Aggies meet media to discuss Florida, SEC opener

Kevin Sumlin

* What we saw from Florida was fast, athletic, good defensive line, can run, good kicker. Will (Muschamp) is extremely aggressive on defense and Brent Pease ... they seemed like they were extremely vanilla. It was a way to evaluate their players and they won the game. For us it was a chance to look just at talent level. They didn't show much.

* We wouldn't have handled it any differently if we had played Louisiana Tech a week before. We wouldn't have gotten to see them play then either. You can't worry about it. We can't change what happened last week and it's how we have to approach it. There's positives and negatives. How's the quarterback going to handle opening at home against an SEC opponent? The question would have been how he was going to handle opening on the road.

It's the first game either way. Can't handle what happened a week before. Those are the circumstances. We don't know how guys are going to react in certain circumstances. That's part of being new with this team. The only way to know how guys are going to move through it is to see them in those situations. The intensity level, the speed, the consequences ... the only way to gain that experience is to play.

* There's positives and negatives to both. It's how you look at it. For some, it'll be positive. For some, it won't. Everyone's not going to be the same. We do have guys who haven't played a college football game going out there. There's a lot more positives about playing on the road than there are any time you talk about playing on the road.

* It was hard on Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday last week. Twenty-nine practices and then within 24 hours of getting on a plane to Shreveport and we were told. The coaches were down. It wasn't a good practice. That wasn't good for anybody. I wasn't good that day. All we did was tell them to put it on the shelf, come back to it Oct. 6, and tomorrow, we move on to Florida. We tried to create a new energy based on our opponent. We just moved on. Creating new energy instead of just practicing six or seven more times for another game.

* (Johnny Manziel) ... like I said, we had a battle early. It hasn't changed much from a week ago. The reason he was starting is because he's earned the right to start. We gave him that with two weeks to go so he could get more reps in a leadership role. He's continued to progress ... but he's a young guy.

Experience is not about age. You can have a young guy, or you can have a fourth-year junior who hasn't played either. Until you're in a game, that's where your experience comes from. It doesn't come with age. He's inexperienced. So our skill position players and O-line, who do have experience, have to play well and create a quarterback-friendly environment for him.

* (Confidence) is just who Manziel is. I haven't been around many shy quarterbacks that have won a game (chuckles).

* Anybody who's watched Boise the last couple years knows Brent has been very creative. Shifts, wide receivers in the backfield, trick plays, everything. He's got the whole arsenal. I've got a lot of respect for what he's done. Who knows ... you've got a team coming in here that's a top-25 team and has been in big ballgames, big stadiums.

They've had GameDay the most of any program, ever. They're not going to be intimidated by anything they see in Kyle Field. They're coming here to play football. There's nothing around here that's going to intimidate them.

* We're just excited to play a game. Our fans are really excited about it with everything that surrounds it. The fans will create a big-time energy based on the combination of it being the first game of the year, an SEC opponent, national television and GameDay. There'll be new wrinkles. We'll have a new entrance. Everything surrounding this game will be real positive for our players.

I think one of the reasons our practices have been so good lately is because we're excited just to get on the field and play. We've got a lot of great players here who are ready to run out on Kyle Field with all the history-making things that'll happen.

* We knew who our placekicker and punter were going to be going into last Thursday. It doesn't change from last week's depth chart. Ryan Epperson has done a nice job. We've worked through two-minute situations to try to create that kind of pressure on our punters and kickers. We made the decision on our starting punter and kicker. Nothing's changed there; just like every position on the team, we'll see what happens in game time. I feel a lot better about it all than I did three weeks ago.

* I don't know anything about Bowling Green's players. So I don't compare their players to ours during other games.

* I don't know anything about being favored against Florida. But it sounds like you're surprised.

* We talk a lot of times about paying attention to what we're doing, regardless of opponent, and worrying about us. Based on our performance as a team last year, there's a lot of things we have to fix internally and not worry about our opponent. Tempo has something to do with that, attitude has a lot to do with that. Handling adversity.

Whether that's good enough to win or not, I don't know all the time. But we've worked very hard on it and I'm anxious to see how we handle it. I don't know if it changes overnight, but it's something we've worked on internally. That's why we're anxious to play the game.

* We've practiced in the heat. We've been inside one time. That's something we've always done, Houston down to here. I don't know that we're taking any extra precautions (for the heat). We did educate our players early in two-a-days about it. We knew we'd be practicing in the heat and playing in a league where the potential is there to start in the day. TV determines that. They were prepared for that.

