First off, Alex Schiffer spoke to Keytaon Thompson, who is a Mississippi State QB commit. Thompson has said in the past he is planning to take an official visit to Missouri. We can say with confidence he is at the top of Missouri's board as far as QB targets go. One to watch over the next few weeks.
We'll get to the matchups in a minute. First off, though, I spoke with the Tiger coordinators last night after practice. ICYMI, you can watch the video here. Some have had problems with that video. Josh Heupel didn't have any big revelations, but I wanted to go ahead and transcribe DeMontie Cross' interview for you (FWIW, I've probably found Cross to be the most engaging and truthful guy on this staff...I always walk away from interviews with him liking him and also feeling like he's actually put some thought into answering the questions he was asked, which is not always the case with coaches).
Q: How much have you guys worked on getting off blocks since the LSU game?
DC: "Well we didn't struggle with blocks, we struggled with tackling. We struggled with, we had guys in the hole, we had one on one where guys didn't make the play. We realize we've got to get more guys to the ball and when you play great teams they can block you up. We had guys in position to make plays, we just didn't make as many. They made more than we did that day."
Q: Some of the guys told us about the meeting you had last week. What was your view of that meeting and how it came about?
DC: "The biggest thing is you've got to be willing to listen. I went in there with an open mind willing to listen versus trying to respond to what they had to say, but listening so I could take it in and see what I could learn from them. I think we've adjusted some things to help them and help me. For the most part, we've got to put it to use now. You can meet all you want. If you don't put it into action, it don't mean nothing. That's the one thing that they said and I echo the same sentiment. Now that we talked, now that we had a meeting, what are we going to do about it?"
Q: Rickey Hatley said he feels like it's been simplified every week and at some point it comes down to guys going out and making plays. Are you at that point?
DC: "I've always been at that point. Really like I said, our Achilles heel has been when we haven't tackled well, we've played poor. We had 20 some tackles in the Eastern Michigan game that allotted for about 140 yards. We had 22 missed tackles in the LSU game that was about 160 yards. Missed tackles is a problem. We put an emphasis on tackling. We tackle at the beginning of practice, we tackle at the end of practice. We didn't do it today, but we did it last week and we did it before the LSU game. You have to have the confidence to make the plays and when guys were in position, the plays weren't being made. The tape will tell you that. You go look at it and the tape doesn't lie."
Q: A lot of guys said yesterday they get out there and think, I've got to make up for this guy not doing his job. Basically they're trying to do too much. How much of that do you see?
DC: "Pressing. Pressing. Pressing. I do. I think we had certain guys doing that early in the season, pressing, trying to do more than their job. We talk about being a 1/11th, DYJ, which is do your job. If you believe in your teammate, they were an attack style defense this year, we've been a little bit more of a read up front. Linebackers were able to flow and make plays. Well, we don't have Kentrell Brothers anymore. That was 150, 180 tackles that's gone. We lost our other defensive end that was an all-American, Walt Brady. You go on and on. So with that production lost, other guys have needed to step up and we haven't had guys step up in that position. Joey has been solid, but he's not Kentrell. We know that. So everybody around him has to make up for that. We just haven't done it consistently enough. We've shown flashes, but it's not to the degree that any of us expected or wanted. None of us."
Q: Do you sense any pushback from guys that wish they could still play like they did last year?
DC: "You know, I don't as much as I did before, I'll be honest with you. Guys, they've been used to something for three or four years some of our older guys and, of course, that's their comfort level. That's their comfort level. We did that more the first game than we have each game, but consistently we just haven't done it consistent enough on the same page and I think that's what's kind of showed up for us, especially in the last game. There's just way too many yards total and way too many yards rushing. There's just no way we should be in that position, but the missed tackles and a couple missed assignments, that will happen to you in a heartbeat against a good football team."
Q: How much of it is guys trying to pick up the scheme and how much is guys missing tackles and just failing to execute?
DC: "Well, LSU wasn't scheme, it was tackles. Without a doubt. Like I said, if you go back and watch you'll see guys one on one that flat out missed a guy in the hole. We watched it as a defensive unit. We were able to see what was happening. I wanted the players to see what was happening too because when that's happening to you, you turn around and automatically think 'what happened?' A lot of times guys don't realize there was a missed tackle in the hole, a guy slanted the wrong way, so there was an accumulation of things that happened over the course of that game. Structurally, I wish I had a couple calls back, but it happens in a game. I always tell the guys, they've got to make us right. No matter what the call is, make us right. But I know for me structurally I wish there was two or three calls I had back. Overall, we've just got to make the plays we're supposed to make and I think they still rush for good yards because they were a good team, but we've got to get more than one guy in a position to make a play and that comes from guys getting off blocks."
