Zach Arnett press conference - Western Michigan week

On Monday afternoon Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett held his weekly press conference at Davis Wade Stadium. Arnett recapped the Alabama loss and also looked ahead to Saturday’s home matchup with Western Michigan among other topics:

Opening statement
Arnett: I have to thank our fan base. They brought great energy and electricity to the environment Saturday night. I cannot thank them enough for their passion and support. We have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of college athletics. We had a tremendous environment Saturday night. Our players fed off it, and I ask that the fan base continue to show up with that level of support.

Touching on the game itself, not the result we wanted. Our guys competed tremendously hard and with great effort for 60 minutes. We had some significant contributors who were unavailable. That forced us to be creative in the game planning. Hopefully we can get a couple of those guys back this week. We need to get freshened up as a roster. We’re facing a good opponent.

Coach Taylor, in his first season at Western Michigan, you can see every week their progress and development. Very explosive on offense last week in particular. They’ve had to face the defense one time already, playing Syracuse. We’ll have quite the challenge. Coming off September, we know where we’re at and we know where we want to be. The month of October is an incredibly important month for us. It starts by going 1-0 this week. We need to go to work, respond properly, go 1-0, and take advantage of the bye week, before the second half of the season.

Q: Do you feel like you’ve been able to put the best 11 players on the field consistently with all of the injuries?
Arnett: Right now, we’re a little more banged up defensively. Unfortunately, Trevion Williams is done for the season. He will have season-ending surgery. A lot of times, from a defensive perspective, the best 11 is relevant to the 11 the offense have on the field. We don’t use excuses for injuries around here, it’s next man up and you have to find a way. It was better to play linebackers at the line of scrimmage than put a true freshman D line out there.

Q: Your thoughts on freshman linebacker Donterry Russell and his showing against Alabama?
Arnett: Donterry did particularly well. He will see increased game reps from here on out, assuming he continues to perform like that, be reliable and do his job. Ty also did a good job. He played some snaps down there as an interior defensive lineman. His body weight, you would say he shouldn’t be down in there. I guess that’s what makes Louisville football so tough. He’ll see increased reps as well.

Q: With guys out against Alabama, how do you feel like y’all handled that on defense and moving guys around in different alignments?
Arnett: On every play there was at least two defensive linemen in there. Sometimes Crumedy didn’t have his hand in the ground. Did we get the results exactly that we wanted? No, not exactly. Do I think they did the very best they could executing the plan with new assignments and alignments? Yeah, they did a nice job buying into it. If you are undersized, I do not think it’s in your best interest to play static. You want to move and stunt and do some things to get on edges, and slow down the opponent. We didn’t stop the run as good as we hoped, but I don’t think it was a horrible effort either.

Q: Any udate on defensive linemen De’Monte Russell and Kalvin Dinkins?
Arnett: De’Monte is progressing as we hoped and is probable this week. We’ll continue on-field evaluations, but he will practice. Dink is a little bit longer. He won’t play this week.

Q: Will Rogers has sandwiched his one of his best games in between two of his worst games. What can he do or the staff do to help him be more consistent?
Arnett: He had a lot of big plays at South Carolina. The coverage is not exactly the same. To expect the same routes to hit the same would be unfair. You’re facing different coverage and those routes aren’t available when you have a post player in the middle of the field.

We have to get the ball to our most explosive players. When we’re running effectively, it sets up some play action. And you have to take care of the football. We had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, the other in end-of-half scenario, where we had been pretty good. I thought we could operate the two-minute drill and get some points right before the half. Down 14, if we go down and kick a field goal and get the ball right back after half, and we did end up scoring, all of a sudden it’s potentially a four-point game.

One thing you can’t do is turn the ball over and we did just that. I’m mad at myself, because we could have taken that to halftime. I was the one who said we’ve been good in this situation before. That’s my responsibility as a head coach. Will will continue to show up and work with the same mindset as before. That’s the only way you get the results you want. Hopefully, he has a good game this week.

Q: Any update on receiver Justin Robinson?
Arnett: Similar to De’Monte. It just matters how he looks through the week. It is not a long-term thing.

