VIDEOS: Auburn Week Football Media Availability

Coach Will Muschamp held his weekly news conference Tuesday via a Zoom call, as the Gamecocks get ready to host Auburn on Saturday at noon on ESPN. Players Collin Hill, Eric Douglas, Jaycee Horn, Shilo Sanders and Kevin Harris spoke as well.

WILL MUSCHAMP TRANSCRIPT

– Got a good start on Auburn today. A lot of respect for their program, their staff. Worked there three different times, in the 90s for Terry Bowden as graduate assistant and for Coach Tuberville or Senator Tuberville, I should say, I guess, in ’06 and ’07 and then Gus gave me a great opportunity to go back there in ’15. So a lot of respect for Gus and I worked with a lot of guys in the staff, Rodney Garner, when I was Devens Elian coach, Travis Williams worked with me, did a great job. I actually was on staff when Kodi Burns played there and I have a lot of familiarity with Coach Steele and Coach Morris, Westley McGriff, Cornell Williams and then Larry Porter. I just know a lot of these guys and got a lot of respect for what they do. Offensively, Bo Nix is a really good football player, he’s a great competitor, he’s a really good athlete and can beat you throwing the football, can beat you with his legs but they take advantage of his athleticism and he’s got some targets outside, Schwartz is probably the fastest player in college football. They’re getting the ball different ways, they do a really good job of making sure the ball’s in his hands, he had 10 receptions last weekend against Arkansas. Seth Williams is a very difficult matchup, but as far as his girth is concerned, he’s got really good ball skills down the field. and a really good player. And then Tank Bigsby is a guy that’s their feature back now. Shivers has been really good player for them but Tank we’re very familiar with, he’s a really good football player, a great young man and he’s running the ball extremely well. Defensively, Coach Steele does a great job. McClain and Pappoe are two very active linebackers. They’re big inside upfront and we got our work cut out for us. They’re really good on specialty is blocked the punt this past weekend, Peters I think blocked three or four punts since he’s been there. So we got our work cut out for us. I thought we had a good start today on this football team and we’re looking forward to get back home to and open up for any questions.

– [Reporter] Will, obviously, you know Vanderbilt had that news yesterday about massive COVID outbreaks. When you guys heard of it, was there any concern or worry on your end about how it would affect the team for this week?

– No, Clint Haggard called me and said that there was no contact tracing through the game. They’ve checked that through some device that they have. So we test a lot. We tested yesterday, again this morning, excuse me, Sunday, again this morning. So I feel very comfortable about the protocol and the things we have set in place for our student athletes, our staff, and our entire building and really anybody that comes in contact with our building or travels. I mean, I think we’re testing close to 350 people a day, every time we test, which is three times a week.

– [Reporter] Hey, Coach, thanks. Going off that Vanderbilt story, are you taking any extra precautions this week to try and stay safe?

– Nothing than what we’re doing normally, the three times test and continuing to emphasize social distancing when we are under a roof, wearing a mask, all of those protocols still in place.

– [Reporter] Will, what stood out from your guys’ recruitment of Tank Bigs, were there any moments of that that kind of stuck with you as you go into facing him?

– Well, I mean, just a wonderful young man, a great family. Came to our campus several times. I think he really liked it here. Thomas Brown did a great job recruiting him. We all had a very good relationship with him and at the end of the day, he’s got a lot of great opportunities. When you recruit in our league, it’s not like there’s a bad choice. I mean, South Carolina is a great place, Auburn’s a great place, other great schools recruiting, you put your best foot forward in the recruiting process and the young man makes a decision and he’s from right there in LaGrange and that area which is very close it’s obviously more convenient for his family and he’s very close with his mother and his brother. So I totally understood the decision, yeah.

– [Reporter] Will, is there a theoretical high number of carries you would give a running back? I’m thinking Kevin specifically here but do you have a number that you’re like, “That’s a cap for a game, we would not go above that?”

