Mike Leach Previews Matchup With Texas A&M

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Mike Leach held his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon to preview the Bulldogs' matchup with No. 11/11 Texas A&M on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network.

Below are the quotes from Leach's press conference.  

Head Coach Mike Leach - Oct. 12, 2020

Q: After looking at the film what did you see from K.J. Costello that he needs to improve on?
ML: "We'll see. We're going to have competition at nearly every position out there because we need to get the most cohesive group. I think as far as being purely competitive out there at every position, I think that's what we need to do. I think we need to take care of the football better for sure. As I said in the last press conference, I don't think we're protecting well. I don't think we're seeing the field very well. And I don't think we're catching very well or running routes very well. We have the ability to do it because we've seen them do it. In some cases, maybe some of the young guys have stage fright. Some cases we just need to work harder and develop some of the experience that allows us to do that."

Q: What are you looking to see differently from the offensive staff?
ML: "The biggest thing we've got to do as coaches is just coach detail as hard as we can. Coach detail, reinforce detail, insist on detail. Any time you start out early on there's going to be some hiccups and bumps in the road. There's going to be stuff that you need to address as urgently as possible and as consistently as possible. It's just part of the whole process, especially if you're putting in something new, and you don't have much too much time to do it. I think some of this is going to continue too as we try to hone our skills and find out who the key guys are."

Q: How is Lideatrick Griffin's development coming along so far?
ML: "I think he's explosive. If he knows exactly what to do, he does some good things. As he's searching for, you know, if he's not sure, then he's hesitant. I think that we just need to take more time."

Q: What's the message or the game plan to the offensive line this week?
ML: "We're going to be competitive in every position. There may be some lineup changes. We'll see. We also may play more guys. If they bring three, we've got to consistently win those battles. I don't think we have been consistent at it."

Q: What do you want to see K.J. fix going into the Texas A&M matchup?
ML: "I want him to see the field better and take care of the football. See the field better, quicker, and efficiently. Take care of the football, I think, is key."

Q: You've said that you don't think Costello's eyes are in the right spot, is that something you can teach or coach or does it have to come naturally?
ML: "I think it's both. I think it's something you teach, and I've got to do a better job of that. And then, I think he has to get them there. He has to develop and force the habit of putting them there. We need to keep reinforcing and coaching it."

Q: You mentioned possibly culling players, how does that process go about and where are you in that process?
ML: "I think this happens every time you take over a new program. We do have a few fence-riders that are trying to decide if they're going to commit or not going to commit to what everybody's doing here. Any time there is a transition, there's a number of guys - and I've been through a number of these transitions - who are going to do the wait and see thing. Well, I'll see if I like what I see. Well that's too bad. The train rolls on. They need to jump on board pretty quickly or the train's going to roll on without them."

Q: With what the defense is giving you, five-yard dumps off, how much of K.J. Costello's issues are just a matter of taking what's in front of him rather than forcing downfield?
ML: "I think it's a huge part. I also think being quicker to decide where things go. It's not just K.J. [Costello], everybody's efforts feed off on the other. If we protect him better, that's easier for him to do. If we're running routes extremely quickly, affecting the coverage, that makes things easier to do. We have to be faster at finishing routes, more determined to finish routes and do them with precision. In a typical play, we'll go out there three guys will do it, and two won't. Well if those two don't affect the coverage in the fashion that it needs to be affected, then there's problems for the other three."

Q: Where is the offense as far as frustration level right now? What's the mood of your room right now, with the coaching staff as well?
ML: "Everybody wants things as fast as they could possibly happen. I think that it gets revealed what you need to work on, and then you focus on that. I don't see a huge sense of frustration as much as just kind of a diligent determination to work hard and work smart."

Q: Is the door totally closed on a Garrett Shrader return to quarterback?
ML: "Well if you keep shuffling the deck, you're not really going to get anywhere. We'll see what unfolds. K.J. and Will [Rogers] will battle it out this week, and we'll see."

Q: What do you remember about the rivalry between Texas A&M and Texas Tech when you were coaching at Texas Tech?
ML: "Great, exciting matchups. Our stadium, of course, was loaded and fired up. Our stadium developed a tradition where the students would camp out. First they'd camp out for a night or two before the A&M game. Then it got to where they'd camp out for a whole week. It's not just because they were that loyal of fans. They certainly were loyal fans, but let's be honest. If you're in college, it's fun to camp out, build fires, and eat stuff with your friends. Some of these tents had everything from water beds, to pool tables, to televisions that I've never had the pleasure of owning. There'd be speakers, there'd be music, so it was a heck of a deal. Somebody would guard the camp during the day while that tent went to class. It was a heck of an event. When A&M would get there, I mean there were like 3,000 people camping in that lot. They'd elect a mayor too. Sometimes there were two mayors that got confused who was actually the first mayor. But playing at A&M is outstanding because there's an incredible number of people. It's one of the louder stadiums. It's got kind of a unique quality to it. It's just big, bold, stark and loud. It really is an environment to play. One time I referred to it as the Carnegie Hall of stadiums, and it kind of is in a lot of ways. Great games, it's always exciting to play A&M."

Q: What did you think of how Will Rogers handled his first game situation?
ML: "Pretty good. It was a brutally tough situation. You're talking about the first college passes he's thrown. Under the circumstances, I thought it was a start."

Q: What about the Texas A&M defense sticks out to you on tape?
ML: "They are real physical up front on their defensive line. They run to the ball well. Not really just intimidating, but just so solid. I don't see any holes, which is about the biggest compliment I can give a unit. I don't see any specific weaknesses where they're really working around something."

Q: How does Jalen Mayden fit into this program and how does he look in practice?
ML: "He does some good things, working on consistency. He's getting better as we speak. I do have him behind K.J. [Costello] and Will [Rogers] though."

Q: How do you see Kylin Hill's role evolving and how has he embraced that?
ML: "We'll just have to see. We have a lot of quality backs. I think that he played about like everybody else did out there Saturday."

Q: With the running game and seeing drop-eight coverage, what goes into that and how much falls on the running backs or offensive line?
ML: "First of all, we have to get off the ball. We have to get off the ball with lower pads, and we've got to move the three. And we've got to do it quickly. The drop eight is just how it starts. Those guys are storming forward the second the ball is snapped. The other thing is we've got to see the hole better and hit the hole harder. We've got to hit the hole better. I thought we made a lot of bad cuts last week. We've got to be sharper at that as well. We definitely could have gotten off the ball better."

Q: What was it about what Kylin Hill was doing that wasn't letting him make the most of his 22 touches?
ML: "Well, any ball carrier I think, one, needs to go straight up field after they catch the ball. The other thing is to see the hole where it's blocked and designed. He wasn't alone in that. All our ball carriers need to work that direction."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Mike Leach Previews Matchup With Texas A&M

Players Mentioned

K.J. Costello

Lideatrick Griffin

Kylin Hill

Jalen Mayden

Will Rogers

Garrett Shrader

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