We practiced in the middle of the day. I don't think the word is 'extra precautions'; I think we prepared in the heat and our guys should be more comfortable. We don't have misters at practice. Since August 3, since we've been outside the whole time except for once, I think our guys are used to it.

* We'll see, won't we? (In response to whether confidence has trickled down.) I don't walk around to guys and ask, 'Hey, are you confident?' As coaches, as long as you're honest with players, I think players understand. Your ability to say, 'Here's what we are, here's what you need to get fixed ... and I'm here to help you do it' is key. As long as you're not yelling. Communication is key.

These coaches understand not only winning, but the process of winning. I think players understand that. Now, we've got a lot of guys that are playing in their first game, or playing with a new staff, and being around players we don't know much about. Fighting our way through that, it'll be interesting to see. Any new game, though, no matter the situation, there's always adversity. That's the one negative you have without playing.

* I'm extremely honored to be the head coach at Texas A&M and in this situation. There's a lot of historical moments at this university and in this football program. And this is one of them. To be the head football coach at this time is really an honor. Not only our first home game, but our first game in the SEC. That's a lot of firsts going on. It's a real honor, and all our coaches think that.

How things played out with the hurricane, with this being our first game, there's a lot of other question marks. But I think it's kind of neat that our first game as a coaching staff is at home against Florida. Last year we opened with UCLA and everybody tried to get me to say 'This is the biggest game...' When you play a team like that, it gets your team's attention in a different way.

Win or lose, it's not the end of the world. Win, you've still got 11 games to play. Lose, you've still got 11 games to play. Is it important? You bet. But is it the end of the world? No way.

* From an exposure standpoint, we're playing a nationally televised game that's not split regionally across the country, which is different. Because we're in the SEC. 2:30. That'll be consistent across the country. That's a difference in leagues. And it gives our football program a chance to attract talent. Being a part of a league that's won six straight national championships, it gives us as a program a chance to say we're playing at the highest level. And I think our guys are ready to be a part of that.

* I haven't had time to think about (running out the first game as head coach). As we get closer to game time, I'm sure that'll happen. But I haven't really thought about it. We had a lot happen last week. We had to shift gears and move on. I think more about scenarios that can happen during the game than how I'm going to run out.

* Mike Gillislee is a good back. He showed some power, showed some moves, really finished off the game for them. He had some pop. Everybody in the second half knew, hey, these guys are going to run the ball. When you've got a back and an offensive line that can run the ball when people know you're going to run the ball ... Florida has good players. They've always had good players, they'll continue to have good players. It's not like they're doing a bad job of recruiting. Whoever they put back there is going to be more than capable of making the play.

* Special teams will be a big factor. Sturgis is a good kicker. He's been around for a while now and done some nice things. He's a solid guy. Their kicking game really helped them win games last year when they struggled offensively. They blocked kicks, returned them, they're good in the return game. They've got speed.

When you've got teams that are really athletic, that's where it shows up. When you've got guys returning kicks for touchdowns, it's more than just the returner. They've got guys blocking. They've been able to create extra possessions with special teams. Blocked kicks, returns, etc. In a game like this, it'll be a big deal.

* It's kind of hard to answer that because I wasn't here (in response to whether Christine Michael has shown more excitement). It's hard to know if he's like this all the time. I just know he's excited to play. Which is a good thing for us.

* We've talked to them about keeping helmets on. I think what you've seen is a reaction from the rules committee because it was of epidemic proportion the last two years. I had our equipment guy looking at it (at Houston). And the rules committee addressed it. There's a combination of reasons why guys aren't buckling them; some think skull caps have made it slicker. In our scrimmages we had guys have to leave because of it in live situations.

I don't know that losing a helmet helps anybody. A helmet flies off, guy has to leave for a play. I think the intent of the rule was a safety issue. I don't know that it helps anybody to stop the game any time a guy comes out, when you have to stop the game. If you want your players to come out of the game, (using a lost helmet as a ploy to slow down the offense) is fine.

* I talked to Tony Levine yesterday about the direction he was headed in (at UH). That was a tough situation for them on Saturday and tough decisions were made. It's one of those things that, as a head coach, until you're in that chair it's hard to understand some of the decisions that were made. You're responsible for everyone in that program. I talked to him in the afternoon and encouraged him to go get 'em this week. I have a vested interest because they're playing Louisiana Tech (chuckle), so we talked a bit about that too.

