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Q: Okay, lets start simple: what does off week practice look like? (Richard23)

A: If it’s anything like it was for the last bye week, it’s lighter practices with a couple of days off and work on fundamentals. Like, say, tackling.

Q: Do you really think with all the injuries that we can beat Texas? Then Beat Georgia? Then make the playoffs? (Big Smoothie)

A: I think they can beat Texas, yes. And if they do that they’re in.

Q: I think a really good position to be in would be third spot in the SEC, don't have to play that extra game (kind of like a bye) and you could host the 1st round. I don't see a path for us to be 3rd and still make the CFP. My question; do you think that we can lose the SEC champ game and still make the playoffs?

A: Yes.

Also, with the games this weekend: Bama v LSU, Fla v tu, Georgia v Ole Miss and Tenn v Miss St; what outcomes benefit us the most? Too early to look at this? (Gmalone)

A: From a purely CFP perspective, you want LSU to win, Florida to win, Georgia to win and Mississippi State to win. Personally, I’d rather see LSU burn and work about the rest later. A&M’s not going to catch Georgia right now and they have to play Tennessee later anyway, so it would be better for A&M for Ole Miss to get their third conference loss and eliminate them. The Florida and Mississippi State picks are self-explanatory.

Q: What are the keys...Cliff Notes version please...to beating Texas? I say Cliff Notes BC I know you will talk more about it the week of the game. (H273)

A: Play smash mouth, run the ball, have a decent passing game and get after Ewers.

Q: I’m thinking about next year’s RBs and wondering about your thoughts. Will Moss and Owens both be back?

A: A month ago I would have said no way. Now, I think it’s better than 50/50.

Will Deondre Riden be valuable in his first year?

A: Depends on what else they do in terms of getting the two guys you mentioned back and the portal. But I definitely think he could be an asset.

What will we need from the portal (which feels like a blessing now)? Do all of our new RBs need Moss’ running style, or are we better served with more variety. Thank you. (Kneuse)

A: No, they don’t all have to be like Moss. In fact, it may be helpful if they’re not. Getting a real burner — not to say that Moss, Owens and Amari Daniels aren’t fast — who can really catch the ball could be a real weapon.

Q: Over or under on 2 seconds as the response time when the coaches asked Jayvon to move to RB to help the team?

A: I doubt it took long for him to agree.

Who backfills at CB now? (CypressAggie)

A: Donovan Saunders and Bravion Rogers are still over there, but the clear answer is BJ Mayes. They’ve been using him a little bit in that role anyway and getting Jaydon Hill on the field with him.

Q: Chance of seeing Weigman (in any way) against NMSU?

A: I would say there’s a very, very good chance of seeing him.

How do you think the coaches are working with Marcel to have a better chance to throw better, more accurately, have a better chance of throwing farther downfield?

A: They would be insane if they’re not.

Shanahan and Dewberry, will they improve in PassPro? (Tsip Despiser)

A: That is an impossible question to answer. But the more reps you get, the better you’re supposed to be, right? That’s the hope.

Q: Have Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Solomon Williams and Kendall Jackson played this year? (Ag20)

A: They all played against McNeese. That’s it.

Q: Offense has a lot of things to work on going into the NM game. How do you think they will approach this game? Will Elko play both QBs to put them to the test, so to speak?

A: Ok, for starters — New Mexico STATE.

Now, to your question. I think they’d like to play this similarly to McNeese and get both guys reps. I don’t know if you’d use it as an open competition, but I doubt we’re done seeing Weigman this year.

Defense needs to focus on the basics. Ags are not playing a SEC team so how do you think they approach the game. I can see limiting those who may have injuries that need to heal but I can also see Elko playing a lot of players. How do you see Elko game planning this? (DentonAg80)

A: Go in there and look to dominate and end it early. Then you can start rotating the reserves in.

Q: Beginning of the year I believe it was stated that Elko was not going to meddle in CK's offence. While the D needs attention as it moves into and out of high-level performance requiring a lot of work, does Elko take CK aside and ask WTF kind of O was that and "advises" him on a few things?

A: No.

Second question, what is CK not seeing in game film that D's playing Reed will simply crowd the line and make you beat them throwing - which Reed cannot at this point (or it seems CW cannot either)

A: I don’t have an answer for that question.

I am missing how USC was able to dice our D using the same O almost everyone on this board suggested prior to the game? (Rooster77)

A: I’m not sure how you could miss it. They played undisciplined football, they tackled badly and they committed stupid penalties. That makes it pretty easy to be chopped up.

Q: Your thoughts and insights into why Shemar Turner is playing so undisciplined to get the recent rash of penalties? (BoxsterBoy72)

A: This isn’t a new thing. Remember his…ahem…cup check last year at Ole Miss. He plays hard and he plays angry. But that can also lead to him playing out of control.

Q: In connection with this: Do opposing OCs tell their players to set Turner off since he's earned a reputation as a hothead? Or does he just overreact to normal in-game banter? (Battalion Ex)

A: Well, let’s look at it this way: we saw early in the season that opponents were intentionally going after Moose Muhammad because they knew they could set him off and it nearly worked. Turner has proven far more clearly than Moose that he’ll react, so I’d definitely try to wind him up.

Q: Do the offensive analysts report to Klein or Elko or someone else and do you have any idea what they do during games? Not ready to kick Klein to the curb but it seems like he needs some help with play selection as he gets into ruts that we all see. There are flashes of creativity but it seems like sometimes he feels the pressure of the moment (or speed of the game/defense) and reverts to simple play calls. (StickCC)

A: I would think they report to both. And no, I don’t know what they do during games. I think they can be on the sidelines now, but I’m not 100% on that.

Q: Does Elko put Turner on the bench to start the next game send a message?

A: If you’re going to bench him, this would be the game to do it. NMSU is pretty terrible. I get the sense this week probably wasn’t a fun one for Turner. He was an Elko guy, an Elko recruit, and there’s a bond there. But you could tell during this week’s press conference that coach was not pleased with player.

What would you do? (98 Percenter)

A: First, we’d have a one-on-one discussion about what he’s doing, what he’s thinking, and the consequences if he does it again. And then I’d be on his butt all week. If he so much as steps a foot out of line in practice, he’d run the stair equivalent of Mount Everest.

Q: Would it help Reed to work with the QB coach, George Whitfield, that Johnny Manziel worked with in the summer of 2012 to help him be a better passer? (FbFan222)

A: Not necessarily. Look, there are ton of QB coaches out there, and Reed may have his own. He needs reps. He needs to make sure his mechanics are consistent. And he needs more time with his receivers. Maybe Whitfield, or someone like him, can help with some of those things. But it does not have to be just George Whitfield.

Q: Does Elko have the ability to prepare this team to come out ready to play in the first half of a game on a consistent basis?

We are seeing other coaches achieving this in their 1st year with a program. (Reckless75)

A: I don’t think the issue has been the first half. It’s been the first couple of drives. After that, they’ve been pretty strong all year, until they broke late in both losses.

Q: Do you think maybe the team had a confidence problem after gifting SC the early lead last Saturday?

A: No, not at all. Remember, they took the lead back before halftime.

What do you think the root cause of the loss was? Bad tackling? The bad 4th and short calls? Moss' absence? Any one thing that if that hadn't happened, the game would probably have gone differently? (3rd Gen Ag)

A: No. It was everything.