Let’s take a quick tour of the SEC to see what the head coaches were talking about Saturday following their Week 12 games:
NICK SABAN, ALABAMA
On the usage of Derrick Henry in a blowout win against Charleston Southern: “We were just kind of going by the scoreboard. We were going to play Damien (Harris) early and sort of roll him in, so he played early some. When we got ahead by 21 or 28 points, we were going to kind of shut some of the guys down and make sure we start giving other guys ample opportunities to develop.”
BRET BIELEMA, ARKANSAS
On if the 51-50 loss to Mississippi State would set back the momentum of a team that had been one of the hottest in college football: “I don’t think this group will have any trouble bouncing back. It sucks, it stings. But I expect them to prepare well and play well.”
GUS MALZAHN, AUBURN
On balancing the Idaho game with the Iron Bowl looming: “There is a fine line. I think the best thing is we got the victory, and we got the chance to play a lot of guys late in the game. It got a little sloppy, but it’s a win. We wanted to get our main guys out of there early in the fourth quarter. We are happy that we came out of this one pretty healthy and we got the chance to play a lot of different guys.”
JIM MCELWAIN, FLORIDA
On Florida State watching the film of the Gators’ narrow overtime win against Florida Atlantic: “I’m sure the guys next week are going to take a look at this and probably go on vacation.”
MARK RICHT, GEORGIA
On needing overtime to beat Georgia Southern: “A lot of really good things happened, but the turnovers really hurt us. We got the touchdown on our first drive and then turned it over when it looked like we might go up 10-0 or 14-0. Then early in the second half, we had it in really good shape and we fumbled and they scooped and scored to go ahead. All of a sudden, we had to really get after it. We kept our poise and our composure and kept doing our jobs until the very end. I was proud of the way we finished. … The defense stoned them in overtime. We got the stop on fourth down and that allowed us to get it in the end zone and finish it.”
MARK STOOPS, KENTUCKY
On breaking a five-game losing streak with a win against Charlotte: “The last couple weeks I felt like our team has been practicing and doing the right things to put ourselves in a position to win. We just need to play better. We need to execute better. And we need to continue to work on that, to do the little things to win games. But I’ve been proud of their effort, their attitude and doing the right things.”
LES MILES, LSU
On losing three games in a row after starting the season 7-0: “It’s not something I enjoy in any way. It’s a tough stretch.”
DAN MULLEN, MISSISSIPPI STATE
On the combined 14 touchdowns from QB Dak Prescott and QB Brandon Allen in Mississippi State 51-50 win at Arkansas: ““As impressive a quarterbacking performance as you’re gonna see in college football on both sidelines.”
GARY PINKEL, MISSOURI
On being carried off the field by the team in spite of a 19-8 loss to Tennessee: “Well, I love those kids, you know. They know what I’m like, they know I like to win, man. It’s what we got in this business for. It’s why we go out on that field, that’s our job, that’s my job is we win. When it’s tough to win, it is my job to find a way to win. And I feel like I let them down. Bottom line, I feel like I let them down. There have been a lot of distractions this year and certainly that’s something that we’ve had to overcome. But, it’s just, they’re awesome and I love them. They know that. I like to win.”
HUGH FREEZE, OLE MISS
On his defense’s performance against LSU in 38-17 win: “Defensively, I thought for the first 29 minutes we were absolutely excellent. We stopped a really good run team. We gave them a little bit of momentum before the half. They had the explosive run that gave them a field goal, then the kickoff was fumbled. Couldn’t be more proud of the way the defense fought when their backs were against the wall, particularly in the red zone.”
SHAWN ELLIOTT, SOUTH CAROLINA
On losing to The Citadel: “They outcoached us, they outplayed us and they outclassed us, everything from the penalties, to the rushing to the playing. They played with great effort and great hearts. I told him (Mike Houston) to go get in the locker room and celebrate with your football team because they certainly deserved everything you did today, and they did it extremely well.”
BUTCH JONES, TENNESSEE
On deciding to have team not wear sleeves in win at Missouri: “I’m glad you saw the no long sleeves. That is just a mentality, that’s a mindset that we have in our football program. You embrace the uncontrollable factors and we embraced it. We prepared for it all week long. We also knew this would be a tough game. We have a lot of respect for their program and the toughness that it stands for and our kids embraced that and they showed great toughness today.”
KEVIN SUMLIN, TEXAS A&M
On maintaining shutout through the late moments of the win at Vanderbilt: “That’s always important. With the guys, there wasn’t a whole lot of chatter about it, but we could feel it on the sideline. I thought our guys took the field with energy every time, with a purpose, and played with confidence. That’s something we can build on. That’s not just a Saturday night situation, that’s an energy deal and a preparation deal Monday through Friday. The way we approached it last week, we need to approach it this week.”
DEREK MASON, VANDERBILT
On switching quarterbacks during the 25-0 loss to Texas A&M: “I don’t know that the quarterback switching was a big deal. … What you saw from a consistency standpoint, even when the quarterback stayed in, is we didn’t make plays. … We wanted to see if Johnny [McCrary] could give us a spark.”
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