He might not be happy at me on Sunday because of that, but we did talk about it and I just told him to go get 'em this week.

Jake Matthews

* Guys were really frustrated, you could tell on Tuesday. We were really preparing for the game. It affected us a little bit but the guys have moved on and we're ready for Florida now.

* They're good. They're big guys and everyone is fast and talented. We're going to have to take them as a group. They've got a lot of talent, so it'll definitely be a good game. I came here to play against the good players and now that we're in the SEC, we're getting a better chance to do that against teams that are consistently winning. We want to play the best players. It's going to be a real challenge and we're looking forward to it.

* Johnny Manziel is a leader. He's gone out there and secured things and he's going to be great for us.

* We played a lot of great defenses last year. I can't say there's one that we can compare to Florida. There's great players you have to be aware of on every team. They've got some talented guys.

* I think it does (make this more special, opening against Florida). It's at home, it's going to be crazy, it'll be our first SEC game, 90,000 people, it's getting me fired up just talking about it. We're going to be ready to go.

* We had a couple (deep-snappers) that weren't doing that well and (Brian Polian) said, 'Come out here and show me what you can do.' I had done it in high school. So I went out there and now I'm doing it. I'm just ready to help the team in whatever way I can. (Sumlin) told me it was going to make me some extra money (laughs), so I'm board with that.

* We wanted to play too last Thursday, but we just had to move on from it. We were frustrated but we have to put it behind us. What's done is done. We're prepared for this game and we're obviously real excited.

* The season-opening games always have so much hype. The offseason, the spring, the fall, it all comes up to this moment. This moment when you have to open up, it's real special. Coach keeps telling us we have a chance to do something that's never been done here. The first SEC game, we're going to make a statement and it'll be important. We're not just happy to be here; we're here to compete and do well.

* Ryan Swope has done huge things for us. Ever since I got here, I could tell he was a big-time player and would make plays. If he keeps doing what he's been doing, he's going to have a huge year. I think he's going to do well this year.

* You can tell by looking at the film, the guys in the SEC ... it's a level up. It's going to be a lot more competition and a lot more challenge, but we're looking forward to it and preparing for it.

Jonathan Stewart

* We've been in spring and two-a-days, so once a game is actually coming at you it'll be a bit different feeling, but it shouldn't be too bad.

* It was tough (not to play the LA Tech game). We worked hard for that game and unfortunately it got postponed. We weren't necessarily disappointed about not going home to Louisiana, but just because we didn't get to play.

Now we'll be fresh. It has its pros and cons. This weekend we'll be ready to play this game, and we'll handle it.

* They announced that we weren't playing on Tuesday. We turned the page on Wednesday. We have to start looking forward to our next opponent. The coaches started looking at old film, then on Thursday we got into it. We'll be very ready to play this team. They've got a lot of talent on offense, and we'll be ready for them. It might have been harder to prepare if they hadn't named Driskel the starter.

* We're going to prepare, look back and see what their offensive coordinator has a history of doing, then compare it to Saturday. Be ready for anything — unbalanced formations, trick plays.

* The feeling on campus is anticipation. Your classmates are around you and they're ready. The atmosphere will be electric. College GameDay will be here and everyone will be fired up. It'll be better than Texas last year. A ton of recruits will be here and after that I don't know how they won't want to come play at a place like this.

* Manziel ... a lot of maturing. He's grown from the spring over the summer and now being named starter. He's a great guy and doing what he needs to do. He had that one mishap in the offseason, but you can't judge everyone on one thing in life. He happened to be named the starter at Texas A&M and so a spotlight shone on him, but the other 19-20 years he's lived, he hasn't had any other problems. He's leading the offense in practice and looking good.

* Trey Williams is a smaller guy, but very quick. He's elusive and tough to tackle. He's small and he can see the cuts. When he makes them, he explodes through the holes.

* We might not necessarily be a marquee name where they circle us on their schedule, but it's the SEC opener. Every SEC game is tough. You can't afford too many losses in this conference. You have to be excited about playing it.

* The fans are going to be excited about this game regardless, but ultimately as players we have to let that be on the outside and focus on this game. There's billboards and GameDay and everything going around, but we have to focus on our opponent. If we focus on everything else we'll go out and lose because we weren't about our opponent. All that is nice, but it's football and that's it.

