WATCH: Everything Mike Leach Said In His Week 1 Press Conference
September 21, 2020 | Football
STARKVILLE - The 2020 season is officially here. Week 1 of Mississippi State's football season began with head coach Mike Leach's weekly press conference on Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs will kick off at No. 6/5 LSU at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday with the game airing on CBS.
Below are the quotes from Leach's press conference.
Q: 'Satisfied' is not a word you use around this time, but how would you describe this team's preparedness for opening the season?
ML: "I would say we are a work in progress. I think that we're a work in progress. I think we are getting better. I mean most of what we see is encouraging and everybody wants everything perfect all the time. We are seeing great energy, and we want to get closer to perfect and do it even faster, you know. I mean that's what you're always working on. No matter what happens, you're working on that, but you know the biggest thing is that we got some explosiveness but we want to have some consistency. We want to stay explosive, but we want to have a higher on-base percentage. How about that? How's that?"
Q: What was the deciding factor in giving Tyrell Shavers the nod over Osirus Mitchell?
ML: "I don't know if they really edged out, you know, per se. I do think Shavers has been more consistent lately. But, you know, we are going to play with eight receivers and roll them in. Osirus is right in the thick of it. I mean, really it could say 'or' you know. I do think Shavers has practiced more consistently lately, and I do expect Malik [Heath] to play quite a lot. I think they both will, and in the end it wouldn't surprise me if it came out even."
Q: Are you guys having any absences or anything like that this week or you guys pretty much good to go?
ML: "We're good to go. Yeah, 100 percent healthy. Just another consecutive, uh, working on another decade of perfect news with regards to health and participation."
Q: Has the starting quarterback been determined officially?
ML: " I expect K.J. [Costello] to start, but Will [Rogers] is doing a great job. I expect K.J. to start."
Q: How is everything going for you as a head coach and how are you going to get out there and coach a football game with your team?
ML: "Well we're all excited about that. I think its gone for me like it has kind of for everybody in the SEC. Well, what would it be? The SEC, the ACC and the Big 12, I mean it's gone the same for me, as those guys, I mean we're very very excited we get to play, we're thrilled that we get to be with our guys and go out there and practice, and then we're really excited about the game coming up. We're even more excited because you know, we started two weeks later but I think that, you know, there's just been ups and downs and the distractions and so working through that. And so, I guess in our case, we work through the distractions, wait them out really, and then when we hit the field, just try to embrace all that and I do think there's been a lot of enthusiasm because I think that on our teams part there's a certain amount of relief when they get out there and they get to play because it feels normal, it feels structured and it's a period of time where it's not distracted, and then it's a breather from, you know, just some of the joyless atmosphere that's been going on."
Q: What was battle for place kicker like between Brandon Ruiz and Jace Christmann?
ML: "Well, I think they're both really good and we team both up all the time, but Ruiz has done some good things. He's really explosive, the ball explodes off his foot and I think that, you know, we've been pleased with the fact that we have two guys that we think are pretty good."
Q: Are you finding a way to simulate 25 percent of capacity crowd noise in practice and how is that different from a normal preparation week?
ML: "Yeah, we kind of treat it like we do practice. The noise in our last stadium deal, and we're going to work on the loudspeakers, with the noise last Thursday, it was loudish. We want it louder, and louder maybe than some of the stadiums will be in. The biggest reason is, first of all, it's my hope that these stadiums aren't empty all year long, and that may be wishful thinking. The other thing that I like about the noise, even if the stadium is relatively quiet, is you have to be alert on your communication and communicate non-verbally. This week when we go out there on Thursday, we're going to get this thing cranking, probably illegally loud based on game experience. Nobody follows it, but everybody's loudspeakers are supposed to be a certain, only so loud. At least the Pac-12 had a rule like that. Maybe they don't here. You were only supposed to go so loud, and then of course, when you needed a third down, that thing would get louder than hell. But no, we are going to get that thing cranked up, try not to hurt our ears too much, try to get some annoying sounds that are annoying and distracting and then communicate non-verbally. If you can do it that way, it's all the tighter if you have the ability to talk. If you get it really loud and we do a good job, heck we may be able to win a charades championship if we go against somebody in some category like that with how we signal."
