Gus Malzahn transcript
Opening statement…
"Last SEC road game, last SEC game for us. This is our 10th game, and if you think back to over the summer and somebody told us we would have made it through 10 SEC games, that would've been a big accomplishment. I'm real proud of our team and the way they handled themselves with the COVID etiquette and everything that goes with it.
"We're playing a Mississippi State team that you see is probably playing their best ball of the season. They played Georgia and Ole Miss on the road very close and had a chance to win those games. If you look at their defense, they're very good against the run. They're very disruptive with the different things they do. Offensively, I'm really impressed with the quarterback. Since he's taken over the starting job, he's protected the ball very well considering how many times he's thrown the ball. I'm looking forward to playing our last SEC game on the road against a very solid Mississippi State team."
On how well Mississippi State is playing right now…
"I think their defense has been disruptive all year. When you watch them on film against some really good offenses, they've done a really good job against the run. I think the big thing is that they're protecting the football better than they did in the first half of the season. I think it's really a combination of those two things."
On preparing to face Mississippi State…
"They've had an off-week to prepare for us. That's two weeks to prepare. Earlier in the year, when we were going to play them, we had an off-week leading up to that and we had a few practices to at least get a foundation of what they do and kind of how to play against that. Hopefully, that'll help us, and it'll be a good recall from that week that we can run with."
Status of Christian Tutt…
"We'll see about practice today. We'll see what he can and can't do. We'll probably know more on Thursday -- it could be one of those things kind of like how it's been with Tank (Bigsby) up to this point. We'll see how he progresses."
On finishing out the season strong…
"I think it's very important. We actually talked about that with our team Sunday after the game. We weren't fortunate enough to get these seniors out on a victory (at home), so this is a big game for us and we want to do everything in our power to try and get a victory. It's not going to be easy, on the road in our league with a team that's playing good football right now. It'll be a challenge, but I think it'll be very important if we can get the victory."
How much have you studied the air-raid offense?
"It's pretty unique compared to the teams we've seen – a very unique and kind of different approach to open up the run. I'm hoping that week, that off-week we had before the game got canceled, will give us preparation, too. I'm hoping it will give us a good footing on everything with our plan. They present challenges, no doubt. They are protective of the football, and I think that's been a big factor."
Will you need to rotate more guys on defense?
"That conversation's come up. We'll see how the game unfolds. The uniqueness of this season and having 10 SEC games has kind of hurt our ability to play as many as we have in the past with non-conference games. Each game unfolds a bit differently, but obviously they throw it and throw it and you need as many DBs as you can get."
Status of D.J. Williams…
"I believe D.J. is going to practice this week -- at least he's going to give it a go and see how he's doing. I know he wants to play in his last game, but we'll see. He wanted to play last week, but we said as soon as you're rested, we'll see what you do this week. Hopefully we'll have that answered later in the week also."
Health of the team…
"Overall, we're doing OK, especially for 10 straight SEC games. We're hopeful the guys that played the last game will be able to play again, except for a few of those guys which we'll wait until later in the week to make a call."
Combination of Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz…
"I think they're very dangerous. You see production-wise that Anthony is coming on. He's really becoming a complete receiver. And those two guys, along with Bo, they've got connections and a really good feel for each other."
You have logged a lot of time in the hot seat. How tiresome is that?
"I've got a job that I've said before expects to win championships, and I do, too. The years that you're not in the mix, that's just part of it. I'm blessed to be here and excited not only about this game, but I'm excited about next year."
Benefit that Kevin Steele has experience against the air-raid…
"There is nothing like a coordinator who has experience against similar offenses and has gone against it. That definitely helps. I hope that extra week we had will also come into play and give us some help."
How has Bo Nix improved in his second season?
"You can tell that he's more experienced and he's more of a team leader. His leadership, his toughness and his competitiveness are really starting to show even more. I think he's in a super spot. The fact that he'll be able to actually go through spring with Coach (Chad) Morris and the receivers and do all the different things in preparation that you normally get to do – that's really going to help."
On how the one-time transfer rule will impact college football…
"I think it will have a big impact in college football. I think it changes the recruiting landscape and how traditionally recruiting has been in the past. We'll have to see. Like I said, there's a lot of new things happening, and you've got to be prepared to adjust. That's what we're trying to do."
On the DL issues last week and how this week will be a different challenge…
"Yeah, I think for sure it will be a different type of game. Last week, they got after us pretty good. We'll just continue to improve. Like I said before, we lost some really talented guys last year and have got some young guys that are growing. But it's completely different this week, from one extreme to the other. So we'll see how it goes."
Why has Mississippi State been more competitive the last couple weeks?
"I think it's those two factors I said earlier. If you look, they're shutting down the run. That's where it starts. They're shutting down the run. They're very aggressive. They take chances on defense. They're very disruptive. They're not conventional. If you've got a short period of time to prepare for them, there are going to be some challenges with that. Probably the biggest factor is protecting the football. Earlier in the year they weren't protecting the football very well – giving their defense short fields, making it tough on their defense. Lately, they've been protecting the football and scoring points. You see a team that is improved, and I think those two factors are some of the biggest ones."
COVID testing update…
"Yeah, the last one we were all negative. Once again, our players have done an outstanding job. Our coaches, Doc Goodlett, Robbie (Stewart) our trainer, I can't say enough good things about those two, their leadership. Then our players, sacrificing to be able to do this. Like I said earlier, we're about to play our 10th game, and who would've thought that in parts of June and some of July? I'm real proud of our medical team, real proud of our players and really our staff."
On the importance of being able to run vs. Mississippi State…
"With us, we need to run the football effectively. Just like I said last week, I think we did a really solid job against the No. 1 defense in the league. We just didn't have a lot of possessions. It's going to be similar. We've got to earn it. We're going to have to earn the rushing yards. Bo (Nix) being a part of the running game, I've said this before, it opens it up more. Strategically, we'll try to do that. There haven't been a whole lot of quarterbacks up to this point that have been successful running, but we'll see how it goes."