Texas A&M Week 10 Press Conference Recap

Texas A&M came into the game against Auburn as a 7 point favorite but was outscored 26-10, giving them their third loss in four weeks. The offense struggled yet again, turning the ball over three times and scoring only one offensive touchdown in the game.

Members of the media met with Texas A&M coaches and players to discuss what went wrong during the Auburn game, how the offense will fix the mistakes that have been persistent throughout the season, and the expectations for the team moving forward.

Kevin Sumlin on the issues with the offense

"It's a combination of a lot of things. You have a couple young guys that have not had a lot of experience playing quarterback, but last week I thought the big story of the whole game was we lost the turnover battle 3 to 0 and two of those were in the end zone. We moved the football fairly well in our rushing attack, third quarter we came out in a closer game, then when we got behind we weren't really able to execute that because we took a long time to score in that third quarter and we ran out of time and it forced us into a different football game.

You can't lose the turnover battle 3 to 0 and give up over 300 yards rushing and expect to win a division game. Like most teams in America, when we limit turnovers and penalties, we've won. When we haven't, we have not won. Turnover ratio becomes a complete team statistic as we talk about every week. That's the first game in a while where we didn't get a turnover on defense, then we turn it over twice going in to score."

Jake Spavital on the issues with the offense

"One of the main things is we just have to finish. Against Auburn we moved the ball efficiently but we didn't finish. In this league you don't know how many opportunities you're going to get. You have nine solid drives to go out there and move the ball and we just didn't capitalize on punching it in the end zone."

Kevin Sumlin on the QB situation

"I can tell you this, we're going to evaluate Kyler because you all know he left the game Saturday night. Without being specific about injuries, which we never are, yesterday was more of a mental day with installation, game plan, we get back into pads today. We'll see where he is physically and where his status is throughout the week.

As I've said before, I sit here every week and tell people the truth and people try to make up their own story, Kyle and Jake need to prepare this week just like they do every week. ... So the pecking order will be based then just like it always has been, on practice.

So we'll see where Kyler is from a physical standpoint. He needs to practice because he needs the reps. If he's ready to go, he'll be the starter. If not, we'll make a decision later in the week. All that will come later in the week."

Jake Spavital on the backup QB situation

"Like it is every week, we do it with every position, you put them out there during the week in practice and whoever does best is going to be the guy that goes in. That's not just for the quarterback position, that's for all positions."

Jake Spavital on Kyle Allen during the QB transition

"He's been incredible. When we're in the quarterback room as a unit he's in Kyler's ear saying, 'Here's what I saw, here's how I handled it.' It's impressive for a kid to be in a situation like that and handle it with such class."

Kevin Sumlin on the seniors preparing for their last home game

"It goes real fast. In the meeting yesterday we talked as a team: nobody cares more than seniors, because for a lot of these guys they're guaranteed 180 minutes more of football. There'll be a bowl game and they don't know what's going to happen with that, but for most of them it'll be the last time they play organized football in their life. So their sense of urgency is always, no matter how much you preach it, better than a younger guy.

You look at this class of guys, this is the first class to go through SEC football (for all four years). They're a transitional class and they're very proud of what they're doing and how they're doing it. It'll be like most senior nights but it'll be particularly emotional for a lot of reasons, and it should, because of the special moments they've had at Texas A&M and that they're still fighting to achieve."

John Chavis on short-term fixes at linebacker

"I'm going to shock you just a little bit, ok? We actually made some improvement there in this last game. Without calling a name, you take a guy that had been playing at 45 percent and he's up to 65 percent. But 65 percent gets you beat. We've got to keep growing.

Richard Moore has been a plus force, every time he's on the field he's making plays. He's a guy that's got to get more involved in our defense."

John Chavis on the defense's struggles

"It's not a matter of learning, it's a matter of guys working together. We're letting plays get away from us that shouldn't, and that's been a thing that has continued and it's a thing that, I won't get frustrated, but we've got to get fixed. It's got to be a sense of urgency.

Our guys want to do well. They want to play well. I don't think it's a matter of learning the defense, it's a matter of reacting to plays in very quick situations. Offenses move fast and you've got to react quickly."

Press Conference Videos

HC Kevin Sumlin

OC Jake Spavital

DC John Chavis