Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Mike Leach Previews Week One Matchup
August 31, 2021 | Football
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Mike Leach held his weekly press conference on Tuesday to preview the Bulldogs' season opener against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
Below are the quotes from Leach's press conference.
Head Coach Mike Leach – Aug. 31, 2021
Q: Where do you feel like your team is right now?
ML: "We're a work in progress. I am glad that we are getting close to playing. We are getting tired of playing one another, and I think it is about time to get tested by other teams. I think we have steadily improved. We've got a lot of work to go, but we have been playing hard. We practiced hard, and we still have some guys kind of emerging out there. It is exciting, and I do think there will probably be some movements as the season goes on with the way it appears and how quickly some of the young guys are picking things up."
Q: What are your thoughts on Louisiana Tech?
ML: "They are a good team. I think they are good. I think they got some size up front, they have a lot of guys back, they are kind of an upperclassman team and we are a lowerclassman team. I think they have quite a lot of experience, good speeds on some positions, good size on others."
Q: How familiar are you with Louisiana Tech quarterback Austin Kendall and what have you seen from him?
ML: "I am not. I am not familiar with him."
Q: Who are some of the players that you see emerging for you right now?
ML: "I think Teddy Knox is. I think Rara [Thomas] is. I think "Scooby" [Christian] Ford has over there. On defense, I don't have any specifics. Zach [Arnett] can help you with that, but it does seem like there's a number of secondary guys that I see rolling through. They are getting steadily better. Last year, we were scraping for safeties. We were just lining somebody up there so we could get through drills among other things. Now, it seems like we have quality people and we can play several of them."
Q: How many receivers do you like to have in rotation that you can trust?
ML: "I would like to have eight. Ideally, I have eight - eight that you can rely on. Sometimes you might have a guy - a one-size-doesn't-fit-all kind of guy that's got a certain role - and he plays part of it and another guy plays part of it."
Q: What is kind of your approach with how you plan on dividing snaps out between wide receivers Austin Williams and Jaden Walley?
ML: "Well, I think that they are very close. If anything right now, I think Austin [Williams] is ahead, and so we will just see how they define themselves at practice."
Q: Is Will [Rogers] starting on Saturday?
ML: "Well, if we would play today he would. He would start on Tuesday. We will get to Saturday first."
Q: What have you seen from Jamire Calvin and how do you feel like he has integrated himself into the new team?
ML: "He has got real good ball skills and got good route skills. He is a good stop-and-go guy. I mean he can stop, accelerate suddenly and has a little experience which I think has helped elevate the others and bring them all along."
Q: What are you looking for this week when you decide between quarterbacks Chance [Lovertich] and Will [Rogers]?
ML: "Right now, Will is ahead. I think the biggest thing is that Will is more consistent, more familiar with the personnel and the plays. I think Chance [Lovertich] really does a good job and has had a great camp. He certainly is in a position to take it, but I do think Will's ahead right now."
Q: What do you like about Kameron Jones?
ML: "He started to emerge last year. Early last year, you couldn't even line up with him. Then, he got better and better. About mid-season, he became a starter, and he's really had a good offseason. He has some leadership qualities, which I think are pretty good. He keeps getting better. O-line is a position where if you have a really good o-line, everybody is a junior or a senior. I think he's ahead of schedule, which we desperately need, and it has elevated others around him too.
Q: How do you feel about the offensive line as a whole?
ML : "They have improved. They have a ways to go, but they have improved."
Q: How confident are you in your special teams guys going into the season?
ML: "I thought we were decent on special teams last year. I thought we also got better as it went on. I feel like we're better this year than we were last year. I do think the experience has helped. I think we have a little more depth at special teams than we did."
Q: When did punter Archer Trafford come in and what do you expect from him?
ML: "Just to get better and keep playing. There's no real formula, but I think it makes them more competitive as we sort things out and puts pressure on people, then they have to perform better."
Q: What stood out to you about Martin Emerson or Emmanuel Forbes Jr., and what could those guys be this year?
ML: "I think they're both really good. Forbes got off to a good start last year. A lot of times, freshmen will play scared or they aren't ready to play, but that wasn't the case for Forbes. He got out of the sheets really well. I thought Martin was one of the better corners in the conference before last year, then he continued to reinforce that."