– No, I don’t think, I think Kevin gets better as the game goes. I do think some guys, and I don’t necessarily say anybody on our team, but I’m just talking about some guys when they are smaller backs that I’ve been around before that I think you got to be careful with some of the hits they’re going to be taking and the amount of touches that they have but Kevin’s not one of those guys. And I don’t think any of our backs are those kind of guys, DeShaun, Rashad, Zaquandre, none of them are that kind of guy, Marshawn wouldn’t be either.

– [Reporter] Did you guys have to get, based on his injury last year, have you had to ask him to back off any in the white room? Was that a white training related in any degree? Just about the amount of weight he’s putting up and stuff like that, do you have to reign him in to any degree there?

– Oh, he’s a hard worker, but no, we haven’t backed off anything for us. We’ll wait, process all of that when he got health, after he’s been healthy.

– [Reporter] Will, how much man coverage are you seeing from a defensive side of things? So how much man coverage is Collin having to throw against and how do you feel you guys have done playing against man covers this year?

– Well, I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving you a percentage, Collin. I don’t have that in front of me. It’s something we discussed on Sundays and generally it’s game by game because teams are going to play you differently based on their personnel, based on their scheme, and what they do. I think that Vanderbilt, Ted did a good job of dropping to safety down on the Shi’s side to give another presence of a body there as far as in the inside throwing windows. He did a good job of that and mixing man and zone. But I think that’s more of a game to game process. I do think that we’ve got to continue to develop more guys to win verse man coverage. I do think we have guys that are more than capable of winning in man coverage but that’s something we’ve got to continue to work on as a team.

– [Reporter] Will, what have the past couple of days been like for the guys around there? I’d imagine it’s an uptick in confidence, energy, spirit that you must be seeing around.

– Well, certainly winning helps, it makes the food taste a little better. Your wife likes you a little bit more, your girlfriend I guess likes you a little more, if you have one. So it certainly gives you a little better outlook on things, but our guys have been very pleased with, for the most part, of how we’ve gone about our work, On a Tuesday practice which is a hard work day for us, tomorrow is as well and Thursday is a little bit more mental but still physical as far as those things are concerned. And I thought they came in with a very good attitude on Sunday, understanding we still have a lot of improvement to be made on our team and corrections and to accept being a very coachable player. And that’s something we challenge them with all the time and then understanding that we’ve got a very good Auburn team coming in here Saturday and we need to continue to improve and get better.

– [Reporter] Will, throughout training camp, you and Mike Bobo both used the word consistency when you were talking about Kevin Harris, what have you seen in terms of how he’s been able to grow so far this season? When you talk about consistency, what are some of those tangibles and intangibles that you’d about him?

– Well, I think, Mike, that a guy that you know every single day when he walks in the building what you’re going to get. And what I mean by that is in the meeting room, whether he’s in the classroom on campus, whether he’s socializing with his friends whether he’s on the practice field, whether he’s in a walkthrough, he is dialed in, he’s paying attention, he’s extremely bright, he competes at a high level for a young player, consistently well, there’s not a lot of ebb and flow, up and down in his play and in what he does and that not just at running back but at every position across the board, that’s what you want. You want a guy that’s consistent, you know what you’re going to get, we’ve got to be able to depend on guys we can depend on and we can’t depend on the undependable players and just when you don’t know what you’re going to get with a player and that’s what happens on any given Saturday, you put the ball on the ground at that position you don’t play. I mean, and so I think there are things that he consistently does well for us and he’s talented. I think he proved that regardless of the recruiting rating which I know you all and most of our fan base, that’s all they care about, but at the end of the day he’s a really good football player.

– [Reporter] Yeah, Will, now that we’re getting ready to close out the first month of Mike Bobo heading up the offense, how would you describe the identity of the offense or what are you guys striving toward as far as making the identity of your offense?

