Hello HOB. Back over at the JCFTC on a picture-perfect fall day here in Lex Vegas. Hope we can bottle some of this up for Saturday. We’ll have OC Bush Hamdan and select coaches/players from that side of the ball meeting with us today to discuss prep for Saturday’s game against Auburn. Practice is slated to wrap up at approx 5:30 ET. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes…
OC BUSH HAMDAN Q&A:
* On film review… Biggest thing is maybe in the moment you’re not as clear on what to pinpoint as you are when as it shows up on film. Third down and 6 or less and 4th downs, we were something like 2-11. We moved the ball pretty well at times, so that gets really frustrated when you can’t convert those situations.
* On sub packages and issues with WRs not being in for key situations… Not realistic for Brown and Key to play 70 plays. Maybe should have gotten them more breaks during the game to take some of that load off, so that Brown and Key can be out there in that situation. But Brown-Stephens and Gilmore had repped those plays a lot during the week.
* Asked about RB room, Wilcox and Traynum’s roles… Still in situation where you look at game plans and try to simplify as much as you can. Trying to get Jamarion to know exactly what is going to be called when he’s going to be in there. Work in progress.
* On Boley… Feel bad for him being his first experience. Want to apologize for putting him in that situation, but definitely wanted him to get his feet wet with the four games available and a bowl game. Maybe wasn’t fully warm yet. Unfortunate to have his first throw intercepted and run back for a TD. But we thought it was good to get him out there and get him some action. Great kid, though, even though that wasn’t the start anyone wanted for him.
* Auburn really talented on defense. Record is deceptive. Tricky to figure out why they’re where they’re at with their record. 133rd in turnover margin right now. No reason why they coudn’t be at the top third of this conference. They’ve got players all over the place. Big challenge for us.
* On Malachi Wood’s reps… Super-impressed. A guy they’ve wanted to see get going. Never know how a freshman will react in that environment, but graded out really well, as well as anyone. Good size presence. Huge for the future of the OL and maybe not having to lean on the portal so heavily. It’s always gonna be about HS recruiting and developing guys over time.
* How fixable are issues with 5 games remaining… Message is we gotta keep pushing and figure this thing out. All we know is to shrink the circle, if you will, and get back to work. Sometimes you feel like you have your pulse on it, and maybe you don’t. Big thing is being 1-0 this week no matter how it looks, running or throwing.
* On the running game letdowns inside the opponent’s 5… Didn’t feel great about the 3rd and 4th down sequences at Florida. In hindsight, as big as they were inside, maybe should have thrown it. We tried to go with a mentality of punching it in, but that’s two straight weeks where a game may have changed drastically if we could have got it in the end zone.
* Have to stay process-driven. I believe in that. We have to stay the course, and I think we have to keep preaching that to the players.
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OL COACH ERIC WOLFORD:
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OT MALACHI WOOD:
OC BUSH HAMDAN Q&A:
* On film review… Biggest thing is maybe in the moment you’re not as clear on what to pinpoint as you are when as it shows up on film. Third down and 6 or less and 4th downs, we were something like 2-11. We moved the ball pretty well at times, so that gets really frustrated when you can’t convert those situations.
* On sub packages and issues with WRs not being in for key situations… Not realistic for Brown and Key to play 70 plays. Maybe should have gotten them more breaks during the game to take some of that load off, so that Brown and Key can be out there in that situation. But Brown-Stephens and Gilmore had repped those plays a lot during the week.
* Asked about RB room, Wilcox and Traynum’s roles… Still in situation where you look at game plans and try to simplify as much as you can. Trying to get Jamarion to know exactly what is going to be called when he’s going to be in there. Work in progress.
* On Boley… Feel bad for him being his first experience. Want to apologize for putting him in that situation, but definitely wanted him to get his feet wet with the four games available and a bowl game. Maybe wasn’t fully warm yet. Unfortunate to have his first throw intercepted and run back for a TD. But we thought it was good to get him out there and get him some action. Great kid, though, even though that wasn’t the start anyone wanted for him.
* Auburn really talented on defense. Record is deceptive. Tricky to figure out why they’re where they’re at with their record. 133rd in turnover margin right now. No reason why they coudn’t be at the top third of this conference. They’ve got players all over the place. Big challenge for us.
* On Malachi Wood’s reps… Super-impressed. A guy they’ve wanted to see get going. Never know how a freshman will react in that environment, but graded out really well, as well as anyone. Good size presence. Huge for the future of the OL and maybe not having to lean on the portal so heavily. It’s always gonna be about HS recruiting and developing guys over time.
* How fixable are issues with 5 games remaining… Message is we gotta keep pushing and figure this thing out. All we know is to shrink the circle, if you will, and get back to work. Sometimes you feel like you have your pulse on it, and maybe you don’t. Big thing is being 1-0 this week no matter how it looks, running or throwing.
* On the running game letdowns inside the opponent’s 5… Didn’t feel great about the 3rd and 4th down sequences at Florida. In hindsight, as big as they were inside, maybe should have thrown it. We tried to go with a mentality of punching it in, but that’s two straight weeks where a game may have changed drastically if we could have got it in the end zone.
* Have to stay process-driven. I believe in that. We have to stay the course, and I think we have to keep preaching that to the players.
******
OL COACH ERIC WOLFORD:
******
OT MALACHI WOOD:
