What Kevin Steele, Chad Morris said about Citrus Bowl, coaching change

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al.com

 

What Kevin Steele, Chad Morris said about Citrus Bowl, coaching change

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

15-20 minutes

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Auburn began preparations for the Citrus Bowl this week as the program works through the transition from the Gus Malzahn era to the Bryan Harsin era.

Harsin is on the scene in Auburn, but he’s letting the Tigers’ current staff of assistants focus on gameplanning and preparation for Friday’s Citrus Bowl against Northwestern. On Wednesday, acting head coach/defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and offensive coordinator Chad Morris met with the media via Zoom to discuss bowl prep, how the team is handling practice amid the changes around them and other topics. Here’s a look at everything Steele and Morris had to say:

Kevin Steele, Auburn defensive coordinator/acting head coach

Q. I wanted to ask you about your defense, a guy who came up was Zakoby McClain and his effort this year, what can you say about his performance this season and what have you seen out of your D-Line this year?

“Yes, as far as Zakoby, No. 1, he’s an outstanding young man. Great family. Comes to work every day, infectious personality in a positive way, on the field, off the field -- a high-energy guy and his nickname is Ricochet Rabbit for a reason; it’s an old cartoon, a bounce-around guy that never was still. Very productive obviously, and that’s kind of the way he plays football. Very productive obviously with over a hundred tackles. That’s hard to do. He’s a very, very good football player. As far as the defensive line goes, we’ve been a work-in-progress with a very, very talented group of young men; that it would have been beneficial to have had spring practice.

“We didn’t have that in terms of replacing the starters we’ve had. And they have grown throughout the year and have become very effective and improving all the time. So we have got a good group. There’s a pretty big group of numbers there and they are all very talented and have good D-Line strengths for SEC football.”

Q. Talk about this has been a strange season for these kids with COVID and all that stuff and then a strange month for these kids at the end. Just talk about what you’ve seen from them and how they have coped with all that stuff.

“Yeah, we’ve really talked about in this light: You know, experiences in life come in different ways and experience is not what happens to you. The experience is what you do with what’s happened to you. And these guys have adjusted, been flexible: Well, we’re not going to have spring practice; well, we are going to move it back; well, we are not going to have it; we are on Zoom calls. Everybody knows that scenario of just, we’re going to play a game, we’re not playing a game, this is who we are playing and now we have got another opponent, just all kinds of change on top of the same SEC schedule. So these guys have been very, very resilient. They have gained experience that will pay dividends for them for the rest of their life in terms of how they -- they are finishers, they are fighters and they are true Auburn men, and that’s kind of what this group is. I think they will forever be remembered by this coaching staff and by each other as people you can depend on and they fight through adversity.”

Q. Curious why you didn’t consider elevating one of your assistants to be the acting defensive coordinator for this game.

“Well, it’s because we just had a short, condensed week of doing that. I’m the defensive coordinator. We have a head coach, so I’m the defensive coordinator, and I think it was just better to keep it the way we’ve done it all year.

Q. Obviously this Bowl season is much different because of opt-out guys. Have you guys had some, anybody that’s not expected to play in the game?

“Well, Schwartz and Mark-Antony Richards, for sure. Now we have some other guys and I’m not going to disclose that because I take a little bit more of an NFL approach of not letting the opponent know exactly what, but we have some guys that are injured, and we have some guys that are in COVID protocol that may or not be cleared from Dr. Goodlett. It’s a work-in-progress because we’ve had guys in and out of practice. We’ve got some just regular football injuries that we’re dealing with. It’s going to be a little bit mix-and-match possibly. We may get some of those guys back. We may not get them back. And so it’s kind of touch and go in terms of what we will have.”

Q. You mentioned the COVID protocols. As acting head coach, do you have any reentry numbers that you could provide us?

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know the specific numbers. I’ve kept up with who is at practice and who is not, but I’m not at this point in time, I don’t have them in front of me. So I would be giving you misinformation trying to remember.

Q. Ladarius Tennison started at Mississippi State. Just wondered how he played, and do you see him starting in the Bowl game? And also, the secondary, are you guys going to be up to full speed in the secondary for the Bowl?

“Ladarius played really, really good. He played like a starter. We do see him starting at the star position in this game. He really has just progressed and is a very good football player. Yes, we see that. What was the other part of your question?

Q. I was going to ask you about the secondary.

“Yeah.”

