Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson and defensive end Landon Jackson after getting 44-20 win over Florida International as the fifth-year senior quarterback set pair of school records.
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00:00 You want those records and you got them tonight.
00:02 What did it feel like to maybe have it all come together,
00:05 touchdown passes, passing yardage and a big win?
00:09 I just thought of my teammates.
00:10 I mean, believing in me and me believing in them.
00:12 Those guys just putting the ball in great spots
00:15 and letting them make plays, letting them be who they are.
00:19 So, a scream shout-out to my teammates
00:21 and doing grace for God as well.
00:23 I mean, you give me a view and I'm taking advantage of it
00:26 and using it to the best of my ability.
00:29 The first touchdown pass set the record.
00:35 And I think the screen just sustained it.
00:37 I hit the -- I broke the yardage record.
00:39 Did you know at the time you set those records?
00:41 The first touchdown I threw the day down,
00:43 I knew I broke it then.
00:44 And then I didn't know the screen did it
00:46 until I seen it on the big board.
00:48 And then I realized that's when I ended up breaking it.
00:50 But the first touchdown I know I broke that one.
00:54 How much better is it when you set records and a big win?
00:58 It's a whole lot better. I mean, it's a better feeling.
01:01 It's almost surreal. It's a surreal moment.
01:04 I mean, just to be able to come here
01:06 and, I mean, just set a milestone for me.
01:09 I mean, that's one of my goals to be able to come in
01:11 and make sure that I go down in the record books
01:14 and make history here. So, it was just a surreal moment.
01:17 And like I said, I just thank my teammates
01:19 for always believing in me and making plays for me as well
01:22 and me just trusting in those guys as well.
01:26 I know you're playing on their side of the ball.
01:27 I guess you've been there two years.
01:29 Is that right?
01:31 What do you think about being KJ's teammate
01:33 and the records he's set?
01:35 Because he's set several.
01:36 Oh, yeah. No, I mean, he leads on and off the field.
01:39 You know, I mean, leads by example, leads vocally.
01:42 And I mean, he's the most, I mean,
01:44 so deserving of his achievements.
01:46 And I mean, there's nobody better
01:49 to lead our program than him.
01:50 So, I mean, I'm super happy for him.
01:53 KJ, on Dominic Johnson,
01:55 it had been two days, shot two years
01:57 since he last scored a Russian touchdown.
01:59 What do you think that moment meant to him?
02:01 And Landon, you're a guy that's come back from an ACL
02:03 like Dom has.
02:05 Just both of y'all's thoughts on his touchdown tonight.
02:08 That was a big deal.
02:09 Actually, confrontation with that play as well.
02:13 Going into the -- so, the play was called,
02:16 but it was a design quarterback run.
02:18 But I was like, "Dom, we got two yards of light.
02:20 I need you to go get it right here."
02:21 So, it ended up -- I gave it to him.
02:23 It ended up hitting the whole O-line.
02:25 Did a great job up front, handling movement
02:26 and creating a line for him to run through.
02:28 And he made the most of it.
02:30 I mean, I was extremely proud.
02:32 I mean, the whole team was, I feel like,
02:34 just the adversity that he's faced with his injury
02:40 and just him just continuing to battle and keep fighting.
02:43 You know, it was just a great, surreal moment for him as well.
02:45 And the whole team was extremely proud of him as well.
02:48 Yeah, no, I mean, I was really happy for him.
02:51 I've seen him do it plenty of times in fall camp
02:53 and in practice.
02:54 I know that ACL is something that, I mean,
02:56 it's a mental game for, I mean, a year or two,
03:00 however long it bothers you.
03:01 So, I mean, I feel like that's definitely something
03:03 that probably let him jump over that mental hump with ACL.
03:07 And, I mean, I was happy for him.
03:10 Tommy, you opened up a couple of touchdowns
03:11 in the first quarter.
03:13 Just what were they doing to do that?
03:14 I mean, how did y'all flip the switch?
03:15 Only one touchdown the rest of the game.
03:16 Yeah, I mean, they came out,
03:18 and they did a little bit of different stuff.
03:20 They put a whole --
03:21 we weren't really expecting, I'd say, this game.
03:23 They didn't put a whole lot of it on film.
03:25 But, I mean, we made adjustments.
03:28 I mean, did really well.
03:30 After those adjustments were made,
03:32 we just got to, I mean, execute on those plays.
03:35 Hey, Dillon, what did you think of Isaiah Agustav's
03:38 performance tonight?
03:39 Oh, it was great to see him get out there
03:43 and use this game as a confidence booster.