* Mike Gillislee is a good-sized running back. A little over 200 pounds. He's a very good running back. We'll have to gang-tackle him and stop him on first down. The key is getting off the field on third down. If we start them second-and-long, third-and-long, we'll be alright.

* I'm very confident in the front four we have. The media always speculates how the defensive line will be. That's just outside. We hear it, but we don't pay attention. I'm confident in the guys and even their backups. They're studying hard, preparing hard, and they know what they have to do and how to do it.

* Driskel, at first when he got in the game, maybe a little rattled. As the game went on, he started to look very good. We'll have to be prepared for him. He's got a lot of teaching from Saturday and probably got the kinks worked out. We'll be prepared for him. They might try to take their shots because they've got a lot of speed and talent on the outside.

* Why would you even want to go to Texas anyway? (Laughter.) [In response to a question about whether he took offense to not being recruited by Texas when Muschamp was the DC there.]

* Muschamp hasn't been here enough. College Station has the greatest campus and the friendliest college town in the nation.

Steven Terrell

* They're a pretty good offense. They like to run the ball a lot; they've got a lot of speed on the outside. Watching film, I can tell Driskel was the better quarterback and I can see why they started him. He's more poised in the pocket and a better passer. He led the team pretty well in that game.

* You never know (if they ran to hide things from A&M). Most coaches don't like to put everything out there in that first game. Against us, they'll probably throw everything and pass it more. We've been watching Boise State since last week because most coordinators, whatever they do at their last stop, they bring with them.

* In my opinion, I really do (think this will surpass Nebraska 2010). In class and on campus, you can feel the buzz. There'll be a lot of energy out there. When you play new teams that bring new aspects to the game, everybody's excited to play somebody different. You're not playing the same teams we've been playing. Nobody knows what we're going to get.

* We just took this weekend as a learning point. We obviously wanted to play, but we took it like a learning point. We watched as much football as we could and saw the mistakes other teams made in their first game. It was a learning experience, watching everyone and making sure we don't make those first-game mistakes.

* Boise tried to do a lot of stuff before the play, like motion and shifts to get you confused, but the final formation is what you really have to focus on. You can't get caught up in all the smoke and mirrors before the play. They're going to run trick plays, that's (Brent Pease)'s m.o. We have to stay on our toes.

* De'Vante Harris has been doing everything the coaches have asked for, making plays. He earned the spot just like everyone else has earned their starting spot. I'm looking forward to him going out there and making plays and continuing to compete.

* If you watch Boise film and Florida vs. Bowling Green, there's definitely similarities. He didn't use all his plays in one game, so you don't know what he could bring out, but as long as we're right, all the formations and stuff won't matter.

* The plays they did use, that's all we can go off of. We don't have tape of them from last year because of this new offense. If we just worry about us, I feel like we'll be fine. Can't really control what they're going to do.

* I feel like they didn't go as fast, obviously, as our offense. But when a team faces our offense, they're going to try to push up their tempo. I'm expecting them to go fast also. You don't know what they're going to bring out. Tempo is big in this game for us. When they see us pushing it up the field, they're going to do the same. They'd better be in shape.

* We practiced maybe once in the indoor, because it was raining. We're used to the heat; we were out there all summer. The heat's not going to be a problem for us. We'll be ready to go.

* The thing I like about Coach Sumlin is he does everything the same. He's not nervous or anything, he's been the exact same. First game or not, you can't tell the difference. He's a confident coach. I like that.

* I feel like Florida didn't play their best game, but they got their bad game out of the way. They're probably going to have their best game against us. We're not expecting them to struggle against us. We're going to prepare for their best.

* Coach Yates and other defensive coaches are always talking about how our 2s need to become 1s because there will be situations where we have to rotate guys in. I'm confident in our second group, especially in the secondary. They'll help us out. Deshazor (Everett) is playing corner AND safety ... Toney Hurd is playing nickel AND safety. Most secondary players need to know what the other does. It helps you have a better understanding of your responsibilities.

* Muschamp ... I don't believe he was at Texas when I was being recruited. But I don't think Texas recruited me.

* When I'm in my classes and people realize I play football, they're hyped up about it and asking me if we're ready. We've been practicing for a while ... we're ready.

* I try to put the way last year ended in the back of my head, but obviously you remember it and the kind of disappointment it was. But this is a new year and we're putting the past behind us and starting in the SEC. We want to start off with a win. This is a great chance for us to make history. We're really excited about it.