Everything Jimbo Fisher said about South Carolina

Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher gave his thoughts on the South Carolina football program during his weekly press conference.

Below is a transcript of Fisher’s comments.

OPENING STATEMENT: Get back to a game week, South Carolina this week, had three really good practices last week. Got some really good fundamental work and execution stuff done. And that’s what execution is, doing ordinary things at a high level and just consistently doing them and reemphasize that. Got to work on some schemes of upcoming opponents for the rest of the five weeks, whether we had to know little things from all different guys that do different things to make sure you get them introduced. So when the game week comes, it’s a little different, so we did some of that. And you had three really good energetic, really physical practices. Guys did a good job and we look forward to that.

Get back to Monday, back to our game week, going to play South Carolina. South Carolina is a very good football team as far as athletically. They’ve stumbled here late, but they’ve lost some heartbreakers, a couple tight ones. Tight one a couple weeks ago. Quarterback’s a really good player.

Spencer’s a heck of an athlete. Can run it, can throw it, can spin it, got experience, understands how to play. Running back Mario Anderson from Newberry, the transfer, is at five yards a carry, done a really good job. The receiver, Leggette, probably a first round guy. Averaging almost 20 yards a catch, 38 catches. He’s 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4, 225, 28 pounds. I mean, can run, can play physical, can run routes.

89, Blake, can catch it really well, has been productive, Brown, 10, and the tight end, Trey Knox, has 30 catches. I remember when he was at (Arkansas) very athletic, long, can get down the field. Their punter is excellent. I mean, he was a big factor in the game over there last year. We had him pin back two or three drives, and he flipped the field, hit like 65, 70-yard punts. That flipped the field and gave him out there that, I mean, really big punts coming out of the end zone. There was two of them, I remember, one specifically, that really changed it around the return game. Leggette’s a return guy. He broke the return on us last year, broke three, we had him at the 10-yard line. He broke three or four tackles on the sideline and got through, had a big kickoff return to set that thing up.

And then defensively, athletic, long in the secondary, corners (are) six-foot, 6’1″. 3 and 6 can really run. 21, the safety is a 220-pound guy that can really, really run, play nickel, play high-safety. Backers, Stone Blanton and Williams, both a lot of tackles, a lot of plays. Up front, 90, TJ Sanders is very physical. 95 plays with great consistency, Seven can pass rush, has great burst, 10, in what they do. So, a really good football team. I know the record hadn’t shown as much, but they’ve had some tight games, some tough games, had to play Georgia, beating Georgia 14-3 at the half. So they’re going to come in there very hungry. We need to play well, get back out of the blocks and play a SEC game and get back and finish these last five games.

We’ll need to play well, get better, hopefully fundamentally, and be able to play all three, all five games of these next ones. But the big thing we’ve got to focus on is today and going into South Carolina and having a really good day. Question?

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Q: Jimbo, have you been able to assess what the biggest issues with protection has been this year

FISHER: Protection, if you look at it, it came late in that game. There was four balls that he had a contested pocket until the last drive. And getting the ball, there’s two things. There’s three parts of protection. You’ve got to protect the passer. You’ve got to read it and get it out. And you’ve got to run the route and be at the right place. So, I mean, at different times are different things. I mean, sometimes some guys get beaten. In the last two weeks we’ve faced some really good pass rushers. I mean, the last two weeks there’s four ends, three or four ends that are going to make a lot of money. And interior guys that can really rush and do a good job. You’re playing good people. You know, stay ahead of the down and distance, too. When we’re doing that, we’re doing a really good job in what we’re doing. So we just – it’s been varying things at times.

But it’s – you know, sometimes you’ve got to get the ball out. Sometimes you’ve got to get open a hair quicker. And sometimes you’ve got to protect longer. So it’s been all three at different – and it’s been really good at times. I mean, up and down the field.

Q: In the middle of a storm, and I mean that by just the last two weeks of losing, can you tell a difference with the morale of the team as opposed to maybe years past when things have gone south?

FISHER: You know, like I said last year, I never thought we lost it. This year, these guys have been wonderful. The practices, the energy, the responses back, leadership counts. I mean, those guys take an active roles in things. I would say, yes, probably even a greater leadership group here, stronger. Still have great vision for what the season can be. We’ve got to play five games coming down.

But we’ve got to do them one at a time. And you can still have a great year.

Q: I don’t expect you to tell me the – exactly. Did you all look at any of the – or make any – consider any changes in the starting lineup over the last couple of weeks? And that includes punter.

FISHER: Yeah, we look at everybody each and every day and the evaluations of it and why it’s going wrong. Each position, offense, defense, special teams, we do every week.

Q: And from the injury standpoint, you know there were some guys after the Tennessee game we worried about. Is everybody back and ready to go?

FISHER: Most everybody is. We’ll find out when we get out there because guys are getting treatments during the day and where we go. Most guys healed up. The week was really good for us.

