For this game will be Jameill Showers as the backup quarterback. I think we have three backups and they are all capable, with (Matt) Joeckel and (Johnny) Manziel as well. But if Ryan were to go down Jameill would play.”

What was it that separated him from the other two?

“I think they all understand the offense pretty well. Jameill I thought when the play broke down made some plays with his feet, was able to extend the play and create time to allow us the opportunity to make another play.”

How has Caleb Russell emerged this fall and separated himself at the Joker position?

“Well, he’s had a bit of an intestinal virus for a little part of camp, so he’s been out a little bit. He kind of picked up where he left off in the spring. He has a tremendous burst off the line of scrimmage. He’s using his hands extremely well and he’s very difficult when he’s playing over a tight end—he causes our tight ends a lot of havoc—because he’s so strong. He still has a ways to go as a football player, but he’s made so much progress, it’s not even funny how far he’s come.”

What’s your rotation at wide receiver? How deep do you think you can go in a normal game situation?

“I would hope that Nate Askew would be ready to play. Brandal Jackson would be ready to play. Kenric McNeal will play in some of our packages. Mike Evans is emerging but he’s still a young kid. We have to make a decision this week whether we would in fact play him if we were in that position, with an injury or what not. But I feel good about our backups. They can go in the game and help us. It’s something that we probably didn’t do enough of last year. Jeff (Fuller) and (Uzoma) Nwachukwu and (Ryan) Swope got a major bulk of the snaps. It would help us if we could rest players just a little bit, particularly with the elements we’ll be dealing with this time of year.”

On why the national trend has been to go to fast, up-tempo offenses…

“I couldn’t answer that question. We went up-tempo after my first year just because I thought we needed an edge. I knew we were playing with bunch of young kids and I thought we could condition the heck out of them and get them ready to play. I thought by going with a faster tempo we could get an edge where we could wear some people down and win the third and fourth quarter, because we were still young and undersized at times, so I thought we could beat them with some effort. That was the year we went 6-6 in regular season. So that was the reason and the genesis of it here. I can’t talk about other places.”

Do you see some similarities in SMU’s defense and what you guys do? I know Tim and their DC are buddies and they kind of share defensive ideas…

“Hopefully not this week (laughter). There’s a lot of similarities in the sense that they were a 4-3 team. Tom Mason came in and has done a heck of a job there. They really ramped up their defense and they played a lot better, very similar to the same turnaround we had here when Tim came in and was able to do the same thing. There are a lot of similarities between the two packages. Their defensive guys play extremely hard. They’re very aggressive. They will come after you with all kinds of pressure. So there are a fair amount of similarities between the two.”

Are you concerned with the punting situation?

“Yes, I’m always concerned from the snap to the punt. I have concern about that.”

Have you decided on a punter yet?

“We have had some good work this week and last week. Ryan Epperson and (Drew) Kaser are right now competing for that position. Ken Wood is in the mix as well. Those three guys have a chance. We’ll continue to work with them. I think Ryan’s done a nice job here recently, and he just has to continue to have the day in, day out consistency. Kaser is coming off that hamstring, which has put him back just a little bit. There’s a lot of evidence there that he has very, very strong leg. So we’re looking at him. Ken has had some phenomenal punts in camp, we just have to correct him on the consistency part. Sometimes he will have a real long one and then maybe shank one. That consistency needs to be better. But I think we’re going to be better there this year than we were last year, but I still worry about it because it’s not proven.”

Is SMU’s offense similar to some teams you see in the Big 12?

“Maybe a little bit like old Texas Tech. A little bit like that. But it’s a run and shoot philosophy. (Quarterback) Kyle Padron has had phenomenal success in the offense. You think about his numbers last year, I think he was over a 2-for-1 touchdown to interception ratio, I think he had 31 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, almost 4,000 yards passing. They lost the receiver Robinson to the draft but they got (Cole) Beasley and (Darius) Johnson back, and they have 1,900 yards combined together and 12 touchdowns. They are very similar in the sense that they didn’t lose very many players from last year. They are very effective. The running back, the kid from Michigan, (Zach) Line, is a tough, hard-nosed running back. They do want to run the football, given the chance. He I think ranked about 10th in country at the end of the season with 10 touchdowns and 1,500 yards. So they have some good dimensions. They are like us—they have some pretty good receivers, a good run game and a very experienced offensive line. They have about 158 career starts among them, more than anyone in the country. So they have a good group coming back.”

