Exclusive: Sumlin details indoctrination into SEC, playing LSU

Billy Liucci: I’m joined by Kevin Sumlin following Texas A&M’s 24-19 loss to the sixth ranked LSU Tigers. Coach, what was your message to the football team after a tough loss like that one? Where they really, at times, outplayed LSU over the course of the game, at least played them even.

Kevin Sumlin: “We talk about the same things every week. I think our team understands now, talking about penalties and turnovers. We were better in the penalty situation, not great. It was a wild game, a lot of man coverage, a lot of close calls, a lot of aggressive play, but turnover wise, we can’t turnover the ball that many times. We didn’t create any turnovers, and that was really the difference in the game.”

BL: It’s such a fine line when you’re trying to play with these teams. How important is getting to the point where you guys have that depth? I’m watching LSU and they’re rolling out six defensive tackles. You guys played the majority of the game with Spencer Nealy and Kirby Ennis, and that’s just one position, but how much does depth come into play in games like that?

Sumlin: “That’s what you learn in the situation. Our schemes are giving our guys a chance to be successful, our players are playing hard, but there’s no doubt that we need to increase our depth and our talent level across the board. Some of these elite teams, talking about elite teams in the SEC, they’re elite teams in the country, and with that comes the coaching, but you also have to have the talent and the talent level depth, and that’s when recruiting comes into play.”

BL: What adjustments did LSU make, if any? In the first quarter you guys were up and down the field, and even through most of the first half. What adjustments did they make, defensively, that you guys were forced to counter?

Sumlin: “They made adjustments in the first quarter. They were playing zone in the first series, and went to a man-to-man type scheme later on. I think the big play was when we got the big throw back screen called back, and they were playing man-to-man and blitzing there, so they made adjustments early. We were still able to move the ball after halftime, but we turned it over. We were moving the ball before the half, then Ben’s run, which he’s finished that run a hundred times like that, we got a first down there across midfield and fumbled the ball, so the turnovers really stopped us, but LSU had a lot to do with that too.”

BL: You mentioned that they tackled as well as they have all season, even on the perimeter. I understand matchups, and in some weird way I think these guys match up better against a team like LSU than they did against Louisiana Tech the week before, but that wasn’t the only difference. They played differently this week. What was the key for them coming out and playing as well as they did?

Sumlin: “I just thought that we were more settled in what we were doing. I thought our practices were pretty good last week. We were able to hone in on some things that we needed to get done. We tackled better interiorly, and like you said on the perimeter. We had some open field situations on some hitches and some slants that guys got guys on the ground. It wasn’t always pretty, but we got them on the ground. The week before, we didn’t do that. We have to continue to work on tackling and eliminating plays keeping short yardage and short gains from turning into big plays. That really helped their defense. There was a big difference on Saturday.”

BL: What went into the changes in the secondary? You started Deshazor Everett at corner, along with Dustin Harris, then Howard Matthews at safety. Is that how those guys had been performing all week, or was that more of the opponent?

Sumlin: “That was more of the opponent. Deshazor had been playing safety, but he’s a more physical corner and better tackler. That gives us Howard on the field, who’s a bigger guy to play internally. You looked at the other corner spot, Dustin is by far the most experienced guy we had. That’s a pretty tall order for Devonte Harris, to be isolated, the way we were playing with nine guys in the box. I looked at one snap, we had nine guys within six yards of the line of scrimmage and Dustin out there on Odell Beckham, so that’s where it was. We played the game that way, our team understood it, and Dustin is just crazy enough to be that confident and be out there and I think that showed up.”

BL: There were a ton of NFL scouts at that game. As a fan or a scout, how entertaining do you think it was to watch that game and see Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews going against Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery? And Demontre Moore, who out of all of those guys on that LSU defense, to me, looked like the best defender on the field Saturday.

Sumlin: “You’ve got some pretty good defensive backs back there for them, too. There were some good players on the field, and that’s what you want, that’s what this league is about, quality players. I think it was appealing to the crowd, but it was also appealing to the number of prospects there. The atmosphere was great, the game was a very, very competitive game, and I think they people that were there, particularly our recruits, really enjoyed themselves and can see themselves being a part of this.”

BL: When you took the job, Kevin, I know you knew everything about this place, but with A&M going to the SEC and knowing that you’re going to play two, three, sometimes four games a year like that at Kyle Field, what that would mean for recruiting at Texas A&M versus anything they had seen in the past. How much did that weigh on that positive side of the ledger?

Sumlin: “It weights a lot. For me personally, to be here at A&M is one deal, but also to be here and to be in the SEC is a huge deal. I think there are a lot of recruits and prospects that see it the same way, too. You are playing in the best league in the country-six straight national championships. We’re playing against the best, you’re on television every week and in big time atmospheres with humongous stadiums. It’s the highest level you can play and the highest level you can coach, so I think it does appeal to recruits and I think it does set us apart a little bit.”

BL: Johnny Manziel had the three picks, one of them was off a tipped ball, but how would you say he performed against an elite defense, compared to how he performed in his first football games? What steps has he taken since that Florida game?

Sumlin: “He’s gotten better I think. I keep reminding people every week that he’s only played seven games, and it’s hard to have dramatic growth during the football season at that position. That comes over time because in game speed, you make a mistake at quarterback in a game like that, the consequences are pretty drastic. His growth has been steady. Saturday, he’d probably be the first to tell you, he could have played a lot better, and there are a lot of factors that go into that and one of them is LSU and how good they are and how talented they are and how fast things happen. He’s continuing to get better, he’s continuing to work at it, and like I said, it’s hard to make humongous strides during the season at that position, but I see him getting better every week.”

BL: Have you been at all surprised at how well your football team has matched the physicality against the teams like Florida and LSU, or did you learn all you needed to learn in that opener?

Sumlin: “We learned a lot in the opener, and then I think we learn a lot during practice depending on how our guys practice, and what our emphasis was and how we practice. We learned a lot that first game. Our guys have taken great pride in it and I think they understand it. I think everybody thought were going to get pushed around and man handled in this league, and I think our coaches accepted it as a challenge and so did the team.”

BL: Finally, people talk about indoctrination in the SEC. This, to me, is what it’s all about, when you play that type of game against LSU and you have to dust yourself off and go out next week and not only play Auburn, but play them on the road. A lot of people make the comparison to Arkansas, but the big different is that that one was at Kyle Field. Talk about the challenge that awaits your team this weekend.

Sumlin: “It’ll be interesting to see. We’ve been pretty good on the road, and Auburn is a team that has their back against the wall. They’re talented, they’ve had three straight top-ten recruiting classes, but they just haven’t put it all together. For us to go on the road this week and win is going to take what it takes every week. It’s going to take a lot for us, our best effort, to win this game, but I think the newness of everything has really helped us. I think the ability for us to travel to a whole new setting, we kind of use that as energy instead of looking around.

"For our seniors, for everybody, they never thought they’d be playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium a couple of years ago and now they are, so everybody’s kind of looking forward to getting to these places just like the fans. I think that’s really kind of helped our energy level on the road.”