– Well, I think we’re multiple in what we do. I think he presents issues in my opinion, just in three games of formation, shifts, motions, out leveraging you with those, creates different tempos at the line of scrimmage. And I think it’s very different, I wouldn’t maybe say creative, but different in the running game each week on what you’ve got to be able to defend as far as how he’s going to attack you. And I think in the passing game, he presents some issues. I think obviously, Shi has been a very explosive player for us. has had some moments and done some nice things. Nick Muse has been a guy that’s threatened the middle of the field, especially last week, but he’s done it before in some other ball games. So I think we’ve got to continue to bring some guys along in the passing game, be a little bit more firm in our protections at times, so continue to progress. But I think I’ve seen improvement from game one to game three in all three areas upfront and obviously at the quarterback position, running back and receiver so in all areas, I’m seeing a lot of improvement and I think each week Mike does a really good job of creating issues for the defense. As far as things you’re going to have to adjust and to defend.

– [Reporter] But with Auburn’s offense and obviously Chad and Gus are pretty similar in the things that they do, what have you seen from them these first few games and some of the stuff they’re running?

– Well, I think that they have a very shared background offensively, but anytime that there is a change in the playcaller there will be some differences game day as far as the things and some tendencies that you look at but most of the run game is the same, I wouldn’t say all of it. Some of the past concepts are the same, I wouldn’t say all of it, but there’s a lot of similarities across the board, and both guys having a very shared background in what they do.

– [Reporter] Will, on that long run that Kevin broke for 88 yards, Eric Douglas said you guys had called that same play earlier and he had made, I guess he said he made a call that led to it not working then got it right the second time it breaks free, what did you see going different on that play and what clicked compared to when you guys ran it the time before?

– Well it was ID’d on the headset immediately when we did it wrong before by Coach Bobo in the box and Coach Woolford and Coach Kitchens on the sideline. That we had ID’d the mic wrong and that we needed to change the ID based on the front that they were playing which was a little different than what we had prepared for. So we made the correction on the sideline and the next time we ran the play, we ran it correctly.

– [Reporter] Hey, Will, this is one more COVID question because this is something coaches just haven’t dealt with before. We see lots of positives at the high school level, college level, NFL games postponed, and even with all the protocols that you and your guys are taking, is it still somewhat nerve wracking, just sometimes wondering if it’s enough and could you be next?

– Is nerve wracking everyday and every time my phone clicks from a text from Clint Haggard or a phone call you’re holding your breath. Could be anybody in the staff, could be me, it could be a player. We’ve had a lot of issues with it and it’s… We’re going through a pandemic right now and it’s hard. But it’s a situation we’re all dealing with the same things, nobody’s different. As far as the protocols are concerned and the policies we have in place from the Southeastern Conference. So we’re all dealing with the situation that we’re in and making the best from it. But it is a very nerve wracking as far as dealing with some things that are totally out of your control as far as those, like getting a phone call and saying, so-and-so’s down, we got to quarantine him for 10 days or 14 days or whatever the case may be. And that’s happened several times and it’s been very critical. So it is what it is, but the health and safety of the student athletes is the most important thing. And again, I feel very comfortable when you all ask questions about Vanderbilt having as many positives they had on Sunday after our game. I feel very comfortable with our protocol that we have set in place to make sure that our student athletes are safe.

– [Reporter] Will, along those lines, with your protocols for a home game, like the Friday night, the night before home game, have you guys had to stop and change anything that you would normally do because of COVID?

– Well, we did. The first home game we ate here at the building on Friday night but we’re actually going to eat at the hotel just ’cause we have more room for the travel party but all of our people in-house handle the food, no one else handles the food outside of Kristen Coggins, her staff, our nutrition staff, our training staff, some coaching members, nobody handles the food outside of people that are in our building that we know have been tested. And then the hotel here does a great job of sanitizing everything for us and making sure that no one walks in areas that we’re going to be in as far as those things are concerned.

– [Reporter] What was the thinking besides continuing to do the hotel the night before a home game? And is that just safer, is that a better option than maybe sleeping in their own beds?

– Well, it’s safer, it’s more calming just to make sure that our guys are under one roof and we know exactly where everybody is. So I think that that’s our normal protocol. I didn’t want to get away from that and do something totally different to maybe something we haven’t done before. So that was the decision there.

– [Reporter] Will, do you know yet if Keir, Jalen and Israel will be available to play Saturday?