Can you talk about Dustin Harris and his overall athleticism?

“When we saw him in high school he was a quarterback. He did a lot of things for them in the kicking game as well. We knew he could play defense. We really watched him as an offensive player. Then we took him to our camp and looked at him at corner, and we and liked him as a corner. That was really what started the attraction. He’s always been a phenomenal offensive player. He’s very explosive on punt returns as you know. He’s improved his game as far as catching the ball. He’s a lot more confident and secure in that area and hopefully that will continue. He just is a very explosive player, probably as fast as anybody on our team and explosive as anybody on our team. Now, he’s still just 175 pounds. He turns sideways, you can’t see him hardly. But you’ve got to catch him to hit him.”

On Pat Lewis as a center and as the most veteran offensive lineman…

“We are really still young on the offensive line. I know a lot of people have said it’s a quite experienced group but we really don’t have a lot of career starts, but Patrick has the most obviously. He’s done a real nice job in there. I like having him at center for a couple reasons. I think his size fits that position. I like the fact that he’s very smart and he studies the game and knows football. He’s a smart, smart football player. It helps us at that position as well to have him at the apex right there in the middle of the offensive formation. He’s made tremendous development and will continue to get better. He’s very powerful and very good with his hands. I think he’s just scratched the surface of where he is as a center. He hasn’t played that position until the last week or two of spring and then into fall camp. I think he’ll be a fine center for us.”

Does Evan Eike have a chance to start?

“We have both he and (Shep) Klinke battling that position (right guard) out. Evan has the experience, Klinke has a little more on the size standpoint. So we’re going to continue to work through that this week and see where we end up.”

How nice is it to have a healthy Randy Bullock? This time last year he was fighting mono…

“Randy’s really had a phenomenal camp. It’s a great testament to what competition does. We brought in (Taylor) Bertolet and they’ve been competing on a daily basis. Randy has really risen to the challenge and done a nice job. I’m real proud of him. He’s done a good job. He’s been right on the money on his kickoffs and field goals and extra points.”

On Ryan Tannehill improving his ability to work through progressions…

“I think he’s done a good job with that. Sometimes the quarterback does not have play great for you to win, but he better play smart for you to win. Our quarterback has to play smart. The quarterback makes more decisions than anyone on the field, including the coaches. He has to be right on the money on his decision making. That is a major component to our success as a team. A turnover can be devastating. We’re going to have turnovers but we have to try to fight against it. I just don’t want to have a turnover on a bad decision. You may have a bad throw or someone may make a great play, like there were two times in the LSU game I thought the kid just made a great play on the ball. I don’t fault him for those as much as if we make a bad decision. His decision making has been very, very sound in camp. His progression… he has a tendency to be a little quick with his eyes, which in some ways is a good thing, because he’s not going to take a sack, but sometimes he’ll bypass somebody that may have come open a half a second later. But I think he’s improved in all those areas.”

Has he improved as a leader since he walked off the field at the Cotton Bowl?

“I think so, the fact that his teammates elected him as a captain. When we can’t have contact with our players in the summertime, he’s the one getting things organized and doing what they do on their own. Yeah, I think the players look to him. He’s a different leader than (Jerrod) Johnson but think players recognize in him a tenacity, a competitive spirit, a toughness about him. I think they have respect for his abilities.”

On his relationship with June Jones…

“There’s not a whole lot in realm of football, I think he was in Hawai’i when I was the coach of the Packers. He had been there quite some time. (Assistant coach Tom) Rossley had worked with June in Atlanta under Jerry Glanville. I’ve met June couple times in clinics and coaching schools, and he’s a great guy and good for college football. What he’s done at SMU is phenomenal. He’s got his kids playing fast and aggressive. They do an excellent job of what they do. They are a good football team, no mistake about it.”