Q: Is Will Rogers far enough along heading into the season as you would like him to be?
ML: "No, he never is, but I do think he's getting better. I think he's improving. I think he's got some good leadership qualities that has allowed him to put himself in the position he's in."
Q: Is there anything specific on-field that you've seen Will Rogers improve?
ML: "I think just the transition between his decisions and his reaction to the routes. I think it's quicker and crisper than it was last year. Part of it, I'd like to think, is our receivers are [improving] too."
Q: Have you seen an elevation with the team? Are they where you want them to be as far as emotion heading into the weekend?
ML: "Well, I've never had a team where I want them to be. I always think they can improve, but they're excited. Everybody's excited to play. Everybody's excited it's a game week."
Q: How has this preseason compared to last year's?
ML : "We have had better and more consistent practices compared to last year."
Q: How is Will Rogers's work ethic?
ML : "He works extremely hard. He constantly studies film. It's not like he lets the film blur along, he draws quite a bit out of it. Some guys watch film because they should, some because they want to, or some because they know [the coaches] want them to, which means they don't get much out of it. His dad is a coach, so I think that helps him know how to watch film. Will does get quite a bit out of it when he watches it."
Q: How often do you see Will Rogers and Chance Lovertich bounce ideas off of each other?
ML : "They do it all the time. They do it during team meetings, and you'll hear them. They do it walking on and off the field. Chance is a good student, and he is always watching film. They are both that way. Constantly talking about football."
Q: What do you try to accomplish each day?
ML : "We just try to have a consistent practice. The biggest thing about this process is that you should get as much out of it as you can. You have to be engaged and focused to do it. A lot of that starts with eliminating distractions. I thought we did a good job of that today."
Q: What do you feel about the long snapper battle between Colby Cox and Hayes Hammond?
ML : "They are unique and feisty guys. They snap it well. I've been impressed with how they block and that sort of thing."
Q: How eager are you to have a full crowd of cowbells this weekend?
ML : "We are all looking forward to that. Hopefully it will be a fulfilling year and not too many distractions."
Below are the quotes from Leach's press conference.
Head Coach Mike Leach – Aug. 31, 2021
Q: Where do you feel like your team is right now?
ML: "We're a work in progress. I am glad that we are getting close to playing. We are getting tired of playing one another, and I think it is about time to get tested by other teams. I think we have steadily improved. We've got a lot of work to go, but we have been playing hard. We practiced hard, and we still have some guys kind of emerging out there. It is exciting, and I do think there will probably be some movements as the season goes on with the way it appears and how quickly some of the young guys are picking things up."
Q: What are your thoughts on Louisiana Tech?
ML: "They are a good team. I think they are good. I think they got some size up front, they have a lot of guys back, they are kind of an upperclassman team and we are a lowerclassman team. I think they have quite a lot of experience, good speeds on some positions, good size on others."
Q: How familiar are you with Louisiana Tech quarterback Austin Kendall and what have you seen from him?
ML: "I am not. I am not familiar with him."
Q: Who are some of the players that you see emerging for you right now?
ML: "I think Teddy Knox is. I think Rara [Thomas] is. I think "Scooby" [Christian] Ford has over there. On defense, I don't have any specifics. Zach [Arnett] can help you with that, but it does seem like there's a number of secondary guys that I see rolling through. They are getting steadily better. Last year, we were scraping for safeties. We were just lining somebody up there so we could get through drills among other things. Now, it seems like we have quality people and we can play several of them."
Q: How many receivers do you like to have in rotation that you can trust?
ML: "I would like to have eight. Ideally, I have eight - eight that you can rely on. Sometimes you might have a guy - a one-size-doesn't-fit-all kind of guy that's got a certain role - and he plays part of it and another guy plays part of it."
Q: What is kind of your approach with how you plan on dividing snaps out between wide receivers Austin Williams and Jaden Walley?
ML: "Well, I think that they are very close. If anything right now, I think Austin [Williams] is ahead, and so we will just see how they define themselves at practice."
Q: Is Will [Rogers] starting on Saturday?
ML: "Well, if we would play today he would. He would start on Tuesday. We will get to Saturday first."
