Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin addressed the media in his weekly press conference prior to Saturday’s Arkansas game and commented on a variety of issues including beginning conference play, his second string, the banter between Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury and Bret Bilelema of Arkansas and his role in an Adidas television commercial.

On the return of linebacker A.J. Hilliard after a devastating-looking broken ankle last year cost him the season:

“You have to remember he hasn’t played in a year. He got hurt in the second or third quarter of South Carolina. It was a horrific injury to come back from from a mental standpoint. In the summer he broke his wrist and in fall camp he was hit or miss. But it was great to get him in to play last week.”

On the SEC West race:

“That is for you guys (the media) to say, I go through the it every week, but you’re the guys who say who is going to win before the season.”

On the “feud” between Kliff Kingsbury and Bret Bielema:

“I talk to Kliff and that shouldn’t surprise anybody and it’s not that uncommon to talk with the next opponent’s head coach. But what’s going on between those two guys is between those two guys. Maybe at the Texas High School Coaches convention I can referee.”

On last year’s game with Arkansas, a 35-28 Aggie win in overtime:

“That overtime game last year took a lot out of our football team and they (Arkansas) took it forward and became a really good football team.”

On if his players are more focused for an SEC opponent:

“I don’t know, I’d like to think we want to get better every week no matter the opponent.”

On his second string and what it needs to work at to get better:

“We still got stuff to work on with the ones. Your happy with the twos out there because then you are in control of the game. We’ve been able to rotate guys in meaningful situations. That makes them 1b’s instead of twos and that is a big step for the program and them.”

On if he’d rather play the game at Kyle Field rather than AT&T Stadium in Arlington:

“I didn’t make the schedule, that was made a long time ago. You play the schedule that you have. Playing here, I don’t think that anybody who wouldn’t want to. But we are going to play at arguably the best pro venue there is. But that was decided a long time ago.”

On how much he will use the fact Arkansas has allowed no sacks as motivation for his defense:

“I’m not using that at all. Our guys know what to do and they want to get a sack regardless of stats.”

On Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen:

“He is one of the few guys who had a low TD-to-interception ratio of anyone in the country. He is efficient as a quarterback. They use a lot of play action and have the biggest offensive line in the country. They got one of the best tight ends in the country. In the last two weeks, they had trouble in the red zone, but they moved it up and down the field between the 20s.”

On his appearance in an Adidas commercial:

“Adidas is a partner of our athletic department and they called and asked if I wanted to be in the commercial for their new Speed presentation. I asked who was going to be in it and they told me Sammy Watkins, Jimmy Graham and DeMarco Murray. I said okay. It is the opportunity to expose our program and the Texas A&M brand. It just helps us.”