On the uniqueness of playing a Sunday game…

“It might make a good story for you guys, but it has no effect on me whether it’s Saturday or Sunday.”

Do you have to keep the players from getting antsy when they see everyone else playing on Saturday?

“They’ll all watch games and what not, they’ll be at the hotel and I’m sure they’ll be watching some football games and checking all that out. But I don’t see any major differences other than you go to church Sunday morning and go play the game Sunday night. This is really a Sunday for me. Tomorrow’s like a Monday for me. That’s kind of how I look at it. It’s tough when you go home and you turn on the TV and you want to watch your favorite show, and it’s not on that night (laughter). Housewives of New Jersey, I’ve got to watch that every weekend (laughter).”

Would it be better to have the players in the hotel Friday and Saturday?

“No. They’ll behave themselves. They know what’s at stake.”

On reflecting back to SMU coming back from the death penalty…

“Tom Rossley obviously was there, and became head coach there as well. We had that play that he still questions to this day, that Albert Connell play in the end zone (in 1995). He swears we robbed him on that play. Certainly, watching them on tape right now, the athletes they have, and they just opened up a brand new locker room facility for their players—I saw the pictures of that and it’s extraordinary. Certainly they ‘ve done a great job of putting this thing together.”

How do you feel at nose guard?

“Eddie (Brown) was a little bit slow to go at the beginning but he really picked it up here of late and has done a nice job. Kirby (Ennis) is pretty steady every day. You get the same thing out of Kirby every day. I like those two guys. They’ll be good nose guards for us. I feel like you always have to have a third nose ready to go, because those guys will get beat up a little bit. So we’re looking at that. Rhontae Scales is someone we’re looking at there, as well as Ben Compton, an incoming freshman. We put him there yesterday just to take a peek and see what he brought to the table. He played defense in high school and we wanted to see if he could break into the lineup. You have to have that type of depth on the defensive line. I’m a little nervous about our depth at that position and across the inside guys. I wish we had a little more there. (Stephen) Barrera had his injury, so that took him out of the mix. I feel like we are a little bit light right there. (2011 signee LaMarc) Strahan didn’t get in to school, so I feel like we are down two guys there.”

On the depth at outside linebacker and newcomer Tyrell Taylor…

“A lot of our depth at the outside linebacker position will come from the freshman class, with Shaun Ward, Tyrell Taylor and Brandon Alexander. As far as talent goes, there’s as much talent there as anywhere on the team, but there’s very little experience. So there’s a little cause for concern there. Tyrell is just a kid that goes a hundred miles an hour every single play. He has no idea what he’s doing but he finds a way to make plays. He’s just a tremendous story. He’s one of six kids. He’s got a twin brother that’s a grade behind him that I can’t talk about, but he also has four other brothers or sisters. He was raised by a single mom, who does an unbelievable job of raising that family. That’s the great thing about recruiting. You go into these homes and you see a single mother who goes to school at night, raises these kids, has a job. These kids come home and the older brothers take care of the younger ones, they get them dinner, they get everything set, they help clean up, they all have chores. I told his mom, ‘I wish you could come to my house and teach my kids how to do my stuff’. It’s just a phenomenal story, what a great woman she is and she’s raised an unbelievable son. We’re excited to have him.”

On assistant coach Jim Turner and his recruiting…

“Jim turns over rocks. He goes to every single school. Mike Evans was a basketball player and not on anyone’s list. We think he can be a fine player for us. Tyrell Taylor really wasn’t on anybody’s list, he was a 189-pound player coming out of high school, we thought he could run and we took a shot at him. He’s gained 10 to 15 pounds since he’s been here. Not only does Jim have a good eye for talent but he is very persistent in what he does. I always say, you can’t have a good coach that isn’t a good recruiter. They kind of go hand in hand. The persistence and attention to detail that you have to have in coaching has to be part of recruiting as well. You can’t differentiate the two. I’ll never have a guy on my staff who’s a good coach but not a good recruiter. I think they go hand in hand. If you want to coach, you better be able to recruit. The same qualities that make you a good coach—your personal skills, how you talk to players—will help you in recruiting as well. They kind of go hand in hand.”