– [Reporter] Hey, Will, two things. Do you know who’s going to start at right tackle this week?

– No, we’re still working through things. Dylan rep there today, Dylan Wonnum. Jason repped at left tackle, Jackai is available as well. Vershon Lee’s available as well and Jaylen Nichols. So we’ll practice again tomorrow, look at it again on Thursday, Dylan’s had plenty of reps at right and Jazston has been repping at left other than about a practice and a half, I think a week or two weeks ago that we repped him at right. So we’re still trying to figure that best five, again, like we said earlier, the word consistency, consistently playing well together and we’ll look at that again tomorrow and Thursday.

– [Reporter] And I guess, what have you seen, I mean, Kevin Steele’s obviously been in the ACC for what feels like forever, what are some tendencies of his defense that you’ve been able to pick up from watching?

– I don’t know, it’s tough. It’s going to, be very aggressive attack, what you do. His experience in our league, his experience against playcallers is very valuable, in my opinion. But I know Kevin’s style of coaching and his guys are going to be aggressive, they’re going to play fast and physical. You know what brand of ball you’re going to get when you play somebody he’s coached and especially somebody from Auburn.

– [Reporter] Will, I know you guys are in your own bubble when it comes to the season, but I mean, some of the points in yards that have been put up in ACC games seem incredible. I heard one commentator, a defensive guy, talk about how the expectations for defense probably have to be adjusted or changed. I can’t imagine you agree with that but what do you think is the way to slow any of this down?

– Well, I think that some people are playing with tempo. I think that obviously Mississippi and what Lane is doing are very much of a Baylor-esque, art brows kind of attack, schematically, playing very fast. Again, that’s going to create more snaps, going to create more opportunities which obviously you got a chance to score more points. I think playing with some tempo, I think Alabama is playing at a really high level with a very good scheme. And Steve Sarkisian does a great job and they have really good players. I think that that’s something that you see. So I think that there’s different, it’s not one thing that everybody’s doing and I don’t think defensively it’s one thing that everybody’s losing. I think you look at, I’m going to take LSU for instance ’cause I know Bo Pelini’s an outstanding football coach, as good a guy I’ve ever been around, they lost a lot of players off last year’s team. I mean, I don’t think people have any idea the number of guys that got drafted off that team. They had like 11 or 12 guys drafted something ridiculous probably had another four or five that got into training camps. You’re talking to an upwards of 20 guys and getting an opportunity to play in the National Football League. So I think that there’s some depletion in some areas I think you got to figure in those situations and then what we’re all going through, how much training camp did so-and-so miss? How much training camp did this guy miss? And those are all hard to really judge how much time someone’s missed. We’re all going through a pandemic. There’s some young men that are very concerned about what we’re going through, still in this building. And I totally understand that. And I’m sure it’s the same way in 13 other locker rooms in the Southeastern Conference. So I think there’s a lot of things factoring into where we are. And I think certainly there’s not one thing, Pete, that I could put my finger on, say, Eureka, this is it. I mean, I think there’s a lot of reasons for the production on the other side.

– [Reporter] Will, I think it was during a Carolina call show before the season started, you mentioned that Cam Smith, in order for this defense to be successful this season, he needs to step up. Some things week one didn’t go his way but last week comes up with the interception, how have you seen him grow since that week one performance? And then just where does he stand right now in terms of being able to go in terms of the way that you expected him to be at the beginning of the season?