Q: What have you seen from Jamire Calvin and how do you feel like he has integrated himself into the new team?
ML: "He has got real good ball skills and got good route skills. He is a good stop-and-go guy. I mean he can stop, accelerate suddenly and has a little experience which I think has helped elevate the others and bring them all along."
Q: What are you looking for this week when you decide between quarterbacks Chance [Lovertich] and Will [Rogers]?
ML: "Right now, Will is ahead. I think the biggest thing is that Will is more consistent, more familiar with the personnel and the plays. I think Chance [Lovertich] really does a good job and has had a great camp. He certainly is in a position to take it, but I do think Will's ahead right now."
Q: What do you like about Kameron Jones?
ML: "He started to emerge last year. Early last year, you couldn't even line up with him. Then, he got better and better. About mid-season, he became a starter, and he's really had a good offseason. He has some leadership qualities, which I think are pretty good. He keeps getting better. O-line is a position where if you have a really good o-line, everybody is a junior or a senior. I think he's ahead of schedule, which we desperately need, and it has elevated others around him too.
Q: How do you feel about the offensive line as a whole?
ML : "They have improved. They have a ways to go, but they have improved."
Q: How confident are you in your special teams guys going into the season?
ML: "I thought we were decent on special teams last year. I thought we also got better as it went on. I feel like we're better this year than we were last year. I do think the experience has helped. I think we have a little more depth at special teams than we did."
Q: When did punter Archer Trafford come in and what do you expect from him?
ML: "Just to get better and keep playing. There's no real formula, but I think it makes them more competitive as we sort things out and puts pressure on people, then they have to perform better."
Q: What stood out to you about Martin Emerson or Emmanuel Forbes Jr., and what could those guys be this year?
ML: "I think they're both really good. Forbes got off to a good start last year. A lot of times, freshmen will play scared or they aren't ready to play, but that wasn't the case for Forbes. He got out of the sheets really well. I thought Martin was one of the better corners in the conference before last year, then he continued to reinforce that."
Q: Is Will Rogers far enough along heading into the season as you would like him to be?
ML: "No, he never is, but I do think he's getting better. I think he's improving. I think he's got some good leadership qualities that has allowed him to put himself in the position he's in."
Q: Is there anything specific on-field that you've seen Will Rogers improve?
ML: "I think just the transition between his decisions and his reaction to the routes. I think it's quicker and crisper than it was last year. Part of it, I'd like to think, is our receivers are [improving] too."
Q: Have you seen an elevation with the team? Are they where you want them to be as far as emotion heading into the weekend?
ML: "Well, I've never had a team where I want them to be. I always think they can improve, but they're excited. Everybody's excited to play. Everybody's excited it's a game week."
Q: How has this preseason compared to last year's?
ML : "We have had better and more consistent practices compared to last year."
Q: How is Will Rogers's work ethic?
ML : "He works extremely hard. He constantly studies film. It's not like he lets the film blur along, he draws quite a bit out of it. Some guys watch film because they should, some because they want to, or some because they know [the coaches] want them to, which means they don't get much out of it. His dad is a coach, so I think that helps him know how to watch film. Will does get quite a bit out of it when he watches it."
Q: How often do you see Will Rogers and Chance Lovertich bounce ideas off of each other?
ML : "They do it all the time. They do it during team meetings, and you'll hear them. They do it walking on and off the field. Chance is a good student, and he is always watching film. They are both that way. Constantly talking about football."
Q: What do you try to accomplish each day?
ML : "We just try to have a consistent practice. The biggest thing about this process is that you should get as much out of it as you can. You have to be engaged and focused to do it. A lot of that starts with eliminating distractions. I thought we did a good job of that today."
Q: What do you feel about the long snapper battle between Colby Cox and Hayes Hammond?
ML : "They are unique and feisty guys. They snap it well. I've been impressed with how they block and that sort of thing."
Q: How eager are you to have a full crowd of cowbells this weekend?
ML : "We are all looking forward to that. Hopefully it will be a fulfilling year and not too many distractions."
Players Mentioned
WR
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CB
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CB
/ Football
LS
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
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QB
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QB
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P
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WR
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WR
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