On the snaps given to Kirby Ennis and Eddie Brown at nose guard…

“It’s been evenly split for the most part. They’re both going to play, I don’t know if we’ve designated one or the other just yet. Obviously Eddie has the experience, and Eddie’s played that position, I’d have to give Eddie technically the nod. But both are going to play and play a fair amount.”

How many true freshmen do you want to get into the game Sunday?

“I’d rather none get in if I can help it (laughter). But I don’t know if I have one over the other. I can’t pinpoint one.”

On an ideal number of touches for RBs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael…

“(Assistant coach) Randy Jordan has a really good feel. I really trust Randy on how he substitutes guys and he has a good feel for that. I have more of a how many times do our tailbacks touch the ball, via the air or by handoff. But nothing specific. We talked about it the other night, I will never worry about, other than to win the football game, that I want Jeff to touch the ball or Cyrus to touch the ball. But it’s not going to come down to trying to appease anyone in that process.”

Any idea who’s going to be running back No. 3?

“Ben Malena will be our third running back. He had a really good camp. He’s done a better job of hanging on to the ball of late. He’s done a real nice job of blitz pickup, which will have to happen in this ball game. They will get fair amount of shots at us.”

On the inside linebacker position…

“I feel a lot better. I thought Garrick this last week had a really good camp. Charlie Thomas and Jonathan Stewart are manning up that other linebacker position. They are kind of neck and neck right now. They’ll both play.”

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH TIM DeRUYTER (Defensive Coordinator)

On heading into year two with his defense…

“I’m pleased with where we are at right now. We’ve got a ton of carryover. Our secondary guys that were missing in the spring time have come in and picked up where they let off, so there’s not a whole lot of re-teaching. The tough thing was the young players, getting them into the fold, but they are starting to pick things up. I like where we are at, we’re playing pretty fast.”

Was progress made in the secondary this fall?

“I think a lot, especially the fact we have stayed healthy this fall. We had some minor things, but for the most part we had everyone there. When you can have that consistency in the secondary, your guys can more fully understand what we’re trying to do—disguises, coverages, looks, things like that—and it enables them to play fast.”

What challenges will the SMU offense present, particularly in a game No. 1 versus later in the season?

“They are a unique offense. Everywhere he’s been, Coach Jones has been able to move the ball on people. They do a great job within their scheme. They’ve got an extremely veteran group coming back. It will be a great challenge for our guys. The neat thing about having a team like this is that it makes our guys really focus in laser-like on this team. This is not a ‘warm-up game’ by any stretch. This is a team that could challenge anyone in our league. You look at what they did last year against TCU and Texas Tech, they were ballgames all the way through. So our guys know the kind of challenge they will bring, and we’ll be ready for them.”

Has Dustin Harris playing some wide receiver helped his game?

“I think so. He really started getting more consistent at the corner position. Coach does a great job of looking on both sides of the ball at who could help one side or the other. We were banged up a little at the receiver position in camp with some nagging things with Jeff and Kenric, and Dustin has always been a very explosive player. He’s going to be our punt returner I believe. He has arguably the best hands on our team, so giving him a chance to play offense helps him defensively understand what (the opponent is) trying to do, from splits and leverage and alignments and stems. It’s helped him become a better defensive player, and it throws him a bone and keeps him involved because we’ve got some depth at the corner position.”

Isn’t that kind of odd, because aren’t DBs thought of as wide receivers who can’t catch the ball?

“I know that’s the popular stereotype. But as we recruit young men, Coach McMillian and myself, and we talk to our staff about this, we want to have secondary players that aren’t the stereotypical guys who can’t play receiver. I want to recruit a guy who plays offense and defense, and if he doesn’t play offense I want know why. Is he at least a kick returner? Does he play basketball? If he doesn’t have ball skills, there’s going to be some major concerns about us recruiting that young man. We’re not looking for guys who play defense just because they’re physical and can’t catch the ball. They’ve got to be athletes back there.

That being said, will Coach raid your secondary some more?

“(laughing) I hope not, but we’re looking to find ways to win as a team. If that’s what it takes that’s what we do.”