Q: We're used to the play being dictated by the look of the defense, what's your philosophy on that? Do you run your call, and even if they give you a run look, you stick with what you're running?
ML: "A little of both I would say. The defense is going to decide where the space is. On offense, you're tying to create space. On defense, you're trying to restrict space. I really think that's the simplest way to describe offense and defense. People give clinics that can go on hours or even days on what offense is or what defense is. In the simplest terms, I've always said defense is trying to restrict space. Offense is trying to create space. You know the defense is going to dictate what they run. The other thing about defense is there's a point to where you can't block everybody so you better have a plan. Because somebody's got to hold the ball on offense, the defense can always bring more than you can block. So within that we refer to it as leverage, leverage and numbers. How many do we have? How many do they have? Are they off? Are they on? Of course, they're going to try to disguise it and cover it up. We try to sort that, but then the other thing is, you know, I try to have a number of plays that have a lot of options. For example, in this defense, this guy will probably be open, but in that defense, the other guy will probably be open. I'm okay with that, and then we just have to get our eyes in the right place and execute. The defensive guy is going to say, 'Well, we're going to transition faster than you can execute.' If that's true, then we're in for a long day. I think that I try to have multiple options and then get a bead on what they're doing and react to that and tailor the calls around it. Do we have a list? Everybody's got to have a list. If we go down the list and the play has enough dimension to it, we might call it anyway. Within that you have to have the ability to check and react at the line of scrimmage. I think that's important, and I think that has to develop as a strength. Just like a defense can always bring more than you can block, the offense always gets the last say in what you run. If you make good choices and judgments on that, then your odds are better. It's a little bit like betting horses. You want to get good value on the horse."
Q: How much has this new schedule with SEC only changed your approach to installing your offense compared to starting off with a non-conference opponent?
ML: "I think there's been less trial and error. We've really got to hone it down and try to feature what we're best at to put personnel in the best position we can. I was inclined that way anyway, but there's less margin of error on it. The people that sort the schedules, I don't know who has the toughest schedule, but the toughest schedule that's ever been played in the history of college football will be one of the teams in the SEC this year. For 10 straight SEC teams with no non-conference, that's going to be the toughest schedule that's ever been played in college football."
Q: What are your thoughts on what you've seen from the defense and some of the younger guys that will be pressed into action this season?
ML: "I think we've had great effort over there. Just like offense it's a work in progress, but they're playing hard. You have a better knowledge of the capabilities of some of the guys that played last year, okay? So I don't know how to draw comparisons with that. But I do know this, going through this every year for a long time. A lot of times somebody that somebody hasn't heard of, well you say they are hurting here or hurting there. There might be a new face, but you're not necessarily hurting. A certain amount of the time, the new guy is better than the last guy was. A lot of times if you've been at a place for a while, you're kind of excited the new guy gets in there because he's emerged and maybe even passed up the last guy. But you know the last guy. You're in a certain routine. There's a certain cohesiveness to the play, and you can't change things out without disrupting other things. I'm optimistic that some of these guys are really good, and now's their time. With that said, you put guys out there and try to put them in positions to do what they can and then elevate it from there. Every year is kind of like that. I do think we've had some good competitive practices. Different people do it differently, but we've done good on good most of the time to try to raise the level of competition. Our team has responded well. I wish I had the answer to that question. That's a question I have myself, and to a point we ask each other a lot around here."
Q: What have you seen from Londyn Craft and Esaias Furdge in the secondary and how confident are you in them?
