Opening Statement:
"Our kids are playing really hard. I'm pleased to see that. We've got to figure out how to finish. You can't have lapses or bad calls or bad execution at critical moments. I've never had a season ... every winnable game and not gone our way. Not a single one. It makes you sick ... when you don't get across the finish line. It makes you crazy, say crazy things to the people you love. It teaches you so much about who you are (when you're) in the valley."
"We have a young team. They're learning and they're growing. I think we play not to lose. Truthfully, we're probably coaching that way, too." ***
"When you watch that game, you look at three different drives. We had a really good drive in the third down and, truthfully, it's a touchdown. He's got to catch that. He sent out a group text ... that would really break your heart. You make that play or you make that field goal or you make a different call ... the game probably would be over."
"Defensively, it was probably our most complete game."
Of the final defensive drive: "We were absolutely gassed. They got tired. Your technique ... the same call was executed three times perfectly in the first half."
(He goes through several plays that didn't go Auburn's way.)
• Question on play-calling: "I'm pretty clear with the guys (about) what we can do. The play-calling part ... Nix does some of it, Kent does some of it and I've surely done my share. It's four hours of stress. It's four hours of feeling like we've got to have the perfect call right now. We don't have the margin for error."
"This profession has gotten to where you feel like you're lifting weights and there's a 45-pound dumbbell added every day. It is a lot, but I enjoy working to get this offense ... to be efficient and find ways to put games away."
• Question on Dillon Wade at LT permanently? "Percy struggled with it. First play of the game, we should have had a completion and we just ... totally ... didn't block anyone. I love Percy. The movement is giving him some problems. We thought we'd be a little more sound."
• Question on RPOs not working against Missouri. "If it's a good box to run against, you hand it off. Our average rush ... was pretty solid. We were pretty effective at running it most of the day."
• Question on Hunter's numbers: "That's a good front. They're solid. They're top three or four in everything. It's a really good defense. Could we have blocked things a little differently? Sure."
• Question about not being cut-throat. "You want to feel like that all the time. (A lot of) things are in your mind." (He talks about a second-half drive that I can't remember.) "I didn't feel like ... that could be my emotions and feelings ... that we weren't playing to win. Maybe that was just in my mind. You feel the pressure in those moments. Do you feel free like I do in most of my life? Or do I put the kids ... in jeopardy?"
• Question on using the full-house backfield. "There were a couple that were explosive plays. In our system, that three-back stuff, the line doesn't have a clue that it's any different. All the new stuff we put in ... seemed to be pretty successful."
• Question on kickers. "Should we had another chance in the 35-yard range, Alex said he was ready to go. We need to make those. Critical moments. (McPherson) did feel like he could have participated had we found ourselves in that situation."
• Question on UK's defense. (He likes it a lot.)
• Question on having young guys (Faustin-Loudior and Crawford) playing CB. "They're growing. They're getting better, too. I see it in practice in 1 on 1s. They're playing against some pretty good players. For most of the game, they did some things."
• Question about slow starts. (First drive started at the 5 Saturday.) "We totally MA'd on the first snap. You can't recover from that on that drive. We literally didn't have time to throw it. That's what killed the first drive."
• Question on Mr. Three Million (Cam Coleman) playing Saturday. "We've got to keep him improving the intermediate part of his game. These kids are very talented. You see them do it in practice. Then the bullet gets real and it changes a little bit."
*SpicyPenguin from the Brain Drain said last weekend that Cam will command $3 million in NIL next season.
• Question about selling out the final home games. (Hugh loves the fan support.) "The narrative is always 'get rid of the guys. Change. Change.' That has been far from the case for me and my experience (at Auburn.) They are incredibly supportive. I couldn't be more thankful for the support of the Auburn family."
• Follow-up question about not playing for the win: "I want to do the right thing for your kids at the right moment. We've got to gain some confidence in each other for those winning moments in those winning moments. Me having confidence that Payton is going to take care of the ball, that our receivers are going to run the right routes. This late in the year, we should have that fixed. When you call the play, don't think the negative."
• Question about running against UK. "I know Coach Stoops. He will not be happy with their performance (at Florida). I know they will be working on fitting (the run.) That was an outlier. I don't make too much of that game. I hope they play like that, but that's doubtful."