On the inside linebackers…

“Garrick (Williams) really had a good camp. He played his way to being a starter. I feel like he’s ready to go right now. He’s doing some things leadership-wise to bring our guys along. At the Will position we’re going to start (Jonathan) Stewart. Charlie Thomas will start in some packages. He’s really come on the last couple of weeks. It’s a new position for him, so he’s a little raw there, but we’ve got to find ways to get him on the field because he’s an explosive player.”

Do you expect to increase takeaways this year?

“Absolutely. We talk about four ‘Ps’ for takeaways—population, getting guys to the play; physicality; purpose; and plan, where they know beforehand about preparedness and playing fast. You’ve got to know your package and your opponent’s. I think our guys are at the point now where they are reacting and playing fast. Our takeaways should dramatically go up. Our goal last year was 30 and this year was 30. We fell short last year, but last year we had 16 passes hit us in the hands that we dropped. That’s been a major emphasis for us. We will do some things to force throws where the quarterback doesn’t want to throw it, and some things physically to maybe knock some balls loose.”

On the team’s focus and the outside distractions, especially conference alignment…

“We’ve talked to them and said, ‘Hey, the only thing we can control is what’s in front of us, and that’s SMU right now’. For our seniors, it doesn’t matter what conference we’re in. We have a group of seniors that want to have special year and put their mark on Aggie football. I’ll be honest, it’s all external stuff that our guys are not concerned with right now. They are focused on this week and focused on SMU.”

ASSISTANT COACH TOM ROSSLEY (Senior Asst./QBs)

Do you still have SMU ties?

“My oldest son graduated from SMU and married an SMU girl. My second son graduated from SMU and married an SMU girl. We have a lot of SMU blood in our family. This’ll be a very exciting game.”

On his relationship with June Jones…

“I’ve known him for a long, long time. When I left to go to SMU, June came in and replaced me in Atlanta (Falcons). Both of our offensive philosophies originated from Mouse Davis. We’re both ‘Mouseketeers’ to so say. He taught me a lot of what I know.”

On A&M’s game-winning TD against his SMU Mustangs in 1995…

“If you go pull up the photo the morning after in The Dallas Morning News, you can see (Albert Connell) landed on the back line. Unless they’ve changed the rules I don’t think that’s in. But I’m over it. (laughter). That was an exciting game because when we scored, we went ahead by 4 with less than a minute to play. To their credit they went the length of the field after the kickoff and got that one by us. It was a real good game, we lost it on the last play. I had a lot of losses, they were all tough, but that was the story of my career at SMU I think. We ‘almost’ won a lot of games. We came very close but never did get over the hump.”

Are you impressed with what SMU has been able to do?

“I’m real proud of them. Believe me, I root for SMU because of my family connections. We’re pulling for them. They’ve gone through many, many years, the student body and the alums, of not having many celebrations. That’s what football is all about, being able to celebrate after a win. They haven’t been able to, at least during my era. Now June is giving them that, and he’s doing a great job. That’s good for the state of Texas.”

On being a part of SMU’s post-death penalty transition…

“We came in with Forrest Gregg and there were still a lot of restrictions on us. That first year, we all got there in January. We had two weeks to sign players and we couldn’t go off campus to recruit. We had 15 scholarships. By phone, we tried to convince players to come visit us. We put together that first 15 and then one more recruiting class, and that’s what we played with the first year. We won two games that year, and then the next year I went to the Atlanta Falcons. They were two seasons in, really, before I got back (as head coach).

On the death penalty…

“The saddest part about it, the players and coaches had to pay for the sins of the people who actually had the problems. Our guys paid the price, and the others went on to other programs and never had to go through what we went through. But that’s in the past, and thank goodness that’s over. I hope it never happens again.”

On the challenge of SMU…

“They’re a good team. June has done a great job. We know they’ll come in and play their best brand of football. Just watch their TCU game last year, (TCU) were in the upper half of the top 10 I think. It was anyone’s game in the fourth quarter. They opened with Tech, and played them right to the end. If we play our best I think it’s going to be a heck of a game.”