Q. Healthy? You’re ready to go in the secondary?

“We’re a little banged up. Sherwood is probably the biggest question. He had a little ankle injury and so he’s a little bit of a question but there’s a chance. There’s a chance.”

Q. I know you were talking about possibly moving an off-field coach into an on-field role for this game. Is that something you still foresee happening?

“We did that, actually, just for a game day headset. And then we had a positive graduate assistant and so we had to get someone in that could coach the scout team. So Brandon Fisher is going to move on to the active coaching roster. That’s more for a headset reason and communication on game day than it was actually coaching or coaching practice, because he helped run the scout team. But game day, we needed him on the headset because we are down one with the headset, obviously.”

Q. You’ve had a week to prepare. How did you go about it, and are they similar in any fashion offensively to any teams you’ve encountered in the SEC in recent years?

“In terms of their scheme, they are a little bit like Georgia schematically. And maybe in some ways Kentucky. I would say most similar would probably be Kentucky in terms of schematically. They are very, very, very well-coached. They play extremely hard. They do not beat themselves. They execute very well.

Q. How do you compartmentalize preparing for this game and weighing the uncertain future with a new coaching staff coming in and whether or not assistants will be retained and all that?

“Right. Well, that’s a good question, and it is compartmentalized. There’s the personal side of it and it involves your family and the other families on the staff and then there’s our players. This has got to be all about the players and helping them be successful on game day. We’ll cross that other when it’s time -- that bridge, when we get to it. We are not to that. We have to get through this game and represent Auburn well and give everything we have to Auburn and to players here, and don’t allow anything else to be a distraction. I mean, we owe that to each other as a team, as a team, as a staff, to each other. And it’s really not as hard as what people might think it would be.”

Q. How much contact have you had with Coach Harsin and has he been out there watching any of the practices?

“Well, it’s been minimal because obviously he has a lot on his plate. So he’s doing what he does and we’re doing something totally separate and they are not joined at this point in time. But I’ve seen him around the building, and then we’ve had -- he had a Zoom conference call with all of us. And then he’s been around some of the players. I think it’s good that they are getting to see him and get a feel for him. But other than that, it really has not, you know, been in terms of -- he’s here. So he’s kind of involved in the Bowl. He’s allowed us to keep that totally separate from him.”

Chad Morris, Auburn offensive coordinator

Q. Obviously Northwestern has a strong defense, rated highly in a lot of categories on that front. What have you seen and what have you had your guys looking at specifically when it comes to approaching their defensive unit?

“Well, first of all, I’ve always admired the program of Northwestern. Those guys, each year they are always in the top echelon defensively; this year being no different. These guys are very well-coached. They are sound. They are gap-sound. They don’t do a whole lot defensively but what they do, they do it very well and the guys tackle extremely well in space. They are very aggressive, physical. And so those are the things that really stand out to me as I watch and game plan for these guys. But we definitely have our work cut out for us.”

Q. You and Gus go way back. I know he reached out when things ended at Arkansas last year. What were your conversations like with him after the news came down after the Mississippi State game and what was your reaction?

“My reaction was much like everybody in the building when it all happened. It’s a tough time. You kind of go through different phases when it does happen and I was just there just to tell him how much I appreciate him. You know, he and my relationship go way back, and so I was just there just to help lend an ear and lend a hand but I’m very, very indebted to Coach Malzahn and what he’s done and want to wish him the best moving forward.”

Q. When you last played, Brenden Coffey was one of your new starters on offensive line. How did he do, and is Brodarious Hamm going to be able to go? And I know it’s been a strange year for your offensive line in general. Can you talk about that?

“You know, we’re still trying to get everybody healthy up there in the front. That’s kind of been the position that’s gotten the injury bug a bit but I thought Brenden Coffey did a good job, being his first time to get extensive playing in, and you know, being able to get some good work throughout Bowl practice. I’m excited for him and moving forward and just I think he’s a young man that’s got a bright future, and he’ll continue to get better.”

Q. I wondered if the mindset of the team will be more relaxed and will you be calling all the plays and do you have very many individuals missing from your offense in this game?