ML: "Those two guys you mentioned, they play crazy hard. [cough] I had to get rid of a little, you can't cough in public anymore. I look at those guys, and you'll see something fly around the ball. I'm amazed at how hard they play. I've been really impressed with how hard they play. The other thing, they both have a nose for the ball. They're both always around the ball, and I have noticed that. I'm not going through their meetings, coaching them one on one. Their coaches of course do that, but out there you try to squeeze a post in or try to pull something on offense and they're very disruptive. They come with serious intention and bounce all over the field. Both of them catch well enough. We've got plenty of receivers for what we need, but those guys catch pretty good. We've got something else for them if they get tired of DB, but no, we're keeping them at DB."
Q: What does JaVonta Payton bring to this offense?
ML: "He plays crazy hard. If you have a post-practice deal and you say, 'Everybody get a rep.' We have an avoid drill, and eventually we have to kick him out of the drill because he's supposed to get one, but if he had his way, he'd get nine. In the interest of time, and all that, we have to limit him to about two and he'll sneak in for a third one, right? He plays hard, always wants the ball. I like the way he's full-throttle when he knows where to go. We have insure that we do a good job of that. He also times the ball well. It reminds me of a center fielder. The ball comes off the bat and he's standing at the spot. He already knows where the thing's going to land. Some guys don't play the ball in the air as well as he does. He already does good, and I think he's getting better at it. The other thing is because he is full-throttle and he does play hard, he's on a number of special teams too. We are going to have to sort that a little bit. He could be on all of them if we'd let him, and it'd be his idea to do that too."
Q: What are your early thoughts about LSU?
ML: "You know what's tough about them, you know because you know they got quality players and quality coaches, but what's tough about them is, you know, there is going to be some change in some of what they do scheme wise on both sides of the ball, you know, may be subtle changes but there is going to be some change and then the other thing is, just like I was asked earlier about our team, you know, they have some new faces too and I hope those new faces are worse than the guys that left, okay, but you know intellectually I know some of them will be better but it's the same thing, so as far as just saying this position, that position, the other position, that's tougher with them now than it is sometimes because they do have a number of new faces and so in the end we can only control what we can control and that's just us being the best team that we can be because you're kind of real precise evaluations on their scheme and their personnel are pretty tough this time out of the blocks. I mean if you're playing *fourth games*, it's a little more clear cut because you've got the film, but some of these guys we haven't seen them play and some of these coaches, we haven't seen what they have to offer this time around."
Q: How much can you see Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson playing at running back?
ML: "I think they are going to play a lot, and I think they are going to be good. Marks is right in the thick of it. Marks is playing really well, and I think all three will play. I think all three will play. The beginning of this year is hard to say, with all the stop and starts, where the beginning was is tough to identify. I think over a period of time since the offseason and since we started practicing, Marks has just steadily improved."
Q: What does the special teams player of the week lead to on game day and possible reps?
ML: "Well special teams, the one thing on special teams - and it's interesting because different teams have different approaches - special teams, per play, is the biggest exchange of yards that exists. It's either points or per play averages out to the biggest exchange of yards in a game. We want quality players on all of the special teams, the best that we can put out there. Some of these that have aspirations to play beyond college, it's kind of funny. They come in and occasionally they think they're too good to play special teams. Well, ask your favorite player in the NFL if he's too good to play special teams. The first questions the scouts ask, because they have a better sense of what he does offensively or defensively, they'll say, 'What does he do on special teams? What can he do on special teams?' And then often they'll ask, 'Why don't you have him on this special team?' Sometimes it's a guy that you have to be careful about overtaxing. But I think that you need guys that are good enough to play offense and defense to play special teams. The other thing is once in a while you got the unique guy, a wedge-buster kind of guy that occasionally you find a guy who's just a true special teams guy. He'll beat out some starter on offense and some starter on defense. He's just really good in that role. But typically, I think you need to put your best athletes on special teams just like you do on offense and defense."
Q: Do you expect C.J. Morgan to be available at some point this year?
ML: "He's not available right now, but we're optimistic and going to keep our hopes up."