– Well, I think that other than the quarterback position in our defense the corner position is probably the hardest position to play. ‘Cause you’re going to be caught in a lot of one on one situations and you either make the play or you don’t make the play and there might be some hand contact down the field and the flag may get thrown, they may throw called pass interference on you or something like that. And it’s a very difficult position to play but it’s also a position you need to learn from your mistakes and I think Cam has and then continue to work at your craft, continue to come out to practice with the right mentality, to improve and get better. And that’s what Cam’s done. He’s come out at practice everyday, he’s worked extremely hard. We normally practice our younger guys that maybe didn’t play as many snaps on Sundays. Cam’s gone out and done one-on-one every night on Sundays against Jalen Brooks who gets really good players, ’cause he wants to get more turns and more reps. And you got to compliment a guy for that instead of saying, you know what, “I’ve been in the program now I’m a second year, do I really need to come out here on…” No, he came out with the right mentality and the right attitude and he worked to improve and get better, made a fantastic play on the interception there, splitting the zoning and cover too and they tried to hit the whole shot on him and he drifts out and makes a fantastic play on the ball. But, again, he and John Dixon are guys that need to continue to improve. John’s done some nice things as well. And for us to continue to improve defensively they need to play well.

– [Reporter] It didn’t seem like right near the start of the season that Jazston Turnertine was really in the mix if either one of those tackle positions right at the start of the year, is that accurate? And would you be able to share any reason as to why and then how has he been able to get to the point now to where he’s back in the conversation to be a starter?

– Well, I go back, John, to spring. In those first five days coming off the off season program and I remember Jazston telling me, “I think I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.” And in those five practices, he was extremely impressive. And then we had six months off where we can say we worked out, we can say we ran, we can say we lifted weights, we can say we did this, at the end of the day, unless you’re in the building and working, it’s hard and quite frankly, he was not in great shape when we started training camp and had a hard time sustaining and had a hard time with assignments and things because of not being in great shape. And it’s taken since we started training camp on August 17th, I think was the date to this point, to where he’s now worked himself into where he’s in better shape, he’s in better condition, he’s able to sustain, he’s able to play longer, play harder than he’s played before. And that’s been the issue. It’s nothing that I haven’t told him. It’s nothing Eric Wolford hadn’t told him. It has nothing to do with ability but he’s a guy that just, I think, again, this situation we’re in has impacted us in so many different ways. And I think that’s how it impacted Jaz. Jaz is a wonderful young man, he’s worked his butt off to get himself to where he is now again. And we got to sustain that, John. That’s the big thing, we got to sustain where he is ’cause he is a very talented guy and we need to continue to bring him along.

– [Reporter] Oh, there we go. Oh, there we go. Hey, Will, two quick questions. Any update on the appeal for Jalen Brooks and then the three guys who opted out, what are they doing during this process, during the season and are you expecting all three of them to return at some point?

– No, we have not, I don’t have any update on Jalen Brooks. We’re still in that appeal process. I talked to Chance Miller, I believe yesterday, I know Jalen and Chance talked again yesterday maybe in the next couple of days, I hope, but, again, there’s no timetable ever on any of those things but I know that Dreek, OrTre and Mark are still enrolled in school, doing well academically and we’ll see in January where things sit.

– [Reporter] Hey, Will, a little off topic, I don’t know how much “Fire Bomb” you get to watch during the week. But Lane Kiffin went on there last night-

– Zero. All season, summer, fall, you name it, none. What did our good friend say about South Carolina and me?

– [Reporter] No, Lane Kiffin went on there the other day and said you, Kirby and him have a group text going, his former Nick Saban assistance, I’m just curious how that group texts got started. What do you all talk about? How often do you all talk? I wanted more details on that.

– I think it all started when this pandemic started of different things that you’re going through, protocols, how are you all handling this? How are you all handling that? So and past that I’ll probably leave it at that. Probably be best to leave it at that.

– [Reporter] Hey, Will. It happened a few weeks ago, but when it when Shiloh’s dad got that job down at Jackson State, did you reach out at all and maybe pass along any advice for a first time a college head coach?

– No, he’ll do fine. He’ll do fine. He a great guy and has been wonderful having Shiloh here and from a parent’s perspective has been awesome. But no, I talked to Shiloh to tell him congratulations, obviously. And several times on Friday night I checked off and he’ll be on the phone with his dad talking and will holler back and forth on FaceTime and stuff like that, but really happy for him and a great opportunity, wants to get into college coach and obviously wanting to shoot her to graduate high school before he did that and coach him through that process, but really happy for Deion. Anything else for coach?

– For Coach Prime, excuse me.