“Outside of the individuals that Coach Steele has already talked about, we should be able to get some guys back, hopefully to try to heal some of the nagging injuries. As far as playing relaxed, you know, these guys are professional with how we’ve approached this thing with the coaching change. These guys that come to work have done a tremendous job getting ready and allowing us to get them ready for this game. We know we have a great opponent, and as I mentioned earlier, we’ve got a big task ahead of us going against their top defense. I anticipate our guys playing as they have played all year long and that’s playing with an edge about themselves.”

Q. How tough has it been in a condensed Bowl week and not knowing who is going to be out there from practice to practice and shuffling guys around, how tough has it been to prepare for the game?

“It’s kind of been the norm to be honest with you. It’s kind of we have had to deal with all year long, you don’t know one day to the next or one game to the next who is going to be out there with all the uncertainties that we’ve had to deal with. So it’s really been business as usual. Our guys have come to work. They have gotten after it and we have got a plan. But it’s been kind of along suit with what 2020 has been.”

Q. You talked about the whirlwind of the last month, but I wanted to ask for Bo specifically, how have you seen him handle everything, especially now and preparing for the Bowl game?

“I think Bo has done a really good job of getting himself ready. I know he was excited to get back in here after Christmas, and to finish this thing out just like we started. That’s a big task that we have ahead of us, but to end this thing with a Bowl win would be a great accomplishment for this team and for this team moving forward.”

Q. Your receiver position without Anthony Schwartz, how will that set up, what will be different?

“You know, Eli will definitely step in that role. He’s got ample playing time. He’s going to have to get a little bit more. We try to limit the number of reps that our receivers take, just because of the course throughout the game. But I anticipate seeing some young guys getting on the field and playing, but Eli, he’ll take the majority of the reps.”

Q. Can you talk about what’s made Northwestern defense so effective this year and also, D.J. Williams having to time off, is he getting back closer to his normal self?

“Well, D.J. has. He’s one of the guys I was referring to as getting back healthy. So it’s good to see him back. He’s gone through all of practice and looks much better and looks a little bit fresh to be honest with you with his legs and so I’m excited about having him back. As far as just the Northwestern defense what makes them so sound is, again, they don’t do a lot, but what they do is they are very sound in it. They are very gap-sound. They have been playing this type of defense for quite some time and so they are really good at it. Their guys understand the adjustments that have to be made from it. And to be able to watch those guys and how they communicate, it is very impressive. They will give some exotic looks on third down, but again, I think that just does a great job of complementing what they do on base downs.”

Q. How do you personally go about preparing that plan? How many Northwestern games would you feel comfortable that you need to watch in preparing for a week to really identify and be secure and that you know what perhaps would work and perhaps what you would want to stay away from?

“Well, one, they didn’t play as many games this year so you had very few games that go off from personnel standpoints from a year ago. So what you do at that point is you try to find teams, offenses, that are similar to what you run from formational, from plays, and you try to break those down and whether it’s four games, whether it’s five games, maybe it’s all six games, you definitely watch all of them from a personnel standpoint just to look at the different personnel. But from a schematic standpoint, you try to focus on the teams that are very similar to what you do.”

Q. On that note with Northwestern having not played as many games and their COVID problems and them having played a game and you having been away for a while with a coaching change with, everything that’s happened, is this the strangest Bowl experience you’ve ever been a part of?

“Well, it has been, but again, it’s kind of been the norm for this year. When you look at it and you look at just the way things have unfolded, and normally you’re down at the Bowl site right now. You’d be able to enjoy just the hospitality of the Bowl, where now you go down the day before, just like a regular away game. So you know, we’ve tried to make it as Bowl-like as you possibly can without being on the Bowl site. But our guys have done a great job. Again, I think change has been a normal word, and these guys have dealt with change extremely well.”

Q. With a next head coach coming in, how do you compartmentalize preparing for this Bowl game and the future of the assistant coaching staff and have you had any conversations with Coach Harsin about that future yet?

“No. You know, right now, Coach is here and he’s allowed us to go ahead and do our thing and game plan and get these guys ready to play. and I’m excited about the opportunity to finish this season out at the Citrus Bowl.”

Q. As a play-caller, how much fun has it been to have a guy like Tank Bigsby at running back and the way he’s broken out this year and do you expect for him to play for you guys on Friday?

“Well, we are hoping. We’ll see on that. But he has. He’s definitely had a great year, a phenomenal year, a young man that’s got an incredible future ahead of him. When you’re able to get the ball in his hands, he makes a lot of things right when they are not right. But a young man that loves football and it’s a pleasure to be around.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.