03:45 I mean, he's been practicing really hard,
03:48 making the most of his opportunity,
03:49 his opportunity to present himself today.
03:51 And he was prepared and ready for it.
03:52 So that's what you want to see from a young guy like Isaiah.
03:56 Just wait till his turn.
03:57 And when his number's called, he took full advantage of it.
03:59 And I was extremely proud.
04:01 I was making sure he got 100 yards.
04:03 I kept telling him, "Go out there.
04:04 Keep running. Keep running."
04:05 So it was just good seeing a young guy like that come in
04:07 and just make the most of his opportunity.
04:10 And then, you know, the big play by Al in the --
04:12 you know, to get the pick six,
04:14 and then had another interception.
04:15 You know, just what a -- how big of a boost,
04:17 especially early on, was that kind of that interception
04:20 that he ran for the touchdown.
04:21 Those are game-changing plays.
04:22 Those completely --
04:24 I mean, switched the momentum of the game.
04:27 I mean, he's a playmaker. He's a ball player.
04:29 I mean, you could put him --
04:31 you could put him at corners if you had to.
04:32 He'd make plays like that, too.
04:33 He's a -- I mean, just a football player.
04:35 So he has a great football IQ, and, I mean,
04:39 he's definitely got to expect to make a play like that.
04:42 Walk us through the long touchdown to Cetania.
04:45 Was that kind of the primary route on that throw
04:47 or was something that you saw on the defense?
04:49 So, actually, they were out --
04:51 I mean, the play call, when Coach Guyton called it,
04:54 he kind of knew he was going to have it.
04:56 They basically went --
04:57 they played the round for, like, three double clouds,
04:59 so it was a three-safety look.
05:01 So once I seen the middle safety just holding in the middle,
05:03 and Tesla ran across the space, he took him,
05:06 so I knew I was going to have Isaiah wide open behind him.
05:08 So I just made sure I gave him a great ball,
05:10 and it was a great protection up front by the O-line
05:12 and the running backs, as well.
05:13 So it was an all-around team effort for me
05:16 to end up throwing that touchdown to Isaiah.
05:19 KJ, Coach Pittman, a few minutes ago,
05:21 spoke pretty glowingly about Andrew.
05:24 He's kind of been your go-to target
05:26 pretty much all year, really consistent.
05:27 Just, in your opinion, how is that connection
05:30 between you two kind of evolved
05:32 and just been the consistent thing on offense?
05:35 I can always trust Andrew to make the right decision.
05:39 He always in the right spot at the right time,
05:40 and he just has a great sense of football IQ.
05:43 I mean, he knows he can change the depth of his route
05:46 depending on if we need to press down or not.
05:48 He understands football.
05:49 He's a guy that's really passionate about football
05:52 and also a great competitor.
05:53 I mean, he loves to win and wants to win every rep.
05:55 I mean, sometimes he'll probably drop one ball,
05:58 and he's mad the whole practice because he dropped that one ball.
06:01 So just having a guy like that on your team
06:03 and a guy that I can be able to throw to and count on
06:05 in clutch situations and being able to lean on him
06:08 in times when we need a big play or need a spark
06:11 to get our offense going, get the momentum on our side,
06:13 as you --
06:19 Surprise there when they went for it
06:21 in the first possession, fourth and four,
06:23 fourth and two, whatever it was.
06:26 I mean, you got to got them, but you're a little surprised there.
06:28 Yeah, no, I'm not going to lie. I was amazed.
06:30 I don't think I've ever seen that in a game before.
06:32 So I was -- I mean, I guess that's a bold move by their coach.
06:36 I feel like -- I mean, he was really in a win-win situation.
06:40 I mean, he didn't have a whole lot to lose.
06:42 You know, he's coming in here trying to make big-time plays happen,
06:47 I mean, get momentum on his team's side.
06:48 So, I mean, give him credit.
06:50 That's just something I've never seen on going out there
06:53 on the defensive side of the ball, so.
06:55 Yeah, you got a short field, and you took advantage of it.
06:57 You feel like it kind of -- I know they came back
06:59 and got 13-7 on you, but do you feel like it kind of set the tone
07:02 and put the pressure on a little bit
07:03 just to take advantage of that?
07:04 It did. I mean, Coach, they have a heart
07:06 and put a big emphasis on starting fast,
07:09 I mean, not just on the offensive side,
07:10 but as a team, so there's offense, defense,
07:13 and especially as well, so we want to start fast,
07:15 try to kill that hope early, so defense going out there,
07:17 shutting them out on the fourth down,
07:19 and we get in the short field, and we go to score.
07:21 So that was a big deal, and that was the main emphasis
07:23 of starting fast.