Probably after seven weeks you start to get them. And guys needed a couple days off here and there. So I think for the most part we should be really healthy. I ain’t going to say everybody because I don’t know that for a fact 100%. But I’m going to say large, large, large, large, large portion of them will be.

Q: Coach, I know it’s – you know, right now in the season it’s every game at a time. But during the bye week, do you guys talk at all about, you know, yeah we’ve lost two in a row, but you know, we can run the table, finish nine and three.

FISHER: No, you’re always out to – you have to reset – you’re always resetting your goals and what your goals are. You know, you break the season down, four game increments. You know what I mean? You have three, four game increments and how you go. Then you have your breaks and you’ve got the last five and what’s important to where you’re at. And what your big – like I say, your big focus goal is, which is what you want to do. You want to run those, but how to do it one at a time.

But yes, I mean like I say, we’re still very encouraged. Going to have a very successful season. Not exactly what we wanted, but at the same time we want to have a heck of a year and build on it and get back. And that’s – show our character and what we can do.

Q: And then how dangerous can a game like this be when you have a South Carolina team that’s obviously hungry for a win?

FISHER: They’re hungry and talented. I mean, they’re hungry and talented and hopefully we’re hungry and talented. Hopefully we’re hungrier than what we are. We’re both very – I think we’re talented and I think they’re talented.

So that’s why we need to play well. And like I say, it’s back to getting over the ordinary things. And that’s, you know, that’s the thing that jumped at me this weekend when you did get to watch football. I mean, it’s amazing how games would turn on an ordinary play. And how momentum of games played. And how – I mean, it gets back to being disciplined at the right time. Guys making – being overzealous and giving up a penalty here and there. As you sit back and watch games and how they were won and how they were lost.

It’s amazing how simple, you know, you think things are. But when you’re in it, you know it’s not as simple as it seems to be sometimes. But, like I say, it’s – we’ve got five games left, we’re halfway through.

Q: Watching South Carolina, Leggette, you’ve already mentioned him, absolute freak of nature. Did you change your coverage scheme any to deal with him?

FISHER: Well, you got to know where he’s at. You can’t just say, hey, you got him. You know what I mean? You’re going to have to get help under him.

You’re going to have to get help over him at times. I think you got to mix the looks up. You’ve got to affect the quarterback somehow. You know, hopefully the ball doesn’t get to be held a long time. You know, there’s different things to do. But you got to know where he’s at and make sure he’s not in a one-on-one situation. Yes sir, to answer your question. You’re doubling over the top or sometimes people say when a guy plays soft, you can double underneath. I mean, you having guys run underneath coverage and keeping guys on top for things too. So you got to keep a good mix and a good loo n what you’re trying to do. Cloud coverages, different things.

Q: Jimbo, have you been able to assess the top one or two issues in the second half? Why you’ve had so much trouble the last couple of games scoring?

FISHER: It’s amazing because we’ve had things there just a matter of executing plays and having the poise and presence to do it. And we’ve changed in practice, trying to put an emphasis after the break, starting right off, making sure we have a scripted set coming in, just like we do at second half. I mean, say you have scripted plays coming out, but we talk at halftime. All right, guys, this is how we’re coming out. These are the things we’re going to do. And we do a great job of them in. And like I said, before this, it was really good. It’s kind of been shocking that we haven’t been able to go out and execute like that. So we’ve made them aware of it, but sometimes when you make somebody aware of things, you don’t want it to be, you don’t want to create a bigger problem than it is. Now it’s a problem, I don’t mean that, but this is what we think we need to do and how we need to fix it and talk to the players. You know what I mean? Things that just focus and concentration issues and be able to relax and go play the game. So, you know, we’ve, at different times in careers, this is, different things have happened. We’re trying to identify.

Q: How much from what you’ve seen, how often is it guys just maybe knowing what they’re doing, but they’re just getting beaten? Guy cleaning up the technique, compared to guys needing to, I guess, know their assignment on the play.

FISHER: That’s probably 99% of just technique. And you play good players. You know, you say all the time, if you do everything right, well, sometimes they’re on scholarship too. And I mean, and you play good people. Occasionally you get beat or you get covered or you, you know, whatever it may be, but it is that. And then, like I say, execution, and I keep saying this, it’s doing ordinary things at a high level consistently. And being able to do them over and over, and not think there’s more to them sometimes.

And that’s what we got to understand and do. And it’s not, we’re not blowing assignments. We’re not knowing not what to do. I mean, you know, you always say, if a quarterback throws it to the wrong place, it can be a wrong decision. But you know, there’s a multitude of things that goes into his decision-making at that position. They’re like a center two on calls and things that go on. But it’s just a matter of being able to execute, and technique-wise, and make sure the effort and the levels of things, not effort, but the amount of leverage and things you get with your blocks, your routes, your coverages, your throws, that you’re creating it the right way. And it is just fundamental stuff. I know that sounds, it’s not the answer everybody wants, there’s some magical form, but it is. It’s just getting better at those things. Left side. Being consistent with them.

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