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ACADEMY TEXAS BOWL: OKLAHOMA STATE VS TEXAS A&M

December 27, 2019

Jimbo Fisher

Houston, Texas

Texas A&M - 24, Oklahoma State - 21

JIMBO FISHER: Very proud of our team. Very hard-fought victory. Oklahoma State is a heck of a football team, top-25 team. We knew it was going to be a battle coming in. Had a great back, made a lot of good plays, and our defense really settled down and played good. But our kids fought.

Offensively, I thought we moved the ball well early. Had some self-inflicted wounds, which they caused some, turned it over, and kept our poise. The big thing I'm happy about, getting down 14-0. We started out the last game we played, and it didn't work out. They didn't lose their poise, battled right back, showed a lot of character, and like I said, this team all year, we haven't reached all of our goals. Winning those games against those No. 1 teams, thinking we were going to win and trying to win and being close, and No. 4.

But didn't get discouraged. A lot of kids in today's times when things don't go their way would give up. These kids kept practicing, and we got better and better each and every week in a lot of areas, learning how to compete. Very proud of them.

Special teams was big tonight. Seth hit that big kick, which was awesome. We got the onside kick, which was critical. Got the game when we controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half on both sides of the ball pretty much, and I think that was the key to getting things going and not turning it over like we did.

We said going into the Bowl game, conditioning, turnovers, ball security, and open-field tackling are three of the things that you've got to be able to deal with in special teams, and we didn't do two of them very well in the first half, and then we did better in the second half and played much better.

Questions?

Q. Jimbo, about Kellen, can you talk about what adjustments you all might have made? Did you have to encourage him to run more in the second half?
JIMBO FISHER: No. We had some run calls -- we had it in the game plan. We have the ability in our game plan to vary and go to quarterback runs and whether we're with two tights or two backs or whatever we are, we had those things in, and we worked them. We just called it more, and we had some things early, which we thought we had and moved the ball and turned it over. Then we went to that and started working, and that was it, a numbers game. He checked a lot. He checked into some of those plays and saw the look and did a great job from the line of scrimmage.

Here's the thing: When you play quarterback, a lot of times when things don't go your way perfectly, it's easy to get frustrated. It's a great sign of maturity when you don't and you go back and do the things each and every play and give yourself and your team a chance to win when you're not playing your best. I like to measure players when they're not playing their best; you know what I'm saying? Everybody's good when they're playing good. If you're not playing as good early and you're able to battle back and do things like that, that's that type of player.

Q. We spent the week trying to guess who's going to help you out at running back. Could you speak to the job that Ainias did in that hole.
JIMBO FISHER: I've got a heck of a football player. You could play him at tackle, and I think he'd make a block. I think he could block a 300-pounder, I really do. I have the most respect for him. He's a natural back there. I think he did one heck of a job. He's a natural runner. He can block well, he can catch the ball out of the backfield like you saw. You can create mismatches with him. I think he's found a pretty good home in many ways we can use him. And as he got older and maturity and the Bowl practices allowed us to have those practices to -- like in spring practice, you hear us coaches say all the time we wouldn't be able to do that during the season. That's very hard to do because you can't get the reps. I thought he was outstanding tonight.

Q. Jimbo, without Matt or BK, the four-sack, nine-tackle-for-loss performance, guys like Demarvin Leal step up, Tyree Johnson.
JIMBO FISHER: Those guys put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and got some penetration. We overran some runs, but we had fit it better in the secondary, the linebackers and safeties. I thought our front was very physical, and I thought played really well, those young guys, Leal, Brown, Peevy was outstanding in there, Tyree Johnson, Micheal Clemons, all those guys on him, and he did a heck of a job. Rogers, those guys were outstanding in there.

Q. You guys have only been outscored in the second half twice this season. What is it there at the halftime that you guys were able to make those adjustments and play so much better in the second half?
JIMBO FISHER: I think we teach conceptually, but I think our kids, we have intelligent kids who listen and want to play hard. And then just because things aren't going well, they play their tails off. And I think it goes back, we practice hard. I think we're a 60-minute team. I don't think we back off, and I think we get stronger in the second half, and we're able to make the adjustments with the mental toughness and the mental execution, which we have to have.

Q. Coach, could you talk a little bit about the fact that they got out to the big lead, and it seemed like your guys kind of drew a line in the sand and said, hey, this is a heavyweight fight. Let's trade punches. It took you 50 minutes to get back on top.
JIMBO FISHER: It did. Like I said, these ball games, they're in a Bowl game for a reason. They're a good team. You get in a Bowl game, you're playing a good team. They jumped out.