DL TONY JEROD-EDDIE (Sr., DeSoto, Texas)

On game week finally being here…

“We’re very anxious to get on the field. We had a long offseason, a good spring and good two-a-days. We’re tired of going against each other and are ready to hit someone in a different-colored helmet.”

On the test SMU will give the defense…

“They’re a very good opponent. They’re strong up front, have all five seniors returning. They have a good quarterback. The running back led the conference last season with about 1,500 yards. They’re really similar (to teams we’ll face in the Big 12). They’re a little more pass than run. They spread you out. They’re an experienced group. They’re very similar to teams we’ll be playing in the Big 12 this year. It’s going to be a good, solid test for us to open up with.”

On the emotion of stepping on to Kyle Field as a senior…

“I still feel like I’m a ninth-grader playing on varsity even though I’m a senior. I know before every game I’m still nervous. I still get butterflies, but after that first contact I’m ready to go.”

On playing Sunday night rather than Saturday…

“I don’t think it’ll be any different. We have today off, then we’ll just take it like Tuesday will be our Monday, and Wednesday will be our Tuesday.”

On his impression of the SMU program over the last few years after growing up in Dallas…

“When I was younger I never really kept up with SMU or followed them. My junior year we had a quarterback go there and he’s a starting receiver now. They’re becoming a strong contender again, getting back towards how they were in the old days. They’ve made tremendous strides.”

WR RYAN SWOPE (Jr., Austin, Texas)

On his back…

“It’s doing better. I had a couple of days where I got to rest it in camp. We were just being cautious, we didn’t want to overdo anything. It’s been a lot better.”

On how he feels the receptions will be spread around this year…

“Well I could guess anything at this point in the year, but I feel like this team has so many big weapons on the field I think it’ll be spread around quite a bit. We’re looking forward to the season. I think everyone will get their share. It will be kind of a game plan thing and see what the defense has to offer. We’ve got so much depth across the board at receiver, I feel like we have good numbers. If a guy goes down, someone else can step right in and fill that spot, and that’s great. We compete in practice, we’re getting better every single day and pushing each other.”

On playing Sunday night and maybe being anxious on Saturday…

“For sure yeah, I’ll be real antsy on Saturday, especially with all the games on TV. But it’ll be special to play on Sunday. We’ll look forward to it and get one more day to look at SMU on tape and study them, and we’ll take that to our advantage. We’re excited. There’s a good vibe going on. We’ll take it one day at a time at practice and in the film room, and start breaking down SMU.”

What’s it been like with all the buzz, and this being the most anticipated season in a while?

“There’s a lot of talk going on. There’s a good vibe in the air. We’re excited for this season. We’re confident. This team’s very confident. We’re out to do it for the seniors. This is a big year for us. We’re just excited, ready to get this thing started and take it one game at a time.”

On the talk of conference realignment:

“That doesn’t affect us at all. We don’t even look at that stuff. We’re just focused on SMU right now. It’s not a factor, we just go out and play football.”

Has Ryan Tannehill grown as a leader?

“He has. He’s come a long way. He’s done so many great things for this University, and he’s a great student. This summer he had all of us up here. He’s a great leader. He was texting everyone to go up and throw with him, lift with him, run with him. He’s the guy staying on top of everyone and showing senior leadership. He’s done a great job. He’s always working on trying to get our tempo going. He’s been a great vocal leader on field.”

DB TRENT HUNTER (Sr., Katy, Texas)

On the feeling of getting to walk out on Kyle Field Sunday night under the lights…

“It’s going to be sweet to get to walk out on that field another time. We’ve had to wait since last year, so one more day won’t hurt.”

On his confidence level entering the season…

“After two-a-days and after the spring we’ve had it’s at an all-time high, especially with the players I have around me. We had a great offseason, we learned and we’ve gotten better. Just seeing way our defense is right now, it’s at an all-time high.”

On the difference between going into this year and last year, defensively speaking…

“It’s the confidence level. Last year (defensive coordinator) Coach (Tim) DeRuyter came in and our heads were spinning with some of schemes he brought in. Now that we’ve been in our system for over a year and have had a chance to get to know our coaches, we’re flying around and just having fun. We’re not as confused as we were last year. We’re just going out there and playing. I can honestly say that I have the utmost confidence in everyone on our defense at every position. That’s first time in college that I can say that. The coaches know what is best for our team and I have all the confidence in the world in them as well.”

