Kevin Barbay media session - Western Michigan Week

Mississippi State University offensive Coordinator Kevin Barbay met with the media on Monday for his weekly press conference to discuss the Alabama game, the offensive line and the state of the quarterback situation ahead of this weekend’s game against Western Michigan.

The Run Game

Q: The running game was a little bit better last week, what did you attribute that to? And Cole (Smith) was just telling us he thought the game plan was really good last week, so how do you keep that rolling this week?

A: I thought there were some good things we did against Alabama, and being able to run the football like we did was something that was, I think, building confidence in our guys. Obviously, there’s always things that we (have to) clean up. You know, Coach Friend, Coach Smith, Coach Hughes, Coach Knox is our quality control, helping out in the run game and stuff. I mean, (those) guys do a great job of really putting the game plan together, you know. And there were some things that we were pleased with, but obviously we’ve got to get better

Rogers

Q: Will (Rogers) obviously struggled a little bit with the interceptions and everything, had the big game against South Carolina, what did you see in the Alabama game that really caused him to struggle?

A: Yeah, you know, crucial mistake right there in the two minute (drill) into the half. (He had a) turnover there, and learning from those situations and making sure that we’re not making those same mistakes twice, and really understanding the flow of the game there. And then on the other interception that we had, there was miscommunication, a little bit of a protection breakdown, but at the end of the day Will is very conscious of knowing that we’ve got to protect the football, and we can’t win games like that turning the football over. We’ve got to continue to stress ball security and put our guys in those situations where they can protect the football and they’ve got nice, clean throws.

Before Halftime

Q: You mentioned the interception there right before the half, looking back on that, is that a situation where moving forward you would feel comfortable trying to have the foot on the pedal again, or do you think that would me somewhere where maybe you would go a bit more conservative?

A: Yeah, there was like a minute and three (seconds) left and we’d used our timeouts to try and get us an opportunity and I think in games like that, you’ve got to be as aggressive as you can. You know, sure, can you look back and go ‘well, we could have ran the ball there and gone to halftime,’ but that wasn’t the type of game that we needed to play to beat Alabama. We needed to be aggressive, so, you know, I’d do it again, and hopefully we wouldn’t turn the ball over.

Offensive Line

Q: What are you seeing right now out of this offensive line? Obviously they have a lot of returning guys, but it’s a new system for them, so have you seen some of them coming along at this point?

A: That’s a good question. I see us gaining confidence. I really do. We had the South Carolina week where these guys were really good in protection and our play action stuff and giving us plenty of time, pushing the ball downfield not only in play action but in six man protection as well. And this week, running game wise, I felt like they had a confidence level that they could run the football on anybody. So now, what we’ve got to be able to do is make sure that we combine those, right? And that we get our passing game and our run game all meshed up together where we’re all clicking as one full, diverse, multiple unit.

Formations/Personnel

Q: Speaking of combining things, you’re using a lot of four wide (outs) at times, then you’ll come in with a true tight end, Antonio (Harmon) at tight end, and you’re just kind of using all sorts of receiver combinations out there, calling on Air Raid stuff and then classic run game stuff. Is that just more confidence that the team can do these things as the season goes on?

A: Yeah, you know, it’s really about the personnel that you’ve got and the schemes that we’re trying to get executed. You might go into a 10 personnel group because this guy is a little bit better route runner or you might go into an 11 personnel group because this guy’s a better blocker on the perimeter. Now, the key is that you’ve got to make sure that you’re mixing enough of that and quality controlling yourself so that defensive guys don’t know that every time you put this guy in you’er going to run it, but we are. We’re trying to incorporate and create as much as we can, and then some of the 10 personnel group stuff. And, you know, Harmon’s done a good job and has created some plays not only as a tight end, but also as a receiver catching the ball in the flat. For us, it’s really what we have available that week and what gives you the best chance to move the ball forward.

Woody (Jo’Quavious) Marks

Q: We talked last week about Woody and some injury aspects and another instance on Saturday. How’s that, I guess, since it’s becoming a bit of a trend affect you as a play caller and maybe changing things up to help him be healthy throughout the rest of the year?

A: Yeah, Woody is a really important piece of this offense, and like we talked about last week, Woody is the toughest dude that I know. With that being said, I thought Pitt (Jeffery Pittman) played really well against Alabama. I’ve got confidence in all of our guys, and it gives guys other opportunities, but Woody is going to battle, and he’ll be there. But we do have seven games in the regular season remaining, and we’ve got to make sure that Woody is an important piece of that.

Pittman

Q: You mentioned Pitt kind of coming along there. Obviously it’s a little bit of a transition for him coming from junior college, but where have you seen him progress through the first few weeks of the season?

A: I thought he’s progressed tremendously from Spring ball, and it’s a lot of offense, and there’s a lot of different schemes, but, you know, Pitt is a guy that’s a gamer. When he gets his opportunities on Saturday nights he makes plays. The moment is never too big for him. The Ju-Co to SEC transition matters none to Pitt if you give him an opportunity and get him the ball, I’ve been really pleased with the success he’s had.

The Road Ahead

Q: You mentioned seven games left, with the road ahead, is there any thought now with how the season is going that maybe you could find some time for some of the true freshmen to get their four games in and some guys that maybe need snaps before you see them in spring ball?

A: That’s a great question, too. Those conversations are ongoing, and hopefully we’re in a situation where some young guys are able to play and get some valuable snaps.

Quarterback Relations

Q: Will was talking about the way he’s been able to to bounce ideas off Mike Wright and kind of talk to him on the sidelines. How have you seen Mike kind of embrace his role so far and the patience he has obviously as a guy who would like to see the field a bit more as well?

A: Those two, they’ve got a great relationship and they’re very supportive. I think it’s really important when guys have been in that starting role and they understand the support that you need from the other’s in the room. Mike, obviously, he’s had some great success in the opportunities that he’s had, and we’ll continue to grow his package as well.