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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:03 >> Very good.
00:04 >> Have a good day, coach.
00:05 >> Yes, sir, I'm working on a great one.
00:07 Thank you for that.
00:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:11 I thought today, we got good work in today.
00:14 There's still some up and down moments in today that we've gotta clean up.
00:19 I don't think it had anything to do with the want to, but
00:23 sometimes the focus and the details, the fundamentals.
00:27 Those are all things that we've gotta improve upon.
00:30 We had a third down day, got a two minute drill,
00:33 put the guys in different situations.
00:35 So I think we got good work, but
00:37 we just wanna continue to build upon our consistency of execution.
00:41 And that's something as you get early in the season,
00:43 you've gotta have that constant push.
00:46 And it's coming on a short week, one day less in our prep for a game.
00:52 So I mean, it is, you guys' bodies are a little bit sore and tired.
00:56 And you gotta be able to push and work through that.
00:59 We'll get them back here these next couple days.
01:01 It's a good thing it's a late kickoff there on Saturday,
01:03 just give us a couple more hours in our prep.
01:05 But all in all, that was a good day, just wanna continue to push that consistency.
01:10 >> What did you see from Son of Miss quarterback in the first game?
01:13 You look like you had a- >> Yeah, extremely accurate.
01:15 You can tell that he understands where to go with the ball and
01:18 gets the ball out quick.
01:19 He's got some good skill players around him.
01:21 But you can tell the rhythm and timing,
01:25 which I know Coach Hall, and he's a great developer of quarterbacks.
01:29 He understands, they played the position, very, very, very smart football coach.
01:34 And they played to the quarterback strengths at a very high level.
01:39 >> When you took this job, did you talk to Coach Hall about what he knew about this
01:42 program, with Son of Miss background?
01:44 >> No, I mean, I did not, not of our program.
01:47 But we've got a great relationship.
01:50 We went into a situation where he's trying to establish the foundation of
01:56 the culture there at Southern Miss.
01:58 And I think you see the growth in their program.
01:59 I mean, just the effort that they play with, the toughness,
02:04 the physicality, those are all things that are on display.
02:06 And like I said, he's a great coach.
02:08 He's got a really good staff with him.
02:11 And you can see that progression within his program and within their team.
02:17 >> What's it like when you know he knows what you know, and he knows you know what
02:21 he knows, that whole kind of chess match?
02:24 >> That's a great question.
02:25 >> [LAUGH] >> Was that from the people?
02:29 >> Maybe.
02:30 >> Maybe.
02:30 Sometimes you can overthink yourself.
02:34 And there's a lot of things that we've done.
02:37 There's a lot of things that we probably have a pretty good sense of, the attack.
02:41 But for us, it's about going out and executing.
02:44 It's about being able to, whatever you see, whatever you get,
02:48 there's gonna be some things that they might have a good sense to,
02:54 certain tendencies that you have.
02:56 You might make a couple of those tendencies lie to them in different
02:59 situations.
03:00 But sometimes you can almost paralyze yourself in trying to out trick or
03:07 out think somebody.
03:09 And all time is good football coaches.
03:12 So, those are the things we have to do and adapt and
03:14 adjust throughout the course of the game.
03:15 And gotta go from there.
03:17 >> [INAUDIBLE]
03:24 >> Yeah, it's something that we've been
03:26 doing the last few years is to establish a toughness mindset.
03:30 When the ball gets out on the edge,
03:31 we wanna make sure that we're helping maximize the yards that can be gained.
03:35 We wanna be able to reduce the space from a defensive back perspective.
03:41 Obviously, that's where this game is going.
03:43 And trying to get players in space and then you have to get them down in space.
03:47 With space tackles, tracking leverage,
03:49 obviously all those different things for both sides of the ball.
03:52 So, it's a drill that I really like and
03:56 we've been doing it a good amount through fall calendar.
03:59 I thought it showed up, had a pretty good beat there the other day and
04:04 something we gotta continue to work on and build throughout the course of the year.
04:07 >> High keeps, seems to be showing a lot of effort blocking.
04:10 Is that something he played with in high school or is that something he's-
04:12 >> Well, I mean,
04:13 high keeps got a lot of want to, it's a standard here.