Q: Are those outside linebackers, all four of them (Burkett, Newsom, Hall, Lee), closer to where you want them now than they were a month ago?
DC: "You know, we're doing some things different, I'll say that, this week. We're hoping the changes will give us a spark. We needed a spark. The tweaks and changes we've got, but still it comes down to execution. We've got to get guys in position to execute and if they get out there and they make those tackles and make those plays, then the confidence goes through the roof. We just haven't made the plays. We're playing an excessive amount of plays right now and we've got to be able to get off the field on third down."
Q: Any chance you're going to detail any of those changes for us?
DC: "No. Absolutely not. But you'll know right away what's happening. Again, I'm looking for a spark, the team's looking for a spark and I think the moves that we made are going to give us a little bit of spark. Either way, you still got to execute. We're playing a really, really good team in Florida and so we've got to bring a little bit of our own energy and juice which we lacked a little bit on the road last week. Guys better be ready to play because we're playing a very talented team. The challenge is going to be there and I expect us to be ready to play."
Q: When you created this defense, did you have a framework in mind from some of the mentors you've worked with in the past?
DC: "Oh yeah. Absolutely I did. It's a thing where personnel wise we're not quite where we want to be. I think we've got to recruit a couple guys in different positions and get us fully where we want to be to be able to execute it the way that I want to see it. But overall we kind of simplified some things to cater to what we have. I'm smart enough to realize that, but we're still down a couple guys from ankle injuries that doesn't help us at certain personnel packages that we have. But it doesn't make up for missed tackles. I'm just telling you guys, the missed tackles was the key and I'm not afraid to say that. We tried to put emphasis on it more without beating our kids up. It's wear and tear in the middle of the season, but we've got to put an emphasis on it and I think we'll see it with this week off."
Q: Is there somebody you really took this system from?
DC: "I've taken bits and pieces from people and kind of put it together for myself. I know how to fix it. The problem again is we're down a couple personnel guys. Structurally, I've simplified some things to cater to what we have and that's where we're at right now."
We'll get to the matchups in a minute. First off, though, I spoke with the Tiger coordinators last night after practice. ICYMI, you can watch the video here. Some have had problems with that video. Josh Heupel didn't have any big revelations, but I wanted to go ahead and transcribe DeMontie Cross' interview for you (FWIW, I've probably found Cross to be the most engaging and truthful guy on this staff...I always walk away from interviews with him liking him and also feeling like he's actually put some thought into answering the questions he was asked, which is not always the case with coaches).
Q: How much have you guys worked on getting off blocks since the LSU game?
DC: "Well we didn't struggle with blocks, we struggled with tackling. We struggled with, we had guys in the hole, we had one on one where guys didn't make the play. We realize we've got to get more guys to the ball and when you play great teams they can block you up. We had guys in position to make plays, we just didn't make as many. They made more than we did that day."
Q: Some of the guys told us about the meeting you had last week. What was your view of that meeting and how it came about?
DC: "The biggest thing is you've got to be willing to listen. I went in there with an open mind willing to listen versus trying to respond to what they had to say, but listening so I could take it in and see what I could learn from them. I think we've adjusted some things to help them and help me. For the most part, we've got to put it to use now. You can meet all you want. If you don't put it into action, it don't mean nothing. That's the one thing that they said and I echo the same sentiment. Now that we talked, now that we had a meeting, what are we going to do about it?"
Q: Rickey Hatley said he feels like it's been simplified every week and at some point it comes down to guys going out and making plays. Are you at that point?
DC: "I've always been at that point. Really like I said, our Achilles heel has been when we haven't tackled well, we've played poor. We had 20 some tackles in the Eastern Michigan game that allotted for about 140 yards. We had 22 missed tackles in the LSU game that was about 160 yards. Missed tackles is a problem. We put an emphasis on tackling. We tackle at the beginning of practice, we tackle at the end of practice. We didn't do it today, but we did it last week and we did it before the LSU game. You have to have the confidence to make the plays and when guys were in position, the plays weren't being made. The tape will tell you that. You go look at it and the tape doesn't lie."
