Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson on another loss to Ole Miss near his hometown of Sardis, Miss., and tight end Ty Washington on his sudden emergence into the lineup and catching a pair of touchdown passes Saturday night.
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00:00 But the result we wanted pretty frustrating.
00:02 Tough to play your last games
00:06 again with the state of Mississippi.
00:08 See that result you gave it your all,
00:10 didn't I did came up short.
00:15 We had a chance to drive about
00:16 and score. We didn't do that,
00:17 so that's on my part.
00:19 I take full responsibility of it
00:20 and gotta get better.
00:22 OK, do you make some big plays
00:26 in your legs and being with your
00:27 arms but also in characters
00:29 with interceptions?
00:30 You think I was maybe the pressure
00:31 or something this was doing
00:32 with what you can happen on this.
00:34 And I was just more of my eyes
00:37 in the wrong spot.
00:38 I kind of disguise the London last
00:40 night disguise the coverage for the
00:42 well to where I didn't see the guy at all.
00:44 So shots after them.
00:47 They are game playing well,
00:48 then we gotta.
00:49 I gotta protect the bar better.
00:50 Take better care of the ball.
00:51 If your family, your whole family
00:53 is there on the stands,
00:54 what does it mean to you that
00:55 they were all here to support you?
00:56 I mean a lot.
00:57 I mean, I got a strong support system.
00:59 I really care.
01:00 They don't always be there.
01:02 It's bigger than football with us.
01:04 I mean, family first and
01:05 it's always been there for us.
01:07 And I mean, I love him
01:09 and I thank him for coming up.
01:11 Could you win it?
01:12 You know that I was going to be
01:14 able to do anything.
01:15 Well, like I said, opportunity,
01:17 opportunity presented
01:17 said we took full advantage of it
01:19 and he can't do in class situation
01:21 and we needed that.
01:22 And he he showed up to the plate
01:23 and showed that he was prepared
01:25 for this moment and took
01:26 full advantage of it.
01:27 So I would say that.
01:28 I want to be honest,
01:31 I just kept grinding.
01:33 I mean, coming out from last year
01:35 and coming into this year,
01:37 Luke's a hell of a player
01:38 and he came in and did his thing,
01:40 but just wait him opportunity
01:42 and then it probably came.
01:43 And so now I step up to the plate.
01:45 Now you gotta respect your attitude.
01:47 How tough is that?
01:48 You know, you kind of
01:49 touchdown passing whenever you fall
01:51 and you're thinking, OK,
01:52 this is going to be a big season
01:53 and then Luke didn't give him
01:55 anybody else a chance
01:57 to play where he's playing.
01:58 How tough is it to kind of wait your time
02:00 and then when you get that opportunity
02:02 to take advantage of it?
02:03 I watched a video like Tom Brady
02:06 says like you got two plays
02:07 and practice and stuff
02:08 and he just kept going
02:09 and made them two plays perfect.
02:10 At that time I was probably in like five
02:12 and I just kept making them five
02:14 perfect and kept going
02:15 and kept training
02:16 and doing what I had to do
02:17 to stay mentally ready.
02:18 'cause if you're not ready
02:18 for an opportunity to come,
02:20 you're not going to be ready.
02:21 So I just had to keep going to be honest.
02:23 For both of you guys,
02:24 KJ made the unit tonight.
02:26 I think he had five catches
02:27 on that first drive and touchdown.
02:29 How big a boost was that?
02:31 KJ, I mean, how much of confidence
02:32 did that give you?
02:33 More confidence maybe in time?
02:35 Then after the answer's time,
02:36 what did that first drive do for you?
02:38 I gave a lot of confidence.
02:40 I mean, we wanted to come out
02:41 getting a rhythm early.
02:42 A lot of ball control passes
02:43 and so I was just running great routes
02:45 and he made the most of it.
02:47 When I mean, Yars had the catch
02:49 and for him to score
02:50 on the first drive,
02:51 go down to score was big for our team
02:54 and for him as well for his confidence
02:56 while the rest of the game.
02:57 So proud of him.
02:58 I would say my own confidence.
03:01 It helped a lot to be honest
03:03 from the bowl game and then
03:04 coming into the season
03:07 took a little dip a little bit,
03:09 but it was always there.
03:10 But I say definitely
03:12 boost my confidence more.
03:13 KJ, how frustrating is it
03:15 to not have been running game
03:16 clicking the way it has in the past?
03:19 I was very frustrated.
03:20 I mean, it's the SEC, so I mean.
03:24 Running the ball is a big big deal
03:25 in SC.