Q: You feel like the offense is better off when you can get Jo’quavious Marks and Jeffery Pittman going in the run game?
Arnett: It was more the situation of the game that dictated we throw a little more. When you can run it effectively, it opens things in the pass game, keeps you on schedule, and protects against negative plays. We did some good things with outside zone plays on third down that split them for 10 or more yards, got the first down and kept the drive going. Will had a quarterback draw on third down, which is a good way to attack some of those coverages that you face in those situations.

Q: Any thoughts on given Mike Wright more involved or a series or two at quarterback?
Arnett: I would challenge just calling it “gadget” plays. Those RPOs are not really gadgets. Mike has done a very good job in situational football of executing the call, sometimes he keeps it, sometimes he dumps it off on the RPO. He’s done a very good job with his opportunities and we will get him additional opportunities.

Q: Have any guys on the offensive line stood out to you this year?
Arnett: From a consistency standpoint, Cole Smith has been most consistent performer. He has done a really good job. We’re excited about Percy and what he has shown. You can see the kind of player he will become. He’ll get some additional opportunities and reps. The offensive line has done a good job of embracing the variety of schemes, the looks you have to get into based on the defense. When we stay out of third and real long, it keeps the defense from getting into some of their exotic looks. We’re not built to drop back and throw the ball a whole bunch. No offense really is.

Q: I noticed that a couple of true freshmen defensive linemen – Gabe Moore and Caleb Bryant – dressed out against Alabama. With the injuries, how tough is it to make that decision to redshirt them or not now that it is the midway point of the season?
Arnett: It’s good what the NCAA did allowing four games of participation and retain your redshirt. Every team is going to need to steal some snaps during a season with guys before you ideally hope you had to play them. For some true freshmen defensive linemen to get their first game action in SEC West play, I don’t know if that’s a fair expectation. That’s part of the game plan process every single week. Your opponent, their personnel, their schemes. It is the best thing for your development is to play. That’s college football.

Q: What do you need to see this week to feel more conident going into the second half of the season?
Arnett: We need to show up with the right mentality. Show up excited to work and prepare. That is what you control. I hope we show up an angry football team. I hope we have a lot of angry football players, a lot of angry coaches. I hope we play like an angry football team. I think that leads to improved play on the field. I hope we play with that edge.

Q: Thoughts on Jeffery Pittman and his play of late?
Arnett: Yes I am. Pitt’s a junior college transfer. He’s a couple of years older, he’s physically stronger, more developed. The jump for him to JC to SEC, is not the same in size, speed and physicality as a high school player. He’s not overwhelmed. He breaks tackles, he picks up blitzes off the edge and hold up against the rush. Getting more reps, it becomes more natural. Then you start to flourish. He’s done a good job and we need him to continue to be that guy. You need a stable of running backs.

Q: How is the transition from being a coordinator to a head coach when it comes to showing your expressions on the sidelines?
Arnett: I think angry is the correct word. We’re all competitors. No one is more frustrated or critical of ourselves than players and coaches. They put in the most time, effort and work, and investment in the program. I appreciate the passion of our fan base. No one is more frustrated than us. How you respond to that is what you control. We have to have a critical eye on ourselves.

The only way to improve is get back on the practice field, get in the film room, get in the meeting room. The effort and intensity with which we go about our work. Maximum effort, you’re going to improve. Typically, you see results on Saturday. Do I think angry football teams play the game better, I do. I want an angry football team no matter the record.

Q: Your thoughts on Western Michigan and their identity?
Arnett: Defensively, they look similar to us. Different looks and multiple pressures. Offensively, 11 and 12 personnel, spread, do a good job stretching you sideline to sideline. Their offensive staff understands how defenses are coached. They find ways of using angles to diffuse the defense. They understand defensive schemes. Very good coaching staff…very good players.

Q: With Saturday being the last home game until November, how important is it to get that momentum going soon?
Arnett: This game is important because it’s the one we get to play. We can look into the future too much. It becomes a distraction. The only thing that matters is how we show up today, tomorrow, and focus on this week and this week alone. Bye week gives us a chance to freshen guys up a little bit. Get stronger going into the second half of the season. Coaches out recruiting. And then game plan preparation for Arkansas. But all that is in the future. The goal is to go 1-0 this week.