"Our kids are playing really hard. I'm pleased to see that. We've got to figure out how to finish. You can't have lapses or bad calls or bad execution at critical moments. I've never had a season ... every winnable game and not gone our way. Not a single one. It makes you sick ... when you don't get across the finish line. It makes you crazy, say crazy things to the people you love. It teaches you so much about who you are (when you're) in the valley."
"We have a young team. They're learning and they're growing. I think we play not to lose. Truthfully, we're probably coaching that way, too." ***
"When you watch that game, you look at three different drives. We had a really good drive in the third down and, truthfully, it's a touchdown. He's got to catch that. He sent out a group text ... that would really break your heart. You make that play or you make that field goal or you make a different call ... the game probably would be over."
"Defensively, it was probably our most complete game."
Of the final defensive drive: "We were absolutely gassed. They got tired. Your technique ... the same call was executed three times perfectly in the first half."
(He goes through several plays that didn't go Auburn's way.)
• Question on play-calling: "I'm pretty clear with the guys (about) what we can do. The play-calling part ... Nix does some of it, Kent does some of it and I've surely done my share. It's four hours of stress. It's four hours of feeling like we've got to have the perfect call right now. We don't have the margin for error."
"This profession has gotten to where you feel like you're lifting weights and there's a 45-pound dumbbell added every day. It is a lot, but I enjoy working to get this offense ... to be efficient and find ways to put games away."
• Question on Dillon Wade at LT permanently? "Percy struggled with it. First play of the game, we should have had a completion and we just ... totally ... didn't block anyone. I love Percy. The movement is giving him some problems. We thought we'd be a little more sound."
• Question on RPOs not working against Missouri. "If it's a good box to run against, you hand it off. Our average rush ... was pretty solid. We were pretty effective at running it most of the day."
• Question on Hunter's numbers: "That's a good front. They're solid. They're top three or four in everything. It's a really good defense. Could we have blocked things a little differently? Sure."
• Question about not being cut-throat. "You want to feel like that all the time. (A lot of) things are in your mind." (He talks about a second-half drive that I can't remember.) "I didn't feel like ... that could be my emotions and feelings ... that we weren't playing to win. Maybe that was just in my mind. You feel the pressure in those moments. Do you feel free like I do in most of my life? Or do I put the kids ... in jeopardy?"
• Question on using the full-house backfield. "There were a couple that were explosive plays. In our system, that three-back stuff, the line doesn't have a clue that it's any different. All the new stuff we put in ... seemed to be pretty successful."
• Question on kickers. "Should we had another chance in the 35-yard range, Alex said he was ready to go. We need to make those. Critical moments. (McPherson) did feel like he could have participated had we found ourselves in that situation."
• Question on UK's defense. (He likes it a lot.)
• Question on having young guys (Faustin-Loudior and Crawford) playing CB. "They're growing. They're getting better, too. I see it in practice in 1 on 1s. They're playing against some pretty good players. For most of the game, they did some things."
• Question about slow starts. (First drive started at the 5 Saturday.) "We totally MA'd on the first snap. You can't recover from that on that drive. We literally didn't have time to throw it. That's what killed the first drive."
• Question on Mr. Three Million (Cam Coleman) playing Saturday. "We've got to keep him improving the intermediate part of his game. These kids are very talented. You see them do it in practice. Then the bullet gets real and it changes a little bit."
*SpicyPenguin from the Brain Drain said last weekend that Cam will command $3 million in NIL next season.
• Question about selling out the final home games. (Hugh loves the fan support.) "The narrative is always 'get rid of the guys. Change. Change.' That has been far from the case for me and my experience (at Auburn.) They are incredibly supportive. I couldn't be more thankful for the support of the Auburn family."
• Follow-up question about not playing for the win: "I want to do the right thing for your kids at the right moment. We've got to gain some confidence in each other for those winning moments in those winning moments. Me having confidence that Payton is going to take care of the ball, that our receivers are going to run the right routes. This late in the year, we should have that fixed. When you call the play, don't think the negative."
• Question about running against UK. "I know Coach Stoops. He will not be happy with their performance (at Florida). I know they will be working on fitting (the run.) That was an outlier. I don't make too much of that game. I hope they play like that, but that's doubtful."
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