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00:00 First off, I thought today was a really good day.
00:03 Proud of our players.
00:04 I thought they came out and really worked at a high level.
00:07 There was good intensity.
00:08 We got a lot of good team-on-team, you know, we're ones-on-ones in our team situations.
00:14 We've got some third downs.
00:15 We've created different opportunities just for guys to compete against each other.
00:22 We got a little bit of scout work just for some things we want to clean up defensively.
00:27 So, I thought that was good.
00:28 As you go on this bye week, it's about assessment of what we've done in the last four games.
00:34 One of the things I'm excited about is that we're 4-0 and we have yet to play our best game.
00:40 That's an opportunity for growth, an opportunity for improvement.
00:44 As a staff, that's what we spent all day yesterday on,
00:47 just going back and reflecting on the things that we've done,
00:49 some things we've done really well, some things that we need to improve upon.
00:53 Ultimately, that's going to be a huge push for us this week.
00:58 I like where this team is because it's still about the work.
01:02 Ultimately, I told them that this is as important of a week as we have in the season.
01:07 We talked about this week, we've got to reload.
01:10 We fired some shots there in that first month in September.
01:13 We've had some tough games, some challenging situations.
01:16 Now it's time to make sure that we take all that we've had and go get better from it
01:21 and be ready for the next opportunity when it shows up.
01:24 The fact that you guys played so well in that second half against LSU,
01:27 is that the thing that you can see this team being?
01:29 That's the opportunity to get better and have a playoff season?
01:32 We've had moments in every game that I thought have been playing at a very high level.
01:37 I thought, going back and watching the game from Saturday,
01:41 the second quarter by the offense was so big.
01:44 It was such a huge response on the road.
01:47 That's a tough place to play, just in communication.
01:50 Coming back out of the game, we didn't have one false start penalty in that game.
01:55 We had a couple of formational issues that were critical in the game that cost us.
02:01 But to be able to not have a false start penalty in that game, in that environment,
02:06 I was really proud of our guys for that.
02:09 But there were great responses throughout.
02:12 We missed an opportunity there on the first drive in the second quarter, or the second half.
02:17 We had a chance to go down and potentially score a touchdown.
02:21 Obviously, it was good getting the points coming out of it.
02:24 But then there were some challenging things that we faced.
02:27 They did a great job against our run game for a variety of reasons.
02:32 One was that they're pretty dang good.
02:34 They had a good scheme against some of the things that we were trying to do.
02:38 And then we've got to be better.
02:39 We've got to be better fundamentally.
02:41 We've got to execute better.
02:43 There were some course steps we took at times against a great interior.
02:49 That was.
02:50 It's going to show up and put you in a challenging situation.
02:54 But our guys fought and they responded.
02:57 I thought that you talk back to a half against LSU, and yes, that was a great dominant half.
03:05 But you've seen it in each game.
03:07 There have been those moments that we've had really good swings, really good times of guys playing.
03:12 We need 60 minutes of it.
03:14 I thought the defense was outstanding.
03:16 I loved the adjustments that Adam made in the second half.
03:21 More aggressive, attacked more.
03:24 It really impacted the quarterback.
03:26 They had the run, the big run that they hit.
03:31 Obviously, a mistake on our end of it.
03:36 And Caleb, obviously, the very next play, you made the play of the game with the sack puck for the touchdown.
03:43 But there were some things that we definitely got to get cleaned up.
03:46 And I thought our defense responded very well there in that second half.
03:50 That's what this team has done.
03:51 They've had each other's back throughout.
03:54 We've seen high-level play of all units.
03:59 But we've just got to be more consistent with it and continue to get better.
04:02 What were you guys seeing in the first half as you attacked on the defense in the second half?
04:06 What did you see in the first half?
04:08 That's what we're going to do with the rest of the game.
04:11 You go in with -- there's always an A, B, C.
04:16 And there were some things that they did that were good, some things that I hadn't shown very much of coming into it.
04:24 But they did -- that was everything they had.
04:28 And I thought they played their best game of the season of what they've shown as a team.
04:33 And that's a good -- that's a good and talented team.
04:35 They're good players.
04:37 And it's a good coaching staff.
04:39 They had some things early that we were more reacting to.
04:44 And, you know, that's a couple good route concepts that stress us.
04:49 I mean, we're going to be better with technique and highs and communication on it.