04:17 I mean, it has to be a standard.
04:18 And no matter where you come from,
04:20 whatever your beliefs of blocking before you get here are,
04:24 you're gonna embrace the standard that we have in that receiver room.
04:29 When we get on the edge and I think high keeps has done that and
04:32 I continue to see progression.
04:34 I was glad to see him get in the game the other day.
04:35 Obviously, he didn't get a target in the passing game, but
04:39 I thought he did a solid job in his first college experience.
04:42 He's probably had over the last three weeks,
04:45 maybe as much improvement as anybody in our program.
04:47 I mean, he's gonna be a really good football player and
04:50 definitely excited about his growth and just what he's shown.
04:54 >> You were able to get something like Hakeem, Ashwin,
04:57 multiple guys who got multiple seniors, freshmen in a game with that kind of
05:01 environment, I guess how important or significant is that for the development?
05:04 >> I think it's great.
05:05 I mean, that was a great atmosphere, great environment.
05:08 There's some good and some bad that showed up for our entire team.
05:12 But whenever you have been on the field and you've been forced to communicate,
05:17 to align, to trust a fundamental or be able to apply a concept, it takes reps.
05:24 And I thought those guys did a really good job and
05:28 some guys from what they showed in whether it's ten plays or more or less.
05:33 Some guys will be getting more opportunities because of just
05:36 the way they operate when they went in.
05:38 We wouldn't put them on the field if we didn't think that they were ready and
05:41 capable.
05:42 And there's times in games that we get some young guys in and
05:45 just force some action.
05:47 Yeah, we'll do that.
05:48 But guys have played throughout it, and we believed that they were ready.
05:54 And a lot of them proved us we were right.
05:56 >> So Kevin really made his presence felt today.
05:58 >> Yeah.
05:59 >> What do you think of him without- >> So Kevin's been dealing with kind of
06:03 nagging injury just through fall camp.
06:05 So he's missing some time.
06:08 He was a little bit limited there in the game and just what he was doing.
06:12 But this week, I mean, you've really seen the last two days,
06:16 I mean, you felt his presence.
06:17 And you see the experience, you see the athletic ability, just the passion.
06:22 I thought today he had a great day.
06:23 And I was definitely excited to see him flying around out there.
06:27 Looking forward to his continued growth.
06:29 >> When he was limited at times,
06:30 he was being involved and engaged talking to young guys.
06:33 Is that something that he plays a value on?
06:34 >> Yeah, I mean, everybody's got a role and a responsibility.
06:37 And for a player, you always want that role and responsibility to be on the field.
06:42 But sometimes that's not, you might not be available.
06:44 But can you still make a difference?
06:45 Can you still do a job?
06:47 And it's one of the things, when he had the situation come up,
06:51 it's almost like we don't know exactly when you're gonna be back on the field.
06:54 But ultimately, you have a job to do.
06:57 And he brought his experience and tried to help younger players.
07:01 I respect that.
07:02 And I think he's a great leader, still challenge him every day.
07:06 I want more from him on a daily basis just because I believe he has so
07:13 much with him, great player, but great young man.
07:17 And about today, he really stood out.
07:20 >> I think you really like being multiple on offense, but
07:23 being multiple on the offensive line.
07:25 I mean, is that something kind of new in this game, something that you've had before?
07:28 >> Well, I mean, like I said before, we got eight guys,
07:32 I believe, that can play winning football.
07:33 Sometimes you're forced into that depth because of a circumstance or situation.
07:40 Other times you elect whether it's a matchup,
07:43 whether it's things that you see throughout the course of the game.
07:47 I mean, you might want different elements or different guys in.
07:52 And so, but I thought our guys have really done a good job.
07:55 And that's one of the reasons why during fall camp,
07:57 we played so many different roles because it's nice to be able to have that.
08:01 And if somebody has a bad play or a bad series or
08:04 something that they just need a breath.
08:08 And it's something that they need to be able to kind of just reflect and
08:12 to have capable people that can go in there and
08:15 allow them to get maybe a different perspective for a series.
08:17 I mean, I think it's a big benefit.
08:19 >> All right, thank you guys.