Q: A lot of guys said yesterday they get out there and think, I've got to make up for this guy not doing his job. Basically they're trying to do too much. How much of that do you see?
DC: "Pressing. Pressing. Pressing. I do. I think we had certain guys doing that early in the season, pressing, trying to do more than their job. We talk about being a 1/11th, DYJ, which is do your job. If you believe in your teammate, they were an attack style defense this year, we've been a little bit more of a read up front. Linebackers were able to flow and make plays. Well, we don't have Kentrell Brothers anymore. That was 150, 180 tackles that's gone. We lost our other defensive end that was an all-American, Walt Brady. You go on and on. So with that production lost, other guys have needed to step up and we haven't had guys step up in that position. Joey has been solid, but he's not Kentrell. We know that. So everybody around him has to make up for that. We just haven't done it consistently enough. We've shown flashes, but it's not to the degree that any of us expected or wanted. None of us."
Q: Do you sense any pushback from guys that wish they could still play like they did last year?
DC: "You know, I don't as much as I did before, I'll be honest with you. Guys, they've been used to something for three or four years some of our older guys and, of course, that's their comfort level. That's their comfort level. We did that more the first game than we have each game, but consistently we just haven't done it consistent enough on the same page and I think that's what's kind of showed up for us, especially in the last game. There's just way too many yards total and way too many yards rushing. There's just no way we should be in that position, but the missed tackles and a couple missed assignments, that will happen to you in a heartbeat against a good football team."
Q: How much of it is guys trying to pick up the scheme and how much is guys missing tackles and just failing to execute?
DC: "Well, LSU wasn't scheme, it was tackles. Without a doubt. Like I said, if you go back and watch you'll see guys one on one that flat out missed a guy in the hole. We watched it as a defensive unit. We were able to see what was happening. I wanted the players to see what was happening too because when that's happening to you, you turn around and automatically think 'what happened?' A lot of times guys don't realize there was a missed tackle in the hole, a guy slanted the wrong way, so there was an accumulation of things that happened over the course of that game. Structurally, I wish I had a couple calls back, but it happens in a game. I always tell the guys, they've got to make us right. No matter what the call is, make us right. But I know for me structurally I wish there was two or three calls I had back. Overall, we've just got to make the plays we're supposed to make and I think they still rush for good yards because they were a good team, but we've got to get more than one guy in a position to make a play and that comes from guys getting off blocks."
Q: Are those outside linebackers, all four of them (Burkett, Newsom, Hall, Lee), closer to where you want them now than they were a month ago?
DC: "You know, we're doing some things different, I'll say that, this week. We're hoping the changes will give us a spark. We needed a spark. The tweaks and changes we've got, but still it comes down to execution. We've got to get guys in position to execute and if they get out there and they make those tackles and make those plays, then the confidence goes through the roof. We just haven't made the plays. We're playing an excessive amount of plays right now and we've got to be able to get off the field on third down."
Q: Any chance you're going to detail any of those changes for us?
DC: "No. Absolutely not. But you'll know right away what's happening. Again, I'm looking for a spark, the team's looking for a spark and I think the moves that we made are going to give us a little bit of spark. Either way, you still got to execute. We're playing a really, really good team in Florida and so we've got to bring a little bit of our own energy and juice which we lacked a little bit on the road last week. Guys better be ready to play because we're playing a very talented team. The challenge is going to be there and I expect us to be ready to play."
Q: When you created this defense, did you have a framework in mind from some of the mentors you've worked with in the past?
DC: "Oh yeah. Absolutely I did. It's a thing where personnel wise we're not quite where we want to be. I think we've got to recruit a couple guys in different positions and get us fully where we want to be to be able to execute it the way that I want to see it. But overall we kind of simplified some things to cater to what we have. I'm smart enough to realize that, but we're still down a couple guys from ankle injuries that doesn't help us at certain personnel packages that we have. But it doesn't make up for missed tackles. I'm just telling you guys, the missed tackles was the key and I'm not afraid to say that. We tried to put emphasis on it more without beating our kids up. It's wear and tear in the middle of the season, but we've got to put an emphasis on it and I think we'll see it with this week off."
Q: Is there somebody you really took this system from?
DC: "I've taken bits and pieces from people and kind of put it together for myself. I know how to fix it. The problem again is we're down a couple personnel guys. Structurally, I've simplified some things to cater to what we have and that's where we're at right now."