On the test SMU’s offense will provide…

“We have high expectations this year as a secondary. We return everyone. SMU will be a good test for us and we’ll figure out where we’re at after this game. I feel as long as we play like we’ve prepared we will have a good chance of winning the ballgame.”

On the outside distractions…

“You hear buzz around town and in the locker room right now, but I think Sunday will speak for itself. We’re not worried about it. Being ranked where we are won’t get us a win on Sunday. We’re going to have to go out and play this game.”

On being named a captain…

“It’s definitely one of the high points of my college career. I appreciate all my teammates for giving me that responsibility. It’s a great honor. The coaches put it on me to really step up and take that role.”

On blocking out outside distractions and conference talk…

“Coach Sherman does a good job of making sure of that. We don’t have enough time on our hands to worry about things other than football or school. We don’t talk about it. It’s not going to affect me. Right now we should be in our playbooks and we shouldn’t be worried about it. We’ve got our hands full with SMU.”

QB RYAN TANNEHILL (Sr., Big Spring, Texas)

How excited are you that it’s finally game week?

“It’s really exciting. It’s been a long offseason, long spring ball, long winter conditioning, long summer conditioning, long 7-on-7, long fall camp…now we’re getting to the season. I’m really excited about playing somebody else. It’s a challenge going up against our defense every day in practice. We get to finally prove the work we’ve been putting in all offseason.”

Is this year more exciting because of the expectations?

“I think so. You’re always excited no matter what the year, going into the first game. You prepare all year for basically 12 or 13 days. This being the first week, we’re definitely excited for it. The raised expectations do bring a higher excitement. We do realize the talent we have, and now it’s our job to prove that. We’re excited.”

What impresses you most about Jeff Fuller?

“Jeff’s an all-around guy. He can get open underneath, run a quick slant, or beat a guy deep. He has strong hands and can go up and get the ball. I think he’s an all-around receiver who can really do anything you ask him to. I think his best asset is his hands. He can catch the ball away from his body in tough positions.”

Where do you think you’ve improved most from the end of last year to this week?

“I think getting the ball out on time, that and my footwork has really improved. (It’s just) being consistent on your drops, having your feet follow your eyes through the reads and not being lazy with your lower half. Last year at times I’d go through my reads and my feet wouldn’t always follow that.”

What will you do on Saturday with the game on a Sunday night?

“It will be the same as a Friday for us. We’ll come in and watch film, have a walk through and head to the hotel. Although it’s Saturday it won’t be a whole lot different than a Friday for us.”

WR UZOMA NWACHUKWU (Jr., Allen, Texas)

When did you hurt your foot last year?

“I think the last week of camp. I got my ankle rolled up pretty bad and I’ve just been rehabbing ever since then. I feel that every game last year I went in I may have hurt it a little more, but I’m back at full strength now. So it’s all good. That’s all behind me.”

Your route running has really improved, how much of that is being healthy or is that something you really committed to in the offseason?

“I think it’s both. I tried to rehab all summer and make sure I was at full strength. Along with rehab, I tried to go back to the basics. When you get hurt, you tend to get sloppy on route running and cuts. I tried to refine that, get better, and focus on the little things.”

On Coryell Judie…

“He’s one of best corners I’ve ever faced. I think he’s one of the best in college football. To go against him every single day and compete against him…after plays I’ll talk to him about my route and why he broke on it or didn’t break on it. Just little input like that is a big help. Going against the best of the best in Coryell and T-Fred (Terrence Frederick), you go against that every single day in practice it brings out the best in you.”

What’s it like to step on the field for the season opener?

“It’s electric. You see those towels going. In the first game of the season everyone is juiced up and ready to play against someone else. It’s indescribable. It’s a great feeling.”

On assistant coach Troy Walters…

“Coach Walters stepped in and did a great job. He gelled with us immediately. With his experience and having played in the League, and having been around some great receivers and their habits, it brings a whole lot to our game. The chemistry in that room is unbelievable. I can run a route and look at him and he knows exactly what I’m thinking about my route. They all give me great input. The chemistry in the receivers room is amazing.”