03:26 Establishing a run early is a big deal
03:28 'cause I mean once you run the ball,
03:29 it opens up your whole playbook
03:31 where you can do RPOs off
03:32 hood and different things
03:33 of that nature.
03:33 So I mean, it's pretty frustrating
03:35 not being able to get
03:36 the running game established
03:37 and that's something we gotta go
03:38 get back to the drawing board on the work
03:40 or put more emphasis on it at practice.
03:42 So pretty frustrating.
03:44 KJ, with Sam and Ben,
03:46 you said it feels like it's hard
03:47 for you to play with confidence
03:48 'cause of how much you're
03:48 under pressure this year.
03:49 Do you feel like that's an accurate assessment?
03:51 I mean, it's like I said,
03:54 it's frustrating.
03:54 It's frustrating at times,
03:55 frustrating at moments.
03:56 I mean, you just gotta be able to
03:59 control what you control
04:00 at the same time, but also know that
04:02 I mean, I still have faith
04:04 and confidence in those guys up front
04:05 and the tight ends and the running back
04:07 still blocked for me as well.
04:08 So I mean, I'm putting all my faith in them
04:10 and I know they got my back
04:11 just like I got they back.
04:12 So we just gotta keep moving forward.
04:14 Keep taking it one day at a time.
04:15 KJ, Patrick Kudas played center
04:18 you know in the first half a little bit.
04:19 Did you notice anything different
04:21 or like you know what was there?
04:23 Is there a big difference
04:24 between him and Bo snapping into it?
04:26 I would say the way they snap it.
04:28 That's about the only difference.
04:30 Kudas is a dead snap kind of guy
04:32 and Bo kind of snap
04:33 a spiral back there.
04:34 But other than that for us, snap wise,
04:36 I mean, I didn't have no problem
04:37 with it at all.
04:38 For both of you guys,
04:39 when KJ first and then Patrick,
04:41 the four straight losses,
04:42 three were one score games,
04:44 you know, really went down the wire.
04:45 How tough is that?
04:46 And what's the key to not
04:48 let go of the ropes,
04:49 especially when you gotta go to Alabama
04:50 you know next week?
04:52 Uh.
04:53 I would say the main thing is
04:55 just being able to get back to work.
04:58 I mean, not playing smarter football,
05:00 not hurting ourselves.
05:01 We had 10 penalties this tonight
05:03 and we can't go into playing
05:05 as a team like Ole Miss
05:07 and here on out SEC teams.
05:09 I mean, you can't play.
05:10 You can't play and have 10 penalties.
05:11 I mean, that's going to cost you
05:12 and it costs us tonight
05:14 and we just gotta be able to play smarter.
05:16 Play smarter, but Brandon football.
05:17 Yeah, I'm gonna talk about the key
05:19 that's sticking together for a stretch.
05:22 I say sticking together
05:23 and playing smarter football.
05:24 Piggyback off what he said
05:25 and just working.
05:26 We gotta go to work next week.
05:27 And you know six games left.
05:29 How can you build on that performance
05:32 and KJ?
05:32 How do you think you can build on it?
05:34 Any time you can take that first?
05:35 Uh, I can't say for next week.
05:38 I just gotta keep working to be honest.
05:39 I can't say what happens next week.
05:41 That's all God's plan.
05:42 No, it's preparation.
05:44 I mean, if you prepare like
05:45 he prepared this week and next week.
05:47 They also have a great day.
05:49 On Saturday, so I mean it's
05:51 not in your preparation
05:52 throughout the weekend.
05:52 How you approach practice
05:53 and the plays and the ref that you take,
05:55 how you approach that
05:56 and how important those reps are so.
05:58 KJ, how do you keep players?
06:01 Holding on to the blitz and not let go.
06:04 Just just having faith in each other.
06:08 I mean, just each and every day
06:09 at practice and even in the locker room
06:11 as well.
06:11 Just make sure we still bonding together.
06:13 Make sure we still we still having fun.
06:15 We still in the moment
06:16 and we still playing.
06:17 We still passionate about
06:18 the sport in this team in the state.
06:19 So just being able to keep guys
06:21 amongst each other and not divide
06:24 and start to blame the game
06:26 and stuff like this.
06:26 So just make sure we all stay together
06:28 and we all in this together.
06:29 You know when you're
06:30 going to play more,
06:31 I don't know if you get to play this much.
06:33 Be excited, nervous,
06:36 or what was your mindset going into this?
06:37 Deep down I knew what I could do,
06:40 so it wasn't really nervous.
06:43 I won't say nervous,
06:45 but really was just excited to play.
06:47 To be honest,
06:47 just ready to get out there and do it.
06:49 And I feel like I put the work in to do it,
06:51 so I was just ready to go.