Especially the way the last game of the season started for us, our team could have said, oh, my God, here we go again, and didn't. We're going to fix this. We're going to handle it. We're going to keep our poise and went back to fundamentals. They went right back to fundamentals. That's what gets you back on track. Go back to what you're taught to do each and every play, one play at a time. They kept sawing wood, and they kept pushing forward. Then they got in the groove and got their confidence and started playing well.

I thought going out in the second half, getting the stop on defense and going straight down to score on offense was very critical.

Q. Coach, in your experience, what's the difference going into the off-season when you've won a Bowl game as opposed to when you've lost? What can that do to your team?
JIMBO FISHER: I'll say this, the off-season speaking engagements are a lot better. They're a lot more pleasant. But I just think from a confidence standpoint -- and I say this, you've got to learn how to prepare for a Bowl game. I keep saying this. We're the only sport in America that waits a month to play. So how you got to practice, how you got to prepare, how you got to get yourself in game -- to get better, like a camp practice, then get into game mode and game planning and understanding that, and I was very proud of our guys for doing that. It's an art to do, and our guys are getting better and better at it.

Q. Coach, defensive line had 163 yards there in the first quarter and then give up about 50 just over the next two quarters combined. With such a young defense and just kind of moving forward, how much optimism does that give you?
JIMBO FISHER: It gives you a lot. We got better. We stopped giving up the big plays in the secondary. We started fitting better, started tackling and didn't miss the open field tackles. Again, starts up front in our secondary and our linebackers fitting it. Very happy with those guys. This can be a very, very talented group, I can say that.

Q. Coach, can you just talk about the big run by Kellen and how that was such a boost, especially because it was the first time you had the lead all night.
JIMBO FISHER: It was. When he came off the goal line, he checked the run on the goal line to get us off for about a run, and he hit another run. It was an option. We had an option play call, and we got the block and kept stretching, stretching, stretching. He stuck his foot when he got north-south, and he made a guy miss. Kellen's got great speed. He can run. He did a great job stretching the option, which allowed everybody to get their blocks and just sort it out, and then when he hit the seam, it's like a zone scheme, and he got inside and ran away from everybody, and it was a big time play and big time moment.

Then we had the one later, and it was the next drive, which got us down there, and we got the field goal and got the two score lead.

Q. Gundy just talked about how excited he is about the future of his team. Coach, you have a ton of freshmen and sophomores playing.
JIMBO FISHER: 30 that we played this year, 19 true freshmen and 11 redshirts that I know we played, and there's a lot of guys that are young. I'm very happy and excited. It's great to have young players with talent if they learn and get better and have an urgency to be great. You know what I'm saying? That's my challenge to them right now.

We are good. We have talent. And that young, young group, and that young talent, and the older groups. The older guys have to perform and get better, but you have to have the urgency and desire to go practice like I did. You get the same results. Why don't we practice better? Why don't we practice smarter? There's a lot to learn. We can learn some valuable lessons from the season, but we need to get it out of them. That's my job. I think they want to do it. They're some great kids.

Q. Isaiah seemed like the Bowl practice was good for him over the last couple -- last month. What did you see from him, and how have you seen him improve in this game?
JIMBO FISHER: Very much. I was very happy. You talk about a guy that ran for over 900 yards in today's game, am I right? For the season as a true freshman and expect to play, that's a heck of a thing. Playing in the SEC, that's an amazing accomplishment. He learned during Bowl practice, learned to block better. Put 17 in there and learned another role.

The other guys were building while he was there, you know what I'm saying? And he keeps growing. He's a smart guy, a talented guy. He's big. He can be a complete back and can be a heck of a player.

Q. Jimbo, you know, a lot of people talked about the schedule. How difficult the task ahead was. Now that you've been through it, finishing it, and winning a top 25 game. What do you hope your players take away from this season?
JIMBO FISHER: That the urgency you have to have to be great, the level of consistency and toughness and execution you have to have to be great, and then at the end of the day, everybody, when you get to that certain level, they don't let you eat at that table unless you take a chair. You have to knock your way in.

You've got to understand, those teams are great. They want to stay there. You've got to want to be there. You've got to be so hungry you're willing to work, run over them, and kick anybody out of there you've got to.

It takes a special mindset. It takes a special ingredient. At the end of the day, the talent's out, and it gets down to one thing, grit. Can you sink your teeth down into it and go do it? Hopefully, they see the level at which you've got to be at and we need to be at. We're going to get there.

Q. Coach, what can you say about Demani Richardson tonight and the season he's had, starting safety all year?
JIMBO FISHER: To have another true freshman in and play safety with all the things that go on and the variations that go on. That's a very complicated position to play with the physicality and can tackle and run and cover. He made some great plays and has a chance to be a tremendous player if he keeps improving.

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