Do you have an ideal number of catches?

“I do, any number that would get us to the championship game. I don’t really think about numbers that much, but as long as I’m productive and helping out big No. 8 out there, any amount would be good for me. The main focus of this team is winning championships. If we can continue to do that and all have the same mindset, we’ll go far. It would be great for this school and this program for the seniors to go out on top.”

Are you excited, being from Dallas, to get to play SMU?

“Definitely. My first varsity high school game, I played it at that stadium. Being from the Dallas area that’s pretty cool. I know a couple of guys over there. It’s a great opponent to start with. I know they’ll be ready for us. It should be a great showdown.”

On the buzz on campus…

“All I’m hearing is excitement. The games are sold out. I feel like everyone is encouraging, but we can’t sit on that. We have a lot more to do. I don’t think rankings mean anything this early in the season. You could be better or worse than that. It just matters what happens at the end of the season.”

What do you do when classmates and friends talk about the SEC?

“Honestly, I don’t listen at all. They’ll tell me stuff and I don’t really understand what they are talking about, or I haven’t heard about it. When you have a team focused on championships, you can’t listen to those things or focus on those things.”

[One Trick Pony]

OMG Mitch!

[PonyKai]

Let's just say time management needs to be better than it was in our last game.

[ALEX LIFESON]

ASSISTANT COACH TOM ROSSLEY (Senior Asst./QBs)

Do you still have SMU ties?

“My oldest son graduated from SMU and married an SMU girl. My second son graduated from SMU and married an SMU girl. We have a lot of SMU blood in our family. This’ll be a very exciting game.”

On his relationship with June Jones…

“I’ve known him for a long, long time. When I left to go to SMU, June came in and replaced me in Atlanta (Falcons). Both of our offensive philosophies originated from Mouse Davis. We’re both ‘Mouseketeers’ to so say. He taught me a lot of what I know.”

On A&M’s game-winning TD against his SMU Mustangs in 1995…

“If you go pull up the photo the morning after in The Dallas Morning News, you can see (Albert Connell) landed on the back line. Unless they’ve changed the rules I don’t think that’s in. But I’m over it. (laughter). That was an exciting game because when we scored, we went ahead by 4 with less than a minute to play. To their credit they went the length of the field after the kickoff and got that one by us. It was a real good game, we lost it on the last play. I had a lot of losses, they were all tough, but that was the story of my career at SMU I think. We ‘almost’ won a lot of games. We came very close but never did get over the hump.”

Are you impressed with what SMU has been able to do?

“I’m real proud of them. Believe me, I root for SMU because of my family connections. We’re pulling for them. They’ve gone through many, many years, the student body and the alums, of not having many celebrations. That’s what football is all about, being able to celebrate after a win. They haven’t been able to, at least during my era. Now June is giving them that, and he’s doing a great job. That’s good for the state of Texas.”

On being a part of SMU’s post-death penalty transition…

“We came in with Forrest Gregg and there were still a lot of restrictions on us. That first year, we all got there in January. We had two weeks to sign players and we couldn’t go off campus to recruit. We had 15 scholarships. By phone, we tried to convince players to come visit us. We put together that first 15 and then one more recruiting class, and that’s what we played with the first year. We won two games that year, and then the next year I went to the Atlanta Falcons. They were two seasons in, really, before I got back (as head coach).

On the death penalty…

“The saddest part about it, the players and coaches had to pay for the sins of the people who actually had the problems. Our guys paid the price, and the others went on to other programs and never had to go through what we went through. But that’s in the past, and thank goodness that’s over. I hope it never happens again.”

On the challenge of SMU…

“They’re a good team. June has done a great job. We know they’ll come in and play their best brand of football. Just watch their TCU game last year, (TCU) were in the upper half of the top 10 I think. It was anyone’s game in the fourth quarter. They opened with Tech, and played them right to the end. If we play our best I think it’s going to be a heck of a game.”

[BIGHORSE]

Tom Rossley is a Mustang wearing a a@m cap.