04:53 But, you know, we wanted to be more aggressive rather than reactive.
04:57 We weren't going to go and take it to them, you know, and not allow them to sit back and, you know, have some of those things develop.
05:05 And, you know, I thought that was the right decision.
05:09 And, you know, obviously it showed up.
05:11 And I just played well in the second half.
05:13 You guys keep winning but dropping in the polls.
05:16 I mean, I know it's early, but do you pay any attention to that?
05:18 Do you have any theory as to why?
05:20 I don't really care.
05:21 I mean, I really don't.
05:22 I mean, it's -- you know, the only thing I tell our players, it's about us.
05:26 And, you know, for us, we did not -- we didn't play our best game.
05:29 So, there's -- I'm joyful that we won that game.
05:33 It was big.
05:34 It was big for our program.
05:35 We didn't play a great game for how I believe we can play.
05:39 So, you know, there's things that piss me off a lot about it.
05:43 And, you know, I don't -- the outside, how they perceive our team, we won't respect our game.
05:48 And you just continue to do what we've done.
05:50 I mean, you win -- I'd argue if I played the -- you know, one of the more challenging schedules,
05:57 you know, of the early part of the season, we played one home game.
06:01 And, you know, we've had to go through it.
06:04 We faced adversity.
06:05 We responded to adversity.
06:07 But we've got to play better.
06:08 And that's -- for our players, you know, that's all I tell them.
06:12 You want all the respect you want, just go earn it and you will.
06:16 After coming through a month like this, to be 4-0,
06:20 what have you seen in the team to make you realize that they're not satisfied with you?
06:24 It's work.
06:25 You know, it's ownership.
06:26 It's, you know, the way the guys, you know, respond to situations.
06:29 I mean, I love, you know, Sunday night's meetings.
06:33 You come into them and, you know, you get a big win.
06:36 And, you know, there's no -- like, it's not a secret to anybody.
06:40 I mean, that was a big win.
06:42 You go win at that place for, you know, just the atmosphere, the challenges that showed up,
06:47 the adversity, I was fired up for it.
06:51 But you have this sense of, you know, the edge for improvement.
06:56 And I know I talked to -- we played a PC, you know,
06:59 and there was a moment there, you know, in a quarter and a half
07:03 where we kind of lost that edge a little bit on the every play emphasis.
07:07 And that was probably as disappointing as anything we've done during the season.
07:11 But, you know, you saw a team that believed and, you know, got it done, but was not satisfied.
07:17 And, you know, nobody signed up just to go 4-0 in September.
07:20 We've done that before.
07:21 And so, you know, it's about where do you go now.
07:23 Are you going to be better as we get into the month of October?
07:26 I'm glad the line lined up when it was, you know, to be honest with you.
07:30 I mean, we've battled.
07:32 We've been at -- without some starters.
07:33 We've had two guys that have had to rise up, and, you know, they have.
07:38 But, you know, it's a -- we're in a good spot if we'll take advantage of the good spot.
07:43 And we get better throughout this week, and we'll be where we need to be
07:49 the next time we get to come and kick it off.
07:52 But I'm excited about having, you know, three home games.
07:54 You know, it's a special place.
07:58 It was a long month with a lot of travel.
08:01 And obviously a short week and all the other stuff that went around.
08:04 There were a couple hurricanes.
08:05 It was full of them.
08:07 Last one, Kurt?
08:09 I covered it with the IRS.
08:11 They've had us twice that we've done that.
08:13 We don't get to do somebody ask -- answer my -- or ask my question.
08:18 If you get -- we've got to ask a question.
08:21 So, I'm not leaving until we've got to ask a question.
08:23 All right.
08:24 Well, no good egos on punctuals.
08:25 Or you're going to pass.
08:27 It seems Josh Burrell had a good day today.
08:28 What did you think of him?
08:29 What's he done in year three?
08:31 Well, I mean, Josh coming off a little bit of an injury there in full camp.
08:36 You know, he's pushing to get better.
08:39 That's another opportunity for this week is to see guys that maybe have had
08:43 limited reps, maybe, you know, have opportunities where they need to grow
08:46 and, you know, improve and just showcase, you know, their development.
08:51 And so, you know, I thought he did some good things.
08:53 And, you know, definitely excited to see the rest of the guys that, you know,
08:59 are really pushing at that next level to go out there and show what they can do.
09:03 All right.
09:04 Thanks, guys.